#(they might give her a tryout & think they’re giving her a fair chance but when the time comes they’ll perceive her mistakes as more

[scholarhect]

think of gender-separated esports leagues as less like assumptions that women have weak brittle fingers that can’t hit the keys fast enough compared to men, and more as something in the vein of “girls who code”

[dyde21]

Marching On 2: The Auditions

I’m happy with how well received this story has been! The engagement definitely makes me want to keep pumping out chapters for this AU, even if they take a while. These chapters are pretty long. Fair warning, this one is kinda heavy on drum line, but I also used it to explain some stuff for later on. I hope it’s all understandable! More after the story!

ALSO ON AO3 HERE

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Pausing outside the door, Percy was starting to feel a little nervous. Today was the day of tryouts and he was going in with barely any practice in snare drumming. A week ago he couldn’t have cared less about it, but now he was actually feeling nervous. 

He was pretty sure that it wasn’t because he was invested in band. His opinion of it had moved from lame to “pretty okay”. The first week had been fine overall. They went over the basics of how the year long class worked, how much money they needed to provide and what fundraisers were available throughout the year to help out. They had even had their first lesson on music theory, which confused him quite a bit but Piper was helping him out so he could at least read music now. Plus he found it a little easier to study than the normal junk he had to for school. Music was rewarding when you learned it at least, you could make a cool sound or melody.

No, he was mostly nervous that he was going to make a fool of himself. He had seen the options for drumline, and he was pretty sure the snare was the coolest to him. But also usually the most popular according to Piper so that meant he was going to have to pull off something. 

“Nervous?”

Piper said suddenly, making him jump. He hadn’t noticed her approaching. She just laughed, throwing an arm over his shoulder. “You’ll be fine. If you have two talents, it’s getting in to trouble, and pulling through sketchy situations by some miracle.” She teased. Percy glared slightly, but couldn’t exactly argue with her. It was pretty accurate. 

Removing her arm, she just shifted and leaned against the wall next to him. “I’m honestly surprised you’re willingly here. I figured you would have ran away after class ended. You staying after school for band? Who would have thought.” She said, a hint of teasing in her tone, but she looked sideways at him showing a genuine interest.

Percy shrugged. “I told you guys, I’m going to try it out at least. Besides, my mom has been really happy that I’ve been going and I kinda owe her for not signing me up for military school or something. It’s nice seeing her smile.” He confessed, looking off to the side away from his friend, already knowing her reaction.

Piper just let out a soft coo at him. “There’s hope for you yet.” She teased, pulling off his beanie to mess with his hair, before pulling it over her own head and heading into the band room.

Percy followed her, trying to fix his horrible case of beanie-hair from wearing it all day.

“What are you doing here anyway, are you trying out for drumline?”

Piper laughed at him. “Please. I’m actually trying out for color guard this year. Tryouts are today as well.”

She turned to see his dumbfounded expression and rolled her eyes. “Flags.” 

“Oh!” Percy announced, finally understanding. “Why is called color guard? Are you like supposed to protect the band with those poles?” He asked, earning a sign from Piper who just ignored his stupid question. 

All the chairs that normally filled the band room had been stacked neatly along the walls, freeing up most of the room. There were large drums on harnesses lined up in a semi-circle and a smattering of students gathered around. Annabeth caught their eye and made her way over. “You showed up, I’m impressed. Piper said you might bail.”

Percy shot a glare at his friend who just stuck her tongue out. “You have to admit there was like a fifty percent chance.”

“Maybe.”

Annabeth let out a laugh and smiled at him. “Well you’re here, and that’s all that matters. Based off your playing, I’m sure you can get a spot.”

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope so.”

The blonde turned to Piper. “So you’re trying for color guard this year?” 

Setting her bag next to where Percy had stowed his, Piper turned around. “Yeah, I think I am. Marching is fun, but seeing Hazel and Silena having so much fun last year made me want to try it out.”

Annabeth grinned. “That’s awesome. I know you’ll do amazingly. Just listen to Hylla and I’m sure you won’t have much issue getting on the line.”

Piper nodded. “Hylla is teaching it again? Awesome. She seemed cool.” Looking over at Percy who was clearly out of place in the conversation but didn’t exactly have anywhere else to go. “Sorry. Reyna’s older sister. She graduated a while ago. She runs colorguard here now. Strict, but a beautiful dancer and she’s the reason our colorguard always gets great scores.

Percy nodded. “I see. Stricter than Reyna?” He said, pausing at the thought. Reyna already put on a tough act, he couldn’t imagine what her older sister would be like if she was even more serious. He had a feeling she wouldn’t like him much. 

Both girls laughed at his expression, so he clearly wasn’t hiding it well.

“Don’t worry. Drumline has its own instructor. Honestly you’ll probably get along with her well. Or hate her. Either or.” Annabeth offered with a shrug while Percy didn’t exactly feel much more reassured.

“What’s he like?” Percy asked, suddenly worried he was going to have to deal with a hardass for drumline. Which probably wouldn’t end well, and end up with him quitting if he was honest with himself. He really did have a problem with authority.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “She’s… probably not what you’re imagining.”

Just then the doors on the other side of the band room flew open and a woman with a short pixie cut walked in, a bag and drumsticks in one hand while the other was filled with a starbucks cup. Her foot was raised from where she pulled open the door with her foot. 

“‘Sup Nerds.”

She said, smirking from behind her sunglasses.

Every preconceived notion had just shattered to pieces, meanwhile Annabeth just ran over and over and once the woman set down her bag and sticks, she pulled Annabeth into a tight hug.

“Thalia!” Annabeth said, grinning ear to ear.

Piper dragged Percy by the hand over to her. 

“Hey Thalia.”

Piper said, giving her a quick hug too. Thalia just grinned at her and return the hug. “Long time no see.”

Meanwhile Percy was staring at her. “Thalia? Grace?”

“‘Sup?” She said, shifting her eyes towards him. 

Annabeth was still all giddy while she motioned to Percy. “This is Percy. New this year, trying out for drumline.” She explained, but this was still the happiest Percy had seen Annabeth. Ever Piper seemed thrilled to see her.

Thalia removed her sunglasses, hanging them on the front of her shirt. “Wait. Jackson?” A grin crept across her face as messed his hair up. “Hey cuz, it’s been years.”

Both of the other girls stared between them surprised. 

“You know each other?”

Percy just smiled and shared a brief hug with her. “Kinda. When I was really little I used to go to some family reunions on my dad’s side. Our dads are brothers but I haven’t seen her in years.”

Thalia nodded. “You were like 5 the last time I saw you. You got big.”

Percy shifted his gaze towards Annabeth. “How do you know her? You seem like you two have a history.”

Annabeth nodded. “Thalia was a senior when I was a freshman. She was center snare here, then went off and was center snare at Olympus University for four years. She’s the reason I joined band in the first place. I owe her a lot.”

The older woman just grinned and threw her arm around Annabeth’s shoulders. “I missed you a lot too. We don’t see each other nearly enough anymore. College was busy. But when Hedge quit, Chiron called me. Asked if I would be willing to coach you guys. Figured my music degree could be useful for something after all.” She said with a laugh.

“Ms. Grace! It’s good to see you again.” Chiron’s voice cut in. “Do you have a minute?”

Thalia nodded, rubbing Annabeth’s shoulder once before she walked past them to go talk to Chiron.

Jason wandered over not to long after looking after Thalia.

“It’s gonna be weird having my sister coach me.” He offered, but his grin showed he didn’t mind much.

“We’re cousins?” Percy asked Jason, surprised.

“We are?” Jason countered. 

“You are.” Annabeth offered.

Percy frowned, rubbing his neck. “I don’t remember seeing you at the reunions.”

The blonde thought for a moment. “Probably because I was with my mom. My parent’s divorced shortly after I was born. Dad got Thalia, Mom got me.” He offered, a hint of sadness in his tone that Percy felt bad inducing. “Still, we’re family now I guess. Can I borrow money?” He teased, earning a laugh from Jason. 

“Maybe if I had any.” He countered.

Another tall woman entered the room, a bag over her shoulder with various long objects sticking out of it.

“Hylla!” Piper said, moving over to talk to her. 

The woman offered her a patient smile, staring to chat with her. Percy realized that must be the color guard instructor.

Jason nudged Percy’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show you the snares a little before we start. Just so you can see what they’re like. It’s not like a set.”

As they moved towards the drums, they saw that guy from the other day, Tyler enter the room too. Ashe was already at his side and they both had cups of coffee. Percy had a sneaking suspicion that Ashe had dragged him in here today a lot like Piper did. 

Jason was standing next to the line of five snare drums. They were much longer than normal snare drums, and had metal harnesses attached to them. “Here.” He offered, lifting one up. Stepping forward, Percy ducked his head slightly as the harness slipped over it, resting on his shoulders. He shifted, trying to get used to the sudden increase of weight in front of him, and the metal harness that wasn’t quite cushioned enough to be comfortable. Apparently he looked as uncomfortable as he felt because Jason let out a slight laugh before he effortless slipped one on himself. “You’ll get used to it. It’s really awkward at first, especially once we start marching. The weight hanging out front isn’t really comfortable ever though.”

Percy nodded, fidgeting with the harness again. He could already tell his shoulders would be sore after a while in this.  

“Here.” Jason said, grabbing a sweater and draping it over the top of the snare, pulling it pretty flat. He hit the top of snare and it was a much more muffled sound. 

“I’m pretty sure Thalia would kill us if we started playing normally before it was time. It’s loud.” To prove a point, he hit a single accented note on his snare and the entire room turned to look at him. Even Percy flinched slightly at the sudden noise that he knew was coming. 

Thalia shot him a glare and he raised his hands. 

“Just proving a point. Promise.”

She did the two fingers “I’m watching you” gesture, though she was smiling as she turned back to Chiron.

Jason just laughed and moved a sweater over his own drum, before tapping it and show how much more muted it was.

“You can see why we usually practice outdoors.”

Percy nodded, noticing the bag hanging from the side of the snare. 

“Sticks.” Jason answered following his gaze. “We tend to include stick tricks into the show, and flips don’t always go right. Sometimes you drop a stick and the last thing you want to do is be stuck without one and having to play with one stick. They will give you points for playing it off well, but it’s still not the best option so always have some spares on you.”

“Makes sense.” Was Percy’s reply.

“First things first. Snare drum sticks.” He held out a set to Percy. 

Percy’s eyes widened slightly. “The hell?” Earning a laugh from Jason, and Piper who had made her way over. 

The drumstick was about twice the size of a normal drumstick and way heavier. 

“These are what we use for marching snares. It definitely takes a while to get used to, but use need the weight to get the sound right.” Jason explained mechanically, and Percy had a feeling he had said it a few times before.

Tentatively Percy played a few muted notes, everything about it feeling wrong. It strained his wrists in a way he wasn’t used to and the snare was super bouncy, even through the sweater. 

“One last thing, do you know how to hold sticks traditional?” He asked, flipping his left stick around and holding it underhanded.

Percy stared at the stick, then at him. “Like… jazz right?”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, Jazz players tend to use it too. But that’s how snare drummers drum in drumline. 

Awkwardly, Percy flipped the stick around and tried hitting the snare a few times. Jason had a tightlipped smile, as he was clearly trying not to laugh at Percy. 

“This is stupid.” Percy mumbled, unable to get his left hand to behave as well as he needed it to. 

Jason laughed. “You get used to it.” He said, patting him on the shoulder. He looked off to the side, and saw another student standing around a snare, looking awkward. Jason nodded at him before moving off to help the other guy. Percy continued to flail a bit, feeling his left elbow bouncing up and down as he tried to drum right. “Shit.” He muttered again, as the stick slipped out of his hands and clattered.

He tried to bend down to get it, but the harness was awkward and restricting his movement. 

“Here, I got it.” Piper said, handing him back his stick. “How’s it feel?”

Percy shifted slightly. “Heavy. And awkward. Drumming like this is so unnatural.” He complained.

Piper laughed. “It does look pretty bad. But when you see good snare drummers do it? In sync? It’s actually super badass.” She offered. Piper rolled her eyes when she saw his doubtful look. “You’ll see in a bit, I’m sure. Trust me.”

Nodding, Percy went back to trying to find a motion that seemed even relatively natural to him.

“All right boy scouts, let’s do this.” Thalia’s voice boomed, cutting through the murmurs and muted drumming. Everyone looked over, seeing Thalia standing with a hand on her hip grinning at the group of hopefuls.

“Color guard with me. We’re going to hold our auditions in the gym. Let’s move.” Hylla called out, giving a nod to Thalia before they ushered the group of girls out of the room. Piper had given Percy a pat on the back on her way out, wishing him luck.

“So who here is new to drumline? I heard from Chiron we have a bunch of new people and a tight schedule.”

Percy raised his hand, and glanced around. Maybe a third of the people were also raising their hands. Tyler was standing next to a weird set of four drums next to two other guys Percy didn’t recognize. 

“That’s a lot of you. But that means I have a bunch of raw talent to beat into shape.” Thalia offered. “We’re going to break up auditions into each set. Feel free to try out for different drums if you want. I may call on people if we need more filled.”

She paused, looking around. “Let’s just get the snares over with.”

Everyone looked nervous who was new and Percy felt his pulse race a bit. It seemed Thalia didn’t like wasting time.

“So snare drums are the flashiest of the group. They have the most stick tricks, they drum in unison often, and if we actually get good there’s a lot of fun you can do with drumming on other people’s drums as well. But for now you just need to worry about hitting it in time. Percy, come here.” She ordered, surprising him.

He walked over, anxiety starting to spike. Thalia ripped off the hoodie that was still draped over it and tossed it across the room. “These are loud. Get used to it.” She held out her hand for his sticks and he offered them to her, before holding onto the harness awkwardly.

With a sharp hit, she did a loud note hitting the drum. Percy flinched again, much to his annoyance. 

“It’s much worse indoors, but if you’re marching with it you need to get used to not hearing much aside from the drums while you’re playing.”

She grabbed Percy’s drum, shifting him so he was parallel to the group and stood in front of him, taking up a proper stance on the other side of his drum. “Stay still.” She ordered him, smirking.

“Playing isn’t just about hitting the right note at the right time. I’ll go over the details later, but it’s all about putting on a show. When the attention is supposed to be on you, make sure they never look away.” 

Percy glanced over at the students watching with intensity. Annabeth was in the back of the room, giving him a patient encouraging smile. 

Another sharp hit had Percy’s head snap back to Thalia who was grinning. 

“Now watch.” Another sharp hit, before she hit her stick three times, and she started counting down.

“Jason, pay attention. I need you up here next.” She said, right before she started playing. Percy’s jaw dropped at it as he watched it close up. Her playing was mesmerizing. Switching seemlessly between fast and slow notes, some notes were sharp while others buzzed a little on the drum. Then she started adding in stick tricks, spinning them and tossing them effortlessly as she played. The entire time her sharp blue eyes were staring directly at him, a very intentional smirk never faltering.

She finished with one last little flair of notes, before she thrust her hands down at her sides. Percy noted she was breathing slightly heavier but her eyes were still piercing into him. Intimidated hardly covered how he felt.

“Holy shit.” He muttered.

The room broke into applause as he looked over to Annabeth was just beaming at him with a smug look. He could hear her thoughts practically.

Told you it was cool.

“Jason, come on. Let’s show them what it’s like when it’s synced up.”

Jason walked over with his drum, pulling out a set of sticks. “You’re kidding me right? That was like an entire solo. People can’t memorize that instantly.”

Thalia rolled her eyes. “Some center snare you are.” She teased. “You still remember last year’s show right? Start of the closer. I think I remember it enough from helping you. Here, Percy give me that snare real quick.”

He quickly pulled it over his head, handing it to her. “Why didn’t you ask for it first.”

Thalia laughed and winked at him. “Cause I heard you don’t know how cool drumline is yet, and stubborn asses like you need to be shown first hand.”

Percy was just quiet and as he went back to the group. As much as her cocky attitude pissed him off, she was completely right. Her show had completely enthralled him. He couldn’t even fairly call that lame if he wanted to.

Thalia put on her drum and Jason came back with a sheet of music. “I still have it, thankfully.” He grabbed a music stand and put it on it, tapping out a few notes.

Thalia leaned in, muttering to herself as she watched it and tapped out some parts as well.

“Okay, we’ll go to the quad fill here. You got it?”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, I messed around with it to stay practiced over the summer. You good?”

Thalia scoffed at him. “You do know I played center snare for 4 years in college right? That stuff is harder than what you do here. I’ll be fine.” She said. “Here.”

She counted off, and soon they were playing in harmony. 

Percy had to admit he was impressed. He had never seen two people move in sync so well before. Their sticks were flying up and down, clacking on the rim of the drum, before buzzing perfectly in sync. It was still hard to wrap his head around the precision.

Eventually they stopped and another small round of applause happened. 

“You were dragging.” Thalia said to Jason. 

Jason rolled his eyes. “You were rushing. You hit the paradiddles and sped through them. I had to speed up to catch up.”

Thalia narrowed her eyes. “Don’t talk back to your teacher. I have way more experience than you, kid.” She said, making him squirm for a moment. “Besides, those are separate things. Me rushing the paradiddles had nothing to do with you dragging the low buzzes. Don’t blame your screw ups on mine.” She said, sticking out her tongue and smirking at him.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.” 

Thalia laughed before turning back to the group. “My idiot brother aside, we have five snare drums so let’s have… Percy, Leo, Jason can stay, Clarrise and Bianca.” They all made their way up and Thalia handed Percy back the snare. It took a minute for some harnesses to be adjusted. From what Percy could tell, Jason and Clarisse both played snares last year so they were probably guaranteed a spot on the line. The rest of them were up for the same spots, along with a few others sitting down. 

Once they were lined up, Thalia moved to the front of them holding out her sticks in the awkward traditional grip.

“Okay everyone, hold your sticks like this.” She said, looking at each of their hands before she moved over to Percy first. “Here, shift the stick up and keep your middle finger loose and bounce it here…” She moved his fingers around a bit, until they were in something that looked more like what she did but felt even more uncomfortable. 

All the new people had their grips corrected as Thalia stepped back.

“Okay, we’re going to start simple. Jason will count off a tempo, then were going to do 8 4 2 1, then back up. So Eight hits with the right hand, then left, then 4 right, then left hand etc. We’ll do one of each hand twice then go back up. It’s really important to pay attention to your sticking patterns. It makes a very big difference for both practical and showy reasons.” She turned to her brother. “Okay, Jason. Take it slow to start. Like 80 bpm at eighth notes. Here, watch.” 

She said, grabbing Jason’s sticks and doing the pattern on her drum after counting it off.

They all watched closely, except for clarisse who seemed exceedingly bored. Then again, if she had already marched snare he doubted this was even noteworthy. 

“The most important thing is don’t stop if you screw up. I don’t care if you have to stop, take a deep breath, and join back in. Do that, it’s fine. Collect yourself then get back right back on track. This is a test of how well you handle pressure as much as it is how well you can keep a rhythm. “I can fix bad playing, I can’t fix a weak will.” She said. 

“Enough rambling now though. Jason, count it.” 

Jason stood up straight, before counting off a leisurely pace. Percy took a deep breath and prepared. 

It was slow enough, especially after his drumming experience so the first eight hits weren’t bad. They switched the left hand and what was a relatively uniform sound ended up being a disaster. Ever Thalia winced at the sound, but a smile was creeping on her face. “Keep going!” She called out over the drums. “4 now!” The sound was anything but smooth, but Percy pushed on. His left hand was starting to hurt a bit and he couldn’t get a comfortable grip but the pattern wasn’t screwing him up. At least until they got the single notes. He forgot they were supposed to repeat the single notes and fumbled. Pausing, he felt things starting to crash and burn.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Annabeth’s. She made a dramatic motion with her hands of breathing in and out. Percy paused a beat or two, glancing at Jason’s sticks to see him switch. Hopping back in, he hadn’t missed too many notes and Thalia was looking at him with an approving grin. 

Eventually they ended and Thalia was laughing. 

The new people shared some nervous looks, and Thalia raised her hand in apology as he tried to regain her composure. “You guys did fine. But watching you all try to drum with your left hand, your elbows were waving everywhere like chickens. I never get tired of seeing that.”

She said, wiping a tear from her eye. 

Clarisse was snickering too while Jason rolled with his eyes with a slight smile.

“Everyone I teach has to do that their first time. It’s initiation. For now though, everyone can go back to the regular grip. If you march snare you WILL have to learn traditional grip. But I’m more worried about rhythm and pattern right now. “We’ll try it again, and you can stick normally. Except Jason and Clarisse. Don’t get lazy. Accent the switches properly and softer on the off beats.” She said, with a pointed look at the two veterans.

Jason counted it off again, and the sound was much better this time. Even Thalia seemed impressed. 

Percy had been hyper aware of the single note switches so he managed to avoid screwing them up, and being able to stick how he was used to took a lot of the pressure off as well. 

“Good.” Thalia said when they finished. “Looks like you all have rhythm at least.” 

For the next little while, Thalia ran them through another few basic exercises. On one of them, she even had them stand on one foot then switch to test their balance for marching, which Percy was not graceful at in the least. Then she had them sit down and let a few other students come up to try out the snare.

Once everyone who wanted to try the snare went she smiled. “Good job. Now the quads. Frank, if you will?”

A large man walked over wearing that weird set of drums Percy noticed before. It had four large drums in a half circle with two tiny drums on the inside near the harness.

“These are quads. The most melodic of the drums in a sense. The most like a set, but they’re heavy and kind of awkward. A little less flashy, but they have their own kind of presence on the field. Frank, do you remember any of the show last year?”

Frank nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

A wry smile crept across Thalia’s face. “Ma’am? You’re polite. I like that. You got the spot. Sit down.” She said, before laughing. “I’m kidding. Just play what you remember for a bit.”

Frank nodded and counted off a tempo. Percy had to admit, quads were impressive. His hands moved around a lot more than they did with snare. While snare looked super technical, this was different. He was balancing moving to different drums with a smooth tempo. It looked intimidating in its own way.” He finished and looked to Thalia who seemed impressed. “Damn, nice job. You probably won’t have any issue in college if you continue playing. That was solid drumming.”

“Now who wants to give it a try?”

The room looked at each other, everyone nervous after that performance.

Percy considered raising his hand for it, it reminded him of set a bit. 

“You, come up.” Thalia said pointing somewhere behind Percy.

Looking around, he saw Tyler had his hand up. He seemed a little pale, but he had his hand raised. 

Thalia grinned at him. “Don’t worry. Quads are a beast in their own right. Messing up is fine, like I said. Just don’t give up.”

Thalia helped him get settled in the harness, adjusting it to a good height before he stood a little awkwardly next to Frank. Frank gave him a friendly smile, showing him a good place to hold out his arms. 

“We’ll start with the same exercise. Except every time you change numbers, move to the next drum. Frank, show him.”

Frank nodded before playing the same one Percy had started with, but each time he reduced the number of hits he jumped to the next on in the circle before going back up.

Tyler was watching Frank with a deadly focus, his own hands mirroring Frank’s as Frank played. Percy could see Thalia staring at Tyler’s hands too.

“Ready?” She said as Frank counted it off.

Tyler started off pretty smooth, but when he was switching to the double hits, his stick hit in between the drums and you could see the panic set in. He tried to get back on track, but didn’t manage to until they were almost back on the eights. 

The room clapped for him, but Percy was close enough to see how tight Tyler was gripping his sticks out of frustration. “Okay, not bad. Next let-”

“Can we try again?” Tyler blurted out, before his eyes widened. “Sorry.”

Thalia just looked at him for a moment, a grin creeping on her face. “Of course. I like that. One more time, Frank.”

Frank was also grinning. “Yeah.” He counted it off and Percy saw Tyler silently counting with him. He was focusing sharply again and this time he made it through without much issue. Thalia was smirking as they finished. “Much better. Nice focus, kid. Next is..”

Thalia ran him through some more exercises before letting a few other people try. Percy had even hopped up there, but he found he didn’t like quads nearly as much as he thought he might. The drums were low, and the weight was super annoying as it kept pulling him forward. The multiple drums were fun, but it didn’t really have the same vibe as doing a fill on a set.

Eventually everyone who wanted a chance went and she moved over to the last line of drums. 

“These are the bass drums. We have five, some lines have more, some less. This drum is both the most simple, and the hardest. Each drum makes up a part of a group.” She hit the smallest drum, which had a relatively light tom-sounding hit. Then she moved towards the biggest one which had a loud resounding dull hit to it, hitting each one in between. 

“Bass drums have cool fills, but their parts are split between each drum. So excellent rhythm is a must and dedication. You can do cool drum fills on basses, and when a full bass line is in sync, it’s wicked. Seeing five people play the same part split between them is incredible, if not a little under appreciated. But if you screw up it sounds muddy.” She explained. 

“Beckendorf, you were fifth right?”

A large man stood up and made his way over to the biggest bass drum. Percy was genuinely impressed as the man hoisted it over his shoulders and put on the harness. There was no way he could see around it, the top of it went a good foot past his head.

“For this one, we’ll get some people to try it out because it’s a team effort.”

She gathered some students, including a set of twins who all tried it out. Their exercises were similar, switching between hitting the large sides of the drums, then having them try and go up and down the line one at a time on rhythm. Percy didn’t try out for that one, because he didn’t feel confident enough about his teamwork to try and tackle that challenge. A flashy snare fit him much better.

A little while later they all wrapped up and everyone was looking nervous.

“Great job everyone, honestly. I know how scary auditions can be, and the fact you got up here and flailed around is half the battle. The school has a limited number of spots, and I’m going to chat with Chiron a little more before announcing tomorrow. If you don’t get a post, there are plenty of positions open in pit that will need to be filled, and I’m talking to Chiron to see if we can get a Cymbal line going as well. For now though, thank you all for coming and I look forward to working with those of you who make it.” She finished, offering a salute.

Everyone stood up and started murmuring. Around the middle of the bass drum auditions color guard had made their way back in to watch them and Piper made her way to Percy after it was over. 

“How’d it go?” She asked, studying his face for any signs.

Percy shrugged. “I think pretty well. The fact I’ve drummed before definitely helped. Marching seems like it’s going to suck though, those things are heavy and moving around a lot doesn’t sound fun.”

Piper nodded. “It definitely takes some getting used to, but I can help you practice with that. Think you’ll get a spot?”

Percy pulled his beanie back on. “I dunno. That’s up to Thalia. I’m sure Jason will though.” He said, earning a punch in the arm from Piper.

Annabeth made her way over to Percy. “Good job today. You recovered nicely.” She offered

Percy blushed slightly. “Uh… yeah. I meant to say thank you. You helped for sure.”

Meanwhile Piper was looking between the two of them with a growing grin.

Annabeth smiled down at the floor before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well I hope you make it. I wanna talk to Thalia before she leaves so I’m gonna go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Percy nodded as Annabeth patted Piper on the shoulder and made her way over to Thalia.

Piper gave him the biggest grin. 

“She helped you, eh?”

“Shut up McLean. She just reminded me to breathe.”

“Weird, I thought she took your breath away.” She countered, laughing at Percy’s groan as she started walking out of the room. 

“How’d your auditions go?”

Piper grinned. “I nailed them. It helped I had practiced with Silena over the summer. I think I made it.”

Percy pulled her into a side hug. “That’s awesome! I’m proud of you.”

“When we both make it, we’ll go get pizza to celebrate. My treat. Deal?”

Grinning, Percy nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever say no to that.”

As they piled into the car, Percy sighed looking out at the darkening sky.

“That was… honestly a lot of fun. More fun than I’ve had in awhile. Thank you Piper, for real. I really hope I can make it.”

Piper just gave him the warmest smile. “I’m proud of you. I know you’ll make it. Otherwise, I can take out whoever else made it and get you a spot.”

Percy laughed as they drove away. It felt like things were finally starting to click in place a little more.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for sticking through the chapter! I know it was a long one and kinda dense. I hope it was enjoyable though. And if it wasn’t obvious, I freaking love Thalia. She’s so badass. I hope you enjoyed her too! Thank you for all the engagement with this story, it really does motivate me, even if my time is starting to get limited due to being broke. xD Hopefully I wont have too long of a delay before the next chapter! Just need to plan a little more for it out.

If you want to help me write and paint more please consider checking out either my art commissions HERE or even just buying me a coffee on my Ko-Fi HERE

[ideahat-universe]

Bad, Good, Grey entertainment

Okay so there’s been a lot of pedo talk about various forms of entertainment and I want to set the record straight on what we are dealing with here. 

Toddler’s and Tiaras/Dance Moms/Little Miss Sunshine/ and Honey Boo Boo probably:

No one with empathy for children or just humanity in general liked those shows. Those shows were popular and went on for several seasons because the production costs were low and the reality television audience is very passive, very addicted to drama, and love watching freak shows. 

You can’t find a audience more entertained by human suffering than the people that love watching reality shows. 

The success of those shows is not an indictment of America, especially Little Miss Sunshine which is a movie that no one has seen. If you defend Cuties by saying that Little Miss Sunshine had something like that in the third act I have to respond with “No one who isn’t a hipster douchebag or a film reviewer has seen the ending to that film”

Normal people don’t watch shit like that. Do you even remember the trailers? I do! I saw a review for it either and it looked like the cure for insomnia. 

The average person thinks Honey Boo Boo was the worst, they think dance moms is for sociopaths who like seeing little girls cry, and they think Toddler’s and Tiara’s are for pedophiles. 

Big Mouth: 

Big Mouth is a coming of age show for adults and it seems mostly like a thinly veiled excuse to watch westernized lolita and shota soft core porn, it might be that but the big problem with calling Big Mouth fans pedos is that big Mouth is basically like every other raunchy adult comedy, including the sacred cow South Park. 

There’s not a lot of stuff that Big Mouth has done that South Park hasn’t also done and in standard American fashion the art style is more repulsive than endearing and good hentai lives and dies on how well the human body is drawn. 

You have to have a strong understanding of the human anatomy just so you can bend those rules for unrealistic proportions and still have people invested in the quality of your work. It’s real fucking work drawing good looking pornography. 

Big Mouth isn’t drawn like a show that loves the human body. It’s drawn like a show that kind of sees the body as something gross and it’s half played off for laughs while the other half is reassurance that you’re relatively normal. 

If you were going to make a show about a subject matter like this, you probably can’t do worse than Big Mouth and you probably can’t do any better either. 

Cuties:

Cuties exist supposedly as a way to spark a conversation about how we sexualize young girls. It’s from France so it’s probably more relevant there than it is here but not many people are making that argument. I would make that argument though. After all, France is where the infamous novel “Lolita” was originally published (although to be fair it was written by a Russian). 

French culture is extremely sex positive and the plot is about a Somalian girl acclimating to a dance group that would only exist in the western world and would have the most acceptance in France. 

The mass immigration of people from the Middle East created a culture clash in France and other places where people who abandoned religion have to butt heads with people for whom religion is basically everything. 

Sexuality is condemned in fundamentalist Islamic culture, especially the sexuality of women. I could go on for awhile talking about my theories why and how it speaks to a series of social, emotional, and mental disorders hidden within the members of the Islamic faith but that’s a conversation for a different subject. 

America has problems with sex and sexuality but lets face it, if the Somalian girl was Christian instead of Muslim and set in America there wouldn’t be a film or alternatively there would be a film but it would just be Mean Girls. 

Most stories about sexuality and coming of age is usually about riding that line between being liberated but not so far out that you fall in with bad people who want to exploit your sexuality for profit, physically abuse you for pleasure, or give you a disease that will forever lower your quality of life if not be the lead cause of your own death. 

Many stories of sex are about the regret of even having it or having had it with the wrong people or refusing to have it with the right one until it was too late. 

The real question is “Is Cuties truly a satire of french culture?” 

It can’t be satire of American culture because the abuse of children is met with public derision and disgust when it’s brought to their attention. America is still very religious and the inherently conservative nature of islamic culture can fit within America with only modifications to how it views the concept of punishment for breaking religious rules. 

In order for Cuties to be a commentary on how America sees the sexuality of girls it would have to be pro pedophilia because the antagonist that’s being criticized would be the religious faith and not the hedonism of the Cuties. 

This can however be an critique on how France’s sexual openess is just an excuse for debauchery and sexual exploitation. 

Only the French can say for sure or not, I can’t say if that’s a fair critique, my investigations has led to people affirming that French people are “More honest about romance and sex” which is distressingly vague given the subject matter but I don’t know where the french draw the line so I’ll leave it at that. 

In any case the production of the film regardless of intent is child abuse. Either they exploited the pre-existing sexuality of young girls or they sexualized young girls specifically for the film. Effectively grooming them to be sex pots for the purposes of authenticity. They had hundreds of kids tryout for this as well. 

How many of those children have been raped before or during the production of the film? Even when a child is being hired for a G rated kid’s film or show there’s still a high chance that someone on set, in the studio, or in Hollywood has sexually touched the kids, sometimes with the consent of the parents (I mean the parents get all the money, if you were a selfish prick willing to make your child famous so you could get rich, would you care if Dan Schneider touched your daughter?) 

It’s massively irresponsible at best and at worst, part of the film’s message relied on throwing actual little girl’s into the lion’s den to make a point about how immoral and corrupt french people are. 

It got an award at Sundance. The co-founder of Sundance is a confirmed pedophile. If the intent of the film is to oust french people and non religious people as nonces and nonce enablers well mission accomplished I guess! 

I’ve never seen a film throw everyone that liked it under the bus. 

Well. Does Freddy Got Fingered count? I digress. 

That’s the conversation one is supposed to have about Cuties. I get really fucking annoyed when people say “we need to have a conversation about this.” or “it’s a conversation starter.” but they don’t really initiate a conversation and they use that phrase to end the conversation they are currently in so it’s a lot of bullshit. 

We’re done talking about Cuties but we’re not done here yet. 

Hololive:

Some person named Brittany made some video where she took shots at Shark hololive girl. Said the person was Lolibait and that she had an audience of 40 year old men. 

Where does one begin?

Apparently this person has done this before. I keep thinking of Jessica Valenti which is another person so clearly what this person did or does has been lost to me. I can only assume it involved gamergate or Donald Trump because all roads lead to those two subjects for some bizarre reason. 

But that’s the past. Right now is what matters and right now you can’t just make a video saying that someone makes content exclusively for pedophiles which is what she did. That was some Keemstar level shit right there and I’m under the impression no one will make her regret that choice. Everybody always talks about actions having consequences but it appears like only certain people suffer from the consequences. 

But we’ll see. 

She talked about Hololive like it was another Project Melody. Unfortunately for her it’s not, It’s a real business and a real business is designed to deal with defamation in a serious way so things could get ugly if Yagoo actually thinks his ladies are being threatened by drama mongers. 

These vtubers are doing really well. Pokimane deciding to become a vtuber that is just her normal self but animated is boomer level imitation and extremely funny. 

The appeal isn’t that they’re animated by the way, the appeal is that they’re fun people doing streams. The animation works by letting the audience create a para social relationship with a fictional character of sorts so that the actress can have a private life while still maintaining a streaming setup that’s very personable for the audience. 

This is a meaningful evolution of an online persona.

The only real downside is that anyone who wanted to have an animated avatar in general will be defined as a vtuber when that may not be the intention of the streamer. 

I’m just waiting for one of these girls to be part of an ARG. 

Okay so to wrap up:

Reality shows are trash and always have been.

Indie Films are also trash and only pretentious douche bags like them. 

What happens in France should stay in France. 

and Hololive is GOAT but tragedy of the commons is still a thing. 

[paladinofklance]

Ataraxia.

Read on AO3

This is done by me;

Tumblr: paladinofklance

AO3: moonandstarlight

Summary:

Keith tries out pro-bending, maybe it is a great possibility to have some fun. Avatar business aside, and just have fun.

A little something for Keith's birthday.

And a small Avatar au, because I really like the concept and had fun writing with Keith in this universe. Hope you enjoy :)

Keith hasn’t slept for two days now, he is tossing and turning and no matter how much he trains or runs or tries, he keeps on failing. He is supposed to train tomorrow, he is supposed to try out for pro-bending and he’d really appreciate if the team liked him -he has trouble with that and believe him it’s hard not being diplomatic when you’re the Avatar- and wanted him to be a part of their team.

Originally, he planned on taking up more training in earth bending, but then Shiro all but advised him to try out pro-bending for a couple of weeks; help him steam off for a bit. He has been working hard, but isn’t that suspected? He is the Avatar, for Spirits sake, he has to train hard and focus on the needs of the world. He knows he has to watch out for himself too, but the world is just as much of him now.

Being the Avatar has never bothered Keith, what has always bothered him is he can’t figure it out. He isn’t a natural diplomat, he is impulsive, doesn’t trust easily and therefore has a hard time working with people he doesn’t trust. Perhaps, it is therefore, Shiro recommended pro-bending; it could be fun. He gets to play a little dirtier, try out new arts and hit some people without getting into some big scandal.

Of course, he decided to go, he wouldn’t dare to say ‘no’ to Shiro. Still, he doubted the experience to end well, but maybe he’d be surprised.

So, he packs his bag at two a.m. instead of sleeping. It’s easier than trying to sleep, he is nervous for no reason. He is great at firebending, probably the element he’s the best at -so many emotions and it’s a great way to wrap your head around them- so that isn’t the worry. It’s the socializing, it freaks him out. Shiro told him they were nice people, some of his friends were working with the team, so they’re Shiro approved, but that doesn’t calm Keith’s nerves, Shiro get’s along with anyone

He throws the bag by his door, and then himself on the bed.

He’ll close his eyes, hope for the best and dream of happy things, so tomorrow will start with him in a good mood.

. . .

Shiro’s voice is the first thing he hears when he wakes, a way too energized message with fond eyes, telling him to go. It cheers him up, gets him just a tad readier to take on this day. He is quick to pull on his training clothes, -because that’s the appropriate clothing, right?- and pull his hair into a bun. He wants to leave early, so he has lots of time to get lost, you can never be too cautious.

He remembers his bag, thank the spirits for that, and then he leaves for the arena. His heart is beating at maximum speed, Spirits, he has battled evil he should be able to do this. The other team members aren’t much older than him, so it isn’t because he should be afraid they’ll knock I’m to the ground. Also, he’d probably go into Avatar state before they killed him. Oh Raava, why does he think they’re going to kill him now?

Keith overthinks, he overthinks everything. It’s always been a part of him, might be the first thing close to anything that looks a little like impulse control.

He arrives, and then he is stood in front of the big arena, glinting in the sun. It looks cool, he’s always admired pro-bending. Maybe, if he hadn’t been the Avatar he would have been in something like this, but he is, so it isn’t exactly the top priority for now. Perhaps when he is older, he’ll get a little more into it.

In the entry, a nice woman is sat behind the counter, writing furiously on a piece of paper. “Hello? I am here to meet with Voltron?” Keith sounds really unsure, he wouldn’t be surprised if the woman called security to take him out of the arena for intrusion on a closed day. “Voltron, yes? They’re in training room five, you’ll just have to take the stairs up and then to the right. The numbers are on the wall, but I’m sure you’ll hear them.” She smiles kindly, “and don’t look so nervous, hon. They’re nice people. My name is Plaxum, just in case you become a huge star now.” She grins on further, before returning to her paper.

Keith follows her details, wandering up the stairs and then following the hallway.

Soon enough like Plaxum said, he hears the noise; laughter first, then a yelp from someone and laughter again. There seems to be a good amount of people in there, it makes him nervous. How many are needed? If he is one of three people?

Overthinking, again.

He stops centimeters away from the room, watching the light shimmering out from the archway. Okay, time to turn on the little charm he possesses.

He knocks lightly on the archways wooden panels, and all the noise stops, as the five people in the room turns to look at him. “Hi, hello, I am here for the tryout,” Keith stammers his words out, they all watch him for a second, and then the girl with long white hair grins from ear to ear, “you must be Keith, yeah? Otherwise, Shiro’s little brother has a doppelgänger.” She laughs, light and chiming.

Keith takes another step into the room, “I am Keith,” Keith says, nodding slightly. They’re all watching him so intently, “well, yes, I am Allura, this is Coran, and that is Pidge, Hunk, and Lance.” Allura points them all out, and everyone gives him a smile, well at least they’re kind. Keith watches them for a time, taking them all in; Coran has outrageous ginger hair and a really nice mustache, Allura’s hair is something he’s never seen before, Pidge has big and calculating amber eyes, Hunk looks too kind and sweet and he could never hurt him. Lance, he is tall, handsome, Keith has no idea what to say, he isn’t good with attractive men.

“Nice meeting you, Keith, I am saddened that I can’t see you for the tryout, but work is in the way.” Coran’s voice breaks the silence, and Keith just gets to nod as he moves past Keith.

“Shall we start with getting to know you?” Allura asks, taking a seat on the floor casually. Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all follow suit, Keith places his bag and takes a seat a little in front of them. “So, why do want to be on our team?” Keith smiles slightly, “I actually planned on training some more earth bending, but then Shiro suggested this and I thought it would be cool to try out. It isn’t temporary, or?” Keith asks, he isn’t up for anything where he is needed to be on the spot for the whole year. “No, it isn’t. It’s just until I’m ready to play again, broken wrist and foot, quite a fall.” Keith nods, “glad to hear you’re okay,” he says, small smile intact on his face.

Afterwards, there’s a clear of a throat, “you know we need a firebender, right?” Lance’s voice is nice, Keith notes. “I thought Shiro told you?” Keith must look puzzled, he’d suspected he’d walk in here and they’d all know already. He hates telling people who he is like it makes him more special; it doesn’t, he isn’t a God.

Keith gets up slowly, “I am,” he says, stretching his arm. “How do these practices normally go? I’m better at physical expression than talking,” Keith states, shrugging, it’s always been what he’s the best at, he doesn’t have to lie.

They all get up afterward, “okay, we’ll take it that way. Lance is our waterbender, Hunk is the earthbender and you know me. Pidge is also a waterbender, but she's also our technical lady behind everything that makes us work.” Allura laughs, taking a seat on the old worn couch to the side, Pidge following behind her. “Guys, have fun.” Allura shrugs, sending a wink to Keith. What is that supposed to mean? Oh his dear spirit, is this how normal training goes by? He could get used to this.

This is the thing he has been most excited for; hit someone.

“Let’s play, pretty boy.” Okay, that isn’t fair play, now he is flustered. “Lance, come on, don’t scare the guy off.” Hunk doesn’t sound too concerned, but rather mid-laugh.

Before Keith can come with any comment or react, he hears water and then earth crumbling, “wait, it is okay to send rocks flying inside?” Keith calls, “this room is special, made of the material that can handle this!” Pidge calls back loudly, and what did Keith sign up for?

Lance’s water is shot at him precisely, and hard and it comes close to him before he waves it off with a hand motion. Hunk’s attack is next, and there are many stones, but it’s easy brushing them to the side. He likes earthbending, he gets the concept of being the rock, be tough and not to back down.

Their shots are consistent, and they’re precise. They know what they’re doing and Keith earns full respect for them. The difference in this genre of bending, they’re coordinated differently from what he is used to. They’re more direct, the moves behind them are faster, they move completely different from what Keith knows. It is every art brought together, to perform a better performance and Keith is impressed.

He tries to concentrate on sending something back, but he is blown away by the speed of these attacks, that he ends up dodging them all. After a while, the attacks stop, and Keith glances at them curiously, they look back at him with raised eyebrows. “You’re not supposed to stop, it could be your downfall.” Keith is calm and careful as he feels the water under him, and there is his opening. When they both look at him in disbelieve, waiting for something, you hit them. It’s a loose whip with the water, but they both yelp loudly.

“Impressive, you took quite a blow there, Keith.” Allura is next to him without a sound, perhaps she is a secret Airbender, nobody can be this quiet but them. “Shiro told me, but I never shared it, I find it funny to mess with them when I have the chance.” Keith can’t help but grin at that, it is quite like what he would have done.

These people are funny, he’d actually really like if they’d give him a chance.

Lance clears his throat again, “okay, so pretty boy is the Avatar, or have I totally misunderstood this?” Hunk laughs loudly, “bro, he wanted to practice earthbending, and take this place as our firebender and he just waterbended.” Lance rolls his eyes, “maybe there’s some half Avatar, what do I know. Monks are out there and they know things,” Lance says, shrugging again, arms crossing. It makes his biceps look nice, and Keith might stare and might get eye contact with a now very smug Lance, but he still wants to be a part of this team.

It’d be fun for the time being, and when Allura returns, he could help Pidge out if he ended up having the time of his life. They seem so down to earth and exactly what Keith might need, sometimes being the Avatar leaves you on a high chair where everybody expects something from you. Keith isn’t good with that, so he could need some time filled with fun and smiles.

He thinks he’ll go home and call Shiro, and thank him. He needs to show his gratitude. “Pretty boy, come have something to drink with us. You’re on the team.” Lance places a hand on his back, pushing slightly. Keith smiles from ear to ear, later he’ll call Shiro, for now, he’ll go out with his new team.

[dragon-temeraire]

All the broken hearts in the world still beat

Summary: Stiles totally needs to make Lydia Martin jealous. Yeah. And his best chance is to convince star lacrosse player Derek Hale to (fake) date him.

Notes: Just a silly high school AU! (On AO3)

Even though he was expecting the answer, it still hurts. He guesses that somewhere, deep down, he was still holding on to hope. But it hadn’t even been Lydia’s zero-hesitation no that had really been painful. It was what she’d said next.

“You’re just not desirable at all. If you can’t get anybody else in this school, what makes you think you can get me?” she’d said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “And I have a boyfriend, anyway.”

Then she’d walked away, leaving Stiles staring after her, feeling like he’d been stepped on. But little did she know: adversity just made him more determined. He was going to prove her wrong.

Even if he did it by cheating a little.

And he was going to start at the top.

 *

 Well, maybe not the very top.

Stiles was pretty sure Danny was actually the most popular guy in school. But he was always surrounded by his friends, and he probably wouldn’t treat Stiles much differently than Lydia had, in all honesty.

So his next-best bet is Derek Hale, a jock with a reputation for being both kind-hearted and very good looking. He seems like the ideal candidate. And he knows for a fact that Derek likes to eat outside on nice, sunny days, which presents a perfect opportunity.

He scarfs his own lunch, ignoring Scott’s worried looks, and then goes searching.

Sure enough, he finds Derek sitting alone at one of the picnic benches behind the school. He’s reading a book as he distractedly eats his sandwich, and Stiles grins. Derek might have a reputation of being cool, but he’s clearly a nerd.

He pauses for a moment, trying to think about what he wants to say, then decides to just wing it.

“Hey, Derek,” he says brightly, sitting down across from him.

Derek looks up long enough to give him a deeply unimpressed look, then goes right back to his book. And well, Stiles supposes that’s fair.

When he hadn’t made the cut at tryouts last year, he’d insulted the entire lacrosse team.

Including Derek.

More than once.

It wasn’t exactly his proudest moment.

But his presence alone must be enough to pique Derek’s interest, because a moment later he says, “What do you want, Stilinski?”

“Call me Stiles, please,” he says hurriedly. “Look, is there anything you need help with, school-wise?”

Derek sighs, closes his book. “I’m not doing great in math right now. Why?”

“So we could trade favors, maybe?” Stiles says, hoping for the best. “I could help you with calculus, and you could help me with, uh.”

Derek raises his truly impressive eyebrows. “Help you with what?”

“Proving Lydia Martin wrong,” Stiles mumbles.

“I don’t understand,” Derek says warily, taking a sip of his soda.

So, while Derek eats the rest of his lunch, Stiles explains the whole situation. To his credit, Derek doesn’t laugh once, but he does look amused at the end.

“So you want to prove her wrong about your inability to be in a relationship…by pretending to be in a relationship? With me?”

“It doesn’t have to be for long, if you’re worried about your reputation,” Stiles says reassuringly. “Just like two weeks. I’ll help you with your homework for the rest of the year, though. If you want.”

For a second Derek almost looks sad, but he just says, “Aren’t you getting a C in calculus?”

Those eyebrows again. Stiles never realized how much they conveyed. They’re strangely compelling.

“That’s because I’m always forgetting my homework. And I may have missed a few quizzes. But it’s not because I don’t know what I’m doing!” And it’s true. Stiles is smart, but he can fully admit that he’s a terrible student.

“All right,” Derek says, though he doesn’t really look convinced. “What will this fake dating entail?”

“Um, whatever you want,” Stiles says. While he’d be down for some hot make out sessions in Derek’s sweet, sweet Camaro, he’s not going to push his luck. “It just has to look real,” he adds. He hopes Derek is a good actor.

“Whatever I want, huh?” Derek asks, with a smirk that sends a flush of heat through Stiles. “Well, we might as well start now.”

Stiles nods eagerly. “We’re already doing well: boyfriends totally hang out together during lunch.”

“I suppose they do.” Derek eyes him for a moment, smirking a little. “You know, I’m going to tell everyone that you asked me out. And that you were super awkward and embarrassing, but I decided to give you a chance anyway,” he says magnanimously.

“I’m fine with that,” Stiles says, grinning. If nothing else, it sounds pretty accurate.

 *

 Stiles is actually fine with everything Derek does, but most of it takes him by surprise.

Derek holds his hand when they’re done with lunch, and they walk to class together like that. No big deal. What really gets him is when Derek says goodbye. He runs his fingers through the short hairs at the back of Stiles’ neck, then says, “See you later,” in a low, private voice.

It gives Stiles pleasant tingles all over, and he stands there in the middle of the hall for a minute, dazed, before he remembers that he has to get to his own class.

 *

 He’s at his locker at the end of the day, grabbing the books he needs, when Derek walks up.

“Hey, babe,” he says, and pulls Stiles into a light, quick kiss.

Stiles wants to say no pet names, but he can see Lydia a few lockers down, talking to Jackson, so he can’t make a scene.

“Hey,” he says instead, and he can’t help sneaking a glance at Derek’s lips. They had felt good against his own, even if it had only been for a second or two.

Derek smiles and says, a little bit loud, “Are we still on for studying tonight?”

Stiles’ eyes widen, because he knows exactly what Derek is doing. Though he’s very certain that he and Derek will actually be doing homework, ‘studying together’ is a school-wide euphemism for having sex. Or, at the very least, a session of heavy petting.

Derek is killing two birds with one stone, here. He’s planning for Stiles’ tutoring while also explaining why Stiles’ jeep will be parked at his house.

It’s perfect.

And not just because Stiles is thrilled people will think he’s getting laid.

“Of course,” he says, nodding. “I’m looking forward to it,” he adds, leaning in close. He desperately hopes he looks at least a little bit sexy.

Derek ducks his head, looking embarrassed but pleased. “Awesome,” he says. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you later,” he says, then slips a little square of paper into the front pocket of Stiles’ shirt.

Stiles watches him walk away, and it takes his distracted brain a minute to realize that Derek is going to lacrosse practice. He’s a little tempted to follow, just to see Derek get all sweaty and aggressive on the field, but decides it’s probably for the best if he doesn’t.

He’s gotta make sure his dad has dinner, anyway.

He hears the sound of high heels approaching him, and moments later Lydia says, “You guys sure are moving fast.” She manages to sound snide and curious at the same time, and Stiles is duly impressed.

“Only as fast as he wants to,” Stiles says, like he knows what he’s talking about. He’s actually kind of glad he and Derek aren’t really having sex, because he’d be way out of his depth.

Lydia purses her lips, levels him with an intense look. “Why would you ask me out, if you were already dating Derek Hale?”

“I wasn’t,” Stiles says. “After you turned me down, I took it as a sign that I should go for what I really wanted. And I knew he’d appreciate me,” he adds, leaning casually back against his locker.

To his surprise, Lydia doesn’t refute it. She just nods, flicks her hair over her shoulder, and walks back over to Jackson.

Stiles tries not to feel smug.

 *

 It’s not until he’s back at his house, about to raid the fridge, that he remembers the note in his pocket. He fishes it out, and unfolds it to find Derek’s incredibly neat hand writing.

Hey Stiles. If you want to have dinner with me, come over at 6. If not, come by around 7:30. Here’s my address, it’s the really big house at the end of the block.

Stiles reads the street name and nods, because he’s fairly familiar with the area. He’s ridden around with his dad on enough patrols to know most of Beacon Hills though, so it’s no surprise.

His stomach rumbles, and he glances at the clock. If he wants to get to Derek’s house in time to eat, he’ll have to leave in ten minutes. He wavers for a moment, trying to decide if he should. But Derek wouldn’t have invited him if he didn’t want Stiles to come, right?

His stomach growls again, and that makes up his mind. Besides, he might as well make the most of this fake dating thing.

He throws together a quick salad for his dad, and leaves it in the fridge with a note that says EAT THIS in big block letters. Then he grabs his keys and heads for Derek’s house.

 *

 Derek wasn’t kidding when he said a big house, Stiles thinks as he stares up at it, feeling a little intimidated. What if Derek’s family is rich and snobby? He looks down at his plaid shirt and jeans. God, what if he’s underdressed?

He’s a little tempted to turn around and pretend this never happened, but he refuses to let his anxiety get the best of him. He knocks on the door, and it’s only seconds later that Derek opens it, grinning.

“Hey,” he says. “Glad you could make it.”

Stiles is surprised at how pleased Derek seems, but he just nods and smiles back.

Derek leads him into the kitchen, saying, “It’s just me, my mom, and my younger sister home right now, so mom said we could take our plates up to my room to eat.”

“Uh, cool,” Stiles says. “Where’s everybody else?” he asks curiously, because he knows Derek has a big family.

“My dad and my uncle are on a business trip. And my older sister and brother are both in college,” Derek explains.

A moment later, he’s introducing Stiles to his mother, and he can only wave awkwardly when she smiles at him.

“I’m Talia. It’s nice to meet you, Stiles,” she says, and he can almost hear the I’ve heard so much about you behind that sentence. He hopes she’s heard good things. And he wonders if she knows that he’s (fake) dating her son.

“Mom, the food?” Derek says, sounding a little nervous.

“Oh. Yes, of course,” Talia says, filling two plates for them. She sends Derek a long look. “You boys have fun studying,” she says.

“Sure, mom,” Derek says hastily, already halfway out the door. “So much fun.”

Stiles would be insulted, but he knows Derek is just embarrassed.

He follows Derek up the stairs, and yeah, he might sneak a couple of looks at Derek’s ass on the way up. It is a truly beautiful ass, but Stiles can’t quite give it the attention it deserves, because he keeps getting distracted by how good the food on his plate looks.

He’s really hungry.

He does notice that Derek’s bedroom is at the end of the hall, away from all the others. So it’s very private…

Then he feels pathetic, because he’s here to help Derek with his homework, not to do something a little more exciting. Despite what a lot people at school may think.

Derek’s not actually into him, he’s just pretending for the sake of his grade.

Stiles knows he needs to stop all the wishful thinking.

Derek’s room is really nice, he discovers. And for a teenage boy, he keeps it rather neat. Stiles admires the posters on the wall for a moment, before he’s waved to the armchair to eat his food.

“We’ll study after this,” Derek says, pulling his desk chair closer so he can sit next to Stiles.

“All right,” Stiles says agreeably, because Derek probably heard his stomach rumbling. He takes a bite, and it’s just as good as he thought it would be. “Have you started the homework yet?” he asks between forkfuls.

“I tried to, but I got frustrated. So I just did my English essay instead,” Derek says with a scowl.

Stiles nods. “Okay. I haven’t started either, so we can work on it together.” Then he goes right back to eating.

Derek notices his plate is empty a few moments later, and he laughs. “You can go back for seconds, if you want.”

Stiles is very tempted, but he resists. He doesn’t want Derek thinking he doesn’t have food at home, or something.

They study for a couple of hours, and they make good progress on their Calculus homework. Derek still gets stuck from time to time, but he seems to be getting better. There’s less tension between his eyebrows, anyway.

Stiles is just about to suggest that they take a break when Derek says, “I’m sorry if that was too much today. At school.”

“No, it was great,” Stiles says, glancing up from his textbook. “It seemed really believable.”

“Yeah,” Derek says, looking down. “Just trying to make it as realistic as I could,” he mumbles.

“I mean, if I did have a boyfriend, that’s how I’d want him to be with me,” Stiles says playfully. “I think you’d be a great boyfriend.”

“Thanks,” Derek says quietly, then asks another question about the homework.

 *

 Stiles studies at Derek’s house again the next day, but after that Derek’s busy with other stuff, and Stiles finds that he’s actually missing him. Sure, they’re not really dating, but he thinks it’d be pretty nice if they were.

He wasn’t lying when he said he thought Derek would be a great boyfriend—he’d seen Derek with Paige, before she’d moved away. He’d seen them holding hands and kissing sweetly in the hallways, and though he’d pretended to be disgusted to Scott, he’d actually been kind of…jealous.

So he’d set his sights on Lydia Martin, instead.

It was hopeless, Scott had told him. She’d never agree to go out with him.

And Stiles had known she was unobtainable—he’d just wanted to distract himself from his hopeless crush on Derek by focusing on her, instead. He had doubted he’d ever even show up on her radar.

 *

 “Hey,” Stiles says to Derek on Friday. “Do you want to come over tonight and study? We can order pizza.”

Derek hesitates for a second, but then he smiles and agrees. “Maybe we could watch a movie, too?” he asks, almost shy.

“My dad won’t be home, we can do whatever we want,” Stiles says, grinning. He doesn’t care if people think they’re gonna be humping like rabbits, he’s just really excited to hang out with Derek again.

Derek smirks a little, obviously knowing what Stiles is up to. “I can’t wait,” he says quietly, leaning in just a little.

“Awesome,” Stiles says, and at this rate, the whole school is going to think he’s a fantastic lover, or something. “Meet me in the parking lot after school, you can follow me to my house.”

Derek nods, pulls Stiles into a hug. Then he softly kisses Stiles’ neck, before he steps away and heads off to class. Stiles stares after him, feeling warm all over.

 *

 Derek parks the Camaro behind his jeep in the driveway, and Stiles grins at him as he climbs out.

“I’m not doing any studying tonight,” Derek declares as he follows Stiles to the front door. “My brain needs a break.”

Stiles nods in commiseration. “That Economics test today was rough, huh?”

“Yeah. I think Coach wrote it when he was angry and disappointed,” Derek grumbles.

Stiles laughs. “Dude, Coach is always angry and disappointed.”

“I suppose that’s true,” he sighs. “I think you said something about pizza?” he adds hopefully.

“Yep,” Stiles says cheerfully. “We definitely deserve some pizza.”

They watch Jurassic Park as they eat it, both of them relaxed back on the couch. Though it’s one of his favorite movies, Stiles finds his eyes drifting to Derek more often than not.

He’s so used to being tactile with Derek all day at school, so used to being close to him, that he sort of longs to take Derek’s hand, maybe lean against his side. And not just because it’s habit. His crush on Derek—the crush he tried so hard to forget about—is in full resurgence. And they’ve been “dating” for barely a week.

Which means Stiles is in real trouble.

Despite that, he finds that he can’t keep his mouth shut as the end credits roll. “I really appreciate you doing this,” he says. “I mean, I know it’s because you wanted help with math, but still. Just give me some warning before you want to, um, break up.”

Derek raises his eyebrows, mouth just starting to turn down. “Are you ready for it to be over already?” he asks. “Did you finally catch Lydia’s attention?”

“It wasn’t—that wasn’t the point. I just wanted to prove to her that someone could want to date me. Yes, I realize that I essentially bribed you,” he says when he catches Derek’s look. “It was short notice, okay? It’s not like you would have been interested anyway,” he adds defensively.

There’s a long pause, and Stiles regrets saying anything at all.

“Do you know why I agreed to be your fake boyfriend?” Derek asks suddenly.

“Yeah, for homework help,” Stiles says, because they just went over this.

“That’s not the real reason,” Derek says. “Though I do appreciate the tutoring.”

“Okay. Why then?” he asks curiously.

“I figured it was my best chance,” Derek says. “For me to try everything I’d want to do if I was really dating you.”

“What?” Stiles says sharply, feeling like there’s some kind of awful punchline coming. Because there’s no way Derek is saying what Stiles thinks he is.

“The hand holding, the kissing in the hallway, sitting together at lunch—all things I would do if I were your real boyfriend.” Derek says, shrugging. “I figured that was all I would have, since you weren’t actually interested in dating me.”

There’s a brief silence, then Stiles blurts, “I haven’t thought about Lydia for days.”

Derek just looks at him, clearly unimpressed.

“Look, when I went after her, it was just to trade one hopeless crush for another,” he sighs. “I was trying to move on.”

“Who was the first hopeless crush?” Derek asks cautiously, like he doesn’t really want to know.

Stiles gulps. This is what it all comes down to. “It was this really cool guy. He’s smart and good-looking and a star of the lacrosse team,” he says. “And his name’s Derek Hale,” he finishes lamely.

“You…you had a crush on me?” Derek asks slowly, like he somehow misheard.

“Still do,” Stiles admits. “And this fake dating thing was reminding me of that, more and more.”

Derek turns toward him then, looking strangely shy. “Do you maybe want to turn this fake dating into real dating?”

Stiles grins. “That sounds great. Especially if that means we put on another movie, and make out on the couch instead of watching it.”

Derek laughs, and Stiles swears he feels his heart flutter as he leans in close.

“We could start now,” Derek whispers, and then his lips are on Stiles’, soft and sweet.

It’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to him. And by the time Derek pulls away, he’s already longing to do it again.

“We should go on a date tomorrow,” Derek says, sounding breathless.

“We totally should,” Stiles agrees eagerly, then pulls Derek into another kiss.  

He definitely likes having a real boyfriend better than a fake one.