#because she thinks it would be nice to cuddle at night but clearly he doesn't so...

[softquietsteadylove]

Would you write a soft moment for Thenamesh? Maybe for the runaway AU or beauty and the beast AU? :D

"Thena?"

Gil dragged himself out of bed, nearly tripping and falling in his haste to find her. The storm outside was rattling the window shutters, and it was definitely freezing inside their little cabin from the air seeping through any cracks in the wood it could find.

He made his way down the ladder from the bed loft, trying not to slip. But Thena didn't do well with storms. Even if she couldn't hear the deafening roar of wind like she used to, he was still certain she wouldn't be able to rest like this.

"Thena, are you okay?"

The last embers in the hearth were providing the faintest glow of light in the otherwise pitch black. He moved closer and caught the silhouette of Thena in the middle of the room. She did this sometimes and it scared him a little, moving him to wonder if she was missing her days in the castle--her first, and only home before now.

"Gil?"

He felt around until he could toss some kindling on the embers and start up a little fire again. Just enough that he could see. He sighed.

Thena was sitting in the middle of the floor, her blanket - the one he made her - pooled around her where she had clearly walked aimlessly before just collapsing. Her white nightdress also sat around her legs as she stared up at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, kneeling down to her now that he could see her, at least.

Thena didn't always sleep well in the bed.

He had tried to get her used to it, but she was much more used to sleeping in a plush nest of curtains and sheets and blankets on the floor. She even apologised every time she ended up regressing back to this method of sleeping.

He had told her that she never had to apologise to him for anything.

"I couldn't sleep," she whispered, her eyes shifting as she listened to the storm around them. She finally looked at him, touching just her fingertips to his cheek, "did I wake you?"

"No," he shook his head, holding her hand in his and pressing it to his cheek. Her hands were cold, "no, sweetheart, you didn't."

She sighed, still sitting limply in her little nest on the floor. "I was trying to sleep in the bed-"

"It's okay," he soothed, pulling her into his arms and tucking her head under his chin. To Thena's credit, not only was she unused to sleeping in a man-made bed, but her bed was also on the ground floor. It was technically closer to the fire, but he wasn't sure if that was really a good thing for her or not.

"It's not as loud as it used to be," she whispered as she pressed her ear and her cheek to his chest. He rubbed her arm, lithe and bony under the linen of her clothes. "But I still don't like it."

He smiled in the dark of his little cabin, no longer just a bachelor suite for himself. He pressed his lips to her hair, which smelled like fresh mountain air. "I can't say I do either."

Thena leaned on him more heavily. "I...I thought about coming up to you."

Gil pulled away to look at her, but she looked away from him. "Why didn't you?"

She toyed with the front of the shirt he wore to bed, sitting loose around his body. He couldn't be sure with the glow of the fire lighting them, but he thought there was some colour in her cheeks, "you were sleeping."

"So wake me."

She looked up at him, but he pulled her blanket up over her shoulders, taking care to fan her hair out for her. She frowned, "but-"

"You can always wake me, Thena," he promised her, holding her hands in his. He bent his head down close to hers, "for anything."

She looked up at him again, although her eyes fluttered closed when he kissed her.

He tilted her head up more gently, his hand trailing down her jaw to her chin. She tightened her fist around a handful of his shirt as they kissed again. He held her hand, assuring her that if she loosened her grip, he would not disappear.

Thena blinked at him in the faint light of the fire, her sandy lashes fluttering around those amazing green eyes of hers.

He brushed some hair away from her face, "Thena, I... "

"Hm?" she tilted her head at him, waiting expectantly for what he was going to say.

Gil blushed. Thena hadn't exactly understood why he was so insistent on getting her a bed of her own instead of just sharing his. He squeezed her hands, "do you want to - just for tonight! - come up...with me?"

Her butt wiggled a little as she sat up (a remnant of her tail wagging days). Her eyes sparkled at him, "really?"

He nodded, already embarrassed at just the offer, let alone what was to come. He sighed, "just while the storm is going on. I don't want you to be scared."

She nodded eagerly, accepting as he helped her rise to her feet.

"Okay, come on," he sighed, helping her gather up her blanket around her and help her up the ladder to the loft. She practically sped the whole way up.

Thena was already snuggled into the bed when he followed. She happily absorbed warmth from his side, although when she saw he was back she kindly shimmied over for him and held out her hand.

"Thanks," he had to laugh, eager to return to the warmth of the bed. Thena was still taking up most of his previous spot, leaving him to warm up the rest of the space of the bed from scratch.

He couldn't be too mad, though; not when she looked so happy and sweet and beautiful.

Thena, still clutching the blanket he made for her around her under his covers, moved closer and kissed him again.

He sighed.

"Thank you, Gil," she whispered as she cozied right up to him under the covers, leeching precious body heat from him shamelessly.

"Anytime, hon," he assured, and meant it as he pulled her into his arms again. She pressed her face to his chest, inhaling gently as the tension finally left her body. They weren't going to make a habit of this or anything but just...just this once.

[werecreature-addicted]

consider: you fucking every other wolf in Jock Werewolf's pack (presumably all his best friends) without him in order to make him jealous

incase anyone didn't see I've decided to name Jock bully werewolf Ceaser :3

I don't think sleeping with his friends/packmates would work as well as you're hoping. for one Ceaser is MORE than happy to share you with other guys, as far as he's concerned, they'll fail to please you the way that he can and you'll have to come crawling back to him begging for his dick like a slut the way you always do.

Then the real fun begins. he's going to punish you all night for being such a cock whore and let all his friends watch and sneer about what a useless cum dump you are. His friends trade stories about what you did for them how you fucked them and he makes sure you do every single dirty thing again for him.

He'll make you ride one of his friend's smaller cocks as a way to stretch your pussy out for him and his big alpha knot. Because he is the Alpha, everyone follows his rules. The pack only ever looked twice at you because he let them. there was never any chance of you sneaking behind his back with his buddies, they told him right away, now you're in for it, he'll fuck you like a whore, since that's clearly what you want.

Now you going and talking to some other alpha... that will get to him. This isn't someone he can control as easily. He hasn't claimed you as his mate, you aren't even a member of his pack, he has no real claim over you.

This other Alpha is sweet, a natural leader, good with people, and charming. everything a real alpha should be. He likes listening to you talk, and always knows just what to say if you're upset. he's a really good friend and he's hot too.

It would be so easy to fall for him and your asshole kind of boyfriend kind of bully fully knows that. at first, he tries pulling you back the good old-fashioned way. eating your pussy like it's his life's work. He'll even stay the night, watch one of those shitty movies you like so much and let you cuddle up against him while it plays. if that doesn't work and you insist on still seeing that other guy...well he can play hardball too.

Most werewolves come from big families with at least four or five siblings running around, and that's true for this nicer Alpha. He just so happens to have a little sister who he adores. She's only a year younger but still the baby of the family. Ceaser pounces on her. He's nice and friendly, kind in a way he never is with you, he acts like the perfect bad boy with a heart of gold, and he takes the younger sister out on rides on his motorcycle around the neighborhood and to get ice cream.

It's all bullshit of course. He hates this spoiled brat and he hates faking being nice, but it works, it gets her older brother's attention. They fight back and forth for a little bit before coming to a mutual agreement Ceaser will stop seeing his sister if the other alpha agrees to never speak to you again. Everyone's happy win-win.

Well except for the sister who just got ghosted and for you who just lost a friend. Don't cry sweetheart your alpha will be home soon to fuck you until you forget everything but Ceaser's name.

[love-toxin]

I can't get anal king Steve out of my head... I think you even mentioned smth about porn star anal king Steve?? he lives in my brain, he's haunting my house, he's standing in front of my windows at night, he's under my skin, etc etc. I would let Stevie take my anal virginity on a live stream <3

heheh i wasn't gonna expand on this yet cuz i have several fics in progress with this concept HOWEVER

(cws: pornstar!steve, f!angelface, anal, somnophilia, modern au, some cnc, impact play, voyeurism, degradation/humiliation kink, aftercare, this is just pure filth im sorry)

big, bad, Anal King Steve (that's his phub title and his @ on twitter) absolutely devoted to turning you into his little slut for all the viewers <3 but you're not like any other creator he collaborates with, any other talented professional that he would film with in a studio with plenty of staff to equalize it all, to make it into the perfect production to send out for all those dedicated fans to watch.

no, you're different. he doesn't just call you a slut to make it hotter for the audience--he shows you how much of a slut you are because he wants to get off, because you're his, and he wants you so hooked on him that you can't get enough of the way he treats you.

he posts pictures and videos to his personal twitter all the time with you, in fact that's pretty much the only place that anybody sees his raw content that isn't filmed in the studio. and it's all with the same partner, the cute little slut in the dim lighting of his bedroom, crying and moaning as your blind date and one night stand-turned-boyfriend pounds you within an inch of your life. Steve kinda just assumed the title because you were so cute and clearly liked him so much on that first date, enough so that you had shyly invited him in afterwards and even encouraged him to go further when he laid a hand on your thigh as you cuddled, the movie in the background tuned out completely as you started kissing at his neck and eventually had your pussy eaten out like he hadn't touched someone in ages, even though it's literally his job. and now he's your boyfriend, and you live in his nice, clean apartment, and he fucks you so good every day that you almost feel like you're a professional fleshlight--and Steve makes so much money when he livestreams it that you don't even know what to do with the cut he gives you.

"cute, eh? she likes it when you try to push in dry," he always loves talking to the viewers while he manhandles you, thudding the fat tip of his cock against your asshole as you lay face-down ass-up on the edge of his bed. but even moreso than that, he loves talking down to you every time you're onscreen, really playing up that degradation factor as he grabs you and yanks you around, spitting violently against your hole and rubbing it in with those vile sounds making him grin, so pleased with himself that you always start shaking before he even puts it in. "show it off, sweetheart. they've all watched you lose your innocence to me, i don't think you've got much left to hide." he snickers, squeezing your cheeks and jiggling them for a laugh before he lets go and slaps you across each one, cooing mocking praises when you shiver and yelp at the sting. "my pretty fucking buttslut. you'd cry if i put it in your pussy, wouldn't you? cause you want it up the ass so bad."

that's what you are: king Steve's anal slut, his favourite little toy to beat with the back of his hand until your ass and your pussy and your tits are all sore, the one that viewers everywhere look on at with envy at getting to be the one that's whored out to the internet's favourite adult star. Stevie loves it when you flip that card around on your nightstand to yes, so he can creep in on you while you sleep with his phone set up on the tripod, filming one of those coveted times that he can wake you up with his cock buried in your poor, tight little ass or stuffed down your throat. sometimes he films up close with his phone in his hand, so he can quietly mock you for the viewers about how wet your pussy gets when he's not even touching you there--how you love anal so much you start leaking just from having his fingers up your ass. he loves it when he's fucking you slow, and you stir and start mumbling as you gradually come to, and Steve just shushes you and strokes your hair while gently pushing your head back down into the pillows, urging you to get back to sleep sweetheart, he's just gotta cum so stay still like a good girl til then. although he also likes it when you pretend like you're all scandalized when you wake up, when you're feeling bratty, and he has to change position to shove his foot down on the back of your head, so he can keep you from running that spoiled little mouth as he fucks your cute butt raw.

that humiliation aspect is a big factor altogether. Steve likes to live by the philosophy that fucking your ass will reform any bad behavior, so that's exactly what he uses to punish your brattiness <3 he's so hung that you can never really get used to it, too, so he uses that to his advantage--be a bad girl, and Stevie will tease you with threats of fucking you so hard, and so loose, that you'll be left gaping when he's done and he'll have to plug you up just to keep his cum inside where it belongs. although that's not an uncommon occurrence at all, he's got plenty of teaser videos of him lifting up your skirt somewhere semi-public and showing off the pretty little buttplug he's left nestled inside you, sometimes pushing it around so you cling to him and whimper and the audience can see his cum leaking and spilling out around the sides to drip down your bare legs. otherwise, though, he likes to write nasty things on your tits or your belly or your inner thighs to humiliate you, things like "cum here" or "free use" or "breed my ass <3", words that start smudging with your sweat and blotting out with his cum until you're just a shaky, sloppy mess of a human cumrag passed out on his floor.

the comments you get always turn him on, too, and he has particular livestreams where he reads out disgusting compliments people have paid you in his DMs as well as read out the ones coming in from his top donators; things like "i love how much she likes it raw" and "biggest fucking slut on this app" and even "i can only cum when I'm watching Steve fuck this little bimbo's ass <3" until you cry with humiliation, cumming so hard for him in full view of the camera that Steve just has to ride it out and laugh at how much of a crybaby you are. you let him abuse your soft, pretty body, and for what? just so you can cum? fucking pathetic.

but of course, because he's Steve, the second the camera is off he's babying you and pulling you into his arms. kissing your tear streaked cheeks, petting your head, praising you with a wash of compliments about how beautiful you are and how you're such a good girl, he loves you so much <3 and he carries you to the bath to clean you up and rinse you off with the showerhead, warm water cascading down your aching body while he rubs sweet-smelling soap and shampoo into your skin and your hair. and if you're still all subby and clingy after the fact, he definitely doesn't let you do a thing yourself and puts on your pjs for you, grabs your favourite blankets, holds your drink to your lips for you to sip and even feeds you popcorn as you watch a movie, or some leftovers from dinner so you don't get a tummyache when you get hungry later. he may be mean when he's working, but he's the softest boyfriend in the world when it's all finished, and never ends a session without giving you a kiss goodnight and snuggling you up to his chest to sleep away the high.

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 21: MY BIRTHDAY PARTY TAKES A DARK TURN

Thank you so much to:

@ary-cm

on Tumblr for the awesome cover image!

I can't believe I'm already almost done with one of the three series?!

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Will read what he was sure to be the last chapter title with heavy concern. What on earth could be left to happen to Percy that couldn't have waited until the next disaster of an adventure to start with?

Nico's heart sunk that's how his appearance was described. Apparently whatever respect he'd gained from Percy was already twisted into fear so early. He couldn't blame him, after what he'd talked him into. A lifelong curse he now had no clue about...

"Please involve something cool and fun for once," Thalia sighed, imagining him having one last fight to the death and passing out on his birthday or something. "Like blacklights! You don't enjoy the effects of those enough!"

"To see all the blood in my room? No thank you," Percy scoffed.

The rest of the summer seemed strange because it was so normal.

Will's tone was happy, hyper even, he seemed genuinely excited he was finally getting to share Percy having a normal time at their camp for actual weeks on end for once.

The daily activities continued: archery, rock climbing, Pegasus riding. We played capture the flag (though we all avoided Zeus's Fist).

"Clarisse actually sat out of most of them," Percy recalled in surprise. "Her whole cabin didn't, but she and Chris helped be the medics for a few fights. It was sooo weird, but it made a lot of the campers who were clearly uneasy about him warm up a bit. Especially when Mrs. O'Leary cuddled up to him too."

"He caught on pretty quick," Will agreed, "he still helps out in the infirmary too when he doesn't really need to anymore," he finished with a significant look at Nico. Most kids didn't seem to care who was helping them as long as the pain was going away, his parentage or whatever he'd done in the past usually wasn't on their mind when it hurt like that.

"Are you sure it wasn't changed to Kampe's fist?" Alex asked when Nico didn't seem to be answering in any way. "The first never even seemed to fit."

"Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to try and get everybody to agree on a new name for something?" Will asked. "Even if we did a poll it would be chaos."

Which was no bother at all to Alex of course, so she looked at him like he was the one who was nuts for pretending that was a good excuse not to.

We sang at the campfire and raced chariots and played practical jokes on the other cabins. 

Will hid well how hard the adjustment had been for him that time marched on. Kids had come and gone from the camp, his siblings hadn't been immune to shocking deaths from a random monster attack in the forest or even defecting, it wasn't even the first time he'd been witness to such a thing, if only a handful of times before; but it was usually the ones who'd been there a few weeks. The kids who he'd barely gotten to know.

Lee had been there from day one. Had shown Will the ropes and been his Luke, his best friend, his go to for advice on everything there. It was strange for so long to not wake up every day and have him rousing them for breakfast. Micheal had never tried to emulate him either, he'd done it his own way, which had been all right, but a part of Will had wished someone in there would keep making Loony Tunes references, would keep challenging them to archery target practice instead of just letting the memory of him slowly fade away. Hearing him in Percy's life had been the most he'd been able to think of him in a few years now, and it felt nice.

I spent a lot of time with Tyson, playing with Mrs. O'Leary, but she would still howl at night when she got lonely for her old master. Annabeth and I pretty much skirted around each other. I was glad to be with her, but it also kind of hurt, and it hurt when I wasn't with her, too.

Percy expected the laughing at the teasing, probably a few snarky comments about Rachel.

None came, and as he looked around in surprise he just saw sympathy. Because he didn't have that option now with her nowhere to be seen. He had friends down here, but he still didn't have someone very important to be going through all of this with him.

I wanted to talk to her about Kronos, but I couldn't do that anymore without bringing up Luke. And that was one subject I couldn't raise. She would shut me out every time I tried.

Jason couldn't let that one go without a good laugh though. "I'm now imagining you following her around and she actually darts into random cabins or bathrooms or anywhere she can to slam a door in your face. Maybe even a window if you agitate her enough."

"You're right Jason," Percy sighed with indulgent exhaustion. "I should have cornered her in the woods, maybe used Grover and Tyson to triangle her in so she couldn't escape."

"You say that like she doesn't need an intervention," Thalia grumbled.

July passed, with fireworks on the beach on the Fourth. August turned so hot the strawberries started baking in the fields. Finally, the last day of camp arrived. The standard form letter appeared on my bed after breakfast, warning me that the cleaning harpies would devour me if I stayed past noon.

Magnus opened and closed his mouth several times like he couldn't decide if he wanted to ask how real that threat was. If he stayed and killed the harpies would he be punished or rewarded for yet another fight for his life? Would they devour him if he stayed until 12:01 or if he managed to avoid them until next summer would the ban be lifted?

He ultimately closed his mouth and decided it wasn't worth the headache.

At ten o'clock I stood on the top of Half-Blood Hill, waiting for the camp van that would take me into the city. I'd made arrangements to leave Mrs. O'Leary at camp, where Chiron promised she'd be looked after.

"Tell me you at least intend on riding her down the streets of New York once Percy," Alex looked rather betrayed such a glorious hound was being confined to one camp.

"She deserves to be on a farm where she can stretch and be happy, um, without the death metaphor," Percy shrugged.

"You can still have her for the weekend," she sighed but didn't argue the point further.

Tyson and I would take turns visiting her during the year.

I hoped Annabeth would be riding into Manhattan with me, but she only came to see me off. She said she'd arranged to stay at camp a little longer.

"I can't decide how the bus should feel about that," Jason told him with an almost straight face. "You now range from blowing them up to awkward silence when she's around."

"He's blown up more on his own in his younger years without her, I think the bus should be worried," Thalia offered.

Percy sighed and muttered something about normal friends, whatever that meant.

She would tend to Chiron until his leg was fully recovered, and keep studying Deadalus's laptop, which had engrossed her for the last two months.

"I think you should be thanking some god out there for making sure she stepped away from it," Will agreed.

"She slept with it, Malcolm has proof," Thalia agreed.

Then she would head back to her father's place in San Francisco.

"There's a private school out there that I'll be going to," she said. "I'll probably hate it, but..." she shrugged.

"Yeah, that but," Percy agreed with the same feelings of awkwardness swimming through him now. A feeling that apparently wasn't as good of a swimmer as him, as it kept coasting up and down his throat like vomit!

"Truancy, something even a child of a wisdom goddess would never break the rules for," Alex agreed tragically.

"Yeah, well, call me, okay?"

"Sure," she said half-heartedly. "I'll keep my eyes open for..."

There it was again. Luke. She couldn't even say his name without opening up a huge box of hurt and worry and anger.

"I'll get the key," Nico promised through gritted teeth.

"Maybe you could lose a few while you're at it," Will muttered. Nico seemed to have been better as of late about not keeping everything so close to the chest, but it was still something he found himself worrying about.

"Annabeth," I said. "What was the rest of the prophecy?"

She fixed her eyes on the woods in the distance, but she didn't say anything.

"You would nag Zeus himself about not finishing destroying you," Alex told him with a hint of awe in her voice.

"Seriously Perce, learn to let it go," Jason couldn't help but agree with a troubled frown. Annabeth had been through enough.

Percy didn't feel particularly ashamed though. His stubbornness paid off, and if Annabeth didn't resent him he wasn't going to let these guys make him feel guilty for getting the full picture. It had happened so rarely before meeting her.

"You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze," I remembered. "The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. We raised a lot of the dead.

Magnus had a cheeky remark on his tongue for, 'who's this we,' before he paused and realized. Bianca might never have revealed herself to Nico if Percy hadn't been there. His coming along on Annabeth's quest was likely essential for that to happen. It hurt his head, a lot, to realize all over again how powerful those fates were to be able to weave together such immensely different and important things.

We saved Ethan Nakamura, who turned out to be a traitor.

A line that Annabeth had probably hoped referred to Luke all this time, Thalia thought miserably. The girl had been a hopeless optimist when it came to him, but that would imply she'd ever fully admit to Luke being a full blown traitor.

We raised the spirit of Pan, the lost one."

"Raised, and or released," Will agreed.

Jason pursed his lips rather than putting in. He kind of regretted his comment to Percy because he loved that they went over these at the end to analyze them, but he felt like he'd only be encouraging Percy.

Annabeth shook her head like she wanted me to stop.

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," I pressed on. "That wasn't Minos, like I'd thought. It was Nico. By choosing to be on our side, he saved us.

Nico still smiled at how casually Percy acknowledged the good he'd done on this quest instead of that unfortunate period of threatening his death. Seems Will had been right, Percy really didn't go around saying a bad thing about him.

And the child of Athena's final stand—that was Daedalus."

"I'm sure Malcolm is so relieved," Percy snorted.

"Percy—"

"Destroy with a hero's final breath. That makes sense now. Daedalus died to destroy the Labyrinth.

"Which is very awesome," Alex couldn't deny. "Though I'm still mildly disappointed Annabeth didn't discover some kind of sonic blast breath or something along the way."

"She uses words as a weapon, isn't that enough?" Percy sighed.

"Whoever said words don't hurt never got hit by a dictionary," Thalia nodded in agreement. She'd gotten quite angry in her youth trying to memorize all the homonyms once and thrown it across the room where Thalia's head happened to be.

But what was the last—"

"And lose a love to worse than death." Annabeth had tears in her eyes. "That was the last line, Percy. Are you happy now?"

"No," Percy whispered, shivering for the first time in the cold depths of the ocean. He'd always known she liked him, but it didn't really hit him until now she liked liked him. Not just admired and was impressed, as Percy once was. It left a very dead feeling inside him, wondering what had stopped her from running away with Luke back when he'd tried to kill Percy. If Luke had gone to Annabeth and taken her away then, how different his life could have been without her.

The sun seemed colder than it had a moment ago. "Oh," I said. "So Luke—"

"Percy, I didn't know who the prophecy was talking about. I—I didn't know if..." She faltered helplessly.

If it meant him, Percy clearly understood that context! She'd thought him dead, she might have even thought kissing him was some final breath that had been all her fault!

He found himself scrunched up in his seat to stop himself beating at the walls. He wanted her in here! He wanted Annabeth to look him in the eyes and say she was okay with how this had all gone and mean it! It was probably selfish of him to want her to relieve this nightmare with him, but he ached for her in a new way he couldn't even begin to describe to himself. Annabeth meant so much to him, couldn't her prophecy have mentioned that!

"Luke and I—for years, he was the only one who really cared about me. I thought..."

Before she could continue, a sparkle of light appeared next to us, like someone had opened a gold curtain in the air.

Magnus finally released a breath he'd been holding for getting to jump off the topic of the creepy idea of his cousin hoping some guy twice her age would be in love with her too and instead blanched in horror if that was Kronos/ Luke about to appear from thin air and murder them all. How was it possible her life was so much more miserable and complicated than his?

"You have nothing to apologize for, my dear." Standing on the hill was a tall woman in a white dress, her dark hair braided over her shoulder.

"Oh hey," Alex said with a hint of violence already on the horizon. "She owes you an explanation!"

Percy grinned a scary sight, tapping his fingers impatiently on his leg and glowering at the book. She'd scarred the piss out of Annabeth, her advice had been in no way helpful, and he had a bad feeling already he could blame more on her soon for how miserable this quest had gone.

Jason sighed. Just what they needed, another god for Percy to piss off.

Thalia was glancing uneasily between Percy and Jason though as her own guilty thoughts got an unpleasant jumpstart. Their reaction to her showing up only reinforced in her she was doing the right thing for now, keeping her suspicions to herself. Percy was already unhappy at Hera for his own and Annabeth's past, if he found out what Thalia was considering he'd rip apart the ocean in a heartbeat just to get rid of his growing tension.

Jason, Jason just looked like he would want no part in this. He was too cautious, to content to let things slide. She enjoyed that about her little brother, it would make picking on him much easier and made him nothing like their dad, but for this it felt right to keep him where he felt safe.

"Hera," Annabeth said.

The goddess smiled. "You found the answers, as I knew you would. Your quest was a success."

"A success?" Annabeth said. "Luke is gone. Daedalus is dead. Pan is dead. How is that—"

"Our family is safe," Hera insisted.

Will couldn't help but read that in agreement. He couldn't help but share the sentiment, that the good had outweighed the bad this time. His brother had died, his camp had felt vulnerable and left him scared to sleep at night like nothing before...and yet he still had a bed. Siblings he could lean on. Not all was lost as it could have easily been. There were better paths out there, like if Hera had actually stepped in and banished all the monsters before any of her 'family' had to die, but Will honestly read that with a sense of joy in his tone that, to Percy's ears, had somehow been lacking. Hera had been stating a fact with pride, Will made Percy smile in some sense of agreement of the word family, even if not the whole pie.

"Those others are better gone, my dear. I am proud of you."

I balled my fists. I couldn't believe she was saying this. "You're the one who paid Geryon to let us through the ranch, weren't you?"

Hera shrugged. Her dress shimmered in rainbow colors.

"Taking a rainbow in vain," Alex scowled hotly for such a beautiful representation of inclusiveness being taken hostage by someone so selective.

"I wanted to speed you on your way."

Will's voice cracked, like someone had stabbed his bubble with a knife. He knew Annabeth had a beef with Hera, the whole camp knew she blamed the goddess for Percy missing. His heart broke though that Nico's journey hadn't even been considered in her wisdom? That she'd only paid for just Annabeth's group to get through and any other half-blood could suffer the consequences? That had been Hera!

"But you didn't care about Nico. You were happy to see him turned over to the Titans."

"Oh, please." Hera waved her hand dismissively. "The son of Hades said it himself. No one wants him around. He does not belong."

The pain of hearing that surprised Nico more than the actual words. His dad said it all the time, he assumed it frequently from the few interactions he'd had with these major gods, but for Hera herself to just come outright and say it made him flinch.

Which quickly morphed into admiration when he heard Will cuss. He hadn't seen that before. Sure he'd been angry in the past, but never full-blown swearing like he was doing now. His southern accent really came through too, he was twanging bad on all his i's and drawing them out to a noticeable level.

"It's, erm, not a big deal Will," Nico patted his hand again. Not one person in here looked like they even sort of agreed with Hera, instead they all looked varying levels of anxious at Will and a tad angry too and his behalf. For some reason that didn't surprise him anymore, which surprised him. "We all know that's how the gods feel about-"

"It is a big deal Nico, because she's being a mother fu-"

"Will," Alex sighed, rubbing her temples. "I agree with every word you're saying, but maybe use some other language, oh child of a poetry god."*

Will finally shut his mouth with a restrained grimace. He didn't feel nearly the amount of better as he'd have liked after venting, but Alex looked as discomforted as Nico for once, who was looking equal parts uncomfortable as usual at being so focused on, everybody watching him for his reaction, and just a tad flattered at Will so vehementily defending him; all while looking rather anxiously at the book clearly wondering how Percy had reacted to that.

So Will conceded he'd made himself plain enough while wondering what the opposite of an offering was as he muttered and searched for his place.

Thalia looked on, mildly impressed and perhaps recruiting Will on her kill Hera crusade, while Percy just felt bad the guy was finally at his level of outrage. He hadn't wanted to drag anyone else down with him.

Magnus and Jason were to busy glancing at every speck to make sure Hera wasn't going to appear and blast them all to smithereens to react properly in time.

"Hephaestus was right," I growled. "You only care about your perfect family, not real people."

Will's voice still shook with fury at just how right the god of the forge was about that apparently. When the gods were born, how much understanding did they have? Had this newborn child looked up at his mother and seen the look of disgust on her face before being pitched off a mountain?

It was an ugly truth Will had never really been confronted with until this moment. It made him sick to realize if Luke had been telling kids this kind of stuff all along and how it wasn't that unbelievable to him anymore. He'd never considered the gods perfect, but growing up in camp had always given him a sense they'd at least grown from their first depictions as the very worst they could be called today. They'd laid out a safe space for their kids to practice and grow, they had to have been evolving with the times, if slower, right?

His breath shook loose, a calming feeling as he remembered his dad helping Percy find Artemis and how awkwardly yet fervently Posideon continued to help Percy. None of them were perfect. They were distant and often harsh and more often unhelpful if they did try and tended to make their lives worse, but Hera was just a horrible exception.

Ares and Hephestus, Zeus and Posideon, he'd never really had much firsthand experience with any god except Mr. D and flip-flopped between pitty and heavy annoyance with him with minimal grudging appreciation he didn't just incinerate them all and call it a job done. Percy's adventure in detail didn't really change anything, it just gave him a heavier feeling of what he'd been fighting for than he'd gone to Manhatten with.

It sort of scared him for a moment, actually, as he frowned at the rest of the page and his skin twitched with displeasure at what he'd really just been doing. He never would have considered thinking all that before being thrown in here, let alone saying it out loud, verbosely, and only having to be stopped because someone asked him to. He'd been noting Nico's slow change with enthusiasm, but hadn't really stopped to consider his own until this moment, and it left an uncomfortable knot in him as he continued.

Her eyes turned dangerously bright. "Watch yourself, son of Poseidon. I guided you more than you know in the maze. I was at your side when you faced Geryon. I let your arrow fly straight. I sent you to Calypso's island. I opened the way to the Titan's mountain.

Nico felt his mouth open for several moments before he realized he should close it. Not since the stories of old had he heard such blatant interference, and it kind of impressed him. That Hera had gone so out of her way, unprompted, to help them every step of the way. He'd never have believed such a thing from Percy's own mouth, but to hear it from an Olympian herself was amazing. Like a real flip of the cards to reveal what her plan had been all along and strike down all foes come to life.

It was, of course, possible she'd done all that just to gloat and change history a bit in making her seem like the caring mother her title suggested she could be, Thalia's painful looking sneer proved this wasn't a popular thought, but Nico still found it extremely fascinating. He'd have never wanted such help from a god before all this, every interaction he'd had with them was laced with tension and she herself proved they wanted nothing to do with him in return...but that didn't make this less interesting to hear by a mile.

Annabeth, my dear, surely you see how I've helped. I would welcome a sacrifice for my efforts."

"Do you think anybody sacrifices to her?" Magnus had very mixed feelings about hearing this, Percy was a tad disgusted to hear a touch of pity in his voice. "I think she really did do this, like a kind of adoption?" He didn't sound that sure though. Like a theory he expected to get trashed. He even mouthed 'sorry' to Nico, not trying to disconnect from the fact she didn't do it well! Yet Annabeth's own mother didn't seem to have stepped in here, maybe Hera had really wanted to help and was just out of practice.

Percy strived to keep his voice even and not too harsh in return. "I, um, think it's a tad more selfish. It sounds like she was willing to win by any means necessary, it just happened to align with our means."

Annabeth stood still as a statue. She could've said thank you. She could've promised to throw some barbecue on the brazier for Hera and forget the whole thing.

Jason looked very queasy at all of this, for once instead of being the arguing party he understood both sides well. Juno probably did feel undervalued, with no direct link to those kids at Camp. Her temple dusty, her history rarely spoken of and if so negatively.

Yet, he had a feeling what Annabeth was about do. The same thing Percy would have done. He had almost grown used to the level of disrespect these guys so often showed to the gods, and it froze some inner part of him with dread at the mere bubble of thought, let alone what his ears were about to hear worse than anything Will could have called her.

But she clenched her jaw stubbornly. She looked just the way she had when she'd faced the Sphinx—like she wasn't going to accept an easy answer, even if it got her in serious trouble. I realized that was one of the things I liked best about Annabeth.

"Name a thing you don't like about Annabeth," Thalia rolled her eyes.

Percy opened his mouth, closed it, thought about it for a moment, and then said with confidence, "her love of olives. I tolerate them at best, but she puts them on everything!"

"Ah, the olive theory, a classic," Alex snickered while Thalia just looked at him with complete pity. Gods, boys.

"Percy is right." she turned her back on the goddess. "You're the one who doesn't belong, Queen Hera. So next time, thanks...but no thanks."

"Not really as harsh as I was expecting," Magnus admitted even as his heart tried to jump around his chest like a jackrabbit on crack no matter what he said.

"I guess that was her restrained dismissal," Alex agreed with a tad more disappointment. She'd probably wanted at least one jump scare at minimum to impress her.

"And this was the girl who warned you to be polite to Ares," Jason mumbled through numb lips, expecting her to drop dead any second honestly.

Hera's sneer was worse than an empousa's. Her form began to glow.

"That, is not great," Magnus said with a very dry mouth. Somehow Percy constantly pissing off gods felt like second nature by now, it really wasn't that great of a concern at this point since he was alive.

Where the heck was Annabeth?! Was this curse to be forced to live at the bottom of the ocean meant for her? If so, the digs seemed way to nice, though perhaps by their standards this was poverty?

"You will regret this insult, Annabeth. You will regret this very much."

I averted my eyes as the goddess turned into her true divine form and disappeared in a blaze of light.

Most of the others flinched and instinctively wanted to close their eyes, imagining a mushroom cloud in her wake after that.

Except Jason, who sat frozen in place without the good sense to do anything other than mutter, "uhoh."

Percy sighed, already knowing he'd probably have to tackle this idiot to the ground at least once in his life if he saw something cool enough to kill them all.

The hilltop was peaceful again. Over at the pine tree, Peleus the dragon dozed under the Golden Fleece as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth told me.

"She's sorry?" Percy asked meekly, a very strange expression on his face. "Where's my apology?" His tone implied none was needed though, his lips were twitching to much and he kept rubbing his thumb across them. They all figured out what that tone was and collectively decided they didn't want to hear it again.

"I—I should get back. I'll keep in touch."

"Listen, Annabeth—" I thought about Mount St. Helens, Calypso's Island, Luke and Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and how suddenly everything had gotten so complicated. I wanted to tell Annabeth that I didn't really want to be so distant from her.

Then Argus honked his horn down at the road, and I lost my chance.

"Remind me to smack an eyeball onto Argus's sense of timing," Thalia groaned. She would have personally handcuffed the two together if it would have resolved their problems already.

"Duly noted," Percy and Jason both promised, causing the others to snicker hard.

"You'd better get going," Annabeth said. "Take care, Seaweed Brain."

She jogged down the hill. I watched her until she reached the cabins. She didn't look back once.

Percy had never felt so much at once seeing her take off like a blond comet across the green fields. Her confidence in every stride, how happy he was for her she'd finally made peace with her dad and felt no need to look back.

The longing he wished she'd at least slow down, that she'd shove that tenacity of hers in his face and kiss him again when he wasn't about to die. That she'd tell him he was a Seaweed Brain and that her feelings for him were just as complicated as they were for Luke's at minimum.

Will's voice startled him out of his memory, to be dragged back here as lost and confused as ever what Annabeth would ultimately decide was best for her with no clue how to show her it could be him.

He didn't even know who to ask for advice about this. His dad was kind of out of touch at the dating thing, he'd probably just suggest Percy snap his fingers and offer to split the ocean for her or something, or ban him from talking to Annabeth if he didn't already know who she was. His mom was just way to embarrassing to even consider every time her name came up. Chiron, maybe...nope. Still to awkward. He was starting to become more convinced by the hour that lone memory he'd awoken in here with was a dream and a fortune teller was probably his best bet. Gods he was hopeless.

Two days later it was my birthday. I never advertised the date, because it always fell right after camp, so none of my camp friends could usually come, and I didn't have that many mortal friends.

"Do you, have any?" Thalia honestly tried to ask without sarcasm, but it sounded that way anyways.

"Um, I used to cat sit for this really old lady before we moved and she'd give me jelly beans when I walked her dog," Percy shrugged.

"A true bestie I'm sorry we never got to meet," Thalia chuckled.

Besides, getting older didn't seem like anything to celebrate since I'd gotten the big prophecy about me destroying or saving the world when I turned sixteen.

"There are so many themes you could do around that though!" Alex sighed. "I can think of three off the top of my head!"

"Alex can and will make a volcano explode in your apartment," Magnus sighed with full confidence.

"But I'll leave the surprise of who jumps out," she winked.

"Pass," Percy could only say hesitantly though. It sounded fun, he'd never even had a bounce house before...but hadn't it already happened? Retroactive birthday party? Maybe? If he survived another year?

Now I was turning fifteen. I was running out of time.

My mom threw me a small party at our apartment. Paul Blofis came over, but that was okay because Chiron had manipulated the Mist to convince everyone at Goode High School that I had nothing to do with the band room explosion.

"Yes!" Percy fist bumped the air with such exuberance there was yet another new crack in the ceiling. "I thought of that before but didn't know if I'd remember to tell Chiron before I left!"

"Now remember this plan for the next time," Nico chuckled.

Percy sighed at the already assured knowledge there was going to be a next time, but it had been a nice five seconds while it lasted.

Now Paul and the other witnesses were convinced that Kelli had been a crazy, firebomb-throwing cheerleader, while I had simply been an innocent bystander who'd panicked and ran from the scene. I would still be allowed to start as a freshman at Goode next month. If I wanted to keep my record of getting kicked out of school every year, I'd have to try harder.

"You say that like it was your fault," Magnus told him bracingly. "Until someone invents monster repellent, you can try all you like and get nowhere."

He meant it in a positive way, but Percy nodded as glumly as before. It was something he'd heard all his life being ADHD. He'd have to try ten times harder than the 'normal' kids and still never be on their level, which to him sounded like he really shouldn't bother trying that hard at all.

Tyson came to my party, too, and my mother baked two extra blue cakes just for him.

Percy bounced in his seat for a moment with one of the happier grins they'd seen on his face today. Annabeth couldn't or wouldn't be there, Percy didn't feel like his own birth should be celebrated, but his little brother was there. His mom had opened the door and greeted him with a Tyson worthy hug and had extra cake just for him and that was pretty much the greatest birthday present he'd want anyways.

While Tyson helped my mom blow up party balloons, Paul Blofis asked me to help him in the kitchen.

As we were pouring punch, he said, "I hear your mom signed you up for driver's ed this fall."

"Would Percy's bus explosion problem translate to cars?" Alex asked eagerly.

"Gods I hope not," Percy sighed.

"I'm not sure I get the stereotype about New Yorkers and driving," Magnus admitted. "You have to walk everywhere because the streets are horrible, but if everybody walks or takes the subway why are the streets so bad?"

"We're fearless about any obstacle but are to impatient," Percy grinned.

Magnus might as well have asked him to spell out those Canadian monsters names again for all the light that provided on the subject.

"Yeah. It's cool. I can't wait."

Seriously, I'd been excited about getting my license forever,

"Pretty sure that's something we look forward to from the time we're born," Will said wistfully. He'd spent the whole day of his sixteenth birthday on the chariot track, imagining it as his dad's sun-mobile. He'd spent the previous week painting it bright red and everything and, according to his own imagination, won every Indie 500 Race that day.

Only to have several of his siblings show up and hog the races the rest of the day from the rest of camp to make that a reality. Kayla had even painted brands and logos on some of them for authenticity while Micheal and Lee somehow always had the dastardly bad luck of fumbling the finish so Will could sail through.

It really had been a good day, and only a tad bittersweet at the end as he sat on the roof of his cabin watching the sun go down, his prayer unanswered of hoping his dad would just make an appearance, let alone let him touch the sun. Austin had assured him that night as he flopped into bed they'd all made that wish and Apollo hadn't answered in centries for any of his kids, just another day.

but I guess my heart wasn't in it anymore, and Paul could tell. In a weird way he reminded me of Chiron sometimes, how he could look at you and actually see your thoughts.

Will realized his thoughts had drifted him into a melancholy mood, and trying to jump right back out, he offered, "hey, did you know Chiron will help kids at camp get their license if they want to. He does something with the mist, gives them papers if they need it, but they still have to pass on their own merit," he finished with a grin at remembering Connor nearly drove his practice car into a jewelry store and still insisted it was an accident. It probably was an accident, but it was still funny too.

"I was actually wondering about that for a second," Magnus told him gratefully. He knew he was out of luck on that front and would likely remain homeless forever because of it, but for once this Camp finally had a solid, irrefutably good thing he might be able to look into.

 I guess it was that teacher aura.

"Is the dark turn Paul's been a secret FBI agent all along infiltrating the school," she paused with a wild gasp, "or your family! And he reveals the secret conspiracy of hauling you all away to Area 51!"

"Alex," Percy sighed with a good-hearted grin. "You are going to be excellent at whatever you decide your life is."

"Living that dream," she smirked.

"You've had a rough summer," he said. "I'm guessing you lost someone important. And...girl trouble?"

"I guess we know who the problem child is, the ones the parents gossip about," Thalia did a pretty good impression of an ornery older sister to Percy's ears while he flushed and muttered a bit about how he wasn't surprised this had come up with his mom.

I stared at him. "How do you know that? Did my mom—"

He held up his hands. "Your mom hasn't said a thing.

"Oh," Thalia sounded as stunned as anybody while Percy went from shocked to pleased the fastest. Percy had never really missed his life as a mortal, he'd spent to much of his younger years being the odd kid out to even know what that felt like but at this moment he knew that if Paul was the dad in his life that he didn't have to be, things would have still turned out all right for him.

And I won't pry. I just know there's something unusual about you, Percy. You've got a lot going on that I can't figure. But I was also fifteen once, and I'm just guessing from your expression...Well, you've had a rough time."

I nodded. I'd promised my mom I would tell Paul the truth about me, but now didn't seem the time. Not yet.

"Save that for his birthday," Jason chuckled, "see how long he thinks you're pranking him and asking for his real present before it sinks in."

"Well I know who I'm scratching off my next guest list," Percy rolled his eyes.

"I was on the list?" Jason looked surprised, which Percy hoped was a joke. Obviously everybody in here was.

"I lost a couple of friends at this camp I go to," I said. "I mean, not close friends, but still—"

Will looked touched all the same Percy didn't go back to his home and try to forget it even happened. Maybe the next time there was a war council meeting and Lee wasn't at the table Percy wouldn't just blink and breeze right past it like it had entirely left his mind.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah. And, uh, I guess the girl stuff..."

Percy had never been the greatest with his words. He had no more clue what to say to Paul than to Annabeth herself, how to get started on her and Rachel and Luke and the constant question mark bouncing around in his head. It wasn't because of Paul though. He'd stood there waiting patiently the entire time as he'd gathered his useless thoughts and then scraped them at least five times.

"Here." Paul handed me some punch. "To your fifteenth birthday. And to a better year to come."

We tapped our paper cups together and drank.

Percy couldn't have asked for a better toast. Any year had to be better than the one he'd just had. Right?

"Percy, I kind of feel bad giving you one more thing to think about," Paul said. "But I wanted to ask you something."

"He asks you if you're a half-blood?" Thalia asked, because really, it had to be something with Paul. Maybe he could see through the Mist too and never knew how to say it before he saw Kelli.

"Is he going to ask what he should have gotten you for your birthday?" Will asked, imagining he'd gotten Percy, like, a black puppy that turned out to be a hellhound too or something and that was the 'dark turn.'

"Is he going to ask to move in already?" Magnus asked, no clue how fast these things were supposed to go, but it felt like 'a step,' worthy of including Percy.

"What is the capital of Bulgaria?" Alex chuckled.

"Yeah?"

"Girl stuff."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh gods," Jason's mind started spinning like a guinea pig. "He's not going to ask you what he should get your mom for her birthday?" 

"Sounds, um, kind of nice?" Nico offered. Percy obviously got along with Paul, maybe Paul was looking for a way to spend more time with him.

"Your mom," Paul said. "I'm thinking about proposing to her."

"Oooh," all seven of them said with the same blank look. That was, so beyond the scope of their understanding honestly, they barely knew how to react to that other than nonplussed, maybe a little mild pleasure. None of the others really had a great enough relationship with their own mortal parent to process entirely what was being said.

I almost dropped my cup. "You mean...marrying her? You and her?"

"Sally and Paul, sitting in a tree," Thalia burst out singing with surprised laughter.

Percy came out of his dumbfounded state enough to react to that and give her a shove. He was happy for them, a hundred percent. Really, it wouldn't even be that weird, the guy was over all the time anyways. He just didn't even know how to process something like this because it didn't involve stabbing something.

"Well, that was the genera idea. Would that be okay with you?"

"You're asking my permission?"

Paul scratched his beard. "I don't know if it's permission, so much, but she's your mother. And I know you're going through a lot. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't talk to you about it first, man to man."

"Man to man," I repeated.

Percy had never been called anything more than his mom's little man before. He found himself sitting up straight in his beanbag chair, smiling with a new kind of pride.

It sounded strange, saying that. I thought about Paul and my mom, how she smiled and laughed more whenever he was around, and how Paul had gone out of his way to get me into high school. I found myself saying, "I think that's a great idea, Paul. Go for it."

It had felt like the obvious answer the moment he'd said it. Paul had looked him right in the eye while asking, despite their height difference. He was always there for his mom, he'd never made her cry. Percy didn't even know what else people needed to be in a marriage, but he already knew it would be better than what she'd had before.

He smiled really wide then. "Cheers, Percy. Let's join the party."

Percy had followed him with a strut in his step he'd never had before. His imagination had already been going wild, asking Paul to help him put on those weird monkey suits he'd only seen on TV. Would Paul ask Percy to call him dad? How upset would he be if Percy never wanted to?

But his mom...those seemed like minor problems when he could already feel the happiness through a kind of faith alone he'd never had for the gods that she was never going to stop smiling after this day.

I was just getting ready to blow out the candles when the doorbell rang.

"Did you make a wish?" Thalia asked with interest. The only time she'd ever managed to sit down for one of her birthdays was over a trashcan fire with Luke and Annabeth. They'd found some lumpy, frozen chocolate that had clearly all once melted together and were chipping it away, the two teasing her not to blow out their 'candle' that was keeping them warm, and she'd only promised her wish would be it never did. Other than that experience, she had no clue what someone would wish for.

"Yeah," Percy grinned without elaborating. It had just been a feeling really, of hope, that everything would be okay. He'd bottled it up tight and been about to exhale it onto that candle as a kind of offering all its own to the cosmos when that knock had interrupted him. He tried not to frown at that being some kind of bad omen.

My mom frowned. "Who could that be?"

It was weird, because our new building had a doorman, but he hadn't called up or anything. My mom opened the door and gasped.

It was my dad.

Percy had instantly felt zapped, shrunk back down to twelve years old again and seeing him for the first time on Olympus. He'd wanted to load him into a taxi and have some fairy tale ending. Instead, he'd told Percy he regretted him being born.

He was wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and Birkenstocks, like he usually does. His black beard was neatly trimmed and his sea-green eyes twinkled. He wore a battered cap decorated with fishing lures. It said NEPTUNE'S LUCKY FISHING HAT.

"Pos—" My mother stopped herself.

"What kind of fake name could she have even given?" Alex asked in amusement. "Pos, pause, pus," she kept trying to enunciate that into something and looked increasingly frustrated coming up with nothing. "Posterior? Pustrami? Pussudinym? Postumus? Possible? Positive, Pustual, Potter, Pos-"

"Posey?" Percy offered. That was a flower, and a girl's name, right? Then he went crosseyed as he realized what he just suggested his dad should go by for any length of time.

"Yes! Great one Percy!" Alex cackled in delight.

"I think we could go through every religion to find his alter ego and he'd still rather just go by his own name," Will finally interrupted the madness with a laugh.

She was blushing right to the roots of her hair. "Um, hello."

"Hello, Sally," Poseidon said. "You look as beautiful as ever. May I come in?"

"Can you say no to that?" Magnus stage whispered.

"I wouldn't want to try," Percy shrugged though because it was his dad, not in general.

My mother made a squeaking sound that might've been either a "Yes" or "Help." Poseidon took it as a yes and came in.

Percy shook his head at the six of them getting a good laugh out of that, Thalia of course escalating it by giving him a hearty clap on the shoulder and saying, "well, now we know where you got that from too."

"I don't squeak," he finished with a long, exhausted sigh knowing he couldn't really deny any such thing.

Paul was looking back and forth between us, trying to read our expressions.

Jason nodded in understanding. Some random guy showing up probably had Paul instinctively worried about Gabe showing up, if Sally had shared anything about him at all.

Finally he stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Paul Blofis."

Magnus crinkled up his nose in disgust at the idea of a creepy, three-eyed monkey coming to mind who always introduced himself like that at the end of those old cartoons. He'd really hated that thing. It had nothing to do with Paul, it was just a bad name association.

Poseidon raised his eyebrows as they shook hands. "Blowfish, did you say?"

"Ah, no. Blofis, actually."

"Oh, I see," Poseidon said. "A shame. I quite like blowfish.

"Poseidon's favorite son confirmed," Will snorted.

"At least it's not Antaeus," Percy shrugged.

I am Poseidon."

"I kind of like that better," Alex said. "Just come right out with it, why hide?"

"I think we just heard Alex's life motto," Nico grinned.

"Poseidon? That's an interesting name."

"Yes, I like it. I've gone by other names, but I do prefer Poseidon."

"Like the god of the sea."

"Very much like that, yes."

"Well!" my mom interrupted.

"I have never thought of your mom as a killjoy before this moment," Thalia admitted. "Even when she's being boring and safe and loving, telling you not to die and be careful and all that nonsense. This, this I would have paid to see how long your dad would go on like this."

"She's a little stressed," Percy shrugged, "and she gets a free pass."

"She gets all the free passes," Thalia nodded in agreement.

"Um, we're so glad you could drop by. Paul, this is Percy's father."

"Ah." Paul nodded, though he didn't look real pleased. "I see."

"Oooh, jealousy," Alex snickered in surprise.

"I'm guessing Paul's not his biggest fan," Percy agreed, confusion mixed into every syllable of how he felt about this. "My mom always made sure I knew my dad didn't abandon me, but you know, I was a little kid. I don't think Pual would have taken to that lost at sea thing. He probably wants to speak to him man to man too," he finished with an awkward smile he'd definitely have to be a part of that conversation to make sure nobody got turned into blowfishes.

Poseidon smiled at me. "There you are, my boy. And Tyson, hello, son!"

"Daddy!" Tyson bounded across the room and gave Poseidon a big hug, which almost knocked off his fishing hat.

"Naww," Magnus smiled in surprise.

"It was that or Tyson was going to burst into tears of joy or something," Percy grinned in relief at this choice.

Paul's jaw dropped. He stared at my mom. "Tyson is..."

"Not mine," she promised.

"Legally," Percy mock whispered, using air quotes and everything.

"It's a long story."

"I couldn't miss Percy's fifteenth birthday," Poseidon said. "Why, if this were Sparta, Percy would be a man today!"

"That's true," Paul said. "I used to teach ancient history."

Poseidon's eyes twinkled. "That's me. Ancient history.

"Have the gods written a memoir?" Jason asked with a false amusement meant to hide his instant need for such a thing. "An autobiography? A manuscript? A rough draft I could steal?"

"Jason, that last one could count as high treason, worse than stealing the bolt," Percy told him with wide-eyed concern that wasn't really mocking.

Jason laughed like he was kidding, but even to his own ears he knew he didn't convince anyone.

Sally, Paul, Tyson...would you mind if I borrowed Percy for a moment?"

He put his arm around me and steered me into the kitchen.

Once we were alone, his smile faded.

Percy sighed as that chapter title came true, again. He wished they wouldn't even be there to kill his blue skies, always looming over whatever nice moment he'd been having. Like storm clouds rolling in and chasing everyone off the beach. His dad hadn't done it on purpose he was sure, it had just instantly killed his mood.

"Are you all right, my boy?"

That immediately felt like the storm running out of rain though as Percy smiled. Chiron had called him that many times, but it had never hit as hard as that did.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I guess."

"I guess," Thalia nodded without surprise. "You know Percy, you don't have to guess every question you're given."

"I'm right like, fifty percent of the time," Percy shrugged.

"I call bullsit on that number," Jason scoffed.

"And I'm to bad at math to do the actual percentage," Percy scoffed right back.

"I heard stories," Poseidon said. "But I wanted to hear it directly from you. Tell me everything."

"See, this is why they invented cellphones though, to avoid awkward moments like this," Magnus said with a twitchy feeling in his gut. The gods popped up at any old place now, yeah been there done that, but something about Poseidon being in Percy's apartment was giving him a feeling of anxiety. Ever since Gabe had left, Percy had always felt safe there, and though his dad was clearly no threat to him, it felt invasive. Like he could hear howls in the distance...

So I did. It was kind of disconcerting, because Poseidon listened so intently. His eyes never left my face. His expression didn't change the whole time I talked. When I was done, he nodded slowly.

"I cannot say I've ever had a god's undivided attention before," Will said with a touch of awe. When Annabeth had done it, he'd been infuriated beyond words. Now his mind felt overflown with jealousy at Percy getting the same from his dad. It really did feel like all or nothing for the Olympians sometimes.

"So Kronos is indeed back. It will not be long before full war is upon us."

"As opposed to the minor battles you've been dealing with," Nico sighed.

"What is war if not just for a bunch of little battles," Thalia agreed.

"Violent," Alex offered.

"Profitable," Percy raised his hand for something he actually remembered from a class.

"You two think you're so clever," Thalia scoffed.

"What about Luke?" I asked. "Is he really gone?"

"I don't know, Percy. It is most disturbing."

"But his body is mortal. Couldn't you just destroy him?"

"We've been asking that since he summoned a scorpion and tore a rip in the air with a sword," Magnus said, and by we he clearly meant himself.

"Mortal, perhaps, but there is something different about Luke, my boy. I don't know how he was prepared to host the Titan's soul, but he will not be easily killed. And yet, I fear he must be killed if we are to send Kronos back to the pit. I will have to think on this. Unfortunately, I have other problems of my own."

"That, was the best summary of the gods, and I didn't even have to Sparknotes it," Nico sighed. Yeah, your problem sucked, but I'm busy with other things!

I remembered what Tyson had told me at the beginning of the summer. "The old sea gods?"

"I wonder if Oceanus is listening in on us and muttering about how his strategies still would have worked," Thalia said with interest. She wished he wasn't such a reclusive old nut, she'd have liked the chance to hear the perspective of an old Titan.

"More likely he'd forget our names every other minute and be whining about how the Olympians run things," Percy rolled his eyes.

"Back in my day we squashed puny mortals on their birthday!" Alex even gave a helpful old man impression again to prove Percy's point, earning a grin from said child of the sea.

"Tethy's didn't seem that bad," Jason was clearly on Thalia's side with a hopeful smile at the door.

"So long as she keeps that thermometer away from me," Percy insisted.

"Indeed. The battle came first to me, Percy. In fact, I cannot stay long. Even now the ocean is at war with itself. It is all I can do to keep hurricanes and typhoons from destroying your surface world, the fighting is so intense."

His dad had been stroking his beard the whole time, a nervous tick Percy had never seen him do before. He didn't have his triton on him, also a first. Poseidon had seemed more human in that kitchen than Percy realized he even could be. Like that delirious moment of him just waltzing back into his mom's life and snapping his fingers to make everything perfect was possible for just this second.

And then what he'd said really sunk in. That his dad, in all his godly power, was already exhausted and torn in half by a war long before Zeus even admitted one was happening. His father, like any of the gods, was far from perfect.

"Let me come down there," I said. "Let me help."

"The summer camp I'm honestly surprised you haven't attended yet," Alex agreed.

"Not for lack of trying!" Percy groaned.

Poseidon's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Not yet, my boy.

"Yet," Percy sighed, though when he did try and search through his mind to get a glimpse for that feeling, it hurt. A trace of pain lancing through him he had no wish to play connect the dots with in the slightest.

I sense you will be needed here. Which reminds me..." He brought out a sand dollar and pressed it into my hand. "Your birthday present. Spend it wisely."

"Is, that a joke?" Jason asked slowly.

"Um, spoiler, I didn't laugh," Percy promised if it was.

"Uh, spend a sand dollar?"

"Oh, yes. In my day, you could buy quite a lot with a sand dollar.

"Could probably buy a whole sand mansion or something back in his day," Nico snorted.

"Wasn't he kind of born owning the ocean?" Magnus asked. "How rich is he from just all the treasure in the seas?"

"More immeasurable than his already infinite power I'm sure," Percy sighed at them missing the point, as usual.

I think you will find it still buys a lot, if used in the right situation."

"What situation?"

"When the time comes," Poseidon said, "I think you'll know."

Percy sighed at the strange feeling that gave him. Like he knew his dad was right, and it wasn't even particularly painful like the last time he'd just tried to understand this cryptic advice, but it was still as exhausting as wondering whose string those old ladies had cut. Better than sending him another card though.

I closed my hand around the sand dollar, but something was really bothering me.

"Only one something?" Jason sighed. "Because I'm over here losing track of all my somethings."

"I prioritize better," Percy smirked.

"You forget more," Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Dad," I said, "when I was in the maze, I met Antaeus. He said...well, he said he was your favorite son. He decorated his arena with skulls and—"

It had been a really horrible moment in a vast, never-ending sequence of horrible moments down in that maze. Nobody was surprised this one had stuck with Percy.

It was nice he got the chance to air it for once. That Poseidon had a chance to answer for why he'd never stepped in and told Antaeus to knock it off with the murdery entertainment.

"He dedicated them to me," Poseidon supplied. "And you are wondering how someone could do something so horrible in my name."

I nodded uncomfortably.

Poseidon put his weathered hand on my shoulder. "Percy, lesser beings do many horrible things in the name of the gods. That does not mean we gods approve. The way our sons and daughters act in our names...well, it usually says more about them than it does about us. And you, Percy, are my favorite son."

Percy smiled to bright for them to do anything other than smile along, the answer had clearly meant a lot to him that they weren't going to badger for more.

Yet it felt more like a redirect than an answer.

He smiled, and at that moment, just being in the kitchen with him was the best birthday present I ever got. Then my mom called from the living room.

"Percy? The candles are melting!"

"You'd better go," Poseidon said. "But, Percy, one last thing you should know. That incident at Mount St. Helens..."

For a second I thought he was talking about Annabeth kissing me, and I blushed, but then I realized he was talking about something a lot bigger.

"There was something bigger that happened?" Alex said in an oh so innocent impression of Percy's voice.

Percy gave her an eye roll for that, a blush on his cheeks but sinking lower in his seat all the same for what he'd done.

"The eruptions are continuing," he said. "Typhon is stirring. It is very likely that soon, in a few months, perhaps a year at best, he will escape his bonds."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean—"

Poseidon raised his hand. "It is not your fault, Percy. It would've happened sooner or later, with Kronos awakening the ancient monsters.

Percy couldn't believe the weight that was lifted off of him, like taking a much needed breath of air. He did still feel the responsibility of that on his shoulders, but for his own dad to assure him it wasn't his fault was unbelievable when he knew best the gods would try and blame this kind of mistake on the easiest target available.

But be aware, if Typhon stirs...it will be unlike anything you have faced before. The first time he appeared, all the forces of Olympus were barely enough to battle him. And when he stirs again, he will come here, to New York. He will make straight for Olympus."

"Oh, so it's not just my birthday that took a dark turn," Percy sighed. "It's the whole stinking continent that's soon going to be covered in ash and blotting out the sun getting a dark turn."

Thalia gave his shoulder a gentle shake and her usual spiel about not freaking out to early while Nico batted his eyes at Percy in surprise. He'd been so sure that stupid thing related to him, that he'd hear Percy's uncomfortable thoughts about inviting him inside to darken his apartment. Percy's wasn't exactly a great interpretation, but it certainly was different than his.

That was just the kind of wonderful news I wanted to get on my birthday, but Poseidon patted me on the back like everything was fine. "I should go. Enjoy your cake."

And just like that he turned to mist and was swept out the window on a warm ocean breeze.

Alex chuckled for a moment before telling Nico, "you still have the best calling card in this one by the way, but Poseidon does get points for spirit on that."

Nico swelled with pride he was being compared to some god other than his dad to care what those points were worth.

It took a little work to convince Paul that Poseidon had left via the fire escape, but since people can't vanish into thin air, he had no choice but to believe it.

"I feel so bad for Paul," Magnus chuckled as he rubbed his temple. "Knowing the answer you're given isn't the truth but feeling crazy there's no other answer."

"Yeah," Percy agreed with a sorrowful nod. He'd felt awful lying to Paul after the awesome talk they'd just had and resolved in himself to tell him the truth sooner rather than later. He hoped he'd managed to do that before this whole disappearing off the face of the earth thing he'd apparently done so his mom had someone to really confide in about her worries.

We ate blue cake and ice cream until we couldn't eat anymore. Then we played a bunch of cheesy party games like charades and Monopoly. Tyson didn't get charades. He kept shouting out the answer he was trying to mime,

"Which is lucky for you because he would have kicked all of your butts being such an awesome artist," Alex grinned.

"I call him on my team!" Jason instantly yelped.

"Hey, no dibs before we even set up our own game night," Alex narrowed her eyes with a menace none of them were sure was entirely playful.

"Got to be faster Alex, sorry," Jason just shrugged smugly.

Thalia loudly cleared her throat to move that on before she had to restrain the two.

but it turned out he was really good at Monopoly. He knocked me out of the game in the first five rounds and started bankrupting my mom and Paul.

"I see Tyson really got all of Poseidon's good traits," Magnus laughed in surprise.

"I call him on my Monopoly team," Alex said swiftly.

Jason sighed in defeat they would switch it up between games and gave in.

"How do you play Monopoly in teams?" Percy asked.

"By making shit up I'm sure," Thalia shrugged at the amount of chaos that was going to happen when this night happened.

I left them playing and went into my bedroom.

"Aw Perce, don't tell me you're a sore loser," Will frowned.

"More like I was getting a headache watching their money move hands so fast," Percy grinned.

I set an uneaten slice of blue cake on my dresser.

Nico smiled in surprise that finally explained why, when he'd materialized, he'd heard shouting in the background like there had been a gameshow on when the TV was off as he'd come in. He'd thought he had shut it off or something crazy when he'd come in with his weird powers and aura and they'd fallen silent upon seeing him. Turned out it was a much more fun, and mundane reason.

Then I took off my Camp Half-Blood necklace and laid it on the windowsill. There were three beads now, representing my three summers at camp—a trident, the Golden Fleece, and the latest: an intricate maze, symbolizing the Battle of the Labyrinth, as the campers had started to call it. I wondered what next year's bead would be, if I was still around to get it. If the camp survived until next summer.

Percy did have another bead on there, of course, and he clasped his fist around the lot now, his throat as tight with worry as ever what had happened between all that. He felt like the best-case scenario was he'd come out alive, but the more realistic possibility was he'd just gone nuts and molded one for himself in a mock victory from his grave or something before being plopped in here.

I looked at the phone by my bedside. I thought about calling Rachel Elizabeth Dare. My mom had asked me if there was anyone else I wanted to have over tonight, and I'd thought about Rachel. But I didn't call. I don't know why. The idea made me almost as nervous as a door into the Labyrinth.

Thalia sighed with guilty relief he hadn't. It would have just been awkward if Annabeth found out about that...and yet she knew from Annabeth Percy had spent a large chunk of time coming up hanging out with Rachel so she was a tad surprised that hadn't started here.

I patted my pockets and emptied out my stuff—Riptide, a Kleenex, my apartment key.

"You kept up with that this whole time," Will asked in complete disbelief. "I need the brightest rainbow lanyard I can find to keep up with my key to my cabin because I keep losing the dang thing and my siblings started locking me out after the seventh time."

"I never lock my cabin door," Percy said blankly.

"You scare kids to much to sneak in there," Thalia scoffed.

"I want to know how and why you got a kleenex," Alex snorted. "And, more importantly, why you didn't offer that to Annabeth when she was sobbing her nose out."

Percy's heart froze and his mind scrambled as he suddenly found himself asking the same thing before Magnus jumped in saying, "probably pocketed it from that meal with Hera, I wouldn't trust that thing not to be poisoned anymore. Grover's probably just immune to such things."

Which didn't make Percy feel better, but did make him laugh for a moment along with the others.

Then I patted my shirt pocket and felt a small lump. I hadn't even realized it, but I was wearing the white cotton shirt Calypso had given me on Ogygia.

"I bet Annabeth loved that," Jason muttered, imagining she'd hardly looked at him the entire time because of the reminder.

Percy had been amazed it held up so well, covered in dirt, mud, and other unmentionable things he was sure. She was probably more amazing with a loom than Circe for giving him clothes he hadn't lost and or torn to shreds.

I brought out a little piece of cloth, unwrapped it, and found the clipping of moonlace. It was a tiny sprig, shriveled up after two months, but I could still smell the faint scent of the enchanted garden. It made me sad.

Percy touched where the little pocket had been over his heart, of course no longer there on his camp shirt. He had done the impossible, he had forgotten about Calypso even for a brief time in all the other madness that went on when he came home. Now it was Annabeth, Rachel, and Calypso all bouncing around in his head like a screen saver all fighting for his attention as his fingers tightened in his shirt before he dropped his hand back to his lap and sighed.

What the hell had Hera meant by it, sending him to her island? Had it been a warning, that all the Titans had faced punishment and Percy had better remember which side he belonged on? Had it been her deranged way of helping, giving him a chance to heal there, a place she knew he'd never stay on?

All he did know was that, like all help with the gods, it felt more harmful than good really. From now on, only his dad was allowed to send him off on vacations, and that was a spotty vow considering he wasn't sure what the outcome of this place was going to be yet.

I remembered Calypso's last request of me: Plant a garden in Manhattan for me, will you? I opened the window and stepped onto the fire escape.

My mom kept a planter box out there. In the spring she usually filled it with flowers, but now it was all dirt, waiting for something new. It was a clear night. The moon was full over Eighty-second Street. I planted the dried sprig of moonlace carefully in the dirt and sprinkled a little nectar on it from my camp canteen.

Nothing happened at first.

Then, as I watched, a tiny silver plant sprang out of the soil—a baby moonlace, growing in the warm summer night.

"I'm surprised Grover didn't sniff that out and eat it," Alex broke the heavy tension falling around them. "I honestly expected this to be mentioned back at camp as an invasive species and D would rip it up and threaten to strangle you with it."

"My brain works in mysterious ways," Percy grinned, a sad but meaningful one to help take his mind off all the bad. "That's probably why it waited until just now, weeks later, for me to ever think of cleaning out my pockets."

"Mmm, yes, mysterious," Alex laughed, because she said mysterious like one would their least favorite kind of cheese.

"Nice plant," a voice said.

I jumped. Nico di Angelo was standing on the fire escape right next to me.

"Nico's back!" Will yelped in surprise. For once he hadn't been tensing up beside him, fidgeting and internally freaking out about this happening, so Will had not a hint of warning any more than anybody else.

"I've been here the whole time you nit," Nico rolled his eyes with a smile.

Will's arm pulled him just another tiny little bit closer as he just laughed in surprise and kept going like the whole room was a bit brighter all of a sudden, making Nico blush and for the first time think of pushing him away making this 'a thing.' It was just a fleeting thought though, one he didn't act on.

Will didn't find it hard to explain to himself why he was so jazzed for this news. It was the very first instance of Nico reaching out to anybody, especially the most perfect person on the planet being Percy with his mom right on the other side of that door. For Nico to get a glimpse of how he should be greeted any time he entered a room.

"Is anybody going to ask how?" Percy yelped loudly, rudely interrupting Will's joyful reading as he stared strangely at Nico. "You appeared out of nowhere dude!"

"Practice," Nico said with pride in his voice, which of course, was no answer.

Percy groaned, Chiron and Thalia were known to do that too so it wasn't just the gods being cryptic and annoying, they were passing it on!

Nico really did give him a sorrowful smile though and pressed his finger to his lips, his skull ring gleaming. They had shadow-traveled a lot in the coming time, and he didn't want to upset Percy now when he saw the last page in Will's hand. They were nearly done with another, no need to go pushing Percy's mind to its limit when he'd get his answer without Nico forcing it on him soon enough.

He'd just appeared there.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"That's—that's okay. I mean...what are you doing here?"

Nico inhaled carefully, letting his mind think of that with interest now rather than the little happy dance he'd been doing in his head Percy's first reaction back then hadn't been pushing him off the fire escape in surprise. Now he really heard this for what it was. Not the blatant acceptance he so craved, just Percy reacting to him somehow even better than he had Rachel popping up in his mortal life. It was surprisingly a nicer, warmer feeling than his old feeling he had to keep off any part of his face.

He'd grown about an inch taller over the last couple of months. His hair was a shaggy black mess. He wore a black T-shirt, black jeans, and a new silver ring shaped like a skull. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side.

"An outfit you apparently never changed out of," Jason chuckled in surprise.

"I bet he has a closet full of the same outfit," Alex sighed tragically.

"I like this color," he kept the childish note out of his voice almost well enough. He should get used to defending his odd choices now if he was going to go to camp and hear this over and over...then he was surprised how easily that thought had come to mind. Tartarus had gone to far from his plans, he realized as a cold feeling swept him.

Will's hand curled gently around his arm, a warm pulse radiating from his palm that gave Nico a chance to exhale and focus on this.

"I've done some exploring," he said.

"A common day pirate," Will smiled in delight. "A vassst yee, I shall be tied down to no land!"

"See, now you're getting it," Nico's eyes shimmered with delight at the goofy impression.

"Even pirates need a secret cove to bury all their treasure," Will reminded hopefully. If that's all camp could be to him, a way station of safety, it would feel like enough so long as he'd always feel free to use it.

"Hmm, I'm not much of an artist Will, I'll have to work on getting a map together," Nico couldn't help the glib comment, the wishy-washy response. Despite how comfortable he felt under Will's arm, it was the longest, most permanent feeling he'd ever had in his life up to this point. Something so solid, even more permanent like Will kept wanting still sounded like to much for him to wrap his mind around right now.

"That's okay, I know a good one. X marks the spot and all that," he grinned all the same. He'd still carve that on Thalia's old tree when he got back and knew Nico at least would get the reference.

 "Thought you'd like to know, Daedalus got his punishment."

Will's voice somehow sparked with even more joy getting to read this so soon. He really had wanted to know his fate, and Alex was right there with him, leaning forward eagerly in her seat, her teeth sunk into her lip as she wavered back in forth in her head how harsh she wanted to hear this being.

"You saw him?"

Nico nodded. "Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for an eternity, but my father had other ideas.

Nico had been surprised when he'd showed up in his courtroom he hadn't even needed to step in and offer anything for this. Daedalus had been such a notoriously lost soul for so long Hades had already taken an interest, and swift execution before Nico had even woken up.

Hades had laughed to himself about the cheese fondue idea and even filed it away for later though. As far as Nico knew, Minos was still on his seat at the judge's table, so he hadn't exactly been as punished as Nico would have liked, but hey, you win some you lose some.

Daedalus will be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for all time. It'll help ease the traffic congestion. Truthfully, I think the old guy is pretty happy with that. He's still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix on the weekends."

It was just the perfect kind of Greek ending really. Quintus, Daeadlus the fifth's body, had had a very long road, and his punishment was to continue making them. It was no reward, but really, it was no great punishment. Hades seemed to have found a stroke of balance in his domain that all wished for really, a kind of medium eternal life after his grand adventure that rocked to many boats.

"That's good."

Nico tapped at his silver ring. "But that's not the real reason I've come. I've found out some things. I want to make you an offer."

"What?"

Percy hadn't squinted suspiciously at him or anything, he hadn't gone for his sword or jumped back in and slammed the window in his face. He hadn't exactly jumped to his feet with delight either and hugged him for finding all this out, so, that had been the highlight of Nico's month.

"The way to beat Luke," he said. "If I'm right, it's the only way you'll stand a chance."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm listening."

Will's voice was so happy as he read that, his pupils kept wanting to jump away from the text to glance at the two with such bright eyes. This, this had been what he'd been hoping for Nico for so long, ever since he'd vanished after the Titan War. He already knew Percy and Nico made an awesome team, the two working together had been the saving strategy and the reason they were probably all alive today. Why did Nico constantly think he wasn't accepted again when Percy had been open and amenable from the start to his plan?!

Nico glanced inside my room. His eyebrows furrowed. "Is that...is that blue birthday cake?"

It had been the strangest feeling, Nico shook his head at himself. He'd been glancing around for an enemy, someone eavesdropping. Instead he'd seen the brightest splash of color, a blue swirl patterned cake with sprinkles. The exact kind of thing Bianca would have smacked his hand for reaching for, telling him he'd get a cavity just looking at that thing.

He sounded hungry, maybe a little wistful. I wondered if the poor kid had ever had a birthday party, or if he'd ever even been invited to one.

No, and no, Nico pursed his lips together rather than answer. Will, thankfully, read right over the moment without waiting for an answer, bless him. Nico still considered himself a no on both too, because he hadn't been 'invited' to this party. He'd gate crashed.

"Come inside for some cake and ice cream," I said. "It sounds like we've got a lot to talk about."

"Everything Percy brags about his mom's cooking is true by the way," Nico said swiftly before anybody could ask questions they weren't going to get an answer to. "It was, the best cake, I've ever had." He smacked his lips in appreciation at just the thought. It had been the most solid food he'd had in months and he was pretty sure his ambrosia had switched to tasting like that for a while.

"We'll get her her own cookbook, or a TV network show or something," Jason laughed.

Percy had a lot more questions buzzing around his mind about how that night would have continued. He opened his mouth with at least three trying to all bunch together, but all that came out was a very rude yawn.

"The question now is, do we take a break or just start the next one?" Thalia asked, stretching and jumping to her feet all the same.

"A break, definitely," Percy pleaded at once. "Hell, can I take a nap, since the days all out of whack anyways and we start the next one tomorrow."

"Nap yes," Thalia told him not unkindly, "but I am waking you back up to at least start on the next one! We'll be in here for twenty years if you sleep to your heart's content Rip Van Winkle!"

Percy nodded and then, actually just slumped over, right there in his chair. It would have been a tad concerning if he hadn't started drooling only moments later.

Nico expected Will to jump up and join the others as they all started talking quietly, stretching and going off to eat, but instead he stayed in place, hugging the black book tight to his chest and smiling at it still. Nico still thought him nuts, but a very charming kind. Nuts and berries.

Something had been nagging at the back of his mind though. A pessimistic idea that wouldn't leave him, an observation about Will always being so happy and optimistic at the idea of Nico being at camp. "Did you kiss me because you want me to stay at Camp?" Nico asked, his stomach in painful knots that the answer was going to be yes and how much he should care about that and how much it would make a difference. Maybe Will did just want something from him-

"No!" Will's startled blue eyes were pure honesty. "I kissed you because I wanted to, no other reason." Nico still seemed confused though, so he offered, "look, I, I feel like I should apologize, for kissing you right then," Will confessed. "That, um, wasn't exactly, 'friendly,' and if that's what you need right now-" his arm started to pull away even.

"I like it," Nico interrupted, the surprise on his own face for admitting that causing him to sheepishly avert his eyes, but his hand darting up to hold his fingers in place, nearly pining them to his black shirt. "L-liked. Um, it was, it feels- felt, good, but if you regret it-" his hand spasmed as he told himself to let go.

"Woah, I never said that," Will interpreted right back. "I've been trying to get to know you since we met. I just, um, was trying to make sure-" he was blushing himself and stammering and going very blank in the mind to find words to describe anything.

"Right, well," Nico took a shaky breath but looked back at him with a hesitant smile. He interlocked their fingers, and Will easily mimicked him. "That's, established. Neither of us, regret it, and we both like talking, so let's just, keep doing, that."

"Sounds perfect," Will grinned.

PJOPJOPJO

I am not promising that this will be the last book to end with Solangelo, I don't want to be a liar like that, but I do already have the ending to the next book planned out and it's not focused on them, so there's that?

So I'm taking a short break and then posting Demigod Files next month for sure, and then I'm going to start Last Olympian in May! I'm so excited guys, I'm looking forward to it all as much as anybody!

*I know most people probably imagine Alex using the f' word like a bestie, but I'm more familiar with people who grew up in verbally abusive households disliking strong language because it's been used on them to much. Also I do my best to keep these PG, T at most, so it's going to stay at least in the level of clean you've seen so far in the tone of the original books, so this is what I'm going with.

[red-hemlock]

RP MUSE VALENTINE’S APPLICATION.

your name: Steve! (Or Ezra, do you like Ezra better? You know what, just call me whatever you want.)

Romantic or platonic?: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,romantic, 👉👈

A night in or dinner out or an activity?: I think I heard somewhere that you like carnivals? Let's just make sure Dr. Quinzel hasn't claimed it before we go.

Ice cream or chocolate covered strawberries?: The second one.

What's your perfect date?: Something on the waterfront or a rooftop. It's a mild night where we can look out onto the city or the reflection of the lights on the water, my arm around you, just the two of us. And also no one's trying to murder us at that particular moment. The simple things.

Would you cook for me?: Yes!

Would you let me cook for you?: Yes!!!

Can we make-out?: Y.Yes.

Make out in private or in public?: Is this an actual necessary question? I don't know?? Do you want to make out where everyone's watching us?

Do you like to cuddle?: Very much so.

Blankets or no blankets for cuddling?: Again, some of these questions don't seem completely necessary. I guess I like being cozy under some nice blankets? Is that what it's asking?

Couch or bed?: For which activity? Couch is nice for cuddling because that's usually where the TV is :)

What are at least 3 hobbies of yours?: Okay, so, I restore old phones and stuff, but it's really a lot more interesting than it sounds! There's a really neat history associated with each model, and it's so cool to learn what parts stay the same over time and what changes, (especially between companies and brands and, y'know, what country they were made in, that sort of thing). It's not just phones, though, some of my favorites I've worked on have actually been those old electrical telegraphs? The wood on those is beautiful, you have to see them sometime. Anyway, the point is that I really just like fixing up any of those old devices, it doesn't have to be strictly a "phone," or whatever. ...what was the question, again?

Tell me something about you no else knows: ...whoof! Is it just me, or did this questionnaire escalate quickly? I mean, it wants me to share a secret that no one else knows in the whole world? That's tough. ...huh. Um. I'm pretty sure Mr. Afton knows literally everything there is to know about me. Except for. What he doesn't know, but you already know that, so. ...I don't know. I'm allergic to pecans but I eat them anyway?

Why do you want to be my valentine?: You're. Wow. Why wouldn't someone want to be your Valentine? You're the whole package. You're top of your field, incredibly skilled and competent... smart, funny, drop-dead gorgeous. And... for Valentine's Day specifically, I think I just want the chance to get to know you when you're not working. Because as perfect as you already are, I know that the more I get to know you, the more you'll continue to impress.

What makes you a good Valentine?: ...after that last question, I'm starting to wonder if I have enough to offer to actually be good enough for y I'd be a a great Valentine! We have a nice rhythm going already, and I really care. I'd go the extra length to make this special. ...and if things go poorly and you decide to off me, you know I won't be able to fight back lmao. (That was a joke.)

Who Wants to be This Potato's Valentine? @mute-call

When not taken with a job, Riversong Locke usually wasn't given to snoop within things that were not expressly 'hers'. Yet as her eyes bore down on the corner of this not-so-very stealthily hidden piece of paper, two words run a rampant chant within her head: 'Read this'. And so she does. Gaze drawn straight-away to the bullet-points and few hastily scratched-out bits, River thought it to be a checklist of some kind at first. Perhaps a grocery list?

That is, until she began reading the paper proper.

Surprise is an understatement, she didn't think he would actually fill-out the thing, let alone do it in a way that was clearly genuine. Was that a spot of pink on her cheeks? It was one of the many things she liked about him though, the way he kept her on her toes.

"Silly darling, you should've just said something..." Yet it was probably far easier to do it this way than face-to-face. Her answer, though?

Plucking a post-it from the table, a single heart is drawn dead-center in pastel-pink ink and dried by slow exhalation of her breath. Still grinning, the 'application' is returned where it once lay, waiting to be found later by the 'Nervous Nancy' she calls her boss.

Should be as resound a 'yes' as any.

[doyelikehaggis]

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Scirisaac | Isaac Lahey x Scott McCall x Kira Yukimura (Teen Wolf)

Requested by @a-lil-bi-furious

Someone's walking towards them. Kira's aware that she shouldn't be staring because they might think it's rude, and that's not really the best first impression. But she also can't stop staring.

For a heart-skipping moment, she considers the possibility that they're not actually friendly and are, in fact, about to attack. Then she reminds herself that they're right in the open surrounded by at least twenty other students who all chose to eat lunch/study outside just like them.

"Uh, do you know them?" she quietly asks, leaning into Scott on her right. After all, he seems to be the centre of the stranger's attention, his eyes focused intently on him with a growing anxiety.

Scott lifts his head from the paper he was intensely scrutinizing for errors before their next class; he's desperate to pull his grades back up for Senior Year, it's all he's talked about all summer. She's been doing her best to help out with weekend study sessions at their houses, but they usually turn into impromptu movie/cuddle nights, which is a little bit unhelpful, they've both realized.

To her surprise, Scott instantly disregards the paper, his full attention on the stranger. Or, not stranger, she guesses. Not according to the look on Scott's face as the two of them look at each other.

"Yeah," Scott breathes softly, like he can't believe this isn't something pulled from the depths of his deepest dreams. "Isaac. Remember, I told you about him? He's part of the pack."

"That's good to hear," Isaac says, finally reaching them. There's the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth, hands burrowing deeper into his pockets.

While clearly tall, the insecure hunch in his shoulders provides the image of a much smaller, perhaps lost child. Not quite the picture Kira built up of him in her mind from all of Scott's recounting. But little things jump out at her right away; the way his eyes reflect the rays of the sun with their golden flecks.

She had secretly felt envious when Scott said something along those lines, but she can't find it anywhere inside of her now, looking at him. Only understanding for why Scott's voice always held a sort of soft fondness to it whenever his name was mentioned in conversation.

Isaac shrugs, saying, "I had thought maybe moving halfway across the world sorta meant I wasn't part of it anymore."

Scott shakes his head. "It doesn't matter where you are, you will always be part of the pack. You should know that."

Then he's up off the bench and hugging him fiercely. Kira can't see Scott's face, pressed into Isaac's shoulder (nearly his chest), but she can imagine it's similar to the one of deep relief that is on Isaac's as he hugs him back.

While her stomach gives the tiniest of flip-flops at the sight of them embracing like long-ago parted lovers, she isn't jealous. More curious.

When Scott pulls back, he immediately turns to her and introduces them happily. "Isaac, this is Kira. My girlfriend."

She smiles up at him and sticks out her hand, then instantly regrets it, internally cringing at herself. To her further surprise, Isaac takes the offer and shakes her hand. His lips twitch up into a cute, lopsided little smile of amusement.

"Scott's told me so much about you!" Kira gushes. "I was hoping I would get to meet you at some point, but I'm not too keen on travelling -- I've done it a lot in my life already, and it would be nice to stay in one place for a few years, at least, so going to France was out of the question. And no one was really sure if you were actually still in France or not."

For a second, she worries she's scaring him off of her already, realizing they're still shaking hands. Well, they're not really shaking anymore, more just... holding hands. Which is worse.

Flushing furiously, she quickly retracts her own, glancing helplessly at Scott only to find him grinning down at her with that same soft fondness.

"Sit with us," Scott invites him, motioning across the table as he reclaims his spot on the bench beside Kira. "I'd love to catch up. Are you back for good?"

There's a hopefulness to the question and it doesn't seem to be lost on anyone. Isaac takes a deep breath, checks with Kira that she's okay with him joining them, to which she nods maybe a little too much, and slides onto the bench across from them.

"That's the plan," he confirms, fingers clasping on the table. He looks so poised, so put-together; Kira watches his eyes dart down to the table. "I can't believe I'm saying it, but I actually kind of want to graduate. I have a lot of catching up to do, obviously."

"We can help!" Kira jumps in, not even taking a single second to consult with even one of her better instincts. Impulse wins out every time.

Still, she may as well double down on it now. Looking to Scott, she says, "We're pretty much always studying these days anyways, right? We'd be more than happy to do it with you. Study. Study with you."

The heat of embarrassment under her skin is not getting better. It's a miracle that Scott and Isaac don't draw attention to it, not beyond another twitching smile from Isaac.

His eyes dart to Scott as he says, "That would be great. I would really appreciate that, if you really don't mind me, like, being a third wheel."

"I promise, you are not a third wheel," Scott says, then with a chuckle, adds, "You'll probably be helping us, to be honest."

"Yeah, you know what they say," Isaac says. "Three's better than one."

[welldonebeca]

Simple and Plain

Summary: “I don’t want to talk cause it makes me feel bad. But I understand you’ve come to shake my hand.” Daemon tries to talk with Rhaenyra about their past. She isn’t ready yet. (Also, Rhaenyra and Laenor doing bedtime with the boys). WC: 2.1k words Warnings: Angst. Fluff. Hurt/Comfort. Family fluff. Modern AU with the Targaryens. Singing.

Masterlist  

Rhaenyra breathed in deep, grateful for the silence in the dining room as she felt the eyes right on her back. This wasn't her house anymore, she couldn't stop people from walking around. But at least everyone was respecting her request for a silent hour, and she was grateful as she brushed Jace's hair back as her son drew a picture, sitting on her lap.

Daemon was watching them from the living room.

"That's a nice picture, Jacaerys," she heard by her side.

She raised her eyes, finding him sitting on the seat next to her on the table.

He'd been following her for nearly the whole day now, eyes so heavy she was surprised no one had come to ask them about it. It wasn't like anyone knew the truth, she had only told Laenor.

They had yet to talk alone. Not that Rhaenyra wanted to talk to him, no. She wasn't bitter, but she wasn't happy.

He had left her, and the past was in the past. Why bring it up?

What else was there to say?

"It's mama," Jace pointed at the stick figure with white blonde hair. "And this is daddy. And me. And Luke."

She smiled, kissing his temple.

It was their calm-down time. The boys went to bed early every night, so as soon as 7 pm rolled in, she and Laenor started a calming routine. No TV, not much music... just cuddling and doing slow things. She had already bathed her oldest, and Laenor was doing so to Luke then.

"Do you think I could keep it?" Daemon asked. "You know, your cousins always ask a lot about you two. They like you very much, I think they would love to have a picture of everyone."

Jace lit up, looking at him very excitedly. He loved Baela and Rhaena, all four of the kids were so close.

"Of course!" he exclaimed. "Can I write my name on it too?"

Daemon nodded.

"I think you should," he told him. "Then we can know it was you who made this gorgeous picture."

He smiled, taking the orange crayon, slowly writing his name.

"Ja-cae-" he spoke slowly. "Rys. With an A and a E."

She smiled.

"Yes."

Jace looked at Daemon.

"Because Luke's name doesn't have an A," he explained to him. "Only mine does."

Her uncle nodded, either feigning interest or genuinely caring about it.

"I will remember that," he told him.

They fell into silence again as Jace added the Targaryen and Velaryon surnames after his name, breaking them when he ran out of her space in the paper.

Undashed. Two kids in, and Rhaenyra and Laenor were still discussing that bit.

"Where are the girls and Laena?" she asked.

Why wasn't he with them?

Daemon looked at her.

"Laena is bathing them. I told her I wanted a minute to talk to you. We haven't had a moment to ourselves since your wedding rehearsal."

Rhaenyra buried her nose in Jace's hair.

Yes, they hadn't talked since then.

She remembered the night very clearly, how he said he wouldn't run away with her. That he couldn't.

Rhaenyra remembered how he had kissed her and left, and Laenor was the one who found her, broken as she cried and sobbed like she hadn't since her mother's death.

Her mother was dead, her best friend was married to her father, and the only person she thought loved her had left!

Laenor was the only one she had. Her only friend, the only one she could count on. They were a team.

"We have nothing to talk about," she decided.

But Daemon didn't even move.

"No, I think we have a lot to talk about."

She glared at him, ready to correct him once more, but she could see Laenor emerging from the corridor.

"Alright, my loves," he looked at her. "It’s 8 pm."

Rhaenyra relaxed and Jace pouted on her lap.

"Eight already, daddy?" he asked, half-whining. "Are you sure?"

Laenor shrugged.

"Sorry, love. I don't control the time. But you can check for yourself. Do you happen to have a watch, Daemon?"

Her uncle turned to look at him, and showed off his wrist to Jace. It was digital, thankfully. Her boy couldn't quite read analytical clocks.

"He's right," he told him. "8h01."

Jace pouted, but sighed.

"Alright," he agreed, setting his crayons down. "Good night, Uncle Daemon."

Daemon smiled back at him.

"Good night, Jace."

Her son stood, and she stood along with him.

Laenor was the one who brushed their teeth at night, but she couldn't stay there with him.

"Rhaenyra," Daemon called.

"Good night, uncle," she looked at him. "I need to put my sons to bed."

He sighed behind her.

"Ñuha dāria," he spoke softly.

The nickname made her throat knot up, but she just continued walking after Laenor.

Her husband took her hand without even thinking about it, the two walking together up the stairs to the family wing.

"Are you alright?" Laenor asked softly. "Do you want me to put him back into his place?"

She chuckled.

Laenor putting Daemon into his place?

She couldn't quite see that. Her husband was too sweet for that.

"Thank you," she rubbed his arm. "But I'm alright. Don't worry."

Laenor simply nodded, walking to the bathroom, and she chuckled when she found Luke sat on the toiled, kicking his legs and humming a little song to himself.

"Daddy!" he looked at them, sounding very happy. "Mama!"

"Luke!" she giggled back.

He clapped.

"I'm done," he told them.

Laenor just raised his eyebrows at her and Rhaenyra chuckled.

Motherly duties.

Ten minutes later, the boys were cleaned, Jace had used the bathroom and everyone’s teeth - including Rhaenyra's and Laenor's - were brushed.

"Daddy," Jace called as Laenor was about to leave the room. "Can you be the one to snuggle me?"

He stopped for a moment. Rhaenyra was the one who usually put the kids to bed, her schedule meant that she would leave the house too early before they were awake, and Laenor took over it.

But they were both free the whole week, they could both do bedtime and wake-up time.

"Of course," he agreed. "Do you want me to lay in bed with you or sit on the floor?"

"On the bed, please."

At home, the boys each had their room. Luke would go to bed a little earlier, at seven-thirty, and Jace at eight-thirty, but this wasn't their home. The boys were put in a single bedroom together, and Luke would certainly wake up if they went through the sleep routine with Jace. So, they had to find a common ground. Luke would have an extra half an hour, Jace would get some extra snuggles… everyone could sleep in, too, if they wanted to.

Laenor lay down, and Rhaenyra couldn't resist Luke when he made some grabby hands at her, asking for cuddles.

"Mama, can I have a tiny bit of milk?" he asked, giving her big pleading eyes. "To sleep."

She sighed. No chance of weaning that one any time soon.

"Of course, honey. Do you want to lay on me a little?"

He nodded, and Laenor chuckled from his bed.

"I told you we would use the pump," he hummed, brushing Jace's hair softly.

He had packed it up, saying she would absolutely need it.

Luke had a strong preference for her right side. He always left the other one aching and full once he was fast asleep.

"Thank you," she pulled her top down, and her son threw himself on her.

The room fell a little into silence, and she could hear the distant sound of very soft steps.

Father's steps were heavy, Alicent's were careless, and Laena's were very relaxed.

This was Daemon.

She sighed. Gods, he wouldn't give up without a fight?

"Mama?" Jace called, getting her attention to him. "Can you sing now?"

She smiled a little.

"What do you want me to sing?" she asked him.

Her son shrugged, yawning.

"I like your sad songs," he spoke softly, putting his face in Laenor's neck.

She chuckled a little. Oh, she had many sad songs.

Rhaenyra always sang for them, since they were babies. It made them sleep very quickly.

"I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through," she moved her fingers to Luke's hair. "Though it's hurting me, now it's history."

Jace smiled into his father's chest, and Laenor rested his head on the pillow, curled around him in the small bed.

"I played all my cards, and that's what you've done too," she smiled at Luke, who still had his eyes wide open. "Nothing more to say, no more ace to play."

She was surprised when Laenor sang the chorus before she did.

"The winner takes it all, the loser standing small," he hummed. "Beside the victory, that's her destiny."

Rhaenyra breathed in deeply, seeing the slight shadow by the door, tall and stiff.

Daemon.

"I was in your arms thinking I belonged there," she looked at Jace, hidden in Laenor's chest. "I figured it made sense, building me a fence."

She brushed Luke's curls, breathing in his scent again, the lyrics just stinging her.

Gods, when father said she was to marry Laenor and she had no way out without being cut off, Rhaenyra was just lost. She thought she could run away, she thought she would run away.

Daemon had a life in Valyria, he had his own money and they were so close. He gave her everything, he told her all the right things and said he loved her.

He said he wanted to marry her, but when he had to choose between her and her father, Daemon chose him!

'Viserys is my brother,' he had said. 'I've been away from him for too long, our relationship just got back to what it was before. If we run away he won't ever want to see me again.'

"Building me a home, thinking I'd be strong there. But I was a fool, playing by the rules..." she sighed.

Alicent had chosen her father for the security marrying him brought her, or at least it was what she had told Rhaenyra.

And she expected her to be happy about it, that she had found a man she wanted to marry her and could give her the life she deserved.

As if he was just that, a man who she felt attracted to and could marry for his money and position, and not the father of her best friend!

When her mother had died, Rhaenyra had clung to her.

When Alicent then turned her away, she had clung to Daemon.

And then Daemon turned her away when she thought she had found safety and security.

"The gods may throw the dice, their minds are cold as ice, and someone way down here loses someone dear," Laenor sang and she closed her eyes, trying to bury the memories again. "The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall. It's simple and it's plain, why should I complain?"

They fell into silence, and she hoped the boys had fallen asleep, but Luke squeezed her shirt, and Jace moved from his father's chest to look at her. They were sleepy but very much awake.

"But tell me, does she kiss," she felt a single tear in the corner of her eye, sliding down her cheek. "Like I used to kiss you. Does it feel the same when she calls your name?"

She heard the little take in of breath, and the shadow moved the smallest bit.

Rhaenyra would never dare to put herself against Laena. She loved Laena so much.

Daemon knew that.

"Somewhere deep inside you must know I miss you," she squeezed Luke, smiling through it. "But what can I say? Rules must be obeyed."

"The judges will decide," Laenor took over. "Their likes of me abide. Spectators of the show always staying low. The game is on again, a lover of a friend. A big thing or a small, the winner takes it all."

Rhaenyra looked down, finding Luke's eyes closed and his mouth open.

Asleep, at last.

"I don't wanna talk," she looked at the door, the message as clear as she could give it. "Cause it makes me feel sad. But I understand you've come to shake my hand."

Silence.

They didn't continue the song.

Laenor pulled himself away slowly, covering Jace as she did the same to Luke, and she adjusted her clothes as her husband crossed the room, opening the door very slowly.

Their bedroom was right in front of this one. It used to be her bedroom, and the boys' room was her study room. Her father had asked her to redo it, so she could stay there with Laenor and have the boys near, but still a door away - as to not disturb romance or something. They were the only rooms Alicent couldn't touch at all.

Her husband walked into the room before she did, and Rhaenyra turned to her side to find Daemon far from the light, watching her, quiet.

She braced herself, waiting for him to come after her. It was still early, still another two hours until the hour she usually took to bed. Alicent and Laena could be drinking wine and eating cheese somewhere, but she had no energy for that now.

But Daemon didn't approach her, turning away and to the stairs, her message understood, at last.

Rhaenyra walked into the bedroom, at last, relaxing.

"Do you want to watch something?" Laenor offered. "You look like you could some cuddles, and I got Mamma Mia.”

She chuckled. Oh, how fitting.

He always knew what to do, didn’t he?

"I do," she agreed. "I could use some love and Meryl Streep."

He smiled, digging through their things and pulling the blue rays he'd packed for them, knowing too well they would be in this situation, and took her pump too.

She sighed, sitting on the bed, and watched him as he set the things up as the machine worked on what was left of her milk.

Laenor changed and took the bottle from her to put in the small fridge by the bed as she dressed up. They would use it to make Luke's breakfast, or Jace’s. Or Laenor's too; he didn't quite mind adding breastmilk into his diet once they had two kids under 18 months old in the house.

They were in their sleeping clothes when they went to bed, and she was grateful when his arms wrapped around her as the light of the TV lit up the room.

"Ready?" he asked softly, squeezing her tightly.

"Yeah," she rested on his shoulder. "You can start it."

[potatoesandsunshine]

hiii I’m lowkey obsessed with BG3 atm and I love hearing about other people’s characters and their experiences, and based off the snippets you’ve shared of your girl?? Love her. I love semi-shitty women. Dare I say— the best kind of woman. I’m curious as to what she looks like??

ANONNNNNN 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 thank u for my LIFE i love to talk about my characters <3 <3 <3 i am not the most creative when it comes to character appearance but here she is, The Sufferer:

(yes she got the volo eye)

SHE'S tired. SHE'S stressed out. SHE dyes every piece of armor sage green because that's what i like best :) the only really thought-through thing about her look is the silver eyes because i decided to be specifically Annoying about it. the eyes are the window to the soul but hers are silver bc they're MIRRORS she just shows what people want to SEE!!!! you understand. she carries around the sword that sings or screams (phalar aluve) because her job is not to hit things with a sword!! her job is to play music! why is this her life!!!! i need to see if there's a cool violin i can get her; i have a series of lutes but she's just not a lute girl.

i kind of stumbled into this 'her friendship with astarion is the bedrock of the campaign' thing because of them both being charlatans; it was SO funny for both of them to think the other was annoying but then constantly get inspiration from the same moments. they're on a 'cats who don't like each other' to 'cat friends' trajectory. she really does not have the insight or perception to see through him as well as she does, but i handwave that as recognizing your own tricks in someone else. this is another part of the WIP (that i think is just gonna be little moments that span act 1?):

   "Sleeping alone, then?" The question comes floating out of the trees.    Taryn rolls her eyes. "Clearly I'm sitting next to the river alone." She doesn't look back, even as the vampire approaches. Can't give him the satisfaction of a dramatic entrance, after all.     Astarion settles beside her with uncanny grace, the bastard. He gives a performative little sigh and settles back on his hands, eyes on the curve of the sky that's visible though the trees. "It's surprising, really. I thought you'd be cuddled up with our dear wizard all evening."    For the very first time since waking up on the beach, Taryn fumbles her words. "Yes, well. Ah, that is to say. Well."    His focus sharpens, she can feel it. "Is he that terrible? Are you?"    He isn't asking to be nice. Taryn knows this dance herself, the probing questions and the unlaced shirt and all; she's done it in half a dozen taverns along the Sword Coast alone, looking for the next big score. But it's been such a very long night, and she's unfortunately lonely, so she turns her head and meets his gaze.    He really is very skilled—the triumph in his eyes is nearly invisible.    "He hadn't even thought of wanting me," Taryn says, blunt. "Happy?"    "Ecstatic," Astarion lies. "You are aiming rather high with that one—playing follow-up to a goddess is quite the task. Some would call it impossible."    "Aiming for the impossible, how foolish," says the woman trying to find a cure for mindflayer tadpoles. "Suppose I should just give up and fuck someone else then."    "I'm no one's second choice," Astarion snaps, abruptly icy, and it's the most genuine she's managed to get him yet.    "'Course not," she agrees easily, deliberately unruffled. He never seems to know what to do when she doesn't rise to the bait. "And I'm not looking. If I was, I'd be seeing if Dammon felt like bending me over his anvil."    A flash of fang as he gives her his mean little smile. Good—they're back on the same page. "The blacksmith, hm? I suppose he does have good hands."    He's nice to Karlach, to us, and he doesn't have to be, Taryn doesn't say. Astarion doesn't enjoy that sort of honesty. Perhaps she's had a bit too much wine—will the tadpole cure her hangover? Unfortunately it’s all been red wine; the headache is likely beyond even illithid powers.

the document name is 'egregious amounts of italics' because that's basically every single one of their conversations. anyway this was probably more than what you were looking for but i was being real when i said i LOVE talking about my OCs

[lesbiansanemi]

Thoughts on how Nobara and Maki got together/beginning of their relationship?

Oh hell yeah, Nobamaki my beloved

So, I definitely think that Nobara ended up with a crush on Maki pretty damn quick. Like, within the first or second time of meeting her. But... Nobara is prone to quick crushes, but she got hung up on Maki because that one stuck

She was pretty obvious about it, and Maki's not oblivious, so she definitely noticed pretty quick. After all, Nobara always found excuses to sit/walk next to her, was always offering her snacks and food, complimenting her, etc.

However, Nobara is definitely the type of person who wants to be the one who's asked out. So basically, she kept hinting and pushing and prodding because she wanted Maki to ask her out, not the other way around.

Maki... Well, I don't think it's that Maki would deny her feelings, or be oblivious to them, she's just never necessarily been interested in dating anyone before, so she doesn't really want to think about it. Not until Nobara, anyways, and she realized "Oh shit, I actually want to be around her a lot, she's fun, and hot, I like her, oh fuck"

Megumi made some snide comment about her finally asking Nobara out so he could stop listening to her whine and complain about Maki not asking her out quick enough. Maki nearly bit his head off, but resolved to do something about it because clearly Nobara wasn't just going to ask her out

She had a whole plan. Practiced on Toge. Was gonna ask Nobara to go out to town with her for a nice meal, because people do that kinda shit on dates, right? Right.

Then she walked up to Nobara on the practice field, choked, and basically just said the word "Date" in a deadpan tone and with her resting bitch face in all of its glory.

It worked though, and Nobara enthusiastically accepted, and began going on and on about how perfect and romantic their first date was going to be, because she already had the whole thing planned out, but just wanted Maki to ask her out first.

Maki was more than happy to just let Nobara do the planning for all that kind of stuff. She just likes spending time with her, and is content doing just about anything, from going out for a night on the town, to just chilling in the dorms and letting Nobara snooze on top of her.

They're very physically affectionate the second they get together, lots of hand holding, kisses, hugs, cuddling, so everyone else knows they got together immediately (well, that and the fact that Nobara very loudly announced they were together immediately).

Gosh, I just... I love them both, and have lots of thoughts on their relationship as a whole, but when they got together, I definitely see it going somewhere along these lines

[stray-kids-react]

Their friends don't like you

Masterlist

...

Bang Chan

° Would want to keep his relationships and friendships separate for this reason alone, he knew you and Bam Bam wouldn't see eye to eye and didn't want to choose either of you over the other.

° You kept your mouth shut about your dislike for Chan's friend for his own sake. You didn't want to ruin a close friendship he had, but Bam Bam on the other hand would constantly ask why Chan likes you.

° Chan got a bit annoyed with his friend due to how petty it was coming off after a while. You could say hi to him and Bam Bam would find something off about it, which made Chan more and more frustrated.

° You didn't say anything bad about Bam Bam, and Chan saw how much of the bigger person you were being. He didn't want to see you being picked on constantly, even if it was by his close friend.

° The last straw was when Bam Bam tried to hook him up with someone else behind your back, all of his frustrations built up inside him and his temper went through the roof. He officially had enough.

"Chan I want you to meet-"

"Stop! I'm sorry to whoever you are you seem very nice. But I'm in love with Y/n and they never say a bad thing about you, yet you hate on them constantly. If you don't apologize for everything, we're done."

Lee Know

° In all honesty, it took a while for you and Minho to like each other. You had a Tom and Jerry relationship for years, until you finally let him see past the wall you always build up. He's the only one who ever saw the true you.

° This is why the members didn't get what Minho saw in you, and everytime he said 'you don't see who they truly are.' they thought it was just an excuse to make you seem more likeable.

° Most of the members gave you a chance, but one was very hesitant to. Jisung didn't trust you, and did not want to see Minho get hurt at all. This is why he refused to give you one more chance after an incident.

° You opened up to the other members, apologizing for your behavior. You explained you had a terrible day that day and became very crusty, they accepted it and welcomed you with open arms. Except for Jisung.

° This awkward relationship with Jisung went on for months, even when you tried to reach out to him. Other members would even comment on how nice you truly were, but he just couldn't trust you.

"Maybe I should try talking to Jisung once more."

"No it's useless, he apparently just doesn't want me to be happy."

Changbin

° Thought your double date with Wooyoung and r/n went great, that is until Wooyoung texted him at midnight telling him how much of a let down you were. Even if it was in a joking manner, it genuinely hurt.

° He saw how happy you were to make a new 'friend', and couldn't dissolve that beautiful smile just because the reality of it was false. Wooyoung thought you were a bore, while you thought he was amazing.

° Changbin would distance himself slowly from Wooyoung, not appreciating the way he describes you. He didn't want him to come over and say those terrible words in your presence, it would break your heart.

° But Wooyoung noticed his friends absence, and decided to head over to your shared apartment where you two were cuddling while watching spirited away. Changbin's heart immediately sank.

° Wooyoung took Changbin aside to talk, and you could hear every words thanks to thin walls and their loud voices. You truly saw Wooyoung as a friend, and it hurt to hear how he felt about you.

"How can you date someone who is so boring, you can do so much better."

"I'm starting to think I could get some much better friends instead."

Hyunjin

° His best friend has a humongous crush on him for years, and thought she could finally get him. Until you came along and stole his heart, this caused fury to infect her bloodstream and needs of destroying you.

° Hyunjin was friends with her, but never saw her as a best friend and had much closer friendships. All of the closer friends adored you, you even became best friends with Seungmin after one hang out.

° This is why it came off much more suspicious to Hyunjin when she all of a sudden accused you of beating her up the day prior. Hyunjin knew you wouldn't hurt a fly, so why was she lying to him?

° He was about to ask why, when you opened the door to the Stray Kids dorms. She noticed your entrance and launched herself onto Hyunjin. He pushed her off and wiped his lips profusely.

° Now knowing the reason behind her lies, he demanded her to leave. Not giving a single care about their now ruined friendship. His tone was harsh and furious, clearly unimpressed with her actions.

"But Jinnie, you know you love me more. Y/n doesn't deserve you."

"I never liked you like that, now leave before I make you."

Han

° You didn't know how loyal Jisung was to his friends until you hung around them, he'd sometimes completely ditch you just to hang out with them. This made you feel irritated naturally.

° When you snapped at Felix, all of them looked at you with an unimpressed face. Your own boyfriend clueless as to why you snapped at his friend who kept stealing him from you.

° The drive home with Jisung was silent, tension filling the empty car. You had a suspicion that your relationship was on its last string and you just ran at it with scissors, this terrified you.

° Once you walked into your apartment and sat on the couch, you braced yourself for the words that were about to leave Jisung's lips. Knowing they were going to be the last ones from his that you'll ever hear.

° He stood at the door way with a sad look in his eyes, explaining to you that it isn't your fault it is his. Before expressing many apologies, just to end with 'we're over'. Just like that, he gave up on your relationship.

"Just say it Jisung, just get it over with."

"I'm sorry y/n, but I'm breaking up with you."

Felix

° You were visiting Felix's family for the holidays, getting to know his friends and family. One of his childhood friends gave you bad vibes, constantly catching his eyes on you even though you were Felix's.

° You tried to ignore his antics for a couple days, but then he tried to get physical. He pinched your hum while waiting in line. Causing you to yelp and jump away from the creepy man claiming to be Felix's friend.

° The same night you asked Felix about the man, finding out Felix didn't even consider him a friend. Only ever sharing a couple of classes with him, he soon followed up with the question you dreaded "why?".

° The moment you explained the events, you were embraced into your boyfriend's safe arms. Sighing in discomfort as he scowled at nothing, wishing that nothing was the man who made you uncomfortable.

° the next day the man tried to visit you at your hotel room, only to be answered by Felix who immediately turned sour the moment he saw him. Before the man could speak, Felix flipped him off and shut the door.

"Babe who was it?"

"No one important, just some weirdo."

Seungmin

° You shared the same classes with Jeongin all throughout your school years. And both of you despised each other, a competition always brewing between the two of you no matter the subject.

° You hoped to never see his face again after you graduated, but your hopes were crushed when your boyfriend Seungmin introduced you to his best friend... Yang Jeongin. Both of you just stood there in complete shock.

° Seungmin thought their was a history with you two, assuming it was romantically since neither of you ever mentioned each other to him. You could cut the tension with a butter knife, which made Seungmin feel hurt.

° He pulled you aside and asked you if you and Jeongin dated in the past, making you silently gag in your mouth at the thought. Sure you had a crush on him in middle school, but it ended quickly after.

° Jeongin overheard the conversation, jumping out from the corner with a very disgusted face. Letting out small ew noises at the thought of you two dating. Seungmin was half ways relieved at the truth.

"Ew Ew Ew, why would you think that? *shivers*."

"I thought the tension was romantically not from high school feuding."

Jeongin

° Your ex Hyunjin was Jeongin's best friend, which made for a very awkward meeting when Jeongin had no clue about your dating history. Both you and Hyunjin cheated on each other, and never really buried the hatchet.

° Both you and Hyunjin tired to stay calm and act normal for Jeongin's sake. But it was clear just how awkward and uncomfortable the two of you seemed to be, especially since neither of you talked to each other.

° Hyunjin was worried you'd break his friend's heart while you were worried Hyunjin would just drag Jeongin into trouble and cause some serious trust issues. Neither of you trusting each other one bit.

° Jeongin say both of you down after an hour of awkward silence, demanding one of you to tell the truth on why you are acting so odd around one another. Slightly concerned for the possibility of a blossoming crush.

° both you and Hyunjin revealed your sides of the story to Jeongin, your heart cracking slightly at the hurt look in his eyes. He wasn't going to leave either of you, but it did hurt knowing you both hid this from him.

[omgbrunettegirl]

Nothing feels better -Erling Haaland.

You remember the first time you saw him like it was yesterday, all smiles and flushed cheeks. 

Your friend asked you to come along to a party with her. The guy she liked would be there, and you figured she wanted moral support. The place was lively with loud music, people dancing, talking and drinking.

Walking through she found her guy. You smiled seeing how shy she got from being in his presence , you could tell she liked him a lot. He guided the two of you to a group of people, mostly men. A tall blonde quickly caught your attention.

You would be lying if you said you did not know who he was; everyone in Dortmund knew who Erling Haaland was. Conversation flowed smoothly, the group was nice and funny and the fact that you could steal glances at the handsome blonde was a plus. You were having a good time, after a few drinks the booze had kicked in, you felt relaxed and a little dizzy. 

"I'm going to get another drink, does anyone want something?." you announced as you got up, everyone took the opportunity to ask for one. 

"That'll take me a couple of trips." your friend laughed lightly at your comment.

"I'll help you." a certain blonde got up and stood in front of you with a soft smile which you returned. Both of you went to the kitchen to get what everyone requested.

You opened the fridge while he leaned against the countertop with his arms crossed.

"So...Are you from Dortmund?." he suddenly asked. Turning around to look at him and you answered. 

"No, I'm not, in fact I'm not even from Europe." He nodded and kept his eyes on the floor.

The gesture made you furrow your eyebrows, around his friends he was lively and outspoken but alone with you he got shy and silent.

"Where are you from?." it was your turn to ask while passing him bottles.

"From Norway" he said with a little smile.

"Do you like it here?." closing the fridge you leaned against it looking at him.

"Yes." such a short answer made you raise an eyebrow, figuring that maybe he didn't want to talk, you only gave him a nod. 

Separating from the refrigerator you started to walk but his voice stopped you.

"Sorry… that was awkward." he shook his head from side to side with a nervous smile and avoided your eyes.

"No worries." you said with a smile. "Have you been living here a long time?."  you placed the bottles in the aisle that was in the middle of the kitchen, then you hopped on it, leaving you in front of him. 

"Not really, roughly a year… how about you?."

"Roughly two years."

"You win then." he said with a smile and finally looking at your eyes, how pretty those eyes were.

"I didn't realize it was a competition." you chuckled a little and he did the same. When the laughs died down both of you were just looking at each other. You looked at him from his feet to his face

Locking eyes,he had a knowing smile on his face which made you bite your lip lightly, an action that didn't go unnoticed.

He was about to talk but got interrupted by an exasperated voice.

"Where have you guys been?." your friend entered the kitchen. The drinks.

"Sorry, we got distracted." Erling replied before you could say anything, avoiding your friend's look. The three of you walked back to where the group was ,the rest of the night going smoothly until it was time to go.

You were standing outside the apartament waiting for your friend who was talking with her date.

"Hi." turning around you were faced with a shy Erling.

"Hello." avoiding your eyes again he stays silent for a bit before asking 

"Do you have Instagram?.

You were unable to stop the smile that came to your face, seeing such a tall and seemingly strong man looking so nervous was quite the sight.

"Doesn't everyone these days?." the little teasing made him smile.

"Can I have yours?." after you nodded he passed you his phone. You two said goodbye to each other.

"What was that?." your friend asked with a smile.

"Nothing… I just gave him my Instagram"

"Right...then why are you smiling so big?" before she said that you didn't realize the huge grin plastered on your face, you dismissed rolling your eyes, she simply laughed and hooked your arms together.

You never thought someone could become so important in such a short amount of time. Since that night at the party the two of you talked almost everyday, first through social media and then exchanging numbers. You loved talking to him, and once he felt more comfortable things flowed so nicely. The first time he told you you looked pretty in one of your pictures you felt like a teenager fangirling over her crush.

You were pretty sure he felt just as nervous as you the first time the two of you went out, he wore a light blue hoodie that made him look adorable. He was a gentleman, opening doors for you and making sure you were comfortable. The little park you went to was beautiful and calm, low profile of course. You ate there and talked about everything and nothing,and something about him made you feel like you could say anything. 

"You look beautiful." he complimented you all of the sudden, and you could have sworn he blushed.

"So do you… I mean, you look handsome."

"Thank you." he laughed.

When the two of you returned to your house, you lingered at the entrance, not wanting to leave.

"I had fun." you said, which made him smile.

"Me too." he seemed to think before he raised his hand and moved a strand of your hair behind your ear. You looked at him and nodded, he slowly leaned in and kissed your cheek, you closed your eyes at the feeling of his soft lips and the smell of his cologne. Just as slowly he separated from you.

"I would like to repeat this." he told you with red cheeks and the softest of smiles.

"Me too… Good night."

"Good night."

He turned around and started to walk to his car. You leaned against the wall of the elevator touching your cheek with the cheesiest smile. Little did you know that Erling was touching his lips in his car with the same smile.

The first kiss. That memory would always make your heart pound. The two of you have been seeing each other a lot, truth to be told, but you didn't know if you were dating or not, the topic was never discussed. But in that moment you couldn't care less, you were chopping onions while Erling just watched because that boy couldn't cook to save his life.

"The fact that you can't cook is such a football player trait."

"Is that an insult, young lady?" he raised an eyebrow playfully.

"Young lady?, you are not that older than me Haaland, only a year" apparently he didn't like that because he furrowed his eyebrows and had a slight pout.

"Don't call me that…My name is Erling."

You laughed and nodded but that didn't seem enough for him, he stood behind you and turned you around by the waist.

"Do you promise to only call me Erling?." his hands on your waist and being trapped against his body were not letting you think clearly, looking up at him you nodded again.

"Tell me." he demanded. You rolled your eyes playfully.

"Yes… Erling." he finally smiled.

"Good." he kept looking at you but not saying anything.

"What?." you asked, a little nervous.

"I just like seeing you look up to me." he said smugly, you felt your face get a little hot.

"I have no choice." both of you laughed.

Suddenly something about the energy in the room changed, he slowly leaned in, unsure but wanting at the same time, his face only inches away from yours,he whispered.

"Can I kiss You?." instead of answering you closed the distance between the two of you but accidentally bumped noses, both of you giggled which calmed your nerves a little bit. He softly pressed his lips against yours,you closed your eyes enjoying the feeling. He took your hands and brought them to his neck and then returned them to your waist, then moved them to your back so that he caressed gently, your lips moved softly against his. The feeling of the kiss, the smell of his cologne and the distant sound of the cars on the street made the moment perfect. Moving your hands to the back of his neck ,you scratched the nape a little bit. He separated a little from your lips and murmured.

"Keep doing that, beautiful." you happily obliged and let yourself get lost in the feeling of such a perfect moment.

The cuddles. The two of you were in his apartment watching some Netflix series but you weren't really paying attention. Your head was on his chest, and the sound of his heartbeat mixed with the feeling of him caressing your hair was making you sleepy.

"You have to stop that… I'm going to fall asleep." his chest vibrated while he laughed. 

"That's okay."

"No it's not… I don't come here to sleep." you say while sitting up.

"What do you come for then?." he sits as well and brings you to his arms.

"For the great view of your balcony." you sarcastically reply.

"Very funny dear." he rolls his eyes and then drops a kiss to your forehead.

"Listen… training is going to start soon, I'm afraid we are not going to be seeing each other a lot." he said a little sad.

"Oh… that's okay, we can facetime, text, or call each other."

"It's not the same." he whined a bit.

"Don't act like a baby Haaland." you said before thinking.

"What did you just call me?." he asked.

"Oh please, you're still on that?." you laughed at his somewhat offended face.

"Yes." he said seriously.

"Alright… I'm sorry."you giggled.

"I'm sorry what?." he asked while grabbing your thighs and bringing you to his lap.

"Are you kidding?." you questioned while placing your hands on his chest. 

"Do I look like I'm kidding?." he crossed his arms. You rolled your eyes and leaned in.

"Don't get like that… Erling." you said against his lips, he smiled and caressed your hips.

"Good girl." was the last he said before connecting your lips.

[cherryobx]

She'll come around

request: "Can you do a jj imagine where kie really doesn’t like you. I know you did that a bit in the kook one but I really loved that and I love to see more!!!❤️

summary: JJ introduces you to the pogues but Kie doesn't really like you.

warnings: language, angst, happy ending tho

WC: 1,7k

(Not my gif, creds to the owner!)

If you knew JJ you knew that he was never the type of guy to settle down. To be in a long-term relationship. Or even just commit. He loved to party, meet new girls and take a different one home every time. It was just who he was.

That’s all he ever knew his entire life. Why would he want to settle down and just be with one person? He had been hurt by the people closest to him. His dad, for example. Even if he didn’t admit it to himself, he didn’t want to get hurt. He didn’t want to feel any kind of pain that came with a relationship, physical neither emotional.

But when he met you, he was willing to throw all of that out of the window. He met you at one party and talked to you the whole night because you were sitting alone by the fire. You talked the whole night. JJ actually really enjoyed talking to you. You two became friends after that. Few weeks later he found out that he didn’t like when you were talking to other guys. Or even worse, when they would touch you. He realized he had fallen for you.

He told you about the way he was feeling. At first, he wanted to talk to his friends about it but then after some thinking he knew that you were the one he should be talking to. After his confession, you told him that you liked him too.

You were hesitant at first though. You were afraid that you would just be another notch on his bedpost. But as time went on, you saw that it wasn’t like that. He actually wanted to talk to you and spend time with you. You were the first person he had felt the need to cuddle with. And that already proved that he actually wanted to commit.

After dating for a few months, he asked if you wanted to meet his friends. After all they were the closest thing he had to an actual family. Hell, he really wanted you to meet them. It took him a while to convince you because you weren’t so keen on the idea.

“I don’t know, JJ…”

“I’m not asking you to become friends or start hanging out with them. I just want you to meet them. That’s all.” He took your hands in his, pressing a light kiss on both of them.

“Please, Y/N.”

So, you finally gave in. “Fine.”

Hearing that made JJ happy. Like really happy. He was bouncing around with excitement. He just couldn’t wait for you to meet his friends. His partners in crime. Literally.

The next day, he picked you up on his motorcycle and took you to John B’s house. Or as they liked to call it, the Chateau. The ride there was too short for you to prepare for what was coming. You grew more nervous with every passing second.

Before entering the chateau, you stopped JJ so you could look him in the eyes. “What if they don’t like me?”

“What’s not to like about you? You’re literally perfect, Y/N. Stop stressing.”

“But what if they hate me?”

He placed his hands on your shoulders and leaned forward a bit so he was looking straight into your eyes. “Stop it right now. You have nothing to worry about. I’m sure they’ll like you.”

“I really hope so.” Your gut was telling you that this was not going to end well. And your gut was rarely wrong. You were praying it would be one of those times. Luckily for you, your gut was only partly right.

As soon as you stepped into the chateau after JJ, everyone’s eyes were on you. You only recognized Sarah Cameron since she was pretty popular in Kildare. The others were not familiar to you, although you felt like you had seen them running around somewhere before.

“Guys, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Y/N, my girlfriend.” JJ then let go of your hand that he had been holding when you walked in.

“I’m gonna go get some water. Introduce yourselves to her,” JJ said.

“JJ do not leave me here-“ You tried to grab him but he was already jogging towards the kitchen, leaving you standing in the middle of the room with a few strangers.

The brunette boy with a bandana around his neck was the first one to speak up. “Hi. I’m John B.”

Then the boy next to him introduced himself as Pope. Sarah introduced herself as well. They all seemed very nice so far. You were waiting on the brunette girl to talk but she stayed quiet, sitting sideways on the couch and staring out of the window.

When his friends realized that she was not going to speak, they introduced her to you. “That is Kiara.”

You gave them all an awkward wave. You let out the breath you were holding when JJ was finally back at your side, handing you a cold bottle of water. “Thank you,” you said, taking off the lid and pouring some of the cold liquid down your throat.

“So, now he’s your personal assistant?” Kiara finally turned her head to look at you. Her eyes scanned you up and down, almost like judging you. No, she was definitely judging you.

“What?” you asked.

“He doesn’t have to do shit for you. Stop treating him like he’s nothing.”

You were actually taken aback by her words. You hadn’t even done or said anything to her. Why was she talking to you like that? It actually kind of hurt your feelings. You were not going to let her step on you like that. She had no right to talk to you like that. So, you dug up some courage and defended yourself.

“Excuse me? First of all, I didn’t even ask him to bring me the water. And second, I’m not treating him like some assistant. We’re in a relationship, we do things for each other all the time.”

Kiara stood up and walked up to you. She stopped right in front of you. She was almost to close for your comfort. Crossing her arms on her chest and leaning her weight on one of her legs, she looked straight into your eyes.

“You’re probably just using him. I know girls like you. You act all nice in the beginning and then break their heart the second you get a chance. That’s just how it is and has always been.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“So? I’m not planning on becoming friends with you. Like ever. So, you might as well get lost right now before you break JJ’s heart and leave it for us to fix. You’re no good.”

You felt so hurt and frustrated at the same time. The voice in your head said “ha, I told you so!”. You wanted to cry so badly at that moment but held back your tears. She was already mean enough, she didn’t need to see you break down. You had to stay strong.

Everyone else was just watching the interaction, holding their breath, too scared to say anything. The tension in the room was almost unbearable.

“What is your problem? I haven’t even done anything to you. Hell, I don’t even know you. Today’s the first time I’m seeing you. I came here with good intentions. I just wanted you to like me because I know how much it means to JJ. How much YOU mean to him. And you’re treating me like shit. This is so unfair. You make all these assumptions about me. None of them are true. Why are you pushing me away like that? Tell me, what have I don to you that you hate me so much?”

The room was even quieter than before your outburst. The only thing heard was the birds chirping outside and the summer breeze outside.

When Kiara said nothing, you took it as a sign and started walking towards the door. “Where are you going?” JJ ran after you.

You slammed the door in his face and started walking away from this place. JJ caught up to you though. “Y/N, stop!” He grabbed your hand and spun you so now you were facing him.

“I’m clearly not wanted there. I told you that it was going to happen.”

“It’s okay. Hey, look at me! I’m going to talk to Kie. It’ll be alright.”

“No, it will not. It’s going to be like this every fucking time I’m around her. She hates me.”

You sighed as JJ pulled you into hug. You wrapped your arms around him and rested your head on against his shoulder.

“Let me handle her. She’ll come around.”

“Okay.”

You stood there in silece for a few minutes and you were just gathering your thoughts. “Do you want me to take you home?” JJ asked, breaking the silence. You nodded.

“You wait here then. I’ll go talk to Kie and then I’ll take you.” He made his way to the chateau. So you leaned against his motorcycle and waited for him to come back.

About 15 minutes passed when you saw the door open. But JJ wasn’t coming alone. Kiara was following him close behind, eyes fixated on the ground. When they reached you, you raised an eyebrow at JJ. He just nodded towards Kiara who had just raised her head to look you in the eyes.

“I came to apologize. You were right. I had no right to talk to you like that. I’m just really protective of my friends and I didn’t want JJ to get hurt. But I realized that I can’t control their lives or prevent them from making their mistakes. I should give you a chance. You actually seem really nice. I’m deeply sorry about what I said earlier. What about a fresh start, huh?”

“Sure,” you said, giving her a small smile.

“Good, I’ll see you around then.” She waved at the both of you as she walked back to the others who were inside the house.

“I told you she’d come around,” JJ smirked.

You lightly smacked his chest with your hand before taking a helmet and putting it on. “Just take me home, smart-ass.”

"You love my ass."

"Shut up or I'm not letting you sneak into my room tonight."

"Yes ma'am."

taglist: @www-imbored-com @delightfullynlove @tomhardybby @kindahavefeelingskindaheartless @ilovejjmaybank @allycat449-blog @teenwaywardasgardian @copper-boom @canibeoneofthepogues @ifilwtmfc @bedazzledbanks @jeyramarie @themaddies-obx @pink-meringues @freddymaybank @moniamaybank​ @outerbankspreferences​ @j-j-may-bank @drewstarkeysbitchh

[seonghwasriceball]

NCT DREAM REACTION

To you being jealous

Mark Lee

The dude's oblivious to the entire thing and probably only notices because Johnny spelt it out to him or something. He thinks the girl flirting with him is just being nice, and he's just trying to return the favour until you get back from the bathroom, although he feels really awkward the whole time. When you step out of the bathroom to see this girl with clearly flirtatious body language invading your boyfriend's personal space, you initially don't think much of it because you trust Mark. Still, as you approach from across the room, which takes you a while, she's getting closer, and he's getting more uncomfortable. You can see it clear as day, so you're not upset at Mark for not pushing her away for you, but you're upset he didn't push her away for him. You approach the two and immediately take Marks hand and wrap his arm around you, kissing his cheek and asking him 'who his friend is', all whilst sending a glare in her direction. If she doesn't take the hint straight away and keeps trying to chat him up, you put out your hand for her to shake and introduce yourself as Mark's s/o, quickly excusing you two from her presence straight after. Mark can tell that you're upset on the drive home, but he doesn't know what about, so he brings it up to Johnny, who tells him the girl was flirting, and you were probably jealous. When he brings it up to you the next time you're together, he apologises for making you feel that way and reassures you that he loves you and only you. Nothing will change that. He feels terrible until you tell him you're more upset that she was invading his personal space and making him needlessly uncomfortable, then he just feels rather sheepish. You tell him how you wished he could stand up for himself, but you understand that it's just not in his nature to do something like that. After a long talk about it, you two understand each other better on the topic, and your relationship comes out of it all the stronger for it. goals

Huang Renjun

Kind of insulted that you felt the need to be jealous, really. Like, don't you trust him? He'll reassure you that you're the only one he wants, but then he'll scold you for feeling like he doesn't 1000% place his entire heart in your hands. He's actually kind of mad for a while, so he just goes to his room to cool off so that he can talk to you civilly and rationally when he comes back. When he has calmed down and wants to talk, he wants to get to the route of why you felt threatened by the girl he had never met before giving him her number so that you can try and tackle those insecurities together, as a couple should. Deep psycho-analytical dive into your psyche to try and figure out the best way to reassure you and the best way to make sure this never happens again. He doesn't want your insecurities getting in the way of you two basking in your love for each other, so Renjun tries to nip any jealousy, yours or his, in the bud.

Lee Jeno

Soft boy, sad boy. Why would you be jealous? Has he not shown you how much he loves you? Has he done something to make you think he'd leave you so easily? Are you looking for a way out of the relationship but want to make it seem as natural as possible rather than just breaking up with him out of the blue? ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT LEAVING HIM??? Jeno somehow gets more insecure in this situation than you do. He thinks that if you're jealous, then he clearly hasn't done his job as your boyfriend right and immediately goes into panic mode. At first, you get confused about what's got him all stressed, then you get worried in case he's remembered an anniversary or something last minute that you haven't. When you ask him what's up, he lets out this tidal wave of apologies and promises, which you barely have time to comprehend before he basically crushes you to death in a massive bear hug. When you finally get it out of him, you sit him down and explain that it has nothing to do with him and that you weren't upset at him; you were madder at the other person flirting with him right in front of you. He still tries to apologise, saying that you wouldn't have felt that way if he had made you realise how much he loved you and would never think of leaving you, but you shut him up with a kiss. You take it slowly as you explain that you never thought like that, you were more jealous that they were all cuddled up to him, even if he was pushing them away, and that you wished you had been the one hanging off his arm because you loved his cuddles so much. Needless to say, he has a pretty easy fix for that, as he scoops you up and drops you on his bed, before jumping on top of you, telling you he can fix all that.

Lee Haechan

BULLIES YOU. Like, the reason you were jealous will walk away, and this guy turns to you, clinging on to his arm, and smirk. Then he'll do the tongue thing, you know when he pushes his tongue against his cheek when he's annoyed, but he's not actually annoyed this time; he's just trying to get even more of a reaction out of you. He says something about how nice the person is and says he wonders if they'd maybe want to hang out with him sometime, but you know that's a joke because he was pretty quick to shut down all advances at the time. The rest of the day is just him joking around, and if you do something that "upsets" him, like get up to go to the bathroom when you were cuddling, he just goes, 'I bet they wouldn't have left me alone like this.' But, eventually, he sees you've had enough of it and feels a little bad because he knows you were just a little insecure, and he kept bringing it up, so when you're trying to sleep that night, he'll whisper into your ear about how much he loves you, and how he hopes you know he'd never leave you for someone else like that.

Na Jaemin

His baby???? Sad????? No, big no. As soon as he sees even the slightest indication that you might be feeling the tiniest little bit jealous, he is removing you two from that situation and cuddling you and telling you in a baby voice how much he loves you. He won't go so far as to insult the person, but he makes sure you know he would never choose them over you and is even insulted at the thought. If he can't get you two out of there, he will aggressively hold your hand and make it a point to show you off as his s/o to the other person, almost making them so uncomfortable that they apologise for interrupting,,,,, whatever it is he's trying to do with you. Once the necessary conversation with them is over, he whirls around to you and sorta just blocks them out, standing between you two, so they can only see you back, and you can only see him. Then he loudly declares how much he loves you and tells you all the fun COUPLE stuff he has planned for you guys to do together, and then he sort of just hugs you while trying to walk away at the same time. It's a site, alright.

Zhong Chenle

LAUGHS just, the situation is absurd to him, so Chenle does what Chenle does best. He laughs because he doesn't know what else to do. The person flirting with him gets confused, as do you, so you share a look with eachother, and look back at him, and he's still laughing. It gets to the point that everyone is uncomfortable, and he manages to stop, but by then the person has decided that it's just easier if they leave instead of keep trying to persuade him into flirting back. They might try again in the future, but Chenle will see them, remember what happened, feel really awkward and head in the opposite direction. When you finally drag him away, he's constantly apologising through giggles, but you reassure him it's all fine. He still feels bad, so as an apology he buys you an apple watch your favourite snacks and gives you lots of cuddles.

Park Jisung

Babie feels bad. He just loves and cherishes you so so much, he would never want you to think he was interested in someone else. He's also hella awkward, you're most likely his first relationship, and also first person in years he's really known outside of SM, so he's not really up to date on how to do ~interactions~ so he goes to Jaemin for help, and that was sort of useful in that now you've got a massive boy stuck to your side begging for forgiveness. He doesn't know what to do so he just does what his hyungs suggest. He also just does everything for you, to prove that he loves you. Sure, it was fun having him get anything you wanted for the first half of the day, but by lunchtime you felt bad, so you pulled him to cuddle on his bed and told him you forgive him, and apologised for feeling jealous, too.

[unkownknowledge]

Genshin characters and their spider s/o

A little crossover HC post between terraformars and genshin.

Basically the reader is the result of a messed up experiment and now they look like a monstrous humanoid spider, like this guy:

Except you have no human skin or hair, just pure chitin, extra legs out the back, and mandibles(like a turian)

Also: request are still open, feel free to request!

Including: Jean, Xinqiu, and Razor

_____________________________

Jean: hollow knight

_____________________________

Jean had been receiving reports of frightened merchants and townsfolk, all of whom had been found on the road ranting about a giant spider.

Jean was sure it was nothing more than hilichurls or hoarders or abyss mages and the people were merely suffering panic induced hallucinations, this was supported by the clear signs of such dangers at the scene of the crime.

But still, neither any of the knights nor adventurers in the guild reported saving these people, nor did Diluc claim that he did when she asked him.

So Jean decided to investigate, after all not only is there a chance of finding camps of the three above dangers, but also the chance of finding a new ally.

When she saw you in a clearing you looked like a normal human, until you turned your head in an inhuman manner and looked at her with eight red glowing eyes.

You screamed at her and used your geo vision to grow eight giant legs out your back, which you used to run away.

Jean, being the persistent woman she is, wasn't about let you go until she confirmed if you were a friend or foe.

She chased you through the forest for a while, and unfortunately didn't notice a group of hilichurls hiding behind some trees.

One swung out and struck her from behind, knocking her to the ground.

At the sound of this you turned around and saw Jean on the ground.

While she easily could have beaten the hilichurls, she didn't have to. This is because you were immediately next to her, sword drawn and slicing through the monsters like a hot knife through butter. Your geo legs acted like extra blades that parried any attack directed towards the knight.

Because you're other legs were busy, however, you were unable to block the attack from a crossbow that shot right through your knee.

You fell down and were beaten senseless by the hilichurls, the last thing you remember was the sounds of a blade and the monsters turning to dust before you blacked out.

You woke up on a soft bed inside an unfamiliar building. You tried to get up but your knee had a large hole in it, luckily for you your ability to feel pain was long lost.

Jean entered a minute later with some food, "good, your awake."

"Where am I?" You asked.

"In my home, the guest room to be exact."

"Why did you save me?"

"Because you were in danger."

"Yes but why? Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Considering how you saved me as well? No, not at all."

Jean poured some tea for both of you, "now onto-"

You felt your eyes water, something you didn't realize you could still do.

"What's wrong?" Jean asked.

"It's just, it's been so long since anyone was...nice to me. My appearance isn't exactly very welcoming."

"And yet you still help people, the same people who call you a monster?"

"Of course! I might be an abomination, but I'm not a monster. In fact, before I became...this I had always dreamed of joining the knights."

"Well, that makes things easy."

"What do you mean?"

"While I cannot officially make you a knight, I can make you an honorary member of the knights of favonius."

"REALLY!?" You said, a child like excitment on your face.

So you joined the knights, of course not everyone was happy about this.

But noone doubted the acting grand master's decision, after all she never once failed the city.

After a while the city warmed up to you, even hailing you as a hero thanks to all you've done!

But the city's attitude towards you wasn't the only thing getting warmer.

Infact, a certain person's cheeks seemed to grow red as Amber's ribbon at the mere mention of your name.

Lisa and Kaeya were the first to notice Jean's infatuation with you, and they were quite intent on helping her.

It would be easy for them to set it up: you were cold blooded, so you had a heater in your room during the winter, and thanks to a 'freak lightning strike', your house was under renovations for the whole season, this caused Jean to let you stay in her home until yours was repaired.

Now all they had to do was sneak in an 'cool it' down.

You awoke in the middle of the night due to the temperature suddenly dropping. You tried turning on your heater but that didn't work. You went downstairs to make some hot tea, unaware that Kaeya swapped the labels on Jean's coffee and your tea. After making the beverage you sat down in the warmest corner, covered in blankets, and with a warm drink in hand.

Fun fact! Spiders get hella drunk off caffeine.

You are a spider.

One sip of the coffee and you felt funny, you couldn't think straight and felt wobbly.

Kaeya and Lisa giggled watching you.

"So, how DID you get them drunk? You couldn't exactly have spiked their tea could you?" Lisa asked.

"I swapped the labels on their tea and Jeans coffee. Spiders get hella drunk on-" Kaeya noticed Lisa worried face, "fuck, what did I do this time?"

"Kaeya, spiders don't get drunk on caffeine like humans do with alcohol."

Lisa pointed Kaeya towards the window

"Whoops"

Caffeine doesn't make spiders drunk the same way alchohol does a person, which is what Kaeya expected.

Caffeine makes spiders hyper, very hyper.

When Jean heard skittering and clanging she thought someone was robbing the house, so she was reasonably surprised to see you lying in the center of the kitchen, crying, and with webs all over.

When she asked what happened you just rolled over and mumbled out gibberish about how you can't catch any flies.

Jean picked you up to take you to bed, but you wrapped your arms and legs around her and caused her to fall.

"(Y/n), please let me go." Jean pleaded.

You shushed her, "nap time" and fell asleep.

Your grip was to strong for her to get out, and with your weight she couldn't get up in this position, so she just had to wait for you to get up.

The next day Jean got up the same time as you, she would have said something if you didn't kiss her and pet her head.

"I love this dream." You said, nuzzling into the crook of her neck.

Jean was shocked, what dream? You were clearly awake.

"I wonder if Jean is this warm in real life....I wish I could find out..."

"(Y-y/n)" she stuttered out, "you're not dreaming."

You shot up with all your eyes wide as saucers.

You immediately thought of running. But where would you go? The forest? Yeah, that works, just go there a-

You felt a warm sensation on your cheek.

"So (y/n), how does this dream usually go?" Jean said with a suggestive wink.

.

.

.

"(Y/n)?"

404 error, reader.exe has crashed

After that rather unconventional confession session, you both started dating.

Jean was concerned about not having enough time for you, but that proved to be very unfounded. Thanks to your many years alone you didn't know what dating was, so to you simply working together was fine.

On every mission out of the city you would bring gifts or a picnic for when the sun was setting.

On days where you both had paper work you would make tea and buy little cakes or biscuits and sit on her lap as you rested on eachother's shoulders and fed each other snacks, under the excuse that "sharing a chair saves space".

On the rare occasion Jean gets to have a day off, she showers you in affection.

She'll make you breakfast in bed(it's not good 80% of the time, but you don't tell her), she'll cuddle with you all day, she'll even read to you if you want. She wants to give back to you for all the time she couldn't give you her full attention.

_____________________________

Xingqiu: it's like one of my Inazuman graphic novels

_____________________________

Your meeting with the guhua geek was far more coincidental.

You were just minding your business, catching some animals to eat, when some weird guy just walks by you, not noticing you at all, as he reads his book.

You were rather suprised and, by extension, curious about this boy.

Was he blind in peripheral? Was he that brave? Was he an idiot?

A bit of colum B, mostly colum C.

Xingqiu sat down on a rock and continued reading, given how he was reading aloud you figured you might as well take advantage of his lack of notice and learn to read.

But he did notice.

"Ah shoot, spaces out again." Xingqiu cried, "now I have to start all over."

Xingqiu started reading the book all over again, much to your joy.

You could easily match his words to the page thanks to your speed of comprehension.

When the boy noticed it was getting late he decided to head home, while you were upset you didn't try and stop him. In fact you immediately darted away before he saw you.

The next day he came back, and read from the same spot.

And again

And again

This went on for quite some time.

Xingqiu knew someone was watching him, but he never was able to catch a glimpse. He just figured it was someone who wanted to read legends of the shattered halberd but couldn't find any copies, and so the chivalrous thing to do would be to read it for them.

One day he finished the fifth book and proclaimed it was the last one, which made you rather sad.

Until he spoke to you.

"Well my secretive friend," he turned around, "shall w-"

You screamed

He screamed

For about five minutes.

After which you both just stared at eachother.

He pointed a shakey finger at you, "you're-"

You turned away, 'a freak I know' you thought.

"SO COOL!"

"What?"

Xingqiu immediately ran at you and started inspecting you.

The whole time he had such an amazed look on his face.

"Woah!" He said as he grabbed your mandibles, "are these real?!"

"Ye ey are, a ah ee e ah a" you said hoping he would understand that you need them to talk.

"Oh. Hehe. Sorry." He said releasing them.

"Aren't you...scared of me?" You asked.

"Why would I be? If you wanted to kill me you would have. It's not like I was particularly on guard when I was reading for you."

'Y-you knew I was there?"

"I knew someone was there, and I knew they were watching me read. Since you showed such interest in my book I thought the only chivalrous thing to do was to keep reading."

You were shocked, most people just ran and screamed upon seeing you.

"Now, shall we go look for the sixth book?"

After that you and Xingqiu became fast friends.

He used some of the money he made from the scam he pulled on that scammer to buy out the forest you lived in, making it officially private property so that people won't go after you.

He kept coming back with books for you both to read, you absolutely loved it!

And while you never realized it, you also loved him.

He however, did know he loved you.

Being the menace to society he is, Xingqiu decided the best way to confess was to just kiss you.

You're sitting on a stump with your head on Xingqiu's shoulder.

"This book isn't as good as the others." You say.

"Ah don't be like that, fairy tales are the foundation of all those 'knight in shining armor books' you love."

"Yeah but this is boring."

"True, true. But I think it has a great ending." Xingqiu turned to the final page, "and then the knight told the (royal title) how much he loved them, and to seal his love he placed a kiss on their cheek."

"That wasn't good."

"Why? It was very realistic."

"In what reality does someone confess by kiss-"

*smooch*

It took you a solid five seconds to process what happened.

Xingqiu smirked at you like the bastard man he is, "this one I believe."

Your mandibles hung slack as your face got a dark shade of blue.

"Uh, (y/n)?"

"Clothes off, now."

Xingqiu stumbled out the forest four hours later. Chongyun, who was protecting his privacy, asked him what's wrong.

"Absolutely nothing." He responded with the largest grin a human could muster, before his legs gave out, "can you carry me home?"

Your relationship was more steady than just that bit though.

Xingqiu spent as much time with you as he could, he even learned how to hunt so he could be with you while you hunted for food.

You never left your forest though, you were far to afraid of people and especially the vigilant yaksha(which Xingqiu tried to convince you was friendly).

Of course, not everything goes so simply.

Xingqiu was skipping through the forest, far to enamoured at the idea of you to notice someone following him.

You sat calmly on your rock and awaited your boyfriend of two years, today was his birthday so you made him a beautiful silk picture of his favorite scene from 'the legend of the broken halberd'

You felt the boy drop into your lap, "hello my love!"

You wrapped your arms and extra legs around him, "hello my little knight, I have a wonderful gift for-"

"XINQIU! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"

You both turned around to see a man who looked oddly like Xingqiu.

"H-hey big bro..." Xingqiu said, clearly nervous.

"You're his brother?" You asked, "nice to meet you! I'm your future sibling in law!"

His brother looked surprised, then angry, "Xingqiu, a word."

"No," he responded, "anything you can say to me you can say to my (s/o)."

"Xingqiu, this is not a game."

"ANYTHING," Xingqiu said, far more aggressive, "you can say to me, you can say to them."

His brother sighed, "you can't date them."

"I believe I can."

"XINGQIU! ME AND FATHER HAVE TOLERATED ENOUGH OF YOUR CHILDISHNESS! YOU ARE AN HEIR OF THE FEIYUN COMMERCE GUILD, YOU CANNOT DATE THAT-THAT THING!"

Xingqiu shot up into a fighting stance, "care to repeat that?"

Xingqiu stared down his brother with murderous intent.

"So you wont back down?"

"Never, I love (y/n) to much!"

"If you don't leave them, you'll be disowned by father, all your wealth, power, and influence will be forfeited. All for an inhuman freak!"

"Xinqiu please," you tried telling your beloved, "I won't let you sacrifice-"

"Sorry darling, but I don't give a damn." He interrupted you before turning to his brother, "I will NOT abandon my beloved (y/n)! They are the most precious thing in the world to me! So go ahead! Strip me if my title, my riches, of my very skin! My heart will yearn for nothing else but the cold hard touch of love that is my (s/o)!"

Xinqiu's brother smirked

"So, you promise to always be with (y/n)?"

"Yes!"

"Through both sickness and health?"

As smart as he was, Xinqiu couldn't see what was happening, "with all my heart and soul!"

"And you would take (Y/N) as your contractually bound spouse?"

"I would sooner bite my arm off than live another day without them as such! In fact!" Xinqiu turned to you, "(Y/N)! WE'RE GOING TO GET MARRIED RIGHT NOW! COME ON!"

"Hold it!" His brother demanded, "(Y/N)! Would you stay with my brother, Xinqiu, through sickness and health, through rags and riches?"

You nodded, "forever and always!"

"And would you take him to be your contractually bound husband?"

"E-even if I had to fight Rex Lapis himself!"

Two burly hands grabbed the couple and pushed them together, "You may now kiss the bride!"

Without thought, you two kissed each other, not thinking to question the cheering, clapping, and crying-

You both pulled apart, "what the abyss is happening here?!"

The burly arms, now wrapping you both, was an older crying man who also looked like Xinqiu.

Xinqiu's Brother was crying and clapping.

Chongyun was blasting off party cones(🎉🎉these things)

And several other of Xinqiu's friends were there celebrating.

"W-wait..." Xinqiu started to remember that his brother, as a high ranking member of a commerce guild, can officiate marriages.

The older man, Xinqiu's father, cried and said, "finally! Grandchildren!"

(If you can't have babies, adoption exists and is perfectly normal)

Needless to say

404 error, Xinqiu.exe and Reader.exe have stopped working

_____________________________

Razor: the big bad spider and the itsy bitsy spider

_____________________________

(Please understand that my knowledge of Razor is based on his quest, I know of his special vision but it won't be brought up for this. I will be sure to read the wiki page for him if I write him again)

Razor knew something was wrong.

His wolf side told him something was wrong with the forest, and his human side told him it should be either avoided at all cost or destroyed.

Because it had stayed away he had largely tried to just avoid it and keep his lupical away from whatever IT is.

Until a foolish pup decided to try and defeat whatever big bad monster had their protector so scared.

Razor ran faster than any lightning bolt upon hearing the news.

Razor didn't know what he was seeing: giant webs strewn out covering entire trees, boars and Hilichurls wrapped in webs and frozen in a sickly green.

And at the center of it all was a giant, monstrous creature with eight leg like roots coming from it's back, feeding off the life of all the creatures stuck here.

This is what he was afraid of, the beast that every inch of his primal self screamed to get away from.

But he couldn't, not until he found the pup!-

"Hello." You said calmly to the strange man coming into your home, "is this your's?"

You outstretched your hand and a sleeping pup drifted towards razor on a flower.

"He caused lots of problems, so I made him sleep. Don't worry, it's nothing permanent, give him an hour or two and he'll be right up."

After Razor left, you assumed that would be the last disturbance for a while.

But it wasn't.

Razor's wolf half still feared you, was still mortified when he pictured your spider like face, your towering body, everything.

But his human half...teembled.

Not in fear, but in a different way.

He couldn't stop thinking of you, and his primal upbringing did little to quell the less romantic thoughts about your gem like eyes, the way your mandibles clicked and moved when you talked, the overwhelming nature energy that you radiated.

But he still knew good enough to get to know you better.

Just not HOW to do it.

"Why are you spider?"

Is not a good first thing to ask.

But you explained regardless: you were taken as a kid and experimented on by some rogue students from Sumeru academy.

Then some purple lady rescued you, and while you were grateful you much preferred living out in the wild.

"Yes...wild is good! Wolvendom, especially good!"

Someone please help him.

"Purple lady....ah! Shockey wizard lady from knights?"

You nodded

"Razor good friends with her and honorary knight! Do you know red flamy girl?"

"Klee? Oh yes! I love her! She's such a nice kid!"

"Yes, Klee is like lupical! Even if she...burns down forest from time to time."

Lucky for him, your shared familial love for the pyromaniacal minor helped bridge the gap between you two.

Eventually he even got you to leave your grotto(?) And meet his lupical!

He introduced you to the wonders of actually eating rather than just sucking the life force out of animals.

You both love and protect the forest of wolvendom, and if any large threat arises to it then you both will fight fang and claw to protect your home!

Neither of you know what love is in the human sense, but you both feel it to each other and act upon it: giving each other a portion of your food, taking blows in battle for each other, and cuddling more intimately than just friends would.

You are his lupical, and so much more.

_____________________________

I started this near last year's end, it took me till now to realize I should only do 3 characters.

(Paging: @golden-wingseos, @storytravelled)

[bangtanreadingcorner]

rumor has it [2/2] • jung hoseok

words — 3K

part one

You took of your shoes, haphazardly kicking them into the shoe rack, pulling off your baby pink sweater as you padded to your room, humming with a gigantic grin on your face.

It wasn't five minutes since you arrived home when a knock sounded on your door. You threw your sweater on the bed, heading to the door.

"Yeah, I'm coming." You called, and the incessant knocking ceased. Probably Minji or Jamie that wants to borrow a book or some paper to print a project. You opened the door, frowning slight when you saw who was on the other side, "Hoseok? Is everything okay?"

"I'm not feeling very gentlemanly right now." He declared before stepping closer, grabbing you by the neck and kissing you until you were breathless, your socked covered toes curling.

"Good night." He said when he pulled away, then added on, "For real this time."

You laughed a little, feeling so ridiculously happy. You wondered if you could combust from it.

"Text me when you get home." You blurted, still catching your breath.

"Promise." He nodded, licking his lips. You leaned forward to peck them one last time. For now.

You laughed again, practically vibrating with giddiness as you closed the door for a second and final time.

***

You liked to think that maybe you would have a boyfriend, in the not so distant future, after that. It's not like you go around kissing any guy you go out on a date with. And yeah, there's been some horrible dates you went on that never went anywhere, but that's a story for another day.

Right now you were more interested in listening to what Hoseok had to say. The two of you were sitting in the Quad, eating lunch together. You warned your friends to pretty please stay away for now because this thing between you and Hoseok was still new and fragile. And maybe you want him to yourself for a little longer but that was none of their business.

"So, the Dance Department is holding its yearly talent show." Hoseok said after swallowing a bit of his chicken and mayo sandwich.

"I heard," You nodded, taking a sip of orange juice. "The whole campus is talking about it."

"I entered and I was wondering if you'd come?" He asked, looking at you nervously. "For me. For, you know, moral support."

"Absolutely." You nodded eagerly, belly fluttering. You liked the fact that Hoseok had invited you to the competition, especially knowing how much dance means to him. "Can I bring my friends?"

"Sure," Hoseok grinned excitedly. "The more, the merrier."

In the three months leading up to the competition, you would scarcely see him during the week with how much he practices but you make up for it by spending most of the weekend together.

You get to know much about Hoseok in the three months that pass. Little things, like how he swears when he gets startled, all of his phobias (spiders, snakes and heights you got, but fear of water was a little bit of a strange one for you, because you're in love with water but it's not like you own a swimming pool so it wouldn't be a problem), his likes (cuddling while watching a movie) and dislikes (watching scary movies at night - or just in general), habits (biting his lip when he concentrates) and hobbies (skateboarding).

Finally, the day of the competition arrived. It was pretty much a full day event, according to Hoseok, because there was the entrance round, which took the most time, quarter finals, semi finals and finals.

You were walking to the hall where the competition would be held with your two best friends, Minji and Jamie. Your arms were linked through each other's. "Thank you guys so much for coming."

"Of course. Where else would we be?" Jamie smiled gently at you.

Minji nodded, then said, "And we've been dying to meet the guy who has finally melted your heart."

"Just behave yourselves." You told them, pointing a finger in warning.

"Who, us?" Minji gasped.

"We're angels." Jamie smirked.

You snorted, looking around for Hoseok. He said that you would all meet out front. "Sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night."

"Hey, Y/N!" Hoseok's voice caught your ears and you turn in the direction you heard it. "Over here!"

A grin breaks out on your face when you see him, a few guys standing with him, and it takes all your will power not to run to him. You didn't even look at anyone else as you walked to him, stopping only when you reached Hoseok. "Hey."

You wanted to kiss him but didn't. PDA isn't something you've discussed yet, and you definitely don't want to be pushed away or make Hoseok uncomfortable.

"Wow, you look . . ." Hoseok breathed, eyes widening when he did a full body sweep of you. You wore a dress for the first time since he's met you, paired with some matching wedges and a little bit of make-up. "Beautiful."

"Thank you." You grinned, feeling your cheeks flush. "You look very handsome." And he did - a low cut white shirt that put his collarbones and little bit of his chest on display, tucked into black, ripped skinny jeans and a pair of white Converse sneakers.

A throat cleared from somewhere around you and both of you snapped out of the little bubble that unknowingly formed around you, the pair of you ignoring the world.

"Right, I should probably introduce you." Hoseok cleared his throat, tossing a glare over his shoulder when one of his friends snickered. "Guys, this is Y/N." He looked at his friends, gesturing at you. Then looked at back at you. "Don't worry if you can't remember all their names today. There's six of them. Okay, this is Namjoon, the best friend I told you about. That is Yoongi-hyung and his best friend Seokjin-hyung. Next to them is Taehyungie and his best friend Jiminie and next to the shorty is his boyfriend Jeongguk."

"I'm not short." Jimin huffed, a hand wrapped around Jeongguk's bicep.

"Of course not, hyung," Jeongguk consoled, patting his head. Then he smirked, "Just vertically challenged."

"Yah, you gigantic brat!" Jimin snarled as he used the hand on Jeongguk's bicep to try and hit him in the back of his head. Clearly this has happened before because Jeongguk expertly ducked away and grabbed Jimin's hand, spinning Jimin until his back was pressed against Jeongguk's chest. Jeongguk wrapped his hands around him a struggling Jimin, smiling as he pressed a kiss against his hair.

"Don't worry about them, they're always like that." Taehyung said with a grin when he noticed the way you looked at them, wide eyed.

"Good to know." You laughed. "Well, it's so nice to meet all of you." You stepped next to Minji and Jamie, who were eyeing all of Hoseok's friends with interest. "And these are my two best friends, Minji and Jamie."

Jamie stepped forward, peering at Hoseok, "It's so nice to meet Y/N's new beau. She hasn't had one since high school."

"Would you shut up?" You hissed, cheeks flaming, as you pulled her back to your side.

"Aww, look. She's blushing. I've never seen her blushing. Not even when looking at pictures of Idols' abs." Minji cooed, laughter and snickering following.

"You two are dead to me." You said with a glare as you went to stand next to Hoseok.

"Hobi-hyung was so excited when he told us you were coming." Jeongguk let know when everyone calmed down.

"I'm happy he asked me, even if it is moral support." You smiled happily, smile widening when Hoseok's hand slipped into yours. Now, hand holding was something you two did a lot.

"Hah!" Seokjin scoffed. "Moral support, my ass. Hoseok doesn't need moral support, he's won this competition since his first year." You could feel your eyes widening, jaw dropping open.

"The other's don't stand a chance." Jimin smirked.

"We're not trying to be mean or anything, but our Hobi-hyung is the best." Taehyung grinned.

"Hey, how come you never told me how good you are?" You huffed, nudging Hoseok's elbow with yours.

"I thought if I told you, you wouldn't come." He admitted, a slight pout on his lips.

"Oh my God, you idiot!" You lightly slapped him on the arm with your free hands. "I would have come either way. I've always wanted to see you dance."

"I'll win for you tonight." Hoseok promised, ignoring the wolf whistles and whipping sounds that came from the direction of your friends after his words.

You just smiled fondly at him, "That's sweet, but you don't have too."

"I want too." He said quietly. "I've never danced for someone other than my friends and family before."

"Okay, fine. I'll cheer for you."

(Hoseok does end up winning first place. And you two end up having a heated make out session in his dressing room afterwards.)

***

A few weeks after the competition, your mom asked you to go and pick up your sister. You don't warn Hoseok beforehand, wanting to surprise him. You hoped it wasn't a bad surprise. This would be the first time you picked up your sister again after the first time you met. You smiled to yourself, thinking how so much has happened since then.

You walked into the studio, making a beeline for Hoseok.

"Hello again, Hoseok-ssi." You greeted with a serious voice. He spun upto you, eyes wide, and you aimed a lazy grin at him, eyes full of mirth.

"Hello Y/N-ssi." His voice was professional but there was an amused twinkle in his eyes as he smiled at you. "It's good to see you again."

"You too." Was all you we able to get out before your sister joyously shouted your name and barreled into your legs. You laughed, crouching down to give her a proper hug. "Hey squirt. How was class?"

"It was sooooo good. Hobi-oppa is a really really good teacher and fun too. We learnt lots of things. Like this." Your sister ended her own ramble as she demonstrated a move that she learnt in class today, looking at Hoseok when she finished moving, silently asking if she did it right. She positively beamed when he nodded, giving her a thumbs up.

"That's awesome." You ruffled her hair. "Why don't you go get your bag before mom gets home before us and reports us missing?" Your sister nods vigorously, before running away. You turn to Hoseok, heart swelling with affection as you immediately catch his eye. "How's she doing?"

"Good," He said, eyes twinkling. "And I'm not just saying that because she has a gorgeous sister that I like very much."

"Ohhh, keep going." You sing-songed with a grin, crossing your arms over your chest, enjoying the way his cheeks flushed. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Hoseok tilts an eyebrow at you, "Isn't it usually the other way around?"

"Yeah, but in this case flattery will get you anywhere." You smirked, enjoying the way his flush deepend from you teasing.

Your little sister appeared by your side, looking between the two of you. Then she announced, "Hobi-oppa, my sister is single, if you're interested."

Hoseok looked away and pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing.

You barely resisted the urge to yank her by the ears as you hissed to her, "Your sister is not single, stop trying to find her a boyfriend. I'm capable of getting one myself."

She gasped, looking at you with wide eyes. "I'm telling mom."

"Mom knows, tattletale." You deadpanned, much to her disappointment. It's true, she knows about you and Hoseok. You sister doesn't. You all decided to keep quiet around the dance school so the other children and their parents can't accuse Hoseok of playing favourites because he's dating you. You also decided not to tell your sister, because you didn't want her to accidentally let it slip out.

The three of you bid your goodbyes, and you and your sister left. You didn't get very far when your phone buzzed.

Hoseok : Not single, huh?

You laugh, practically seeing the happy grin on his face. You two made your relationship official not long after the dance competition and he loves it when you tell people that you're a taken girl. You type a reply with one hand as the other one held onto your sister's.

You: Nope, there's this really great guy that I'm dating.

Hoseok: Luckily guy.

You: I'd like to think we're both lucky.

Hoseok: Sounds fair.

Hoseok: Btw, your ass looked really good in those jeans.

You: Hehe, thanks.

You: You were were rocking the whole soft boyfriend look, btw

"Are you texting your boyfriend?" Your sister asks as she rises on her tiptoes, obviously trying to see on the screen. You make sure to keep it away from her curious eyes.

You smile down at her, "Yeah."

Hoseok: Soft boyfriend look?

"Do you love him?" She asked and you avoided answering her question to answer Hoseok's text, wondering about it. Do you love him?

You: Big t-shirt, sweatpants and barefoot = soft boyfriend look

You: For me, anyway

You: Idk about other people.

The answer came so easily to you. You smiled down at her as you wait for Hoseok to reply. "I think so, yeah."

Hoseok: Ah, gotcha

Hoseok: We still on for tomorrow???

You grinned, butterflies fluttering wildly. Tomorrow evening was Jeongguk's 18th birthday party and you were invited as Hoseok's girlfriend. Apparently it was the formal one - with Jeongguk's family - and then the next evening would be the informal one - with his school friends and Jimin's friends and their friends. You were a little nervous, because only Jeongguk's closest friends was invited to the formal party and while each one could bring a plus one, not everyone did.

At least, that's what Namjoon told you when you ran into him at a coffee shop a few days ago and told him that you'd see him at Jeongguk's party. So, it was kind of a big deal and you were kind of freaking out but mostly, you were excited.

You: Yep, I'll see you there.;)))

The next day, you decided on your nicest clothes, which was the second and last dress you own and a pair pumps.

"You look so cute, I want to eat you." Hoseok had blurted when you opened your dorm room. You raised a brow at him and smiled when he flushed and started back pedalling. "I, uh, um, what I meant to say was-"

"I think you're cute when you scrunch your nose when you don't like something." You cut him off, deciding to have mercy. "Come on in, we still have an hour until we need to go."

He smiled gratefully and you stepped closer to kiss him.

"About what I said just now Hoseok started when you pulled apart, closing the door behind himself.

"There is nothing to explain." You assured him with a gentle smile, heading to your couch.

"No, I need too. I want to be honest with you." He said firmly, but you could tell he was nervous. His shoulders was tensed and it make you feel unsteady. You didn't like that he was distressed. "It's just- I just, I've been thinking about it."

"What, eating me?" You joked, trying to make him relax a little. You looked at him over your shoulder with a teasing smirk, "Sorry, but I'm not into cannibalism."

"Y/N. I'm being serious." His tone made you sober up, turning to him. Hoseok was looking at you, biting his lip, but there was a determined set to his jaw.

"Oh." You felt yourself getting nervous out of nowhere. "Okay. Thinking about what?" You had a good idea what he was thinking about, just not if it was positively or negatively.

Hoseok cleared his throat, looking like he was searching for words before just bracing himself and saying it. "Having sex with you." So, you were right. You will weren't sure if he wanted to tell you that he wants to or not. "I want too." He added on barely a second later for clarification.

Your heart started racing. You blushed a bright red all over - chest, neck, ears, cheeks. You gaped at Hoseok and he waited silently, looking more and more nervous and unsure as each second passed.

You gathered your thoughts and told him the truth.

"Me too." You admitted softly, shyly. "I didn't want to bring it up or push for more during one of our more heated makeout sessions because I wasn't sure what you thought and while I am thinking about it, I'm just not . . ."

Hoseok breath a sigh of relief, so quiet, you almost didn't heard it it. "Not ready yet?"

"Yeah." You nodded. He took his hands in yours, tangling your fingers together.

"I feel the same. Like, in the heat of the moment I want to find out just how flexible you are, but then when I calm down its like something tells me it's not time yet. And that's okay. There's no need to rush. We'll get there." Hoseok said, squeezing your hands, both in comfort and promise.

"Yeah, we will." You smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck. You kiss him deeply, trying to show him everything you were feeling but couldn't define and put into words yet.

Months later, when both of you are completely ready, it's not just right but it's perfect in that fairytale kind of way you always thought was bullshit but secretly hoped for anyways. Afterwards, when you lay on his chest, looking up at his sleeping face, you breathe those three special words, before falling asleep to the soothing sound of Hoseok's heartbeat.

[lexi-evans]

He loves you | Draco Malfoy imagine

Summary: Everyone says he loves you,he says he loves you but why is it so hard for you to believe it?

Harry and Draco are friends? Wolfstar? Check it out.

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"AAAHHHHH!!" both Ron and Harry shouted. Currently,everyone is watching The shining movie. (Horror movie) Hermione and You sat on the floor in front of the couch as the boys argued they sat last time.

Both of you turned around and gawked at them. Ron is holding a pillow hiding his face behind it, Harry is covering his face with his hands. Hermione returned her attention to the movie but you caught sight of Sirius.

He's hugging Remus like his life depends on it.and Lilly,James? They're just chilling. Harry invited the three of you to stay at Potter's for summer which you Glady accepted.

It's always fun staying here. Today is Friday which is movie night. Unfortunately,Mr.potter I mean James picked the shining movie. Bad choice.

You focused on watching the movie. Another Scarry scene came and both Harry, and Ron....Sirius? screamed. Hermione looked very annoyed this time. "Kids" She muttered causing you to chuckle.

You looked around and saw Lilly and James already fast asleep,Remus too. You don't blame them,though. They're the one's who is looking after the kids. I mean Harry, Hermione,Ron,You,Sirius.

"so much braveness for being a gryffindor." You said,riled. Hermione snickered.

After finishing the movie 4 of you stumbled to their rooms. Trying to as quiet as you can. Harry is sharing room with Ron as you and Hermione sharing the room next to Sirius and remus. Opening the door you and Hermione walked lazily towards the bed. Falling on to it.

"good night,Mione" you said,sleepy. "Night,Y/N" she said,yawning. After sleeping peacefully for an hour. *Knock knock* you squinted your eyes. "Who is it?" Hermione asked,Raging.

They opened. Ron???!! "Ronald Weasley!! What do you think you're doing??here???" She asked, sitting up. Ron looked,scared. "I..I had a nightmare,sweetheart" He replied, calmly. "Can I sleep here tonight?".

Hermione looked at you for permission. You nodded. "Har...I know you're outside,come in! You can sleep here" you said, knowing all well. He showed up smiling sheepishly. You moved to your side a little giving him space to sleep.

He settled down and smiled at you. But you gave him a bitter look. Moving closer getting him to cuddle with you. "You know Draco would be pissed if he knows I have you in my arms like this. Even though I don't mind because you're like my little sister" He said, laughing.

You looked at his face. "You think so?" You asked, hopefully. "Very" Ron replied from other side of the room. "He loves you,Y/N. So much" Hermione said with a joyful voice feeling fully awake.

" I don't know...." You said,gloomily. "Do you like him,Y/N?" Harry asked, excitedly. "...No?" You said,sadly. "He loves you,you know? I don't know what's stopping you...Y/N. You're amazing,talented, cheerful and kind.. there's there's no reason for any one to not like you" he looked down at you only to find you sleeping peacefully. Little did he know you're just pretending to be asleep.

He sighed. "Good night,N/N" he said,placing at kiss at top of your head. Harry was like you're big brother. And you as his sister plus best friend. It's only a week before the first term starts and you guys will be attending you're 6th year.

After a few minutes later you heard soft snores. You're mind wandered around thinking about all the things everyone says.

Reasons why you don't date him:

He's a bully. (In his younger years but not now at least not as much as he used to before)

He flirts with other girls. (To make you jealous)

You think he's just playing with you're feelings.

Things he does:

Never gives up on you.

Asks you out every weekend only to get rejected.

Flirts all the time.

Sends love letters.

Makes first years to give you flowers.

Ridiculous Cheesy pickup lines.

Overprotective

Doesn't let anyone near you except you're friends.

Always makes sure you're healthy.

He always takes the little opportunities to be with you.

It wouldn't hurt to give him a chance.. Right? You sigh slowly falling into deep slumber.

He may be anything in your head but for him you're:

cute, shy, innocent.

Amazing at what you do.

You let him sit next to you because he makes you smile.

He loves how adorable you look when you blush.

That cute little smile you give when you're excited.

He loves how much you like chocolates.

He always notices little things you do.

He loves how you act all goofy with the twins trying to make others laugh.

He knows how much you like flowers.

Whenever he gives you flowers he sees how you cherish them.

Always giggling when ron does stupid things.

Easily getting distracted but somehow getting the answer right when professor calls on you.

No matter how many times you rejected him he would never give up on you.

He knows how you feel bad when u say no to him so you offer him to hang out with you're friends.

He loves how you make first year's cheerup making them feel better telling them it's going to be okay.

You didn't know why you don't accept him.. There's no reason for u to say no to him. Except maybe because he flirts with other girls right in front of you trying to tick you off.

After thinking maybe a little too much you fell into deep slumber.

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Roses

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"Roses?" You stated with a huge grin looking at all the flowers on you're desk with a little note on it.

I just wanted to see you smile

-Draco

You smiled reading at the little note. You made sure the note isn't scrambled in your pocket. Hermione nudged you're side and gestured towards Draco who's staring at you. You turned to him and gave a him a genuine smile. Like it meant to say thank you.

In Malfoy Manor:

"I miss you, Y/N" Draco said, staring at the empty ceiling above. You were the last thing on his mind before sleeping, After waking, hell you were the only thing in his mind everyday. "Good night, darling" He whispered closing his eyes falling asleep.

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Snow ball fight

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"Draco!!!" You squealed as he picked you up and spun around. He laughed at you're cute giggles. "where do want to go, love?" He asked putting on you're feet. "Oh what's that?" Who pointed something behind him making him turn around. You took the chance and picked up the snow and threw at him.

"Owww, Y/N?!!!" He exclaimed before attacking you and started tickling you. You wiggled around trying to escape from him which somehow caused both of you to go Outbalance and you landed on top him. "Ouch" He said, clearly not hurt. "well, luckily I had a soft landing" You winked. "Come one lovebirds it's time to go" Ron replied, smiling at his best friend. "You guys look so cute!!" Hermione cooed. Harry rolled his eyes smiling.

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I'm cold

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"Draco~~" You sang shifting around trying to some warmth. It's really cold outside and you didn't like. At least not when you feel like freezing. "Yes, Darling?" He asked putting down his book. "I'm so cold" You said rubbing you're hands together.

"Aww, baby is cold? Come here" He opened his arms. You hesitated but finally gave in. You smiled, he's warm. Draco noticed you're red cheeks and smiled.

Next day morning:

You woke earlier than Harry, Ron and hermione. You quietly got out of bed trying not to make any noises on your way down stairs.it's not a surprise for you seeing Lilly is already wide awake.

"Morning, Mrs. Potter" You purposely call her that because it annoys her. She prefers to be called Lilly but you do this sometimes for fun. She gave you a 'really? ' look before turning her attention to what she's doing.

"Morning, Y/N! Did you sleep well? " She asked placing the bowl she took out side the kitchen's cupboard. Just then Remus walked in with sleepy sirius and James trailing behind him. And sat in the chairs next to you. You laughed at James face because he his hair looked like a Birds nest. Remus took the newspaper that's laying on the table and started reading it. Sirius leaned on the table and watched his boyfriend reading the paper.

"I don't know how to answer that question" You said, dramatically placing you're head on the table. She turned around and saw the sad expression on you're face.

Sirius (who's still sleepy) gave you confused look. James already fell asleep in the chair snoring, his glasses almost falling off his face. Remus stopped reading the newspaper and tuned his attention to you. It is very unusual for you to be this quiet and sad.

Sirius knocked off james glasses causing him to stir awake. James scowled at Sirius but quickly shut it down when Lilly threw him a glare. So, now everyone sat in silence. Until Lilly finally decided to break it.

"what's wrong, Y/N? " She asked Worriedly. Taking a seat to your left placing her hand on you're shoulder. Lilly always cared about you. Like her own daughter. "Lilly, you said you rejected James many times, right? How come he hasn't given up on you? Sirius also said James used to bully,professor snape... And how come you liked Him? I mean from what you said Snape is you're friend,right? " You can hear remus chuckle. As Sirius let out a muffled laugh. James smiled at the long memory.

"That N/N..let me tell you" James said still searching for his glasses. Sirius finally gave him them to him. "Yes, I used to bully you're so called professor for fun. And I'm not nice to lilly at the beginning either. But as the days went by I started to like her" He gestured towards lilly who's smiling.

You smiled a little as he continues "Of course she didn't like me because of the way I used to behave. I asked her out many times, tried to make her jealous by flirting with other girls in front of her, course she always said no" He let out a laugh. Remus and Sirius giggled.

Watching lilly roll her eyes. "You know why I never gave up on her? " He asked as you shook your head. "Because I knew I genuinely liked her not just for fun. she's a kind person in the whole hogwarts you know" He bragged. You laughed. "Likewise"

"I still remembered the time she finally gave me a chance. That day, I remember I couldn't be more happier. The day I knew she's the perfect woman for me. When i ran and told Sirius and Remus they didn't believe me, you know." He said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Remus laughed. Sirius frowned "Of course I wouldn't believe you! She never said yes to you! I thought you were just making it up!"

You turned to Remus "How about you two, Remus? How did you and Sirius ended up together? " You asked, curiously. "It was Sirius who made the first move" Remus chuckled.

"I certainly did! I'm more confident than moony" Sirius said, proudly. "Well, you're confidence is stupid! You told me you kissed first in the shrinking shack! " James huffed. "wait? In the shrinking shack? " Lilly asked, confused.

Lilly didn't knew? "By first move? You mean directly going and kissing him?" James snickered. You were surprised but laughed when you saw Remus face. "It was on one of my days" Remus explained to you referring to full moon day.

"Ooooh, On full moon night in the middle of shrinking shack where no one else would bother you? How romantic Sirius" you said,teasingly. Remus blushed tried to hide his embarrassed face infront of the younger.

"but seriously,Y/N? What's actually bothering you?" Remus finally bought back the topic which was now completely forgotten. "Is it about,Draco?" James asked since they all know about you're situation.

You nodded. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked but you shook your head. "Definitely not in front of those two" you pointed towards Sirius and James. "What? Why not?" "why us?" Both of them spoke at the same time.

"you'll tease me endlessly" they both sat in silence knowing it is true. "Fine" Sirius dragged out james who's still complaining. "Y/N, Do you love him? " Remus asked for which you chuckled. "Using word love is kind of maybe a little bit too early, don't you think Remus? " He shrugged.

"I feel like a mess, really. I'm not gonna lie. It's like... I'm stuck? Between it's right or it's wrong?... I don't even know anymore... I'm just- I'm confused, I can't even express how I'm feeling right now. These feelings he makes feel like I want him but... Somewhere deep down I have a tiniest feeling if I'm maybe wrong?" You paused. Honestly, you felt like you're a mess.

Remus and Lilly carefully listened everyword you said. "I like him but I hate him? Or maybe... Maybe I'm just mad that he flirts with other girls like he does with me?" You said, frustrated.

"Y/N...Listen. He maybe chose the wrong way to get you're attention but maybe he's got a reason. He does love you but he's made a wrong choice showing it how" Remus explained gently. This made you remember how he's gentle with all the kids in the class.

"Y/N, remember what James said? He did flirt with other girls too but why? So he could make me jealous and go out with him. But when I Confronted him about everything wrong with his behavior? He changed, hasn't he? Does he still look like the James they described? Sometimes boys are soo stupid" Her soft motherly voice spoke.

"Do you think he'll change? Draco?..for me? " You asked hopefully. She smiled "why don't you try and find out? " With that you feel you're confidence coming back, again. You nodded happily smiling. "Maybe I'm just scared getting heart broken... I hate feeling... Weak" You huffed.

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Make you mine

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"Y/N, please, love. Just one time? " He asked desperately wanting to go on a date with you. But you still continued to walk with Harry on you're side who's laughing.

"Y/N, please" He grabbed you're hand turning you around making you bump into his chest. You lifted you're head looking at his face. "Just once? " He asked, added. You tried to keep straight face. "will you ever stop? " You acknowledged. "No! Not until I make you mine" he stated smiling.

You opened you're mouth but nothing came out. You stared at his face for a second before pulling your hand out of his turning around grabbing Harry's hand walked away with a smile on you're face.

Sirius and James have been listening the entire conversation between you three from behind the door grinning like idiots.

Later you helped Lilly prepare breakfast for everyone. And it is no surprise Ron and Harry haven't woke up, yet. Hermione is already downstairs trying to get James read a book with her.

"Y/N why don't you and Sirius go and wake up Ron and Harry? " Lilly asked placing the dishes on the table. You grinned looking at Sirius who nodded. "I'll wake Ron" You said to Sirius. "Y/N,dont scare him" Hermione sang you giggled. Both of you made you're way to the room and saw...

Ron snoring loudly, no surprise. Harry sleeping with his mouth open almost falling off the bed while hugging the pillow you placed before you left.

You walked towards the desk before the night stand and pulled out a temporary marker. You looked at Sirius grinning widely. He understood what you're doing and asked for another marked which you gladly gave it to him.

You crawled on Hermione's bed where Ron is sleeping. You slowly started to draw on his face but he's still fast asleep. You drew fake glasses just like Harry's and wrote 'idiot' on his cheek.

You giggled. Putting the pen away and started shaking Ron "wakey wakey ronnie" You sang. He groaned turning other side falling asleep. "Oh.my.god! Hermione what is victor krum doing here? " You acted dramatically. Ron shot up looking around searching for krum. Ready to throw hands on whoever touches his mione.

You burst into fit of laughter watching his reaction. "Ugh not funny, Y/N" He threw a pillow at you. But you continue laughing.so he threw another one. Harry is already awake watching Ron throwing pillows at you. When you saw his face you laughed even harder.

Sirius drew a snitch on his forehead. And dog paws on his both cheeks."morning sleepyhead" Sirius ruffled Harry hair. "Come on guys breakfast is ready" You said grabbing Sirius hand running downs stairs. Both of you started laughing when you reached the kitchen.

Ron stared at Harry's face then burst into laughter same went with Harry. "Since when do you have glasses, mate? " Harry asked still trying to contain his laughs. "I have glasses? Why's there a snitch drawing on you're face? " Ron pointed Harry. Both of them stared at each other before running downstairs.

"why are you guys laughing? " Hermione asked looking at you and Sirius who is still laughing like crazy. "SIRIUS!! Y/N!!! " everyone's attention turned to Harry and Ron who's standing in the doorway looking like idiot's. With drawings all over their faces.

"HaAHA" James is the first one to react then everyone started laughing. "It's not funny guys" Harry said, gloomily. "It's quite funny actually" Hermione laughed.

Next week: in Kings Cross station

"You guys ready to back? " James asked, smiling at the four of you. "God I can't believe you guys are starting you're 6th year.. It's like yesterday you guys were starting Hogwarts" Lilly said, smiling like a proud mom.

After saying goodbye's the four of you made you're way into the train searching for an empty compartment. Sirius and Remus are long gone on their own.

After sitting together for a good 30 minutes you left the compartment and started roaming out. Harry went to search Ginny leaving you alone with Ron and Mione. Not wanting to be a third wheel you left em alone.

Fortunately, you found Draco all by himself, looking out side the window staring off into space. He didn't even notice you. You slowly made you're way next to him and boomed "BOW!!" he jumped gripping his ropes tightly. Looking like he just saw a ghost.

You laughed "Aww, you got scared!! It's just me, Dray" You plopped next to him. "Y/N don't ever do that again" He breathed. "whatchu doing alone?" You asked because usually he would sit with his henchmen. "Just wanted to be alone. What're you doing here??" He asked letting you rest you're head on his shoulder. Taking you're hand into his.

"Oh I was third wheeling but then I got bored" You said, giggling. He laughed playing with your hand. "Dray... Why do you like me? I'm not anything like other girls" You said in low voice. "That's why I like you, silly. You aren't anything like those girls. That's what makes you special, Y/N. And I love you, everything about you" He spoke in soft voice.

"Then why do you flirt with them? " You're voice sounded a little bit hurt. "It did got you're attention, didn't it? " He joked. When you looked at him with hurtful expression his face immediately fell.

"Y/N" He cupped you're face. "I never meant to hurt you, Y/N. I thought maybe if I flirt with them you'd get jealous and go out with... Me? " He explained. "Do you know it's also the reason why I always say no? " You asked staring into his icy blue eyes.

"what? " His expression changed. "I like you, Draco. I really do but I just don't like it when you flirt with other girls right in front of me or when you pick on first years when I'm not there. That's why I never said yes to you even though I like you" You remarked.

"Y/N if you just said so I would never do any of those. You could've said it? I promise, Y/N. I'll never pick on first years and hell, I wont even talk with those silly girls" He said, holding you're hands.

"Promise?" You asked,hopefully. "Promise" He leaned down and kissed you're lips. You wrapped you're arms around his neck pulling him closer. He waited for this moment, for years. You wondered how much patience he's got waiting for you all these years.

The promise sealed with a kiss. You felt happiness Radiating over you. All because He Loves you.

♡ ∩_∩

（„• ֊ •„)♡

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♡ The end ♡

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a/n: I don't even know what to say... These exams are killing us. I have exams till this Sunday and they said there's still upcoming exams and I'm ready to die. Also I have few other stories coming up and maaaaybe smut fics too.