everyone has a story

a writing blog filled with shameless self-indulgences. here you will see aus, cross-canon ships, and rp-related things, anything that catches my fancy.

[inkeyjay]

“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone. [...] When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.”  🩸

“In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.” 🌻

Two souls, reunited.

(quotes from Madelline Miller's The Song Of Achilles)

[sadistjolt]

[literaray]

little talks | quinn fabray, gale hawthorne

It started when they were kids, when social class meant nothing and everyone was just starting to make friends. They’d been placed next to each other in school, at the back of the classroom, and they’d started to talk when they got too bored to focus on whatever the teacher was saying. Recesses were spent together, playing and laughing and talking about anything. Other children would come and go, but they always had each other, and then they would walk together until they had to go their separate ways to head home.

Except one day, Quinn didn’t show. She didn’t come out to greet him after school, their last few classes spent apart. He waited ten minutes before letting out a sigh and starting home, watching the birds flit through the trees as if nothing was different. His younger siblings were already there when he arrived, laughing and playing under their mother’s watchful eye until she shooed them all off to do their homework. Vick had ten vocabulary words to memorize, Rory had math, and Gale had reading to do, so he settled on the couch with the book in his hands, frowning thoughtfully as he read, his full concentration on the words until he heard a quiet knock at the door. His eyes flicked over to watch his mom answer it, and a moment later a familiar blonde stepped inside, glancing around until she spotted him. She was biting her lip, he realized, and she never did that unless something was wrong - he’d noticed that when she was upset about her grades - so he set the book down and went to sit with her on their back step.

Out of sight from nosy neighbors and younger siblings alike, she let go. Gale found arms thrown around him and a sudden wet spot on his shirt, the girl sobbing against his chest. He didn’t bother asking what was wrong, having gone through this with Vick and Rory both at times, and knew to wait for her to catch her breath, and when she did, Quinn released him, rubbing at her eyes with her forearm and sniffing. She muttered an apology, one he quickly dismissed, and only then did he ask what happened. The story spilled out of her just as eagerly as her sobs, telling him how the other kids in her class had made fun of her, somehow picked out all of her insecurities and shoved them in her face. She made him promise not to do anything about it, insisting that talking to him was enough, so they sat on the step, watching the birds and talking about anything else until Quinn smiled again, and her laugh sang through the air.

She came again the day he lost his father, the pretty little cherry on top of the terrible cake that was an awful day at school. The mayor had the gall to give their family a medal, insisting that his father had bravely tried to save everyone else, and she watched in silence as Gale stomped in circles in their backyard, blinking back tears and angrily ranting about the mines for collapsing, the rescue teams for not being fast enough, his father for going back in when he could have come home to his family. He lasted for nearly an hour before collapsing onto the steps beside her and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, heaving a choked sob as he tried to breathe. A hand touched his arm, and when he looked up to meet Quinn’s eyes, he felt himself deflate, shoulders sagging with exhaustion as he wondered what his family was going to do. She had no answer, just a hand to hold, and a promise that he wouldn’t lose her, too.

Even with that promise, they grew older, found other friends, and began talking to each other less and less. They stopped walking home together, dedicating their afternoons to extracurriculars or other friends who didn’t go the same way after school. Gale had gotten used to working every part-time job he could manage while still earning decent grades, and he was starting to wonder if he could feel anything other than tired as he stubbornly started his homework after a shift, only making it through a few questions before he heard a knock and turned, eyebrows raising in surprise to see Quinn at his bedroom door. She offered him a smile as she asked to come in, and before long they were talking like nothing had changed, laughing and swapping stories as she made herself comfortable on his bed, one leg tucked under her yellow dress. Someone had asked her on a date, and she’d somehow managed to get through the whole thing without laughing at the poor boy’s fumbling, but someone had to know. She gushed the silliness of it all, gesturing wildly and grinning in a way she never would at school. The next day, when he saw the boy in question, he couldn’t help but smile as the poor kid rushed past her without a word, face flushed with embarrassment.

His first date, by comparison, had gone rather well. Quinn jokingly told him that she was jealous when he told her about it, but it was downhill from there. His would-be girlfriend had gotten increasingly more determined, and he’d been increasingly more put off by her eagerness after only one date, and alarmed as her friends started to flock with her when she visited him, at lunch and even after school. Gale had never been much of a people-person, not with anyone outside of his family, so the sudden swarm had been far from welcome, and telling her as much had gone about as well as it could. She had stormed out with friends trailing behind her, leaving him to slam the door after them and stomp up to his room to seethe. The tension didn’t ease until Quinn showed up an hour before dinner. She let him rant and ramble until he smiled again, her giggles ringing in the air with his own as they laughed and she decided to stay for dinner, after all. It was hard not to notice the angry glares the girl in question shot the both of them the next day at school, giving them another quiet laugh as they walked to class.

They continued that way for years, drifting to be with their own friends, separate friends, but always finding their way back to one another. Rumors would flare up now and then when they were seen together, about how he was an obvious charity case, how sad it was that he was in love when she was so far out of his league, how she deserved so much better. His teeth ground and he walked on, ignoring the whispers as he remembered all the time they spent together, alone where no one but their families knew about them. He refused to listen to the scathing voice in the back of his mind that wondered if they were right, but the thought remained, a poison intent on ruining the one good thing he’d convinced himself would never be lost for good.

When the day came that he found Quinn waiting in his room after work, tears running down her face, he stopped to stare at her in surprise. Her makeup was ruined, her eyes puffy and red, cheeks blotchy underneath streaks of tears, she didn’t try to hide her face, and didn’t say a word as Gale set his things down and sat beside her, waiting. After what felt like an eternity of silence, two words slipped past her lips, and his shoulders went slack with shock. The explanation came out in jumbles, almost too fast to understand between the hiccups that came with crying, and the more she spoke, the angrier he felt. The night passed by too quickly, Quinn clinging to him for support that Gale was more than willing to provide, until the exhaustion won out and she slipped into a dreamless sleep. He let her have his bedroom, and camped out on the couch until the sun shining through the curtains woke him up. He started to panic when he saw the clock read 11:15 AM, but his mother shook her head and put a warm cup of tea in his hands. They could have today, she told him, casting a worried glance at his bedroom door where Quinn hadn’t yet awoken. They needed the rest, and Gale found that he couldn’t argue.

He didn’t waste much time on their next day back at school. After one class, he found the boy responsible - though, he would remind himself later, it was Quinn’s mistake, too, and she knew it - and earned himself a week’s suspension. His mother wasn’t pleased when he came home with the news, asked him to be careful, but she had nothing more than that to say. Quinn made up the difference, coming by after school to yell at him for being stupid, to remind him that it wasn’t any of his business even if she told him anything, that he shouldn’t have gotten involved. He listened in silence, nodding along, until finally she stopped pacing the floor and fell into a chair with a deep sigh. A moment passed, and neither of them said anything, until finally she whispered a quiet, broken “thank you.”

In the following months, there were many afternoons that she would appear at his door, stressed and upset about this or that, the gossip spreading like wildfire behind her back or something completely unrelated, confusing at first glance but simply the last straw for her. Just as many days, weeks, months passed that she entirely ignored him, and he kept his distance until she decided to approach, unwilling to push when he knew how rough things were. It was the same for him, in different ways, but she was there when he lost his job and struggled to find another, offering loans - not charity, she’d insist - that he would never accept. They celebrated with a slice of pizza when he was hired at the library, joking that the librarians only wanted him for his ability to reach the top shelves.

He was there when the day came, not allowed in the room with her but waiting, waiting, waiting until they gave the okay and he shoved his way in, taking the hand she held out for him as she breathed and focused on her mother and Gale instead of the other woman in the room. They carried her through the lingering pain, assured her that her choice was valid. Quinn struggled with the weight of the decision, then and for months after as she fought to overcome the rumors and cruel comments people would say about her, to her, and though Gale let her fight her own battles this time around, he made sure she knew he was in her corner. She offered him the same comfort when he lost a close friend to her newfound fame, how things had changed when she’d returned and neither of them could find the same ground to stand on again, though not for lack of trying. When she suffered a car accident, he careened into the hospital room, eyes wide with concern she wouldn’t even know about until she woke up a few days later, her mother filling her in. It took months for her to recover fully, and Gale did his best to help every step of the way. She offered him the same when a fire blazed through part of town, burning down Gale’s home and the entire neighborhood with it. It was the only time he accepted outside help, gratefully taking her up on an offer to rent a small cottage for his family closer to her side of town, and she stayed that first night to help him talk through his anger, frustration, and the pain of losing the one home he’d ever had. They talked long into the night until it all dissolved into relief, and he couldn’t help but smile knowing that his family was okay, and they weren’t alone.

When graduation finally arrived, they were separated in the march. Quinn was ahead of him, while Gale found himself closer to the middle of the line, just close enough to offer each other a smile if they turned at just the right moment. It was a long, slow day, one he just wished would be over, and when it finally was, he and his family went home for a small, celebratory dinner while Quinn headed out with friends. It wasn’t until later that she showed up at the door of their new house, cap and gown long since abandoned for a pale blue dress that swirled in the evening wind. They sat on the back step together, talking about the day as the sky deepened into night and stars began to twinkle into view, and a quiet thought spilled out, wondering what would last and what would be lost to time. Reaching out, Gale took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, a silent echo of her promise from years before. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she returned it without further hesitation, turning the conversation to the mishaps of the day, laughing at jokes only they knew as they talked into the night as if nothing at all had changed.

[literaray]

games | marquis de lafayette, marie louise de savoy

Her grip on the pen tightened as she heard it again. Eyes closed, Marie-Louise took a deep breath and reminded herself to focus. This was not an exam she could afford to fail, nor would she. She had a reputation to uphold, and no group of raucous, lewd boys were going to -

“Penis!”

She sighed. How the librarians hadn’t heard the ridiculous game and put a stop to it already, she’d never know. Honestly, all she wanted was to review her notes in peace, and they’d already made it up to quiet shouting.

“Penis!” another voice chimed in, the third of their group, Marie noted with distaste. She had half a mind to report them.

“Penis!” the fourth cried, ignorant to her frustration. She shook her head and refocused on the words before her. Her studies were more important. She even managed to get halfway through the page before the next cry went out in accented English.

“Penis!” A wave of muffled laughter followed.

So they thought themselves clever? With an irritated huff, she slammed her hands on the table and stood, pushing back the chair as she shouted louder than any of the young men had dared, “Penis!” It seemed to echo through the library.

A librarian approached her almost immediately, frowning as she delivered the usual scoldings on appropriate behavior in the library and for a young lady of distinction such as herself. Marie-Louise acted the part of a apologetic student with grace, and was left to return to her studies after being thoroughly rebuked. She settled back into her seat with ease, noting with satisfaction that the boys had gone quiet. Moments later, their group trickled out from behind the bookshelves, giving her curious looks on their way out. Only one young man stayed behind.

“It would seem we have met our match,” he said in their native language, offering her a smile. He didn’t seem at all affected by the annoyed glance she shot him. “If I may offer our apologies, Your Highness, for disturbing your studies…?”

For a moment, she did not reply, instead opting to duck her head to avoid the intensity of his gaze. He always knew how to leave her feeling flustered, this Lafayette.

“I may accept,” Marie began primly, seeing his smile brighten through her peripheral, “if I, in turn, may ask a favor of you.”

“I could never deny the Princesse de Lamballe.” She gave a quiet huff.

“Two favors, then.” At his nod, she continued, “First, that you and your friends take your game elsewhere. I do not want to hear such bawdy things in this library again.”

Lafayette bowed his head, solemn despite the twinkle in his eye. “You have my word.”

Satisfied, she nodded. “Second, that you may stop using my titles on the school grounds. We are visitors to the country for our studies. This is not the place for it.”

If the sudden laugh surprised her, the way he knelt and gently took her hand to kiss her knuckles made a delicate warmth blossom in her cheeks. Taken aback, she said nothing as he looked up at her, the serious expression replaced by a rakish grin that very nearly sent her reeling. Oh, what her friends from court would have to say about this if they only knew…

“That is one thing I cannot promise, Your Highness,” Lafayette told her. “One must never disrespect a Princesse such as yourself. I would never hear the end of it.”

“Even by my own request?”

“Even by your own request,” he confirmed. “Never in public must one dishonor a lady’s reputation. Such behavior would be quite unbecoming of a gentlemen, no?”

“Only in public?” Marie asked, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips in spite of herself.

“Ah,” he answered, releasing her hand as he rose to his feet, “that would be for the lady in question to decide.”

[literaray]

restraint | madge undersee, gale hawthorne

These fancy affairs always made him uncomfortable. They were a part of Madge’s everyday life, but he was from an entirely different world, with no interest in this one beyond the fact that she was here. If it weren’t for her, he’d be content to stay away, annoyed by the sheer excess they enjoyed while his family lived from paycheck to paycheck.

He was still annoyed, actually, but all that dissolved whenever Gale’s eyes landed on her, so that’s where he kept them whenever possible. That was proving a challenge tonight, to control himself while watching her in that silky pearlescent gown of hers that seemed to cling to her body, accentuating every little thing about her that he loved. It made him want to take her somewhere quieter, away from all the extravagance, where he could remind her how much he loved her.

As the night went on, he found that the real challenge was in keeping his hands from wandering in public. Now and then, Madge would pause, and he’d look down to find a hand on the small of her back, the pale skin exposed by fabric that draped down to her waist. During cocktail hour, she shivered at the feather-light touch that went up her side. Under the table at dinner, she shot him a quick glare that vanished the instant she returned to the conversation, pointedly ignoring the fingers that wandered under that slit in her skirt to  brush over her thigh. At the after-dinner dance, she huffed an exasperated sigh as her back met his chest after a spin and he held her there, arms tight around her and lingering on her hips before letting her go. In the gardens as a number of lanterns lit up the night, she gasped at the soft touch of a pair of lips on her bare shoulder.

“Gale,” she chided, trying to look stern as she turned to face him. Arms crossed, she stared at him, clearly expecting an explanation for his behavior.

He replied with a caress, and a kiss that warmed them both in the growing chill of the night, only pulling away when they heard voices carrying over the breeze, other guests wandering into the gardens for a quiet moment away from the gala. Madge gasped and stepped away, gracefully raising her wine glass from the stone wall she’d been looking over before he’d come. The smile came easy as he took in the flush on her cheeks before she quickly retreated, the promise of later lingering hopefully in the way her hand brushed his.

[literaray]

ice cream | molly carpenter, fred weasley

Mom is going to kill her.

He couldn’t have gone far, Molly tells herself, darting into the next aisle after a stream of shoppers pass by. This store is only so big, right? He’s got to be in here somewhere.

God, Mom is going to actually kill her. How could she lose her little brother in the store? All they wanted was some snacks!

Snacks - maybe the ice cream aisle? She dashes for the freezer section.

...And slams right into someone, making them stumble back a few steps. She feels a hand on her shoulder, steadying her, and when Molly straightens she finds herself looking at a (gorgeous) guy with the brightest red hair she’s ever seen, eyebrows raised.

“Maybe you ought to try not running about in the market, eh?”

Oh, and he’s British, too. That’s really -

- Not what she’s here for. Focus, Molly.

“Sorry,” she stammers, trying to step aside and let him by. “I’m - I lost my little brother, I just need to find him ASAP. Sorry I… Harry?”

Her youngest brother peers up at her with bright eyes, smiling as he clings to the very same guy she’d run into. She immediately kneels to crush him in a hug.

“Oh my god, I thought I’d lost you...”

“He found the free ice cream samples,” Hot British Guy says, smiling. “Funny thing, that - the little guy told me you were the one who was lost.”

She glances between the two of them, finally noticing how Harry is clinging to his hand. Interesting.

“I’m… really sorry,” she says finally, standing. “We were just going to get a snack, and I got distracted and lost track of him… Thank you for finding him.”

“I like him,” Harry chirps helpfully. “His favorite is chocolate, too! Can he come have ice cream with us?”

Wait, what? She stares blankly at her brother, then back at Hot British Guy. He simply shrugs, looking amused at the whole thing. “Uh, I don’t think Mom is expecting visitors at the house today, Harry. And we should probably be getting back.”

“Why can’t he come with us?” Harry complains. “Momma won’t mind. She has people visit all the time!”

“She’ll mind this time, trust me,” she answers dryly. Her mother has had some strong opinions about the guys she’s brought home before, after all. The boy looks devastated at the news, but after a moment, a light bulb flickers on, and Molly finds herself grinning. Maybe this can work out, after all.

“But,” she says slowly, looking from her brother to the boy he’s attached himself to, “maybe we can arrange something for another day. I’d need a number, of course.” Harry cheers as his new friend chuckles, apparently having no qualms about handing out his phone number to a total stranger. “And what name should I save it under?”

“Fred,” he says simply. “Though I only got your brother’s name, myself.”

“I’m Molly,” she answers, smiling coyly. Maybe mom won’t kill her, after all. “I’ll give you a call, and maybe we can have ice cream sometime. Harry would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course,” Fred replies, grinning right back at her. “I could never let Harry down.”

[literaray]

working | madge undersee, gale hawthorne

Working at the library wasn’t… ideal. Not really, not for Gale. He was the last person anyone would have expected to work there, and he knew it, but a job’s a job. If it would help his family, it was worth it, even if it’s not what he would have liked.

Besides, it wasn’t so bad. It was quiet work, but not so quiet as hunting alone in the woods could be, so he didn’t mind. Sometimes he’d get kids asking him for help, or a cute girl. Other times, he’d round a corner and see… this.

Madge Undersee, the mayor’s daughter, was trying her damndest to reach a book on the top shelf. At first glance, Gale had no idea what she was looking for, but since it was his job to help, he put the pile of books in his arms down on a nearby cart and headed over.

“A History of Classical Piano?” he read, squinting up at the book she was after. Madge whirled in place, looking flushed, but Gale pointedly ignored that. “Need help?”

“No,” she answered quickly, turning back to the shelf. “I’m fine. I can get it myself.”

“Really? Because it looks like you’re too short to reach the top shelf.” The red on her cheeks deepened with embarrassment, and Gale felt his eyebrows raise in amusement.

“I’m fine,” Madge repeated, stubborn. “I can find a stepstool.”

“No need,” he told her, reaching up to easily pluck the book from its place. When he turned to hand it to her, the blush had spread across her neck as well. “Something wrong?”

It was a moment before she replied, eyes carefully focused on the book instead of him as she took it, brushing off a layer of dust with her hand. “You don’t have to help me, Gale. I can get my own books.”

He shook his head, suppressing a smile. Mayor’s daughter or not, some days, it’s hard not to think about how pretty she could be.

“I do, actually,” Gale answered, turning to leave. If that was all she was after, his job here was done, and he had other things to do. “I work here. Helping people get books from the top shelf is my job. Perks of being the tallest of all the staff.”

He found the cart again, and started collecting the books to get back sorting and reshelving. The last one was in his hand when he heard Madge softly call his name, and turned to see her clutching A History of Classical Piano to her chest, cheeks tinted pink as she hesitated.

“Thank you for helping me,” she said finally, nodding as if to reassure herself that she’d actually said it. This time, he did smile.

“Just doing my job, Undersee.”

[literaray]

romeo | reyna, leo valdez

The night is quiet, even in the city. This late, everyone is comfortably settled in at home, sleeping or simply enjoying the quiet, as Reyna herself is. It’s warm, but not too warm - cool and comfortable enough in early April that she feels content to sit out on her balcony with a book and a mug of her favorite hot chocolate, curled up in her chair to unwind after a rough day in the Senate.

A few chapters in, and she’s happily lost in the story, a thrilling historical fiction about the civil war, told from a mortal’s point of view. The world around her has faded away, only her small comforts left keeping her tethered to reality, until -

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”

It takes her a moment to register the words, to still the hand that’s immediately gone to the knife in her boot, and another still to realize who is saying them.

“Arise, fair sun, and kill the moon - jealous of you who are more beautiful than she!”

A soft sigh of exasperation slips past her lips, head shaking as she rises to her feet. Expression schooled into something neutral, Reyna refuses to let her smile show - not yet.

“You’re quoting it wrong, Valdez.”

He looks surprised for all of two seconds before breaking into a grin. Striking a dramatic pose, he continues, “It is my lady - oh! It is my love! Oh, if she only knew! She speaks and says nothing, her eye discourses, and I will answer!”

“If you consider ignoring me an answer,” she replies, leaning on the balustrade, casually resting her chin in her hand as the script would have Juliet.

“See how she leans her cheek on her hand!” Leo says loudly, an arm outstretched toward her while his other hand rests lightly on his chest, just above his heart. Had she not the discipline of a praetor, Reyna might have laughed. “Woe, if I could be a glove on that hand, to touch that cheek!”

“Are you done?” she interrupts, eyebrows raised. He remains unphased, smiling up at her as he waggles his eyebrows playfully.

“If you would ask it, I must obey.”

“Then stop,” she says flatly. “You aren’t even doing it correctly. Who did you learn from, one of your… satyrs?”

“Maybe,” he chirps, eyes twinkling. “They like to think they’re pretty romantic, but it doesn’t always work out. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve failed. You’ll have to retake the course, this time with a real teacher.”

“A teacher like you?”

The corners of her mouth curve ever so slightly, but it’s dark enough that he may not be able to see. “Maybe.”

[literaray]

siren | reyna, fred weasley

“Care to explain that?” When he glances over, her arms are crossed, and she’s staring at him with an impassive expression. Her hair is wild, torn free of the usual braid in the scuffle, and somehow she still oozes authority.

“Not at all, actually.”

Fred has never gotten on well with authority.

“Why would a siren take my face?”

He wrinkles his nose. “I’d say you should be asking the siren that, as she’s the one who made the decision, but you’ve gone and killed the poor creature.”

Her eyebrows furrow. “If I hadn’t, it would have killed you.”

“I suppose we’ll never know that for sure, now, will we?”

A long silence stretches between them, before Reyna finally lets out a quiet sigh. Lowering her arms, she steps closer to properly look him in the eye. He expects her to say something, but no - nothing. She merely stares at him, quietly waiting, obviously ready to do so for as long as it will take.

He, however, does not have the patience for this. If he hadn’t already been agitated by the earlier run-in and losing track of his brother and the rest of their group, this would be nothing. The problem is, everything has been happening all at once, and it’s quite a bit more than nothing after they’ve all nearly died.

“Would you believe me if I said she thought I was George?” Reyna merely arches an eyebrow in response. Rolling his eyes, Fred continues, “You’re supposed to be the familiar one. You tell me!” When she continues to stare at him instead of answering, he sighs and asks, “You just want to hear me say it don’t you?”

Her eyes sparkle as a slow smile spreads across her lips. The irritation he’s been feeling dissolves in an instant as he finds himself grinning right back.

“You’re a lot more devious than you seem at first glance,” he says fondly. “I reckon that’s what I like about you.”

“Is that all?”

“If I were to tell you everything, dear Praetor, we’d be here forever.”

She glances out toward the horizon, and the island they’ve left behind. There are no others in sight - they have a long way to go to get home, and that’s after they reconnect with the others. Reyna makes herself comfortable in her chair, allowing the boat to magically steer itself for the time being.

“We have time.”

[literaray]

target | quinn fabray, gale hawthorne

They’d built an easy rapport upon meeting. It was odd for him at first, as someone who’d never paid a lot of attention to girls until it suited him, but her flirting was surprisingly easy to reciprocate, no matter how similar Quinn Fabray looked to the mayor’s daughter. The longer they talked, the more Gale realized the two girls were nothing alike, and the more intrigued he became, and he found himself grateful that he’d stayed at the party long enough to get a few drinks in his system, or he may not have stayed at all, brushing her off as just another town girl who was too good to hang around a boy from the Seam.

He has to constantly remind himself that this wasn’t District Twelve, that town or the Seam don’t mean anything here, even less than they did in District Thirteen. Things are different here.

Different, yes, but it still takes time for Gale to get used to touching someone. Quinn is surprisingly patient with him, but she never backs down with the coy remarks, a smile on her face that’s almost sly whenever he responds in kind. There’s a spark in those blue eyes of hers that draws him in and keeps him coming back for more, wondering what else there is to her that he hasn’t already seen. She’s not a fragile one - that, he learned in no time at all - but so many dismiss her out of hand for being exactly what she appears to be, the empty-headed girl with money who cares about nothing but the finer points in life, like the tributes from District One. It isn’t hard for Gale to see that there is more to her than meets the eye, but they’re both careful, slow in revealing who they are to one another. Gale has always been that way. Quinn, however? She hasn’t told him the full story just yet.

It’s because of this that his breath catches in his throat the first time she kisses him, everything around them vanishing in an instant as the world narrows to just the two of them. The crossbow hangs limply at his side, all but forgotten. He’d been showing her how to shoot after she’d found him cleaning it one day, but now her eyes shine with the victory of catching him off-guard.

“That is not,” he says slowly, taking a deep breath, “how you hit the target.”

“Really?” Quinn asks as she smiles up at him, unashamed and clearly quite proud of herself. “I think I hit it just fine.”

[literaray]

alone | davey jacobs, jack kelly

“Ey, Davey,” a voice rings out, calling his name. He looks up, surprise fading as he spots Jack coming his way. Because of course it’s him. When he reaches the table, Jack swings around a chair, settling with it backwards as usual. “What’re you doing over here? You’s s’posed to be getting your drink on, charmin’ the ladies, not moping at your own brother’s wedding.”

“I’m not moping,” Davey replies flatly. “I was taking a breather. Or is that a problem?”

“Then you must be really out of breath, ‘cause you’ve been over here for the past hour,” Jack retorts, a knowing look in his eye. “What’s your deal, eh? You’re usually out there cuttin’ a rug with the rest of ‘em.”

“I’m not talking about this here.”

“Hey, c’mon. We’re pals, ain’t we? I ain’t gonna rat you out or nothin’.”

He’s not going to drop it, is he? Davey wonders. The answer lies in that stubborn set to Jack’s jaw, and finally, he sighs in resignation.

“It’s our mother,” he confesses, glancing across the room to where she’s cheerfully gushing to Les and his new bride. It’s obvious how much she adores the girl, and she should! Only a good catch could be enough to get his little brother, the charmer, to settle down. “She’s been getting on my case about getting married lately. She’s convinced that I’m going to die alone.”

It’s stupid, an absolutely ridiculous thing to get upset over. He can feel the flush of mingled embarrassment as Jack lets out a bark of laughter.

“You serious? That’s it? That’s what’s got you all upset?”

He doesn’t even try to bite back the annoyance in his voice as he responds, “Are you done?”

“What’re you even worried about, Davey? You’re not gonna die alone,” Jack tells him. To his credit, he at least tried to keep from laughing that time. “That’s what you got us for!”

“Jack -”

“Hey, I mean it! You ain’t gettin’ rid of me that easily, no way.” He gets up, claps Davey on the shoulder, and pulls him bodily out of his seat by the arm. “C’mon, let’s get out there and show ‘em how we do it, eh?”

It’s tempting to argue, but Jack has always had this weird kind of charisma that he doesn’t stand a chance against. It’s like trying to fight a tidal wave, once he gets an idea in his head. Amused, he shakes his head and lets himself be lead out to the dance floor, not missing that smug look on Jack’s face. He’ll have to ask Katherine to take care of that later.

[literaray]

blind date | faye chamberlain, leo valdez, piper mclean

After the end of the war against Gaea, Piper had taken an express interest in Leo’s love life. His relationship with Calypso had only lasted for so long before they’d both decided to remain friends instead, and he’d gone back to being the seventh wheel, the odd man out of all the couples among his friends. That wasn’t enough for her, however, determined as she was to see him as happy as the rest of them.

It began as a simple thing. She allowed some time to pass before making her move, casually bringing up the names of a girl she knew he’d spoken to at some party. Naturally, he’d taken her up on her offer of setting something up for them - and it went terribly. They went through the dance once more before Leo turned her down, but Piper didn’t let his disappointment stop her. The suggestions kept rolling in until one day, Piper came up to him, all smiles, to say, “Tell me you love me, Valdez.”

He stopped in his tracks, eyebrows raised in bemusement. “Pretty sure that’s Jason’s job, Pipes, not mine.”

She rolled her eyes, but her smile didn’t fade in the least. “Yes, but you’re allowed to say it this time. I got you a date for tonight.”

Oh. Oh. “Piper…”

“Leo, don’t,” she said, expression turning stern. “You’ve been alone ever since you and Calypso broke up. I just want you to happy, okay? I think you’ll like this girl.” When he hesitated, Piper took it as permission, grabbing his elbow and leading him away to Cabin Nine. “Come on, we have to make sure you actually look decent this time. Do you even have any clothes without oil stains?”

“Piper, I -”

“Just one date, Leo. Give it a shot. Please? If it doesn’t work out, I swear I’ll leave you alone.”

Leo sighed, knowing he’d lost the battle. She had him cornered on this, whether he liked it or not. As much as he’d like to say no again, he knew Piper would keep trying until she knew he was happy.

“Fine. Just one.”

Pleased, she pulled him into his cabin and immediately set him to pulling out clothes, looking for something halfway decent while she supervised from his bed. An hour or two later, word had apparently gotten around, and Faye stormed into the cabin without warning, letting the door slam aside. Her eyes flashed with anger as they landed on him.

Fuck. This was what he’d wanted to avoid.

“A blind date, Valdez?” she demanded, stomping forward until she stood mere inches from him. He tried to back up, but she followed without hesitation. “You’re going on a blind date?”

“It was Piper’s idea!” he said defensively, pointing at her where she sat on the bed, watching them with wide eyes.

“You didn’t have to agree to it!” Faye retorted. “What is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?” he echoed, his own voice gaining a touch of heat. Leo had never responded well to being cornered or yelled at, least of all from her. That was how they’d first met, after all, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon, even if the nature of their arguments had changed. “I didn’t want to do this, okay? I didn’t ask her to set me up with some random girl, but she and literally everyone else thinks -”

“I don’t care what they think!” she snapped, cutting him off. “You still agreed! And you know - “

“You’re the one who wanted to keep secrets!”

“Can you blame me? You don’t seriously think anyone would believe you anyway, do you? I don’t have to be a goddess to be out of your league, Valdez.”

That stung, and suddenly Leo could feel a tingle at his fingertips, threatening to set the dark green shirt in his hands aflame. “Then why did you even bother to come here?” he demanded, scowling. “If I’m so far below you, then why do you care if I go on some stupid blind date?”

“Because I love you!”

A sudden silence filled the cabin as Leo stared at her in shock, audience forgotten. His mouth moved silently, trying to form words and failing to voice any of them.

“I love you, you fucking idiot,” she spat, fuming and still glaring at him in anger. “Happy?”

“You didn’t even want to tell anyone,” he said, brow furrowed in confusion. “You told me -”

“I know what I told you,” Faye said impatiently. “I lied. Get over it. If you still want to go on this… stupid date of yours, fine. Be my guest! I don’t care.”

She turned on her heel, fully intent on storming right back out to rage on her own time, far away from either of them. But Leo reached out to grab her wrist before she could go, and when she spun back around to tell him off, he stopped her by saying, “I… I love you, too, Faye.”

Before she could say anything else - and before he could think about what he was doing too much - he leaned in to kiss her. It held none of the anger from mere moment before, none of the passion or daring that any of their past times spent together had - the kiss was hesitant, but tender and full of affection. Leo had never been good at talking about how he felt, so it was the only way he could think of to really tell her he meant it. When he pulled back, she looked dazed, and it brought a small, embarrassed smile to his face.

“I don’t want to go on a blind date,” he admitted, letting his hand fall from Faye’s wrist to clasp her own. “I want to go on a date with you, okay? If you’ll stop yelling at me for five minutes.”

“And why would I want to do that?” she asked, easily transitioning back into her usual demeanor, smug and full of that sense of superiority Faye so loved to lord over others. He saw the way the corner of her lips turned up, though, not quite the smirk she often sported. There was a certain fondness to the expression that ruined the look she was going for. “That would take all the fun out of it.”

A low whistle interrupted them, drawing attention back to Piper.

“That was incredible,” she said. “Leo, I’m impressed. Normally, you make sure the entire world knows you’ve got a girlfriend. And here you are, keeping it a secret from your best friend. I thought you guys hated each other, anyway.”

“We did,” they said in unison. Leo continued dryly, “There’s something about being told you’ll be dropped into some chasm in the earth that makes you want to keep your mouth shut. And you aren’t allowed to do that now, seeing as you’re the one who let it slip.”

Faye’s smile turned wicked, and somehow Leo felt he still wasn’t quite off the hook. “Shut up and come on, Valdez. We’ve got a date.”

[literaray]

sunburn | ginny weasley, leo valdez

“I didn’t know it was possible for someone to actually match their skin like this.”

“Shut up.”

“I mean, this has got to be some kind of an art form. There’s sunburns, and then there’s Neo-Solarism. Or would it be Neo-Dermisolarism?”

“Leo, I’m warning you.”

“Alright, alright, chillax. It’s not that bad. And what are you going to do if you scare me off and there’s nobody around to put aloe on your shoulders, huh? Did you ever think of that?” He’s met with a grumpy silence that he simply laughs off. “That’s what I thought.”

“Look,” Ginny grumbles, “just because you’re immune to it doesn’t mean the rest of us are any less vulnerable.”

“And that would be why they make sunscreen,” he teases, wiggling his eyebrows at her and stepping back quickly to avoid the swat she aims at his shoulder. The aloe is already in his hand, with Leo grinning in amusement as he squeezes a bit out into his hand. “Hey, I told you to bring it. That’s one of the very few things my tool belt doesn’t magically provide.”

“I’m going to be peeling for days,” she complains, hissing when the cool gel touches her skin. He’s generous in slathering the stuff over the irritated skin, and gradually, she sinks into the temporary relief with a pleased sigh.

“Look on the bright side,” Leo says cheerfully, “you’re embracing your true colors.” That nets him another swat that he can’t avoid, this time on the wrist. He laughs again, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before grabbing the aloe to cover the rest of the burn. “That was uncalled for. Red’s my favorite color, especially on you.”

Ginny rolls her eyes, biting her lower lip to hide a smile that he catches in spite of her efforts. And, he notes, there’s a new touch of red on her cheeks that definitely isn’t from the sun.

[literaray]

celebrations | gale hawthorne, madge undersee

It was tough when Katniss volunteered, in more ways than one. The most obvious was the emotional struggle - the knowledge that she could die in the Games at any time and there was nothing any of them could do about it. It was harder on Gale, because now he had to support two families instead of the usual one, when soon he would turn eighteen and start working in the mines. But it was a difficult time for the entire district, as well. Wether or not they wanted to admit it (and they didn't), Katniss was at the heart of District Twelve, and she helped keep all of them going. Her trade supported businesses in town and at the Hob, and without her, they struggled a little more.

Gale was still around, though, and he kept up the trade as much as he could, but there was a limit to how much one person could do. The mayor's strawberries were one thing he could at least do consistently, the berries growing reliably for him to harvest once a week. He tried to keep his distance from Madge, but somehow, she managed to worm her way into his life. They had a strange kind of bond over knowing someone in the Games, and sometimes, when they were required to attend, they'd watch together in the square.

When it came down to the wire, they were there. The entire district, save the families with the smallest children, had gathered to watch, hopeful in spite of everything. Both of their tributes were still standing, with only one more obstacle in their way. They all held their breath as they watched the finale, only letting it out when the last tribute from District One died. The Capitol wasted no time taking the thrill of victory away from them, though, as they made the announcement to take back the earlier change in rules. A flash of anger went through Gale, and his fists clenched at his sides as Katniss and Peeta stood back to back, berries in hand. The hurried interruption that came then, changing their minds yet again and sending in the hovercrafts to take both Victors, was met with stunned silence.

Seconds later, the square erupted in cheers, even Madge at his side, jostling him in excitement. It was another moment before Gale reacted, his own dark expression breaking into a relieved grin, and before he realized what he was doing, he and Madge were clinging to each other, laughing and for once, happy to be here. He pulled back a moment later, hands on her sides as he looked into her eyes, brighter even than the blue sky above them. He'd never seen her look so happy, so... free, and Gale was surprised to find that he liked it. He liked it a lot, and he would later insist that it was because of the adrenaline that his eyes flicked down to her lips, and he started to lean in.

"Gale!" It was Rory, together with Prim. They'd been watching in another part of the square, with their mothers. "Did you see it? Katniss won! Katniss and Peeta won! We're going to celebrate; you have to come!"

He pulled back, startled and a bit confused. Madge's expression surely mirrored his own, and he looked between her and Rory with his mouth working silently, processing what just happened. When he finally found his voice, he managed, "Yeah. Yeah, I saw. They're coming home."

The kids were practically bouncing as they grabbed his hands, pulling him back toward their families. Gale cast an unsure glance at Madge, still looking confused but elated, and turned back, trying to push it - her - out of his mind.

[literaray]

priorities | maya matlin, stiles stilinski, scott mccall, kira yukimura, lydia martin

"Fairies," Scott says, disbelief clear in his voice. "We're being threatened by little guys with sparkly wings who wear flowers for clothes."

"Not those kinds of fairies, Scott, this isn't a Disney movie," Stiles replies with a roll of his eyes. "We're talking actual faeries — the Fair Folk, the Fae, the Sidhe, whatever you want to call 'em. You don't mess around with these guys, alright?"

Kira and Scott exchange uncertain looks. Stiles heaves a long-suffering sigh, readjusting slightly to speak to them around Maya. 

"You remember Maleficent, right? Sleeping Beauty? That's the closest Disney gets to what we're dealing with," he explains impatiently, only calming at Maya's touch on his arm. "Look, I already did the research. These guys — they're probably gonna want to make some kind of a deal, and they'll find a way around it. They can't lie, and breaking oaths like that is taboo or something, but they know how to manipulate words and work around it. These guys invented lying by omission. And their biggest weakness is iron. It's like werewolves and silver or wolfsbane; they can't touch it. So Kira, as long as you have your katana, you're good."

She smiles weakly, looking just as confused as ever. Probably still stuck on the fairy tale thing. Scott looks lost, too, but he manages to ask, "What about the rest of us?"

"The rest of us need to find something made of iron, c'mon Scott, keep up," he answers. "Go to the hardware store and pick up some nails to throw at them, I don't know. We'll figure it out."

There's a pause while everyone takes that in. Finally, Lydia pipes up.

"You know," she says slowly, as if talking to a child, "this would be a lot easier to talk about if your girlfriend weren't sitting on your lap the whole time."

Another pause while Stiles and Maya look at each other, and back at Lydia.

"There are only so many seats in here," Maya offers cheerfully. Stiles can only shrug while the others either roll their eyes or pretend not to notice. "And it's not like we're doing anything... inappropriate."

"Can we get back to the actual problem here?" Stiles demands. "There are faeries in Beacon Hills, people!"

[literaray]

craigslist | dean winchester, bay kennish

Dressing up in a suit isn't the hard part. Pretending to be dating someone he's never met isn't the hard part, either.

The hard part is not hitting on any of the hot girls he sees at this shindig, and damn, is that hard.

"You can stare at the other girls when you're not pretending to be my boyfriend," says his new boss for the night. Bay Kennish, someone who just needed to keep her family off her back for a night, or something like that. As long as she’s paying, he doesn’t really care what the story is. "Just help me get through this and then you can hook up with any of them for all I care."

"Now, why would I want to do that when I've got a hot chick like you on my arms?" he asks, smoothly turning his best smile on her. She smiles back, if only for appearances. "So, am I allowed to drink at this party?"

"Thought you'd never ask," she replies, immediately steering him toward the open bar. "I'm going to need some alcohol to get through tonight. Two whiskeys." 

She downs hers in one go, Dean nodding in approval as he takes a swig of hi. He likes this gal.

"Not bad. I wasn't sure you'd be able to handle it."

That's when she looks him dead in the eye, and says, "I can handle a lot more than that."

Well, well. That sounds like a fun challenge, doesn’t it?

[literaray]

locked in | callie jacobs, leo valdez

Worst. Day. Ever.

It was bad enough that they had to do the camp equivalent of detention together, having to clean all the weaponry after practice - and some of that stuff got straight up nasty. Don't ask Leo how that happens when they're just training; he doesn't know, except that maybe the Hermes kids thought it would be funny. And they probably did, but whoever closed the door behind them in the weapons storage was going to regret it. Twice over, if the dark look on Callie's face was anything to go by.

Leo was holding up a fireball to keep the place lit while the Roman girl pried at the door with the dagger she'd been cleaning moments before the door shut. With a roll of his eyes, Leo said, "You know that's not going to work, right?"

"I don't see you doing anything about it, Graecus." The usual retort he'd come to expect from her. Of course she'd have to be unhelpful like that.

"Maybe if you'd back away from the door with the deadly knife in your hands, I could," Leo replied flatly. "Or I could just put out the fire and let you deal with it in the dark. Your choice."

...Did she just growl? He could laugh for ages if that's actually what just happened.

"You think you can do better?"

"I know I can," Leo says with a shrug. "And I thought you were supposed to be good with doors, anyway. Move aside, let the master work." He doesn't extinguish the flame as threatened when Callie moves aside, and presses his hand against the crack in the door. He has to concentrate since it's a normal padlock, but it's still a mechanism, and one he can turn. After a few moments, he hears a click, and whoops in victory.

"See? I told you I could do it."

"That doesn't get us out of here," she points out. "As long as the lock's still on the door, we still can't get out."

"...I knew that."