#jellydreams

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ be the star-girl to my star-boy ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ finney blake x fem!reader ୨୧ Finney Blake; the boy who survived and killed The Grabber. The boy who to many was a mysterious dark figure. But to you, he was the boy who knew the stars. a/n: (7.8k words) Dialogue will be the death of me I swear!

Finney couldn't believe he ever met you. You were everything he used to be and nothing like he was now. But akin to the sun itself, you were bright and shining. Shredding away the darkness and leaving him exposed to all to see, yet still being warm and comforted.

And similar to the sun, once entering into your life, it was impossible to pull from the gravity of your angelic presence. 

He didn’t have high expectations of a high school house party; drunk teens, shitty overplayed music and cheap beer. The over-filled party on Williams Lane was exactly as Finney expected. And after the third person bumped into him, Finney wanted to leave.

The house party’s music was too loud, none of the songs were anything he liked the sound of. Half his beer had been split over his hand leaving it sticky and damp during the chaos of the night. 

He didn’t know why he bothered coming. He’d overheard the mention of the party in the cafeteria and when he’d told Gwen about it she urged him to go. Maybe he wanted to feel normal, like everyone else his own age. But when he looked around everyone dancing with their friends, getting drunk and high, laughing at each other’s crazy dares, he couldn’t imagine Robin ever being in a place like this.

Maybe that was the real reason he wanted to leave. Constantly thinking of his best friend who was stuck in his mind, as forever fourteen. With clenched fists, Finney weaved through the crowd walking towards the kitchen, where the back door was open flowing with teens coming and going. 

“You always leave parties too early. Stay longer this time” An unfamiliar voice called out to him over the loud music.

Finney’s steps faltered as he turned around. You stood with your arms crossed, leaning back against the wall as if you owned it with a red cup similar to his own in your hand. He didn’t recognize you, clearly from the rival school across town. You called out your name, and he did the same.

Whether it was the alcohol lingering in his system or if it was the way your stare enticed him, Finney found himself swallowing his bitter remark and walking over to you. The song had begun to change, people fluttered around trying to get a re-fill before the next chorus played. He stiffly stood next to you as you easily took a large sip of your drink.

“Wanna share why you show up just to leave so quickly?” You asked with a grin. Finney turned away from you, looking out at the shifting crowd. 

“No.” He plainly said and expected you to begin annoyingly pester him, but you merely shrugged with that same smile on your face. “Okay then” 

The party felt less suffocating, the music less obnoxiously loud and the beer less bitter. He assumed it was because he finally found someone who didn’t aggravate him. The tension in his shoulders eased.

You talked about kids from your school in your sport’s team, he shared about his upcoming project he was looking forward to. He complained about Moose and a couple other annoyances from his school, you shared stories of you and your friends summer adventures. Eventually he found himself leaning back against the wall too, holding onto his empty plastic cup. 

He lightly rolled his eyes with a small smile at your story’s punchline. You were about to say something when two girls holding up a nearly passed-out third called out your name. You tilted your head at the sight with an exasperated sigh.

“I thought she wasn’t drinking tonight” You laughed seeing her head lull back. 

The taller girl to the left scrunched her face up as the other tried to keep their friend upright. “You believed her? She always drinks! But c’mon, we’ve got to take her home before she pukes on another sophomore.” 

You shook your head in dismay but tore yourself away from the wall. Smiling at him as you placed your empty cup in his. “Thanks for the chat, Finney. Hopefully I see you around” 

Your friends called your name again as they staggered towards the front door. Finney muttered a simple ‘Bye’ as he watched you disappear into the crowd. With a final look at the party, no longer seeing you. He dropped both cups onto the floor and disappeared out of the back door.

The cool breeze of the night sobered him up slightly as he began walking back home, thankfully the party was only a few blocks from his house. As he walked home, his thoughts drifted back to you and your surprisingly good company.

The second time he saw you, it’d been weeks later. He opened the cracked door of the Grab N’ Go wanting to buy a packet of cheap cigarettes and a soda before returning home to finish his English essay.

At first he blatantly ignored you, not noticing it was you as he walked straight past where you stood playing the pinball machine in the corner. The quiet of the store was filled by the faint noise from the pinball game, and the opening and shutting of the farthest fridge door. 

Despite years having passed as he turned around walking back towards the counter, he expected to see Vance Hopper in his usual denim vest swearing under his breath as he tried to beat his record. But instead he noticed it was you.

The soda can within his hand was cold, he gripped it tighter before walking over, watching as you played. Your eyes flickered to him for a brief second before focusing on the game with a smile on your face. Droplets of water from his soda dripped down his hand as he stood watching the small silver ball. 

Clearly you’d been here awhile, your score was rising higher and higher. Something akin to panic shot through his chest when he realized how little points you needed to beat the high score- Vance’s high score. He didn’t know why it bothered him but it did. No one had been able to beat the record he set but you were about to, clearly you‘d been practicing.

Before he knew what he was doing, his foot whacked against the machine’s metal leg making it wobble, causing the small round ball to slip through your grasp. Your nose scrunched and you huffed under your breath as you turned to face him but he was already walking away, towards the counter to buy his slightly-warm soda.

“I remember you from the party, Finney right?” You asked but he ignored you, muttering to the tired employee what cigarettes he wanted while placing his soda on the counter. 

Your eyes narrowed as you walked up behind him. He handed the cashier the correct amount of notes when you placed a blue covered lollipop from the stash on the counter and placed it onto his pack of smokes with a cheeky smile. His jaw tightened but he pulled out a couple extra quarters from his jean’s pocket. 

You swiftly grabbed both your lollipop and his cigarettes and walked straight out the shop’s door. Grabbing his soda he followed after you. He reached for the cigarette’s in your hand but you held them closer to your chest, and sat down on the sidewalk leaning against the wall of the store. Looking up at him with a smile, you placed the packet of smokes on the ground beside you.

“You messed with my game. You’re my entertainment now” You smiled with a shrug, unwrapping the blue coloured lollipop with ease. 

“I guess that’s fair” He sighed and sat down, not wanting to rush back home for another homework assignment. 

He grabbed the cigarettes off the ground, opening the packet and lighting one up with the lighter in his pocket. He offered you the packet, expecting you to take one but you grabbed the entire thing off him. Reaching into your jacket pocket you pulled out a ball-point pen. You wrote on the side of the white box and handed it back to him.

Your phone number was neatly written and his eyes traced the number before placing the packet into his pocket. “...Was your friend okay?” He asked and you looked at him in confusion. “What?”

“The one from the party, who was wasted” He recalled and you nodded with a snort. You sat up a bit straighter. 

“Yeah. We- We dropped her off at home. But her parents didn’t even know she’d left and we didn’t want to face them- They’re super strict. So we leaned her up against the front door and knocked super loud.” You interrupted yourself to laugh again “We ran so fast down her driveway. But we were tipsy so it probably felt faster than it actually was. She’s still grounded but she’s recovered from her killer hangover”

Finney found himself laughing at the image of you drunkenly running down a driveway in the middle of the night. “She’s still grounded? That was weeks ago”

You looked at him with wide eyes. “Super. Strict” You emphasized as if telling a horror story and he shook his head with a small smile.

As you chatted back and forth about school projects, the annoyance of siblings, friend-group drama that’d settled into nothing but light bickering, your lips had begun to stain with blue food-coloring. You hadn’t noticed, or just didn’t care but it made Finney smile, the whole situation felt light and childish.

Every now and then as the wind blew the smoke from his cigarette would brush into your face but you didn’t complain once but eventually he started to feel bad and stubbed it out.

You snorted again as he told his own embarrassing sports story to accompany the one you previously shared. “Performance issues?” You teased lightly as you returned to your seat on the ground beside him after throwing your paper-stick in the trash.

Finney shook his head, waving you off. “She was staring right at me as I threw. I got nervous” He weakly defended himself which only made you laugh harder. 

“I can’t imagine it” You admitted, looking at him like he was hiding a secret. He raised an eyebrow. “What? Me being nervous?”

“No. You playing baseball” You cackled and he rolled his eyes without any real anger behind it.

“I played for years” He attested and you paused trying to imagine it.

A couple teens from his school walked by, entering the Grab N’ Go but not before curiously eyeing them both. You didn’t notice, gossips were frequent in both of your schools, but Finney turned his head towards them, glaring at them with a look so full of anger they rushed into the store.

Except one boy didn’t. He stared at Finney with a look of unfiltered judgment. His harsh glare shattered at the realization that this was Griffin Stagg’s older brother. He’d made it well aware to Finney that he wished Griffin was the one to walk out of that basement instead of him. Finney watched as he entered the store, keeping up with the rest of his friends with a frown.

“Why’d you stop?” You asked with a slight tilt of your head, pulling his attention back towards you.

His shrug was automatic “Grew out of it, I guess” His tone was clipped and his lips twitched. 

He still vividly remembers the final game he ever played. Gwen had been in the stands cheering for him, surprisingly so had a few other kids. Seeing Gwen there, like she usually would be, grounded him. It helped him get half-way through the game.

But then his eyes had drifted and he saw Amy Yamada, Bruce’s sister, standing off to the side with a frown too deep for her face. He crashed and burned. Throwing the ball to the ground when his opponent talked-shit, the comment was anything horrible or even unusual in a friendly competition, but for Finney it had been enough to warrant a punch to the face. 

Finney hadn’t noticed he’d gone quiet until you spoke up again. “Well. You’re tall. Try basketball next”

He stared into your eyes for a moment, thankful you didn’t push. He lightly scoffed “Yeah. Maybe I will” 

Finney was bored. He didn’t know when it began but he had started to dread weekends. No school, no fights, no routine. He didn’t even have any homework because he’d finished it all once he got home during the week. He laid on the couch, mindlessly staring at the television.

Chainsaw Massacre played for what felt like the thousandth time. He’d watched it so much, he was sick of it. That never stopped him from watching it though. He turned over lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling with the movie droning on in the background.

Gwen had left earlier that morning, mentioning something about a sleepover with her friends. He honestly hadn’t been paying too much attention, his focus had been not getting nauseous over their father’s cooked breakfast- Scrabbled eggs, again. All he really remembered was shuffling the food on his plate around and gripping his fork far too tight.

Abruptly he stood walking towards the back door, he needed to clear his head. Out of his jacket pocket he grabbed his cigarettes and his half-empty lighter. Your phone number written in a dark blue stared back at him for a moment before he shoved it back into his pocket. He leaned against the wall, looking out at the backyard.

You’d given it to him days ago. Was it too soon to call? Too late? He rolled the thought around in his head until his cigarette burned right to the filter. 

He flicked the burnt out bud far into the garden and entered the quiet house. The movie was still playing in the living room, slightly muffled by the walls. He glanced at the phone, waiting for it to ring. It didn’t. Finney sighed, aggressively picking up the phone and dialed your number without a second thought. It rang for a moment before you picked up.

“Hello?” You breathily answered. “Hi, it’s Finney” He stated as you puffed down the phone.

“Finney! Hi. Sorry, my room’s in the attic. I barely heard the phone in time” You explain and he hummed.

“Your room’s in the attic?” He questioned with a smile. “Uh huh. Best room in the house. Even if I have to scale half the roof to sneak out.” You joked and he could practically hear your grin.

“Wow, that’s dedication” He lightly chuckled and you hummed agreeingly. 

“So… how’s your weekend going?” You asked and he groaned. “Boring” You laughed at his defeated tone. 

“Boring?” You repeated in surprise. “Extremely. Don’t even have any homework left” He grumbled, making you snort.

“Then go do something fun!” You scolded as if he was committing a sin for wasting his free time away.

“Yeah? Something fun, like what?” He challenged and he heard you shuffled around through the phone.

“Pinball at the Grab N’ Go?” You offered and he lightly rolled his eyes “Not really my thing.”

“Bike ride to the park? It’s sunny out” You tried again and he sighed “I did that yesterday. Sat at the park more bored than I was at home”

“You could meet me for a late lunch at the diner?” You said and he paused. Finney’s eyes flickered to the round clock in the kitchen. He hadn’t realized he’d missed lunch, his stomach grumbled in agreement to the idea.

“I guess that sounds fun” He tried and failed to keep his grumpy tone. You laughed. “Okay but I’m still in pajamas so I’ve got to get dressed. I’ll meet you there soon!”

“Wait, seriously?” He laughed. “Shush! I was busy studying” You defended yourself and hung up with a swift ‘See you soon’. 

Finney placed the phone back on the receiver. He returned to the living room, turning off the TV and removing the VHS tape and placing it carefully back onto his shelf in his room. He swapped his jacket for a cleaner one, picking his usual well-worn sneakers.

He grabbed his wallet, placing it in his back pocket as he left his room. Reaching for the spare keys from the kitchen bench, he quickly locked the front door behind him.

His hands were warm within his pocket as he walked down the familiar streets towards the diner. As he reached a corner, he paused waiting for a car to pass before crossing the quiet road. He turned his head towards the street, faltering when he saw an older woman walking a panting golden retriever.

He recognized the woman as Mrs. Showalter. The worst part about seeing her around town, were her sad grief-stricken eyes. When they met his, she didn’t blame him, she just swelled with pity that felt suffocating. Finney quickly walked on. He was thankful to see only a handful of cars parked outside the diner.

Finney walked up the couple concrete steps into the diner. His deep brown eyes scanned the room. Upon not seeing you, he found a vacant booth sitting facing the glass door he’d just walked through.

He’d re-read the menu twice before you entered the diner. Your summer clothes were colorful and you pushed your sunglasses off your eyes leaving them atop your head. Whatever irritation he had at your late-ness, or rather his early-ness, was quelled from his attitude as you widely smiled and greeted him with a chirpy ‘Hi’. 

“Hey. Thanks for this” He said, sitting up a bit from where he’d begun to slouch against the red coloured seats. 

Your hands immediately found the menu he’d dropped on the table, flipping it around and skimming over the options. “Course! You’re good company” You smiled and he silently snorted, he didn’t remember the last time recently, anyone had thought of him as anything ‘good’. 

“Plus, I skipped breakfast so I’m starving” You dramatically drawled, lifting the menu so it obstructed his view of your face. 

Finney let you read in silence for a moment, bouncing his foot up and down. “So, what’s kept you so busy that I’ve pulled you away from?”

You groaned, dropping the menu and dragging your hands over your face. “A history project. Which I am very close to giving up on. Exactly like my partner! Who is completely ignoring me and wants nothing to do with the project. She acts like I’m her nagging mother but it’s a quarter of our grade riding on this.”

He shakes his head with a smile. “Partner’s like that suck. But I’m sure you’ll do great” He sympathizes. 

“Thanks, but enough about school. My brain needs a break” You joke and he nods in agreement as the waitress walks over pulling out her small notebook.

You both order your food and drinks, muttering ‘thanks’ to the yellow-uniformed waitress. He asked you whether you’d decided on buying the bag you’d been saving for, while you asked how the movie he’d mentioned he was planning on seeing with Gwen the last time you’d seen him.

Conversation flowed as easily as it usually did with you. By the time both orders arrived, his stomach was grumbling. 

Finney ate and listened while you chatted away and occasionally leaned over the table to steal some of his curly fries. In retaliation he stole the cherry from the top of your milkshake. Soft music from the radio on the counter played underneath your laughter at another one of his stories. 

“I don’t believe you, at all” You said in between fits of laughter. Finney leaned in closer with a rare smile. “What? You think I’d make this up?”

“You expect me to believe you fired a home-made rocket at your middle school bully?” You skeptically questioned. 

“It wasn’t intentional! His big head was in the way” He waved his hands in defeat with a puff of laughter. 

You chuckled again, making your shoulders shake as you lightly shook your head. “You do realize that the fact that you didn’t mean to, makes it funnier right?” He shrugged with a fake sigh that only fueled your laughter more.

The following conversation was cut short as the waitress returned, swiftly talking away their empty dishes with a mention of the bill waiting at the counter. Finney nodded, rising from his seat, walking over to the counter.

Pulling out his wallet, from the corner of his eye he saw you peering over the top of the booth with the lamest stink-eye he’d ever seen. After pocketing the quarters of change the waitress gave him, you lightly poked his shoulder.

“We could have split the bill, Finney” You crossed your arms with a slouch but your soft eyes betrayed you. He half-shrugged with a smile. 

“You can pay next time, then” He said and you nodded sternly before breaking your angry facade with a laugh. 

Finney followed you out of the diner, seeing your light-blue bike leaning against the far side of the building. You picked it up and he followed you with his hands in his pockets as you both walked towards the small parking area out-front of the diner. 

“Has your boredom been properly appetized?” You teased lightly. “And my hunger” He nodded with a short smile.

“Then my job here is done” You joke and readjust your sun-glasses to hide your pretty eyes, as you get onto your bike.

“I’d offer you a ride home, but I think you’d break my basket” Finney’s eyes flicker to the small light-brown basket at the front of your bike. 

He snorted and lightly whacked the handlebars making you wobble. You huffed, correcting your route closer to him, leaning from your bike to lightly shove his shoulder. Finney easily side-stepped evading your supposed attack. You groaned and rolled your eyes, making a half-smile appear on his face.

“Okay, you win” You laugh before checking your wrist-watch with a slight pout. “Shit. I should probably get home, I still gotta finish that project.” 

“You were right, this was fun.” He admitted and you beamed up at him. “Thanks, again.” 

“You don’t have to thank me, Finney. I am right, this was fun” You joke with a proud shoulder shrug. 

He slowly followed after you as you peddle towards the road, you turn over your shoulder to face him. “Call me again sometime, okay!” Finney nodded without another thought. 

From then on it was official. You and Finney Blake were friends. He hadn’t tried to make new friends after Robin. In his mind, no one could replace the one friend he ever needed. He felt like he was betraying Robin by befriending you. But at the same time, Finney imagined you were someone Robin would’ve liked too, and that made it a little easier.

The gossip spread across town like a wildfire, which only resulted in him getting into more fights. But neither of you cared what the town whispers had to say. You two were practically inseparable... Until you weren't.

Finney couldn’t remember when exactly he started putting distance between you both. But over the following weeks he slowly stopped calling in late hours of the night when nightmares plagued him, he stopped meeting you at the diner after school altogether.

But most importantly, he stopped letting himself feel around you. After months had gone by he couldn't help but notice your absence that he’d created.

A book you’d left behind in his room that you hadn’t collected, a missing sweatshirt of his that he’d given you, your laugh after a quipping joke he'd tell to someone that wasn’t you, or even your complaining when his knuckles would bleed onto his clean shirt.

He found himself looking for you in an empty room, during movies alone at night, and worst of all your voice after a bad night.

Naturally in his unstable cycle of tearing himself apart, when Gwen mentioned a house party over on Richmond Street, Finney went. He'd already drank far too much for his body weight by the time everyone had finished arriving.

Half way through the worst song he'd ever heard before, he stumbled out to the back porch. He leaned against the white-wooden railing, overlooking the dark night sky. It was too cloudy to see any stars and he couldn't help but sigh at the sight.

The back door clicked and you walked out of the drunken crowd. A look he couldn't decipher within your eyes. He looked away, wondering if you'd silently return to your other friends to spare yourself the tense atmosphere.

But of course, you didn't. You stood beside him, red solo cup in hand, and looked at him like he was a puzzling piece within a museum to which you wanted to know the answers to.

“I miss you” You muttered and his brows furrowed, slowly turning his head towards you. 

“I’m right here” The statement felt obvious, they’re shoulders were touching, their breath would fog in front of their faces getting lost in the soft breeze winding together in the air. And occasionally the sides of their shoes bumped into each other when they moved. You took another sip from your plastic cup. 

“I still miss you” You whispered as if sharing a dangerous secret.

Despite the party's music they left behind was muffled from the distance the silence between them lingered painfully. He swallowed so hard it hurt.

“I miss you, too” He admitted so quietly he hoped it’d be lost in the night breeze.

“Then why?-” He cut you off by turning towards you. He didn’t want to tell you he didn't know why, but it was the truth.

His head was messy, confused and full of pain that he couldn’t handle. But by the way your eyes softened, you seemed to understand it wasn’t malicious. The last thing he ever wanted was to hurt you. But whether he wanted to be or not, he was burning like a star, dangerously close to fading away or becoming something bright.

Slowly, as if every single movement was calculated and precise. You stepped towards him, gently wrapping your arms around him. He easily found his place within your embrace. His weight sunk into your steady form.

The overwhelming fear that’d been settled in his chest once he realized how close to him you'd gotten had frightened him. And unlike the version of Finney he’d become after that basement, he didn't fight his fear; he’d fled from it. The longer he ignored you the more he felt pitiful, shameful and utterly pathetic. 

But most of all he just wanted his best friend- his real best friend. He wanted to see, talk and actually hang out with Robin again. He needed his help, his advice, his presence. He needed Robin to tell him why his feelings for you felt so different from everyone else. But he couldn't. He couldn't, because Robin wasn't ever coming back. And that hurt him more than he'd ever admit.

So he continued to push you away. But this time, it was as if you knew exactly what he was doing. And still like the sun, your gravitational pull was too strong to escape from. Instead of ignoring you, he simply unleashed his complicated feelings and all his unhealthy ways of coping.

Finney threw himself into school. Both classes and fighting. At this point it was all he felt steady enough to do. But eventually that slipped from him too. So next, it was weed. Numbing, dulling and pausing his wrecked thoughts, about you, about everything.

But even then, he couldn’t escape you. Especially not when he was as wasted as he was right now. Finney never enjoyed being drunk. He felt too far from the controls of his body, yet every little thing he did or said was heightened by the alcoholic effects. Every time he emptied another bottle, he felt the sinking pit in his stomach that he was becoming too much like his father.

He staggered out of the car. He was sure he’d cringe at his horrendous parking in the morning, but for now, you were the only thing on his mind. He knocked on your front door, thankfully in his drunken mind he managed to remember you were home alone this weekend. 

Eventually you opened the door in your mismatched pajamas. The smell of beer reeked from his clothes. You peered over his slouched shoulder and sighed at the state of him and his drunk parking.

Silently you wrapped his arm over your shoulder, helping him through your darkened house and up your carpeted stairs towards your room. A frown settled stubbornly on his face.

“You’re mad at me” He slurred as you guided him towards your room.

“You’re not taking care of yourself” Your words weren’t judgmental but confronting. “I don’t see how that’s your problem” He huffed and you met his eyes. 

“It’s not a problem. It’s a concern, and as someone who cares about you, a lot. I’m concerned.” You softly said and while the words rolled around in his head, a stupid smile broke out over his face.

You flopped him down on his bed. You helped him shrug off his jacket, gently placing it on the back of your desk chair. Lifting his feet, carefully taking off his shoes and placing his feet under your twisted blue blankets, trying to get him as comfortable as possible in his drunken state.

“You care about me?” His mouth finally catching up to his racing brain.

“Of course I do, Finney” You said honestly and it made his heart race. You sat on the edge of your bed beside him.

“Can… Can you stay?” He hesitantly whispered. You sadly smiled, like you’d seen something he didn’t. 

“Okay. Get some rest, Finney” You say as you lean towards him, pressing a gentle kiss to his flushed cheek. 

He watched as you turned off the overhead light, your small lamp on your desk left the room in a soft orange hue. Purposefully leaving the door wide open for him, you gently laid on the bed beside him. Finney sunk into your plush pillow with a boyish grin.

For once as he fell asleep, nightmares didn’t plague him, only the scent of your perfume lingered in his dreams.

By the morning, he’d crept out of your room without waking you, feeling like a traitor but leaving nonetheless. When you’d call him later on, he’d hang up the phone just to stop the haunting ringing. Half the time you called, he couldn’t tell whether it was really you or just a haunting fragment of his mind.

He hadn’t seen you since until he passed the record store. Gwen was inside, rushing around spending whatever allowance she had left to spend while he stood outside smoking and scowling.

You stood in the distance, smiling and walking down the street with a boy he’d never seen before. Finney abruptly threw his cigarette to the ground, stepping on it as he watched you. The colour drains from Finney’s face as the guy pulls you into a hug before waving goodbye. 

He quickly storms over to you. Surprise fell over your face when you saw him angrily standing in front of you, glaring at the guy’s distant figure. “Hey, what’re you doin-” He cut you off.

“Who was he?” He internally raged. “What?”

He repeated himself darkly and you answered with a small shrug. “Just a friend from history class.”

“A friend? Does he know that? It didn’t look like he does” Finney snarled as anger wrapped through his chest.

You lightly shook your head with a small frown. “Why does it matter, Finney?” 

“Because I hate the way he looked at you” He grunted as if it pained him to remember it. You just smiled at him and he couldn’t help but wonder if you truly understood what he was trying to say.

“Finney-” He interrupted you again. “I like when you say my name.” 

Your eyes widen. “You do?”

“Yeah. Not whatever name that dumbass has.” He glared over your shoulder in the guy’s direction who was now a small dot in the far distance. “Say it again” You comply. 

The tension from his shoulders ease but his anger still ate at him. His head whipped towards the record store when Gwen called his name. He turned his head towards you, but didn’t meet your eyes. “I don’t like him” He says before running back over to Gwen, carrying the bags for her as they walk home.

After weeks of this reckless and angry behavior, it all bubbles to the surface when you show up at his place. The knock on the front door seemed to echo through the quiet afternoon.

He grumbled from his place on the couch but opened the wooden door nonetheless. You stood there with an unusual frown upon your features but your eyes widened when you saw him. 

“Finney, hi” You blurt quietly as if you weren’t expecting him at his own house. Or maybe it was the anger with which he answered that you weren’t prepared for.

“Hi” He bluntly replied. A tense silence hung between you both. 

“Want to hang out?” You plainly ask. Finney callously shrugged. “I’m busy. Homework” 

“You don’t have to lie Finney, you can just tell me you don’t want to see me today” You softly say, without a speck of judgment, or angst.

Frustration boiled through him. Part of him wished he’d never met you. That he could go back to when he could silently destroy himself without an ounce of guilt. If he fought, drank or smoked his life away no one around him would blink an eye.

But since meeting you, you noticed, and therefore you cared. He hated that you never pushed him to talk; like Gwen would. He hated that you didn’t pretend his self-destruction was normal; like his father did. But most of all he hated that you saw him through every wall and barrier he tried to put up.

He didn’t feel the need to pretend or to talk when you were around, because you understood. Not what he went through, or what he was feeling. But you understood that you didn’t know but you still stayed. And for him, that was all he needed.

“I don’t want to see you” He scoffed and you raised an eyebrow, as if you were expecting this. Which only made his furious guilt worse. “I don’t ever want to see you”

“You say that like you hate me” You say as if it’s the stupidest thing in the world and not because you're self-important or self-obsessed but because you unfortunately know him that well.

“I do. I do hate you” He immediately responded with narrowed eyes.

“Keep pretending you hate me and I’ll keep proving you wrong” You state with a lingering tone of it being a promise. 

He stood taller, face puffed and eyes dark as he stared down at you with fury. Your frown deepened but you didn’t for a single second look away from his eyes. “God, I hate you. I hate how much I wish I loved you less” He spat at her angrily, fists balled at his sides. Immediately being regretted after the words leave his mouth.  

”Show me then. Show me how much you ‘hate’ me” You taunt with a fiery look within your eyes.

In an instant his lips were on yours. Hard, desperate and hungry. He allowed everything he refused to say out loud onto your lips. Your hands tugged at his shirt collar, pulling him closer as his hands gripped at your hips like a vice. When he pulled apart, you both were breathless. His eyes were full of ruin- whether meant for you or himself he didn’t know.

“I hate you” He said. “Do you?” You questioned with a taunting tone.

His lips crashed against yours like they were pulled together with the force of a black hole. It’s messy, sloppy and unconventional. But it wasn’t enough, he wanted to breathe the air from your lungs. Lips, teeth, tongues clashing together in a battle of control that he was hellbent on winning. 

A pretty broken noise left your pretty mouth. Finney groaned at the sound. He pulled away from your feverish mouth, gripping your hips tighter. He tugged you into his home, slamming the door shut with the back of his foot. As he nipped at and openly-kissed your neck he guided you towards his bedroom.

As he settled above you on his bed, your hands tugged at his curly brown hair. He whimpered with a rose blush as your lips hungerily met his.  He couldn’t get enough. He kissed you over and over again. His warm hand slips under your shirt, making you softly moan. Once again, he’s pulling away. This time leaning back as he looks down at you as his hands palm over your body. 

“I hate you” He repeats again, brokenly and far too obviously a lie.

You shift below him, leaning up on your elbows. Your lips press dirty, lingering kisses after each word “No, you, don’t” 

He groaned, pushing you back down. Lips attached in a kiss, full of debauchery and desire. “No. I don’t” His thought to himself as he lost himself within you.

Finney Blake was a greedy man. He'd never admit it and he certainly didn't like it. But that didn't mean it wasn't true. Because for all the reasons he pushed you away in the first place, he couldn't help but miss you. And now, Finney didn't want to let you go, ever.

You somehow simultaneously help him forget everything bad, while reminding him of it in a crushing weight. You were an escape, and a tether to a time he'd rather forget. It felt impossible, you didn't even know him when he was trapped within that basement. Perhaps you saw his name and photo within the paper, or maybe you tossed the paper away without a second thought.

Either way, you had nothing to do with that place, that time, or the person he used to be. But whenever he was around you, he realized how different he'd become, he realised how much he's changed.

Finney didn't know if he liked that change, he didn't know whether he wanted you to either. But like the paradox you were, you also helped him forget. Spending weekends with you, helping one another with projects, making fun of other kids at school. It made him feel normal. It made him forget briefly why he was angry, hurting and desperately confused in the first place.

He didn't know what you saw in him. He had no clue as to why you still wanted to befriend him. But he was selfish, because he'd tried to push you away but he couldn't survive it, and apparently neither could you, so he'd let you in.

He'd show you his mind, and his feelings even if they'd shattered you from their intensity and brutality. All he could hope was at the end of it all, you'd love him as he loved you. Which he was beginning to realize was a whole lot.

The first thing Finney noticed when he awoke was the scent of your perfume. The next was the warmth surrounding him. He cracked his eyes open, his thin curtains did little to keep out the morning sun.

You were curled into his side, sleeping peacefully against him. His soft brown blankets covered you both, his hand found your back gently tracing patterns on your bare back.

He stared down at you, wanting to commit the domestic sight to memory. Your nose twitched as you slowly woke up. Your glossy eyes met his. For a moment, his heart faltered. He thought you looked gorgeous. Sleep clung to the corners of your eyes, unkept bed-hair, the lingering shine of after-glow. 

“Huh, you know when you’re not scowling at me your eyes are really pretty” You groggily muttered making him breathily scoff.

Your soft smile fell as your sleepy state vanished. “D-Do you want me to leave?” You quietly asked and the question had the weight of having more meanings than one.

“No.” He swallowed, hesitantly finding your hand beneath the covers. “No I really don’t” 

He sighed, closing his eyes as he gathered his courage and thoughts. Your thumb brushed over his hand, comfortingly and gently.

“Look, I’m sorry for being a dick” He whispered, making you shift to face him properly. “I fucked up. And hurt you because of it. I keep saying I’m fine. But I’m not. Not even close. And I don’t think I can be okay around you either.” He confessed as you stared into his pretty brown eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve messed everything up between us” 

You softly said his name and he turned towards you with tear filled eyes. “I-” He scoffed at his shaky voice. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry and now-” Quickly leaning forward, you pressed a delicate kiss to his rosy lips while her hand gently cupped his cheek. 

“If you think I’m leaving the first time you show me you’re not perfect. You don’t know me as well as you think, Finney Blake.” You whisper, leaning against him and his arms wrapped around you.

For a while you both stayed there like that, wrapped in each other's embrace pressing soft kisses to whatever bare skin both of you could find. It was soft, full of love and undeniably warm.

Until Gwen knocked on his door lazily calling that breakfast was ready. You scrambled to pull the blankets to your chin, while he had a death grip on the sheets bundled around his hips. Thankfully as he yelled back that’d he’d be down soon, Gwen left down the hall without opening his door.

With scattered brains full of frantic panic, you both got dressed. Finney’s shirt hung off your shoulders, he barely managed to pull his attention away from the sight to put on his pants. Finney led you towards the kitchen, the sound of your delicate footsteps behind him had both his father and Gwen looking up from the table. His father’s eyes widened while Gwen’s face scrunched, either in disgust or calculation he couldn’t tell.

“Didn’t know you had a friend over” His father said, eyes flickering between you both. You awkwardly smiled at him as Finney handed you what was supposed to be his plate of scrambled eggs, and opened the cabinet to pour himself a bowl of cereal. 

“Girlfriend” Finney corrected as he poured the milk.

His father nodded. “Right” He silently mouthed the word ‘girlfriend’ like it was foreign to him.

He guided you towards the table, seeing you out of your depth was somewhat humorous to him. Finney sat on the only chair left, gently pulling onto his lap. Gwen’s eye twitched and this time he deciphered it as disgust.

The tension within the kitchen was palpable. His father ate his scrambled eggs, pretending to be reading the paper as Finney stuffed his face with cereal. With a small smile you ate the scrambled eggs, occasionally glancing at him.

Gwen sat slurping her milk, her narrowed eyes flicking between them both and Finney was sure he’d hear an earful from her once their father couldn’t hear. But for now, he didn’t care. He felt lighter. Not fixed, not better. But broken, and for now, with you that was okay.

Weeks would pass, his family recovered from the new intrusion to their home. If you weren’t spending the nights at his place. He was spending it at yours. A single trip to the mall and a very long talk on the drive, you and Gwen got along better than he’d ever expected.

His father never outright said anything to either of you, but Finney saw the way he adjusted their lives around adding you; always making extra for dinner just in case you decided to stay over, getting a spare key made that ‘accidently’ slipped onto your key-ring, and the pregnancy library book for young couples that appeared on his desk. Finney definitely returned that. 

You easily appeared into his life, as easily as you did in his heart. And he was forever grateful. Sitting on top of your slanted roof, staring up at the clear night sky. The flickering stars in full light above you both. Your head was leaned against his shoulder using him as your pillow, which had made him smile.

"You ever think maybe we were meant to meet... like, cosmically?" He whispered into the silence of the night. 

You snorted, shaking your head. “After all the work I put in? Nuh uh. I learned the stars' names for you. The cosmos get no credit for us” 

“You did?” He questioned making you turn your head up towards him, making you look slightly up-side down. The memories of all the times he’d rambled about space to you and how you always listened attentively cycled through his mind. “You did” He repeated more firmly. 

“Then, I guess I have to thank you” He shifted leaning over you with a mischievous grin as he kissed her, softly like he was trying to memorize her whilst having all the time in the world.

When you broke apart, you laughed loudly and freely. “Not here, we’ll fall off the roof” 

“And flash your neighbors" He nodded, carefully following you back towards your open window.

“Again” You giggled and you crouched, getting back into your room. “Yeah, again” He laughed, it sounded real because it was. It was a sound that before you had grown unfamiliar to him, but now was frequent.

As Finney followed you into your attic room. He closed the window behind him, looking one last time at the starry sky. He vividly remembers being inside that basement, for many reasons.

But one memory that he recalls now, was when he would look up through that small window. Through the over-bearing tree from the front garden, he’d catch glances of the night sky. A single bright star could be seen through the leaves if he crouched just right.

One particularly bad night, he wished something good would happen to him. His mother died, his father drank and beat them, he was relentlessly bullied and then he’d gotten kidnapped. He only ever wanted something good.

The next night, the star had dissipated, right in front of his eyes. He could still feel the despair he’d felt as the night turned dark without the one star he could see.

But now, he turned away from the night sky, seeing you smiling at him. Finney wondered if the star had fallen rather than disappeared.

And maybe, just maybe that star was you. It was childish, probably romantic and far too cheesy to ever tell you. But he believed it, utterly and whole-heartedly.

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ shared warmth and rare smiles ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ evan rosier x reader ୨୧ Evan Rosier was a Slytherin. An heir. A pureblood. A skilled wizard in the dark arts. A future death eater. Evan Rosier was many things, but a cuddler was not one of them... Unless. a/n: (0.7k words) Hogwarts house not mentioned but intended to be Slytherin. Pushing the Alexander Wilkes propaganda!

Barty barked out a loud laugh at Wilkes' grumbling over Professor Binns giving him detention, again. Wilkes' frown only deepened at his unsympathetic friend's laughter.

Regulus walked in front of them, silently listening to their antics as they made their way back towards their dorm. He opened the door, pausing in the doorframe.

Barty crashed into Regulus' back while Wilkes paused behind him. "Uh, did you die standing upright or-" Wilkes began but trailed off when he peered into the dorm.

Barty looked at the two of them, waiting for an explanation. After a couple seconds he impatiently pushed his way through. Regulus mumbled under his breath at Barty's aggressive nature but Barty ignored him.

He looked around the room and froze at the sight of Evan's occupied green bed. Normally Evan was the last of them to sleep, always keeping busy late into the night hours.

But they'd cut him slack for finally going to bed early, especially after all the classes his father insisted he enroll in, all had major assignments due at the end of the term.

What they wouldn't ever let him live down, was the fact that he, Evan bloody Rosier, was laying practically buried in blankets, cuddling into you like you'd disappear if he slightly let go.

The boys didn't know when you'd come down into their side of the common room without them noticing, let alone pull Evan away from his studies long enough to disarm him in such a domestic way.

"Ha, no fucking way" Barty muttered as Regulus finally moved again, still eyeing Evan as he moved towards his own bed.

"Shh, leave him be" Wilkes shook his head, placing his textbook on his desk.

"I will... For now" Barty quietly laughed, moving to retire to his own bed.

As the three other boys settled into their respective sides of the dorm room, Evan didn't stir once. Which for a hypervigilant and light sleeper like he was, was unusual and unheard of.

Evan Rosier woke up to warmth. Which made his blond eyebrows furrow together, the depths of the Slytherin dormitories were never warm.

He reluctantly opened his eyes, a dim green light shone over the room in the dead of night. He peered up and saw your sleeping face resting against his silk pillow. The feeling of you holding him eased him back to a relaxed state.

He glanced around the room, seeing Regulus asleep, still half sitting up with his arithmancy text book still in his hand, Barty loudly snoring sprawled across his bed almost falling off of it and Wilkes who's drool covered part of his pillow as he slept on his stomach.

Evan rested his head back down in the crook of your neck. He let out an uncharacteristically soft sigh. You shifted below him slightly, waking up from your sleep.

"Sleep well?" Evan's deep morning voice broke the silent softness of the early morning.

You hummed, finally cracking open your eyes with the twitch of a smile on your lips. "Did you?"

Evan nodded, making his hair rustle against your skin. His freckled arms still held you close to him.

Your hand moved to tilt his chin towards your face. You pressed a delicate kiss to his rosy lips. Evan's eyes fluttered shut as your lips moved together in sync.

"Room for one more in there?" Barty's croaky voice called out, shattering the cozy morning atmosphere.

Evan's eyes snapped towards him with an eye roll. "Fuck off, Crouch"

Your light giggle had Evan's attention turning back to you. "Good morning Barty" You called out despite your eyes locked on Evan.

Barty huffed from the other side of the room. "Yeah, yeah, morning" He grumbled, pulling the blankets over his head.

"Surprised there's a decent person willing to put up with you Rosier" Barty's voice was muffled from his Slytherin quilt.

Evan was a breath away from swapping another rude answer but your hand ran through his soft hair stunned him to silence. You leaned down and pressed a kiss to the freckle on his cheek.

As Evan pressed a kiss to the corner of your lips, Barty's faux gagging and complaints echoed through the dorm room.

Without another word Evan wandlessly pulled the curtains of his poster bed up, blocking you both from his dormmates as he pressed kisses over your face with a rare smile.

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ such a peculiar friendship ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ barty crouch jr x reader ୨୧ Best friends share everything with each other. Secrets, jokes, kisses... Wait, what? Aka, Barty was your best friend, and you were his. a/n: (1k words) alexa, add barty crouch jr to the wishlist!!

You rushed into the familiar Slytherin dorm room.

Wilkes sat writing away at the desk beside his bed. Quill scribbling away, fully concentrated on his papers. Evan sat cross legged on the trunk in front of his bed, practicing his charm incantations. While Regulus laid against his plush pillows, lazily half-drooped reading a new novel that he didn't have the day prior.

But you weren't focused on any of them, your eyes flickered towards Barty. Your best friend, Barty, who you accidently bumped into in your third year and had been practically attached to the hip to ever since.

Now you both were in your sixth year and you'd been through everything together. Like when you'd drank too much at a party and thrown up all over Dolohov's fancy shoes. Or when Barty had horribly cruel letters from his father. Or when you'd both decided to get matching tattoos after sneaking out of the castle during the holidays.

Through every high and low, you'd dealt with it together. And now, you needed him more than anything else.

Barty's head snapped up towards yours, your loud entrance gaining the attention of the Slytherin boy. His hand flicked out awkwardly as his brows furrowed, taking in your frazzled state.

"Barty, Barty!" You called as you jumped on his bed, crossing your legs in front of where he sat on his green covered bed.

Before Barty could get a word out, you held onto his shoulders slightly jolting him back and forth.

"Kiss me! Please, please kiss me, Barty!" You exasperatedly begged. Barty's eyebrows shot up, a large smirk adorned his face.

Evan dropped his wand, making it clatter to the ground as he looked over with wide eyes. Regulus' narrowed eye peered over the cover of his book, watching the unfolding scene with silent nosiness. Wilkes' quill paused mid-letter, as he froze wondering if he'd heard you correctly or not.

Barty in his usual reckless manner, gripped your upper arm guiding you onto his lap. You hovered above his thighs for a moment before his twitching hands tugged your hips down.

"Care to share why? Or do you just miss me?" He teased as his head tilted back in an uncomfortable tic.

You breathily laughed as you soothing rubbed the back of his neck. "I've got a date!" You exclaimed with excitement.

"Ah, Sallow's finally grown balls, has he?" Barty tutted with an easy smile. You rolled your eyes at his comment but nodded nonetheless.

"It's tomorrow night, at the Astronomy tower." You elaborated as you gently played with the ends of his short hair.

"Hardly original, barely romantic" He critiqued with a click of his tongue, slightly shaking his head.

"But a good place for a snog, so shush. I need to practice" You whispered as you leaned closer, your noses a hair away from touching.

"Alright, alright. Bossy today, aren't you" He mumbled against your lips as you fought back a smile.

Your lips pressed together. Your focus on his upper lip, while his on your bottom one. Your lips delicately danced together, finding their rhythm.

After swapping panted breaths, your lips crashed together again. This time crashing together into something more fierce. Your soft noises were swallowed by him greedily.

His twitching hand reached up to hold your neck, guiding your head with his as you both fell farther away from the rest of the world.

"If you two start humping each other like rabbits, I'm kicking you out to the bloody hallway" Wilkes' voice warned in a disgusted tone.

Barty pulled away, his wild eyes met his friend's across the room. "I'd like to see you try" He provoked, with a wicked smirk and for a moment you understood why the other students called him crazy.

Your warm but firm grip of his chin, had his attention instantly stolen, letting your hand guide his head back toward you.

"Practicing, remember?" You whispered with a teasing tone, but for once Barty didn't speak. He nodded and roughly kissed you again.

You slumped into the spot beside Barty at the breakfast table.

Dark hickeys and smaller love bites obviously littered your neck, despite your failing attempt at hiding it underneath your green and silver scarf.

"You're date went well, I take it" Evan joked, taking a sip from his orange juice.

You grumbled to Regulus to pass you the jam jar, which he did albeit slowly. "Not really" You rolled your eyes at the memory of the curly haired blonde boy you'd previously been excited for.

"Oh? What happened?" Barty turned, forgetting about the pancake he'd fought Evan for, letting it go cold as he waited for you to answer. Evan looked over at his friend, deadpanned.

Your shoulders slummed as you looked over at Barty. "He wasn't a great kisser."

"Pathetic git" Barty scowled, looking down the Slytherin table in hopes of seeing the boy in question.

"Yeah" You sighed. "No one's as good as you" You mumbled, truthfully more to yourself than to him, but he heard it nonetheless.

Barty's head made an awful cracking sound as it twitched to the side, but he barely noticed it as a toothy grin overtook his face.

"Oh merlin" Wilkes groaned, dropping what was left of his toast on his plate as he eye rolled the pair. "If you two shag as often as you snog, I'll never sleep well again"

Your eyes lit up, wide at his statement, as if the thought of shagging Barty hadn't ever crossed your mind. You quickly locked eyes with Barty who seemingly had the same revelation.

"What class do you have?" You rushed out as Barty's hand flicked, hitting the boy next to him.

"History of Magic, I can skip it. Black can take my notes." Barty rapidly answered and Regulus raised an eyebrow at the unwilling volunteering.

"Great, I have potions. Evan can do it for me" You stated, adrenaline filling your veins with every passing second.

"Like fucking hell I will" Evan retorted but you didn't bother answering as you quickly stood from the wooden bench, Barty not far behind you.

You both raced out the Great Hall rushing back towards his dorm room.

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ in sickness and in health ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ barty crouch jr x slytherin!reader ୨୧ Everyone knows if Barty's acting up, he needs to find you asap. a/n: (0.6k words) I'm here to push my 'barty has tourette's' headcanon. Within said headcanon, the wizarding world is completely unaware of muggle medicine and science. Reader is not described :)

"Would you fucking quit it?" Evan seethed, completely at his wits end.

Him and Barty sat in the back of the library, trying to study for the upcoming Divination assignment. Emphasis on trying to.

Barty had been off all day. His usual snarky responses had a cruel undertone and his rude glare was directed at absolutely everyone. All of that, Evan could deal with, brushing it off as a bad day.

But what had tested his patience, to the point of it completely crumbling, was the constant cracking of bones, the whacking against him, and the banging of everything within Barty's reach.

He knew his friend was odd. Everyone knew he was sick with something, something that not even the most qualified pureblood healers could fix. But it wasn't like Barty tried to hide whatever was wrong with him.

Sometimes Evan wondered if he did it on purpose. The odd movement and abrupt motions. He saw the flicker of enjoyment in Barty's eyes when their peers stared at him in fright.

But Evan also saw things not many others got to, like when Barty would cry from frustration at his lack of sleep, his fidgeting keeping him wide awake. Or the words within his father's letter, that Barty had left ripped open on his desk.

With all the knowledge of the complexity of his friend, Evan was more patient with him than he would be for most. But right now, that patience snapped.

Evan's chair creaked loudly as he stood hastily. He snapped his text book shut, ignoring the glare from the annoyed librarian. He reached over and snatched the book out of Barty's twitching hands.

"Get up" Evan's cold voice made Barty grit his teeth.

"W-wasn't fucking- Done" Barty seethed, his head snapping to the side so quickly Evan wondered how he didn't wince.

"Now" Evan said, coldly. He didn't wait for Barty to retort again, gripping his friend's shoulder, pushing him up from his chair.

Barty grunted and swore under his breath, but Evan's tight grip didn't falter as they walked out the library, and towards the dungeons.

Evan pulled a twitching, swearing Barty towards where you sat in front of the fireplace inside their common room. Your attention was pulled from your book at the commotion.

"Woah, what happened?" You asked with furrowed brows, shutting your book.

"Take him. Can't bloody stand him any longer" Evan huffed, sitting down on the couch opposite you both. It was far enough away, Evan knew he was safe from anything his strange friend pulled.

You shook your head at Evan's words and eyes Barty with concern, wondering what had occurred for Evan to be so frustrated. You planted your feet on the floor and patted your lap for Barty to lay his head.

Barty rolled his eyes, his arm jolting to the side awkwardly. He gritted his jaw but complied nonetheless. After all, spending time with you rather than studying was always a win in his book.

He shifted against you, getting as comfortable as he could be in such a winded up state. You ran a careful hand through his soft hair. Barty shakily sighed as his foot kicked the arm of the couch.

You picked up your book again, one hand still running through his hair. Your delicate voice read your book aloud, easing not only Barty but Evan too.

Your voice had that magic to it, a warmth from within your very being escaping through your words.

Although Barty couldn't be fixed by any healers, no matter how much his father wished. You calmed his chaotic nature, not to a halt but to a simmering slow.

You loved him completely as he is. Not how he should be. And Barty would forever be grateful that you saw him as something more than his strange illness.

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ all i could wish for ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ apollo x female reader ୨୧ apollo cannot undo your curse but unknowingly he can make it vanish from your mind. a/n: (1.8k words, requested by @anausr78) reader is female, nothing else described. can be read as either ancient or modern times. sorry this took so long!

Life on Olympus was nothing short of breathtaking. The gorgeous architecture of every building and temple. Gardens and fountains beautifully tended to and bursting with colors. Magical Nymphs and Satyrs walked the paths. Not to mention the true inhabitants of Olympus. The Olympians, the gods and goddesses that roamed the place with a blinding perfection.

Sometimes it felt too much to be in such a presence. Your gracious lover made sure to remind you that you were one of them now. That you belonged here, with him. You still remember the warmth of the contents of the golden chalice that Apollo guided you to drink from. It was a taste unlike anything you’d ever had before. It tasted like a warm memory that you couldn't recall. From that day on, just like the liquid in that chalice had been, your blood had turned to a shimmering gold.

It had been a few years since that day, you’d gotten less lost in the maze-like paradise you found yourself living in. It took you a while but you broke out of your shy spell. You’d befriended a few nymphs and even some of Apollo's family, which was a daunting task but well rewarded. The years had flown by in an unusually fast manner. Your lover, Apollo assured you it was normal for mortals to get used to becoming immortal and having to shift their views on time. He’d even shared a few stories of how difficult Dionysus had taken it, which soothed your worried heart.

Today you found yourself in a familiar pattern as the day before, waiting in your shared temple, waiting for Apollo to return. You’d been in the middle of watching the stars together when he’d raced off. You knew him better than you knew yourself, and knew something was wrong. In his hurried state he managed to tell you something about a prayer, and needed to go urgently. It had been two days since then and he hadn’t returned. 

Your mind raced with fears of what could have happened. You would never be so foolish as to underestimate him but you couldn't help but worry for his well being. Perhaps it was the mortal reminisce in you. You lost yourself in thought when a flash of light from the main room caught your attention. Rushing out to the other room you saw him standing there, he looked miserable. 

“Love? What has happened?” You whispered as you inched closer to him. Your hands reached out to where his hands were fallen by his sides, you squeezed them gently and he held them tightly as if they were his lifeline. How utterly mortal of him, which worried you more.

“There was an attack on a village where-” He sighed heavily before continuing “-where one of my lovers lived” He finished and his fluttered shut for a moment. 

You felt a sharp stab in your chest, and forced yourself to keep breathing steadily. You slightly tugged your hands away from his, but they held too tight to let you go. 

“Oh…” Was all you managed while looking up at him. You glanced at your joined hands. “I’m sorry” Your voice was quiet but it was steady.

He opened his gorgeous blue eyes. The white of his eyes were stained red from shed tears, yet none fell down his cheeks.

“I do not cry for her. I mourn for my son, who has lost his mother” His usually melodic voice sounds scratchy and sore like he’d been yelling for weeks without end.

You selfishly wondered if he would ever mourn you, if he would cry for you. You weren’t born immortal, his father Zeus could take his gift away if he wanted, or another immortal could strike you down. You briefly wondered if he would notice at all, or if he would bring another lover to his father and gain another lover, another pretty thing to warm his bed. You shoved the thought aside. How could you think so lowly of him? He was many things, but the god of truth was one of them. If he said he loved you, then he truly loved you… But how many has he said that to and meant it? 

“Is- is he?” You couldn’t bring yourself to continue. The thought of Apollo losing a woman he loved was hard enough but if he’d lost a son too.

“My son lives. But he is without a mortal family. He is too young to be left down there alone” He looked straight into your eyes. His blue eyes searched your own eyes, looking for something in them. 

“His powers are strong, the mortals fear him for his accidental outbursts of power. I cannot leave him in their care.” He explained delicately. Your eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“What will you do?” You questioned softly and his eyes searched yours once more. He opened his mouth slightly before stopping. Finally he opened his mouth again and answered.

“I’d like to bring him here?” He spoke with an unconfident you’d never seen in him before. Even when you’d seen him plead to his father to give you immortality you never saw this leave of apprehension in his eyes.

“Here?” You muttered numbly, too lost in your thoughts. Apollo nodded slowly with his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Yes” He whispered. 

“Okay” You agreed. His eyes darted around your face looking for any falsehood in your statement.

“You’re sure?” He spoke unsurely.

“It’s your house Apollo” You smiled slightly with a slight shrug.

“It’s our house my love” He corrected with a pleading look.

“He’s your son” You countered. 

“He-” He paused and you both stood in a still silence.

“What’s his name?” You mumbled out, breaking the deafening quiet.

“Darius” He uttered. You repeated the name out loud and nodded to yourself. 

“I will get him now then” He let go of your hands and disappeared in a golden flash.

Your hand fell to your side. Darius, you repeated in your head. A son, Apollo’s son, living with you both, living with you. 

After the atrocities your parents had inflicted on the Queen of Olympus’ name you as a young child were cursed by Hera. Not that your parents ever reflected on their actions. Your Uncle had taken you away from them and raised you as his own. But the curse hang over your head as you grew up. No one but you and your husband would ever know about the curse. But then you’d met Apollo. He’d swept you off your feet and showed you a love you’d never had before. You told him of your curse, your inability to have children. A curse only the goddess of motherhood could make. He’d comforted you and never once pushed you aside like you’d thought he had. You both keep up your courting and eventually he was able to convince his father to grant you immortality. It caused a slight ruckus with Hera but Apollo hardly thought it mattered. 

But now there will be a child in your home. His child. Living proof of something you’d never be able to give to him. That’s when it all clicked into place. When you’d agreed to spending the rest of eternity with him he’d mention his long past of lovers and of half mortal children running around the world. Part of you hurt at the thought of him smiling at others as he did you, of him loving someone else while loving you. But part of you knew that it was different for immortals, for gods. Time isn't something they have to live by. Singularity isn’t something they are forced to do. It was very different from a mortal's life. So you agreed with him, he was allowed lovers and children, just as he had before you. But your only request was that by nighttime, by the end of the day. He would always return to you. If not physically then always emotionally. He would come back to you. Apollo responded with a soft kiss and a ‘you’ve never asked me for something i cannot give, thank you’ 

But now, it clicked. Apollo will always have lovers, but he will always also have children. Something you cannot have. Apollo had unknowingly given the best gift you could have ever asked for. His child.

A flash of light once again pulled you from your thoughts and there stood Apollo with a small golden haired boy in his arms. The boy, Darius, had his small arms wrapped around his fathers neck and his face buried into his shoulder.

You walked closer to the pair, unaware of the caution inside Apollo's eyes. He knew you weren’t anything like Hera, if anything you were the opposite but that didn’t stop fear wriggling its way into his heart. You gently placed a hand on Darius’ back. He flinched in shock at the touch and hesitantly lifted his head to peer behind him to get a glance at you. Your eyes locked with his blue ones, they had a hint of green swimming in them like water paint merging together. His eyes held an obvious nervousness but also held hope, a childlike innocence. 

“Hi there Darius” You whispered to him and smiled sincerely. He responded with a shy smile of his own. 

“Hi” He whispered so softly you just barely caught it. 

Apollo carefully placed his son down, Darius barely reached his hip in height but he stood tall nonetheless. You whispered your name to him. A small rumble from the boy caught your attention. You glance at Apollo with a brief side eye and lean down, closer to the boy, as if sharing a secret.

“I know where your father hides his sweet treats” A playful smirk appeared on your face. The boy looked up blankly at his father and then looked back towards you, with a mischievous spark in his eyes.

You outstretched your hand and he placed his smaller hand in yours. You smiled down at him and began guiding him towards the kitchens. Apollo stayed planted where he stood. As soon as you both were out of his view a wide smile overtook his face. His heart didn't flutter, it didn't stutter or feel like it was bursting from his chest. It felt constant, it felt cold, icy while getting warmed, being melted into something else. 

He knew he loved you. You weren’t the only mortal he’d wanted his father to turn immortal. His father always refused, for one reason or another. But this time he’d agreed. Apollo couldn't help but think his father saw something in you that even he hadn't. You were something else entirely. And he wanted nothing more than to show that off. He wanted nothing more than to marry you for all to see. To be your husband for as long as you'd have him. Which you made pretty clear was forever. 

Forever. Apollo hardly thought that was long enough to love you. He’d love you forever, and more.

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ honey tea for my honey ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ barty crouch jr x reader ୨୧ Barty is stubborn at the best of times, let alone when he's sick. Luckily for him, he has you to both look after him and put up with his antics. a/n: (1.8k words, requested) Reader is implied to be a different house than Barty but no explicitly stated. Sorry this took so long to write but I hope you enjoy it!

The soft tapping of the metal spoon against the inside of the navy blue mug echoed through the quiet kitchens as you stirred the lemon-honey tea you were making for Barty.

A chilly breeze wafted through the dim room causing you to shiver ever so often. The soft muttering and pattering of feet from the house elves as they prepared for dinner was interrupted by the hungry grumble of your stomach at the smell of various spices floating in the air.

Carefully, you shuffled out of the kitchen in your mix-matched school socks, holding onto the small porcelain handle. 

Hours earlier when you’d been on your way to your Transfiguration class, Barty had a note delivered by Evan Rosier. While the unamused messenger had handed the note over that read that Barty was regretfully postponing their study date they’d planned the day prior, Evan had mainly complained of how ‘absolutely insufferable Barty was being’ all because of a ‘silly muggle cold’.

Fortunately for Barty, you knew Evan had a habit of both downplaying and over exaggerating everything at once. You quickly and rather rashly bribed your fellow housemates to take notes in Transfiguration for you as you rushed over to the Slytherin common room.

It was there, you found Barty slumped back against the green velvet couch, his face was pale and covered in a thin-layer of sweat. His hair was stuck to his forehead and his eyes were red and puffy. Each time his head would uncontrollably crack to one side, his face would scrunch in a wave of nausea.

You ushered him up off the couch and up to his room, ignoring all his protests, feeble arguments and the crude comments from Antonin Dolohov who sat across the fireplace, with a lingering stare and a permanent smirk.

After practically pushing Barty into his dorm room, you swiftly rid him of his blazer and uncomfortable uniform, grabbing something far more cozy for him to wear. Despite the flush of red coated his cheeks down to his neck as you dotted on him, settling him into his bed he continued to swat your hands away assuring you he was fine.

You’d laid beside him in his green and silver coloured bed until his eyes finally drooped into a sick-infested sleep. Occasionally his arm would twitch against yours.

Despite being asleep, Barty never truly seemed to rest, still softly twitching and fidgeting. There was once a time when you’d first gotten together when Barty had been insecure about it, among other things, but you’d merely grown used to it. After all, despite what he thought, he was easily loveable and you didn’t mind having to adjust to fit him into your life.

Originally you’d intended to creep out of his room once he’d fallen asleep to grab a potion for him from the hospital wing, but as you’d silently moved to get out of bed, Barty had groggily whined, more loudly than he’d ever admit to. His brows instantly furrowed as his arm outstretched, searching for you in the bed. 

“Don’t leave yet. Please” He slurred, voice thick with sleep.

With a pout, you’d shuffled back into bed, easing him back to sleep. Thankfully, weeks ago you’d left a stack of your books beside his bed, seeing as he always left his things scattered around your less organized room. Reaching out, you grabbed the top book by its cover and began reading where you’d last left off.

Three quarters through the book, Regulus Black entered the shared dorm, books in hand. He paused upon seeing you muttering under his breath something about the ‘rules of the dorm’ but you merely focused back on your book.

Leaning back against the plush pillows, you silently turned the beige coloured page, getting re-absorbed into the words. It wasn’t until Barty’s breath rattled in his sleep did your sympathy shift to concern.

Instantly, your book was forgotten by your lap as you turned your attention towards Barty’s sleeping form. Every odd breath sounded almost painful for him to let out, listening to it made your face scrunch with worry.

Across the room a deep sigh left Regulus. His intense eyes were locked on you and Barty before curtly getting up from where he’d previously been sitting at his well-stocked desk.

He tugged on the jacket he’d thrown lazily on the edge of his bed, moving towards the dorm’s door as he muttered how ‘ridiculous you were being’ and how ‘you were acting like he was dying’. Upon asking where he was going in a hushed tone, he’d turned and said ‘to get him a bloody potion’.

Your shoulders eased and you looked at the shut door with a gratitude you knew Regulus would never accept.

The potion Regulus brought back had eased whatever sickness Barty was hiding behind his stubborn attitude upon waking up, whenever he spoke his throat sounded raw and pained however according to Regulus that ‘wasn’t necessarily a bad thing’.

You disagreed and mentioned a muggle remedy to soothing sore throats, all you needed was to get to the kitchens. Immediately, Barty protested. Wrapping his arms tightly around you, keeping you locked by his side in a warm, blanketed prison.

You tried to rationalize with him, mentioning how it was for his own good, but Barty didn’t budge. He stared at you with big-wide brown eyes as he croakily whispered ‘But I can’t get enough of you, no matter how much time we spend together.’ 

And trying, and failing to get Regulus onto your side, you retaliate by gently kissing his flushed face until he relaxes against you before swiftly darting out of bed. He sunk deeper into the pillows in defeat, watching you walk across the room with saddened eyes.

You grabbed one of his sweaters hanging off his desk chair. ‘No amount of flattery will get to me, Crouch’ you jokingly taunted as you opened the dorm door, peering over your shoulder at him, still pouting against the pillow.

‘You’re utterly cruel.’ He whined, and you shook your head, turning around to hide the smile on your face as you shut the door behind you.

Now, as you carefully carry the steaming tea down towards his common room. Alexander Wilkes entered the common room at the same time, pausing his steps down as he saw you. With furrowed blonde brows, he glanced at the tea in your hands. 

“For Barty” You answered before he could ask, making him shake his head with a disbelieving smile.

“How is it possible that an angel like you, is with Barty of all men?” Alexander asked, normally you would’ve slapped someone for such a backhanded question, but you knew Alexander had no real heat behind it and was purely in jest of his friend.

You rolled your eyes at him as you both continued your shared walk to the boys’ dorms.

Alexander politely opened the door for you. Looking around the room, Regulus was still sitting in the same position he’d been in when you’d left, hunched over his desk writing away.

But clearly Barty had moved, you could make out the large blanketed mass that was once Barty. Only the odd strands of his hair sticking out of the blankets could be seen. “Barty? You awake?” You lightly whispered. 

You wondered if all his whining had tired him out but then a congested groan immediately answered your question. You placed the mug down on his bedside table, moving the empty potion bottle and your stack of books out of the way.

He lazily emerged from his self-made cocoon. His hazel eyes squinted and bored straight into you. "I think I'm dying" His voice sounded off because of his blocked nose and you fought back a smile.

Sitting beside him on the edge of his bed, you press the back of your hand to his cheeks and forehead. "You're not dying. It’ll be the lingering effects of the fever. The blankets probably aren't helping."

He huffed, shifting the blankets closer to his chest, as if you were about to take them off him. Instead of prying the blankets from his clammy hands, you reached out to brush his messy bed hair from his eyes.

You caught the microscopic flinch he made, making your hand freeze in place. He blinks slowly for a moment, and you have a passing thought to shove the tea towards him in fear of making him uncomfortable.

His eyes softened, relaxing back against his pillows. You slowly lowered your hand, affectionately brushing your knuckles against his pale cheeks.

“I hate being sick” He grumbled after a fit of coughs that only made his twitching increase.

“Try drinking the tea. It’s nice and warm, okay?” You mumble with a soft smile. A tired and thankful look adorned his face.

Barty sniffled sickly as he sat up, reaching for the warm tea. He sniffled sickly. His face was pale and sweaty from the fever, his bed hair stuck up in every direction.

Despite all that, your eyes watched him with utter admiration. He sipped the tea, slowly to start with before taking large gulps.

“‘S good?” You asked, raising your eyebrow at the fast rate he finished the tea. His hand twitched under the abundance of blankets as he nodded at you enthusiastically with a giddy smile

You gently took the mug from his other hand, placing the mug back onto the bedside table for him. He leaned forward to whisper to you, making his breath brush against your arm.

“Thank you, for all of this” He sincerely said despite the foggy look in his eyes.

With an honest smile, you pressed a delicate kiss to his cheek. “You don’t need to thank me, Barty”

His face momentarily scrunched either in a tic or in silent disagreement you couldn’t tell, but Barty lightly shook his head looking at you with a mesmerized heat behind his eyes.

Standing from your seat beside him, you shrugged off his sweater, folding it and placing it on the dresser at the foot of his bed. You easily slotted down beside him in bed, snuggling close to him as he generously gave up half of his blankets to shield you from the biting chill in the air.

“Bloody hell, you’ve domesticated him” Evan loudly observed as he entered the dorm, looking at you both cuddled close together.

Barty’s head twitched to the side as he rolled his eyes. “Fuck off, you lonely prick” Barty retorted harshly depsite it sounding coarse. 

From behind the text-book Alexander was reading, he snorted. “Aye, he’s got quite a lonely prick, old Rosier” 

Evan’s attention was now solely on his new opponent, much to Barty’s pleasure as he held you a tad tighter.

Alexander and Evan’s bickering continued on, eventually gaining the attention of Regulus who in turn was pulled into the ridiculous argument, but that was long after both you and Barty had been sweetly pulled into sleep’s grasp, still within each other's warm embrace.

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ heartbeat like the pouring rain ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ evan rosier x slytherin!reader ୨୧ Evan Rosier was born cold, like a storm. You were warmth incarnate and were happy to share it with him. a/n: (777 words) Evan Rosier aka the loml <3

A dark swirling storm rained heavily on Hogwarts causing classes to freeze and moods to dampen. Students would attend their classes and rush back to the warmth of their common rooms.

Thunder clapped loudly in the distance but was muffled by the lake's murky waters. Evan Rosier finally made it inside the Slytherin common room after a long lesson in Arithmancy. His winter robes did barely anything to keep him warm from the chilling winds.

But his walk from the other side of the school, in weather like this, didn't matter to him anymore as he entered the familiar common room.

His green eyes searched by the fireplace where his ever-so grumpy friends were sitting. But when he didn't spot you amongst them, his frown matched theirs.

As he walked towards them he placed his hands in his pockets in hopes of even slightly warming them. His brows pinched together when none of his friends acknowledged him. Bad storms bring even worse moods.

"Where's-" Evan was cut off by Barty.

"Over by the window" His answer was muffled by the quill in his mouth, as his hands flickered between his book and half a dozen papers.

Regulus rolled his grey eyes "I'm surprised you can't hear the squealing from here" He mocked which only further confused Evan but he nodded nonetheless and walked across the common room, dodging the buzzling first years.

Evan's scrunched features immediately vanished from his face when he saw you. You stood in front of the large windows looking out into the lake's water. Your expression paralleled that of a first year seeing the elegant windows for the first time, which made him breathily laugh as he came closer.

You barely spared him a glance before looking back out the window. Now that he stood beside you, he could see that you stood so close your face was fogging up the glass.

"Hi, sweetheart" Evan muttered, glancing between you and the window with a humorous glint in his eyes.

"Hi, love" You answered, not taking your eyes away from the waters.

"What're you doing?" He asked with a slight laugh and you smiled widely.

"Waiting for lightning. It's the best part of storms." You explained happily and easily, like it was the most obvious statement in the world.

"Oh right, of course" Evan spoke as he leaned closer to you, gently placing his hand on your lower back as you continued your wide eye stare.

Evan let out a soft sigh as your warmth seeped into him. He fought against himself to not drag you away back to his dorm where he could embrace you as openly as he wanted, but he didn't because when the sound of muffled thunder snapped through the room your eyes shone brighter than he’d ever seen before.

You jerked up, standing on your tip-toes and placed your hands on the window as if it made you anymore taller. Your bottom lip was squished beneath your teeth as your eyes darted around in suspense.

Then, a bright flicker of light shone from above. It briefly lit up the common room, as well as the lake. For a beautiful second the lake shone a bright green, any of the many fish that were around the window were visible and vibrant. The dark green kelp in the distance was a nice backdrop, and Evan could've sworn he saw a flash of silver floating through it.

Your giggles pulled him away from the now darkened lake. Your smile was so wide, he was sure it would've been beginning to hurt.

"Did you see it, Ev?" You finally turned around to face him, and for once a small honest smile adorned his lips.

"Yeah, I did. You were right. 'S pretty" He answered, making you nod.

You opened your mouth to speak but was cut off. "Did 'ya see any mermaids? Aye, Rosier?" Avery taunted, making you roll your eyes.

"Ha. Ha." Evan said snarkily.

"We were looking at the lightning, not for merfolk" You explained exasperatedly, pulling Evan by the hand towards where your friends sat, ignoring the snickering from Avery as you both walked away from him.

As you both sat down, silently thankful for the warmth of the fireplace. Regulus merely raised an unamused eyebrow as you began telling them about the lighting you'd both seen.

Barty mumbled out responses when needed and Regulus bit his cruel tongue while you happily explained in depth the beauty of storms and the different kinds there were.

Evan held an easy smile on his usual neutral face as his arm laid around your shoulders, listening to the constant murmur of your voice.

[blondejellykitty]

₊♡ ˚⊹ better when i'm with you ₊♡ ˚⊹

୨୧ percy jackson x goddess!reader ୨୧ Percy ascended to godhood and he's realized it's not as bad as he originally thought. a/n: (1.7k words) Reader is mentioned as a daughter of Zeus but nothing else is described.

Olympus was peaceful.

Peace wasn't something Percy was used to. From school bullies, monsters to literal wars. Peace wasn't a constant in his life. After the last war, against Gaea, everything had changed. Jason had died, Piper moved away, Leo returned with Calypso. Reyna joined Atremis' hunters, Frank and Hazel took over as Praetors.

Things had changed at Camp Half-Blood too, Grover was busy as Lord of the Wild, Travis had left for college, so had Clarisse and Chris. Pollux was surviving through the days, Will was practically running the camp with perfected ease, Nico stuck around camp more than ever before and Annabeth...

Annabeth had finished her constructions, her plans had worked perfectly, each structure as beautiful as the last. But she'd grown restless after re-building Olympus and both camps. Percy had been with her, looking over various different colleges and academies that would support her dreams.

But the longer they looked the farther out they got. Until she finally found one, half-way across the world. Percy offered to go with her, easily letting go of everything he'd left behind but she shook her head and declined with such ease it stunned him.

It wasn't often they argued but he'd fought to join her, to go with her but each time she shot him down without a real reason. Eventually, as the date she'd leave got closer, Percy began to let it go. He let her go, and he'd never forget the excitement of her face as she left to board the plane.

A high pitched giggle pulled him from his thoughts, Percy glanced below and a forest nymph waved at him. He lazily waved back and the nymph giggled, running off further into the gardens.

Percy shook his head slightly as he leaned on the railing. With a sigh, he thought of how everything changed after Annabeth left, how he changed.

He'd tried to help out at both Camps but they ran smoother without his reckless and unfiltered power. He felt like a war horse parading around the Amish.

He'd returned home, opting to help his mom and Paul look after Estelle but that only seemed to make things worse. He'd watch after her like a soldier on lookout duty, waiting for a monster to dare approach his little sister. After a few weeks he realized nothing was coming for her, after all, she wasn't like him.

He was able to relax slightly after that, watching her waddle around holding her stuffies. He felt a bitter feeling in his throat when he saw his mom and Paul sitting together spending mindless time with Estelle.

Percy would always opt to go for a walk around the block when that happened, when he saw that they were the family he wished he'd had. It was worse at dinners. Sitting around the table, taking about their day, not in tense silence waiting for Gabe to find something wrong. Percy ate his dinner in his room, alone. His mom tried to coax him out but he shut her out, more harshly than he'd meant to.

It got to the point the only time he left his room was to walk around the city at night. The cold and quietness settled in his bones and eased him into a more relaxed state.

After a few months of the shut off cycle, things began to change. His haunting nightmare turned to prophetic dreams. His emotions shifted quicker than the rising tide and they were harder to control.

But it all came together the day he got an Iris message from Annabeth. She'd called to catch up, telling him all about her classes and the friends she'd made. She was happy, she was stressed about her assignment deadline but she was learning to become care-free.

His anger simmered to the surface, he felt it like a burning buzzing under his skin. He remembered he said something rude, something cruel that had made her smile drop.

He went to wave the Iris message away but it shattered before he could, like a broken sandcastle. Percy's anger didn't settle. He opened his bedroom door and it slammed against the wall behind it, denting a hole in the wall as if he'd used his entire strength to do it.

Percy stomped out his room towards the front door but paused when he heard his mom's voice. It sounded muffled like he was underwater and he groaned when he tried to focus on it. His entire body burned as if he'd fallen in lava again.

He fell to his knees and yelled in pain. He needed water. His brain frantically demanded the sea like it was his lifeline. Percy closed his eyes and gasped out, when the pain slowly subsided.

He flopped back onto his back, his limbs feeling heavier than the world itself. He slowly opened his eyes, his lips parted in surprise. He was lying on the bottom of the ocean, the churning waves shifted above him.

"Percy" His father's voice didn't shock him but he tensed nonetheless. Percy lifted his head to look over at where his father had begun walking towards him.

He dropped his head back down into the sandy floor and sighed in exhaustion. His father knelt beside him, lifting him up into a sitting position.

Percy didn't have the energy to make a joke about how ironic it was that a god was kneeling for anyone. He met his father's identical ocean eyes, going to speak but he didn't have the words to explain how he got there.

His father merely smiled honestly at him, not holding back like he usually did when they'd met before. Now, his father smiled like he was proud, like he was looking not at a soldier, a hero, a pawn. Like he was looking at his son.

Percy's eyes watered and he felt like he was four years old again, looking at the fathers and their sons at the park. His lip wobbled and he began to sob, like a kid who was forced to grow up.

Poseidon held him tightly for the first time. Percy hid his face in the crook of his fathers neck, tears ruining his father's shirt as his father muttered the words he'd always wanted to tell his son but couldn't.

Percy was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of soft footsteps approaching him. He turned behind him and smiled, seeing you walking towards him.

"Hey" He hummed and you smiled back at him.

"I hope I'm not interrupting your reminiscing." You joked lightly and he huffed, shaking his head.

"No, no you're good" He leaned back against the railing as he took your beauty in.

"What?" You asked with a blush, seeing the intensity in his ocean eyes.

"You're beautiful" He spoke softly, and you breathily laughed moving closer towards him.

You placed your hands on his strong shoulders and his hand found their place on your hips. "And you, my love, are going to be late for my father's meeting" You failed to hide the humor in your voice as he groaned and leaned his forehead on your shoulder.

"If I had known at the time that my decision would result in being stuck in meetings, then I probably would've worded it better" He grumbled and you laughed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, in your own defense, I don't think you knew it would be you having to sit through every meeting too." You tried to joke but he huffed, without any heat behind it.

"You know, you could always join me. I'm sure your father wants to see you" He tried to bribe but you shook your head. Another meeting of pointless politics and voting would kill you.

"I'm sorry, my love, but I promised my sister I'd visit." You tried to hide the relief in your voice but he caught it and laughed standing back up to hold your cheeks in his palms.

"Don't eat any food, okay?" He stressed and you rolled your eyes but agreed nonetheless.

"I don't think our Uncle would dare anger you again" You said and leaned up to press a kiss to his warm lips. His entire posture eased at the weight of your lips on his.

Before you both could lose yourselves in the passionate kiss, you pulled away. You pressed a kiss to his tan cheek and stepped back.

"I don't want to make you late" You smiled and he playfully rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't mind" He admitted and you shook your head at him honestly.

"But my father would" You reminded and he nodded, sighed dramatically.

"Yes, yes he would." He said with a laugh as you both exited the warm balcony.

As he walked, hand in hand with you out of your shared home that he'd designed for you before your wedding. He remembered when he'd met you. He'd joined his father at one of the Olympian meetings that were now open to all gods and goddesses.

He'd become more intune with his powers but he didn't have full control yet, hence why he stayed with his father's side, just in case he flooded another country again.

When the arguing got too much he slipped out of the meeting and sat on one of the many fountains in the large garden. That's when he'd met you, slipping out of the meeting seemingly as overwhelmed as he was.

You smiled shyly at him and kept your pretty head bowed as you sat beside him.

"I'm Percy" He said after gaining the courage. He briefly wondered if you were one of the muses, or a daughter of Aphrodite. But after you mumbled your name with a blush, he recognized the name instantly.

Every soldier in any war knew your name. You were the daughter of Zeus but more importantly, you were the goddess of soothing strife, healing soldiers and sincerity.

Percy thought you were more beautiful in person than any statue and painting he'd ever seen of you. He was so distracted by you, he didn't notice his tense shoulders ease and the water of the fountain soothe.

Percy smiled to himself at the memory as he turned towards you, kissing you sweetly goodbye before walking up towards the main temple of Olympus for another meeting.

Olympus was peaceful, but it was only peaceful because of you.