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jobrookekarev · 4 months

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Not for the Faint of Heart

Chapter: One of Three

Words: 3,042

Summary: When Jo is rushed into an emergency c-section Alex has a hard time seeing his wife in surgery and ends up on the OR floor. However, it's Jo’s life that’s at risk.

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson.

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Meredith Grey, Cormac Hayes, Atticus Lincoln, Levi Schmitt, Carina DeLuca, and Amelia Shepherd.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences.

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Alternate Canon, Firsts, Medical Procedures, C-Section, One Shot, Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Trauma.

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Jo stared up at the lights in the cold OR. She took a deep breath in and smiled. The OR had always been the place where she felt most comfortable. It was the place where she had learned and grown into the surgeon that she was. Where she fell in love with her husband. In her therapy sessions, it was her safe place, where she would go when things got too intense. The OR was the place where nothing bad could happen to her. Even now, as Carina prepped her for a crash C-section, Jo was calm. But then again, she had lost a lot of blood and was on a lot of drugs.

“Are you seriously smiling right now?” Alex asked as his hand cupped her face and his thumb rubbed across her cheek, careful not to move the nasal cannula tubes.

Alex was sitting next to her and focused completely on her. While everyone else scurried around and focused on where Carina was cutting her open.

Jo smiled up at him, he was wearing his familiar brown scrub cap. She loved that scrub cap. “Our baby’s going to be born in an OR, I think it's kind of fitting?”

“You're scaring the shit out of me, I hope you know that,” Alex said with a nervous laugh as his eyebrows knitted together in worry, but Jo just smiled.

“Everything is going to be fine,” Jo said as she looked over at him with a smile.

Her labor had started out normally. She had felt a few contractions earlier that morning, but hadn't registered that they were anything more than a few Braxton Hicks. So she hadn't bothered to count them. As she went on with her day though, Alex insisted on keeping an absurdly close eye on her. Although he had done this throughout her pregnancy. Still, she knew he suspected she was in labor before she did. Finally, around lunch, she admitted that she might be in labor. She allowed him to pull her over to the maternity ward as a patient rather than a doctor.

Carina quickly set her up on the monitors and things were going smoothly. Jo was handling her labor well. The contractions were pretty far apart. She just hated that she was in a hospital gown and confined to the maternity ward. Alex had vetoed any suggestions she had made on what to do while she labored except walking the halls. So they walked around a little bit and it did help.

After a few circles around the hospital, Jo had started to feel a little light-headed and before she knew it, she collapsed in Alex's arms. She awoke back in her hospital bed with the alarms going off and several nurses around her. She had begun to bleed internally and a few minutes later, when her water broke, it all came gushing out. Carina quickly ran in and Jo was then rushed to the OR with a trail of blood behind her.

Jo knew that she was in danger. That she could lose her life. That if Schmitt didn't get back with the blood soon, there would be dire consequences. She also knew that Carina was the best and her baby's heart rate was still good. It was her life that was on the line and she was so tired.

“Hey, stay with me Jo,” Alex pleaded with her as her heavy eyelids closed just for a moment. “You gotta stay awake and meet our baby.”

“Just a few more minutes then they’ll be in your arms,” Carina assured her, glancing over at her before looking back to where she was cutting her open.

“I'm trying, but I’m really tired. I just wanna close my eyes for a second,” Jo complained, her eyelids fluttering again.

She was so tired, she felt like she'd drift off if she closed her eyes. Especially as Alex squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. It would be okay. She'd wake up with renewed strength and she'd get to meet her baby.

“Have you two decided on the name yet?” Meredith asked, peeking over the divider from where she was assisting Carina.

“No,” they both replied as Jo opened her eyes to look up at Meredith.

“Didn't the two of you agree on the name Kaitlin, for Kate?” Hayes asked, his heavy accent changing the pronunciation as he looked down at her from where he was next to Meredith, ready to receive their baby.

“I thought you said it was gonna be a boy?” Meredith asked, looking between the two of them with raised eyebrows.

“We don’t know for sure,” Alex clarified, looking over at Meredith for a second.

“It’s a boy, I know it,” Jo said, confidently as she smiled.

“Yeah, only because you peeked at them, on the ultrasound,” Alex said, trying to be mad at her, but failing miserably.

“I didn't, I just know,” Jo smirked as she looked up at him.

She thought about how even now, he joked around and played with her. He refused to stay mad at her, even though he thought she had broken their rules and peaked at the baby's gender. But worry overtook his face and his eyes betrayed him as he looked down at her. She didn't want him to worry about her. She understood him worrying about the baby. She was worried too, but she didn't want him to worry about her.

Jo would be all right. If she lived she would be fine and if she didn't well… She had lived long enough and she finally found happiness and that had been enough for her. If that's all she got in this life, it was enough.

“You're going to be… a, a good dad,” Jo whispered, the words coming out of her slowly as she used the last of her breath to speak and a few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

“And you're going to be a good mom too,” Alex said, begging her to stay in his own way as he brushed the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

She thought about never watching him be a father to their child. To watch him hold them for the first time. To watch him play with them and goof around. To watch him teach them to ride a bike and help them do their homework. To watch him teach them to drive and send them off to college. To watch him give them advice as they found their way in the world.

She didn't want to miss it, but she feared she would. She wanted to stay too. She wanted to watch her baby grow up and do all of that with them. She wanted to be a mom more than anything. She wanted to be there for them because her mom wasn't there for her. To love them because she wasn't loved. Jo loved her baby so much more than words could ever express. More than she ever thought she could love her child.

Yet, she was so tired. She felt like if she could just close her eyes and get some rest, then everything would be okay. But she wasn't sure if she would wake up if she did. Jo fought her heavy eyelids with everything inside of her but it felt like a losing battle. She was just too tired.

“Please, please, Jo, stay with me. I need you here,” Alex said as he leaned closer as the desperation spilled over and his eyes filled with tears.

“I'm right here,” Jo whispered again, smiling up at him. She promised him she was there, taking in this moment with him.

“Please stay,” Alex begged her, but she couldn't promise she'd stay and changed the subject.

“As soon as this is over, I'm going to take a nap for a week and you can take care of the baby,” Jo said with a smile as he chuckled. It helped relieve some of the tension and his eyes smiled as he looked down at her.

“When we get out of here, you can nap for as long as you want and I'll take care of the baby and you, I promise,” Alex said, smiling as he looked down at her still brushing his thumb over her cheek and she knew he would keep his promise.

“I'm here, I'm here, I have the blood,” Schmitt said, running into the OR as Jo turned her head to see the blood bags.

“Great, let's get them hung,” Meredith said immediately, moving to help Schmitt hang the bags of blood. There was a lot, but Jo knew she needed all of it. She could still feel the blood dripping between her legs and she knew she was soaking the table underneath her.

“Dr. Karev,” Carina said, looking over at him. “Do you want to come over here and cut the cord, I’m almost ready to pull your baby out.

“Yes,” Alex said eagerly, but he looked back at Jo.

“Go watch our baby boy be born,” Jo said with a smile.

“Our baby boy or girl,” Alex reminded her with a chuckle.

“It's a boy,” Jo said for sure.

Alex just leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead through his mask as Jo smiled. Then he stood up and looked over to where Carina was working inside of her. Jo smiled but she watched Alex freeze as he looked over the curtain to her open belly.

“Alex?” Jo asked, staring at him as his eyes glanced over at her. Then back to her belly, then back to her face and as the color drained from his cheeks.

“Alex?” Meredith asked as well, looking over at him.

“Alex!” Jo said again more insistently as he just stared at her.

But he gave them no warning before he fell to the floor.

“Alex!” Jo screamed again, picking up her head to look over at him, despite how dizzy it made her feel.

The nurses ran to him as Jo watched them swarm around where Alex had fallen, although she couldn't see him on the floor. Then Meredith appeared in front of her. “It's okay Jo, we’ve got him.”

“He's all right, he's just fainted,” one of the nurses said with a shake of her head.

Jo sighed in relief as she laid her head back down. Alex was okay.

The next thing she knew, the cries of her child filled the room. It was a loud screaming cry, but it was the best sound Jo had ever heard. Her baby was here and they were alive and screaming. Jo looked up at Carina, but she couldn't see anything except her masked face as the curtain was too high.

“Your baby boy is here,” Carina said, excitement filling her voice as she finally held up the baby for Jo to see.

She looked up and saw her big baby boy. He was clenching his fists and his eyes were shut as he wailed with an open mouth. His lips were full like hers and he had her round cheeks, but he was his father's son. He was huge with a chubby stomach and chubby arms that he swung around. He also had a large Karev sized head.

“He's beautiful,” Jo said with a cry as the tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes in full force, but she smiled.

She was so unbelievably happy and all she could focus on was her baby. She watched as Carina handed him over to Hayes, who took her baby boy over to the warmer. Jo felt a sting of sadness that Alex didn't get to cut the cord as she remembered her husband.

“Is Alex okay?” Jo asked, watching Hayes look over her baby in the warmer as his strong cry still filled the room.

“He's going to be fine, Jo,” Amelia said, although she couldn't see where they were.

The room was a buzz as nurses and doctors moved around her and Carina shouted orders for medications although Jo could barely hear them as she focused on her son. She watched Hayes wrap him up in a hospital blanket and look over at her.

“Do you want to meet your son, Jo?” Hayes asked, his eyes crinkling under his mask as he smiled.

Jo eagerly nodded as he brought the baby up to her, so they were cheek to cheek. She nearly cried in relief as she got to meet her son. Someone unstrapped one of her arms and Jo held her baby boy.

“Hi my baby,” Jo said as she turned to kiss his cheek.

The moment Hayes brought him over, his cry had softened and after she kissed him, he fell silent. Jo knew his eyes were closed, but she couldn't see his face. Her son, she had the baby boy she knew she would. And she loved him so much. He snuggled up next to her and she kissed him again. She couldn't wait to actually hold him in her arms and look down at his face.

“Is he okay,” Jo asked, looking up at Hayes, who nodded.

“He's absolutely perfect Jo,” Hayes said with a reassuring nod. “His APGAR scores are a perfect 10.”

“That's good, that's good,” Jo said briefly, closing her eyes again as she felt like she could rest now. Hayes kept the baby on her cheek and she relished this moment.

“Is that him?” Alex asked as Jo looked over to see that he was getting settled in a wheelchair, his eyes still a little foggy as he stared at them.

“It is,” Jo said with a large beaming smile.

“What happened?” Alex asked, rubbing the back of his head.

“You fainted,” Jo said of the little laugh. “What went wrong? I saw you staring at me and then at my belly and then you just passed out.”

Alex just took his head, unable to take his eyes off their son. He looked down at their beautiful boy as Meredith wheeled him closer so they were both together. Alex reached out to run a finger across his cheek as well. As they both stared at the little miracle of their child.

“He's perfect,” Alex said, his eyes crinkling as he stared at their baby boy and she knew he was smiling under his mask.

“Yeah, he's perfect,” Jo agreed, looking back at their son.

Jo closed her eyes as she felt her baby boy's hand against her cheek. She relished in this little moment together. She felt her vision going dark as sleep overtook her. But she was desperate to fight it and stay with her son. He needed her. Jo quickly opened her eyes again to see someone standing over her.

“Stay with me, Jo,” Meredith said sternly as she looked at her.

“Where's my son?” Jo asked, turning her head to look for him.

“He's right over there,” Meredith said, pointing to where Hayes had the newborn on the warmer again.

Jo didn't even remember him leaving her cheek. She must have slipped out of consciousness. Jo felt so tired, she just wanted to fall asleep as her eyes fluttered. Still, she mustered up the strength to glance up at Meredith again.

“Meredith.”

“Yeah, I'm right here Jo.”

“Meredith,” Jo said, looking up at her again. “You have to promise me that Alex won't name our son Alex Jr. or some male version of Josephine like Joe or something.”

“AJ is a good name, though,” Alex countered and Jo smiled, but she shook her head.

Although it made her dizzy, she heard everybody shouting around her. She looked up to see that Schmidt was hanging more bags of blood and starting to squeeze them. She was still so tired and her legs felt very wet.

“What are you talking about, Jo? You're going to be here to pick out a name with him,” Meredith said, trying to sound lighthearted, but failing.

Jo closed her eyes before opening them again. They were so heavy and all she wanted to do was sleep. But she had to do this. “Promised me.”

“Okay, I promise,” Meredith said with a nod.

“Where's Alex? I want Alex,” Jo demanded, she didn't want to be without him right now.

“I'm right here, Jo,” Alex said as she looked over to see him sitting on a stool across the room, although he couldn't meet her eyes as Amelia was pointing a flashlight in them to check him.

“I want Alex,” Jo said again, losing the fight to keep her eyes open as they closed.

“Jo, Jo! Alex, get over here,” Meredith shouted, as she gripped Jo's hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Jo, I'm here, I’m right here,” Alex said, his voice pleading with her as he held her cheek.

She managed to open her eyes and smile up at him. As Alex glanced down at her, his eyes filled with tears but still he put on a smile for her.

“Can I hold our baby again?”

“Of course,” Alex said, glancing back at Hayes.

He had heard her request and was already bringing their baby back to her. He handed the baby to Alex who held him against her cheek.

She smiled and looked over at Alex again. “I like the name, Leo, Leonard.”

“I like that one too,” Alex said with a smile as the tears spilled over onto his cheeks. “And for a middle name, we should do Michael or Wilson for you.”

“I like Wilson,” Jo said, glancing over at her baby as he snuggled against her cheek.

“Yeah, I like it. Leonard Wilson Karev,” Alex said, rubbing a finger against Leo's cheek.

“It's kind of a mouthful,” Jo chuckled as she looked up at him.

“Yeah, it is,” Alex agreed, but he smiled too.

“I love you and tell Luna and Leo that I love them, to the moon and… and…” Jo couldn’t finish her sentence as she was too sleepy and had to close her eyes.

“No, Jo, please, please, don't go,” Alex begged her, but she had already closed her eyes and before she knew it she had drifted off into the darkness.

#alex karev #jo wilson #jolex #grey's anatomy #otp: home and heart #jo karev #meredith grey #cormac hayes #atticus lincoln #levi schmitt #carina deluca #amelia shepherd.#grey's anatomy fanfic #my fanfiction #my work #my writing

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chaoticorganizedmess · 2 years

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| Masterlist | Hawks Masterlist | Navigation |

Can't Quit You❤

Hawks and you are joined together for another mission overseas. Old habits die hard; old love dies harder.

Hawks/Takami Keigo x F. Reader

Warning: Smut Below💋👇🏻; Slight Angst to Fluff; Implied Cheating; Exhibitionism; Barebacking; Creampie [18+]

"We were a strange love. Too wild to last, too rare to break." -Atticus

Everyone knows being in city limits hinders the ability to view the stars above in their true glory. The sky looked like a black void stretched out up above. Though it was later in the night, there were a plethora of windows lit up in the buildings all across the horizon. It gave a romantic feel standing in for the absence of the twinkling stars, however it was hard to focus on that at the moment. The rising heat of your body made the stark contrast to the cold of the window against your skin all the more evident.

Your breasts being mashed into the glass of the sliding balcony door was the least of your worries. Hawks and you had been going at it since entering the hotel suite, ripping at each other's clothes and your mouths finding purchase on each other's lips in heated kisses. The two of you almost couldn't wait for the door of the room to be opened, nearly starting your elicit session in the hallway. The sexual tension had been growing increasingly more intense as the day wore on. It always did whenever you found yourselves joined up on a mission task force in a foreign place.

Like usual, it started with flirting on the plane to whatever your current destination was. Followed by longing glances across whatever conference room was used for your initial briefing or subtle, sensual touches whenever you two were close enough. It would come to a head at the end of the night as you made your way to the room or rooms to "turn in" for the night. This time the Hero Commission sprung for a Presidential Suite that included a living area, large kitchenette with upgraded amenities, a grand bathroom with glass walls to the deluxe shower and separate hot tub, as well as two individual bedrooms. There would be no need for the two of you to use each one, just as two separate hotel rooms were never used when you teamed up on these missions. The Commission didn't need to know that, though.

It never surprised either of you that you always ended up like this. Not even when it happened that first time. Keigo and you would always be drawn to one another. You were once in a long-term relationship together. The thing was, it was the first genuine, serious relationship for each of you. You both dated people here and there but once you ended up together things fell into place right away. Unfortunately, during a stressful time for Hero society the pressure was getting to you both. It was agreed upon that you would take a break. Yep, que the voice of Ross from 'FRIENDS': "We were on a break!" The short term time apart took longer than expected and before he even knew what happened Hawks had found himself in a new relationship.

She was nice enough. Really the initial appeal of her was that she has some physical characteristics that resembled you. However, turned out she was nothing like the real thing. No one could stand in your place, but Keigo felt like he was too far in to admit that now. The two of you had remained good friends since you were before you dated. However when it comes to ex-loves it's not uncommon for a new girlfriend to draw a line in the sand for her lover not to cross. Just as she ended up doing to Hawks. So he had to watch himself around you. Despite being offended it pained you to see him after that. Not just because he should of been yours, but the light was gone from his eyes. He looked to you with such guilt and longing anymore.

When that first mission came about you both fell into your comfortable, familiar chemistry. It was easier to be himself and be close to you again while on a top secret mission overseas. By the end of that first night, after he spoke to his girlfriend on the phone and wished her goodnight, he made his way down to the hotel bar. Not many people were in there at this time of night, however he recognized one familiar figure instantly. You.

You had been sitting at the bar nursing another drink. After having a good day alongside Keigo it hurt your heart to go to bed in your room, alone. It only reminded you of what you lost. What you didn't know at that time was that your ex was having the same thoughts and feelings. "Mind if I join ya, Kid?", he commented as he slid onto the stool next to you.

Your wide eyes turned to him in your surprise of hearing his voice, but your expression softened as you looked over his face. "Sure thing.", you replied with a smile. After sharing stories and laughs together, it was a few drinks later you two called it a night. The tension began to swallow you both that first night from the bar, to the elevator, and all the way down the hall to your rooms. You both stood at your doors before glancing up at each other simultaneously. The kiss that then resulted after you two came together heatedly a moment later was felt long overdue. He pushed you into his room and the rest had been history. Now the two of you jumped onto these missions when offered, not that you always had the choice.

It was strange. Keigo felt that he normally would have more guilt burden him with this affair going on. There was something about the fact that it was you that made him feel he was entitled to it. You two belonged to each other, after all. No matter the length of time spent apart, or whoever got in between you. He only felt like he was home buried inside you.

That leaves the two of you where you are now. He is standing behind you, thrusting up into your soft, gummy walls. The grunts and groans that are leaving his throat are downright sinful and has you clenching around his length each time it's back inside you as he fucks into you with varying speeds. "Fuck, Babybird.." He's panting even more now. Your mewls are doing nothing less than spurring him on more. His strong hands are on your hips; fingers digging into your soft skin there. You're sure there'll be little bruises there.

The excitement of having him take you against the large window of the sliding balcony door for anyone to see, despite being on a top floor, sends a thrill down your spine. "K-Kei...I'm gonna-" He cuts you off as he leans to hover his lips over the shell of your ear. "Go on. Cum on my cock." There would be no arguing as you tumbled over the edge into your next climax. You know you've had at least two so far tonight. The ensuing vice grip you had on his shaft had him following right after. You feel his cock pulse inside of you as he paints your insides just the way you love him to.

He doesn't pull out of you right away. He simply wraps his arms around your waist and holds your body close to his front. Keigo buries his head in the crook of your neck as he tries to regulate his breathing. One of your hands is left pressed against the glass in front of you but the other reaches back to find purchase in his wild locks. Things were still intimate between you two but you couldn't help but think something felt different in this moment. "Kei? Keigo, you ok?"

He didn't answer right away but he shakes his head a moment later. Your name then falls from his lips in a whisper. "Be mine again." His words were soft and quiet, as if he were scared to let them out. If you weren't listening you may not have heard him at all. You'd be lying if you said that wasn't what you wanted, but how was that gonna be possible with someone back in Japan waiting for him. Your brows furrowed slightly in confusion. "Kei, you have a girlfrie-"

"I don't.", he replied simply as he cut you off. "What?" You knew what he said but it was hard for your brain to process that he really said it. You turned you head a little more to look at him. Knowing what you wanted he brought his golden eyes to meet your gaze. "I ended it. Before we left Japan." Your mouth was agape as you listened to him explain the situation. "I couldn't keep it up. She wasn't you. She could never be my Babybird." He looked to you expectantly. For once he was unsure of what you'd say or how you'd react. He had dwelt on this since the break up, and he figured he would just come out with it.

You stared back at him. Inspecting his eyes and face for any sign of pranking. There was no amusement, though. He was being sincere. Keigo felt nervousness bubble up in him the longer you stared at him. Even if you didn't get back together he at least wouldn't be going back to living a lie once he got back home. You blinked a few times before pushing your lips against his. He met you with slow, loving kisses. After a few long moments you pulled away and smiled at the soft whine he let out at the loss of your lips. "I love you, Keigo." The warm smile that spreads across his handsome face does little to mask his contentment. Adoration for you dances in his eyes as they light up like you haven't seen in a long while. His forehead rests on yours and he lets out a relieved sigh, already feeling lighter despite all the love and affection he carries for you. "I love you, too.", he breathes out, "So much."

#bnha #mha #mha fanfiction #mha smut #hawks smut #hawks #hawks x reader #takami keigo x reader #takami keigo smut

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chasingpj · 3 years

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𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

"Bye, for now, puddles."

pairing: percy jackson x child of hecate!reader

words: 6,220

warnings: a little angst, missing a meal, death of a parent, i believe that is all.

timeline: post sea of monsters

if you want to be tagged every time I update this story, click here

a/n: hi hi! I'm so excited to finally get this chapter to you guys. I'm sorry this literally took a month. i was taking two writing-intensive courses this summer and i was just burnt out. i hope you enjoy it!

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten

A grunt escapes you; your contorted body weighs down the top of your suitcase as your damp fingers slip off the metal zipper. The unforgivingly humid weather provokes the heat of your efforts, adding to your discomfort. There’s urgency in your fingers, your frustration growing at each failed attempt to close your suitcase.

“Y/n! Hurry up!” Atticus shouts from outside of the Hermes cabin. As the zipper slips out of your grasp once again, you throw your head back in annoyance, hand coming up to push away wisps of hair that fall on your face. A familiar chuckle comes from the corner of the room, grabbing your attention from the wooden ceiling. Connor sits on the side of his bed; his comic book forgotten beside him as you fussing over your suitcase seems to be more interesting to him.

“It’s not funny,” you grumble, sitting onto your heels.

Connor rises from his bed, shrugging his shoulders with a smirk. He kneels by your suitcase, “It’s kinda funny.”

The corners of your mouth almost curve up, but you stop yourself, opting for a roll of your eyes instead.

“What the hades do you have in here?” The tips of his fingers turn white as he pulls on the little piece of metal. You shift your weight to the corner he works on, but it helps him as much as it helped you earlier.

“My brother’s left a bunch of books behind, so Lou Ellen and I split them up. She’s taking half, and I take the rest. We’ll study them and then exchange notes.” A hum of acknowledgment comes from Connor’s lips as he inches the suitcase closed.

“You guys are a bunch of nerds.” You squint at the other with a playful offense, and he laughs at your hardened features. “I bet you guys study more than the Athena Kids,” he teases.

“There’s a lot to learn,” you say simply, watching as he brings the zipper to the end. He leans back on his heels, and you move to take in the half-empty cabin.

The sight of the Hermes cabin being this tidy was foreign. There aren’t any sleeping bags on the floor; the belongings of your many cabin mates didn’t clutter the walls or the corners of the room as they usually do. It’s funny. There are always complaints of the cabin being too small, but it appears bigger without the mess.

“Will you and Atticus visit throughout the year?” Connor’s expression is hopeful. As the last day of camp approached, Connor’s wishes of a full cabin all year round became more apparent. The shift from a max-capacity cabin to a half-empty one must be a tough transition for social people like Stoll Brothers. If it were you, you’d be counting down the days of everyone’s departure.

You ruffle his brown locks, “we’ll probably stop by for, maybe, spring break?” Connor’s hopefulness begins to sag, and you frown. Spring break is pretty far from now, huh? “Depending on how mortal life treats us. You know, we might be back soon,” you add on quickly, hoping to lift his smile.

Though you wish to go home, you’re dreading all the supernatural activity you’ll have to deal with once you leave. Your father works tirelessly to protect the house, but entities always manage to get in. And if they can’t, they don’t mind hanging outside.

The hopefulness that faded from Connor’s face restores, and he gives you that famous mischievous smirk. “Well, I hope the ghosts bother you guys enough to come to visit early.” His tone is playful, but you can tell he meant some of his words. You laugh hesitantly and nod, rising from your suitcase.

“I’m glad you’re that eager to see us again.”

You thank him as he leans down, lifting the heavy suitcase from the ground for you.

“Y/n!”

“I’m coming!” You tug on the handle, glancing at Connor. “The year will go by fast, and soon this cabin will be bursting at the nails with new unclaimed people. Atticus, Lou, and I included. Anyways, you have your brother. You guys will find something to entertain yourselves.” You nudge him as you make your way outside.

“Yeah, you’re right. You will write to me, yeah?” Connor asks.

“Of course. I’ll send you snacks that you can’t buy at the gas station.” Connor’s arm pumps back to his side, hand in a fist as he hisses a “yes.”

The corners up your mouth hesitantly pull up as you push open the cabin door, finding Atticus and Travis talking on the porch. For the past week, the anticipation of your departure was killing you, but now that it was time to leave, you feel gloomy.

You knew the cause of your heavy heart was the uneasy tone of your going. Living day by day with the intention of moving on was hard. Because every time you look at their newly occupied beds, the sinking feeling in your chest returns. Every time you find yourself wandering in the forest, the memories of your often chaotic magic lessons flood your mind. You remember when Alice misaimed her wind spell, shooting Alabaster far into the trees. While you all rushed to check on him, Alice burst into tears because she was convinced she killed him only to approach a laughing Alabaster who shouted, “Right on!”

Every time you were in the Arts and Crafts center, you remember how you, Sage, and Lou would do Tarot Readings for the campers and how you would argue with the Apollo kids when they insisted your tarot cards are as honest as fortune cookies.

At the armory, you remember how Ambrose ran into James so hard, he stumbled and knocked down half of the shelves of weapons.

In the courtyard, you remember how Ernest, horrified by heights, produced the highest pitch scream he possibly could as he rode a pegasus for the first time under the persuasion of Alabaster.

All these memories, whether hilarious like your spell mishaps or bittersweet like when you and your sibling’s group hugged around Sage when she cried about her abusive stepmother, held a special place in your heart. Because the times where you laughed and cried together reminded you of the genuine bond, the family that was ripped away from you overnight.

“We'll see you guys soon. We should go. Argus will leave without us," Atticus says, relieved that Argus is still waiting for you on top of Half-Blood Hill.

“Have a safe trip, guys,” Travis says, patting Atticus’s shoulder before reaching out his arm and giving you a short side hug. You grab your things, hastily saying a final goodbye, and soon, you and Atticus are trudging up the hill.

Your free hand pats the pocket of your shorts, calming your worry of forgetting the necklace at the cabin. What rests in your pocket is a raw tourmaline crystal, now smooth with the help of Beckendorf, encased in a silver spiral cage.

You and Atticus carry protection crystals all the time, and they help with staying out of the radar of monsters and entities. After hearing Percy’s many stories of monsters bothering him, you figured he couldn’t be too cautious. Then after finding a spell in Alabaster’s many books that can dim down a demigod scent for a while, you decided to make him an enchanted necklace to wear.

You pack into the truck with Atticus right on time. Atticus sits in front of you, chatting away with Cecil as you make yourself comfortable in the back row with Ambrose. You frown; among the three other campers in the van with you, Percy isn’t one of them. Argus peeks into the back, doing a rough headcount. Great, now you’ll have to wait until next summer to give it to him.

Right, when you were going to chastise yourself for not giving him the necklace yesterday when you were done with it, a distant voice shouts, "wait!"

Argus halts in the middle of closing the sliding down and turns around. He shakes his head with disapproval while opening the door all the way, revealing out of breath Percy.

A smile widens across your face as he gets into the back seat with you, and you nudge Atticus’s seat.

"See, I told you we wouldn't be the last ones here.” You side-eye Percy, seeing the corners of his mouth pull up in amusement.

“Some people just don’t know how to get to places on time, huh?” Atticus says, and his eyes flicker to Percy before giving you a wide grin.

“Didn’t sleep in today, firefly?” There is a playfulness in Percy’s voice, and you smile proudly,

“Nope, not today.”

“It’s a miracle,” Percy mutters, loud enough for you to hear, and you scoff. Atticus snickers and nods in agreement.

“We were supposed to gang up on him, not you two on me.” You stick your tongue out at Atticus, and he returns the action.

“It’s more fun making fun of you,” Atticus teases.

“Rude,” you mumble with a slight smile on your face. The two boys chuckle, Atticus turning more into his seat to tell Percy something about a new Marvel movie. Excited voices fill the van as the other boys join in the conversation, and soon they are debating if Batman is really a superhero or just a rich guy in a suit.

You had to admit, as the conversation became more passionate, you were pretty entertained, but as you catch sight of Camp Half-Blood growing farther in the distance, you’re reminded of the ache in your chest. It’s only a temporary leave, but when you return, things will never be the same, and the false hope of your siblings returning has been proven to be foolish.

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

Following a ghost dog while weaving through the hustle and bustle of Grand Central is almost impossible. Atticus’s hand is latched to the straps of your bookbag as you move through people, trying not to roll your eyes at the way Ambrose turns to bark as if he was reprimanding you for being too slow. Easy for him to say when he can walk through walls and people.

“Track 28,” Atticus reminds you as your eyes find the number written on the tan bricks of the high walls. You make a sharp left towards the entrance of another hallway, ignoring the groans of a grouchy bystander that you may have cut off. The next hallway you enter is a lot less crowded than the main floor, and you slow down your pace.

“Where do you guys live again?” Percy asks as he jogs up beside you. He had insisted on walking you guys since his train departs in the same station.

“Sleepy Hollow.” Percy scrunches his face as if he recalls something, and you smile, waiting for the question everyone asks when you say you live there.

“Have you seen the headless horsemen?” Percy asks, half-joking. A snort leaves your throat, and you look at Atticus, who’s equally amused.

“Oh yeah, plenty of times.”

“Really?” Percy asks, his eyes wide with surprise, and you laugh.

“No.” Your response makes his face drop comedically fast, and Atticus bursts into laughter. “It’s just a story, but there’s a lot of history there, so the place is crawling with ghosts. We’ve met the guy who wrote the story, though,” you mention.

“No way,” Percy squints his eyes in disbelief.

“I’m serious! Atticus and I take walks in the cemetery sometimes. We leave drachmas on the graves of newly passed people, so their venture into the underworld is smooth, but some people like to wander.” You shrug. “Washington Irving is one of those people.”

“Cool,” Percy says with such enthusiasm that it makes you smile. Ambrose turns around and barks again, standing at the golden entrance that leads to the grey tunnel lit with fluorescent white lights where your train waits beside the concrete platform.

“He always rushes us,” Atticus complains, and Harvey lets out a coo that sounded close to a groan as if he agreed with him.

The marble floors turn to concrete as you enter the tunnel. The blue and silver train on your left hums as it sits dormant in its station. Ambrose trots ahead, peaking into the doors and windows to find an empty cart to occupy.

As you follow a few feet behind him, your fingers fiddle with the necklace resting in your pocket. You’re regretting not giving it to Percy earlier because, for some reason, the idea of giving it to him now was more intimidating than if you had done it earlier on the bus.

Ambrose decides on a cart, and Harvey jumps off Atticus’s shoulder, squealing happily as he follows the hound while completely ignoring a worried Atticus trailing close behind.

"I, uh, made this for you," you sputter, the words coming out fast like vomit. Your fingers pull out the crystal necklace abruptly, and you put it in the palm of his hand. "It's black tourmaline. It has protective qualities; good at keeping negative energy, negative auras, things like that. I put a spell on it to dim down your demigod scent for a while, so you catch a little bit of a break. It'll last for a few weeks, maybe a month or two if the spell caught on well."

You bite your lip as Percy studies the necklace resting in his hand. "Wow, really? Thank you, Y/n. This is great.”

Nervous, you shift on your feet under his bright, smiling orbs. "It's no problem. After everything that happened at camp, I think it’ll be good for you to have one.”

Percy nods, his features softening all of a sudden, and he shifts. “Thanks for protecting me,” he says, and you feel heat rush to your cheeks. “Getting rid of that thing became more than you expected. I felt bad that I couldn’t help. Swords aren’t really useful when it comes to demons, huh?”

A small laugh of agreement leaves your lips. “It was nothing. I wasn’t going to let you be tormented by that thing if I could help it.”

An announcement echoes in the hall, reporting the departure of your train in a few minutes. You glance over, catching Atticus, Ambrose, and Harvey with their noses practically pressed against the window as they witness your interaction with Percy. The amused smirk on Atticus’s face makes you roll your eyes; he’s definitely going to tease you when you get on the train.

"I should go.” You face Percy again, catching him securing the necklace around his neck. The stone rests a few inches under his camp half-blood necklace. "Thanks for walking us here. Be careful getting home."

"You too…” he trails off, noticing your brother looking out the window. For a second, he seems as embarrassed as you do and a nervous chuckle leaves his lips. “Your brother is waiting."

“He’s so annoying,” you complain, and Percy’s next chuckle doesn’t sound as hesitant this time. "Well, uh, bye, for now, puddles,” you tease, butterflies dancing in your stomach.

"Bye, for now, firefly."

You both awkwardly wave at each other before you turn around, getting on the train with Atticus. With your gaze fixed on the floor, you plop into the seat next to him. You don’t even need to look to know he is smiling teasingly at you.

"How cute,” he teases, nudging your shoulder repeatedly with his own.

"Ew, shut up.” You shove at his shoulder, your nose scrunching as he flails his arms against yours as if you were fighting. Atticus chuckles and a string of sounds come from your familiars as they join in to tease you, and you couldn’t help but laugh too.

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

The suburban streets of your neighborhood are filled with the chirps of birds and bugs and the sounds of cars that pass every once in a while. There isn’t much conversation between you and Atticus as you trudge up the hill leading to your dead-end street.

“Gods, I hope we can get inside without being seen,” you manage to say through your heavy breaths, lazily holding on to the handle of your suitcase as it rolls behind you. Ambrose’s nose nudges the back of your knees as if to encourage you, but it’s more cute than helpful.

“There’s no way that we are. Janie and Celia are always sitting on the neighbor’s porch.” You grunt in acknowledgment, knowing that Atticus is right. The neighborhood ghosts are friendly enough, but their company can be annoying.

As if on cue, you hear a delighted squeal from ahead the moment you reach the top of the hill. Two ladies wave their handkerchiefs in the air a handful of houses away.

Celia, the tallest of the two, wears a steel blue dress with a high neckline and a big bow tied on the base of her neck. She has a jacket button closed over her corset with a frill at the end of her sleeves. Her skirt is floor-length and complete, with ruffles cascading down its entirety. And, of course, no one can miss the high-crowned hat decorated with fake flowers, bows, and crimped fabric as it all sits on top of her blonde hair in an intricate updo. Janie, her sister, wears the same style of dress and headpiece only in a burgundy red. The resemblance between the two makes it clear that they’re siblings close in age. They have the same high pinched noses that jut in the air; both of their faces are regal like those in renaissance paintings.

You’ve seen them around for as long as you can remember. They were two sisters who died of scarlet fever a year before their first courting season, which was a big deal according to their constant moaning and groaning about it.

You look ahead, your expression blank as if their high-pitched voices didn’t fill the streets and they weren't racing toward you with their skirts in their hands.

“My word! It’s the end of summer already?”

“Atticus, you’ve grown taller!”

“What a handsome boy! Y/n, your shorts are too short, don’t you think?”

“It’s quite bizarre how such clothing is acceptable these days.”

“How beautiful you’d look in a gown like ours!”

“Where’s Alabaster?” Janie asks, attempting to circle her arm around Atticus’s, but he raises his arm to push back his damp hair to avoid the contact. She scoffs at his rejection and sighs.

“Alabaster was sweeter to us than you guys!” Celia pouts. Your heart sinks a little at the mention of him. Of course, they’d ask about him, and of course, your father will ask too.

Gods! Your father will ask about him.

You had forgotten you’d have to break the news today. These past few weeks, you debated whether or not you should do it by letter, but it felt wrong. It was only right that he’d find out in person.

“We know you can hear us,” Janie huffs.

“I hope dad doesn’t work late tonight. Do you think Grandma will be waiting for us?” You ask. As annoying as it was having spirits follow you, it was a little fun ignoring them when convenient for you. Atticus nods,

“Probably-”

“No one’s home,” Celia cuts in, and Atticus pretends to shoo a bug away to conceal that he paused from her interruption.

“But I don’t think dad is going to take long. He said his last lecture ended at three,” Atticus continues, and you nod.

‘I hope grandma came by to visit. I missed her.”

“I just said no one’s home.” Celia snaps, and you press your lips together to hide your smile.

Atticus sighs. “I know, I’m dying for those moon cookies she makes us.” At the mention of those cookies, your stomach grumbles. You hope Celia was wrong because you’re suddenly craving your grandmother’s cooking and her company. Her funny stories and voice that’s always a little too loud for the indoors never fails to cheer you up. As short and frail as she is, her voice and personality could fill a room.

“Me too,” you say shortly.

“Hello?!” Celia waves her handkerchief in your face, and you persisted in ignoring her. Suddenly, a sound of disgust comes from Janie as she brushes off her skirt.

“Y/n, retrieve this monster of yours!” She squeals as Ambrose bites the fabric of her dress, tugging on it with a growl.

“Damn this dog,” Celia shouts, attempting to shoo him away, but yelps in surprise as Ambrose snaps his jaw shut near her hand. “Get this thing under control! Y/n!”

Your hand comes up to cover your smile even though the two are shuffling behind you and a stifled chuckle comes from Atticus. The sound of Janie’s heels on the concrete becomes louder as she rushes beside Atticus again, and your smiles drop. The sight of your house comes into view, and you tilt your head confused; your father’s car is parked in the driveway.

“You said no one was home?” You say out loud, and Celia gasps beside you,

“Now you speak to me?” She snaps, halting as you approach the fence. She stands tall, hands folded in front of her elegantly as Janie’s expression is gleaming like a child on Christmas. “Your father requested to keep it a secret, so I obliged his wishes. He canceled his last lecture today to make you both a meal. What a lovely man.”

Your hand finds the latch for the white picket fence as you smile at the familiar narrow victorian-style house ahead of you. A path of cobblestone leads you to the brick steps of the small porch.

Your home sticks out from the more modern American houses that surround the area. It’s an antique, a snippet of history, as your father likes to say. The house is a russet brown only because the bricks are so old they’ve darkened in color. The house accents such as the window trims, porch overhang, and columns are copper, and the hipped roof has brown tiles that look like fish scales. Beside the porch, the bay windows from both stories stack on top of each other, and above the porch roof is the dormer that’s a part of your bedroom.

Gods, you’re yearning to be in your room. You just want to pull out your Murphy bed from the wall and bury yourself in your sheets. The idea of being in bed puts a pep in your step, and you are careful to avoid the salt ring that surrounds your house.

A butterfly passes by your face, flying to the bunchberry bushes your father has planted in the front garden. Among the grass, there are various flowers and herbs that your father grows in the summer. You’ve inherited many things from your father, but his green thumb isn’t one of them. He takes his gardening seriously while you can barely keep the cacti in your room alive.

“Enjoy your meal! Come talk to us one of these days. We missed you two!” Janie shouts after you as you make your way up the stairs. You turn around, Atticus smiling at them.

“We missed you, girls, too,” he says as if he didn’t want to admit it. Janie squeals something about how handsome his smile is, and you scoff, amused as you grab the doorknob.

Once you push the door open, you're hit with a rush of deja vu. The history channel plays faintly in the next room as you take in the home you’ve missed dearly.

There are two bookshelves against the wall on your right, a wide ledge with pillows under the bay windows. A messy coffee table filled with letters and stacked with books sits in front of the comfy reading nook, letting you know that your father was recently hanging out there.

There is a brown mahogany staircase that ascends upstairs to your left, and right beside it is the altar for your mother. A statue of her rests in the middle of the rectangle table covered in a black table cloth. On top of it lies the many offerings for your mom. Herb-dressed candles burn beside bowls of fruit, bouquets, a crystal enamel wine glass filled with alcohol, feathers, and other things. You ignore the altar as you put down your stuff beside the door, following Atticus as he takes off his shoes.

“Kids?” You hear your father call enthusiastically from beyond the foyer, and you persist forward into the entryway ahead of you.

“We’re home!” Atticus announces as he enters beside you. Ambrose barks making a beeline to the right and behind the kitchen counter. He jumps on your father with so much force he stumbles back.

“Gods! Why does he look even bigger?” Your father exclaims through a laugh, fixing the round glasses that threaten to slip off his nose as his other hand grips Ambrose’s paw. He yelps in surprise as Harvey's claws rest on top of his head, clinging to his hair to steady himself.

The warmth and smell of home fill your senses as you catch your dad’s gaze. “Well, come here! Are you going to hug your pops or what?”

You rush over with Atticus. Both of you hug your dad tightly on either side of him, and you smile as he presses a kiss on your temples. “I missed you guys so much!”

“We missed you too!” The smile on your face falters as he looks up, scanning the archway as if he was waiting for someone else. You shift, not ready to be faced with the question, and you peer around his body to look at the food on the stove behind him.

Your father notices your interest, and he chuckles. “Come on, let’s eat. You guys came right on time.”

You shuffle through the kitchen with Atticus, making your way to the rounded table at the end of the kitchen.

“Dad, what have you been up to?” Atticus asks teasingly, and your father perks up.

“I've done a lot of things to keep me busy. I volunteered to teach summer classes while you were gone. I’m reading this book with a fascinating perspective of the shift from Paganism to Christianity in Rome. It’s an amazing read; I highly recommend it. Though, I don’t quite agree with it.” Your father hums thoughtfully. “Oh! And I bought gnomes for our garden! And the thrift store had this little house and this old lady figurine! I put it on the porch. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but she’s the official guard of the door," he declares proudly. "And…” He twists and turns before heading to the bookshelves in the living room area. He grabs something from the shelf then he showcases a cartoon Dobby bobblehead with wide arms. A high-pitched cackle leaves his lips. “It completes our collection!”

“Woah! Where did you get it? We went to three different places for it, and we couldn’t find it.” Atticus matches your father’s excitement, and you snort at the two.

“I went to a mythology convention in Boston a few weeks ago. There was a game stop across the street from the center, and I thought, ‘why not?’ I went in, and I saw this little guy by the register.” Your father is giddy as he nudges the head and watches it jiggle in his hands.

You think of what your grandmother’s reaction would be if she saw all the things he bought on his trip to the thrift store. She’d definitely complain. She always said that even growing up, your father had a liking for knickknacks. On your shelves and counters, there are always little trinkets lying around. It even extends to the walls, a variety of paintings and diagrams are neatly hung beside each other. From the state of your house, it’s clear your father is a maximalist in its purest definition.

“Wow! That’s awesome!” Atticus reaches out his hand for it as your father brings over his entire collection of Harry Potter bobbleheads, the toys huddled in his chest before he places them on the dining table. “The whole gang can hang out with us for dinner.”

“I hope they like pasta,” Atticus comments, lining them up as your dad retrieves the pan of food.

Your stomach grumbles at the sight, and you’re quick to serve yourself as Atticus and your Dad talk about anything and everything. You guys discuss what your grandmother has been up to, how your father’s classes were going, which led your father to ramble so much he formed a tangent on top of another. The conversation was going so well that you were sure he wouldn’t ask about your summer, but you had assumed too soon.

“So enough about me! How was Camp?” Your father chirps, and you shift in your seat.

You smile with confidence to hide the wariness you felt. “It was great!” You figured if you keep your answer short, you could move past it quickly.

“Yeah, the usual. Fun as always,” Atticus adds.

Your father’s eyes flicker between the two of you, and the first thing he notices is the way your smiles don’t reach the rest of your face.

The clanging of metal utensils on glass plates fills the room as the both of you fixate on your food but neither take a bite. The camp was never a touchy subject. The sudden unwillingness to speak about it makes his eyebrow cock up in suspicion. His eye averts to the empty dining chair beside you and the dinner place settings that remained untouched. Alabaster was supposed to join your return home. At least, that’s what he had assumed.

“Did Alabaster decide to stay at his foster home?” There’s caution in his tone, and he’s taken aback at how both you and Atticus tense up. The clings of metal halt abruptly, and slowly, you move to glance at your father.

“Dad, something happened at camp this summer.” Now, it was your turn to have a tone laced with caution. Alabaster lived with you for months and quickly became a part of the family. Your father saw him as his second son, and you were afraid to break the news that he may never see him again.

“What happened? Did he get into trouble?” You frown at the sudden edge in his voice. Atticus shifts beside you,

“He took the others to go fight for the Titan Lord.”

“What?”

“Mother came to speak to him and told him that it was best to fight for the other side since their chances are better,” you say slowly. “They left at the end of July. Only Atticus, Lou Ellen, and I stayed at camp.”

Your father’s expression darkens, grief written all over his face. “And you haven’t seen them since?”

You shake your head, not wanting to delve into the details. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing them again in a while and not in the best circumstances.” Your father nods, understanding the implication in your words. “Mother promised that she’d take care of them if they fight for the other side. I didn’t want to go; it wasn’t right.”

“That must be why everything is rotting,” your father mutters more to himself. You furrow your eyebrows.

“Rotting? What’s rotting?”

“Our offerings to your mother,” he clarifies. “All the fruit I leave on her altar goes bad in a few days. The flowers wither quickly too. The garden, in general, hasn’t been doing well either. I didn’t understand why.”

Your focus returns to your plate. Suddenly, you weren’t that hungry anymore.

She must be angry, you think to yourself. A part of you wanted a sign from her to let you know if she was bothered you didn’t join. When the sign didn’t come, you assumed she didn’t care; that, in a way, you were dead to her. It didn’t dawn on you to ask how the altar or the garden your father dedicated to her was doing.

“Can I be excused?” You strain, your face a little hot, and you’re not sure if it was from your anger or from the tears you’re blinking away.

“Of course.” The warm smile on your father’s face fails to budge the dread you’re feeling. “You can be excused as well, Atticus.”

You miss the way your father and Atticus exchange looks as you stood up. There wasn’t a verbal agreement, but Atticus stands up tall, determined to make you feel better. He trails behind you, and suddenly, he slings his arm across your shoulders. “You know what’s one of the things I missed at camp?”

“What?” You ask, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in your chest.

“Beating you at Tekken,” Atticus teases. Your lips curve slightly; his playful nature manages to brighten up your mood a little bit. “Let’s play. I’ll go easy on you, but I’m sure you’ll still lose regardless.”

“You’re on,” you nudge him, and Atticus chuckles, walking ahead of you and up the stairs. Your hand grips the railing, and you walk up a few steps before halting, and your eyes find the front door.

“You don’t get it!”

“I don’t.” You shrugged, amused at the way Atticus’s eyebrows knitted in disbelief. He ignored you, grabbed the remote, and played the Star Wars movie again. You groaned, seeing the slanted letters move up the TV screen. “Atticus! I can’t watch this!”

“Why not?!”

“Well, first off, my dyslexia won’t let me read that quickly, and if a physically written prologue is needed before a movie… it’s not a good movie!”

“How dare you!” You threw your head back as a laugh bubbled in your throat. The exasperated look on his face was too funny. You had no desire to watch these movies, and you figured if you bothered him enough, he’d give up trying to show them to you. The shrug of your shoulders made him scoff. “Just watch it!”

A huff left your lips, and unwillingly, you returned your gaze to the screen. Suddenly, a hollow knock came from the front door.

“It’s late,” you said, but Atticus was too caught up in the beginning battle of the movie to pay any mind to you. Rarely did you get visitors, definitely not past midnight on a Friday. Cautiously, you rose from the couch and moved toward the door.

Rain erratically hit against your curtain-covered windows; the wind and cold made the walls around you creak as they adjusted. Whatever waited for you at the door, you just wished it was a person, not a weird ghost or monster. Your finger latched on the side of the curtain, allowing you to peek through the glass of your front door.

A gasp left your lips. Alabaster, soaked from the ruthless rain outside, was the last person you expected to see. But even though you didn’t expect him, you had an inkling as to why he was here.

Hastily, you unlocked the door and flung it open. “Al?” You sputtered; his green orbs were surrounded by tired eyes and puffy skin.

“He died this morning,” he strained. Your expression softened, and before you could say anything, Alabaster stepped forward and hugged your shoulders tightly. The raggedness of his breath, the shutter of his body, sent your chest a weight of sorrow. You couldn’t imagine being in his shoes and losing your father to a long battle with cancer at 14. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes; the person you looked up to the most was breaking down. You never thought he would need your help for anything, but it seems that you were wrong. “I’m sorry. You guys live the closest to me, and I didn’t know where to go-”

“It’s okay,” you interrupted. “Oh, Al, I’m so sorry,” your voice cracked, hands rubbed his back as a sob left his lips. A creak of a floorboard caught your attention, and you turned to see a confused Atticus emerging from the living room. With a sad look, he understood what happened, and soon his expression was mimicking yours.

“I’ll wake dad and get clothes,” he said, then rushed upstairs.

Your father didn’t even hesitate to help Alabaster, opening the doors of your house to him. In his greatest time of need, the three of you stood beside him, and overnight, he had a place in your home and in your heart. The three of you spent so much time playing video games, getting into trouble around town, learning magic. All the good times you and Atticus shared with him, were they really worth throwing away to fight with Kronos? You realize now that his departure was never only a betrayal to the camp but to you, Atticus, and your father, and you couldn’t help but think perhaps, you guys didn’t mean as much to him as he meant to you.

A shaky sigh leaves your mouth at the thoughts persistent to ruin your mood. The desire to leave camp was to avoid all the things that reminded you of your siblings, but now that you returned home, you realize that running away isn’t as easy as you thought.

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if your username is bolded that means i can’t tag you ! you probably have your visibility settings on!

#percy jackson and the olympian fic #percy jackson imagine #percy jackson x you #percy jackson oneshot #percy jackson fanfiction #percy jackson fic #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson x reader #percy x reader #percy jackson #percy jackson x y/n #my writing #percy jackson and the olympians fanfiction

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ediths · 3 years

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fic recs january 2021

hi guys!! okay so i got to thinking and i’ve seen a lot of these posts around so i made my own!! i think that fic rec masterposts are such a great way to support writers and get more people to have the chance of seeing fics!!! plus i’m leaving a bit of feedback too :))

if you know of any fics that you’d like to share a little love on / you’d like me to read so that i can reblog and give it a little love, send me an ask with the title and the author’s url!!!

so here it is, all the fics that i read in january 2021 (and the very end of december but i’m including them anyway)

total number of fics listed: 92 (series counted as a single piece)

@moonchildstyles

aster / tattoo artist harry aster | daffodil | sweet pea | gardenia | poppy

i read this entire series at like 8 am after not sleeping the night before and oh my god i was literally so soft!! like this is so fucking cute i literally felt like i was going to throw up the entire time (in the best way yk) like omg the butterflies i got from this series? unmatched. also, i feel that it’s necessary to add the part of this that made my heart absolutely explode: Harry’s thumb stroked her jawline, a smile molding his features. “Y’not a baby love, unless you want to be my baby. And I like you a lot, too. And stuff. like okay kill me <3

alright so h is literally so sweet in this one!! he’s so gentle and lovely and i truly fell in love with him in the very first few paragraphs. and he’s so out of tune with everything but he’s trying his best to understand and just... sigh. “I’d look forever for you, if I had to.” love love love this line so much it’s literally the perfect way to tie everything together

this is very creepy during the first chapter but in such a good way!!! i literally found myself gasping and i barely ever vocally react to a fic unless i am squealing at the fluff or crying but i vocally react to lindsee’s fics literally they are so good pleaseee. and omg the growth throughout this fic truly is impeccable i swear.

@gucciwins

adore you

okay this is so cute!!! loved every single word of it!!! there was a bit of angst at the very beginning that had my heart hurting but it was all mended by the end!!! the dad!harry content was absolutely immaculate omg i literally loved reading about atticus!!!!! i absolutely love long pieces and i think that this piece was the perfect length!! there were so many things that were packed in there but it didn’t seem rushed or jumbled or anything like that!!!!

@soysauceharry

watashi no sakura

okay first things first, i love japanrry in any form so i knew just by looking at the description that i was going to love this regardless of what was in it. to be honest i didn’t expect him to have a penny board that he used to get everywhere but there’s something so cute about that to me. throughout this entire fic, i was so amazed at the way that their relationship moved along so naturally and at such a good pace. i feel like there’s an art to making things move along at the right pace, and you definitely have that down!! i truly loved this fic so much and will probably be coming back at times to reread!

@havethetimeofyourstyles

143

i am very in love with this!!! boxer!h is so freaking yummy plus it’s so well written that i can feel everything, which is so amazing. i love that i’m able to feel all the emotions and picture everything while reading!! my heart broke a bit for harry while he was sad and just looking for love in any way he could find it. like mega sigh. also, i love the way that the characters are introduced. like, y/n doesn’t come at the very beginning but it’s so natural when she’s finally introduced. and omg the interactions that they had??? the reassurances??? *chef’s kiss*

baby, it’s cold outside

before i even started reading this, i knew i would love it!!! teacher!h has a special place in my heart for some reason i truly love him so much!! oh my god the yearning in this piece is so heartbreaking!!!! i literally read through the entire thing thinking that i was going to cry because of how much i could feel y/n and harry yearning for each other. sigh this is so cute i will definitely be rereading (most likely multiple times)

bright & blooming

ahhh this is literally so cute i live for the long distance friendships + only seeing each other over the summer!!! that is literally so amazing to me that you love someone that much to wait all year to only see them for a month!!! and this was such a good representation of the love and yearning that come with that!!! and i absolutely adore the way that you described each of them and their nicknames for each other!!!! love love love!!!

where the world takes you

this is my study abroad dream!!!!! the loveliness of them meeting and drunk!harry is just so sweet i love it so much!!! and the way that the flashback is in the middle and explains everything is so genius!!! and the full circle of it all makes me so happy!!! also the way that i cried at the end of the four months!! like that was heartbreaking but everything was pieced back together as it went along!!!

extra credit

this is prof!h so you know it’s great!!! i am such a sucker for this au i swear. this was so cute!! the way that everything progressed and the confession and the tension!!!! and then the “Yours.” at that one part had me screaming!!! and the way that he literally had a plan oh my god that’s so cute!!!! i love their dynamic so much!!!

deep sleep

this is so :) :( :) :( if that makes sense!! like i love love love dad!harry but there are just a few things that make me want to sob <3 i absolutely adore it though!!!!! it’s very sweet how mr. styles comes out here comforting as he should!!!!

beautiful inside & out

this is so sweet oh my god it’s beautifully written and i really felt everything that was going on!! personally, i’m not a person of color, but i think that this piece truly was written so wonderfully and it’s very lovely!!!! the insecurities made me literally want to cry, but the way that h was there to comfort was very nice, it made me so soft!!

admiring

this is so sweet!! the background snippet in there is so well done i love getting to know exactly how they met!!! and the way that harry’s being admired is just!!! so good!!!! like i love the descriptions and the feelings connected to that!!!! the entire thing is just so cute!!

for your eyes only

i shed tears reading this!! like it is so sad but also so happy!! i know that makes no sense but there was just a sense of my heart breaking and then it being put back together again and i love that!!! definitely a fantastic use of ‘if i could fly’ which is one of my fav one direction songs so that’s just a plus honestly!!!

@greenorangevioletgrass

to feel good

miss ava!!!! coming out strong with your first harry fic!!!! it’s so lovely, so pure, so sweet!!!! the memories that are included make everything that much better!!! the flashback really fills out everything nicely!!! the interaction that the two of them had at the end was so comforting to read like... that’s literally one of the most wonderful endings i’ve ever experienced on a fic like this!!!

@adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy

demon!harry angel!y/n - a total of 51 blurbs, drabbles, and one-shots demon!y/n - a total of 8 blurbs, drabbles, and one-shots

yeah okay so there are...... a lot of things here so i’ll do a demon!harry + angel!y/n feedback thingy and a different one for demon!harry + demon!y/n demon!harry + angel!y/n: he’s such an asshole but he’s... already kinda turning soft like... he’s already got the little simp showing through!! “ When it comes to love, if it doesn’t hurt, it isn’t fun.” i’ll cry right here right now what the fuck is this?? sigh. “Tell me…” He gulps thickly, licking his burning lips in anticipation, “tell me you want me. Tell me this— whatever this is— tell me it’s real.” yeah that made me almost scream literally shut up andrea. also not me reading this and literally sobbing at some of the pieces like... no <3 “I promise on my soul— as damned as it may be— that I will not let anything bad happen to you. I swear.” i literally want to set myself on fire what the hell the things your brain comes up with literally what the fuck. i literally read all 51 pieces in a day and cried a million times but they were just because i’m soft for simprry. demon!harry + demon!y/n: okay so i am writing this after i’ve read the first two pieces and.... that escalated quite quickly i would say!!! if you like smut, you’ll like this!!!!!! if you like smut just go to andrea she’s got you!!!!! and we see some more simprry but not full swing because he doesn’t want to admit that he’s wrapped around her finger!!! and the way they’re not exclusive but they’re each other’s? *chef’s kiss*

@jawllines

harry is the bad boy cliché of y/n’s dreams, she just doesn’t know it yet

this is so very sweet, so very soft!! all the pet names have me crying omg it’s literally one of the cutest things!!!! the way harry is so soft for her and he’s just so sweet and so obvious about his feelings even though she doesn’t completely see it is so sweet!!!!

harry’s a porn star and y/n is new

i love their dynamic here!! they automatically click and everything between them is so genuine and lovely!!! the way that they care about each other so immensely even though they haven’t known each other that long is so beautiful!!

harry is y/n’s dominant

okay obviously this is like... smut but it’s so much more than that!!! their relationship is so sweet and lowkey domestic even from the very beginning and i love the trust that they have in each other!!! very cute!! and the ending was so so perfect!!!

y/n works in a roller rink and harry goes there to read

literally so sweet!!! the shy, kinda introverted h is to ide for!!!! and the way that they’re so cute together ahhh!!!!!! and i absolutely love the way that they support each other and are falling for each other before they even admit that they are!!!!

harry’s a vampire and y/n never dresses for the weather

i love how when they met it wasn’t on great terms and he couldn’t get her off his mind so he was like “no, stay away!” but he was already so whipped for her and then!!!! when he asked how to be warm for her??? that made me so soft i literally thought i was going to cry.

harry and y/n are best friends and y/n isn’t his “type” (or so she’s heard)

this is so absolutely soft!!! they’re so whipped for each other and don’t even know it!!! and miss y/n hearing things made my heart break but all was well at the end!!! love love love!!! the entire dynamic that they have is so fun plus there were peeks of jealous h so that’s always a win!!!

y/n and harry don’t really mesh well, until they do

we love a bit of an enemies to lovers moment!! and the whole “y/n’s being a good friend to jeff, that’s it” and the tension and the drunk cuteness and literally all of it, it’s so wonderful!! harry being a softie is one of my weaknesses and although he’s a bit mean at first, he redeems himself!!

harry’s on the football team and y/n steals a dog

this is absolutely so cute!!! y/n has such a beautiful little personality and harry feeling things with her even though his “reputation” is different than hanging out with people like her is so great!! and the way that he takes up for her and the way that she comforts him is so lovely!!

harry is y/n’s grumpy neighbor and he has a secret part 2

this is actually the second time that i’ve read this fic tbh!! it’s just so good!! the dynamic of him trying to stay away from her because it’s dangerous for her to be too close to him and then him trying even harder to stay away from her and hide his feelings only for her to make a move is golden.

y/n pretends to be harry’s girlfriend

okay this one hurt a bit at first. i wanted to flick h in the forehead at first for trying to make someone else jealous with y/n but he redeemed himself as he does so i shall let him off the hook this time haha. i think that the way that they progress is so sweet plus!!! everyone loves a good fake dating au!!!

werewolves exist... pt. 2

this is the first werewolf au i’ve read in a while and it’s actually really good!! i love how everything progressed and the way that harry was like.... this isn’t supposed to happen like this!!!! it’s all very cute and it’s very enemies to lovers-esque even though they aren’t enemies lmao

y/n delivers sweets and harry lives on the side of a mountain

this made me so sad tbh like... the fact that they treated harry so bad just because they judged him before they know him makes me so sad and i really wanted to punch some people but it’s a fictional universe so i can’t actually do that lol. but the way that y/n was with him made me so soft i really love this piece

y/n is on harry’s tour crew and harry just think’s she’s lovely

y/n is so sweet in this piece!!! it makes my heart hurt when harry gets overwhelmed and snaps but thankfully everything is well in the end and he gets his act together so that he can realize what is truly important!!!

harry is y/n’s criminology instructor part 2

this dynamic is an automatic yes and that’s on my love for this au. anyway, the way that he was like “it’s just a kiss” made me absolutely want to scream but i didn’t and thankfully i didn’t write him off as a prick because he’s actually so sweet and he takes care of her and loves her and just... he’s everything.

harry used y/n as a model for his art final

i wanted to smack harry upside the head so hard when he kept talking about his crush when y/n just wanted a good partner. thankfully he finally saw the light and realized that the only thing he wants is y/n by his side because y/n is there for him and cares about him and loves him

#fic recs #harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles smut #i was reading SO MUCH at the beginning of january but i've kinda dropped off :(#i'm hoping to read more this upcoming month though!!#i have three fics that i want to read before i go to bed but they'll be on the next list :)

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fangirlings-things · 4 years

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GREY'S ANATOMY PREFERENCE: THE MOMENT THEY REALIZE THEY ARE IN LOVE WITH YOU

A/N: I've been rewatching grey's and fell in love with the characters all over again. I'm thinking about doing a female edition to this so let me know what you guys think 💖

Derek Shepherd → he would realize he loved you when he found you on an on call room, crying because of a patient’s diagnosis. You had gotten too close to that case, too involved even though he had warned you not to. To see you in such pain over someone else’s future, your compassion and the amount of care you showed to all of your patients, it made him see just how much he himself cared about you. How much he wanted to be the one by your side to comfort you when you needed.

“It’s so unfair, Derek. So unfair” you tried to contain your sobs, as he sat by your side at the floor, leaning his back against the bed. He had locked the door behind him, knowing you wouldn’t want anyone to see you like that. “She’s had cancer four times. Her children won’t come to visit. Her husband died years ago. She’s going to die all alone and there’s nothing I can do about it”

“Come here” he passed one of his arms around your shoulders and pulled you close, until you laid your head on his shoulder and he could hug you tightly. “She’s not going to be alone. You and I, we’ll be here for her” he kissed the top of your head, coming to terms with his feelings at last. “You and I” he mumbled, sighting.

Mark Sloan → he would realize he loved you when after a long shift, he saw you drinking at Joe’s with your closest friends. From across the bar he heard you laugh and tell jokes, having real fun. That with the talent you showed at the hospital everyday would make him see that you were an amazing person, someone he would really like to be together with. Someone he could love deeply.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked while approaching the table you were on, having just gotten the courage to do so, as your friends had just left together. He couldn’t help but find beautiful the surprised look on your face.

You pointed to the said seat with your right hand, that held the drink. “What do I owe the pleasure, Doctor Sloan?” the small smile on your lips got to him.

“I thought you could use some company” he shrugged, sitting down and asking two more drinks to be delivered. His eyes were intensely focused on yours. “And please, call me Mark”

Alex Karev → he would figure out his feelings for you because of a fight you two have. You were colleagues working on the same case and the fight would happen at the hospital, arguing in the corridors loudly enough for the nurses and other doctors around to have to come near and calm you both down. To see your determination, your fierceness in fighting him for what you thought was right, made him see how much of a strong person you were and it awakened things in him.

“You’re such a child! Did you know that, Alex Karev?” you shout at him, your fierce look locked in his eyes as you did so.

“And you're stupid, seems like we’re even” he had a smile on his lips and his hands on his waist, and the tone on his voice made your roll your eyes and turn around to leave. You could feel the eyes of all the members of the staff on you both. “So you’re walking away now? That’s mature” he spoke up.

“When you decide to see reason, page me” you said, without turning around. Your confidence made him actually laugh.

Jackson Avery → he would realize he was in love with you when you stood up to him during a patient’s case, where he was making a mistake on purpose in a diagnosis, to test the interns and no one else in your class had the nerve to tell him so. You faced him in front of everyone else, with politeness and yet, confidence. He was so admired and proud of your attitude, that he later went to compliment you personally in private.

“It was a good thing, what you did back there” he said with a little smile on his lips, his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, since he had ended his shift and was about to leave. “None of the others dared to say anything, but you did”

“I had to�� you looked down at your feet, embarrassed for receiving such a compliment from an attending. “The others wouldn’t say anything, so I couldn’t let the patient at risk just because you’re my boss”

“And that is why you’re scrubbing in with me tomorrow” he said, the smile on his lips getting bigger because of your words.

“Really? Thank you, doctor Avery!” you smiled brightly at him, finally looking him in the eye, letting your embarrassment aside.

“Perhaps after the surgery, I could take you to dinner” the plastic surgeon continued, and your eyes widened at that. Jackson Avery couldn’t just have asked you out. He chuckled by your expression, licking his lips for a brief moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow, (Y/N)” he turned around, and then walked away.

Owen Hunt → he would realize he had feelings for you that went beyond friendship when he saw you speaking up to a patient that had been disrespecting you. He would notice your educated arguing, the patience and your responsibility and that would make him respect you even more. Afterwards, he would see how you had been hurt by the patients words though, and the pain it caused him would make him notice just how much and strongly he really liked you.

“It was quite rough in there” he got close to you in the corridor, leaning his back against the wall as yourself did. “You did good, in defending yourself”

“I had to” you sighted, arms crossed over your chest. “I’m doing my job just like everyone else here, I don’t deserve to be treated like that when all I’m doing is trying to help”

“Of course you didn’t deserve that. Some people they’re just…” Owen sighted, shrugging slightly.

“Stupid” you completed.

He chuckled, putting a hand on your shoulder and squeezing it lightly. “Yes, stupid. Don’t let them get to you”

Atticus Lincoln → he would realize how he felt about you as you two were scrubbing into a long surgery together, washing your hands side by side and you would admit to be going through a rough time in your personal life, outside the hospital. The fact that you trusted him enough to tell him that, made him happy and proud of himself. He loved the idea of being close to you, of making you feel good and that’s what he intended to do.

“If you want, we could do something together tonight” he suggested, looking at you with warmth in his bright eyes. “Maybe watch a game, order some food or grab some drinks if you prefer”

You smiled at him, continuing to wash your hands. “I would love that, Link. Any of those things would be really great”

“Great” he replied, averting his eyes from yours as he could feel his cheeks burning a little. The fact that you would love those things with him made his day. “That’s really great”

As you two walked into the OR, all he wanted was the end of that shift so that he could spend time with you.

Andrew Deluca → he would notice he had feelings for you when he has a nervous breakdown after a 48 hour shift, unstoppably trying to find a diagnosis for his patient, but having no success. You were the one who helped him, who made him eat and stood by him when others judged him for not being himself. You understood that he wanted to help, to be useful. And that meant the world to him.

“I-I have to find something, anything. I have to figure out what’s happening, (Y/N)” he stumbled on his words, hands on his hair as he took deep breaths, eyes running around the room as he felt like he was going to suffocate.

“Andrew, look at me” you got his hands in yours and made him look deeply into your eyes, smiling to try to give him some comfort. You hated to see him like that, so nervous. “We’re going to figure out what’s wrong. I'll help you. I’m here for you”

“Thank you, thank you” he passed his arms around you and hugged you tightly. You could feel his breath on your neck as you tightly hugged him back. He silently promised himself that after that craziness ended, he would tell you how he felt.

Nathan Riggs → he would realize he had feelings for you when he would overhear you saying to Jackson that you felt slightly jealous of Meredith because of him. Because he had been asking her out. It shocked him, to know you felt that way. He had always thought you considered him like nothing more than a friend. But to know that you in fact wanted to go out with him, to know that you had interest, it changed everything.

“I overheard you speaking with Jackson” he said, when you entered the on call room he had just paged you to. Your eyes widened and you wanted to run away and he continued to speak. “You said you were jealous of Meredith”

“You weren’t supposed to hear that” you sighted heavily, embarrassment filling your whole being.

“I’m glad I did, though” he walked towards you, standing now just a few steps away. His proximity made a chill run through your spine. “Do you want to go out with me, (Y/N)?”

You smiled to yourself, still not believing that was actually happening. “You know I do”

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khaleesiofalicante · 3 years

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This is War - A Crack Fic

All the chaotic, horny energy today had to be channelled somewhere, right?

You can read the fic here on ao3 too :)

Central park was a vision to behold. There were no mundanes within sight. The warlocks had made sure to glamour the entire area just for today.

“We are not shadowhunters,” Ragnor had said. “We don’t half ass things.”

He of course had left immediately after securing the parameter saying he didn’t want to be involved in another one of Magnus’ childish squabbles.

“Welcome everyone,” Simon said, standing on a podium hadn’t been there before. Where was that from?

“Why is he wearing a robe?” Helen whispered to her wife. Aline just shrugged.

“For far too long we have been trying to settle this debate,” Simon said in a deep voice that was not that deep. “But today, we must settle on an answer.”

Jace rolled his eyes. “Can we get to the good part?”

“Jace, you promised you’ll let me have my moment!” Simon hissed at him and then cleared his throat. “Today we will decide the most pressing crisis of our time. Who broke the coffee maker in the Lightwood-Bane household?”

“Wasn’t me,” Magnus shrugged. “If I did, then I would have fixed it immediately. It was obviously Alec.”

“Liar!” Alec gasped. “I love coffee. I love that coffee maker. Why would I break it?”

“Well, to love is to destr-” Jace spoke up.

“Honey, not now,” Clary shushed him.

“Listen, the kids can’t obviously reach the coffee maker yet,” Magnus pointed out. “And I’m not the one who takes out my frustration on inanimate objects. I mean we all know what happened to the kettle in the institute.”

There was a soft murmur from the shadowhunters of the New York institute.

“I WAS HAVING A BAD DAY!” Alec argued.

“Just admit you broke the coffee maker, Alec,” Magnus said.

“I didn’t do it!” Alec replied. “You’ve always been jealous of the coffee maker.”

Magnus snorted. “Jealous? Me? Pfft. You’re the one who is obsessed enough with the darn thing to name it.”

“Treat lightly, Magnus,” Alec said. “Charles is already dead. Why would you-”

“ENOUGH!” Simon said into the microphone. When did he get that? “Like I said, this childish argument has gone for too long. Today we will settle it like the civilized adults that we are.”

Simon bent down and picked up a giant gun.

“PAINTBALL FIGHT, Y’ALL!” he yelled.

Everybody started cheering – with way too much enthusiasm for a Monday morning.

“Alright. Magnus, Alec – whoever loses the game will agree that they broke the coffee maker, and we will put this whole thing behind us and move on. Do you agree to these terms?”

Magnus and Alec looked at each other and then nodded at Simon.

“Alright!” Simon grinned. “Pick your teams!”

Little Rafe ran towards Magnus.

Alec gasped. “Betrayed by my own blood.”

Max ran towards Alec. “We are going to win. I always win.”

Alec grinned at that. “I pick Jace.”

Jace grinned back and ran up to his parabatai. “Ohhhh y’all are so going down.”

Magnus laughed. “We’ll see about that, blondie. I pick Emma.”

“Oh damn,” someone said from the crowd.

“Emma, this is a paintball fight,” Alec pointed out. “You can’t use Cortana.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just for emotional support,” she said with a wicked gleam.

“Alright,” Alec said. “I pick Julian.”

“Isabelle,” Magnus called.

“KIT!” Alec yelled.

“TIBERIUS!” Magnus thundered.

“Count yourself lucky that it’s daytime,” Alec said. “Otherwise, I would have called Lily and she would have destroyed all of you!”

“Already making excuses for your imminent failure?” Magnus chuckled. “I choose Helen and Aline!”

“You can’t pick them both!” Alec argued.

“I can and I just did,” Magnus winked.

“Yeah, Helen and I won’t fighting in opposing sides,” Aline shrugged. “Sorry, Alec.”

“I got the lesbians!” Magnus laughed. “You are going down, Alexander.”

“You wish,” Alec said and whistled. Diego showed up behind him. “I got the Inquisitor!”

“Clarissa,” Magnus said. “The Angel’s chosen one.”

“Babe,” Jace said. “You can’t!”

“Everything is fair in love and war,” Clary shrugged, pointing a gun that was bigger than her. “And this is war, biatch!”

“Kieran!” Alec called and the unseelie king materialised from some corner and ruffled Max’s hair.

“Mark!” Magnus called.

“Cris-”

“Oh no you don’t,” Cristina lifted her finger warningly. She was perched on top of a tree. “I’m not going to be a part of this madness. I got a medicine kit right here. So, if anyone needs me, just holler, okay?”

“And I will excuse myself as the referee of course,” Simon pointed out. “Alright. Standard paintball rules apply. No serious injuries. If you get shot, then you’re off the game. Last team standing wins. And no runes or downworld powers. We are gonna fight mundane style.”

“YAS!” Kit cheered, already cuddling his paintball gun.

“Alright then,” Simon waved a flag. Where did he get THAT from? Did he have a bag of equipment just lying around?

“LET THE BATTLE OF THE COFEE MAKER BEGIN!” Simon yelled.

And then there was chaos.

The warlocks – mostly Ragnor – had changed the area into a paintball area. There were places to hide behind and attack from. It was really elaborate. Maybe Ragnor had more fun designing this space than he had let on.

“Alright,” Alec said to his team. “Let’s keep this simple. Take down anyone you see.”

“Anyone? What about our significant others?” Jace asked. “Do we shoot them down too?”

“Of course not!” Alec chastised. “We are not animals! Is that clear?”

“Yes, Consul!” everyone yelled.

“I DON’T CARE IF THEY ARE YOUR BOO OR YOUR BAE, THEY ARE GOING DOWN,” Magnus said to his team. “FIND YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS FIRST. THEY WILL NOT EXPECT YOU TO STRIKE! USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. ONLY SIGNIFICANT ENEMIES. IS THAT CLEAR?”

“YES CAPTAIN!” they all cheered.

They all broke out and ran to find their targets.

It wasn’t even five minutes since the game had begun and Kit ran straight into Ty.

“Hey,” Kit waved.

Ty pounced and pinned Kit to the ground. He pointed his gun at his boyfriend.

“Alec said we can’t hurt our significant others,” Kit put up his arms.

“Our captain said no such thing,” Ty replied. “You’re not-…Why are you grinning? I got you pinned down.”

“It’s my favorite place to be,” Kit smiled. “I open my eyes and there you are. You’re beautiful.”

“Stop flirting with me when I’m trying to fight you,” Ty blushed and then held out his hand. “Fine. I didn’t see you and you didn’t see me.”

Kit winked at him and ran away.

Mark and Kieran found each other next. They both held their guns at each other – neither of them shooting.

“This is childish,” Kieran pointed out. “I’m already bored.”

“Wanna go sit on that tree and hang out with Cristina?” Mark winked.

Kieran grinned and the two of them ran away too.

Helen and Aline looked at them and shrugged.

“We could just live stream the whole thing,” Helen pointed out. “Lily would like to see this.”

“I don’t know what that means but if that’s what you want to do and that’s what we shall do,” Aline smiled and and kissed her wife.

“Clary,” Jace said in relief when he saw her. “Thank god! I thought someone-”

There was sudden pain in his chest and he looked down to notice the big green splotch on this t-shirt.

“You...You shot me,” Jace said, sounding hurt.

“Jace, I’ve already stabbed you in the past and you once set me on fire,” Clary rolled her eyes and ran away to find her next target. “Get with it!”

“JULIAN ATTICUS BLACKTHORN,” Emma yelled and ran towards him. “YOU’RE GOING DOWN.”

“Not today,” he winked at her.

Emma blushed furiously just before attacking him. It wasn’t easy. Emma was skilled at close range combat, but Julian knew all her weak spots. So, they were even.

They wrestled for a while before Julian pinned her to the ground. He was breathing hard, his pupils dialed.

“I’m sorry, but this is strictly business,” he shrugged with a mischievous grin.

“But we are still on for tonight, right?” Emma asked. “I finally got a reservation at that Italian place you like.”

Julian’s eyes softened a litte. “You did?”

“Yes,” Emma smiled and hooked her legs on his ankles and flipped them in the blink of an eye. She shot him on the stomach and kissed him on his lips. “See ya at seven!”

Unlike everyone else Isabelle was not going to be fooled or manipulated by her significant other. Thank the Angel Simon wasn’t a part of this. She really liked the feel of the paintball gun in her hands. It was huge, powerful, messy and colorful too. Her kind of weapon.

She ran around the park and took down the others mercilessly. There were only a few of them remaining now – everyone else had already been shot.

But not Isabelle.

She didn’t care about the coffee maker of course. The argument was a ridiculous one.

She just wanted to win.

In the distance, she saw Emma take down Kit and Diego shoot Ty. She was off to destroy the Inquisitor when she had a familiar cry.

“Baby,” she ran to him. “My little blueberry muffin. Are you okay?”

“I fell,” Max sobbed. “Somebody pushed me.”

“Tell me who did this and I will-”

“ISABELLE DON’T!” she heard Magnus yell.

But it was too late.

There was a giant blue splotch on her white blouse.

“Max?” she asked in betrayal.

The boy just giggled and ran away.

In this distance, she now saw Diego covered in red, with a very satisfied Rafael hanging upside down from a tree.

And then the rest of them went feral.

“Surrender, Alexander,” Magnus said an hour later, holding up his gun, which was covered in glitter. “Everyone on your team is down.”

“Well, I don’t see anyone from your team standing either,” Alec pointed out.

“I still am,” Magnus said.

“So am I,” Alec replied.

“Give it up, Alexander!”

“Never,” Alec said adamantly. “This is for the coffee maker. I loved it so much!”

“Then you shouldn’t have broken it,” Magnus argued.

“I didn’t!” Alec said in frustration. “I love it so much because…because that’s the first thing you bought for me.”

“Oh,” Magnus said, the grip on his gun softening lightly.

“I know you have bought me so many expensive gifts but the coffee maker…it’s always been my favorite. I remember walking into your apartment one day, we weren’t even properly back together then, and you just bought it for me.”

“Well, you drink a lot of coffee,” Magnus grumbled.

“Yeah and you noticed. And you got me something so I wouldn’t feel weird in your apartment. You bought it so make me so comfortable. That’s when I realized I really, really like you.”

Magnus blushed a little. “Well, then now it sounds stupid to think you broke the thing.”

“That’s because I didn’t, Magnus!”

“Well, I didn’t either!” Magnus put up his hands. “In fact, the day it broke, I wasn’t even home. I was in the spiral labyrinth all day.”

“I know! I wasn’t home either! I had to go to the Mexico institute for an emergency meeting, so I called Jace to babysit the ki-”

They both stared at each other.

“JACE LIGHTWOOD HERONDALE!” Magnus’ voice boomed across the park. “DID YOU BREAK ALEC’S COFFEE MAKER?”

Jace was sweating. “Listen, I was gonna say something and then y’all started fighting and it was very awkward, and I was looking for the right time and then Simon came up with this idea and I thought 'hey we haven’t done a fun group activity in a long time and so why not?', ya know?”

Magnus and Alec looked at each other.

“Everybody,” Alec called. “Change of plans. Attack my parabatai.”

“AND SHOW NO MERCY!” Magnus yelled.

#I don't know what I did but I did it :)#malec #malec fics #tsc fics #dani writes stuff #tmi #tda #tsc

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mmikmmik2 · 3 years

Note

If you were to sort the Infinity Train cast(s) into the Major Arcana a la the Persona games, which Arcana would you give everyone?

anon I had SOOOOO much fun thinking about this, thank you so much for sending me this. I sorted all the major characters, plus a few other entries, based on a mix of Arcana symbolism, Persona series character archetypes, and general vibes. I came up with answers I feel pretty good about for all but four of the Arcana. (Was really tempted to say Strength is every human character who doesn't board the train because they can handle their problems on their own lol.) This is going to be a long-winded post, so I thought I’d post just the list as an image (which hopefully won’t be too blurry!) rather than wrestle with Tumblr formatting trying to make a short list, and put a big text wall under the readmore talking more about my picks.

If this list does end up illegible, the same info is under the readmore as text! Plus some characters for Magician, Strength, Justice, and Death that I didn’t want to add to the “official” list because they’re more based on headcanon. (Although my reasoning for some of the “official” picks is pretty weak lol.)

One-One as 0. The Fool

Oh my gosh, what am I?

IT is great at fleshing out character backstories and families, so One-One at the beginning of S1 is one of the few characters who really feels like a blank slate. He's got a lot of his baggage back by the end of the season, and I think One and One-One are more similar than they seem at first glance, but S1 does seem to have been very formative for One-One and how he thinks about what he's supposed to be doing and how he relates to other people. So it does kind of feel like his fool's journey.

Alrick Timmens as I. The Magician

The magician begins the journey... by beefing it on a dirt bike, dying, and sending his wife flying off the deep end. Rip.

Alrick was an engineer like Amelia, so I could see him suiting some of the themes of the Magician, like conscious thought and manifesting ideas. His apparent playfulness and insecurity are similar to the Magician characters in Persona.

Kez as II. The High Priestess

“We can’t make this decision for you, Kez.” “You know what to do.”

I thought really hard about making Kez the Magician because just like every Magician since Persona 3, she's dumb, horny, and insecure dlkjasfdkl

(and also her showing up at the start of the story arc and being helpful but also super needy is very Magician)

But the idea of "intuition" really does suit Kez. Sometimes her intuition is as bad as her conscious reasoning, but I think that's a lot because she's so confused about what happened with Jeremy, and Morgan making Kez feel like she did a bad thing by helping him.

Tuba as III. The Empress

She made me feel like I was warm all the time.

Tuba's a mom. Sorry, this one's not that deep, haha.

Simon Laurent as IV. The Emperor

Highest number! I'm the leader now.

Simon has a lot of issues, but the one that felt the most prominent to me was his unhealthy relationship with power, authority, dominance, and rules. Another quote I considered using here was what he said in Grace's memory of meeting Amelia: "I never thought I'd get to see the Conductor with my own eyes. He's perfect! Everything finally makes sense again." In his emotional crisis, he thought everything could be fixed just by the existence of a huge, scary, powerful, male authority figure, even if they weren't doing anything helpful or informative.

Atticus as V. The Hierophant

I like to think that our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them.

Atticus is a figure of traditional authority who deeply loves the history, society, and culture of his people. He often provides spiritual wisdom and encourages Tulip to get out of her own head and engage with the world around her. Also in Persona, Hiero is the Dad Arcana so it's very funny to me (a) to make the little dog be Hiero and (b) that the little dog really does have the strongest Wholesome Dad Energy of the whole cast.

Jesse Cosay as VI. The Lovers

Don't tell me what to do. I'm not going to be a part of anything like this, on or off the train.

This was my first and easiest pick lol, Jesse is sooooo Lovers. Like, the focus on choice and personal values and relationships? Yep, that's Jesse. It works on an "actual meaning of the Arcana" level and a "vibes with the Persona characters" level lol... popular, upbeat, and having such an identity crisis.

Lake as VII. The Chariot

I'm my own person, who is getting off this train!

I don't know if Chariot captures all the ways Lake grew over the course of S2, but I feel like they had the most externally focused conflict of all the IT characters, which suits Chariot. They've been fighting to stake out their personhood from start to finish, and they took action and used their willpower to achieve that goal. Also they have at least a little jock energy which is a prereq for Chariot tbh.

Frank as VIII. Strength

I dunno, I kinda imagine him as a simple man and easily underestimated, but with a lot of heart. The Cat may say they're keeping things casual but I don't think she'd take him with her on her private vacation unless he had some kind of inner toughness that would let him stand toe-to-toe with her.

Morgan as IX. The Hermit

I need to be alone right now. Kez... maybe... we can talk later.

I like that Morgan embodies toxic self-isolation and stonewalling and rejection, but that she seems to be moving towards the positive aspects of Hermit and taking some time to calm down and process and think. I like it when characters can embody the best and worst of their Arcana.

Tulip Olsen as X. The Wheel of Fortune

We have to adapt to the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better.

Tulip has a lot of themes and conflicts, but this one is a clear standout as the most important. I also like it for Tulip because, while she has to handle a lot of difficult and even traumatic situations, some of the change that challenges her isn't as unambiguously bad as e.g. the death of a loved one. It really is just change itself she's struggling with, and that's Fortune babey. Also, from the perspective of the train itself and lots of other characters, by reversing Amelia and One-One's positions again and changing how One-One administrates the train, Tulip is the one giving the wheel a spin. That's fun.

Lucy as XI. Justice

One of my friends once described the Justice characters in Persona as "the ones the player character is ultimately accountable towards", and I like to think of Lucy as kind of being that for Grace (...since Hazel has excused herself). Lucy is the Apex kid we see Grace interact with the most, the first Apex kid Grace admitted to herself that she had harmed (see Grace very briefly showing distress and then regret when Jesse points the harpoons at his face and she stops him), and the first person to confront Grace when she came home in The New Apex.

Min-Gi Park as XII. The Hanged Man

I don't know if we'll sell a single album, but we'll figure that out as we go.

Min-Gi sacrifices his "realistic", "sensible" goals for a more personally (spiritually, even?) enriching life that's beyond his control and outside of the expected norm. Like the Hanged Man, who dangles foolishly upside-down, but as a deliberate choice and in a state of serenity and enlightenment. I also think this arcana suits a reading of Min-Gi's character development as starting off going slower as a way to stall and live in denial, but then going slower with deliberation. Compare his arrogant insistence on refusing to act in The Astro Queue Car to his patience and care in The Castle Car and The Train to Nowhere.

Jeremy as XIII. Death

This isn't about the death of his family - I'm thinking of his reluctance to admit his number was going down. He cared about Morgan and Kez, and it's possible both that he may have really wanted to stay with them despite his exit and that that might even have been a healthy choice - they're real ass people with feelings and everything, not holodeck characters. But I also think Jeremy was using his life with them to avoid moving on out of that fog (because it was hard and it hurt and he didn't want to think about what that would mean for him and Morgan) and Morgan was enabling him.

Ryan Akagi as XIV. Temperance

Maybe the experience is the point. I wasn't just rushing you. I was rushing myself.

I think this one speaks for itself. Also, the other quote I considered putting here, from The Art Gallery Car: "You told me I can't appreciate the song without taking in the rest of the album. I need the whole package."

The Cat as XV. The Devil

I always do the right thing.

Honestly, this is one I really wasn't sure about. The Cat isn't a great pick for a lot of the meanings of Devil. She is definitely consumed by material comforts, and the short-term rewards of ignoring her issues at a long-term cost, though. This is more of a "vibes with Persona characters with this arcana" pick... Devil characters tend to start off being somewhat exploitative or even antagonistic towards the player character, and gradually showing a more conflicted and genuine side.

Amelia Hughes as XVI. The Tower

There's a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be.

Amelia's life is defined by catastrophe and upheaval - both those she's suffered and those she's inflicted on others.

Hazel as XVII. The Star

I'm going to keep loving you like you're still here.

When I think of "The Star" as a small but inextinguishable light in the darkness, Hazel seems like the obvious choice. Although we left her deeply wounded, I think she still has a flicker of her hope, faith, and purpose.

Grace Monroe as XVIII. The Moon

But it's unfair for me to tell you how to understand yourself. I mean, I don't even fully understand me.

Grace is probably the most complex and dynamic character on the show and hence one of the most difficult to place. I considered Empress, Strength, Devil, and Judgement for her... I think ultimately, lies and illusions are the most unifying theme of her character arc. Also, from a Persona angle, her pursuit of status out of a lack of true self-worth reminds me of Ai and Mishima.

Alan Dracula as XIX. The Sun

Brought together by the majesty of a superpowered deer!

I'm sorry dkjasfklads this is largely because I thought it was funny to have this completely inexpressive dead-eyed deer as Sun akfk but also... like... it kind of works okay!!! Think about the genuine joy and comfort and positivity he brings to Lake and Jesse (and me)!

The New Apex as XX. Judgement

"Then what are we gonna be?" "Guess we'll have to figure it out?"

This is kind of a Persona mythology gag again because of Judgement being a group social link near the end of the narratives of P3 and P4, when the protagonists have pierced through the lies and actually figured out who the villain of their game is and are ready to really start making progress.

0 as XI. The World

Ah, train does it again!

It's an ending and the completion of a journey, but also the beginning of a new one. And the world is literally what the passengers receive at the end of their train journey. Welcome home.

#infinity train #infinity train spoilers #protagonists of IT #Anonymous

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jobrookekarev · 4 months

Text

Not for the Faint of Heart

Chapter: One of Three

Words: 3,042

Summary: When Jo is rushed into an emergency c-section Alex has a hard time seeing his wife in surgery and ends up on the OR floor. However it's Jo’s life that’s at risk.

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson.

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Meredith Grey, Cormac Hayes, Atticus Lincoln, Levi Schmitt, Carina DeLuca, Amelia Shepherd, and Luna Wilson,