scarredantihero (scarredantihero) wrote in thearenas, @ 2013-12-15 17:12:00 |
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wasatree Thalia used to hate the snow. Then again, when you were on the street wearing nothing but worn-out sneakers and threadbare clothes, there wasn’t anything to like about it. It was cold and wet, which made sleeping in doorways that much more uncomfortable, and she didn’t even get to enjoy how white and pristine it made everything look. By the time it got to the alleys where she and Luke and Annabeth hid out, it was dirty and slushy. It had taken a winter of hunting with Artemis to get her to start liking it. Then again, it was much easier to like snow when it was fresh and white, and she got to sleep in a warm tent and under even warmer blankets afterwards. Now, she could actually be a little excited when she looked out of her bedroom window to see the fat, white flakes come falling past. She bundled herself up in her parka and pulled on her gloves and a toque, then went outside and whistled. The large grey wolf that the aliens had brought over for her last Christmas bounded up, huffing puffs of air. “C’mon, Shadow,” she told the wolf. “We’re going for a run.” scarredantihero Luke liked the winter, at least the first few years he could remember. It was when his mother was still sane, and she taught him how to make snow angels and gave him hot cocoa on cold days. Then everything changed, and it took his enjoyment of the season with it. He got a little better about it during the years at camp, since there were other kids without families who got left behind during the holidays. Sometimes they pretended to have a good time and managed to fool themselves into enjoying it. A lot of the time they shared in the loneliness, which was a small comfort but one they embraced. The Greeks didn't celebrate Christmas, but there was a festive winter solstice celebration. Dionysis in particular loved that one. This was his first winter without a war going on, so maybe Luke was getting in the spirit a little bit. He laughed when Annabeth and the others started a snowball war. He managed to dodge the snowballs and throw a few back, before heading home afterward. He considered gifts, it was a giving holiday, and now he had a job and could actually spend money. Usually he would've just stolen it, but whatever, Luke was trying this new 'going legit' thing and sticking with it so far. He was coming back from the shops with a few bags in hand when he stopped by the beach. It wasn't that long ago he was there and almost got killed by some damn sirens in the water. Violet saved him and they managed to stop everyone else too. It was funny to think he ended up in a whole different world and almost died by a Greek monster all the same. It was chilly out but Luke stood for a minute and looked out at the water, lost in thought. wasatree Thalia didn't know how long she and Shadow ran; certainly enough that even she, with her demigod and Hunter talents, was out of breath by the time they got to the beach. There, she let Shadow play in the surf while she took off her coat and turned her face up to the falling snow. She stuck out her tongue to catch some snowflakes, and then she laughed a little at herself and the silliness of the action. It was then that she noticed the lone figure further down the beach: Luke. She could pick him out from anywhere. He looked to be lost in thought, and would probably be best left alone, but Thalia's judgement had always been iffy where he was concerned. And given how distracted he was, she couldn't pass up the opportunity presented to her. So she quietly reached down for a handful of snow, packed it into a tight ball, and threw it at him. Yay, Hunter's aim. scarredantihero Usually he had a sixth sense about people around him, it was the natural suspicion and heightened senses, but his defenses were down. The perfect time for her to strike! Luke was hit squarely in the back of the head, and he whirled, his hands still firmly holding the bags. He would've ordinarily gone for a weapon, but since he felt the strike and it went away quickly, followed by the sensation of cold in his hair, he picked up quickly on what happened. At first he assumed it was Annabeth, so he was smiling, but his smile frozen when he recognized her. Also from a distance, he'd know her anywhere. The snowball was a good sign. It was playful. He walked over to meet her, putting the bags partly behind his back. There was something for her in there. "Is that how you say hello now?" Luke shook his head since there was still a little snow in it. Blue eyes darted in the direction of the wolf, and then returned to her. "It's pretty cold for a long dog … wolf … walk." wasatree "It's pretty cold for brooding on the beach," Thalia replied, wiping her hands dry on the side of her track pants. Though she was still warm from her run, she slid her coat back on. Luke's presence made her restless; she wanted to do something, not just stand around - especially when she hadn't thought as far as to what she would actually say or do once she'd gotten his attention. She nodded in the direction of his bags. "Gone shopping?" scarredantihero "Actually, brooding goes well with the cold. It adds an extra layer of depressing." Luke smiled and was about to suggest she put on her coat, but she went ahead and did that on her own. It was for the best, if he mentioned it, she'd probably refuse just because. It was instinct for him to want to protect her, even after all this time, and knowing she was fully capable of protecting herself. And often kicking his ass too. "Yeah, it's a holiday, didn't you know? But, uh, don't look." Luke wasn't sure how much of it would show through the bag, but he figured probably not enough. "Annabeth got me sucked into a snowball fight the other day. You both are trying to get me sick, aren't you? It's a conspiracy." Demigods didn't get sick the way humans did, but that was besides the point. He was trying to tease. wasatree Luke was right about one thing: asking Thalia to do something usually meant that she was going to do the opposite - which meant that she was suddenly very interested in the contents of his bags. “Are you kidding?” she asked, as she tried to peer around him to take a peek into the bags. “You’re the whiniest sick person ever. No way are we risking having you lie around sniffling about how miserable you are. What’s in the bags?” scarredantihero "Hey, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a lie. There could be illnesses around here we never knew about. I fully expect you both to hold my hand." Luke grinned at her, mostly because he liked annoying her. At least in this way, when they were joking, or attempting to joke together like they used to. This was more light hearted and he couldn't get enough of this. Luke rolled his eyes when she tried to peek at them, moving away so she couldn't. "Oh I don't know, it's the holiday season, I have a bag I'm trying to hide from you, what could it possibly be?" He was a little nervous about admitting he got her something, because it was hard to know if she'd take it well or not. They were still so careful about how they dealt with each other. He was hesitant to take too many steps forward. wasatree For Thalia, teasing him came easily. She’d had so many years of practice doing it, and keeping it light meant that she didn’t have to think about the fact that he’d thought enough about her to buy her a present, or remember how much the simplest birthday or Christmas present meant when they were homeless and penniless and constantly on the run. She could hide behind jokes and snowballs and not let him see that having him stand so close was bringing up feelings that she’d thought she’d lost long ago. “Yeah, good luck trying to convince either of us to nurse you if you get the plague,” she told him, continuing to keep it light. “Although if you get me a really good present, maaaybe.” scarredantihero "I'd like to point out I already should get a gold star because I bought something instead of stealing it." He still stole sometimes. It was his nature. He went for small things though, the type that wouldn't be missed, and it kept him in practice. He occasionally stole a wallet only to put it back, to see if he could do it. But he stole a few lighters, hats, gloves, and figured that was enough to keep his greedier skills at bay. Luke had a job now, and he took it seriously. He bought gifts instead of stealing them. He was growing up, or at least it was a work in progress. The surprising thing was he ended up liking it. If he sat around with nothing to do, he'd probably go crazy. "Don't worry, I don't expect anything. You could always go with an old classic and get me food that wasn't in a trashcan." He joked about their years on the run, because that's how they dealt with it. They survived. It was all that mattered. wasatree It did the trick. Thalia laughed and looked away briefly before turning back to him. "I might be able to do just a little better than that," she said, although until just them she hadn't been sure if they were at the present exchanging stage. Things were so strange between them now, even when they were joking with each other. They'd watched each other's backs now on several arenas, but while Thalia was at the point where she'd trust him with her life, she wasn't anywhere ready to trust him with her emotions. And yet, she wasn't quite ready to let the conversation come to its natural end either." "So." She slid her hands into her pockets. "You're all legit now. That's kinda cool." scarredantihero Fighting together was easier. They didn't have to talk about real things. They had each other's backs, and at least now she was starting to trust him again with it. So that was a big step, but at the same time, they hadn't needed to confront their issues head on. Luke didn't know how to start it really. This truce worked. The gift at least was another step up. They were both sort of circling each other, seeing what could be added on. He was desperate to get back their connection, so far he wasn't disappointed. "Yeah?" Luke smiled and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "I wasn't sure if you did, since you seemed surprised on the network." The internet was difficult with reading tone. "I like it so far. I even get along with my boss." Luke's relationship with authority figures wasn't usually good. "I guess I'm starting to settle in here. What about you?" wasatree “Yeah, well, legit’s never been our thing.” Him more than even her. Out of the three of them, Annabeth was the one who liked rules most, but even she wasn’t a stickler for them. It was hard to be, when they were out on the streets. Thalia herself had a healthy disregard for rules and anything involving a legitimate job, but it was Luke who thrived most on breaking the rules, pulling a quick one over people, or getting away with things he shouldn’t. To be honest, it was one of the things Thalia had liked so much about him. There was nothing like that cocky smirk he got when he’d just gotten away with some mischief that made her heart beat faster and her knees go weak. That was a long time ago, though, and they were very different people now - as evidenced by his dedication to keeping his job. It was a good thing, though, in the long run. Having a job would give him structure and stability, and control over his own life. It was largely due to that lack of control that made him strike out at the world back then. This was healthier, and would be much less likely to lead to actions such as world destruction. “It’s cool though,” she continued. “You know, not that you need my approval or anything. Me...I guess I’m settling in. I hunt game for the butchers; they pay me for what I bring in. It’s a living.” scarredantihero "I know, it's a change of life. It helps that I work for a bar." Luke shrugged. "There's still plenty of troublemakers that come in, sometimes I double as a bouncer." That meant occasionally he got to blow off some steam. When he first came in there, they thought he'd never last. He looked like he could hold his own, but the customers could be very dangerous and burly warriors. When the boss figured out how easily Luke dispatched people who thought they were bigger and stronger, he got a whole new level of importance. "Still the huntress, just a different type of one." It was a difficult word for him, considering what it meant for the two of them. The huntress. Promised to Artemis, and never to be his again. Luke thought for years about what would have happened if Thalia never 'died.' It fueled his anger and obsession. Now he dealt better in reality. No more grandiose ideas. "I bet people are going to need you a lot more in the winter." He ducked his head a little and smiled at her, taking a step closer. "I'm going to get you back for that snowball," he told her in a low voice, teasing. Maybe flirting, although he wouldn't admit to that one. wasatree Okay, so she was wrong: it wasn’t just that arrogant smirk that got her heart a-beating; that lowered voice, so full of promise, and the gleam in his eyes did it just as effectively. But Thalia was a Hunter now; she couldn’t be with any man, which meant she shouldn’t be affected by a pretty smile and a knowing look. Hah. Maybe she might remember that once she remembered how to breathe. “Yeah?” She lifted her chin and tried to look like she wasn’t at all worried, though her voice, too, lowered a pitch. “What’re you gonna do about it?” scarredantihero Well that was a bad idea. Because Luke was playing, and now she tipped her head back and she was challenging him. And all he could think about was how beautiful she was. It hit him like a brick to the head, sending him into a dazed spiral. Vivid blue eyes changed through a variety of emotions, but he managed to shield them over before she could look too deeply into it. He was a thief. He was a liar and a troublemaker. Luke was actively trying to get better, but it was still there, it wasn't forgotten. Neither did he forget what it was like to be close to her, to basically feel like one person. Be better, be better, be better. He told himself. But he wasn't better. Whoops. It was a process? He dropped the bags behind him, his hand touching her cheek gently, and then he kissed her. Because there was no better answer for what Luke Castellan was going to do on any given day. It was one of the dumber things he did, considering they'd only just starting to make progress, but at that moment he didn't really care. Impulsive and impudent, a Son of Hermes. wasatree A long time ago, before everything had gone sideways, Thalia had given a lot of thought about kissing him. She thought about it when he smiled at her; she thought about it when they were curled up in the same sleeping bag trying to keep each other warm. She thought of a million different ways she could kiss him: under the boardwalk of Atlantic City, with his lips still tasting of cotton candy; after they'd outrun another monster, when adrenaline was still surging in their blood; just to shut him up when he was being insufferably smug about something or another. Each time, though, she imagined their kiss to be sweet and wonderful. This surpassed all her expectations. His lips were cold but the kiss was warm, and so amazing that she forgot that she was a Hunter, forgot that she was still wary about him over his betrayal, forgot about everything except his hand on her cheek and his lips on hers, and she kissed him back with all the desire and frustration and emotion that had been building up since she was twelve. For the first time in years, she felt like she'd come home. And then somewhere, sounding far away, Shadow barked. The sound brought her back to her senses, and her eyes flew open as she shoved herself back, so confused and mortified that she could only sputter incoherently. She had no idea what had come over her, or what to say. So she did the only thing she could think of: she drew back her fist and punched him in the face. scarredantihero Luke knew Thalia, and due to that he was not in the least bit surprised that she would follow up a kiss like that with a punch. So usually he would be prepared for it, but he was understandably distracted by having the most intense kiss of his life. Luke was no innocent flower; he was handsome and charming, at least before everything went wrong. He had a few flings. It was common in the camp sometimes, although they tried not to let it become a drama, but Greeks and drama went hand in hand. He kissed several women, but he'd never kissed Thalia, and that changed everything. He wasn't entirely expecting the heat of her response, and it filled him with relief and desire and for a moment, pure happiness. She was kissing him back, which only spurred him on to throw his all into it. Luke was only a moment away from wrapping an arm around her and deepening it further, when she pushed back abruptly. He was reeling from it, from what he was feeling, and how perfect it was. His defenses were down because of the kiss and that was why, despite knowing she was the type to punch him, he wasn't ready to defend himself. Instead he saw her expression and he started to talk, maybe to explain himself, maybe to apologize, maybe to not apologize at all and tell her so much more. All he got out was "Thal ---" before she punched him. She could pack a wallop too, so he stumbled back a step, managing to catch himself. Damn that was going to sting. Not as much as the look on her face though. Luke thought about what to say, in this moment. What he should as opposed to what he wanted to. And he'd already done something he wanted to, so why stop now? "I'm not sorry," he told her firmly. "I should've done that years ago." No guilt or regret in him. Pure defiance and daring. wasatree It would have been easier if he had apologized. If he had, then she could yell at him or try to punch him again, and then declare it a big mistake that wasn't going to happen, and they could go and be even more awkward around each other. She didn't want more awkwardness, but at least she'd know what to do. His defiant statement left her floundering, however. It was thrown out almost as a challenge, daring her to make him sorry or own up to the same feelings or even grab the front of his shirt and yank him down for another mindblowimg kiss. She couldn't, though. She couldn't admit that she liked it, or as for another one, because even if things were okay between them - which they were very much not - she was a Hunter, and what they just did could've gotten them both turned into chipmunks if Artemis ever found out. She couldn't do what she wanted, and she couldn't think if anything witty to say so she could hide behind a joke again...so she lied through her teeth. "I am," she told him. "I thought about this a long time ago, but I see I haven't missed much." scarredantihero And it was a terrible lie. Luke gave her a withering look, one that cut right through that BS and served it back to her. "You and I both know that kiss was perfect, and we want to do it again." As many times as she'd pretty much allow at this point, was his line of thought. He hadn't really gotten together with anyone since arriving, too busy adjusting to the world and wallowing in his mistakes. And winning back Annabeth and Thalia's favor, which he'd clearly screwed up now. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. "I'm not sorry, I never made it much of a secret how I felt about you." Or at least in Luke's opinion it was obvious. Maybe he never said it outright and told her as much, but it was there, simmering around the edges. He just figured she ignored it. That was why he took her joining Artemis as a double sucker punch. Not just because it removed her as the child of prophecy, but meant she gave up on him. "But whatever. I get it. I won't do it again." wasatree Damn it, he'd always been able to see right through her, and time and death hadn't changed that. They'd shared the same mind half the time, and if Thalia were the romantic type, she'd be inclined to say that they shared a soul, too. But even if they did, it was all in the past now. He hadn't been as obvious as he thought about revealing his feelings, but Thalia had kept hers to herself too. And now it was too late. "Maybe if you'd made it less of a secret on Mount Tam instead of...you know, trying to kill me, we wouldn't be here now," she said in a low voice. Yes, it kept going back to that. Thalia knew he had changed now - she really believed it - but they were all still living with the consequences of his choice, including the part where she'd joined the Hunters. And because of that, she couldn't go and kiss him again, no matter how much she yearned to. scarredantihero Luke's jaw tightened at that, teeth gritted, and it took a lot of strength to ease the tension and take a deep breath. "I can't change what happened. If you think we're never going to get past that, either as just friends or anything else, I'd like to know now." He thought they were doing better, but then he had to go and mess it up. He was best at that. Still, he was holding onto hope that given enough time, she would forgive him and wouldn't constantly throw his bad choices in his face. "I took, I am taking, the consequences for my choices. I am sorry about Mount Tam. I thought asking you to join me was a sign of how much I couldn't let you go. I also helped save you, I wanted them to use the fleece, I wanted you back." But he couldn't do it on his own anymore. He burned his bridges and the ground around him, and could only attempt to manipulate things from behind the scenes. Luke sincerely believed at the time she'd understand if he explained. "She's not here. We're here. Our choices aren't dictated by back there. It's just not." He meant Artemis of course. She wasn't in charge. Which, you know, he was glad for, because uhhh he'd be in a lot of danger right now. wasatree “I want to get past that,” Thalia said, her voice pained. It was perhaps because of that, or maybe because she was too distracted by their kiss, that she made her next admission. “I’ve missed you, so much. You don’t even know.” She remembered that he asked her to join him, and she remembered that for one terrifying, soul-shaking moment, she wanted to. She couldn’t let him go either, even when she’d gone and joined the Hunters. Part of the reason she’d joined the Hunters was because of him - because she’d given up any hope that he’d come back to her. And now he was here, and the Hunters were not, and he was trying to talk her into another grand adventure like he used to, and Thalia’s heart and head were pulling her in two completely different directions. scarredantihero "You don't need to miss me, I'm right here." Luke stepped forward, but he didn't do anything suggestive or go for another kiss. Instead he just put an arm on her shoulder, gently. "I missed you. You don't even know." He echoed it back, because it was true. She was a tree. He spent years without her, years where he grew angrier and more bitter. And that tree stood nearby, both a reminder of the girl he loved, and of how harsh his life ended up. "I'm not going to push this. We still need to get to a place where you're past what I did for real." Not to mention where she was ready to accept her life here didn't include Artemis or that promise anymore. Luke felt calm, all of a sudden, like it seemed to click what he was supposed to do. The right thing, it didn't come easily to him. But he felt like this was the right thing. "I can wait." Maybe he couldn't, who knew how long they could be there. If one of them was sent back. But for her to get her head on straight and decide what she wanted? That was something he'd have to wait for. He dropped his arm and went to pick up his bags instead. "Can I walk you back? Still no peeking." Just like that, trying to get them to where they were before, because he didn't want to lose it. This was more of a ... pause. wasatree If he'd kissed her again, Thalia didn't think she'd be able to push away this time. Even when he stepped forward, she could feel herself tipping her head back, lifting her face to his. She was actually disappointed when he didn't kiss her - which only left her more confused. She was a Hunter. There could be no waiting for anything. She was bound to her Oath of Maidenhood immortal life, until she fell in battle...or fell in love. "I...I need to finish my run," she said, not sounding as certain about it as she should. She did want to walk back with him and spend more time with him, but it was probably smarter to just take some time and try to clear her head a bit. Gods knew she hadn't been very smart up until now. "I'll see you back in town." Without waiting for an answer, she took a step back, still watching him, and another, and another, then finally turned and ran. |