#➤ queue ┊ campfire songs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zackmartin · 2 years

Note

Were Zack and Henry Disney Channel kids or Nickelodeon kids growing up (if the channels exist in their universe?) Because I personally feel like Zack would quote SpongeBob and sing the songs unironically. (Also prank calling Ray and asking Is ThIs ThE KrUsTy KrAb?)

Oof, I’m kinda botching this new friendship already, aren’t I? 😬 I sincerely apologize, I’m kinda going through stuff right now so I haven’t logged on in quite a few days and I had everything running strictly on a queue. I would also like to once again apologize for the amount of words I’m about to spew out for such a simple question and I thank you immensely for continuing to indulge me despite the fact that it takes me a billion words to get to the point 😅

I love love love this question, but I feel like it can get a bit tricky with the amount of crossovers that have existed on both channels. But before I get into all that, let me just say first that YOU GET IT! I’ve legit thought about Zack quoting Spongebob to Henry multiple times. Like, it’s just fun to think about them both growing up with it, but while Henry kinda grew out of it after a while and really only watches it if like, Piper’s watching it or something, Zack still kinda does regularly. So, Henry recognizes the references from the earliest seasons, but Zack can quote scenes from the latest seasons that just go straight over Henry’s head 😅 (and then Zack is facepalming because Henry has essentially ruined the joke by forcing Zack to explain it lmao)

WAIT, WAIT, THIS JUST MADE ME THINK OF SOMETHING FUNNY (well, funny to me anyways) but, I have this HC that I carry over to basically every universe that's basically, Zack knows how to play guitar and he often does so just like, as a hobby, so I just got the image of Hen and Zack in their shared apartment and it's one of their date nights where they decided to just stay in, and they had a little picnic on the floor, and it's all intimate and cute and romantic, and Zack pulls out his acoustic guitar and ofc Henry thinks he's gonna play like, one of their songs or like, a love song or something and Zack even strums a few chords to make Henry think that but then he just dives straight into the Campfire Song Song, and then Henry literally just gets up and leaves the room at that point (but, he does come back a few seconds later to sing along, because, well, you have to. It’s in the lyrics. Also, Henry’s just used to Zack’s antics at that point, he finds them endearing. and it’s not like he hasn’t pulled his own shit during the course of their relationship. it’s another thing that makes them so compatible.) (they’re idiots to idiots in love)

But, anyway, back to the original question; like I said, it gets tricky with the liveaction stuff because of all the crossovers and even,,, reusing actors, so it’s kinda hard to say like, what would be just a tv show in this universe. It’s a little easier with the cartoons I’d say, so I don’t really mind saying they exist as tv shows but like. Even with the Loud House, since there was an episode with j*ce and Cooper like,,,,, would Zack just make a joke about “hey that character kinda sounds like you” ??? who knows

But, since Suite Life had crossovers with Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven and Wizards then I would just assume that would rule those out as being just tv shows. (although, sometimes i do forget about the crossovers because I thought about Zack finding out Henry’s secret, and being the little shit that he is is just like “oh. so you're just like Hannah Montana :)” but then I remember he like, sort of knows Hannah Montana alsdjf but then that opens up the possibility of Hannah actually existing as a popstar in this universe, and Hen just being like “are you trying to tell me you know Hannah Montana? Like, the popstar Hannah Montana? Best of Both Worlds Hannah Montana?” and Zack just being like “yeah! She ate cake off my sweater vest once :)” henry, after several seconds of silence: “are you messing with me? I feel like you’re messing with me. You’d never wear a sweater vest.” Zack: “this coming from the guy who still tries to convince me he met Bigfoot” “I DID MEET BIGFOOT”) (yes, I’ve thought extensively about this conversation)

But, even with like,,,,Phil of the Future. I mean, technically I could say that��s just a tv show but since Brenda Song was in it for a bit like. Do Hen and Zack just think her character has an uncanny resemblance to London??

There was an episode of HD where Hen and Ray were watching Drake and Josh in the Man Cave, so I could see both of them being fans of that show when they’re kids. And I know both Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor were guest stars so that might make it a little tricky, but I’d also like to believe that they (meaning Zenry ofc) enjoyed iCarly and also enjoy the reboot.

I can’t believe I’ve never thought about Zack pranking Ray though. Like, I’ll be super super honest, I cant stand Ray, and I’m so SO close to just straight up making him the villain in one of my AUs that I kinda project that hatred through Zack a bit. Because, Zack sort of only sees the damage that Ray has done when it comes Henry, with basically throwing him into crime-fighting at just 13 and not really training him or giving him any slack when it came to Henry trying to figure out how to balance that world with school and his social life and whatnot, and even just the trauma Henry would face with like, losing his superpower in order to save the world and just,,,getting his ass kicked all the time. And since Hen is basically Zack’s world, he’s just,,,,,not really a fan of Ray; he basically tolerates him when he has to for Henry’s sake. But, I love the thought of him using prank calling as a way to get petty revenge lmao. Like, ofc it doesn’t really do anything, at best it just confuses Ray and maybe drives him insane/ruins his day, but. Any way Zack can get minor revenge on him is enough (also can’t stop thinking about henry catching him in the act one time and just being like “are you prank calling Ray again? 🙄” Zack: “👀 No. That was………Cody.”)

Anyways, I’m sorry, I feel like I just rambled on forever in the most incoherent way possible and didn’t even answer your question 😬 but this was still super fun to think about anyways 😅

#asks #literally saving my life with these asks #like I'm just having the worst week but then I logged on and saw an ask about my favorite subject and then it was just like #'actually the worlds okay :)'#i'm aware of how pathetic that sounds lmao #also that's not to pressure you to keep sending them. just saying it's appreciated when you do!#I always have so much fun rambling about them #I know you kinda gave your thoughts in the ask but if you have anymore I’d love to hear them!#like I know I love rambling about them myself but I also love having discussions with friends and hearing their thoughts too :)#If you have any ofc. No pressure either way 💕

3 notes · View notes

camp-counselor-life · 2 years

Note

i just read your campfire song response and im unfamiliar with Every Long Journey, could you link it?

You can find it on my blog here: https://camp-counselor-life.tumblr.com/post/130761183562/every-long-journey.

You can find pretty much every song that I know in the camp songs queue too, which is sorted into loud and slow songs.

#camp asks #camp songs

3 notes · View notes

mfenvs3000f23 · 7 months

Text

Hiking with Taylor Swift!

As a follow-up (focus on the above two before you tackle this one), what song takes you immediately back to a natural landscape? What is the context? Share it with us – I would imagine many of these ideas may have similar underpinnings of a campfire, roadtrip, backpacking journey, etc.!

This is such a fun question, and I am happy to share a few answers.

First, the classic Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations always takes me back to a summer camp I went to for over a decade. We spent many hot days at the waterfront, and this song was always in the queue (for literally like 11 years), or playing at the mess hall after meal times. The song itself has nothing to do with the outdoors, but I associate it with bright mornings and hot afternoons at camp.

Here is what I picture when I hear this song:

There are a few songs that take me back to my work trip from this past summer. Namely, American Teen by Khalid, Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu, and pretty much anything by Taylor Swift. The first one probably seems less intuitive than the second, but the first song was the backbone of our trip. Before our trip, the staff chose a “morning song” that we would play first thing every morning as soon as we got onto the bus. Our trip would be to 4 different US states, and the campers were American, so naturally we chose this song. The lyrics aren’t about nature or the environment, but our trip consisted mostly of national parks, hikes, surfing, and other outdoor activities. We would sing along every morning on our way to our next adventure, and now this song takes me back to driving through the Turnagain Arm in Alaska, or heading to the sand dunes in Oregon.

The second song from this trip is well known thanks to Lilo & Stitch and was a staple for the Hawaii leg of our trip for obvious reasons. When I would listen to that song before my trip, I had a faint picture in my mind of what Hawaii might be like. Now that I have been, I can now associate that song with the experiences I had and the views I saw with my own eyes. This song is very special to me.

Lastly, Taylor Swift. To nobody’s surprise, our trip of 36 highschoolers were all swifties (same). We would jam to tswizzle on top of mountains, on a hike, at the beach, you name it. On one of our last nights, we did karaoke, and every other song must have been Taylor Swift. This felt like a last hurrah to our month-long adventures accompanied by miss Swift. I can’t help but think of our laughs at Diamond Head, or running into the ocean waves when I hear some of her songs.

Here are some photos that are a good representation of what I picture in my mind when I hear these songs.

I have also included a photo of myself and one of the campers singing You Belong With Me, along with a video of everyone jamming out to Love Story at karaoke night.

0 notes

blackriverkiller-moved · 2 years

Text

#campfire songs;; music #leave the bottle;; queue #Spotify

2 notes · View notes

stillxsings-a · 5 years

Note

Wet

meme | @professoriisms

The sun beat down with an unrelenting heat, that caused sweat to bead up and roll down her back. It caused her soiled clothes to stick to her, uncomfortably. So when they found the body of water Beth didn’t think twice, just removed the top layer of clothes and waded out into the water. They hadn’t seen a walker around all day, so she decided it was worth the risk.

“Come on, get in and cool off while we can,” She called out to David.

#professoriisms #➤ answered memes #➤ queue ┊ campfire songs

1 note · View note

shirtlessfelix · 3 years

Note

Heeeyy i love your drabbles! Can i request a fic with a reader survivor? Their mom got dragged in the entity's realm with them (she's a survivor as well!!). And let's say reader starts to fancy a killer (cough* Pyramid Head *cough) and their mom starts being suspicious. Then one day reader decides to tell their mom and presents Pyramid Head to the mom. And the mom is just " (`-`). Out of all killers you picked hIM. Smh"- but deep down she is happy that her offspring found someone to love and protect reader(at least outside of trials) in the entity's realm uwu.

"offspring" i'm dead— and very glad you like what I write! This is a cute idea :D It's funny, I started writing this in queue and then was against a Pyramid Head... definitely didn't die first btw (:

PH Meets Your Mother

474 words

Ever since the two of you had been in the Fog, your mom has been particularly protective of you despite you being equally as vulnerable. It started as her demanding never to leave your side, which the Entity honored for a while but soon grew bored of, so She began to separate you in some trials.

During one of these trials, as you roamed the halls of Midwich Elementary, the music that the Entity played in your head told you that you were against the Executioner. You absolutely loathed him, hardly being able to dodge his power and wondering why he always let you live. Was it out of pity because you were new? Was it so your mom wouldn't be even more scarred by this than she already was?

The first time you saw him alone, you were terrified, but he stood you in the corner of one of his many classrooms and leaned his knife against the wall. It was a sign of peace, you figured that much, and it all came together—it kind of made sense.

You slowly became less and less afraid of him, and you noticed him watching in between trials. It didn't feel threatening, though; rather, as though he was looking out for you. Maybe he feared you wouldn't last very long. It was hard to tell with him.

It came to a point when your heart would flutter when you heard the deep rumbling of his song through the air, and seeing him made you want to get closer instead of running away. It felt wrong at first, but you approached him once and asked how he felt about you. In his silence, he put a hand on your head and slid it down your cheek. It all made sense.

Your mother noticed when you spent less time at the campfire, and you knew you would have to tell her at some point. She was worried that you were going off in the forest to different realms, and that at some point you wouldn't return. When you told her the truth about Pyramid Head, she hardly had a reaction at all. It took her some time to process that her child was involved with one of the killers who hadn't hesitated to kill her at all.

"You couldn't have at least gone with one of those Legion boys? Or Mr. Grimes? At least they have some manners..."

Despite what she said, she came around quickly and worried less about you since you seemed to trust the Executioner with your life, and she trusted you. The one she did ask was that you request she also be spared, because she didn't want to die by her son-inspirit's hands.

"Thanks, hun," she said after a trial in which he carried her to the hatch. "You're right, he is strong!"

#sffic #anon #req #dbd #dead by daylight #dbd fanfic #dead by daylight fanfic #dbd x reader #pyramid head x reader #pyramid head #dbd pyramid head #reader insert #gn reader #gender neutral reader #x reader #fluff

163 notes · View notes

mogai-sunflowers · 2 years

Text

anygays here’s my updated list of upcoming royal system terms- currently not adding to it, and i did remove a few from the lists recommended to me for personal reasons, i’m really looking forward to doing these, i’ve got flags for most so far and i do have around 100 posts in my queue alr but im gonna be shuffling it up a bit so i can post royal system posts in between the ones alr in the queue

willow, lullaby, melody, harmony, love song, acoustic music, violin, cello, poetry, sunlight, moonlight, starlight, ocean sunset, waterlily, tigerlily, lupine, dragonfly, firefly, auroracore, pixiecore, clockpunk, steampunk, carnivalcore, post apocalyptic, pastel academia, musical academia, writers academia, ballet academia, romantic academia, crowcore, cyberpunk, cyberprep, cyberdelic, cybergoth, cybergrunge, coffee house, vellichor, dollcore, dark paradise/naturalism, daydream, dazecore, psychedelica, acidwave, ethereal, fairy academia, fawncore, happycore, horror academia, theater academia, jamcore, lunarpunk, solarpunk, northerness aesthetic, ocean academia, sparklecore, studyplace/studycore, vintage academia, warmcore, witchy academia, spiritcore, scenecore, marigold, daffodil, hyacinth, peony, rainy days, pastel, rococo, pixel cutie, pastel blue, pastel yellow, pastel orange, pastel pink, pastel purple, pastel green, plaguecore, plague doctor, natural philosophy, philosophy, luminism, hikecore, mountain sunrise/sunset, craftcore, vintage/vintagecore, cloud/cloudcore, violet flower, iris, lavender, jasmine, magnolia, morning glory, bluebell, poppy, orchid, lotus, forget me not, buttercup, gardenia, lilac, wildflower, dandelion, periwinkle, dahlia, zinnia, calla lily, lily of the valley, petunia, chrysanthemum, rosemary, love song, garden, fairy tale, fairy lights, flower crown, ginger, gingerbread, cotton candy, candy cane, cookie, lamb, honeybee, bumblebee, twirly skirt, ballerina, blue butterfly, phoenix, songwriting, ivy, aspen, birch, oak, evergreen, starry sky, winter forest, winter flower, polar bear, black bear, grizzly bear, leopard, meadowlark, nightingale, holly, sea glass, mistletoe, crescent moon, feather, dystopia, utopia, lollipop, popsicle, cookie, candy/candycore, harp, soulqueer, neon, arcade/arcadecore, snowman, nebula, constellation, northern lights, shooting star, summer sunset, romantic love, queerplatonic love, platonic love, friendship, kindness, falcon, hawk, poison, gold, marble, rebel, astronomy, volcano, love/lovecore, babycore, minimalism, prairiecore, candle, fairy garden, coconut, ocean cliff, flying, spiral, magical, magic trick, tiger, pegasus, griffin, satyr/faun, misty sunrise, christmas tree, legendary, bowtie, secret, ghosty story, evil fairy, guitar, singing, rainbow sprinkles, rainbow sparkles, superhero, stone, forgotten, dryad, infinity, paradise, castle, peach, elephant, luck, courage, fear, sci-fi, fantasy, siren, campfire, library, swan, envy, apple juice, antique, greenhouse, hot chocolate, celestial, brownie, imagination, truth, magic wand, illusion, prophecy, euphoria, jewelry, heartbreak, stardust, nightlight, magical flower, angel bunny, notebook, silk, memory, liberty, honeydew, honeycrisp, autumn academia, mystery, heaven, hell, wisteria, whimsical, mirror, sugarplum, ice skating, bell, tuxedo, androgynous, spy, detective, wisdom, war, branch, sword, shield, gun, yule, xenic, genderless, glass, translucent, holy, overcast, sky, wax, zodiac, knitted doll, feathered dragon, evil, tabby cat, 50s, 20s, tuxedo cat, barn owl, snowy owl, creeper, enderman, pokemon, dovakiin, khajit, redguard, argonian, bosmer, dunmer, altmer, orsimer, imperial, Breton, nord, guard, drama, gender nonconforming, god/goddess, linguistic, clay doll, cornhusk doll, occult, tarot, lava, slime, luna moth, silk moth, poodle moth, rose maple moth, poltergeist, fruit bat, sloth, cyclops, flower fairy, narwhal, salt, she/her, he/him, they/them, it/its, funky, fresh, homey, bear, time travel, vampire bat, circus, songbird, pony, virus, fever, sand castle, hologram, radioactive, alternate timeline, alternate/parallel universe, white peacock, ancient ruins, distorted reality, victorian, victorian goth, enchantress

#reign rambles

24 notes · View notes

tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

Entertainment Weekly, June

Cover: The Pride Issue cover 3 of 4 -- Lena Waithe

Page 3: Contents, other covers featuring Lil Nas X, Mj Rodriguez, Bowen Yang

Page 4: Sound Bites

Page 7: The Cold Open

Page 14: The Must List -- In the Heights

Page 15: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon, Iceage -- Seek Shelter, Ziwe

Page 18: Trying Q&A with Esther Smith and Rafe Spall, Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill

Page 20: Milestone Returns #0: Infinite Edition, In Treatment

Page 21: Brat: An '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy, The Empty Man

Page 22: My Must List Pride Edition -- Niecy Nash

Page 25: Pride 2021

Page 26: Lil Nas X -- the 22-year-old rapper is still breaking barriers one song and several clapbacks at a time

Page 29: St. Vincent -- the chameleonic singer-songwriter returns with Daddy's Home, an adventurous new album inspired by her father's prison time

Page 30: Olly Alexander -- after a lauded lead turn in It's a Sin, the artist returned with the single Starstruck, from his newly solo musical act Years & Years

* Rostam -- the new solo album from the multi-instrumentalist is rooted in society's fear of change

Page 32: Lena Waithe -- the producer and actor, and the new star of Master of None season 3, wants to create provocative art while elevating voices

Page 35: Josh Thomas -- the Australian creator-star of Everything's Gonna Be Okay is telling his story through his art

Page 36: Meet Your Maker -- Natalie Morales -- the queer star directs her first film(s), the sharp indies Plan B and Language Lessons. Here's what got her behind the camera

Page 37: Joshua Safran -- the man behind Alex Parrish's attitude and Blair Waldorf's one-liners shares how his sexuality helps him empathize with his characters

* Brandon Taylor -- coming off his explosive, best-selling debut novel Real Life, the lauded author is looking toward his second act and beyond

Page 38: Mj Rodriguez -- with the final season of the history-making FX drama Pose, it's leading lady is ready to claim what's hers

Page 41: Colman Domingo -- after decades of stellar work, the scene-stealer is front and center on Euphoria, Fear the Walking Dead, and more

Page 42: Auli'i Cravalho -- the star of Disney's Moana proved how far she'll go to be her authentic self, and is now focused on joy and inclusion

Page 43: Queen Supremes -- the international RuPaul's Drag Race winning class speaks power to the franchise's worldwide domination and looks ahead to a fab future

Page 44: Bowen Yang -- the Saturday Night Live breakout is defining funny for a whole new generation and pushing boundaries in the process

Page 47: Margaret Cho -- the stand-up comedian plays the lesbian pal we all wish we had in the comedy Good on Paper

Page 48: Molly Bernard -- after playing Younger's pansexual publicist, she's ready to explore the full spectrum of queerness

* Josie Totah -- from Disney's Jessie to the Saved by the Bell revival and Amy Poehler's Moxie, the actress has made a name for herself twice and Hollywood's paying attention

Page 49: Calendar -- 10 upcoming LGBTQ projects to get excited for --from eye-opening documentaries to sweeping romances, there is plenty to add to your Pride watch queue

* Pride season's 6 essential reads

Page 51: Summer TV Preview

Page 52: Loki with Tom Hiddleston

Page 53: Panic, The Celebrity Dating Game, Gossip Girl

Page 54: September Mornings, Schmigadoon!, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Ted Lasso

Page 55: Heels, The Good Fight

Page 56: Power Book III: Raising Kanan

Page 57: Sweet Tooth, Blindspotting, Kevin Can F**k Himself, Mr. Corman

Page 58: We Are Lady Parts, Love Victor, Sex/Life, Turner & Hooch

Page 59: Physical, Hit & Run, American Rust

Page 60: Bosch, Marvel Studios' What If...?, Lisey's Story -- Q&A with Julianne Moore

Page 61: Calendar

Page 62: The Fast and the Furious oral history -- how did a little movie about underground racing speed off to become one of the most profitable franchises in history? The cast and crew reminisce about 20 years of Fast, one quarter-mile at a time

Page 68: News + Reviews -- Nominate Them, You Cowards -- on July 13, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will announce the 2021 Emmy nominees. Here are some standout shows and performances we insist not be overlooked

Page 72: Movies -- Summer Star -- taking the lead in blockbusters A Quiet Place II and Jungle Cruise, Emily Blunt is the face of Hollywood's comeback summer

Page 74: Making the Scene -- Army of the Dead -- Zack Snyder explains how he bet big on destroying Las Vegas in his bloody zombie heist movie

Page 75: Oxygen, The Woman in the Window -- the journey from smash best-seller to star-studded streaming thriller was long and fittingly bizarre

Page 76: Meet the Fab G -- director Kay Cannon on how Billy Porter found a fresh, inclusive take on the fairy godmother in the new Cinderella

Page 79: My Favorite Shot Pride Edition -- Sebastian Lelio, A Fantastic Woman -- the Chilean director revisits a gravity-defying sequence in his groundbreaking Oscar-winning drama

Page 80: TV -- The Underground Railroad

Page 81: The Upshaws

Page 82: Oral History -- in 2011, Teen Wolf premiered on MTV. Ten years later, we look back at the pilot episode that introduced us to Scott, Stiles and the werewolves of Beacon Hills -- Jeff Davis, Tyler Posey, Russell Mulgahy, Dylan O'Brien, Crystal Reed

Page 84: What to Watch

Page 86: Music -- Miranda Lambert Q&A -- for The Marfa Tapes, Lambert decamped to the quiet artsy town in West Texas and recorded songs around a campfire. She talks to EW about the album and being an introverted superstar

Page 88: Ear Kandi -- Xscape member and current Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss reflects on the hits she's made for Destiny's Child, *NSYNC, TLC and more

Page 89: The Black Keys

Page 90: Books -- summer books special -- a comedy of eras -- in a sharp new essay collection, The Wreckage of My Presence, actor Casey Wilson weaves big feelings into even bigger laughs

Page 92: Poetic Justice -- prolific romance writer and political powerhouse Stacey Abrams bookend an incredible year with more thrills, this time in her first novel not written under her pen name Selena Montgomery

Page 93: Author Spotlight -- Silvia Moreno-Garcia -- Velvet Was the Night

Page 94: Fatal Attraction -- inside the intoxicating depravity of Animal, Lisa Taddeo's meaty follow-up to Three Women

Page 95: Critic's Pick -- The Great Mistake by Jonathan Lee

Page 96: Critic's Pick -- In the Country of Others by Leila Slimani

Page 97: The Conversation -- Taylor Jenkins Reid and Paula Hawkins -- the names behind Daisy Jones & the Six and The Girl on the Train are coming for your beach tote

Page 98: Q&A with Zakiya Dalila Harris -- The Other Black Girl, former book editor Zakiya Dalila Harris' genre-bending evisceration of workplace privilege, is set to become the debut of the summer

Page 99: Critic's Pick -- Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So

Page 101: Q&A with Billie Eilish -- in between winning Grammys and releasing her sophomore album, the pop star is publishing her first (self-titled) book, a collection of never-before-seen pics of her early life on the road

Page 103: Parental Guidance -- your crib sheet on the best entertainment for kids from toddlers to tweens

* Q&A with Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwyane Wade -- the actress and her NBA legend husband, bring it on with their new children's book Shady Baby

Page 112: The Bullseye

51 notes · View notes

bug13underscore · 3 years

Note

Summer Camp AU + Accidental Eavesdropping Luke/Reggie

so rather than them being campers i’d absolutely make them all counselors and i’d probably make it some performing arts camp as well.

Alex and Carrie are in charge of the dancing classes, Flynn and Willie in charge of arts and crafts, Luke and Julie in charge of music and singalongs, Kayla and Nick in charge of acting and theatre. Reggie and Bobby are also in charge of a class together but none of the others are quite sure of their specific niche.

Some days they’ll be teaching the kids various magic tricks and other optical illusions, other days they’ll focusing on miming and other types of circus acts, then the next they’ll be focusing on the history of performing arts in general, so who’s to say?

But god forbid you say even a jokingly bad thing about either Reggie or Bobby in front of any of the kids, because they’re so quick to defend the two. Bobby and Reggie are the kids’ favorite every summer with little to no competition. The others try to be upset about it, but honestly Reggie is everyone’s favorite. (Bobby has accepted he’s the kids’ favorite just by association, but he’s not about to tell everyone that he’s aware of that)

So, when Julie is pushing Luke to “finally, please! for the love of god, just tell Reg!” about his feelings. (Which he totally 100% absolutely does not have at ALL Julie, thank you) and he snaps back and perhaps may call Reg an idiot, and two of his campers happen to catch him insulting Reggie and throws their freshly made glittery pinecone (honestly? that’s what Willie and Flynn came up with?) (Luke doesn’t need to know Willie and Flynn intentionally had the kids make them specifically for throwing at people they didn’t like or were upset with) at Luke, who ends up completely covered in glitter and the kids demands he go apologize to Reggie immediately, even if he hadn’t heard the insult anyway

scared of the child armed with glittery pinecones (and Julie who was giving him the worst stink eye he’d ever recieved in his whole life) he seeks out Reggie, and he promises—swears—that he didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it maybe, sorta, kinda just happens.

“He literally looks at you like you’re the physical embodiment of music, Reg, there’s no way on Gods green earth that he’s not head over heels in love with you.” Bobby’s voice is tired and gruff, not unusual for the guy. that is what happens when you always manage to end up with the rowdiest cabin of kids summer after summer.

“Bobster, Bobbipoo, Bobbilious, absolutely not. No chance in hell, nuh uh.”

“Okay, firstly this practically is hell and I promise there’s a chance. Secondly, I’m absolutely terrified of how similar you and Julie are and how you’re not even blood related and thirdly, if you call me any of those again, I promise you next week we will focus on circus arts again and I will have these children saw you in half for real.”

“All I’m saying is there’s no way that Luke is in love with me. Case closed, that’s it.”

And all of a sudden Luke is shoving into the room, his mouth open and speaking before his brain has a chance to catch up

“Can we reopen this case? I don’t think we have all the evidence.”

Reggie spins around and looks kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar (and Luke has seen this face plenty of times, he’s not really sure why he even still tries to keep a cookie jar in his cabin) Bobby seems to take this as his queue to leave and is extremely quick to do so

Luke’s brain finally catches up with him and there’s only one real solution he can come up with, and this time his lips are moving but this time there’s no words coming out, only all of the love he can possibly muster as he pulls Reggie into a kiss.

Maybe Julie and Bobby were right and if Bobby’s departure were any sign, Luke is sure that their entire friend group is going to be flooding into this room within the next ten minutes, but Luke can’t find it in himself to care too much, not when Reggie is looking at him like that

(and that night during their campfire him and Julie lead a few singalongs to popular love songs, the kids for sure notice him making super obvious heart eyes at Reggie, they do not let up on either of them with teasing. Bobby’s not too upset about this summers favorites becoming Reggie and Luke, not when his friends look this happy together, if a little sickening)

#babble tag #jatp #julie and the phantoms #my writing tag #writing tag #anonymous #luke/reggie #luke patterson #reggie peters #long post

24 notes · View notes

the-and-sign-anon · 4 years

Text

Fall Rules

Pairing: Team Free Will x reader

Summary: Fall has rules set by Y/N that must be followed

Word count: 1,103

Masterlist

Jack loved coming on errands with you, especially in fall. He had started mentally compiling a list of your Fall rules; the first being that as soon as the weather dropped below seventy five degrees, it was Fall until it snowed. Now he was learning another rule as you ordered four hot chocolates instead of the coffee the Winchesters usually requested. He didn’t bring it up though, instead waiting for Dean to mention it when you returned to the Bunker.

You walked down the stairs in your favorite boots, the knitted gray hat bouncing slightly on your head. Jack carried your new bag of yarn while you brought the hot chocolates to the boys.

“I thought we were getting coffee, Y/N.”

“It’s fall;” you gave him a ‘duh’ sort of look as you handed him his drink, “you’re having hot chocolate or nothing.”

“Rule two of Fall, Dean. You haven’t forgotten have you?” Sam sounded so smug for remembering your goofy rules.

Dean rolled his eyes at you, but Jack knew it wasn’t from annoyance. Sam gladly accepted the warm beverage while Cas gave you a welcoming smile in acknowledgement and returned to his book.

“Cas, are you reading up for another case?”

“I am. We were planning on looking into some disappearances in Ohio.”

“Sweet. Is it okay if I stay here to work on hats and baking this week?”

“As long as you make pie, you can do whatever you want.”

Sam gave his brother a disapproving look and added, “And as long as you can still help with research just in case.”

“Of course! Now, I’ll be knitting in my room.”

“You’re making one for me next, right?” Cas had a light, joking tone that he most often used with you.

You gave him a smug look and replied. “If you do well on this hunt, I just might. Rule three; everyone gets a hat.”

You traded Jack the yarn bag for his own hot chocolate, then ran to your room to start working on your next hat. Jack had mentioned liking your hats and received a cozy black one a few days later, followed by a red one the next week. Sam and Dean each had at least four hats of varying colors and patterns, and Cas even had a tattered old white one that had seen one too many hunts to be worn. Crowley, Charlie, and Rowena all had numerous hats as well, but Jack had yet to see them.

“Jack, can you answer the phone and put it on speaker for me?” You were in the middle of the next row of your hat when Sam called, so Jack was happy to help.

“Center for Monster Knowledge, how can I help you today?” You were grinning as you spoke, something you knew the boys were doing on the other end of the line as well.

“Hey, dork.” Dean. “We need a little vampire expertise; whatcha got for me?”

“Ooh, let’s see…” You carefully put down your project to grab a book across the table and open it, “I’ll have to put you on hold.”

Jack took Dean’s complaints as his queue to start singing whatever songs you’d been playing on your phone before. Of course, he didn’t know all the words or which ones belonged to which song, so it was a very entertaining jumble of words and incoherent nonsense. You flipped through the book as you started the next row of the hat, relishing in Dean’s annoyance at being ‘put on hold’ and muffled argument with Sam.

Once you found the right page, you nodded to Jack, who abruptly stopped singing and angled the phone toward you again. Sam relayed their questions, you found answers, and Jack held the book upwards so you could read it better. Once the call was finished, you played the music again and sang off-key with your favorite nephilim once again.

“Rule four of Fall:” you shouted over the music, “all Fall and Halloween music is acceptable until Christmas season starts.”

Five days later, Cas led the way back into the Bunker. The smell of cinnamon and campfire overpowered the stench of blood and sweat on the boys, who had yet to clean up after wiping out the unexpectedly large vampire nest. Their exhaustion seemed to fade as well as they took in the sight of you and Jack sleeping at a table in the library. The candy corn colored knitted hat on your head was slumped over onto the table and Jack’s new green hat was lopsided on his head too.

Sam and Cas carefully picked up Jack while Dean got you and they led you both to your rooms. Once your doors were closed, Dean went to the kitchen to find the pie he had no doubt you’d made while Sam picked up the stray books and returned them to the shelves. He could see then that there were two half finished hats still on the tabletop, one expertly made with soft white yarn while the other looked shaky and looser than it should be, made with yellow yarn. Jack was always wanting to learn new things, especially when it was something you enjoyed. Sam couldn’t help but smile at the thought of you patiently teaching Jack to knit a hat of his own.

Within twenty minutes, you were awake again and eating pie with Dean before you seemed to remember something. The elder Winchester gave you a confused look as you dropped your fork and tore out of the room, then turned back to his pie and kept eating.

Cas was reading again when you came running into the library with something behind your back. He was going to ask what was going on, but you just thrust the object into his hands, turned on your heel, and left again. When the angel looked down at the object, he couldn’t help but smile.

When Cas had mentioned you making a hat for him, he’d meant it as a joke. He figured that after his first one got blood stained and ripped on a few hunts, you wouldn’t trust him with another one. But that’s exactly what you were doing now. In his hands sat a comfortable looking knitted hat in the blue-gray color of the sky just before a storm broke. He had no idea how you could know that was his favorite color or how you even found yarn to match it, but you had. The hat was absolutely perfect. And Castiel didn’t have the faintest idea of how he could thank you properly for it.

#my writing #supernatural x reader #reader insert #female reader #team free will x reader #team free will #sam #dean #cas #jack #sam winchester #dean winchester #castiel #jack kline #fall request #haven writes

59 notes · View notes

aknosde · 4 years

Text

Percy hates his birthday and it breaks everyone’s heart. Lets walk through the day shall we?

He wakes up at 8 (he’s a morning person, fight me.) and he feels empty

he sends a “happy anniversary” text to Annabeth

he lies in bed for two hours staring at the ceiling

he had horrible nightmares all night and he keeps slipping back into them

he takes a shower

at noon Annabeth comes over and finds him sitting in the shower with his clothes on

she makes him get dressed

they have blue pancakes for lunch with the Jackson-Blofis’

then she drives him to camp

the rest of the seven are there, they know it’s his birthday but they don’t really know why most of the greeks are sad

he’s jumpy all day

he’s really still but every sound and movement sets him off

the rest of the seven are like ‘wtf?’ because they’ve never seen him this bad and it’s his birthday

Annabeth asks him permission all day long ‘Can I kiss you?’ ‘Can I hug you?’ ‘Can I hold your hand?’

campers exchange bittersweet birthday wishes with him

he has a minute long hug with Will, then Nico, and even a brief hug with Clarisse

queue more confused seven

the war is briefly mentioned at campfire and then the rest of the seven are like ‘ohhhh’

Rachel hugs him, this was the day he learned about the prophecy of the seven, but the rest don’t know that

after campfire Annabeth brings him down to the beach

The seven + Reyna, Nico, Will, Tyson, grover, Rachel, Thalia and Clarisse are there sitting in a circle

There’s a chocolate cake with blue frosting and ice cream. Leo lights the candles.

Tyson tells Percy that he and Annabeth made it

Percy says that he’s gotten really good

Tyson gives Percy a new watch/shield. Percy doesn’t look at the designs on it just yet because he knows he’ll cry.

half way through eating his first slice of cake he just drops the plate

his hands are shaking

he walks swiftly to the ocean and doesn’t know how long he’s down there

his friends watch the waves churn

20 minutes later he steps out completely dry

he puts his arms around Annabeth’s neck, hugging her.

this is the first time he’s initiated contact all day

he whispers in her ear ‘I want to kiss you.’ and she weaves their fingers together

“Close your eyes.” She tells the group. He doesn’t like kissing in front of other people.

she kisses him, deeply.

“Okay, you can all open your eyes now.”

and no one comments on how he’s sitting closer to her than he has all day, or that they keep whispering to each other, or about how the ocean behaved when he was gone

he’s lighter now, he talks, and jokes along

when the cake and ice cream is gone, he grabs Annabeth’s hand and stands up

‘I’ve got a little treat for ‘Beth, here, if you guys want to follow, you can. But you can’t say a thing, understand?’ He’s using his wolf stare.

he brings Annabeth to the big house and sits at the piano in the corner

“Wait, you know how to...”

He starts playing ‘Swim Until You Love Me’

She’s never heard him sing like this before, his voice is perfect

The rest of his friends are in awe

when he finishes the song Annabeth slips onto the bench next to him

“Happy anniversary ‘Beth.” “You are incredible.” “Ehh.” “I’m the smartest person you know right?” “Yes.” “So you know I’m right.”

she kisses him on the cheek even though he shies away

he turns around to face his friends “I have another one in mind, if Annabeth is open to a duet?”

she tries to protest ‘what songs do I know?’ ‘Oh, you know this one.’

so he starts playing and singing again

“Across the water across the deep blue ocean/ Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying” and he’s staring at her intently

she picks it up with a smile “Boy I hear you in my dreams/ I feel your whisper across the sea”

Their friends are dying in the background as they sync together “I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend/ Lucky to have been where I have been/ Lucky to be coming home again”

and she gets up and dances around a bit as she sings

so Frank takes over piano when Percy finishes the song

and Percy and Annabeth sing the lyrics if they know the song and they dance together

gods, this might be the first time he’s smiled in a week

later that night, in his cabin, he opens the shield, and he cries

and cries and cries

and the nightmares that night are some of his worst ever

he dreams of everyone that has ever died for him, every moment he doubted himself, every time he made a mistake

and at the very end, Beckendorf and Silena appear, and they tell him happy birthday

he wakes up sobbing

#this goes with my 'percy can play piano' hc #sorry to end on a sad note #life really do be like that tho #percy jackson #annabeth chase #pjo #hoo #max.txt

56 notes · View notes

amiandthechaos · 4 years

Link

fire has no shadow, but you have me

Leo is not hiding this personal moment with a mask of light-hearted comments or jokes. So Nico won't shy away from it, either.

"I'm glad you want to come back." He summons courage harder than it takes him to summon an army of skeletons, and he leans his head on Leo's shoulder.

They remain like that for a while, Leo's hand covering his and Nico's head resting on Leo, and Nico had never felt so safe outside of camp and he wonders if it can last.

It starts with a blinding flash of light. And at this point, Nico has seen enough of those to know that it can't be anything good.

And he couldn't be less prepared for it. He was just lying on the grass under the sun, getting more vitamin D on doctor's orders.

And of course, his doctor is right there next to him. Will insists Nico needs more sun, and Nico begrudgingly agrees because at least his skin color is returning to normal and he sleeps better at night. Not well, but better.

He feels warm and drowsy while Will's voice fills the silence by talking about music and bands. Nico hasn't really had time to listen to music in the last… decade. But he appreciates Will's suggestions, however disconcerting they may be.

And then he feels it. The sun's getting hotter, which doesn't make sense since it was supposed to be going down soon, and when he opens his eyes, it's there.

His senses heighten, every nerve suddenly into overdrive, and Will is already on his feet, hauling him up and dragging him away.

But it's too late, Nico thinks. It's coming way too fast.

He still runs, but not for long before the crash is heard. It's not as big as he imagined. It's not Armageddon, it's not the end of the world, but it is something.

Nico spins around, making Will stumble, but he's glad he did because he immediately recognizes something that makes his heart thud painfully.

A bronze wing.

He breaks free from Will's grip and runs back towards the mess of fire that's still burning in a big pile. Will yells out his name but then he and some others are right behind him, slow realization dawning on all the campers.

Even among the flames and smoke, Nico can see the broken-down body of Festus the dragon.

"Where's Leo?" Will asks and Nico was thinking the same thing but with each passing second his heart sinks more and more. Leo's fireproof, his mind supplies, and still the fear that he might have burnt to a crisp seems far more real.

Nico looks around wildly. "Can't anyone summon water?! Where's fucking Percy Jackson when you need him?!"

Everyone seems to click into motion, moving around to help. Nico focuses back on the fire. Perhaps he can make a hole on the earth below and pull Leo out?

He tries to feel the presence and a more sinister thought enters his mind. Maybe he was never alive. Maybe Festus just brought Leo's body here.

The fire is receding a bit, but it's still hard to see beyond the flames and reflective bronze. A moment later, three different people shout to make room. From the right, Chris Rodríguez and a bunch of dryads are bringing in buckets of water from the lake. From the left, Leo's siblings from the Hephaestus cabin are running with Harley at the front, all dressed up in a full metal welding suit that the others are still trying to attach to him.

And then, from very far away there's Paolo Montes waving a hose.

Harley gets there first, and he would have thrown himself on the fire if Nyssa Barrera hadn't stopped him.

"Wait! The suit is not sealed yet!"

And then it came. Nico gasps and almost stumbles backwards with the force of it and everyone looks at him, alarmed.

But Nico's eyes are fixed on the blazing heat.

The metal rumbles and pieces fall to the floor, and from the very center of Festus' belly, Leo Valdez's head pops up, his hair wild and moving along with the flames.

He looks around at the dozens of shocked faces and finally settles for a toothy grin.

"Hello. Bit hot today, no?"

This time Will had to stop Nico from jumping into the fire and slapping Leo in the face.

Nico had been spending some of his time hanging out in the infirmary since Will was there a lot, teaching healing practices to other campers because, in his words 'With the number of dangerous situations demigods get into, the Apollo cabin can't be the only ones who know basic first aid.'

And now he was there a lot because he was in charge of organising the queue to punch Leo and Leo was there getting patched up.

He had never been very close to Leo. At least not the way he was close to Hazel or even Percy at some point. But over their time aboard the Argo II, they had at least shared some kind of kinship a few times, especially when Nico realized how much of a seventh wheel Leo had been feeling, and how similar that was to how Nico himself felt in that ship. An eight wheel, to be precise.

And by Gods, did Nico want to hate him. He was insufferably obnoxious, always cracking stupid jokes, and with no shame whatsoever. Nico's worst nightmare.

Until Nico saw through all that for what it really was; Leo's way of keeping people at bay. Diametrically opposed to Nico's way, but a way nonetheless.

Plus, a few times Nico had walked in on Leo sleeping curled up next to the engine and it was hard to hate him after that.

"What happened to Calypso?" Nico asks one morning after the first shift of punchers. Leo had just finished explaining everything he went through, the physician's cure, the trip to Ogygia, rescuing the forgotten sorceress.

His face reddens somewhat. "I dropped her off inland in Europe. I think it was Croatia. She um… She wanted to see the world."

Nico doesn't want to push it if Leo's reluctant to discuss it but he had imagined that after all of that he and Calypso would be together.

Leo shrugs and then winces as his left shoulder is still injured from the fall. His skin was thankfully all untouched thanks to his abilities but his clothes all turned to ashes. That was the most awkward part of the rescue. "I get it. She was tied to that island for thousands of years, I can't blame her for wanting to be free and not tied to something or someone else now." He sounds sad, but also braver than Nico had ever seen him. "I promised to rescue her and I'm glad I did."

Nico nodded. He raised his hand, planning to pat Leo's shoulder but regretting it at the last second and landing awkwardly on the pillow next to him. "That's the demigod life."

Leo smiles one of his huge smiles and nudges Nico's hand with his shoulder. "That, and catapulting annoying augurs up in the sky. Tell me again how you launched Octavian up to meet me."

Nico rolls his eyes. "I didn't launch him."

Since communication was still down on all fronts, Leo couldn't let anyone at Camp Jupiter know that he hadn't actually died, so he decided to just make the journey.

Him and a few other campers sat at a table trying to figure out the best method to get him there.

"Festus would take at least a month to rebuild again," Leo sighs, genuinely depressed about the topic. "I can't let the others wait that long for Admiral Valdez's resurrection."

Everyone groans. Leo had been bragging for days about how he was basically the modern version of Jesus of Nazareth.

"What about a jetpack? My design is nearly ready!" Harley exclaims excitedly.

Leo ruffles Harley's hair. "Oh Harley, I'd rather let Zeus zoom me halfway across the globe again. I saw your designs and I think fuel tanks like those would send me on my way to an explosion even I couldn't survive."

"You could take a bus?" Kayla says. "Cheaper than an airplane."

"I will take you."

It almost takes Nico a second to realize the words came out of his mouth, especially when they all look at him like that.

"Nico, are you sure that's a good idea?" Will asks, his golden eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I shadow-travelled from Europe with a ten-foot statue and two others. I think I can handle Leo from here to California."

"I feel like that was a jab at my stature," Leo says into the silence.

Nico smirks.

The Hephaestus cabin organized a congratulations-for-not-being-dead/going-away campfire for Leo. Nico usually didn't attend campfires, but Will had dragged him to a couple and this one seemed to be more up his alley, with less corny songs and more people making fun of Leo.

Plus, Pollux had appeared with a few bottles of homemade wine and the results were entertaining.

Will was, no surprise, a very touchy drunk, which made Nico uncomfortable but not as much as he would have thought. He lets Will rest his head on his shoulder when he says that the world is spinning.

Leo chugs more wine and tells another joke and people laugh harder even though it makes no sense, and that's when Sherman Yang decides they've all had too much.

"Okay, let's pack it up, people. Leo has a long day tomorrow and we all have target practice."

Some groan, a few giggle, most don't react and just let themselves be dragged away after patting Leo on the back and wishing him luck.

No one tells Leo to leave, perhaps because after helping defeat Gaia, coming back from the dead, rescuing an unrescuable ancient sorceress and then surviving yet another explosion, no one felt like they had much authority over him.

Will, held by Kayla on one side, turns around to look at Nico. "Are you coming?"

Nico looks over at Leo, who chooses that moment to fall backwards from his log. "I think I'll stay and make sure he doesn't die."

Will smiles crookedly. "Aw, you're taking care of someone. I've taught you well."

"Shut up."

Leo manages to sit up and realizes he and Nico are alone, the fire slowly dying between them. "Are you cold? I can make more fire."

He opens his palms towards the flames but Nico rushes over and stops him. "No no. Don't drink and summon fire. Didn't you see the safety video on your first day here? Dionysus had a whole section about wine safety."

Leo snorts a laugh. "No. When I arrived everything was very rushed. I never met Mr. D"

Nico nods. Leo must have heard that name from Percy. Nico wonders if Percy got the letter they sent telling him that Leo was alive. It was Will's idea to use regular mortal mail, but even being in the same estate as Percy wouldn't guarantee that he'll receive the letter. Strange things happened to demigods' correspondence in the postal service.

"You know, this is the first time I drink wine." Leo waves his plastic cup, stained burgundy.

"Really?" Nico asks. "Not even sips as a kid?"

Leo shakes his head and his curls move with it. "Mexican moms don't really believe in that."

Nico had been drinking wine since he was very young. "I always used to have dinner with my family."

"Maybe that's why you're not drunk."

"Or maybe because I'm not eighty pounds and had ten glasses"

"Hey!" Leo protests and then he is silent as he sizes Nico up with a look that makes Nico wish he could blend in with the shadows. "How are you already taller than me? It's not fair."

That makes Nico smile. "Get used to it, Valdez."

They stay in silence for a while longer, which must be a record coming from Leo. He pulls out a small device from his pocket and starts to tinker with it, not even looking at it. He seems thoughtful, as though he's trying to figure out a different device than the one in his hands.

"I heard something from Drew yesterday," Leo says, a little too quiet to be the start of a joke. Nico's heart starts racing. He knew people would talk, and he knew Leo and all his friends would find out eventually, but he never thought Leo would want to talk to him about it.

He presents Nico with his closed fist as if he wanted Nico to bump it and Nico can only frown.

"This is for telling Percy he isn't your type. What a boss move."

It takes a second, but Nico throws his head back and laughs. The first time he's properly laughed in a long time, but it just takes him completely by surprise that this is what Leo has to say on the subject.

He bumps Leo's fist as his laughter dies down and he shakes his head in disbelief.

Leo can't seem to stop smiling, but in this drunk, lazy way that makes him seem a bit more down to earth.

This isn't a mask, Nico thinks.

Leo sways and his shoulder grazes Nico's. "If it makes you feel any better, I get it. Like, who hasn't thought Percy's hot? Like, objectively, you know? They're tall and conventionally attractive and stupidly heroic-"

"They?" Nico asks, not really wanting to interrupt Leo's tirade but confused by his wording.

"Percy and Jason. Everyone has crushes on them, right? And you kind of want to hate them because like, shit man, you look like that and you fly, and you're ridiculously friendly and like noble and stuff? Just stop it. You know? But you can't hate them because they're really nice to you and they don't deserve it. But it's nothing to be ashamed of, you know?"

Nico blinks a few times, Leo's confession of basically having a crush on Jason in particular, hitting him like an electrical shock that left him short-circuited. If Leo was sober he probably wouldn't have said anything, so Nico wonders if he should feel bad for letting Leo say something so personal in this state of vulnerability.

But he doesn't. Because it's the first time someone tells him they understand him and actually give reasons and examples why, not just an empty attempt at empathy. He hopes Leo doesn't regret telling him this.

"They are so stupidly noble. I hate that," Nico says.

Leo stands up on wobbly legs. "Oh look at me I'm the son of a famous, powerful God and I can control the elements and I have light-colored eyes and a dreamy smile. Who am I?"

Nico has to laugh again because Leo is pulling a full-on performance pretending to fly like Jason or raise the sea like Percy and it makes Nico feel lighter than he has in probably years. He can laugh about it now. He can let it go.

Leo stumbles around the fire and even though he'd be fine if he falls in, it still doesn't seem right to let him, so Nico grabs his arm and pulls him away from the danger zone as they both keep laughing.

They sit back down and their knees knock together and Nico doesn't mind.

"Some of that could also describe you," Leo says breathlessly. "Son of a major God. Powerful."

Nico nudges Leo with his arm in acknowledgement. "And you. You can control the elements." He nods towards the fire.

Leo seems relaxed in a way he hadn't seemed to be since he came back.

They remain like that for a while longer, watching the flames get smaller and sitting in comfortable silence. Nico's favorite kind of silence.

"We should probably get some sleep." Nico hates to be the one to say it, but shadow-travelling really is easier when he's rested.

Damn Will. He got inside Nico's head.

Leo lets Nico help him up and then Nico does something that he only does when someone is injured in battle; he wraps one arm around Leo's waist and helps him walk. Leo throws his arm over Nico's shoulders.

As they walk away from the campfire, Leo sighs happily. "Have you ever noticed that fire doesn't have a shadow?"

Nico was right when he thought that travelling with Leo would be less tiring than the last shadow trip he had done.

That didn't mean it was easier.

"Y'all should've told me we'd be coming here." Leo digs into his plate of ribs, sauce all over his face. "I'd've made some reservations."

Nico sends him a death glare. He's good at those.

Leo had decided to adopt a heavy southern accent ever since they landed in Oklahoma instead of Kansas like Nico had been planning. Nico's ears were going to bleed from over-stimulation.

The food was good, though.

Leo inhales deeply and sighs contentedly. "We're so close to Texas, I can feel it."

"We're always close to Texas. That state is inescapable. I think its gravity drew us off course."

Leo pulls out two wet hand towels from his magic pouch- as Nico has started to call it much to Leo's annoyance- and then he warms them up by heating his hands. He has a much more sophisticated control on his fire abilities than Nico remembered.

Leo hands one to Nico while he himself wipes basically his entire face and arms. "Well, we're here now so let's find a spot to sleep tonight. I hope you like camping, Neeks!"

Nico frowns. "You should know I don't. Also, stop it with the Neeks."

Leo smiles. "You have barbecue on your nose."

Nico groans and wipes it off.

They end up finding a not-so-terrible spot to spend the night, but the heat in this Hades-forsaken place was so insufferable that they decided not to use sleeping bags and instead hang hammocks, of which Leo procured two from his magic pouch.

"Why in the world do you have hammocks on hand?" Nico asks as he unsuccessfully attempts to tie his to a tree.

"Hammocks are an incredible feat of engineering. You need fabric and weaving that are strong enough to hold you but not so tough that it's hard to sleep. It minimises your travelling load while maximising sleeping space, and it works on all surfaces because it precisely keeps you away from surfaces." Leo comes over and ties Nico's hammock for him. "It also keeps you away from snakes."

Nico blinks at him. "You have a lot of feelings about hammocks."

"They are perfect and need to be more appreciated."

"I've never actually slept in one."

Leo's eyes seem to light up with fire. "Oh I can't believe you're a hammock virgin!"

"Please don't call it that."

"This is going to be great. Shed all your preconceived notions right now and prepare for the best sleeping experience of your life."

Nico would hardly call swinging in the air the best sleeping experience of his life, but considering the things he's been through, it also could be far, far worse.

Leo is too delighted with the swinging and even pushes off against the tree with his foot to go even faster, his hands busy with a mechanical box he's been tinkering with since West Virginia. The movement is making Nico slightly dizzy so he lies as still as possible until the soft swaying actually feels nice, and it seems to be lulling him to sleep faster than anticipated.

He's almost gone when Leo speaks into the silence.

"Nico?"

"Mm?" He opens his eyes and turns to see Leo still swinging madly, almost nervously, under the orange light of the lantern he hung on a branch above. Thank the Gods they're on different trees or the movement would rock Nico's hammock as well. He also decided to remove his t-shirt, which is fine by Nico because then all the mosquitoes would get Leo instead of him.

"You're fifteen, right?" Leo asks.

"Last I checked."

Another pause. "How did you, um… how did you know?"

It takes Nico's sleepy brain a bit to process the question but it still doesn't make much sense. "How did I know what?"

Leo keeps his eyes on his box. "You know… how did you know you… liked boys?"

Suddenly Nico is as alert as the day Leo came crashing down above them.

Usually, Nico would say something snarky and then refuse to discuss the matter entirely, possibly adding about a day's worth of brooding and death glares.

But this question seemed to be a lot less about prying into Nico's business and a lot more about something else.

Nico looked away from Leo nonetheless and kept his eyes on the dark canopy above. "It's kind of hard to ignore when you, you know… when you like someone and that someone is, well, a boy."

Leo's swinging sounds less intense. "Sure. I suppose when it's the only kind of attraction that happens to you, you can't really miss it, can you?"

"Nope," Nico confirms. He could see where Leo's mind was at. "But I guess that if someone was attracted to a lot of different people… it'd be harder to recognize."

"I guess so."

Nico thinks of all the things he wished someone had said to him when he was driving himself mad with questions and confusion, and out of everything, the thing that would have meant the most was very simple.

"And it'd be okay. It'd be more than okay, actually, it'd be great."

Nico can't see it, but he can hear the soft exhale that Leo does when he smiles. The rustling and thudding of his magic pouch follow and then the light is turned off.

"Thank you, Neeks."

"I'm going to murder you."

This was the first time in Nico's life that he has managed to leave a camp for more than five minutes without encountering a single being that wanted to kill him. He had been prepared for attacks from the get-go, especially since Leo literally couldn't go two breaths without doing something demigod-like such as warming up their chilaquiles with his bare hands or making weird artefacts appear as if out of thin air.

But this had been the most peaceful trip of his life and it almost felt akin to a vacation. Camping, taking dips in rivers and lakes, eating something different every day (Leo even agreed to go to McDonald's once) and keeping the worrying to a minimum.

It was even nice to be around Leo most of the time. Ever since the other night, he seemed to be making fewer jokes and nervous tinkering than usual. He still did it, because it's part of him, but he seemed more relaxed about it. It wasn't a necessity but a choice.

"What are you going to do once we arrive?" Nico asks one afternoon as they sit on top of a hill and take in the view. They're most likely just a jump away from getting to their destination, and in all honesty, Nico's rested enough that he could manage it that same day.

But he decided to drag this out a bit longer. They stopped just outside of San Francisco at some unknown mountains with enough trees to make it the perfect spot to tie hammocks and, damn it, Nico loves them by now, and he just wants another opportunity to use them while he's still with company. His return trip will be a lot lonelier.

Leo shrugs. "I don't know what Pipes and Jason might be up to. Jason had his plan to make shrines for all the Gods, so I might help him with that. But honestly, I wish they'd come back to Camp Half-Blood."

Nico raises his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Sure. It's the camp me and Piper were meant to be in, all my siblings are there, plus there's the bunker and Festus… I don't want to give it all up."

Nico feels a spark of hope in his chest. Perhaps he won't have to return alone. It's still bittersweet, though, because once Leo rejoins Piper and Jason, things will be different. Piper and Jason are very nice and all, and Nico gets along very well with Jason in particular, but he has a feeling Leo won't be the same with them around.

"And you're there, also," Leo adds.

Nico feels some heat rise to his cheeks and he tries to push it down.

Thankfully, Leo doesn't press it. "What about you? How do you decide which Camp to be in? You were in Camp Jupiter for a while, you have Hazel there, but you're originally Half-Blood and you have Will over there…"

"Will?" Nico asks, surprised that Leo would put him on the same level of importance to Nico as Hazel.

"Well, yes. I assumed you two-"

"Oh, no." Nico must be properly blushing now. "I mean, I don't know. But we're not. He's very nice and I'm glad to have a close friend there but…"

"Well okay, so you'll have two close friends there, then." Leo puts his hand over Nico's and it's the first time they're so purposefully touching like that.

Leo is not hiding this personal moment with a mask of light-hearted comments or jokes. So Nico won't shy away from it, either.

"I'm glad you want to come back." He summons courage harder than it takes him to summon an army of skeletons, and he leans his head on Leo's shoulder.

They remain like that for a while, Leo's hand covering his and Nico's head resting on Leo, and Nico had never felt so safe outside of camp and he wonders if it can last.

It turns out it can last. They manage to make it to Camp Jupiter without a single unpleasant encounter. And just when Nico thought they may break Percy's rule about feeling safe, they cross the gates and they are actually safe. Hazel sees them first. She's in full uniform and looking tiny but powerful as always, and her eyes go wide and shiny like dark gemstones.

She drops everything, her spatha, shield, and a book she'd been carrying and she sprints at them. She crushes Leo in a hug and starts weeping immediately.

"You! How? I was- Jason and Piper- ugh!" Each word is punctuated by a sob and a slap on Leo's chest.

Then there's Frank, who is so surprised that he turns into a ferret by mistake but then seizes the opportunity to climb onto Leo's head and claw at his hair with tiny, shrill yelps.

"I missed you too, buddy," Leo says, only grimacing slightly.

When he's back in human form, the bear hug is so engulfing that Leo almost disappears from sight.

Apparently, Piper and Jason are around somewhere but Hazel and Frank are too busy with their new duties that they can't keep track of them. Hazel summons Arion and writes a note, tying it around his neck.

"If you find Piper or Jason, get them here as soon as possible."

And off he goes.

Hazel spends a while telling Leo how much they looked for him the days after the battle back in Camp-Half Blood, which Nico had already done, but not in so much detail. Especially about the extent to which Jason and Piper in particular had driven themselves mad trying to find him, to the point where after weeks of futile search, Percy and Annabeth had to drag them back to camp and eventually convince them to come to California and get their minds off it.

Of course Nico wanted Leo to know they didn't give up on him, that he was missed, but he didn't want him to feel as guilty as he looks right now.

Other people also greeted them, including Reyna who Nico was glad to see. She was looking healthier than before.

Just as they were about to go to the Fifth Cohort to see if anyone knew about Jason or Piper, a loud zoom fills Nico's ears and a blurry second later, Leo is on the ground, tackled by Piper.

Arion neighs and stomps his front legs down before taking off again.

It takes about two minutes of Piper holding onto Leo and crying "I hate you!" before they can stand up. Leo's eyes and face are red too and he can't stop sniffling.

"Explain. Now," Piper orders him, wiping tears off her face.

"I thought we'd wait for Jason," Leo tells her.

Piper sighs. "He's been so moody lately I can't even tell you when he'd be coming back. He's been hard to read."

"Jason? Moody? Are you sure you're not talking about yourself?"

Piper hits Leo.

And then, it happens again. This time is a whooshing sound that gets progressively louder and Nico barely has time to catch a glance of Jason flying at them at full speed before Leo is lifted off his feet and carried away.

Nico typically refrains from showing any emotion other than annoyance in front of others, but even he can't keep a straight face upon seeing Jason and Leo embracing up in the air, clearly crying and laughing at the same time as Jason slowly lowers them to the ground.

Everyone is at least tearing up by the time they make their way towards them, but Nico is okay with it. He's happy for Leo and he doesn't care who sees. Hazel grabs Nico's hand and he squeezes it.

"So," Leo says with a rough voice. "Ready to hear the Tales of Tio Leo?"

Nico hadn't realized how much he missed this camp, especially Hazel. He wishes he could be with her year-round or at least visit more often. There should be a faster way to get from one camp to the other.

Eventually, though, the time to return was drawing nearer and it was hard to acknowledge it. Nico still didn't know if Leo was coming back or not and he didn't want to ruin his reunion. He was still so happy to be around Piper and Jason.

Nico sits outside at a table after dinner. They all managed to squeeze in a dinner together before their respective duties took them in different directions. Of course, the only ones who didn't have anything to attend to were Nico and Leo, so it isn't a surprise when Leo returns to the table after saying goodbye to the others.

Leo plays with the candles there, lighting them on and then putting them out over and over. "I was wondering…" he begins and for some reason Nico's heart speeds up.

"Yeah?"

He lights the candles again. "Is Nico short for Nicholas? And if it is, can I call you Saint Nicholas?"

Nico kicks him under the table.

"Ow!"

"Is Leo short for Leonardo? And if so, can I call you Da Vinci?" Nico asks, trying to sound as stupid as Leo had.

"Definitely!" Leo answers, a big smile while still rubbing his leg. "Da Vinci works, though I think I look more like a Di Caprio."

"Who?"

"Nevermind."

Leo is still smiling even after a few seconds. "Da Vinci and Di Angelo. We should form a band."

"Over my dead body," Nico says, but he has to really bite back a smile.

Silence ensues and Nico thinks this would be the right moment to tell Leo that he plans to return the next day. He opens his mouth to speak but as it often happens with speaking, Leo beats him to it.

"So when do we leave, Hermano Hamaca?"

Nico is so confused by that last bit that he doesn't even process the first. "What?"

"Hammock Bro," Leo translates.

"Oh." Leo wants to go back with him? "I thought you'd want to stay with them a bit longer."

He shrugs. "Well, you're the shadow-travelling boss, but if it was up to me I could leave tomorrow. Piper and Jason are working on the shrines and they'll be at Camp Half-Blood soon. I can help from there. I'll miss Hazel and the big guy, but I'll see them again. Plus, it'd be nice to see Percy and Annabeth too, if they got the letter."

Nico nods. "Sure. We can leave tomorrow." He doesn't let it show how happy he is not to be travelling alone, but he still hopes Leo can see it a little bit.

"Hey," Leo puts out a candle with his right hand and lights up another with his left. "Thank you for bringing me here. I know it's a long road trip for something that could have been a phone call in normal circumstances. But even if I could have contacted them somehow, I think I needed to come. See them for myself. So, thank you."

Nico does smile then. "You're welcome. I know I would have liked to see you in person if you hadn't almost killed me on impact when you arrived."

"It's settled, then. We leave tomorrow. Maybe we can stop in Houston this time? I'll show you my mom's old repair garage and the best gorditas you'll ever have in your life."

"Sure," Nico agrees. It might take them a bit longer but it's not as if they have anything else to do. No prophecies to fulfill, no quests to carry out, no world-destruction to stop.

Leo puts his hand over Nico's again and this time Nico turns his hand over and laces their fingers together. Leo's hand is downright hot from playing with the candles so much, but Nico thinks it's nice.

As the candlelight dances in the wind along with Leo's hair, Nico realizes that even though he has always felt safest in the shadows, fire is not too bad either.

#nico di angelo #leo valdez #valdangelo #leico #hoo #pjo #it's both romantic and platonic #your choice #i just want them to be happy #so it's all fluff there's no danger or angst #they deserve it

25 notes · View notes