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thewidowsghost · 1 year

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Seeing the Beauty (Piper McLean x Fem!Jackson!Reader) - Chapter 13

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"Wolves," Piper says. "They sound close."

Jason and (Y/n) rise, drawing their swords. Leo and the Coach get to their feet too. Piper tries, but black spots dance before her eyes.

"Stay there," (Y/n) tells her. "We've got you."

Piper grits her teeth, hating feeling helpless. She doesn't want anyone to protect her. First her stupid ankle, and then stupid hypothermia. She wants to be on her feet, with her dagger in her hand.

Then, just outside the firelight, at the entrance of the cave, she sees a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark.

Okay, she thinks. Maybe a little protection is fine.

More wolves edge into the firelight — black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleam, and their glowing red eyes look disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front is almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.

Piper pulls her dagger out of its sheath.

Then Jason steps forward and says something in Latin.

Piper doesn't think a dead language would have much effect on wild animals, but the alpha wolf curls his lip. The fur stands up along his spine. One of his lieutenants tries to advance, but the alpha wolf snaps at his ear. Then all of the wolves back into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shakes in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"

Hedge curses. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves are coming back, but the alpha wolf isn't with them. They don't attack. They wait — at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.

The coach hefts his club. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, and you guys escape."

"Coach, they'll rip you apart," Piper says.

"Nah, I'm good."

Then Piper sees the silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the wolf pack.

"Stick together," Jason advises. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."

Piper gets a lump in her throat. She's the weak link in their "pack" right now. No doubt the wolves can smell her fear. She might as well be wearing a sign that says free lunch.

The wolves part, and the man steps into the firelight. His hair is greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looks like finger bones. His robes are tattered fur — wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others Piper can't identify. The furs don't look cured, and from the smell, they aren't very fresh. His frame is lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's. But the most horrible thing is his face. His thin pale skin is pulled tight over his skull. His teeth are sharpened like fangs. His eyes glow bright red like his wolves' — and they fix on Jason with absolute hatred.

"Ecce,"he said, "filli Romani."

"Speak English, wolf man!" Hedge bellow.

The wolf man snarls. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. Or he'll be my first snack."

Piper remembers that faun is the Roman name for satyr. Not exactly helpful information. Now, if she can remember who this wolf guy is in Greek mythology, and how to defeat him, that she can use.

The wolf man studies their little group. His nostrils twitch. "So it's true," he muses. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. The Jackson girl. A faun. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting."

You were told about us?" Jason asks. "By whom?"

The man snarls — perhaps a laugh, perhaps a challenge. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And my pack is hungry."

The wolves snarl in the darkness.

Out of the corner of her eye, Piper sees Leo put up his hammer and slip something else from his tool belt — a glass bottle full of clear liquid.

Piper racks her brain trying to place the wolf guy's name. She knows she'd heard it before, but she can't remember details.

Lycaon glares at Jason's sword. He moves to each side as if looking for an opening, but Jason's blade moves with him.

"Leave," Jason orders. "There's no food for you here."

"Unless you want tofu burgers," (Y/n) offers.

Lycaon bares his fangs. Apparently he isn't a tofu fan.

"If I had my way," Lycaon says with regret, "I'd kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was the powerful mortal king of Arcadia, with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts."

"Ha," Coach Hedge says. "For good reason!"

Jason glances over his shoulder. "Coach, you know this clown?"

"I do," Piper answers. The details of the myth come back to her — a short, horrible story she and her father had laughed at over breakfast. She isn't laughing now.

"Lycaon invited Zeus to dinner," she says. "But the king wasn't sure it was really Zeus. So to test his powers, Lycaon tried to feed him human flesh. Zeus got outraged —"

"And killed my sons!" Lycaon howls. The wolves behind him howl too.

"So Zeus turned him into a wolf," Piper continues. "They call . . . they call werewolves lycanthropes, named after him, the first werewolf."

"The king of wolves," Coach Hedge finishes. "An immortal, smelly, vicious mutt."

Lycaon growls. "I will tear you apart, faun!"

"Oh, you want some goat, buddy? 'Cause I'll give you goat."

"Stop it," Jason says. "Lycaon, you said you wanted to kill me first, but . . .?

"Sadly, Child of Lightning, you two" – he nods to (Y/n) – "are spoken for. Since this one" – he waggles his claws at Piper – "has failed to kill you, you are destined to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."

"Who?"

The wolf king snickers. "Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently, you two made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough, and really I cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack."

Piper's heart tries to jump out of her chest. She doesn't understand everything Lycaon had said, but a woman who wants to kill Jason and (Y/n)? Medea, she thought. Somehow, she must've survived the explosion.

Piper struggles to her feet. Spots dance before her eyes again. The cave seems to spin. "You're going to leave now," Piper says, "before we destroy you." She tries to put power into the words, but she is too weak. Shivering in her blankets, pale and sweaty and barely able to hold a knife, she can't have looked very threatening.

Lycaon's red eyes crinkle with humor. "A brave try, girl. I admire that. Perhaps I'll make your end quick. Only the son of Jupiter and daughter of Poseidon are needed alive. The rest of you, I'm afraid, are dinner."

At that moment, Piper knows she is going to die. But at least she'd die on her feet, fighting next to (Y/n).

(Y/n) takes a step forward. "You're not killing anyone, wolf man. Not without going through me."

Lycaon howls and extends his claws. (Y/n) slashes at him, but her bronze sword passes straight through as if the wolf king isn't there.

Lycaon laughs. "Gold, bronze, steel — none of these are any good against my wolves, child of the Sea."

"Silver!" Piper cries. "Aren't werewolves hurt by silver?"

"We don't have any silver!" Jason replies.

Wolves leaps into the firelight. Hedge charges forward with an elated "Woot!"

But Leo strikes first. He throws his glass bottle and it shatters on the ground, splattering liquid all over the wolves — the unmistakable smell of gasoline. He shoots burst of fire at the puddle, and a wall of flames erupts.

Wolves yelp and retreat. Several catch fire and have to run back into the snow. Even Lycaon looks uneasily at the barrier of flames now separating his wolves from the demigods.

"Aw, c'mon," Coach Hedge complains. "I can't hit them if they're way over there."

Every time a wolf comes closer, Leo shoots a new wave of fire from his hands, but each effort seems to make him a little more tired, and the gasoline is already dying down. "I can't summon any more gas!" Leo warns. Then his face turns red. "Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the burning kind. Gonna take the tool belt a while to recharge. What you got, man?"

"Nothing," Jason replies. "Not even a weapon that works."

"Nothin,'" (Y/n) says. "Unless we're gonna fuckin' box some wolves."

"Lightning?" Piper asks, glancing at (Y/n) with amusement.

Jason concentrates, but nothing happens. "I think the snowstorm is interfering, or something."

"Unleash the venti!" Piper offers.

"Then we'll have nothing to give Aeolus," Jason replies. "We'll have come all this way for nothing."

Lycaon laughs. "I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy, and you will have none from me."

The flames begin to sputter out. Jason curses and drops his sword. He crouches like he is ready to go hand-to-hand. Leo pulls his hammer out of his pack. Piper raises her dagger — not much, but it is all she has. Coach Hedge hefts his club, and he is the only one who looks excited about dying.

Then a ripping sound cuts through the wind — like a piece of tearing cardboard. A long stick sprouts from the neck of the nearest wolf — the shaft of a silver arrow. The wolf writhes and falls, melting into a puddle of shadow.

More arrows. More wolves fall. The pack breaks in confusion. An arrow flashes towards Lycaon, but the wolf king catches it in midair. Then he yells in pain. When he drops the arrow, it leaves a charred, smoking gash across his palm. Another arrow catches him in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggers.

"Curse them!" Lycaon yells. He growls at his pack, and the wolves turned and ran. Lycaon fixed Jason with those glowing red eyes. "This isn't over, boy."

The wolf king disappears into the night.

Seconds later, Piper hear more wolves baying, but the sound is different — less threatening, more like hunting dogs on the scent. A smaller white wolf bursts into the cave, followed by two more.

Hedge says, "Kill it?"

"No!" Piper replies. "Wait."

The wolves tilt their heads and study the campers with huge golden eyes. One of the wolves steps forward, sniffing around (Y/n), and (Y/n) kneels down, stroking the wolf's ears. Piper watches as (Y/n)'s expression softens as she talks quietly to the wolf, as though missing her own dog.

A heartbeat later, their masters appear: a troop of hunters in white-and-gray winter camouflage, at least half a dozen. All of them carry bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs.

Their faces are covered with parka hoods, but clearly they are all girls. One, a little taller than the rest, crouches in the firelight and snatches up the arrow that had wounded Lycaon's hand.

"So close." She turns to her companions. "Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you." (Y/n)'s head snaps up, and she watches the girl, as though she recognized the voice. A possible girlfriend, Piper wonders, feeling a little disappointed.

The other hunters mumble agreement and disappear, heading after Lycaon's pack.

The girl in white turns toward them, her face still hidden in her parka hood. "We've been following that demon's trail for over a week. Is everyone alright? No one got bit?"

Jason stands frozen, staring at the girl. Piper realizes that something about her voice sounds familiar. It's hard to pin down, but the way she speaks, the way she forms her words, reminds her of Jason.

"You're her," Piper guesses. "You're Thalia."

The girl tenses. Piper is afraid she might draw her bow, but instead she pulls down her parka hood. Her hair is spiky black, with a silver tiara across her brow. Her face has a super-healthy glow to it, as if she's a little more than human, and her eyes are brilliant blue. She is the girl from Jason's photograph.

"Do I know you?" Thalia asks.

Piper takes a breath. "This might be a shock, but —"

"Thalia." Jason steps forward, his voice trembling. "I'm Jason, your brother."

For a minute, Jason and Thalia face each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushes forward and hugs him.

"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She grips Jason's face and seems to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip — you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Leo laughs. "Seriously?"

Hedge nods like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers — excellent source of iron."

"W-wait," Jason stammers. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barks. Thalia looks back at the wolf and nods, but she keeps her hands on Jason's face, like she's afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."

Piper does better than that. She collapses. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if (Y/n) hadn't caught her.

Thalia rushes over. "What's wrong with her? Ah — never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowns at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"

Hedge scoffs. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

The wolf at (Y/n)'s feet lifts her front paws after she helps Piper back onto the ground.

"You always were good with dogs, Jackson," Thalia's eyes twinkle with mischief. She parts with Jason, and wraps (Y/n) in a bear hug. Then her gaze turns slightly angry. "Where've you been?"

The wolf at (Y/n)'s feet barks, staring at Piper.

Thalia looks at Leo. "You and the satyr," Thalia orders, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

It's cold out there!" Hedge retorts. "I'll freeze my horns off."

But Leo knows when they weren't wanted. "Come on, Hedge. These three need time to talk."

"Humph. Fine," the satyr mutters. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."

Hedge carries Piper towards the entrance. Leo is about to follow when Jason calls, "Actually, Leo, could you, urn, stick around?"

Leo sees something in Jason's eyes he doesn't expect: Jason is asking for support. He wants somebody else there. He's scared.

Leo grins. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Thalia doesn't look too happy about it, but the four of them sat at the fire – (Y/n) in between Leo and Jason. For a few minutes, nobody speaks. Jason studies his sister like she is a scary device — one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seems more at ease, as if she's used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives. But still she regards Jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. Leo takes a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twists them together.

Finally Leo can't stand the silence. "So . . . the Hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' thing — is that like always, or more of a seasonal thing, or what?" (Y/n) lets out a snort of laughter, stroking the wolf's snout – the wolf had put her head in (Y/n)'s lap.

Thalia stares at Leo as if he'd just evolved from pond scum. Yeah, definitely liking this girl.

Jason kicks him in the shin. "Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But, Thalia . . . what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?"

Thalia tugs at a silver bracelet on her wrist. In the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she almost looks like Khione the snow princess — just as cold and beautiful.

"Do you remember anything?" Thalia finally asks.

Jason shakes his head. "(Y/n) and I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper."

"Which wasn't our fault," Leo adds hastily. "Hera stole their memories."

Thalia tenses. "Hera? How do you know that?"

Jason explains about their quest — the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and the winter solstice deadline. Leo chimed in to add the important stuff: how he'd fixed the bronze dragon, could throw fireballs, and made excellent tacos.

Thalia's a good listener. Nothing seems to surprise her — the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. But when Jason mentions King Midas, she curses in Ancient Greek.

"I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she says. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon — Well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been . . . what, hiding you all these years?"

"I don't know." Jason brings out the photo from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face."

Thalia looks at the picture, and her expression softens. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?"

Jason nods. "I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave . . . I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?"

Nah," Leo assures him. "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister."

Thalia ignores him. Probably she just didn't want to let on how much I impress her.

"Jason," she begins, "when you're dealing with the gods, nothing is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She hates all children of Zeus."

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?"

The color drains from Thalia's face. "Oh, gods. Mother wouldn't have . . . You don't remember — No, of course you don't."

"What?" Jason asks.

Thalia's features seem to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality isn't working so well. "Jason . . . I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable. She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she was beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She . . . she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods . . . well, they don't hang around."

Leo remembers his own mom, the way she'd assured him over and over that his dad would be back someday. But she'd never acted mad about it. She didn't seem to want Hephaestus for herself — only so Leo could know his father. She'd dealt with working a dead-end job, living in a tiny apartment, never having enough money — and she'd seemed fine with it. As long as she had Leo, she always said, life would be okay.

Leo watches Jason's face — looking more and more devastated as Thalia describes their mom — and for once, Leo doesn't feel jealous of his friend. Leo might have lost his mom. He might have had some hard times. But at least he remembers her. He finds himself tapping out a Morse code message on his knee: Love you. (Y/n), who had seen the movement of Leo's fingers, smiles gently at him, also decoding the message – one of the cons of being best friends with the smartest girl at Camp Half-Blood, you learned stuff, like Morse Code.

Leo feels bad for Jason, not having memories like that — not having anything to fall back on.

"So . . . " Jason doesn't seem able to finish the question.

"Jason, you got friends," (Y/n) tells him gently, reaching out to squeeze his hand in a sisterly fashion. "Now you have a sister. You're not alone."

Thalia offers her hand, and Jason takes it in his free one. The wolf in (Y/n)'s lap nudges her hand again, and (Y/n) takes her hand from Jason's, and starts petting the white canine's ears again.

"When I was about seven," Thalia begins, "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed — different somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born. Mom . . . well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute. And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable. That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too — that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but more demigod children from the same family was too big an insult. Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn't know what to believe."

Leo fiddles with his copper wires. He feels like an intruder. He shouldn't be listening to this, but it also makes him feel like he's getting to know Jason for the first time — like maybe being here now made up for those four months at Wilderness School, when Leo had just imagined they'd had a friendship.

"How did you guys get separated?" Leo asks.

Thalia squeezes her brother's hand. "If I'd known you were alive . . . gods, things would've been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us in the car for a family vacation. We drove up north, toward the wine country, to this park she wanted to show us. I remember thinking it was strange because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of the park, and . . ." She takes a shaky breath. "Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her, but it was only for a few minutes. When I came back . . . Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said — she said you were gone. She said Hera claimed you and you were as good as dead. I didn't know what she'd done. I was afraid she'd completely lost her mind. I ran all over the place looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical. I don't remember everything, but I called the police on Mom and they questioned her for a long time. Afterward, we fought. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should support her, like she was the only one who mattered. Finally I couldn't stand it. Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I thought you were gone forever. I never told anyone about you—not even Annabeth or Luke, my two best friends. It was just too painful."

"Chiron knew." Jason's voice sounds far away. "When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead."'

"That doesn't make sense," Thalia insists. "I never told him."

"Hey," Leo says. "Important thing is you've got each other now, right? You two are lucky."

Thalia nods. "Leo's right. Look at you. You're my age. You've grown up."

"But where have I been?" Jason says. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff . . ."

Thalia frowns. "The Roman stuff?"

"Your brother speaks Latin," Leo says. "He calls gods by their Roman names, and he's got tattoos." Leo points out the marks on Jason's arm. Then he gives Thalia the rundown about the other weird stuff that had happened: Boreas turning into Aquilon, Lycaon calling Jason a "child of Rome," and the wolves backing off when Jason spoke Latin to them.

Thalia plucks her bowstring. "Latin. Zeus sometimes spoke Latin, the second time he stayed with Mom. Like I said, he seemed different, more formal."

"You think he was in his Roman aspect?" Jason asks. "And that's why I think of myself as a child of Jupiter?"

"Possibly," Thalia replies. "I've never heard of something like that happening, but it might explain why you think in Roman terms, why you can speak Latin rather than Ancient Greek. That would make you unique. Still, it doesn't explain how you've survived without Camp Half-Blood. A child of Zeus, or Jupiter, or whatever you want to call him — you would've been hounded by monsters. If you were on your own, you should've died years ago. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive without friends. You would've needed training, a safe haven —"

"He wasn't alone," Leo blurts out. "We've heard about others like him."

Thalia looks at him strangely. "What do you mean?"

(Y/n) tells her about the slashed-up purple shirt in Medea's department store, and the story the Cyclopes told about the child of Mercury who spoke Latin.

"Isn't there anywhere else for demigods?" Leo asks. "I mean besides Camp Half-Blood? Maybe some crazy Latin teacher has been abducting children of the gods or something, making them think like Romans."

As soon as he says it, Leo realizes how stupid the idea sounds. Thalia's dazzling blue eyes study him intently, making him feel like a suspect in a lineup. "I've been all over the country," Thalia muses. "I've never seen evidence of a crazy Latin teacher, or demigods in purple shirts. Still . . ." Her voice trailed off, like she'd just had a troubling thought.

"What?" Jason asks.

Thalia shakes her head. "I'll have to talk to the goddess. Maybe Artemis will guide us."

"She's still talking to you?" Jason asks. "Most of the gods have gone silent."

"Artemis follows her own rules," Thalia says. "She has to be careful not to let Zeus know, but she thinks Zeus is being ridiculous closing Olympus. She's the one who set us on the trail of Lycaon. She said we'd find a lead to a missing friend of ours."

"Percy," (Y/n) finishes; Thalia nods, her face full of concern.

Leo wonders if anyone had ever looked that worried all the times he'd disappeared. He kind of doubts it.

"So what would Lycaon have to do with it?" Leo asks. "And how does it connect to us?"

"We need to find out soon," Thalia admits. "If your deadline is tomorrow, we're wasting time. Aeolus could tell you —"

A white wolf appears again at the doorway and yips insistently.

"I have to get moving." Thalia stands. "Otherwise I'll lose the other Hunters' trail. First, though, I'll take you to Aeolus's palace."

"If you can't, it's okay," Jason says, though he sounds kind of distressed.

"Oh, please." Thalia smiles and helps him up. "I haven't had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying. Now, let's go!"

When Leo sees how well Piper and Hedge are being treated, he is thoroughly offended. He'd imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunter, Phoebe, had set up this silver pavilion right outside the cave. How she'd done it so fast, Leo has no idea, but inside is a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper looks back to normal, decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter. She and Hedge and Phoebe are kicking back, drinking hot chocolate, but when Phoebe catches sight of (Y/n), she stands up and comes over to give her a quick hug.

"Jackson," Phoebe says.

"Phoebe," (Y/n) replies, smiling slightly.

"Oh, no way," Leo says. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Phoebe sniffs. "Boys," she says, like it's the worst insult she can think of.

"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia smiles slightly. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."

Phoebe grumbles, but soon Leo, (Y/n), and Jason are also dressed in silvery winter clothes that are incredibly lightweight and warm. The hot chocolate is first-rate.

"Cheers!" says Coach Hedge. He crunches down his plastic thermos cup.

"That cannot be good for your intestines," (Y/n) jokes.

Thalia pats Piper on the back. "You up for moving?"

Piper nods. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I can run ten miles.

Thalia winks at (Y/n). "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."

Piper can see (Y/n)'s cheeks redden, but she can't tell whether she's flustered or just warm.

"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteers. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it." Naturally, Thalia ignores him.

It takes Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which Leo cannot believe. The tent self-collapses into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Leo wants to ask her for the blueprints, but they don't have time.

Thalia runs uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, and soon Leo is regretting trying to look macho, because the Hunters leave him in the dust.

Coach Hedge leaps around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo —"

"Let's not," Thalia snaps.

So they run in silence.

Leo falls in next to Jason at the back of the group. "How you doing, man?"

Jason's expression is enough of an answer: Not good.

"Thalia takes it so calmly," Jason says. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but . . . she's not like me. She seems so much more together."

"Hey, she's not fighting amnesia," Leo says. "Plus, she's had more time to get used to this whole demigod thing. You fight monsters and talk to gods for a while, you probably get used to surprises."

"Maybe," Jason says. "I just wish I understood what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of me."

"Hey, whatever's happened, it wasn't your fault. And your sister is pretty cool. She's a lot like you."

Jason takes that in silence. Leo wonders if he'd said the right things. He wants to make Jason feel better, but this is way outside his comfort zone.

Leo wishes he can reach inside his tool belt and pick just the right wrench to fix Jason's memory — maybe a little hammer — bonk the sticking spot and make everything run right. That would be a lot easier than trying to talk it through. Not good with organic life forms. Thanks for those inherited traits, Dad.

He is so lost in thought, he didn't realize the others had stopped. He slams into (Y/n), who slams into Thalia, and nearly sends the three of them down the side of the mountain the hard way. Fortunately, the Hunter is light on her feet. She steadies them, then points up.

"That," Leo chokes, "is a really large rock."

They stand near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world is blanketed in clouds. The air is so thin, Leo can hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars are incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rises from the clouds like islands — or teeth.

But the real show is above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, is a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It is hard to judge in size, but (Y/n) figures it's about half the length of a football stadium, and just as tall. The sides are rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind bursts out with a sound like an organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ring the fortress.

Piper leans over, her mouth next to (Y/n)'s ear, "It's really pretty."

"Just like you," slips out of (Y/n)'s mouth.

Piper pulls away, raising an eyebrow. "That was smooth, Jackson."

(Y/n) flushes, looking at the only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island – a narrow bridge of ice that glistens in the moonlight.

Then (Y/n) realizes the bridge isn't exactly ice, because it isn't solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snakes around — blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane.

"We're not seriously crossing that," Leo says.

Thalia shrugs. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asks. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Thalia says. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."

"It's enormous," Jason says.

Thalia laughs. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious? You've been there?"

Thalia grimaces, exchanging a look with (Y/n) – as if it isn't a good memory. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."

"That's reassuring," Leo says. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

Thalia laughs. Then she seems to realize Leo's question isn't a joke. "Wait . . . Jason, you can fly?"

Jason gazes up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia you mean . . . you can't fly?

For a second, Thalia looks genuinely afraid. Then she gets her expression under control. Leo realizes she is a lot more scared of heights than she is letting on. "Truthfully," she says, "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

Coach Hedge taps the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumps onto the bridge. Amazingly, it holds his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, (Y/n), come on, girls. I'll give you a hand."

"No, that's okay," Piper starts to say, but the coach grabs her's and (Y/n)'s hands and drags them up the bridge.

When they are about halfway, the bridge still seems to be holding them just fine.

Thalia turns to her Hunter friend. "Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."

"You sure?" Phoebe narrows her eyes at Leo and Jason, like they might kidnap Thalia.

"It's fine," Thalia promises.

Phoebe nods reluctantly, then races down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.

"Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step," Thalia says. "It hardly ever breaks."

"It hasn't met me yet," Leo muttered, but he and Jason lead the way up the bridge.

Halfway up, things start going wrong. Piper, (Y/n), and Coach Hedge had already made it safely to the top, and are waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo gets distracted. He is thinking about bridges – how he would design something way more stable than this shifting ice vapor business if this was his palace. He is pondering braces and support columns. Then a sudden revelation stops him in his tracks.

"Why do they have a bridge?" he asks.

Thalia frowns. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"

"They're wind spirits," Leo says. "Can't they fly?"

"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."

"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asks.

Thalia shakes her head. "The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now. They know you're coming."

Leo's mind is racing. He is so excited he can almost feel his body's temperature rising. He can't quite put his thoughts into words, but he

knows he's onto something important.

"Leo?" Jason says. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, gods," Thalia says. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."

Leo shuffles backwards. With horror, he realizes his body temperature really is rising, just as it had years ago at that picnic table under the pecan tree, when his anger had gotten away from him. Now, excitement is causing the reaction. His pants steam in the cold air. His shoes are literally smoking, and the bridge doesn't like it. The ice is thinning.

"Leo, stop it," Jason warned. "You're going to melt it."

"I'll try," Leo says. But his body is overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge."

"Leo, seriously, cool down," Thalia says. "I don't what you're talking about, but the bridge is —''

"Just listen," Leo insists. "If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don't get along—like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."

"An exchange." Thalia's eyes widen. "Oh, gods."

Jason frowns. "What are you two talking about?"

Thalia mutters something like a prayer. "I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. You are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."

"I don't understand," he protests. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."

"But Leo's right," Thalia said. "It's all connected. If we just knew where—"

Leo snaps his fingers. "Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?"

Thalia nearly chokes. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! That's where they're keeping Hera?"

"You know where it is?" Jason asked.

"Something's wrong," (Y/n) realizes, watching as Jason grabs Leo's coat. (Y/n) goes to step back onto the bridge to help, but Piper pulls her back.

"Don't," she says. "You might make it worse."

Then Jason and Leo start scrambling up the bridge. (Y/n) grabs the boys' hands, pulling them onto the floating island. When they turn, they see Thalia backing down the bridge as it crumbles.

"Find out where the giant is keeping Piper's dad! Save him!" she shouts. "I'll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!"

"But where is the Wolf House?" Jason shouts.

"You know where it is, little brother!" She is so far away now that they can barely hear her voice over the wind. Leo is pretty sure she says: "I'll see you there. I promise."

Then she turns and races down the dissolving bridge.

Leo looks back down. The top of Pikes Peak floats below them in a sea of clouds, but there is no sign of Thalia. And Leo had just burned their only exit.

"What happened?" Piper demands. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"

"I got a little heated," Leo gasps. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't —''

"It's all right," Jason says, but his expression is grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."

. . .

I found my sister and lost her in less than an hour, Jason thinks miserably. As they climb the cliffs of the floating island, he keeps looking back, but Thalia is gone.

Despite what she'd said about meeting again, Jason wonders; she's found a new family with the Hunters, and a new mother in Artemis. She had seemed so confident and comfortable with her life, Jason isn't sure if he'd ever be a part of it. And she'd seemed so happy when she'd found (Y/n), and so set on finding Percy. Did she ever search for me like that?

Not fair, Jason retorts. She thought you were dead.

He could also barely tolerate what Thalia had said about their mom. It was like she'd handed him a baby – a really loud, ugly baby – and said, Here, this is yours. Carry it. He doesn't want to carry it. He doesn't want to look at it or claim it. He hadn't wanted to know she had an unstable mother who'd gotten rid of him to appease a goddess. No wonder Thalia ran away.

And then he remembers the Zeus cabin at camp – the tiny little alcove Thalia had used as a bunk, out of sight from the glowering statue of the sky god. Dad isn't much of a bargain either, Jason thinks, understanding why Thalia had renounced that part of her life, though he's still resentful. I can't be so lucky. I get stuck holding the bag – literally.

The golden backpack of winds is strapped over his shoulders, and the closer they get to Aeolus's palace, the heavier they get. The winds keep struggling, rumbling and bumping around.

The only one who seems to be in a good mood is Coach Hedge. He keeps bouncing up the slippery staircase and trotting back down. "Come on, cupcakes! Only a few thousand steps."

As they climb, Leo, (Y/n), and Piper leave Jason in his silence. Maybe they can sense my bad mood. Piper keeps glancing back, worried, as if he were the one who'd almost died of hypothermia rather than she. Or maybe she is thinking about Thalia's idea. Jason doens't really understand how they were going to save Piper's dad and Hera, and he isn't sure if the possibility had made Piper more hopeful or just more anxious.

Leo keeps swatting his own legs, checking for signs that his pants are on fire. He wasn't steaming anymore, but the incident on the ice bridge had really freaked Jason out. Leo hadn't seemed to realize that he had smoke coming out his ears and flames dancing through his hair. If Leo started spontaneously combusting every time he got excited, they were going to have a tough time taking him anywhere. Jason imagines trying to get food at a restaurant. I'll have a cheeseburger and—Ahhh! My friend's on fire! Get me a bucket!

Mostly, though, Jason worries about what Leo had said. Jason doesn't want to be a bridge, or an exchange, or anything else. He just wants to know where he'd come from. And Thalia had looked so unnerved when Leo mentioned the burned-out house in his dreams — the place the wolf Lupa had told him was his starting point. How did Thalia know that place, and why did she assume I could find it?

The answer seems close. But the nearer Jason gets to it, the less it cooperated, like the winds on his back.

Jason keeps catching (Y/n) glancing back at him, as though trying to find something to say.

They arrive at the top of the island. Bronze walls march all the way around the fortress grounds, though Jason can't imagine who would possibly attack this place. Twenty-foot-high gates open for them, and a road of polished purple stone leads up to the main citadel — a white-columned rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington, D.C. — except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

"That's bizarre," Piper mutters.

"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo says. "Dang, check this guy's front yard."

The rotunda sits in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds are amazing in a scary way. They are divided into four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season.

The section on their right is an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen roll across the landscape as the wind blows, so Jason isn't sure if they were decorations or alive.

To their left is an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns — gods, people, animals that run after each other before scattering back into leaves.

In the distance, Jason can see two more areas behind the rotunda. One looks like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds. The last section is a desert where tumbleweeds scratch strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisement that read: watch aeolus nightly!

"One section for each of the four wind gods," Jason guesses. "Four cardinal directions."

I'm loving that pasture." Coach licks licked his lips. "You guys mind —"

"Go ahead," Jason says. He is actually relieved to send the satyr off. It would be hard enough getting on Aeolus's good side without Coach Hedge waving his club and screaming, "Die!"

While the satyr runs off to attack springtime, Jason, Leo, (Y/n), and Piper walk down the road to the steps of the palace. They pass through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read olympian weather channel, and some that just read ow!

"Hello!" A woman floats up to them. Literally floated. She is pretty in that elfish way Jason associates with nature spirits at Camp Half-Blood — petite, slightly pointy ears, and an ageless face that could've been sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkle cheerfully. Even though there is no wind, her dark hair blows in slow motion, shampoo-commercial style. Her white gown billows around her like parachute material. Jason can't tell if she has feet, but if so, they don't touch the floor. She has a white tablet computer in her hand. "Are you from Lord Zeus?" she asks. "We've been expecting you."

Jason tries to respond, but it is a little hard to think straight, because he'd realizes the woman was see-through. Her shape fades in and out like she is made of fog. "Are you a ghost?" he asks.

Right away he knows he'd insulted her. The smile turns into a pout. "I'm an aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."

Piper comes to the rescue. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."

Wow, she's good, (Y/n) thinks.

The complement seems a little over top, but Mellie blushes. "Oh . . . well, then. So you are from Zeus?"

"Er," Jason starts. "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."

"Excellent! Please, right this way," she leads them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floats. She doesn't look where she is going, but apparently it doesn't matter as she drifts straight through a marble column with no problem. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good," she muses. "I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."

"Urn, okay," Jason says.

The lobby is a pretty distracting place. Winds blast around them, so Jason feels like he is pushing through an invisible crowd. Doors blow open and slam by themselves.

The things Jason can see are just as bizarre. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes speed around, and other wind nymphs, aurai, would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying.

A creature flutters past. She looks like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids. She has a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It's amazing she could fly at all. She keeps drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.

"Not an aura?" Jason asks Mellie as the creature wobbles by.

Mellie laughs. "That's a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. Don't you have harpies on Olympus? They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us aurai. We're all gentle breezes." She bats her eyes at Jason.

"'Course you are," he replies.

"So," Piper prompts, "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"

Mellie leads them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinks.

"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie says cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!"

. . .

(Y/n)'s jaw drops. The central section of Aelous's fortress is as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floats randomly through the air – camera, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. And there's no floor. Leo almost falls into the chasm before Jason pulls him back."

"Holy —!" Leo gulps. "Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!"

An enormous circular pit plunges into the heart of the mountain. It is probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led straight outside. (Y/n) remembers seeing winds blast out of them when they'd been on Pikes Peak. Other caves is sealed with some glistening material like glass or wax. The whole cavern bustles with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes, but for someone who couldn't fly, it would be a very long, very fatal fall.

"Oh, my," Mellie gasps. "I'm so sorry." She unclips a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and speaks into it: "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."

A few seconds later, an army of harpies rises from the pit — three dozen or so demon chicken ladies, all carrying squares of various building material. They go to work hammering and gluing – and using large quantities of duct tape, which doesn't reassure (Y/n). In no time there is a makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm. It was is of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod — just about anything.

"That can't be safe," Jason comments.

"Oh, it is!" Mellie assures him. "The harpies are very good."

Easy for her to say. She just drifts across without touching the floor, but Jason decides he has the best chance at surviving, since he can fly, so he steps out first. Amazingly, the floor holds.

Piper follows, then (Y/n), and then Leo.

Mellie leads them towards the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floats around a kind of control center. A man hovers inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.

The man pays them no attention as Mellie brings them forward. She pushes a forty-two-inch Sony out of their way and leads them into the control area.

Leo whistles. "I got to get a room like this."

The floating screens show all sorts of television programs. Some Jason recognizes — news broadcasts, mostly — but some programs look a little strange: gladiators fighting, demigods battling monsters. Maybe they're movies, but they look more like reality shows.

At the far end of the sphere is a silky blue backdrop like a cinema screen, with cameras and studio lights floating around it.

The man in the center is talking into an earpiece phone. He has a remote control in each hand and is pointing them at various screens, seemingly at random.

He is wearing a business suit that looks like the sky — blue mostly, but dappled with clouds that change, darken, and move across the fabric. He looks like he's in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, but he has a ton of stage makeup on, and that smooth plastic-surgery look to his face, so he appears not really young, not really old, just wrong — like a Ken doll someone had halfway melted in a microwave. His eyes dart back and forth from screen to screen, like he's trying to absorb everything at once. He mutts things into his phone, and his mouth keeps twitching. He is either amused, or crazy, or both.

Mellie floats towards him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods —"

"Hold it!" He holds up a hand to silence her, then points at one of the screens. "Watch!"

It's one of those storm-chaser programs, where insane thrill-seekers drive after tornados. As Jason watches, a Jeep plows straight into a funnel cloud and gets tossed into the sky.

Aeolus shrieks with delight. "The Disaster Channel. People do that on purpose !" He turned toward Jason with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."

"Urn, sir," Mellie says, "this is Jason, son of—"

"Yes, yes, I remember," Aeolus interupts. "You're back. How did it go?"

Jason hesitates. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me —"

"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was — what — last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."

"I — I don't remember."

Aelous laughs. "Must not have been a very good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus — gods, he docked at my island for a month! At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into —"

"Sir," Mellie interrupts. "Two minutes to air."

"Air!" Aeolus exclaims. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!"

Immediately a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descend on Aeolus. They blur across his face in a cloud of flesh-tone smoke until his coloration is even more gruesome than before. Wind swirl through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.

"Mr. Aeolus." Jason slips off the golden backpack. "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."

"Did you!" Aeolus looks at the bag like it's a gift from a fan — something he really doesn't want. "Well, how nice."

Leo nudges him, and Jason offers the bag. "Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you'll accept them and stop — you know — ordering demigods to be killed."

Aeolus laughs, and looks incredulously at Mellie. "Demigods be killed — did I order that?"

Mellie checks her computer tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,' etc . . . yes, a general order for them all to be killed."

"Oh, pish," Aeolus says. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and urn, who's on guard duty — Teriyaki? — Teri, take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?"

A harpy swoops out of nowhere, snatches the golden bag, and spirals into the abyss.

Aeolus grins at Jason. "Now, sorry about that kill-on-sight business. But gods, I really was mad, wasn't I?" His face suddenly darkens, and his suit does the same, the lapels flashing with lightning. "You know . . . I remember now. Almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck."

Jason tenses. A cold tingle on the back of his neck . . . Why does that sound so familiar? "A . . . um, voice in your head, sir?"

"Yes. How odd. Mellie, should we kill them?"

"No, sir," she says patiently. "They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right."

"Of course." Aeolus laughs. "Sorry. Mellie, let's send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps."

"A box of chocolates to every demigod in the world, sir?"

"No, too expensive. Never mind. Wait, it's time! I'm on!"

Aeolus flies off towards the blue screen as newscast music starts to play.

Jason looks at Piper, (Y/n), and Leo, who seem just as confused as he is.

"Mellie," he says , "is he . . . always like that?"

She smiles sheepishly. "Well, you know what they say. If you don't like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression 'whichever way the wind blows' — that was based on him."

"And that thing about the sea monster," Jason says. "Was I here before?"

Mellie blushes. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm Mr. Aeolus's new assistant. I've been with him longer than most, but still — not that long."

"How long do his assistants usually last?" Piper asks curiously.

"Oh . . ." Mellie thinks for a moment. "I've been doing this for . . . twelve hours?"

A voice blares from floating speakers: "And now, weather every twelve minutes! Here's your forecaster for Olympian Weather — the OW! channel — Aeolus!"

Lights blaze on Aeolus, who is now standing in front of the blue screen. His smile is unnaturally white, and he looks like he'd had so much caffeine his face is about to explode.

"Hello, Olympus! Aeolus, master of the winds here, with weather every twelve! We'll have a low-pressure system moving over Florida today so expect milder temperatures since Demeter wishes to spare the citrus farmers!" He gestures at the blue screen, but when (Y/n0 checks the monitors, she sees that a digital image is being projected behind Aeolus, so it looks like he's standing in front of a U.S. map with animated smiley suns and frowny storm clouds. "Along the eastern seaboard — oh, hold on." He taps his earpiece. "Sorry, folks! Poseidon is angry with Miami today so it looks like that Florida freeze is back on! Sorry, Demeter. Over in the Midwest, I'm not sure what St. Louis did to offend Zeus, but you can expect winter storms! Boreas himself is being called down to punish the area with ice. Bad news, Missouri! No, wait. Hephaestus feels sorry for central Missouri, so you all will have much more moderate temperatures and sunny skies."

Aeolus keeps going like that — forecasting each area of the country and changing his prediction two or three times as he gets messages over his earpiece — the gods apparently putting in orders for various winds and weather.

"This can't be right," Jason whispers. "Weather isn't this random."

Mellie smirks. "And how often are the mortal weathermen right? They talk about fronts and air pressure and moisture, but the weather surprises them all the time. At least Aeolus tells us why it's so unpredictable. Very hard job, trying to appease all the gods at once. It's enough to drive anyone . . ."

She trails off, but Jason knows what she meant. Mad. Aeolus is completely mad.

"And that's the weather," Aeolus concludes. "See you in twelve minutes, because I'm sure it'll change!"

The lights shut off, the video monitors go back to random coverage, and just for a moment, Aeolus's face sags with weariness. Then he seems to remember he has guests, and he puts a smile back on.

"So, you brought me some rogue storm spirits," Aeolus says. "I suppose . . . thanks! And did you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do."

Mellie says, "Urn, sir, this is Zeus's son."

"Yes, yes. I know that. I said I remembered him from before."

"But, sir, they're here from Olympus."

Aeolus looks stunned. Then he laughs so abruptly, Jason almost jumps into the chasm. "You mean you're here on behalf of your father this time? Finally! I knew they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!"

"Urn, what?" Jason asks.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Aeolus sighs with relief. "It's been what, three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the winds. Not that I'm ungrateful, of course! But really, my contract is so vague. Obviously I'm immortal, but 'master of the winds.' What does that mean? Am I a nature spirit? A demigod? A god? I want to be god of the winds, because the benefits are so much better. Can we start with that?"

Jason looks at his friends, mystified.

"Dude," Leo says, "you think we're here to promote you?"

"You are, then?" Aeolus grins. His business suit turns completely blue — not a cloud in the fabric. "Marvelous! I mean, I think I've shown quite a bit of initiative with the weather channel, eh? And of course I'm in the press all the time. So many books have been written about me: Into Thin Air, Up in the Air, Gone with the Wind —"

"Er, I don't think those are about you," Jason says, before he notices Mellie shaking her head.

"Nonsense," Aeolus says. "Mellie, they're biographies of me, aren't they?"

"Absolutely, sir," she squeaks.

"There, you see? I don't read. Who has time? But obviously the mortals love me. So, we'll change my official title to god of the winds. Then, about salary and staff —"

"Sir," Jason says, "we're not from Olympus."

Aeolus blinks. "But —"

"I'm the son of Zeus, yes," Jason says, "but we're not here to negotiate your contract. We're on a quest and we need your help."

Aeolus's expression hardens. "Like last time? Like every hero who comes here? Demigods! It's always about you, isn't it?"

"Sir, please, I don't remember last time, but if you helped me once before —"

"I'm always helping! Well, sometimes I'm destroying, but mostly I'm helping, and sometimes I'm asked to do both at the same time! Why Aeneas, the first of your kind —"

"My kind?" Jason asks. "You mean, demigods?"

"Oh, please!" Aeolus says. "I mean your line of demigods. You know, Aeneas, son of Venus — the only surviving hero of Troy. When the Greeks burned down his city, he escaped to Italy, where he founded the kingdom that would eventually become Rome, blah, blah, blah. That's what I meant."

"I don't get it," Jason admits.

Aeolus rolls his eyes. "The point being, I was thrown in the middle of that conflict, too! Juno calls up: 'Oh, Aeolus, destroy Aeneas's ships for me. I don't like him.' Then Neptune says, 'No, you don't! That's my territory. Calm the winds.' Then Juno is like, 'No, wreck his ships, or I'll tell Jupiter you're uncooperative!' Do you think it's easy juggling requests like that?"

"No," Jason said. "I guess not."

"And don't get me started on Amelia Earhart! I'm still getting angry calls from Olympus about knocking her out of the sky!"

"We just want information," Piper says in her most calming voice. "We hear you know everything."

Aeolus straightens his lapels and looks slightly mollified. "Well . . . that's true, of course. For instance, I know that this business here" — he waggles his fingers at the four of them — "this harebrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed. As for you, Piper McLean, I know your father is in serious trouble." He holds out his hand, and a scrap of paper flutters into his grasp. It's a photo of Piper with a guy who must've been her dad. His face does look familiar. Jason is pretty sure he'd seen him in some movies.

Piper takes the photo. Her hands are shaking. "This — this is from his wallet."

"Yes ," Aeolus says. "All things lost in the wind eventually come to me. The photo blew away when the Earthborn captured him."

"The what?" Piper asks.

Aeolus waves aside the question and narrows his eyes at Leo. "Now, you, son of Hephaestus . . . Yes, I see your future." Another paper falls into the wind god's hands — an old tattered drawing done in crayons.

Leo takes it as if it might be coated in poison. He staggers backwards.

"Leo?" Jason says. "What is it?"

"Something I — I drew when I was a kid." He folds it quickly and put it in his coat. "It's . . . yeah, it's nothing."

Aeolus laughs. "Really? Just the key to your success!" Aeolus then looks at (Y/n). He waves his hand, and a photograph flies down, falling into the daughter of Poseidon's hands.

(Y/n) chokes back a sob as she studies the photo. It was a picture of herself, Percy, and their parents, Sally and Paul, and Percy's arm is wrapped around Annabeth's waist – and everyone looked happy.

(Y/n) clears her throat, and shoves the picture into her pocket, she aggressively wipes at her eyes and Leo, Jason, and Piper avoid her gaze.

Aeolus shrugs it aside, "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you wanted information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information can be dangerous." He smiles at Jason like he's issuing a challenge. Behind him, Mellie shakes her head in warning.

"Yeah," Jason says. "We need to find the lair of Enceladus."

Aeolus's smile melts, "The giant? Why would you want to go there? He's horrible! He doesn't even watch my program!"

Piper holds up the photo. "Aeolus, he's got my father. We need to rescue him and find out where Hera is being held captive."

"Now, that's impossible," Aeolus says. "Even I can't see that, and believe me, I've tried. There's a veil of magic over Hera's location—very strong, impossible to locate."

"She's at a place called the Wolf House," Jason says.

"Hold on!" Aelous puts a hand to his forehead and closes his eyes. "I'm getting something! Yes, she's at a place called the Wolf House! Sadly, I don't know where that is."

"Enceladus does," Piper persists. "If you help us find him, we could get the location of the goddess —"

"Yeah," Leo adds, catching on. "And if we save her, she'd be really grateful to you —"

"And Zeus might promote you," (Y/n) finishes.

Aeolus's eyebrows creep up. "A promotion — and all you want from me is the giant's location?"

"Well, if you could get us there, too," Jason amends, "that would be great."

Mellie claps her hands in excitement. "Oh, he could do that! He often sends helpful winds —"

Mellie, quiet!" Aeolus snaps. "I have half a mind to fire you for letting these people in under false pretenses."

Her face pales. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"It wasn't her fault," Jason says, "But about that help . . ."

Aelous tilted his head as if thinking. Then Jason realized the wind lord was listening to voices in his earpiece.

"Well . . . Zeus approves," Aeolus mutters. "He says . . . he says it would be better if you could avoid saving her until after the weekend, because he has a big party planned — Ow! That's Aphrodite yelling at him, reminding him that the solstice starts at dawn. She says I should help you. And Hephaestus . . . yes. Hmm. Very rare they agree on anything. Poseidon agrees . . . Hold on . . ."

Jason smiled at his friends. Finally, they were having some good luck. Their godly parents were standing up for them.

Back towards the entrance, Jason hears a loud belch. Coach Hedge waddles in from the lobby, grass all over his face. Mellie sees him coming across the makeshift floor and catches her breath. "Who is that?"

Jason stifles a cough. "That? That's just Coach Hedge. Uh, Gleeson Hedge. He's our . . ." Jason wasn't sure what to call him: teacher, friend, problem? "Our guide."

"He's so goatly," Mellie murmurs.

Behind her, Piper poofs out her cheeks, pretending to vomit.

"What's up, guys?" Hedge trots over. "Wow, nice place. Oh! Sod squares."

"Coach, you just ate," Jason says. "And we're using the sod as a floor. This is, ah, Mellie —"

"An aura." Hedge smiles winningly. "Beautiful as a summer breeze."

Mellie blushes.

"And Aeolus here was just about to help us," Jason explains.

"Yes," the wind lord mutters. "It seems so. You'll find Enceladus on Mount Diablo."

"Devil Mountain?" Leo questions. "That doesn't sound good."

"I remember that place!" Piper says. "I went there once with my dad. It's just east of San Francisco Bay."

The Bay Area again?" The coach shakes his head. "Not good. Not good at all."

"Now . . .''Aeolus began to smile. "As to getting you there —"

Suddenly his face goes slack. He bends over and taps his earpiece as if it were malfunctioning. When he straightened again, his eyes are wild. Despite the makeup, he looks like an old man — an old, very frightened man. "She hasn't spoke to me for centuries. I can't — yes, yes I understand."

He swallows, regarding Jason as if he had suddenly turned into a giant cockroach. "I'm sorry, son of Jupiter. New orders. You all have to die."

Mellie squeaks. "But — but, sir! Zeus said to help them. Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hephaestus —"

"Mellie!" Aeolus snaps. "Your job is already on the line. Besides, there are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially when it comes to the forces of nature."

"Whose orders?" Jason says. "Zeus will fire you if you don't help us!"

"I doubt it." Aeolus flicks his wrist, and far below them, a cell door opens in the pit. Jason could hear storm spirits screaming out of it, spiraling up towards them, howling for blood.

"Even Zeus understands the order of things," Aeolus said. "And if she is waking — by all the gods — she cannot be denied. Good-bye, heroes. I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to make this quick. I'm back on the air in four minutes."

Jason summons his sword. Coach Hedge pulls out his club. Mellie the aura screams, "No!"

She dives at their feet just as the storm spirits hit with hurricane force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples and marble and linoleum into what should've been lethal projectiles, had Mellie's robes not spread out like a shield and absorbed the brunt of the impact. The six of them fall into the pit, and Aeolus screams above them, "Mellie, you are so fired!"

"Quick," Mellie yells. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?"

"A little!"

"Then help me, or you're all dead!" Mellie grabs his hand, and an electric charge goes through Jason's arm. He understands what she needs. They have to control their fall and head for one of the open tunnels. The storm spirits are following them down, closing rapidly, bringing with them a cloud of deadly shrapnel.

(Y/n) grabs Piper's hand. "Group hug!"

Hedge, Leo, (Y/n), and Piper tried to huddle together, hanging onto Jason and Mellie as they fall.

"This is NOT GOOD!" Leo yells.

"Bring it on, gas bags!" Hedge screams up at the storm spirits. "I'll pulverize you!"

"He's magnificent," Mellie sighs.

"Concentrate?" Jason prompts.

"Right!" she says.

They channel the wind so their fall becomes more of a tumble into the nearest open chute. Still, they slam into the tunnel at painful speed and go rolling over each other down a steep vent that is not designed for people. There's no way they can stop.

Mellie's robes billow around her. Jason and the others cling to her desperately, and they begin to slow down, but the storm spirits are screaming into the tunnel behind them.

"Can't — hold — long," Mellie warns. "Stay together! When the winds hit —"

"You're doing great, Mellie," Hedge says. "My own mama was an aura, you know. She couldn't have done better herself."

"Iris-message me?" Mellie pleads.

Hedge winks.

"Could you guys plan your date later?" Piper screams. "Look!"

Behind them, the tunnel is turning dark. Jason can feel his ears pop as the pressure builds.

"Can't hold them," Mellie warns. "But I'll try to shield you, do you one more favor."

"Thanks, Mellie," Jason says. "I hope you get a new job."

The aurai smiles, and then dissolves, wrapping them in a warm, gentle breeze. Then the real winds hit, shooting them into the sky so fast, Jason blacks out.

Word Count: 12090 words

#piper mclean x reader #piper mclean x fem reader #piper mclean x female reader #the lost hero #the son of neptune #the heroes of olympus #the blood of olympus #the house of hades #the mark of athena #annabeth chase x reader #annabeth chase x sister reader #percy jackson x sister reader

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chaoticspeedrun · 2 years

Text

Brighter to my eyes 1

Summary: Leo is good at reading people, it's what makes him a good strategist, but those blue hues of hers elude his sharp intuition.

Perhaps if they didn't he'd realize he didn't have to change himself for her to see him like he wants her to.

A.N. I wrote this fanfic over an idea of Rise! Leo using a cloacking brooch to hide his true self but it evolved into something way bigger, this fic will takes place in ROTTMNT after "Newsworthy" but April is 18 starting college instead of in High School, while the MC and Raph are 17, the twins 16 and Mikey 15.

Pairing: Rise! Leo x OC, Leo x Reader

Warnings: Angst, FLUFF, Sibling shenanigans, MC is a nerd, but a mean nerd in leather.

MASTERLIST • NEXT

April had been born and raised in New York, and she knew the city from top to sewers (quite literally), her part time jobs also took her all around, and she kept keys to every place she'd worked at (Which probably wasn't very legal).

Better yet, she knew about a hidden city underground New York, full of yokai and mystic energy, April had seen everything this city had to offer which includes having four mutant ninja turtles as best friends.

So as a freshman in college looking around for her next class April's ears immediately perked up as she heard a couple of students mention the last name Blanchet.

The Blanchet's were a well known family of politicians that lived in NYC, however, since April was in high school the youngest Blanchet had been a running conversation theme for most people her age.

Victoire Blanchet was the only child of an influential family, she was pretty and the rumour mill said she excelled at everything she tried.

And she'd tried it all.

Ballet, japanese, music, fencing, etcetera, meeting and befriending a lot of people along the way, but most of all art, holding an inconsistent but pretty and professional instagram account for it.

Victoire Blanchet was like a micro celebrity with how popular she was, so people admired and envied her equally.

April was no exception, Donnie was more skeptical.

Donnie and Leo were good at keeping up with trends on social media, which is why more than once had both of them stumbled across the name.

Donnie particularly had heard all about Victoire Blanchet, and he wasn't as excited as April when she found out they were attending the same school.

After a couple of weeks April herself had mostly forgotten about it too, she wasn't going to easily cross paths with Victoire when April was taking journalism and the art faculty was all the way across campus.

Right now she had bigger worries, like her film appreciation elective.

She'd taken the class for an easy A, but had already missed a couple of the movies they had to watch, whenever she sat herself to watch them she'd end up getting distracted or falling asleep, so she tried to watch them at the lair with someone else to force herself into paying attention.

The problem is that since the elective and the chosen movies were in chronological order they had so far only been mute movies in black and white, hence why she had fallen asleep during them.

Leo made a big deal out of it when April started playing Metropolis and he realized nobody spoke, then he paled when he saw how long the movie was.

He practically jumped at Mikey when he popped into the projector room with the Jupiter Jim saves the galaxy DVD and metropolis was forgotten.

But her four long essays were due 12AM, and April was resigned to watch someone explain the summary of the movies to her on YouTube.

As she thought this, someone made a sharp turn around the corner and wasn't fast enought to avoid a collition with her. April fell to the floor on her butt and her phone thankfully fell in the rushing hands of the person who bumped into her.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" The voice above April called and as she looked up her breath hitched recognizing features she'd gotten familiar with though the other side of a screen.

Victoire had unmistakeable short white hair that she'd just dyed recently from her natural black, a pale complexion with beauty marks dotting over her face and clear big blue eyes that were looking at April in concern contrasting the common cold gaze common in her pictures.

April soon realized Victoire was offering her hand to help and she took it, standing quickly "Yes! Yes, I'm good, no worries!"

Victoire nodded with a thin smile and glanced at the phone in her hand "Oh, Metropolis, were you watching it?"

April was slow to answer as she wasn't expecting the conversation to continue after the confirmation of her well being.

"Oh, I-well, not really, I did start but I was busy and now the essay is due tonight, so I should really watch it, but I don't have the time to so-" April started rambling, but the smile on Victoire's face while small seemed a bit more genuine.

"Yeah I get that, I can barely ever sit still long enough to watch a movie" Victoire said, saving April from her rant "But I did watch metropolis last year and I loved it, so I could help you with your essay if you want, it'd be hard for you to watch the whole thing and write the essay today"

April's eyes sparkled "You would?!"

"Sure" Victoire shrugged "There's a coffee shop in front of the art faculty we could work at, wanna come?"

April, with a wide elated grin nodded "Yeah, sure! My name is April"

"Victoire" The white haired girl grinned slightly "Come on, I really need a refill for the caffeine in my brain."

Of course if April had expected anyone to be interested in these movies then the girl in front of her was an excellent candidate, but the way Victoire narrated the story made it seem so interesting April was starting to regret not getting through the first minutes of it.

And then Victoire realized there were another three movies April hadn't seen, she ordered another round of coffee and started ranting to her about the cabinet of Dr. Caligari and how Tim Burton was one of the people influenced by that movie and German expressionism.

Through the middle of the first movie Victoire had pulled out a notebook and started explaining the story through drawings, making little doodles to represent the characters and lines crossing and twisting through her narrative which made it engaging and easy to remember.

But the more Victoire spoke and her rants deviated from the movies to how Tim Burton wasn't the real director for 'A nightmare before Christmas', the more April realized that Victoire was an extremely cool and talented person, the kind you don't expect to look at you twice and yet

She was a HUGE nerd.

And it was AMAZING, at times Victoire would realize she'd strayed too far from the topic and apologize quickly to step back in, but April was excited and asked questions about what she'd said while Victoire's smile grew sincerely before continuing her rant.

They spent a while in the café before April finally finished all four essay's and feeling accomplished they both ordered a couple of muffins and leaned back to chat.

"Ok, no, you are wrong, Jupiter Jim Pluto Vacation 4 is the best JJ movie of ALL times" April claimed and Voctoire snorted.

"Are you for real? I'm not hearing this from the person I just saved from failing film appreciation, I think I know what I'm talking about when I say Jupiter Jim sails the seven galaxies is by far the best JJ movie"

April scoffed "Ugh you're just like my friend Leo, he claims the same thing all the time and the others back him up, only real one is Donnie who actually understands a good piece of art when he sees it"

April pauses, she had been so relaxed the words had just spilled out of her mouth no filter, but well, it's not like Victoire would know she was talking about a bunch of turtles.

"Well, obviously this Leo has good taste, how many are the other ones?"

"Claiming your take? Three, Mikey and Raph are the others"

Victoire squinted at April, like she was processing the information over and over until a light bulb suddenly lighted up and her eyes widened "Now you're just messing with me" she huffed with a smirk.

April looked at her questioningly and Victoire numbered with her fingers.

"Leo, Donnie, Mikey and Raph? Don't tell me this Mikey's second name is Angelo" She huffed and April smirked slowly.

"Okay, I won't tell you" and Victoire gasped

"There's no way that's their real names!"

"My besties names are Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael" April had a shit eating grin that grew when Victoire, cool and collected Victoire laughed loud and disbelievingly.

When she calmed back down Victoire grinned "Well, aside from one they obviously do have a good eye for art, Donatello is the only one not making his namesake proud."

They bickered for a bit before Victoire's eyes brightened up and she reached inside her bag for something "Hey, I'm holding a halloween party this weekend, it's going to be a bonfire party outside a haunted house game, you really should come"

Victoire offered five colorful invites to April who looked at them in awe.

Everyone wanted to be invited to a party by Victoire, but those who were invited waited all year for her halloween party that she was known to go all out for.

April couldn't believe it as she slowly took them and stuttered "Wh- yes! Sure, of course! I'll be there!" she grinned wide and Victoire smiled at her as she had been doing for a while now, a contrast to the first curt smiles she had given April at the beginning and hanging out with Leo helped April notice the difference between her smiles that most probably didn't, these ones were honest.

"Cool, you can bring your friends too! Parties are always better when you have a couple close friends around." April froze at these words.

Victoire expected her to bring along the guys, of course that's why she gave her four extra invites.

"Oh well, I'm not sure they'd be available that day..."

"None of them?" Victoire raised an eyebrow.

"Oh they're siblings, you know normally they're busy together!"

Victoire hummed "Well in case they are free, warn them that it's a costume party" Victoire gave her a small relaxed smile before smirking "If they don't bring a costume we will have to dress them in the white blanket with two holes of shame"

April snorted at that and then an idea started forming in her head "Oh they LOVE costumes, they are very good at dressing up, don't worry about it, you wouldn't even recognize them after they get started on one."

"Really?" Victoire grinned "Cool! There might even be a prize for the best costume so make sure you guys come!"

After that Victoire paid for their bill before April could even say a thing and they both said goodbye before going their own way, the moment Victoire was out of sight April rushed to the first manhole that could take her to the lair.

#rottmnt x reader #rottmnt leonardo x reader #rottmnt leo x reader #rise leo x reader #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise! leo #Rise leo x OC #Leo x OC #leo x reader #Brightertomyeyes

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bringingourrealitys2life · 1 year

Text

Raising A Tello - Year Five

It's far from unexpected to open Donnie's door and find a screen hidden under the covers after bedtime. Especially after Karai went behind their backs and gave him a tablet during their last Mutation Day. When cornered about it, she dismissed him with a casual, "He's a techie, Leo. Let him have his tech.".

While that is a legitimate observation, it’s not a real reason to offer unlimited tech to a child. Anything Don had was built from his own intelligence and resourcefulness. He'd made a laptop all on his own from books and broken parts. He'd earned the right to use it, and Splinter couldn't very well dictate a device that he'd spent hours crafting by hand.

This is a different story. Leo knew she had Yoshi pretty darn spoiled, but he's trying to teach Donnie the importance of good habits and proper eyesight- which involves not getting him attached to a device that he sneaks to bed every other night to play with under his blanket.

And maybe he would make a device of his own someday, but for now...

"Oh, Dee." He hums ominously as he draws the blanket from over his head, readying himself for a light scolding before he removes the tablet from his possession until they can have a real conversation at breakfast.

When he finds a look that's drenched in guilt as the pillow is roughly dragged down to cover the screen, Leo's big brother senses go on high alert.

"Leo!" He yanks off the earbuds that he must have borrowed from Mikey before Leo swipes the tablet, flicking open the password-free device. "Leo, wait, I-!"

It's a long list of files that seemed vaguely familiar, each one a jumble of letters and numbers.

Leo disconnects the wire, pressing one with a tense frown. He pales as a familiar face pops onto the screen; a voice that had faded from memory ringing brightly through the speakers.

"This is it. Today's the day." A long breath of relief is released as a bright smile reveals a gap. "Project Roboturtle's blueprints are finished and I'm going to start on the body. Thanks to Mikey's creative genius, I have a wide range of new ideas to add to this baby."

He glances at something on the tablet in front of him. "I... Think I'm going to take Leo's advice. Stick with the old AI code..." There's a pause as brown eyes sadden before he looks up. "Maybe I'll be able to do it again. It won't be him, but it can't hurt to try."

Leo stops the video with a shaky hand. An intelligent gaze brimming with life and loss stares back with the renewed inspiration that Leo had helped influence. He'd always felt bad for being part of the reason that they'd lost Metalhead, and when Don had nervously brought the suggestion up years later, Leo had jumped on it.

He helped whenever he could, eager to show all the support that he neglected previously.

Roboturtle lays unfinished in the lab.

"Donnie." He makes sure his voice is steady as he addresses the turtle with a bowed head. "What is this?"

"SD card. It has a bunch of videos." He fiddles with his hands. "I- Found them in the lab."

Them. His heart rate picks up. "How many are there?"

Donnie stares at his hands.

"Donnie." An edge enters his voice. These had been here all this time and none of them knew it. How did they forget that? "I want you to tell me where you found these."

"They're mine." His voice rises a bit as his fingers entwine. "I just wanted to watch them."

"They're not. You know that. That's why you hid them from us." Leo turns off the screen, ignoring the ache deep in his chest. "I can't believe you'd do that."

"I didn't want you to take them." His younger brother pleads as he looks up. "Please, they're mine. I made them! That's me!"

"No." Leo feels along the edge and then presses down. The SD card comes out easily. "I can't let you keep this."

"But it's mine!" Fury and desperation mix in his expression. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me." Leo shoves it in a belt pocket and then holds up the tablet. "And you're losing this too until you show me where the rest of them are."

"That's not fair!"

"It's plenty fair." Leo narrows his eyes. "They don't belong to you."

"They don't belong to you either!"

"Maybe not." His hand tightens around the stupid tablet that he should never have allowed Donnie to have in the first place. "But that doesn't give you the right. I should have known you were too young for this responsibility."

"You're not listening-!"

"We trusted you!" Leo snaps. "We trusted you, Donnie! Don't act like I'm the villain!"

"This is why!" Donnie practically screams, fingers digging into the bed. "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd be mean and now you're being mean and it's not fair because it's mine!"

"They are not!"

"They are!"

"Would you stop-"

"That's me!"

"YOU’RE NOT HIM!"

Donnie flinches and the room light flicks on. "Leo?"

Leo faces the floor, grinding down on his teeth and taking a moment to collect himself. He breathes out and looks up. "Sorry, Mike. Didn't mean to get loud."

"No big." He steps in with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Donnie..." Leo glances at him pensively and realizes that he isn't even bothering to face him anymore, body turned away and curled in on itself, facing the wall away from them. Leo's patience snaps. "Nothing. Something to deal with in the morning. Hamato Donnie, I better come back and find you asleep or you'll be permanently kissing this goodbye."

Without another word, Leo storms from the bedroom, refusing to acknowledge the other turtle that they must have woken up as he heads to the kitchen. He shoves the problematic tablet into the highest shelf.

He flings the curtains as he exits, planning to head to the dojo to blow off some steam, only to practically slam into a brother.

Leo steps back in exasperation. "What?"

Raph narrows his gaze. "What'd you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Leo growls as he shoves past. "How about you go interrogate the little liar?"

"Stop it." Raph grabs his arm. Leo refuses to look at him. "What'd he do?"

"Raph-"

"Let's not act like I won't hear the whole story in some big lecture tomorrow." Raph tightens his grip to keep the eldest in place. "When Donnie is red face and yelling, what do you always say?"

"I'm not in the mood-"

"Didn't ask."

"Raphael, would you just-!"

"What do you say?!"

Leo sucks in a deep breath, holds it for a few beats, and then releases it. He continues steadying his breathing until his heart rate settles and the urge to maul something dissipates. The anger is still buzzing under his skin and pressing down on his chest, but it's a bit more manageable.

Raph seems to reach the same conclusion.

He releases his arm. "Great. Okay. Run down. Now."

Leo opens and closes his hands, letting out a final sigh. "Remember those records Don used to take?" Raph frowns in thought. "Talking about his inventions and blueprints and all kinds of other stuff he'd rather talk to a screen about than us?"

"Yeah, 'cause we couldn't understand half of it." Raph huffs with a tinge of amusement. Leo gives him a sharp look as it starts to dawn on him. "Wait, did- did Donnie find those?"

"He's been watching them behind our backs." Leo stops leaning his weight away when he realizes that Raph has every intention of having this conversation. "He won't tell me where the others are. Says they're his."

"They kinda are." Raph shrugs half-heartedly. "He just doesn't remember making them."

"They're not." Leo challenges fiercely. "Whatever happened to 'different turtle, different kid' and 'can't make him Don 'cause he's his own turtle'?"

"And I stand by that 'cause it's true." Raph scowls. "But treatin' him like this Donnie doesn't mean we ignore that he was also Don."

"I'm not ignoring that! It's just-" Leo cuts himself off, trying desperately to put the reality into words. "Don't you hear the way he talks sometimes? Like, when he talks about Don? It's constantly I made or I did or straight-up claiming Don's stuff as his! He didn't do those things! Any of them! He's not in those stories! This wasn't him."

"We know that, but he's five." Raph crosses his arms. "He's still figuring things out. It took us forever. Gonna take him some time too. Most kids don't grow up hearing stories about themselves."

"I know!" Leo throws up his hands. "Of course, I know that!"

"Then what is the big deal?"

"I don't know!"

"Not good enough!" Raph growls. "You can't wake up the entire lair screaming at our little brother for no reason!"

"I was not screaming and there was a good reason! He was going behind our backs!"

"You were! And he's a kid! He's gonna mess up!" Raph jabs a finger at his plastron. "But I've heard you lecture him enough time to know you know that. So what's. Your. Problem?"

"Why do I always have to be the bad guy?"

"You're not always the bad guy, but you are acting like a total jerk!" Raph shoves him. "Now man up and give me a good reason or I'm giving that tablet back!"

"We talked about undermining me-!"

"And we talked about not screaming at Donnie but here you are not taking your own advice!"

"He yelled first!"

"HE'S FIVE!"

"HE-!"

"-IS DON WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"

Leo snaps his mouth shut, heart pounding against his ribs and adrenaline coursing through his veins. He doesn't know why he's madly struggling against a flight-or-flight instinct, but he plants his feet, forcing himself to stay put.

Raph stares him down. "One day he's gonna look like Don. He's gonna talk like Don. He's gonna invent and ramble and even yell like Don. And you can't be mad at him for that."

"I wasn't-"

"Would you just let me be right for once?!"

Leo looks away.

The hothead scowls. "Look, I get it. Sometimes I can't look at the picture in the dojo 'cause he'll be meditating with you and- and he's right there, but it feels- it feels like- I dunno, like Splinter." Raph gestures uselessly at nothing and then heaves a heavy sigh. "I get it. I hate it. But I can't be mad at him. That's not fair. He's just as confused as me and you."

Leo blinks away the collecting moisture. "He went behind my back."

Raph raises an eye ridge. "You ever think he might have a reason for that? He figured out Splinter all on his own. And you know how we handled it?"

Leo's heart sinks. "Yelled."

"Yeah." Raph lowers his hands.

A beat of silence passes between them.

"...He's a smart kid. He'll figure this out."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Leo swallows a mixture of emotions. "I'm a bad brother."

"You messed up." Raph rebukes. "So fix it."

Leo looks towards the bedrooms and Raph shakes his head. "Tomorrow. You gotta shake yourself off. Let Mikey do damage control." He hesitates and admits. "Don't think the squirt will want to talk to you anyway."

Leo's shoulders slump and Raph lightly hits one, trying to offer some comfort. "Get some sleep."

"Night Raph."

He watches his younger brother head back to the bedrooms and lets out a long sigh, turning back for the kitchen. He swishes the curtain and plops on an island chair. After a long moment of staring blankly at the island, he gets out his t-phone and the SD card.

He flips it between his fingers, stomach churning in an emotion that he can't quite describe.

He puts it in, takes a deep breath, and presses play.

***

It's hard to avoid anyone in a home as small as theirs, so self-seclusion is the only way to successfully never interact with whoever is upsetting them. When Donnie doesn't show up for breakfast or lunch, Leo knows he has to do something before his younger brother's reluctance to conflict drives him to starve himself.

So he orders his younger brother's favorite pizza, swallows his pride, and heads to his bedroom.

"Dee? You hungry?"

His younger brother is curled around the teddy propped in his lap, duck-taped chest mostly covered by a comfy purple t-shirt with a science beaker bubbling over. He doesn't say anything in response to Leo's call, mutely staring through the words in the textbook in front of him.

Leo lets another minute tick by. "...I just want to talk, little brother."

Another beat of silence and then a timid, "No yelling?"

"No yelling." He swears as he enters the premises, sitting down on the bed next to him. He closes the textbook that Donnie clearly isn't reading anyway, and sets the pizza down in its place. Donnie lets the bear sag in order to grab an offered slice.

Leo sighs when he refuses to look up. "Look, Donnie, I shouldn't have... Reacted the way I did last night. It wasn't fair and... Maybe a little mean."

Donnie swallows. "Yeah."

"But- you know I wasn't trying to be mean, right?"

"Yeah."

"You just- you can't take things that aren't yours, especially when you know you might get in trouble for it. It's dishonest and I expect better. You can't be going behind my back like that."

"Okay." Donnie takes another bite.

One-word answers. Leo can tell he's not really listening. Frustration spikes and he feels his fingers tighten on his lap, nails digging into skin, but he allows himself a moment to think before speaking. He breathes in slowly, manually loosening his fingers until they're flat against his thigh, and then lets it out.

He looks back to his younger brother, voice even, "Can you tell me what's on your mind?"

More silence stretches. Leo waits it out.

"I'm mad at you." There's a defeated finality to the bitterness. He bites into the cheesy crust and stares down at his plate. "You won't listen."

Leo hesitates on an answer. He knows that Donnie doesn't have much of a right to be mad. He's the entire reason this situation came to be.

Yeah, Leo scolded him, but only because he disobeyed. And maybe he raised his voice, but it wasn't like Donnie was being receptive! He heard all of his excuses, but that doesn't mean this is excusable. He should know better than this kind of dishonesty. It's unacceptable! What's so hard to understand?

And yet, if he comes down on him for admitting his perspective and feelings, Donnie will only duck further out of this and future hard discussions. How does one get through to a five-year-old that his judgment sucks?

Leo sighs. "I'm sorry."

The statement leaves an off taste on his tongue, but he knows that the best way to reach a disgruntled brother is a bit of humility. "I did more talking over you than I did listening to you last night, didn't I?"

Donnie nods, peeking sideways at him. Leo offers a small smile, "We can try the conversation again, if you want. Different this time. With us both listening."

His younger brother frowns, swallowing down the last of the slice. "I was listening."

"Were you?" Leo tries to hold back the bite. "Kinda seems like you were doing a good amount of talking over me too."

"You were angry 'cause I lied." Donnie states, voice stronger, the plate forgotten. "And it squished your corazon and that hurt."

These are obviously Mikey's words, but Leo lets it slide. Donnie wasn't the only brother who needed an outside perspective. "Donnie, I was upset because those weren't yours."

"They were!" Leo opens and shuts his mouth before he can give in to the knee-jerk reaction to correct him. "That's me. I'm not that big yet; I know- but I'll look like him and talk like him- he's me, just when I get bigger! That's the me I'm gonna be, Leo! I just wanna get him right!"

Leo's eyes widen. "No- no, Donnie, that's not-"

He knew it- he knew this would happen- he knew-

He struggles with the new panic until he can get it settled, trying not to look at the earnest eyes of his younger brother who can't possibly understand how impossible that is.

He tries again, "Donnie, you can't-"

His voice falters and he gives up, pushing the pizza to the side and holding out his arms. His younger brother's brows furrow, but he releases the bear to crawl forward, allowing Leo to scoop him into his lap.

Leo takes a calculated breath to calm his nerves. He feels the shifting of his brother as he gets himself comfortable- the present brother- his baby brother- the brother who might spend his entire life tearing himself apart trying to be someone who can't exist again- and blames the stinging of his eyes on the lack of sleep from the late night.

He waits till Donnie relaxes to mutter, "I don't want you to be him."

"What?" Donnie scans his expression with wide eyes. "But Don-"

"He's gone. And we're okay with that." Leo ignores the way his voice shakes. "He was someone else. He's Donatello, Don, and we loved him. And you're Donnie, our little Dee, and we love you too. We love you for different reasons, because of different things."

Donnie frowns skeptically. Leo hesitates, "Don never liked Space Heroes, you know that?"

"Really?" He gawks. "Not even Dr. Mindstrong?"

"Not even him." Leo vaguely recalls his irritation and disappointment, but it overlaps with clearer memories of laughter and fondness. "But we never miss an episode. And I've loved sharing it with you."

He gives that a moment to sink in, releasing his grip. "Do you think you're going to hate it tomorrow? Or in a year? Wake up and never want to watch it again?"

"No." He sounds almost offended. Leo tilts his head, "Then how can you be the same?"

Donnie stares at his plastron in deep thought. "But... But, he's- we're-"

"You look the same. Maybe you have the same interests. But that doesn't make you the same." Leo urges carefully, trying to make sure the message sticks. "And you don't have to be the same. Never. We love you how you are now. As Donnie."

Donnie leans against him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Leo squeezes gently.

"Even if Donnie is a liar?"

He huffs a laugh at the serious tone. "Yeah, well, then we might have a couple lectures lined up in our future, but I'd hope that this will be the last time you feel the need to lie." Leo studies the guilty face. "I don't like lies among family, Dee. You should be able to trust me."

"I didn't want to make you mad," Donnie admits. "I was only gonna watch one, but then- then Don was really interesting and-and smart an- and I just wanted to see more."

"I get that." Leo concedes, because he does, in a way. It had been hard for him to detach from the memories that came with every word of a past brother. "And I know this subject is delicate. And that you're used to it having... Bad results, when brought up... But when I say no, you have to trust that there's a good reason. Even if I seem mean."

His face scrunches. "I don't like when you're mean."

Leo scoffs and sets him back on the bed. "I gathered. Trust me, I'll work on it."

"And I'll work on it for not lying." Donnie decides as he gets to his feet. "And then no one ever has to be not listened to or mad."

"Sounds like a plan." Leo smiles and holds out his fist. Donnie bops it and they both vocalize explosions. His younger brother goes for the plate and Leo gets to his feet. "How about we head to the kitchen? There's more box to finish... If Mikey hasn't already gotten to it."

His youngest brother gasps. "Noooo- my pizza!"

He darts for the door and Leo watches him go, deciding to continue the conversations about the tablet and the rest of the missing cards later. He needs practice with this whole listening thing, but he'll work on it.

"MIKEY NO!"

"IT WASN'T ME!"

"IT'S IN YOUR MOU- RAPH THOSE ARE MINE-"

"I don't see your name!"

"LEOOO! LEO, THEY'RE EATING MY-!"

A loud squeal and laughter cut off the cry for help. Leo rolls his eyes and smiles fondly, switching off the light to head for the kitchen.

Looks like they're going to need another pizza order...

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straykidsnerd255 · 9 months

Note

Hi! Sorry to bother, but can I request a match-up for Saint Seiya Lost Canvas if you still make them?

I am female, average height, more on the softer side in terms of body type. Not overweight, but not exactly fit either.

I have straight brown hair in a short bob with a side bang, and big, doe-like brown eyes. My complection is pale.

I'm an Aquarius Sun, Scorpio Moon, Taurus Rising and Pisces Venus. I'm also an INFP.

As for my personality, I'd describe myself as a calm and collected person, someone who isn't afraid to be in charge of things and make things done when needed, even when I'd prefer not to.

I'm also an artsy person, since I like to write, draw and sing pretty often. I also have a PhD in Arts, and want to work in the field of creative writing.

Lately I've been facing a lot of personal problems (I will not go into details) that made me a bit harsher on the outside, and I don't trust people easily, even tho I try to be friendly with everyone. This experience has made me realize that being a bit egoistic isn't totally wrong, tho.

Overall, I'd say I'm a determined, indipendent and mature person, with a knack for daydreaming and creativity.

Sorry for the long message, thank you in advance if you will answer the request, and sorry if there are any errors in this, but I'm not an english native speaker (I'm from Italy)

Thank you for your time 💕

Of course, I still do match-ups! Sorry, this came out soooo late! I just had no desire to write anything. So I hope this makes up for that!

I match you with LEO REGULUS

He is an absolute sunshine and will do anything to make sure you are well taken care of. He loved everything about you. The good and the bad. When you are having a bad day and you are just not in the mood to do anything but sit on the couch, he is by your side and holding your hand in his. He starts listing off everything that he loves about you and then starts making sappy remarks to see the smile on your lips tug-free. When something happens and you don’t want to tell him, he doesn’t push you for details. He will simply pull you into his chest and runs his fingers through your hair, telling you that everything will be okay and that we will always stay by your side.

When you are drawing or painting or coloring or anything really, he is sitting near and watching you with big doe eyes. He’s always complimenting you and telling you how much he loves everything about it. He will go into detail about how much he loves your artwork and won’t let you downplay anything.

“Darling, you should showcase your art. People would love to see it.” He is down bad for you and will shout it to the world. He is very in tune with you as well. If you don’t want to be somewhere, he is taking your hand in his and walking away from wherever you both are and will ask where you would rather be. If you both are at a party and you tug on his shirt and ask if you can go home, he is swiftly saying his goodbyes to his friend and walking out with you.

Expect lots of cuddles with Regulus. Because you are on the softer side, he loves to cuddle with you. You are now his pillow and he will cuddle up to you whenever he gets the chance. He is such a sweetheart when he cuddles with you too. He will ask if you are comfortable with him cuddling you all the time. When you tell him that you love cuddling with him, he sets a time every day that you both just stay at home and cuddle. He loves it when you can let go of everything and just smile brightly.

He is also the definition of ‘Touch her and you die” to anyone who doesn’t respect your wishes. Regulus is a golden retriever boyfriend but will become a bodyguard if he has to. His favorite thing about you is your smile; how it brightens up your entire face and always makes him smile just as brightly. He finds it calming when you both are just outside the Leo house watching the others race around, birds chirping, and the summer air warming you all. He especially loves it when you are in the middle of writing or drawing and he hears you mumble something to yourself. He’s so in love with you that it isn’t even funny.

#anon #requested #female reader #saint seiya #saint seiya lost canvas #one-shot #enjoy #Leo Regulus

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shytastemakerthing · 10 months

Note

Hello! May I get a romantic matchup for twst?

Idk what to put exactly so I looked at some matchups you did and base it on that 😭

My name's Jay and I'm a Leo sun , pisces moon and Libra rising.

Looks wise I'm 5'3 , pale with shoulder length hair that I dye occasionally. (I went rainbow for freshman year of highschool , I got called the Skittles queen and a unicorn) I have brown eyes and a very strong rbf .

Personality wise , I'm going off of what I've been told by the few friends I have 🤧 straightforward , blunt , loyal , kind , funny , generous, protective, territorial, very asocial, bold , strong, ambitious but barely motivated, socially awkward, devil's temper (according to my mom , which is funny cuz it usually takes a lot to get me to that point except for a few exceptions which pull the pin) , i don't enjoy going out much ( a shut in ig) and I'm a bit of an outcast, specifically since I don't go out of my way to talk to people. I carry bandages and snacks in my bag most of the time 😭 I will not back down from a fight 😤 unless it's any sort of math or essay in which case.. I'm sprinting away.

Some dislikes would be bullies, stupid men , religious extremists , math , being bossed around , loud noises , annoying people, awkward small talk , creeps , beating around the bush , disloyalty, too much clinginess, children and gender roles

Some likes are drawing, reading, snacking, horse back riding , swimming, fantasy stuff , video games , anime , sleeping, I love my dogs more than life itself, the ocean and forests , my personal space and listening to music and ocean ambiance. I also love rainy / stormy weather.

I'm interested in boxing and other martial arts, hopefully I get to practice one day .

Idk what else to put so I'll leave it here 😅

Thank you for your time!

Remember to take breaks , eat yummy snacks and a tasty drink ! 💖

A/N: Hello and thank you so much for your request, and thank you for the patience as I work to get the rest of these out! I do hope that you like your match-up! Enjoy!

Tw: None

I match you with.........

Jade Leech

Now, the initial start of this relationship was rocky at best. Jade is someone who is quite used to putting up a front in front of other people, mostly to get them to trust him in some way (very bad idea), or other times, when he is as calm as he is, you know something is about to happen (again, something very bad). It took him some time to realize that he doesn't always have to have that persona up in front of you.

Your loyalty is something he finds admirable. Growing up in the Coral Sea, many only fended for themselves, loyalty wasn't a thing, not when everyday was a new fight for survival. Well, it was for mers who were like him. So, seeing your dedication and loyalty to those who were around you was something he found so endearing about you. And to be on the receiving end of that loyalty, oh, how it made his cold heart flutter.

I have a feeling that Jade will sometimes listen to ocean ambiance to help him sleep. Growing up in the ocean all of his life, coming onto land was a strange time for him. Everything was so unfamiliar to him, so the sounds of the ocean helped. Knowing that you enjoyed those sounds as well brings him great joy. Even more so if he gets to hold you as you both lay in bed. It brought a form of comfort to the eel.

As you love going out into the forest, would you like to join him for his next trip? Or even join his club? Having someone finally out there with him brings a real smile to his face, even more so when it's you. He especially loves it if you ask about any mushrooms that you may see while out in the wilderness. Though be prepared, any question you ask will be met with his extensive knowledge on that particular fungi, meaning he could be talking for hours.

Please go swimming with him. He will gladly switch back to his natural form and show you the world below the ocean if you would let him. He especially loves floating in the chilly waters with you lounging on top of him, simply enjoying the waves and the sun.

Overall, you both bring out the best in each other. He loves to be able to go hiking in the forests with you, hold you at night while listening to the sounds of the ocean, and just being by your side.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst #matchups #twst imagines #disney twisted wonderland #romantic #jade leech #jade leech x reader #twst jade leech x reader #twst jade leech #twisted wonderland jade leech x reader #twisted wonderland jade leech #shy answers #shy writes

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inky-duchess · 1 year

Note

Here's my OC Freya Antanov! :)))

Nimble-footed and slyfingered, Freya is known for pocketing more than a few nobles trinkets on heists- which occasionally end up fucking up the mission (to her friends annoyance)

Freya's loud-mouthed and brash persona conceal her lingering trauma and desperate need for validation.

Name: Freya Antonov

Age: 18, going on 19

Gender: Female, she/her

Sexuality: Bisexual (no preference)

Personality: Bold, loud, rowdy, outgoing, masks her trauma by distracting others with her charm. Flirts a lot and is known for being a notorious player- though the only one she means her flirtations to is Kiva…

Appearance: pale complexion, scrawny brown hair that is tied into a messy ponytail with flyaway hair and hazel eyes. She has scars on her knuckles from fighting off people. Her wrists have faint bruises. She wears a poet shirt and torn, frayed trousers and occasionally wears eyeliner.

Job: She is part of the Burrow

Skills: pickpocketing, charming people in order to let her friends get away/sneak out on heists

Home: Formerly The Charity Bunker's Home for Displaced and Abandoned Children, currently the Burrow.

People she’s close to: Art (best friends- she’s his wingwoman- Art gets VERY annoyed about this), Nikolai (former one-sided crush, good friends) Kiva (…I honestly don’t know what to call it friends- I guess- she occasionally flirts with him though he probably gets annoyed at her)

Zodiac: Sun is Aries, Moon is Leo and Ascendant/Rising is Gemini

Song to sum her up: White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane

Backstory: Freya was raised in The Charity Bunker's Home for Displaced and Abandoned Children, and was naïve to its darkness until she turned 15 and ran away.

Freya managed to survive on her own until, at 17-turning 18 a day after- she broke her leg- and was found by a gentleman, promising that if she worked for him then he would fix her leg.

Desperate and starving, Freya agreed.

That was the biggest mistake she ever made.

Freya was forced into an...unsavoury line of work, one she refuses to tell others of, but they can only guess.

Eventually, Freya stumbled across the Burrow and begged to work there. They took one look at the gaunt girl, bruises speckling her wrists, and agreed.

Freya thrived, carefully cultivating an outgoing facade to distract from the shivering girl she had once been.

Though, Freya’s mask hides a darkness that lingers- a darkness she will use to do whatever it takes to survive…..

trivia:

-the burrow are often woken up by freya's screams (after she’s had a nightmare in which she has flashbacks to her past “job”-) usually at night or dawn. she then either goes pickpocketing or dances along roofs while getting drunk (and has broken a few more bones doing that!)

-when freya has a bad dream, it is noticeable by the dark circles under her eyes and the fact that she drinks coffee- she normally abhors the taste, though only drinks it when she's shaken.

-freya is a bisexual gremlin and is known for flirting with many passers-bye- to art's annoyance (who continually tells her "freya, don't get their hopes up. freya what are you doing, freya i swear if you go over there-FREYA-")

-freya loves the hue mint-green though despises the shade carmine- it reminds her of where she used to work.

-Freya is good friends with Art and often drags over men Art's age and says "oh! Art likes this as well!" and winks at Art who looks absolutely furious with Freya

(tl;dr: she’s a very bad wingwoman)

-freya used to have a crush on nikolai though got over it- she still feels awkward, though.

-freya likes to piss off kiva and often shouts "ah yes! kiva! the scourge of the shadows!" and sometimes flirts with him- though it 'tis fleeting!

-freya often flirts with girls or guys that pass by the burrow (reasons vary: she’s bored, she’s drunk, she lost a dare, she’s curious about them, she’s attracted to them etc) though it’s surface-level and freya never dallies too long.

-freya delights in stealing nobles trinkets on heists- taking it as vindictive revenge for what they did to her- and that cause heists to over-run because she’s too busy stealing and/or messing up the place. It’s…not good.

Freya’s habits (especially when she’s stressed or triggered):

-drinking

-getting high

-smoking

-stealing

D&D Class and Alignment: Rogue, Chaotic Neutral

(I just know that Freya is setting herself up for heartbreak-😭)

#Amazing #This means a lot to me

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urmomsspeciallady · 1 year

Text

Chapter Six- it's still no piece of cake

sex scenes and video games - grady

POV: Kenneth McCormick

I've been trying to find a reason to see Leopold again. If I'm going to get to the bottom of this, the first thing I need to do is see him, and this was when God decided to bless me with a group project. Never thought I'd be looking forward to school work, but here I am, waiting for Ms. Garrison to pick the groups whilst crossing my fingers like a little kid. I paid no attention to the words spilling out of her mouth until I heard my name. Followed by Kyle's. Then Clyde's. And finally Butters'. I exhale in relief. For once I'm glad she's choosing groups by seating charts. I turn around to face Butters. His head lay down on his desk, his arms crossed over each other, and his face appeared relaxed. He let out gentle breaths. I watched as his back rose and fell in a slow peaceful pattern. I turn around to see Ms. Garrison is still droning on so I reach in my bag, pull out a notebook, rip a page out, and slip the notebook back in my bag. I lift my head to see if I've caused a distraction and continue on when my question is answered. I scribble on the paper then fold it up. I then turn back to face the tranquil sleeping Leopold and reach over to carefully nudge the paper under his arms. I turn back around to face the front of the class room and just sit. Waiting for this to end. I feel a buzz in my pocket and sneak a look at my phone. Kyle had already made a group chat.

bb kyle 😍, misquitoman, and leo (4)

bb kyle 😍- Hello, we've only got 2 weeks on this project before we present. What book are we thinking of choosing?

misquitoman- hey. uh idk i liked the outsiders. i dont really care, as long as it's one of the not boring ones.

sexyman- hey guys 💪 how bout omam since we just finished that one

bb kyle 😍- Of Mice and Men sounds good with me.

misquitoman- sure

misquitoman- what's butters opinion on this

I could see Kyle lift his head to look around the room then back down at his phone.

bb kyle 😍- I think he's asleep.

bb kyle 😍- Kenny you're close to him, you wake him up.

sexyman- nah let the man sleep, it's almost lunch break any way

sexyman- he'd be fine with omam. it should be pretty easy to do. only got 6 chapters.

bb kyle 😍- Alright.

misquitoman- 👍

I turn my phone off and slip it back in my pocket just to stare up at the clock hanging on the wall just waiting for the bell to ring.

Tick, tick, tick.

Time went by and yet Ms. Garrison never failed to find something more to talk about. I turned around to look at Butters once again. His figure was still rising and falling in that same slow peaceful pattern. His pale hair fell over his face. His delicate face. Round pink dusted cheeks, plump rosy lips, beautiful long lashes, light freckles lining the bridge of his curved button nose, everything about him looked like something straight from a painting. My eyes met Cartman's. He sat behind Butters. He made a face at me and I promptly turned around. My eyes once again gravitate towards the clock. Only 2 more minutes.

It wasn't long before the bell rang and Kyle ran up to me, nudging me playfully in the shoulder. "Hey dude!" We begin to walk out of the room and into the hallway swarmed by students ready for their lunch. "This project actually sucks ass. It's boring but we should be able to get it done quickly. It's not too hard."

I shrug then nod my head in agreement.

Kyle and I continue to make our way through the maze of people. Shortly after beginning the journey to the cafeteria, a short startled cry produced by Kyle was heard. Stan, as he frequently does, had walked up behind Kyle and poked his fingers into his sides. "Dude!" Kyle's face grew red and both Stan and I let out a chuckle.

"Hey Kyle. Hey Kenny. Man, wait for me next time! I ran down almost two hallways to catch up with you assholes!" Stan swings his arms around me and Kyle, wedging himself between us.

Kyle scoffed, "You were too busy making out with Wendy anyway."

"Haha. Very funny. She's in my group for the project, dude. We were just talking about which book we wanted to do."

Kyle only rolled his eyes and changed the conversation. Whatever it was about occupied them so much that they hadn't noticed when I made it to my locker.

I had stepped aside to put in my locker combo, twisting the knob right, then left, then right again. I hate having to carry around a sack lunch and I hate hearing about it from Cartman. I close my locker shut with a clank and start my trek through the treacherous halls to the cafeteria.

----- end of chapter

< previous ~ next >

#build me up buttercup sp #Spotify

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nightingaelic · 3 years

Note

FNV Companions react to being re-united with the Courier after the Second Battle of Hoover Dam (NCR Best Ending)

TW: Blood, gore

As the screams of men, metal and guns petered out, movement on the Hoover Dam slowed. The sun was low, red as the ground beneath it, and the heat rising from the concrete and hundreds of gun barrels gave the area a faint shimmer. Most of the Legion lay dead or dying, their last gasps covered by the sounds of NCR soldiers calling to each other, looking for friends or officers or just reassurance that what had happened was true.

Victory.

Arcade Gannon: Though plenty of the NCR heavy troopers were popping off their helmets as the battle came to a close, Arcade kept his on out of fear someone would recognize him. The Brotherhood of Steel attendees appeared to be of the same mind, so he did his best to linger between the two groups and hoped both would assume he had arrived with the other.

Someone slapped the side of his metal-encased arm, and he looked down to find the courier beaming up at him, gasping like they had just run a marathon. "Hey, Six," Arcade said, surprised. "I thought General Oliver would've packed you on a flight to Shady Sands by now."

"Not yet. How're you holding up in there?" the courier asked breathlessly. "Looks like it'd be an oven under the sun."

"Oh, it is," Arcade assured them. "But it also stopped a few bullets and a machete or two, so no complaints here."

The courier bent over and put their hands on their knees. "I saw Daisy... saw her chopper off with the others after the fighting stopped. Oliver's confused as all hell, he doesn't know who they are, where they came from or where they went, but he's got bigger problems to deal with right now than chasing them down."

They looked up with a grin. "Thanks. Tell them all I said hi."

Arcade laughed. "Will do. And thank you."

"For what, dragging you and your only surviving family into this?"

"Well, yeah." Arcade looked down sheepishly. "Fortune favors the bold."

The courier nodded. "Fortis fortuna adiuvat."

"You remembered?"

"Of course I did." They gestured at the broken and scattered weapons and men of Caesar's Legion that lay around them. "After today, we're running low on people who know how to speak Latin."

Craig Boone: Though the other NCR snipers around him packed up their gear and headed toward the dam, Boone stayed put with his rifle until the courier made their way up the rocks to his position. They waved when they spotted him, and he put up a hand of greeting as well.

"And it's over," they said, plopping down to take a seat next to him and dangle their legs over the drop-off.

"Yep."

"Was that you who got that shot in and made Lanius drop his sword?"

Boone smiled. "Mm-hmm."

They smiled back. "Thanks."

The two of them sat together in silence, watching the activity below. Boone's smile grew and grew, wider than it had in years.

"Do you want to go down and join in?" the courier asked, when a group of NCR soldiers started putting broken defenses and wooden Legion weapons into a pile to burn.

Boone straightened his sunglasses and looked toward the horizon. "Yeah. I do."

Lily Bowen: "Pumpkin!" Lily bellowed when she spotted the courier across the dam, leaning on the concrete barrier next to the edge. She pushed her way past several surprised NCR troops, who yelped and jumped out of her path. "Pumpkin, are you alright?"

"Lily." The courier was pale, nursing a jagged wound on their arm. "I'm okay, Lily. I just need..."

Lily barred anyone else from approaching them as they rooted around in their pack. Finally, they extracted a stimpak and jabbed it into their arm, hissing as the medicine found its way into their bloodstream.

Lily inspected the cut carefully. Aside from its ragged appearance and the blood surrounding it, the wound was clean. The stimpak was working its magic, and the redness seeping out was already slowing. "Is that better, dearie?" she asked.

"Much." The courier sighed and leaned back against the concrete. "Legate Lanius had a sword. Not as... as big as yours, but big enough to slice me up when I got too close."

"You rest, pumpkin." Lily sat down on the barrier next to them, careful to hold her hat on in the breeze. "The fight is over now. Leo is quiet again."

"Mmmm-hm." The courier nodded sagely, before turning to face the steep drop below to the bottom of the dam. "We did it."

"How do you feel?"

The courier opened their mouth to answer, but instead threw up over the barrier and into the crevasse below. Lily carefully patted them on the back and produced a box of gum drops from her overalls pocket. "Here. For your breath, dearie."

Raul Alfonso Tejada: "Courier!" Raul pushed his sombrero back with the tip of his revolver, scanning the battlefield atop the dam. "Six, dónde estás?"

An injured NCR soldier looked up from the curb he was sitting on. "What's a ghoul doing here? He's not with us, is he?"

"Chinga tu madre," Raul swore, pausing his search. "You see the courier anywhere around here?"

"Raul!"

He turned back to the devastated landscape and there they were, jogging through the mess of bodies, shell casings and busted concrete. Raul laughed and spread his arms in relief, in welcome. The courier dropped their gun and threw themselves into his embrace, ignoring the blood and dust that covered his costume. Truthfully, they were just as covered in the battle's detritus as he was.

"I lost you so quickly," they breathed hard in his ear. "No wonder... no wonder they call you the ghost vaquero."

"Mij@." Raul embraced them tightly, then held them at arm's length to inspect them. "You had me worried. I thought I was the one who was going to have to track down twelve mariachi bands to play at your funeral."

The courier grinned. "Still want your medal?"

"Think the NCR'll give me one?"

They made a face at that. "If they wanna give me one, they'll have to give you one, too. Come on. I want to see the look on General Oliver's face when I tell him that you did just as much work here as me."

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: A lone NCR trooper stood by the nearest flag pole, hoisting a scrap of fabric high above the scene. Cass could make out the two-headed bear emblazoned upon it, and something in her heart rose. She was still standing there, watching the red star whip in the breeze atop the dam, when the courier made their way over to her.

"Cap for your thoughts?" they asked.

For a moment, Cass tried to find the words for that feeling inside her. When she failed, she turned away from the flag. "Nah. Nothing you don't already know. What next, Six?"

The courier scratched their head and looked around. "Clean-up. Round up the Legion boys who are still kicking, grab everything that isn't nailed down before anyone else does, and pull this place back into some kinda shape."

"And then?"

"And then we drink." The courier pulled out their canteen and offered it to Cass. "But here's a little something for right now. Go on, keep it."

Cass drank deeply. Whiskey, just the way she liked it. "The NCR did good today."

Her traveling companion smiled. "We did good today."

"Mmm, not yet." Cass waved them off. "Don't lump me in with the bear before the work's all done. Ask me later, we'll see how I feel."

"Way I see it, if you had any actual qualms about this, you wouldn't have come," the courier replied with a chuckle. "But I'm damn glad you did."

They'd walked off toward the NCR top brass before Cass could answer, but she let the wind take the words anyway, small as they were. "Me too."

Veronica Santangelo: As soon as the courier was finished speaking to General Oliver, Veronica pulled them away and unearthed a handkerchief from inside her robes to wipe away the worst of the gore from their face. "Eugh. Is this... did somebody explode on you?"

"Hard to say." The courier pulled out their own bandanna and began wiping Veronica's face down in return. "How do you feel?"

Veronica laughed and accepted the help. "Honestly? I'm not sure what my parents would think of me fighting for the NCR, but for New Vegas it seemed like this was the best chance at stability. I don't regret it, if that's what you're asking."

The courier gestured at the Brotherhood of Steel Knights and Paladins that were milling about next to and among the NCR soldiers. "Your family doesn't seem to regret it either."

"Yeah." Veronica brightened somewhat. "They actually came. That ought to show both the Elders and the NCR that this, this is possible."

She watched her brothers and sisters from afar, making awkward introductions and conversation with the defenders of the dam and even comparing power armor pieces with the NCR heavy troopers. She smiled faintly.

The courier followed her gaze. "Did you want to join them?"

"No." Veronica looked down at her power glove, flexing the joints as if lost in thought. "No, that's okay."

ED-E: The courier found ED-E stuck beneath a collapsed barricade, where it had been knocked during the fighting by a lucky Legion swipe. They pulled the eyebot out and dusted it off. "You okay, buddy?"

ED-E beeped its reassurance and pulled itself from the courier's grasp, shaking in midair to dislodge any remaining debris. It did one final loop-de-loop to lose a large splinter before blasting its triumphant music at top volume.

Surprised, the courier laughed. "That's right. We did it. We won."

Rex: The chaos around Rex began to fade into the background, overwhelmed by the scent that clung to the courier at his side. A rush of endorphins, dopamine, a whiff of serotonin- Rex didn't know the words, but he knew what they meant when mixed together in that way. Relief. Happy relief.

The cyberdog yawned, signaling his own stress, and looked up at the courier. They noticed his movement and dropped down to his level immediately, running their hands through the ruff of fur around his neck and inspecting his mechanical parts carefully. "Good dog. Good boy. We did good today, you and me."

Under their touch, Rex relaxed. He opened his mouth to pant. It had been a long, hot day.

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dandelioncrownns · 3 years

Text

random grishaverse facts/trivia (mostly tgt/kos, tbh), because i love useless details. Also, attempted organisation, because i like order too. + ft. my unwanted commentary

the darkling

has a sweet tooth

loves animals and nature in general

for those of you who have read demon in the woods, he got to meet the white tigers :)

his bedchamber walls are carved into trees bc he loves the woods

his favourite trees in particular are pine trees (or just evergreen trees in general)

he used to be afraid of the dark (many possibly worrying? interesting? implications to this; i won’t get into it here tho)

he likes bright colours, but wears black all the time basically for the aesthetic

he met his younger half-sister, Ulla, when he was a seer’s apprentice in Fjerda

the darkling is a musician! He plays the fiddle, and growing up, he played the balalaika and oud (i wonder if he can read tablature,,)

His father was a very powerful heartrender (maybe this is why the corporalki are valued so highly by him?)

genya

she got an amplifier between the end of R+R and the start of KoS (kestrel bones)

Genya used Dekora Nevich, the Ornamental Blade, to poison the King

It smells like cinnamon and is a warm golden colour

the royal family / nikolai’s bio family

the King once cut himself on his own sword

genya named the queen’s dog

until she was like 11, Genya was like the daughter the queen never had (omg i really wonder how Nikolai and Vasily felt about that? ik it’s not really mentioned, and Nik kinda acts like he just met Genya is S+S, but they must have been a lot closer, right?? I mean genya was almost always at the grand palace with Queen Tatiana, and nikolai just really wanted his parents’ attention, there must have been some kind of maybe one-sided jealousy/sibling rivalry thing, right?? I digress- for now)

also the queen in a dog person

p. sure Nikolai is a mommy’s boy

(possible explanation:) he looks exactly like his real father (except for his eyes). Nikolai even has the same laugh as Magnus

the queen was also fed up with Vasily and his horses

Vasily rides a white gelding horse and Nikolai rides a speckled grey horse (called Punchline)

speaking of, vasily is definitely a horse girl, but like... just the worst (darkling 🤝vasily)

Queen Tatiana’s letters to Magnus Opjer were “very racy”

She doesn’t approve of women in trousers

Linnea is ~1 year younger than Nikolai

she is good at math + studies engineering at ketterdam (I wonder if maybe she and Nikolai crossed paths when he was at uni- they’re around the same age, so maybe?)

The King and Queen hired a clown for nikolai’s 10th birthday (the worst birthday party he’d been to, inclusive of the night Vasily died, according to Nikolai)

Nikolai is afraid of spiders (and also clowns???)

nikolai:

he can juggle

Nikolai sucks at learning languages

he once spoke Fjerdan so badly a man named Knut offered him a ruby to stop

his Kerch seems pretty good tho

Nikolai met The Darkling when he was 14

Nikolai is a baritone (as is Jesper!)

In his free time, Nikolai writes bad poetry (remember that time he got stabbed w/ a letter opener bc his poetry sucked?)

he went through an emo phase/ existential crisis before becoming sturmhond.

during said emo phase, he wrote rhyming poetry pretty much exclusively

He also took philosophy classes at uni (PPE?)

alina:

alina tried on the same rose dress that the Queen watched vasily die in

Nikolai gifted Alina a VERY low-cut cobalt lace gown (In the words of Nadia, “The bodice might as well be cut to the navel.” )

Alina hates herring, but Zoya and Nikolai love it

She is VERY sarcastic and snarky!! I feel like this gets glossed over so much in the fandom, and just why?? (she’s so gloomy and over everything 90% of the time, i love it so much)

So this isn’t technically a fact-fact, but there is no way Alina wasn’t at least a little bit into women. Did you read how she talked abt genya? Zoya? there’s no way she wasn’t into them

Alina doesn’t really like hard cheese

zoya + zoyalai:

Zoya’s horse is called Serebrine

Zoya can use her lightning as a defibrillator (I’m sure other squallers can do this too with the right training)

Zoya likes Nikolai’s hands (and Nikolai likes Zoya’s feet lmao)

she has ‘weird (long?) incisors’

she definitely had a crush on Nikolai since Ruin and Rising

kaz:

Kaz grew up on a farm in Southern Kerch, in Lij

Kaz is a both a cat and a dog person (he just likes strays)

Matthias is a dog person, obviously

All the other crows are cat people

He likes hot chocolate

both he and nikolai like brandy

hates cereal

Kaz is obsessed with magic + likes puzzles

actually very funny if he wasn’t terrifying (honestly?? at leat 70% of his dialogue is just witty quips/jokes)

Kaz’s right leg is the one he broke, and the dregs usually get their tattoo on their right forearm

the other crows:

Jesper has been known to go line-dancing (and would like country music)

Mal and Jesper were friends in S+S!! (Probably) Jesper has a not-really-secret crush on sturmhond.

He also had a VERY not secret crush on Kaz before wylan, ofc

Matthias’ middle name is Benedik

Nina would win in an arm wrestling contest against Jesper

Inej has a thing for Kaz’s eyes

Nina was at the orphanage with the other grisha kids in R+R

In the opening scene of CK, Jesper was wearing a navy waistcoat with little gold stars (his fashion is just top tier honestly)

grisha- powers, etc.:

A solar eclipse would have no effect on the Darkling’s powers, but it would make it harder for Alina to summon.

Fabrikators can make flowers bloom

The twins have shark teeth amplifiers

Adrik and Leoni are saints

general world stuff:

Gay marriage is legal in Kerch!

there was a landbridge connecting Shu Han and Kerch but the council of tides covered it

Antimony is used as mascara

kruge is pale purple paper currency

ravkan currency has Nikolai’s face on it (ig not anymore tho?)

Hringkälla is celebrated on March 20th

the distance between Ivets and Os Alta is only about 100 miles? (i’m just going to willfully ignore this, because thats,, so small?)

Mermaids and dragons exist(ed) in the grishaverse

misc:

the daughter of the duke of ivets has a daughter who can play the harp

there is not fourth tale of krigi

The baroness Natasha Beritrova is fifty (as of KoS) and has lands near caryeva

Elke Marie Smit is from one of the most powerful Kerch families and is just 16 in KoS

Oncat is an orange tabby

Anya liked Joost a lot :( (I got way too attached to them at the start of SoC and was so sad + confused when they died lol)

david eats hard boiled eggs for his working days in the shops

‘Malyen’ is the Ravkan version of ‘Malcolm’ (very fitting)

Nikolai brought the kids at Keramzin toy boats + frequently sends Alina and Mal gifts

The triumvirate would also visit them every feast of Sankt Nikolai too :)

star signs / birthdays (ik the gv constellations aren’t the same as ours, but idc):

Inej: Cancer (june 21st - july 22nd)

Kaz: Capricorn (december 22nd - january 19th)

Nina: Leo (july 23rd - august 22nd)

Jesper: Gemini (may 21st - june 20th)

Matthias: Taurus (april 20th - may 20th)

Wylan: virgo (august 23rd - september 22nd)

Kuwei: aries (march 21st - april 19th)

Darkling: aries

Nikolai is most likely either a gemini or cancer (but he could also be a Leo or Taurus). Whatever it is, he is a summer baby.

Alina and Mal have the same birthday (they were given the Duke’s birthday when they came to the orphanage)

heights:

Jesper is 6’2” - 6’3”

Kaz is 6′

Matthias is 6’4

Nina is 5’9”-5’10”

Inej is 5’3” - 5’4”

Alina is ’short’ (5’3”?)

Mal and the Darkling are ‘tall’ (tbf, like all the characters are tall >:( I want my short people rights)

Nikolai (well, stumhond, but i think they’re the same height) is described by Jesper as tall (so 6’2”+?? why is everyone so tall??? I-)

Zoya is several inches shorter than nina (zoyalai height difference lets go)

Kuwei is slightly shorter than Wylan (who is about 5’8”?)

there’s definitely more, so if you made it this far and have any more, pls add to the list!

#grishaverse #six of crows #the grisha trilogy #the darkling #nikolai lantsov #alina starkov #king of scars #rule of wolves #<< mild spoilers #zoyalai #kanej #etc. lol #brain dump

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lumosinlove · 3 years

Text

Vaincre

It’s here!! Thank you all for the support of this universe, it truly means so very much to me. Every time I get a comment, or get to read the fan fiction you all write, see the art you create...it just fills me with so much joy. I’m so excited to share the Sweater Weather sequel with you, Vaincre! Go Lions!

cw: brief mention of past injury and past abuse

part i: July

I’ve been holding my breath

I’ve been counting to ten

The media wasn’t kind. There were network shows and blogs. Magazines and papers and podcasts. Not to mention Twitter.

Remus had heard his name on all of them, even if he wasn’t listening. It was part of Alice’s job to make sure he knew what was being said about him. It was his job to tune most of it out. Some outrage. Some elation. Some confusion.

This is my question, one podcast asked. I mean, I’m happy for Black. Lupin, too. I’m happy for the hockey world to have this happen, it’s about time, I mean, tune it, come on, and all that.

I’m confused about the, you know, ‘let’s put the PT on the roster.’ I’ve seen college clips, like, those have been released, we know that he got injured, we know all that. He’s fast, we know that, too. But a lot of guys are fast.

Just…what a move by Coach Weasley. A good move? I don’t know. I really don’t know.

Remus had always loved to run. It cleared his head. It had been one of the forms of exercise he had been able to do first once his shoulder had healed, before weights or any sort of strength training. His therapists had recommended it. Endorphins, they had said.

But Remus liked it because it was the closest he had been able to get to gliding on the ice, even when he still couldn’t stand to even look at a rink.

A good move? I don’t know. I really don’t know.

Remus was used to not knowing. He was beginning to think he thrived on it. Would he play hockey again? Would he ever find love? Would Sirius want him?

Was this really happening?

He didn’t think of dreams as coming so late, but, then again, why should dreams be put on any sort of time schedule?

Now, he banged out the screen door and onto the rickety, well-loved porch of the lake house that had been passed down through his family for years. His mother and her brothers split it up in the summer, overlapping for a week or so, and there were always little gifts left behind for each family at the trade-off. A bottle of the best maple syrup, or some of the local honey. They were small, but Remus smiled when he saw what his uncle and aunt and cousins had left for him and Sirius after his parents and Julian had given them the month of July with the house to themselves. A little flower arrangement with two hockey sticks, carved out of wood, sticking up in the middle.

Sirius had plucked one from the dirt, twirled it over in his fingers, and smiled.

“Your family will never stop surprising me.”

Green Lake was deep, prime for fishing, and gorgeous. The smell of the water, of the soil and sweet summer air was as good as home to Remus. He breathed it in now as he bent to lace up his sneakers. He could smell the fire pit that they had lit last night, one that he and Julian had roasted thousands of marshmallows over.

“I showed Jules how to roast the perfect marshmallow here,” Remus had said that first July night, leaning back against Sirius’ chest.

Sirius had blew out his burnt-black one. “Like this?”

Remus had scoffed. “No, you heathen.”

Sirius looked good here, surrounded by the woods and rusty cabin, wearing the old fleeces that never seemed to leave this place for when the sun had yet to warm the chilly mornings. Some mornings, they’d make their coffee, tangle their socked feet together on the small couch until the sun began to get high and they’d strip it all off in favor of swimsuits and sunscreen. Other mornings, Remus would rise, pressing a gentle kiss to Sirius’ sleeping face, and take to the dirt road that ran around the lake.

Sirius, just off of the hard won playoffs, needed to rest. Remus needed to train.

A good move? I don’t know. I really don’t know.

They would leave in two days for Pascal’s Cup Day celebration, and then to meet Remus’ parents, his little brother Julian, and Regulus back in Gryffindor for Sirius’ Cup Day. And August training. Remus stretched his hands to his toes and closed his eyes. A strange type of adrenaline filled him whenever he thought about practicing with the team, about the fitness tests that would come first. He’d have to prove himself again and again. He wanted to. But part of him wondered what would happen if he couldn’t.

The screen door squeaked open and shut again, and Remus jumped, looking up to find Sirius, still sleep rumpled, standing there in running shorts.

Remus laughed, reaching up to trace a pillow crease in his cheek. “You’re supposed to be sleeping in while you can.”

Sirius let out a grumbly sort of yawn and gathered his hair, long from the summer and just brushing his chin now, back into a small half-up bun.

“I can’t believe you do this before coffee.”

“Too acidic. Gives you running stitches.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sirius sighed, and threw his arm around Remus’ shoulders as they walked up the steep driveway to the road.

Remus kissed his wrist. “I’ll miss being here with you.”

Sirius smiled. He was tan from the summer, hair dark as ever and his skin sun-kissed.

Remus leaned into his shoulder. “I mean look at you. I like seeing you this relaxed.”

Sirius bit his lip as the rounded a bend, waving at Mrs. Barrow, who was tending to her garden.

“I don’t think I knew I could be this relaxed,” Sirius admitted. “It was always train, train, train, you didn’t get a Cup, try harder.”

Remus was familiar with the notes that appeared in Sirius’ voice now from years of Sirius’ small slips in conversation, even when, to Remus, Sirius had only been they youngest captain in the league, cold and reserved from even more years of his father’s abusive, relentless attitude towards hockey and Sirius’ skills. Even when Remus had only been the team’s physical therapist, closeted, crushing on Sirius, and surprised by the cracks Sirius showed when he had gotten his ankle smashed by Severus Snape, Captain of the Slytherin Snakes—the Gryffindor Lions greatest rivalry. Pain, it had seemed, and fear of never stepping on the ice again, had given Remus his first glimpses into a different Sirius beneath it all, a boy who was filled with much more than just a need to win, but for whom the want of winning only made him love his sport, and his team, more.

“And now that you have a Cup?” Remus asked. “How’re you feeling?”

They came to the road and Sirius balanced on one foot, stretching his thigh. “Now that I have you,” he said. “I’m feeling just fine.”

Remus snorted. “Yeah, the Stanley Cup Champion part has nothing to do with it.”

Sirius laughed, but took Remus’ face between his palms. “If I didn’t have you, and I had only a Cup, all I would be doing right now is thinking about another Cup.”

Remus put a hand on his chest, fingers finding the number twelve pendant that rested there.

“Now, there’s more,” Sirius said simply, and leaned down for a tender kiss. “Like your mother’s peach pie.”

Remus punched him in the arm as Sirius laughed loudly.

“You’ll have to beat me if you want a slice of that!” Remus called as he took off.

Sirius made a wounded noise, but sprinted after him until they were side by side again.

“I don’t think I can leave this beach,” Leo mumbled into the lounging cabana they were spread out beneath, and Logan looked down at him from where he was reading—trying to read—one of the books Finn had given him. He didn’t know how many books Finn had tried to get him to read over the years, but he knew he never made it through more than a few pages without looking up, getting distracted, or having to go back.

“Non?” Logan asked.

Leo shook his head. “The sun. The sea. I’m in heaven.”

“What about hockey?”

“Brr.”

Logan laughed and settled back into the pillows, setting the book aside and rolling towards Leo to feel his sun-warmed back and leaned down to kiss his temple. A private beach definitely had its perks—and so did three hockey salaries.

“We’ll just stay here, then.”

They’d had a good summer. Leo’s Cup Day, Finn’s, his own, all in their hometowns and accompanied by large parades and fanfare. Logan had finally gotten to take Leo home to his sisters and parents for the first time. It had been nice to see Finn around his family again, too, after what felt like eons of avoiding him in that small gap between being at Harvard and then them both making it to the NHL, and to the Lions.

Leo’s sleepy smile up at him melted Logan like ice in the sun.

“Okay, good,” Leo said, then his eyes went behind Logan. “There’s the ghost-on-toast with our drinks.”

Logan snorted and looked up to see Finn—and Finn’s tiny blue swim shorts that he insisted weren’t see-through—walking towards them through the sand from the resort bar with a tray of drinks in his hands.

“Hey, lover-nuts,” Finn said as he set the tray down in the shade. “Got us some snacks, too. That bar tender loves me.”

“You are so pale,” Leo laughed. “I love you, though, please put more sunscreen on.”

“Keep your sandy feet off my towel,” Logan nudged Finn’s foot with his own as he reached for his drink. Finn just smiled and nodded at the book.

“How is it?” Finn asked.

Logan just looked at him.

He laughed and ran a hand through Logan’s salty, damp hair. “I know. I’ll read it to you later. I just thought you might want something for the beach!”

Logan held up his cocktail. “I have something for the beach.”

They settled back under their cabana, the thin, white linen curtains fluttering around them in the three o’clock breeze. Maybe Logan, as he closed his eyes between Leo and Finn, Leo’s hand still on his thigh, Finn’s arm pillowing the back of his neck, never wanted to leave this beach, either.

“Back to Gryffindor tomorrow,” Logan said.

“Group chat says most guys’ll be back this week,” Finn said, squinting at his phone over his sunglasses. “We gotta be back for Dumo’s, and then Cap’s Cup Day. That’ll be nice, man.”

“I like that they’re bringing it to Gryffindor Pride,” Leo said, rolling onto his back. “Should have thought of that. Or, I guess…” Leo trailed off and Logan frowned. They couldn’t do that. Not yet, at least. Leo caught Logan’s expression and rested a reassuring hand on his thigh. “I’m glad we get to go, even if its for them on the surface. That’s real thoughtful of them, you know?”

Logan nodded. It was thoughtful. When Remus and Sirius had brought it up to them, he’d found himself getting a little choked up.

“We want you guys to be able to experience that, too,” Remus had said. “If you want. No matter what you decide to do public-wise in the future.”

Finn clicked his phone off and chucked it to the side. “Hey, don’t take me off island time yet. We’ll order to the room, eat on the deck, hike up and stargaze…”

Finn rattled off the perfect list, tilting towards Logan until their lips met.

“And then we’ll go win another Cup.”

Leo and Logan punched him at the same time.

Thomas sat in the shade with Kasey as they watched Alex try to take on Natalie and Noelle at pool basketball.

“I really think they’re going to accidentally drown him,” Thomas said thoughtfully.

“He probably thinks that, too, and is just too competitive to stop,” Kasey replied.

Thomas laughed, and held out his beer to cheers.

“This is a nice house the O’Haras have, man,” he looked at the sparkling ocean beyond the steps and fence, and at the pool with the grill and lounge chairs. They’d only come up for the weekend, between training and visiting their own families, and before returning to Gryffindor for the season.

“Tell me about it.”

“Cheating!” Alex spluttered from the pool as Natalie put all of her weight on him to dunk him under the water. Alex pointed very seriously to the foot marker on the side tile. “We agreed from that to Thomas’ chair, I was too far away!”

“Too bad!” Noelle shouted as she made another basket.

Thomas didn’t think it was the alcohol that made him feel a little fuzzy at the edges as he looked over her in her swimsuit. She was all curves of tanned muscle, softened the summer around her stomach and arms. Thomas was a goner. But she seemed pretty gone, too, so he guessed it was all right.

“This moment’s always rough,” Kasey said softly from beside him, and when Thomas looked at him questioningly, he gestured vaguely with his beer. “The end of July. One more month, but not really. Alex’ll go back for training, you know? It’s like a trick. I always think, I get three months with these two. But it’s more like two and the first week of August.”

Thomas nodded. “I know. Noelle, too. Her training camp starts on the eight. I’m just…”

Kasey sighed in sympathy.

“At least you have Nat, you know?” Thomas said. “Not that I’m saying you have it easier, I just…”

Kasey shook his head. “I know. Believe me, I’m thankful for that every day. But…when you miss someone, you miss someone.”

Thomas nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, exactly.”

Last season hadn’t been too bad. His relationship with Noelle had been new. They only really knew FaceTime dates, and squeezed in weekend flights that sometimes left them more exhausted than sated. They had been taking it slow. Thomas had been kissed by Noelle—a lot. Enough to make him dizzy with it. Only, then she’d met him at the airport in Quebec, they’d spent a month with her family in France…

And Thomas wasn’t sure he knew how to do just FaceTime anymore. There was a new yearning, knotted just below his heart. He knew what her skin felt like under his hands now, knew what she looked like right when she waked up, even her skincare routine before bed. It would feel like being away from the ice for too long, the knot pulling tight. He thought this year was going to be harder. Maybe he knew it, but if he did, he was pretending it might be easy still.

“T,” Noelle called, floating on her back, dark hair fanned out in the water. “C’mere!”

Thomas smiled, setting his drink down. He would come, whenever she called. Wherever.

Cole Reyes didn’t know if Adele Dumais staring at him the way she was was a good thing, or a bad thing. He was nervous enough without the seemingly disapproval of Pascal Dumais'—the Pascal Dumais of the Gryffindor Lions, oldest player in the league—teenage daughter.

“Don’t you talk?” Marc, one of his sons, asked.

Cole blinked. “Uh. Yeah. Yeah.”

Adele waved her brother off. “They’re always super nervous at first. Remember Sirius?”

Marc scoffed. “I was a baby.”

Cole let out a breath. Now they were casually talking about Sirius Black, who had lived in the very room Cole had been sleeping in for a week now when he was a rookie, too. It was the same with Logan Tremblay. He felt like he needed to keep the room pristine, like he was living in some Hockey Hall of Fame museum that he had not earned the right to be in yet.

“You’re still a baby,” Adele shot back.

“Kids,” came Celeste, Pascal’s wife’s voice from where she was setting the table. “Come on now.”

“Sorry, maman,” Marc said softly.

“Sorry,” Adele sighed more reluctantly.

“Go help your father with the grill, you two,” she said. “Everyone will be arriving soon.”

Katie, Celeste and Pascal’s youngest daughter, perked up from where she was sitting beside Cole, drawing. Not Pascal, Dumo—Cole kept having to remind himself that he could call Pascal by his nickname now, that it was all official, that he was a Gryffindor Lion, too. Katie hadn’t left his side since he arrived a week ago to billet with the Dumais, and he still wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Even the Cup?” she asked.

Celeste laughed. “Oui, ma cherie. Cole? Would you mind going to get the flowers for the table? They’re on the kitchen counter, just inside.”

“Oh, sure, Mrs. Dumais,” Cole nodded, glad for something to do. The thought of the Cup arriving gave him the chills. He’d have to be careful not to touch it. He was scared to even look at it, to be honest. His mom would be laughing at him right about now. He wanted to call her afterwards, tell her everything.

“Call me Celeste, I told you, please,” Celeste smiled. She was lovely, with her dark hair twisted and clipped up and a summer dress as green as her eyes, silky against her olive skin.

Cole flushed, but smiled. “Celeste.”

Cole made his way through the sliding door from the back yard and through the dining room. The kitchen was one of the biggest rooms in the house—and it was a big house. Beautiful copper pans hung shining above the island, along with some herbs that Celeste grew and dried herself. It looked like something out of a magazine to Cole, and it was nice, but it wouldn’t beat his mom’s kitchen in the small apartment they shared in Boston. The small space would fill up to the brim with the smell of spices, or cobbler. The thought sent a pang right to his heart. He missed home, that was for sure. After being away for so long, for so many hockey camps, he’d hoped he would be more used to it by now.

The flowers were right where Celeste had said they would be, and he was reaching for one when the back door that led to the garage dinged open. Cole froze, sure that he was about to run into captain Sirius Black completely unprepared, when a girl stepped through instead. She was dressed in denim shorts and a white tank top, had dark brown skin, and a Gryffindor College hat over her hair, which was plaited back into many small braids.

She smiled when she saw him. No sign of surprised, or of the nervousness Cole felt when he met basically anyone.

“You must be Cole,” she said.

Cole nodded. The girl was gorgeous. Cole was a mess of nerves already. He didn’t need the stare of the teenage daughter of one of his idols, but he especially could not handle a beautiful girl right now.

“Yeah,” Cole said. “No, yeah, um. Yes.”

The girl strode forward, setting her bag down on the counter, along with a water bottle decorated in stickers. He caught a few Lions ones. She offered her hand, which was slender and had two golden rings on it. “I’m Layla. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Cole took it, trying to place her. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I babysit for the Dumais family,” she said in explanation, then waved her hand. “Well, this year, at least. I’m actually—we’re going to be working together.”

Cole blinked. “You mean the Lions?”

She nodded. “I’m in the middle of my undergrad for physical therapy. Dumo’s amazing and he got me an internship under the new PT. You know. I’ll probably get you stick tape or something,” she laughed. “Congrats, by the way.”

Cole tilted his head and she raised an eyebrow.

“On making it to the NHL?”

“Oh,” Cole laughed. “Oh, I, yeah, thanks. You, too—or…yeah.”

Cole was going to stay in his room in the basement and never come out.

“I gotta—Mrs. Du—Celeste wants these flowers outside,” he said, picking the vases up.

“Sure thing,” Layla smiled.

“Layla,” came a shriek, and a moment later Katie Dumais came sprinting into the kitchen and wrapped herself around Layla’s legs and smiled at Cole. “This is my new hockey player.”

Cole couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t have a lot of experience with kids, but Katie sure was cute.

“Yours?” Layla gasped as she smiled at Cole. “He’s all yours, is he?”

Katie nodded. “Like Tremzy and Sirius. His name is Cole, like when Santa Clause doesn’t like you.”

Again, with the casual mentions of Logan Tremblay and Sirius Black.

“Oh, of course,” Layla laughed. “Well, I’m sure Santa Clause has never not liked you, babes. Let’s go let your mom know I’m here, okay? Your new hockey player can come with us, too.”

“He’s yours, too!” Katie insisted. “You’re here all the time, so he’s yours, too, don’t worry.”

“Oh, good,” Layla said. “I was worried.”

When Katie looked at Cole expectedly, Cole managed, “I guess everyone does need a hockey player?”

“Exactly!” Katie squealed, and Cole could only follow them outside, heart pounding.

It was good to be back in Gryffindor. Remus and Sirius had dropped their bags in Sirius’ entryway, said hello to Regulus, showered, and then hopped right back in the car to get to Pascal’s house.

“You two look disgustingly happy,” Regulus said, leaning forward from the back seat.

“We are,” Sirius grinned at him in the review mirror. “I am also happy,” he stroked the leather steering wheel of his Range Rover. “To be back with this baby.”

While Sirius’ hair had grown longer, Regulus had shaved his short. The curls were barely curls at all anymore, but Remus was happy to see that his seemingly ever-present dark circles had receded some.

“Why, thank you, Regulus, you look happy, too,” Remus snorted. “When do you leave for NYU’s orientation?”

“August 23rd,” he said. “Been texting with my housemates, too. They seem cool.”

“Maybe one of you will pull a Finn and fall in love with each other,” Sirius said.

“Twice,” Remus laughed, and Regulus did, too.

“I think I’ve had enough romance drama to last me a life time, thanks,” Regulus smiled. “But, yeah. I’m just…I’m focused on friends right now, I think. Normal, non-hockey creatures like you two. But that’s not to say if something came up…or I guess someone. Who knows.”

Sirius’ smile was softer this time. “Focus on whatever you want, Reg. You deserve it.”

Regulus just grumbled something about hockey gods, and then they were pulling up to the Dumais’. There were silver and white balloons lining the driveway and the fence to the backyard where, as Remus slammed his door, he could already hear laughter. A zing of excitement shot through him.

“I missed this team,” he sighed as Sirius took his hand.

Sirius pressed a kiss to his temple. “Your team.”

“Our team.”

“Jesus Christ,” Regulus said, and gave them a shove forward.

Thomas gave a loud woop when he spotted them coming out to the backyard. Regulus immediately made a B-line towards Leo and the Cubs.

“Yes! The Captain!” Thomas said and pulled Sirius into a hug. “Missed you, man.”

“You, too, T,” Sirius said. “Ready to tear it up?”

“You know it.”

Remus smiled as Thomas hugged him next. “I forgot you two train together before pre-season.”

“You two?” Thomas raised an eyebrow, the small gold hoops in his ears glinting in the sun. Remus noticed he’d shaved three stripes into one side of his head. They were a little wobbly. Maybe Noelle had done it. “You’re not coming with us?”

“You know how this one is about his routines,” Remus said, wrapping an arm around Sirius’ waist. “Wouldn’t want to mess anything up.”

“Please,” Sirius said. “I want you there more than I want a second—”

Remus and Thomas punched him at the same time.

“I know you weren’t just about to say that,” said an accented voice from behind Remus, and they turned to see Pascal standing there. He looked as he always did, smile lines around his eyes, gray streaks at his temples. He wore a white t-shirt and had Katie on his hip. She was definitely getting too big to be carried around like that, but Remus couldn’t see a time when Pascal would ever refuse her. He’d probably carry Adele around like that, too, if she’d let him.

“Dumo,” Sirius smiled, and took the two beers he was holding out, handing one to Remus. He kissed Katie’s forehead. “Good summer?”

“The best,” Pascal laughed, and nodded towards the edge of the yard. “Especially with the promise of seeing that thing again.”

Remus followed his gaze, and his breath caught, just as he knew it would. The Cup stood there, its guards near by with drinks and plates of food in their hands. It sat proudly on a table, surrounded by white tulips—no doubt Celeste’s doing.

“I’m excited to see you two bring it to the parade,” Pascal said. “That will be a wonderful day for everyone.”

Remus glanced at where Logan, Leo, and Finn were standing with Kasey Winter, Gryffindor’s goalie, and his partners Natalie, with her long blonde hair, and Finn’s brother Alex, who played for Tampa Bay.

Sirius’ smile lit up his face. “It will be.”

Remus peered around him. “Is that our rookie?”

Sirius scoffed. “A rookie can’t call a fellow rookie rookie, rookie.”

Remus blinked. “What did you just say?”

“That’s Cole!” Katie said. “I love him.” Then she turned and shouted his name again. He looked up from where he was standing quietly beside Jackson Nadeau, another player, and Remus suppressed a smile at the way his eyes widened when he saw Sirius.

“Oh, here we go,” Sirius mumbled.

“Oh, hush,” Remus said, and sounded far too much like his mother to himself. “You’re going to be throwing hands for him the second someone gets close, and you know it.”

“I don’t know how to tell rookies I’m just a person!” Sirius whispered as Cole began to make his way over. “They act all…”

“Star struck?” Thomas offered.

Sirius just glowered at him.

Cole Reyes did not look as young as he was. Even at 19, he was jacked, and tall, with light brown skin, green eyes, and a stripe shaved into one of his eyebrows. His hair was shaved at the sides, but longer on the top and in tight curls.

Remus glanced somewhat self-consciously down at himself. He could only put on more muscle healthily so fast. He thought he’d been doing well, but looking at Cole…

“Hello,” Cole said hesitantly and Pascal set Katie down and clapped Cole on the shoulder.

“Reyes, meet Sirius. Sirius, meet the boy who is a much better billet than you ever were.”

Sirius snorted, and Cole laughed—nervously.

“Hi, Cole,” Sirius said, and held out his hand. “I know we spoke briefly over the summer, but it’s nice to officially meet you.”

“You, too,” Cole said, smile slight. “Thanks for the call. My mom freaked out. I mean—well, me too, but my mom…” Cole stuttered out, wincing.

“Loves me?” Sirius laughed. “I get that a lot.”

“He’s so humble,” Remus shook his head jokingly. “Hi Cole, I’m Remus. Welcome to the team.”

“You too…?” Cole said hesitantly. “Well, the roster, I guess.”

“Cole,” Katie said, taking his large hand in her small one. “Come meet Tremzy. He’s my best friend.”

Sirius feigned a pout. “What about me?”

Katie smiled sheepishly, throwing herself at Sirius’ legs, “You, too!”

“Always one-uped by Tremblay,” Thomas laughed, shaking his head. “How’s it feel, Cap?”

“Wonderful,” Sirius said dryly and then looked down at Katie, petting her head. “Go on, go show Cole your best friend.”

They watched her lead Cole through the crowd for a moment before Sirius huffed.

“See?” Sirius whispered to Remus. “It’s like he’s scared of me.”

“I’ve never heard you use the phrase spoke briefly in my life. Who are you, Alice?”

“I was trying to be professional!”

Remus laughed. “Why?”

Sirius just rolled his eyes and dragged him over to stack their plates with food.

The party went well into the evening, the sky pink and blue in the setting sun. There were lanterns floating in the pool where Evgeni and Jackson were playing chicken with a delighted Marc and Louis, or sometimes one of Coach Arthur Weasley’s boys, on their shoulders. Logan was sitting with Cole and Finn, cradling a sleepy Katie against his chest, Leo and Regulus laughing with Kasey and Alex.

Remus found Sirius again standing alone in front of the Cup. His hair was falling into his face, the curls gentled by the evening breeze and the Cup’s silver surface reflecting the silver of Sirius’ eyes. Remus went to stand beside him, and neither of them spoke for a moment.

“I’m nervous,” Remus broke the silence.

Sirius nodded. “I know, mon loup.”

Remus sighed, resting his head against Sirius’ arm. “Yeah?”

“Of course,” Sirius switched his drink to his other hand so he could run his fingers through Remus’ hair. “This is…big.”

“It’s what I’ve always wanted,” Remus whispered. It felt dangerous, to say the words aloud. “It’s everything that I lost. Last time.”

Remus could still feel Fenrir Greyback rip at his shoulder, even if it was years ago now, while they were still at college. Being in the NHL meant that Remus would have to play against him again whenever they met Vegas.

Sirius turned towards him, hand on his cheek.

“You will have this,” he said earnestly, and then smile, reaching into his shirt for his necklace, the one Remus had gifted him last Christmas. He brought it to his lips. “Loops.”

Remus smiled at the now familiar sight, touching the pendant when Sirius’ let it drop.

“You know,” Remus said. “You’re everything I’ve always wanted, too.”

Sirius’ smile was one of Remus’ favorites, and he tucked him against his side. Remus followed his gaze to find him looking at Cole again.

“I’m not happy with the way it happened,” Sirius said softly, and Remus knew he was thinking of the pictures that someone had leaked of them kissing. The pictures that had upturned their entire lives. “But I’m glad I get to hold you like this in front of new faces. I wasn’t thinking about trades—I try not to—but getting Reyes, if things had been different, would have meant we were back to square one at parties like these.”

Remus nodded, taking a drink. “And he seemed okay with it. With us.”

“I was thinking we should invite him to train with us. With me, you, and T. Maybe Dumo would join, too. I know he usually goes with Sergei, but Sergei might be with Kuns and Nado, even though they usually like it just them. The Cubs—”

“Okay, Captain, okay,” Remus laughed.

Sirius pressed a hand over his eyes, laughing. “I just don’t like it when they’re nervous around me. Like Leo was. It’s so much better now that we’re friends.”

“You’ll get there with him,” Remus said. “Yeah, invite him to train with us. The more the merrier.”

Secretly, Remus wanted to see how Cole trained. He couldn’t shake the analytical side of him, the physical therapist side. Cole was built for such a young age.

“If I didn’t know better,” Sirius said softly, mouth close to Remus’ ear. “I’d say you were checking him out.”

Remus spluttered. “I’m not! I want to know his routine!”

Sirius cracked up. “This is your superstition, isn’t it? Cracking other player’s codes.”

Remus just shrugged, smiling into his cup.

“Have you cracked my code?” Sirius asked in the low voice he used that made Remus not want to be surrounded by people.

Remus looked up at him. “Maybe. It certainly has nothing to do with a piece of toast at five o’clock.”

“My pre-game toast is very important to me.”

Remus leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips. “No, you just like honey and cinnamon.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’m going to talk to Reyes now.”

“Catch him if he passes out.”

Sirius just glowered over his shoulder as he stalked across the grass. Remus looked around at the back yard, at the team, together again. His team.

451 notes · View notes

heyitssmiller · 4 years

Text

Clandestine: Chapter Ten

This, uh... this gets dark, y’all. You’ve been warned.

@lumosinlove I’m so sorry

@donttouchmycarrots is the best proofreader ever. That is all, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

CW: gun violence, gunshot wound, blood, trauma, hospitals, vague reference to needles (not anything besides a quick mention, but I just want to be safe)

Clandestine Masterlist

The sound of a gunshot and the resulting scream that tore through Logan’s earpiece would plague his days and haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life. Even scarier than that, though, was the deafening, all-encompassing silence that followed.

He sucked in a harsh breath as his grip on Finn’s arm tightened and his heart lurched. This couldn’t be happening. No. He’d thought of everything. He’d planned for everything –

And yet here he was, again, too far away and too late to do anything to prevent what was happening. He was left scrambling to react, just like with the honeypot. The helplessness made him freeze in place, paralyzed with fear.

Finn tried to pull his arm from Logan’s death grip, laughing confusedly. “Ow, Logan. Why are you-” He took one look at Logan’s face and his smile dropped. “What’s wrong?” There was a rustling sound over the coms and Logan held his next breath, listening intently for something, anything.

“Leo?” He dared to ask, desperate for an answer.

A muffled, pained gasp. Then a cold, impassive voice, “You should’ve known better than to try something this stupid.”

A thud.

More agonizing silence.

“Logan, you’re scaring me.” Finn said, voice pitched low as he finally pried his arm from Logan’s grip. Logan didn’t waste another second. He threw the door open and sent Regulus a frantic look.

“Riddle’s office. Where is it?”

At first Regulus didn’t seem to understand what was going on. Then his eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Follow me.”

Finn grabbed his arm as they followed Regulus at a run, limping heavily. “Logan. What happened?”

Logan didn’t know what to say. There was no way he could think of to soften the blow. Half his attention was on Finn, and half was on his earpiece, desperate to hear anything else. There was a shaky inhale, then what Logan could only describe as a whine. He bit down on the inside of his cheek. “I heard a gunshot.” He finally told his partner. He didn’t mention the scream.

Finn didn’t say another word, just ran faster.

It seemed to take years to reach Riddle’s office. When they got there the door was still wide open. The first thing Logan saw were long legs and a pair of shoes, the laces coming untied on one of them.

The next thing he saw was red.

“Baby,” Finn breathed, pushing past Logan and rushing to Leo’s side. Wide, scared blue eyes stared up at them, shiny with tears. That finally spurred Logan into motion again – the need to help, to stop the pain, to fix this. And he couldn’t do that in his current, panicked state.

He took a deep breath, forced his feelings back, and entered the room. Finn’s hands were hovering over Leo, unsure of what to do as he said something quietly, urgently, too softly for anyone else to hear. Logan crouched down next to them, gritting his teeth and examining the wound. He’d been shot in the chest before – he had the scar to prove it – so he knew for a fact that they weren’t supposed to bleed this much. Something was wrong.

He needed to get them out of here. And quick.

“Finn,” he said firmly, getting both of their attention. “I need you to find directions to the closest hospital.”

Finn’s gaze snapped to him, his eyes broadcasting his thoughts clearly. They weren’t supposed to go to hospitals, especially not with gunshot wounds. Medical staff were required to report gunshot wounds to the authorities, and as spies that was never a good idea. Definitely not here. The first place the Snakes would look for them would be hospitals. But Logan also knew that Leo didn’t stand a chance without one. This was beyond his own rudimentary medical expertise. They didn’t really have a choice.

“That bad, huh?” Leo quipped, trying to keep his voice light even though it was thick with tears. Trying to be tough, to put on a brave face.

It made Logan want to cry.

“Nah,” Finn said back quickly, a shaky hand toying with the gray tuft of hair at Leo’s temple. “you’re going to be fine. We’re going to get you out of here and fix you up good as new, ok?”

Without giving Leo any warning, Logan slapped a hand over his mouth and pressed the other one down against the wound, hard. His shout was muffled by Logan’s hand, but it still echoed in his earpiece and ripped at Logan’s heart. A blood-stained hand flew up to try and push Logan’s hand back as Leo tried to squirm away from him ineffectively, eyes huge.

Logan’s heart sped up rapidly, hating more than anything that he was hurting the blond – something he’d been trying so hard not to do. “Shh, shh, I know. I’m sorry. But I need you to stay quiet, ok? Finn, keep pressure on that.” He reached over to grab Finn’s hand and replaced his own with it firmly. “Don’t let up. Reg, I need you to help him up and get him to the car.”

Logan grabbed his gun and flicked the safety off as he rose to his feet. Regulus took his place quickly, and he and Finn hauled Leo to his feet as Logan looked into the hallway.

This didn’t make sense. Gunshots weren’t quiet. And Riddle knew they were here, he’d known Leo had partners from the way he talked directly into his mic.

So why were the hallways empty? Shouldn’t they be trying to catch them?

Logan didn’t have time to question it, not yet. His first priority was getting the hell out of there.

Finn moved to stand beside Leo, slinging his long arm over his shoulders. “I’m too short for this.” He joked, forcing his voice to not shake. He didn’t know how to deal with this. He’d never seen so much blood in his entire life. And that fact that it was Leo’s…

He didn’t get a response, which made him frantically shift his gaze over and up at his partner. Glazed-over eyes, shallow and uneven breathing, a slight sway as they got moving. He’d never felt so useless in his entire life, or so panicked. Finn didn’t know how to help, and that fact hurt. He always knew how to help.

The four of them snuck out a side door without being caught or chased, which Finn found odd. He wasn’t complaining, but it was weird, like something else was at play. It was too easy.

The sun was rising as they escaped, painting the sky in aggressive colors, angry and red. Too much red. All Finn could see was red.

Logan led the way down the street, breath clouding in front of him. Leo shivered from beside Finn, causing him to move in closer as they finally reached an all-too-familiar gray car parked on the side of the road. Regulus let go of Leo to open the back door, causing Leo to further slump against Finn. He shouldered the weight grimly, but didn’t buckle. Logan slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine as they loaded Leo into the car, Finn sliding in beside him and Reg taking the passenger’s seat. Finn heard the navigation app calmly and too-slowly start giving directions and then they were off.

Finn was practically in Leo’s lap, putting pressure on his chest with one hand and removing Leo’s earpiece and mic with the other. He threw them onto the seat next to them before moving back to cradle the back of Leo’s head, desperate to provide any support he could. He was cold and clammy now, and pale – so pale. Finn’s heart wrenched, watching glassy eyes try to stay focused on him.

“Got something for you,” Leo mumbled, and a closed fist brushed against his arm. Finn looked down as Leo opened his hand and sucked in a breath. Two blue flash drives, tarnished with crimson. He reached for them, stunned.

“How did you-”

“Snagged the one in the safe. Then Riddle got too close. Took advantage.”

“Nutty,” Finn breathed, taking the drives with a trembling hand and pocketing them both. He got a small, tired smile in response.

“Job’s done.”

He was right. Those two drives, plus the one Regulus had apparently snagged earlier, meant that they had all seven now. Finn thought he’d be happy when they finally finished the job. He wasn’t happy, though.

It sure as hell wasn’t worth this.

Leo’s head started to droop, eyelids fluttering. Finn, panicked and with nothing else to do, started talking a mile a minute. Anything to keep him awake. “You know what that means, baby?”

“Like it when you call me baby.” He interjected, voice soft and barely audible as he began to shake. His lips were blue. Whether it was from the cold or from the blood loss, Finn wasn’t sure. He hated it either way.

The car hit a pothole and Leo winced, going tense and screwing his eyes shut. There were, Finn realized with an ache underneath his ribs, a lot of things movies got wrong when they had scenes like this. They always painted it in one of two ways: stoic and heroic – where the injured person put on a brave façade and muscled through the pain or seemed unable to feel it – or stereotypical war movies with the blood and the guts and the blood-curdling screams. Real life wasn’t like either of those. This was a shocking, overwhelming sort of pain; there was no screaming or thrashing or anything like that, but it seemed to have stunned Leo into immobility and stolen all the breath from his lungs. It wasn’t pretty or romanticized – it was horrific and gruesome and raw and Finn was terrified.

He moved in closer and hurried to keep talking.

“I can definitely keep calling you that, if you want.” When all he got was an exhausted look in response, Finn pressed on unsteadily, fighting back tears. “But it means we can go on vacation, after you’re feeling better. Any ideas on where to go?”

“Somewhere warm.”

Finn breathed out a laugh at the slurred words, combing tenderly through blond curls dark with sweat. “I think we can manage that.”

“’M so cold.” He whispered, voice pitching up at the end, and Finn was painfully reminded of just how young the blond was. Too young to be bleeding out in the backseat of a car, that was for sure. Finn bit down on his lip, hard, and felt it start to bleed again. He didn’t care.

“I know.” He couldn’t hold back the tears anymore as wide, terrified eyes stared back at him, no longer focused. “We’ll get you warm, I promise.”

“I’m not ready to die.”

The small, broken voice was the final straw on the camel’s back. Finn let out a sob, squeezing his eyes shut as he pressed a kiss to a cold temple and lingered there. “You’re breaking my heart here, baby. Just hang on, ok?”

No response.

Finn sniffled and pulled back. “Nutty?”

His blue eyes were closed. His head was lolled back against the headrest. But he was breathing, and a weak, thready pulse beat faintly against Finn’s fingertips. The redhead snapped his head around to look at Logan in the driver’s seat, knuckles white against the steering wheel.

“Logan.”

“Almost there,” came the curt, tense reply as green eyes flashed at him from the rearview mirror. Finn didn’t understand how he could be so calm. Sure, Finn had been in stressful, dangerous situations before but this – this was hell.

They pulled around to the ER entrance and Logan barely remembered to put the car in park before he was out and pulling the thick glass door of the lobby open and begging for help. After a drive that had felt like hours, what happened next seemed to go too fast. Logan could barely keep up. Nurses following him back to the car with a gurney. Opening the door to a motionless Leo and Finn cradling him too close, tear tracks visible on his face as he craned his neck to look at them over his shoulder. Logan had to pry him away in order for the nurses to load Leo onto the gurney. And then, in a flurry of motion and fast talking and medical terminology, he was gone.

Finn turned into Logan’s chest and sagged against him, blood-stained hands gripping tightly to his shirt as he sucked in a trembling breath. Logan just stared at the hospital doors, lost as the early-morning sun shone down on them. It didn’t feel real. This was just some horrible nightmare; he’d be waking up any minute now.

They had both forgotten that Regulus was there until he quietly spoke up. “I’m going to ditch the car, get rid of the evidence. I’ll call Sirius, too, make sure they all know. You two get inside.”

Logan was pretty sure he muttered his thanks, but he honestly couldn’t remember. He just untangled himself from Finn, grabbed his hand, and led him inside to the waiting area.

One of the nurses working the front desk took one look at the two of them, spaced-out and covered in blood that wasn’t their own, and murmured something to her coworker before coming out from behind the desk. “You’re here with the GSW patient, right?” she asked as soon as she was within hearing distance.

GSW.

Gunshot wound.

It didn’t feel real.

When neither of them answered, she sighed sympathetically. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“He needs to be checked out, too.” Logan blurted, motioning to Finn, who looked over at him quickly.

“No, I’m fine-”

“His face is all busted up and he’s limping pretty heavily.”

“Logan-”

“Please,” he said quietly, squeezing the hand in his but refusing to look at him. He stared down at the speckled linoleum flooring, too shiny and reflective. He hoped his silence spoke for him.

I need to know at least one of you is going to be ok.

Finn huffed, but nodded reluctantly. The nurse gave him instructions that Logan didn’t really hear and then he was gone, too, leaving just Logan and the nurse.

The nurse put a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder. “Come on, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that.” Logan said, numb. It wasn’t right. The voice was all wrong. That nickname belonged to a soft southern accent, chased by a dimpled smile. Not to this stranger.

“Ok,” she soothed, removing her hand. “Ok. I’m going to grab you some clothes to change into. There’s a bathroom right over there if you want to start cleaning yourself up.” She gave him a kind smile, which went unnoticed. “I’ll be right back.”

Logan meant to start moving towards the bathroom, he really did. But his feet were glued to the spot, eyes still trained on the floor, trying to gather the will to move, take a step, look up, anything. The next thing he knew the nurse was back and holding out a stack of clothes. He tore his gaze from the floor finally to look at a truly hideous black and yellow shirt.

“Here’s some clothes from the lost and found, dear. Come with me now.” She said gently, grabbing his arm and forcing him to move. They crossed the room to stop in front of a bathroom door.

“I’ll let you get changed and cleaned up, but then there’s some questions I need to ask you after that, ok?”

Logan just nodded absently and closed the bathroom door. He then stumbled to the sink, turned the water on, and began scrubbing at his hands. And scrubbing and scrubbing, because no matter what he did, there was still too much red.

Bang. Scream.

He kept scrubbing, watching the water turn a translucent pink under his hands.

Bang. Scream.

The blood under his fingernails wasn’t washing off. He grabbed more soap.

“I’ll be careful - I’ll be so careful, Tremz. You gotta trust me.”

His hands shook so badly that he couldn’t accurately scrub anymore. He gave up and reached for the paper towels, vision blurring with tears. His movements were losing their coordination, fear and frustration rising as the adrenaline from earlier dropped. His shirt came off next and was thrown into the trash can. He stared down at the shirt the nurse had handed him, some brand he didn’t recognize emblazoned on the front in electric yellow.

“Sometimes it’s ok to not be ok.”

“Fuck,” Logan hissed, giving up on the shirt and sitting down on the cool floor, his back to the wall. His head came to rest in his hands as he broke down.

It didn’t feel real.

But it was.

And Logan had no idea what to do.

“You promised,” he intoned vacantly, to no one but himself and gray-toned walls. “You promised me you’d be careful.”

***

Finn, fitted with a knee brace and ice pack in hand, found him folded in on himself in a waiting room chair. He looked just as miserable as Finn felt. He limped over to the brunet and sat down beside him slowly, looking over at a carefully blank profile. He’d been crying, Finn could tell from the redness of his eyes and the occasional sniffle. But he seemed to have completely shut down after the fact.

“Logan-”

He didn’t look up. “I’m fine.”

What a lie. “You don’t look fine.” Finn stated plainly, wanting to skip the false assurances already and be able to help. He needed Finn, and Finn needed Logan. He didn’t think he could handle this on his own.

That earned him a dark, lifeless laugh. “Then stop looking.”

“Stop,” Finn said tiredly, all the fight leaving him at that moment. “You don’t have to pretend, not around me.”

Silence stretched around them for a long time, all-encompassing and suffocating.

“It was his idea,” Logan said, voice a low murmur and yet deafening in the quiet around them. Finn held his breath. “Splitting up. He was… so confident, so sure that he could do it. And I guess he was right. He got the drive, after all. Two of them, actually.” The redness in his eyes contrasted starkly with vibrant green. It felt like someone had taken Finn’s broken heart and stepped on it mercilessly. “I had a bad feeling about it, though. Just like I did with the honeypot. Should’ve put my foot down and forced him to stay with me-”

“No, Lo.”

“But-”

“No. You weren’t the one behind the trigger.”

“I let him go.”

“He went on his own, you didn’t let him do anything.” Finn reached over and grabbed Logan’s hand, holding on tight. “If it wasn’t you in this situation, what would you think? If our roles were reversed, would you blame me?”

Logan’s face screwed up. “That’s not fair.”

“Neither is shouldering all that guilt.” The redhead sighed and leaned back a little, letting his back hit the chair. “This isn’t your fault.”

Logan didn’t exactly look convinced, but then again, Finn hadn’t seen many emotions from him ever since… well. Ever since. Everything was blank, numb, exhausted. They were both so tired, and yet neither of them could rest. Not yet.

Finn was dazedly staring at the landscape painting on the wall when Logan reached over to twist their fingers together. That one small initiation of contact was so telling - it was needy, almost, and desperate for comfort, for reassurance. Finn needed that just as much as Logan did. He brushed his thumb against Logan’s in a slow, soothing rhythm.

Back and forth, back and forth.

“Life has a fucking brutal one-two punch, huh?” Logan said simply, no humor to his voice at all. Finn winced, but kept his voice soft.

“Lo, baby…”

Logan turned to look at him, eyes vulnerable and hurting, but with an underlying hint of hopefulness that he was desperately trying to hide. “You called him that, too.”

People always said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Finn had never really understood the phrase, not until that exact second. That, along with their current situation, finally got Finn ready to talk. What was the point of waiting for the opportune moment if the future was so uncertain? Nothing in their lives was really set in stone, especially with their jobs. Wouldn’t it be better to have some time with them than none at all?

He was tired of always feeling like he was missing chances.

It was time to finally do something about it.

Logan’s grip suddenly tightened, stopping him short. “Finn.”

“What?” Finn asked, following his gaze to a nurse looking between them as he made his way towards their chairs. He swallowed thickly, dread settling in his stomach.

Please let it be good news. I don’t know what we’ll do if…

He couldn’t tell anything from the nurse’s face; it was just as impassive as Logan’s. Finn’s heart hammered away anxiously as they waited for him to update them. Logan seemed to be holding his breath.

“Hey, guys. You’re probably ready for an update, huh?”

That was so much of an understatement that Finn almost laughed in his face. Logan sent such an impressive glare to the nurse that he visibly paled, then rushed to start talking.

“Um, it was a pretty nasty shot. How much detail do you want me to go into? I just know some people get squeamish or don’t want to hear about all of it, and I don’t know what you guys want and that one-” he motioned to Logan, who was still staring the poor guy down, eyes hard and unforgiving. “Is frankly scary as fuck, so I just… don’t want to screw this up.”

“Give us the abridged version.” Finn said decisively for both of them. He didn’t want the details – he’d witnessed them firsthand. That was enough for an entire lifetime, and then some.

“Ok. Ok, I can do that.” The nurse took a deep breath before continuing. “So the bullet nicked the subclavian artery, shattered the collarbone, and caused a lot of muscle damage. We removed the bullet, patched the bone together as best we could, and repaired the muscle damage. He’s being transferred to a room now, so we’ll come get you as soon as you can come see him.”

They both stared at him for a few seconds, processing. And then they were hit by a tsunami of emotions: relief, exhaustion, elation, so many others Finn couldn’t even place in his overwhelmed state of mind.

“He’s… he’s ok?” Logan asked faintly, disbelievingly.

“Well, he’s got a long way to go. Lots of PT, potentially additional surgeries… but we like his chances. We’ll all feel better once he wakes up, though.” The poor kid looked terrified, so Finn knew he had more to say. “I do have some questions for you, though. Legally, we’re required to report all gunshot wounds to the authorities-”

“You can’t tell them,” Logan blurted before he even knew what he was saying, the words almost ripping themselves from his throat. “The people – person who did this is still out there, and he’s looking for us. If you report this, he won’t hesitate to hunt us down.”

“I can’t just lie-”

“Please.” Logan said. It wasn’t a request. He didn’t think he could handle his partners in that much danger right now. They were still at risk, of course, but they couldn’t have that potential of being tracked down on top of everything else. “At least stall the report for as long as you can.”

“If they come for us, the entire hospital will be at risk.” Finn added, looking apologetic about it. “We’d hate for that to happen, wouldn’t you?”

How manipulative. Under any other circumstances, he knew Finn would feel guilty about it. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And this was Leo. Logan knew that both of them would watch the world burn if it meant keeping him safe.

The nurse looked uncomfortable and reluctant, but he slowly nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Could… could you make sure he has some extra blankets?” Finn asked out of the blue, eyes soft, if not a little lost. “He’s always cold.” Logan squeezed his hand again, warm and bigger than his. It was strange, how such a small thing could mean so much. The simple act of holding Finn’s hand grounded him, it assured him that he wasn’t alone in this.

The nurse smiled – a gentle, understanding thing. It almost made up for the train-wreck that was the entire previous conversation. “That I can do.”

***

Gryffindor Intelligence Agency was too quiet for the number of people who were crowded into the bullpen. Winter and Darcy and the elder O’Hara and Walker and all three Potters, Dorcas, Nadeau, Kuznetsov… Most of them didn’t even know Leo that well. It was very telling that they were all here anyway, a testament to how much they all embraced the team aspect of an organization like this. They were all sitting in silence, only a mere handful of expressions on their faces: shock, worry, and anger.

They were ready to take the Snakes down, and they weren’t about to hold back any punches. Not anymore.

They all looked up when Remus and Sirius entered, sitting up straighter and waiting for news. Remus was holding Sirius’ hand, seeming to not care about who saw. The notion sent butterflies through Sirius’ stomach. He’d have to bring it back up later, at a better time.

“Still no news,” Remus murmured, and everyone seemed to slump a little again.

“I left his mom a message,” Kasey said dully and Natalie squeezed his hand, leaning against his shoulder comfortingly. “Told her to stay put until we can guarantee that they’re safe.”

Lily winced at the mention of Leo’s mom and hugged Harry a little tighter. “I can’t even imagine…” she trailed off sadly, eyes brimming with tears.

“Fuck Riddle.” Talker said darkly. Everyone hummed in agreement.

“Regulus said that they didn’t come across a single agent when they were leaving,” Sirius said quietly, getting everyone’s attention quickly. “That was intentional. The question is why.”

Remus took control of the conversation then, eerily calm and calculated. It was terrifying. “We’re not holding back anymore. We’ve got all the evidence we need now, so we’ve only got two things left to do: get the Cubs out of there, and take the Snakes down.” He looked around at the team surrounding him, all serious and ready for business. “Who’s got ideas?”

They put their heads together and started to plan.

***

Finn turned the dial of Leo’s old lock as they waited by a bedside, taking comfort in the sound of the quiet clicks and the worn-down metal beneath his fingers. He had no clue where Regulus went. He’d returned from ditching the car three hours and forty-nine minutes ago – and yes, Finn was keeping track of the time – and checked in on all of them before disappearing again, looking a little spooked about being in a hospital. Finn didn’t want to ask; he didn’t want to know.

The redhead had been sitting in the same spot, with Logan by his side. Waiting, wanting nothing more than to hold Leo’s hand, but one arm was in a sling to keep his collarbone immobile and the other had an IV line sticking out of it and clear medical tape covering it. The nurse had told them that it was fine, that the tape would prevent the IV from slipping out, but it was one of those things Finn felt like he couldn’t risk. Everything in that moment felt so tenuous and fragile, like one small, insignificant thing could tip the scales until they were no longer somewhat in their favor. So he looked back down at the lock instead as he felt another sticking point, then wrote down the number on a small, square napkin.

How on earth did Leo do this in his head?

He continued rotating the dial, sneaking a glance over at Logan. He sat in the exact same position as the last time Finn had checked in on him; a silent sentinel, constantly keeping watch. His eyes flitted from the door to the monitor Leo was hooked up to, then to Leo’s face – which was where it lingered the longest – then Finn. After that he started over, a seemingly never-ending loop: door, monitor, Leo, Finn.

It was heartwarming in its protectiveness, and heartbreaking in its anxiousness.

All of a sudden, the readings on the monitor changed slightly – heartrate sped up, breathing slowed. Finn and Logan sat up straighter and held their breath, ready to bolt out the door to get help.

Long, nimble fingers twitched after too long of being abnormally still.

And then cornflower blue eyes opened, just a sliver at first, then wider after a few seconds.

Finn was so tired of crying, but there was no holding it back. It was a nice change, though – to be crying tears of relief instead of sadness. Logan gripped his hand again, shakily this time.

“Hey, Leo.” He said gently, voice wavering just as much as his hand in Finn’s.

A sleepy, drugged, dimpled smile.

And almost everything was right in their world again.

#lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast #coops #sirius black #remus lupin #o'knutzy #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut #clandestine #cw: gun violence #cw: gunshot wound #cw: blood #cw: trauma #cw: hospital

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