i think valzhangrace is so cute cause of their dynamics. like, valgrace go from having romantically tense deep nighttime conversations to daily romance, valzhang have a cute little enemies/rivals to lovers quarrel and get together cause they dont want to kill each other anymore, and zhangrace just happens cause theyre both with leo 24/7 and get comfy around each other and bond over cj
More on .... valzhangrace? I guess that name works.
Jason is little spoon to Frank, Leo is little spoon to Jason, Frank is little spoon to Leo. Frank isn't thrilled with that because Leo is a kidney kicker.
Frank sleeps the lightest, and wakes up ready to go to war. Jason sleeps fairly light but he wakes up in a haze of confusion. Leo doesn't sleep but when he does it's for 14 hours and he's impossible to wake.
Jason wears socks to bed and that really weirds out Leo and Frank.
Snippet of a valzhangrace Hunger Games au not-fic I’ve been working on for like two years:
Frank skids into the next clearing, arrow notched but not drawn, and takes cautious steps forward as he scans the area for his target. He hears a shuffle to his right and steps toward it, and only too late registers that something is wrong.
He hears a slight click and realizes that he must have stepped in one of Leo’s traps, and whatever part of the design that registers prey is activated. He freezes, and in the moment it takes his weight to settle, his muscle memory takes over, drawing his bow and aiming it right at the pair of eyes that have appeared in front of him.
"It’s a stalemate," Leo says.
He’s right, Frank admits to himself, but he’s certain that even if they both spring each other's defenses, he’ll come out the winner.
“Pretty sure an arrow in the face will kill you whereas I can handle being strung up in the air. I’ll just cut myself down.”
But Leo laughs, a colder sound than Frank would have expected from him. “You don’t really think I’d pull something so tame in the actual Games, did you?”
Frank's eyes dart down and he curses.
“A bear trap?” He demands. “What kind of sponsorship money do you have?”
Leo smiles, looking proud of himself as he says, “Oh no, this is a Valdez original.”
Frank risks another look down and sees that yes, the spikes he noted a second before are made of wood, not metal. And while from his brief glance he can see that the construction is solid, he doesn’t think it’s lethal.
“My point still stands. What’s a few puncture wounds?”
He’s bluffing of course, because a few puncture wounds could spell death for him down the line, but at the moment, he’s still the likeliest to survive.
“You’ve spent enough time watching me at the edible plants station to know it’s not that simple,'' Leo says.
Frank balks, momentarily caught off guard at Leo dropping that information so cavalierly, but his eyes find their own way back to the trap and yes, he can see the tips of the spikes aren’t quite the same color as the rest of the wood. They have a slightly darker sheen, almost indiscernibly so, and they’re still wet. Leo must have just finished setting this trap before he'd come after Frank.
Frank grits his teeth.
“How about I just shoot you now and think of a way out of this after they cleared your body from the arena?” he bites out.
“You’ll be right behind me,” Leo sneers back, and Frank narrows his eyes, knowing he’s probably playing with him, trying to distract him to pull another fast one, but he can’t not give Leo a once over to make sure he’s not telling the truth and-
“Damn it,” Frank mutters, once he’s caught sight of the string clutched in Leo’s fist.
The other boy grins. “Dead man’s switch,” he says cheerfully, “You shoot me, I release the trap, you die too.”
“Stalemate,” Frank agrees morosely.
But he shifts his gaze back down to the trap, trying to make out its design, to see how the switch in Leo's hand is connected to the contraption, hoping he’d be able to disarm it somehow, maybe shoot his arrow at the right spot...
“I wouldn’t,” Leo’s voice cuts into his thoughts. “The trigger plate is extremely sensitive. Any shift in weight will set it off.”
“So what’s your plan then? We stand here until we die of old age?”
“Oh, I’m sure the Gamemakers would send something to liven things up before it came to that. But I think I can stand here with my hand at my side longer than you can hold that exact position with your bow fully drawn, no offense to you and your impressive muscles.”
Frank bears his teeth. “Don’t be so sure.”
“Fair,” Leo admits, though his eyes narrow. “Of course, we could always call a truce.”
Frank laughs. “Not sure I value my leg that much.”
“Rude,” Leo says, eyes still narrowed, and Frank gets the sense that he’s actually bothered by Frank's response.
“So you just watched me all throughout training to decide that I wasn’t worthy of being your ally, is that it?”
“I didn’t-” Frank starts to protest, and that’s when he makes the mistake of leaning forward to emphasize his point.
