pure intentions

✂︎

“Oh, you don’t have to…” She trailed off. She had only been asking for him to pass her the bottles, but if he was going to mix her a drink, she wasn’t about to say no. She didn’t make a move to stop him, instead resting back against the cushions and letting him do the work for her, just the way she liked it. When he handed her the cup and tapped it against hers, she only scowled for a half a second before saying, “Cheers,” back. “Thanks. I appreciate it. I’m not usually into like, making friends at a party with strangers and stuff. Although, I guess you’re not really a stranger, so that helps.”

                EVEN IF SHE WOULD’VE told him he didn’t have to make a new drink for her, he would’ve done it anyways. that’s just how he had always been, always jumping at the chance to help others, no matter how small the task. maybe it was that dying need to impress people and show his worth, maybe it was because he was just a nice guy, either way she was getting a drink. no protest was made upon his cheers, breathing out a sigh of relief as he took a large swig of his own drink, “dio parties can be a lot but, you can always come talk to me, any family of rostam is good in my book...despite y’alls whole, thing or whatever.” he knew they didn’t get along, hearing rostam upset about stuff she had done, but he hadn’t had any problems himself with her. “so, are you trying to get trashed or-” pausing, he caught sight of virginia in the distance, which he should’ve expected given this was her house and all. but it was enough to stop him mid sentence as he moved to kind of hide behind a pillow, nearly spilling his drink before she disappeared. 

virginia: theo, no.

virginia: please, talk to me.

virginia: i'm sorry, i just don't know what to say except that? but we both know those words hold very little meaning right now. but i am, i am sorry.

virginia: i should have told you i was leaving, i just didn't want to ruin things.

virginia: you don't think i care? theo, the only reason i left was because i care. none of what i've done has been fair to you and staying, pretending everything was fine, that wouldn't have been right. do you know how nice it would have been to actually stay? you don't think i wanted to?

virginia: t, please. don't.

virginia: [ message read ]

teddy: wow, amazing. real great conversation skills.

teddy: but then again, i guess i should've expected that by now.

teddy: i really thought you had changed, that you like MAYBE might've cared just a little but cool. awesome, good to know.

teddy: so i guess "im getting something to drink" stood for im leaving...

teddy: im such a fucking idiot lol

teddy: hey, maybe next time you decide to fuck me on my birthday, maybe you can just give me a heads up that you're also going to fuck me OVER in the same time frame.

✂︎

The thought of Rostam actually smiling seemed like a foreign concept, but then again, it wasn’t like she spent much time trying to do anything besides make his life miserable, so she really wouldn’t know. “Yeah, I’ve never seen it, but I’ll take your word for it. Like people who say they’ve seen Bigfoot and stuff.” She was about to take the new drink from his hands, but thought better of it. If she was going to play nice, she should probably use her words. “Uh, can I –” She waved a hand at the bottles on the coffee table in front of Teddy, right out of her reach. “Please?” She pushed back the grimace at being forced to be polite. “Hey, thanks. Don’t get used to it. I think that used up my entire reservoir of nice-ness for the next year. Come back in 2022 and I’ll try again.”

          THERE’S A SMILE NOW that spreads across his face at the words that leave laurel now, nodding his head in agreement, “well, you know there have been multiple sightings of bigfoot that have been proven to be true. it’s just a human with a lot of body hair, it’s like a condition and-” his mouth snaps shut, because he knew he certainly wasn’t helping his case in being rather easy prey to pick on. so instead, he slams back the rest of his drink and clears his throat, “ignore everything i just said, please.” he mutters, rolling storng shoulders back before brows raise as she motioned to the bottles, “oh yeah, of course!” and now he’s leaning forward to mix her another drink, any family of rostam was family to him, and even if this wasn’t his party...he still wanted to make sure she had a good time. “i’ll savor what i got, don’t worry, here you go.” he assured her as he handed her drink over, making one more for himself as he felt the ease of alcohol start to warm him up, “cheers to...new friends?” teddy offers, although he knows she could reject it, and he touches the rim of his cup to her own before she can protest.

✂︎

The more she spoke to Teddy, sized him up from her side of the couch, the more Laurel got a feel for him. He seemed harmless enough. Some might even find that dopey, wide-eyed expression sweet. She didn’t have much of a taste for sweet things. “Trust me, Rostam’s been in an emo phase for ten years. We both deserve an apology for dealing with him.” She tilted her head to the side; one hand came up to brush through her hair, twisting a lock around her fingers as she studied him. No, not her type, but good enough to keep her entertained at least. “I guess that can be a compliment if you want it to be? I’m not really good at giving them. I don’t do it a lot. But you’re not totally disgusting to look at, and from what I remember, you were always pretty nice. How’d I do?”

HE’D ALWAYS BEEN THE guy people felt like they could talk to, very friendly, very approachable in the warmth of his smile. apparently it even showed to someone like laurel who seemed very....particular with who she spent time with. “i don’t mind, sometimes he smiles and it’s really nice!” bad mouthing rostam was something that would never happen from teddy, always rallying behind his friends and boosting him up, so he just shrugged with a little smile on his own lips. as she tried her best to compliment him, it was certainly forced, but he could give her credit for a least trying. “you did....you did your best! and that’s all that counts right?” he offered her with nothing short of the kind smile spreading across his lips, shrugging as he put a hand on his chest, “im honored you tried, truly.”

it takes her a second to realize where she’s at . the blissful slumber that hit her causing her to forget where she was at. she feels at peace which is a first, rarely being able to sleep at night. though, it’s then that she figures out why — teddy. her head’s nestled on his chest, an arm wrapped around him, as she can feel his chest rise and fall with every breath. it was almost funny how despite the time that had past between them, he still made her feel so at ease. a small smile curving on her lips as she lets herself enjoy her surroundings, at least for a moment before pulling away. propping herself up with her elbow, she lets another beat pass. a hand instinctively reaching out to run through his messy hair. she’s trying to immortalize this moment. store it in the back of her mind with the rest of the happy memories they shared. her heart dropping knowing that there wasn’t really anything sweet about what had just happened. it was cruel. it wasn’t fair. yet how could something that feel so good be so wrong? there’s a part of her that wants to fall back into his arms, to let herself be selfishly happy for as long as the moment could last. except it wasn’t right and she knew that. she’d already caused enough damage, she needed to go. it feels like forever before she finally leaves his bed. eyes scanning the dark room to find her discarded clothes. a struggle of it’s own as she’s finally able to put back on at least most of what she came in wearing. it’s her missing shoe that gives her away as she clumsily bumps into the corner of his bed as she’s trying to put it back on. a small cry leaving her lips though she’s such the force of her hitting his bed frame was enough to wake him up. hazel eyes turn toward him, demeanor remaining calm though she’s already planning her next move.

“ mhm, i’m the same way. it’s why i spend all my time in the infirmary. it’s the one place my brain seems to slow down. ” she smiled. when she wasn’t working it wasn’t a secret that she was jumping from one activity to the next. she had been like that since a young kid. her teachers would often say that she had potential if only she would stop talking but it would never happen. “ i’m glad you get it. ” she smiled. “ oh really ? it’s probably my favorite power. i’ve never been the best at combat other than archery but i know i can still help people with it. ” she said brushing a piece of hair out of her face with a sift motion.   “ oh, um, thank you, ” ella spoke quickly as she took back the papers and stood to her full height attempting to hide the redness that was forming on her cheeks. “ you know, you’d think being the daughter of the literal god of music would give me confidence in my abilities but no. singing in front of others is like my biggest fear. it’s just ironic… ” the brunette said letting her voice trail off realizing the other did not ask for the details. it was common occurrence for ella to find herself rambling when she got nervous. “ sorry, you totally didn’t ask, ” she said trying to laugh it off. “ yeah, i guess. though, i’m still thankful. ” she smiled kindly. “  okay, i think you’ve heard me ramble enough. tell me who’s your parent or what sports do you do ? or really just anything to spare you from more time spent listening to my pointless talking. ” she said with a small laugh.

—— it feels all too predictable, at this point, for her peaceful times to be interrupted by someone else at the school. her first assumption is that he must be one of the water kids, whoever their ‘ godly parent ’ was and she huffs quietly to herself. and at his initial reaction, she shoots the boy an unimpressed, knowing look, no way was she in the mood to repeat herself for him. she squints at him with slight confusion as he covers himself, holding back any chance of a smile to the best of her ability. “ guess i’ll save those for when i’m seriously strapped for cash, ” she quips, looking at her camera screen as if it had taken pictures of him. “ yeah it’s whatever. thanks, yeah, the scenery here seems to be one of the few plus sides of this place. ”

— THEO &&. NELL.

prior to her arrival at eonia university, nell was more than a quiet, shy and observant individual. she actually used her voice, she was loud and opinionated which was probably hard to picture when greeted with such a timid persona. she hadn’t yet opened up to anyone at eonia, she was still holding things close to her chest and refused to let them burden others. “uh, you could say that.” she nodded, again briefly smiling to accompany her response. “i would consider myself a bad person if i didn’t share the beauty of this place with others.” she explained, gaze falling across the view which was in front of them. a light sigh rolling out of her mouth as her shoulders relaxed a little. “guess.” she answered, she was sure it was pretty obvious where she was from considering the strength of her accent but then again, he could be like her and be awful at accent location. “so you’re from new york? that’s pretty cool. i’ve been there a few times, i don’t remember much of it though.” she recalled, gaze still fixated on the ripples of the water. 

✂︎

“Oh. Gross. I’m sorry.” Laurel couldn’t imagine the kind of deep psychological damage that had to occur for someone to willingly admit that they were close friends with Rostam, but Teddy was almost certainly displaying signs of severe mental scarring with that confession. She suspected TBI; he looked like the brainless football player type. Maybe a couple monsters had clocked him on the dome and scrambled his eggs one too many times. “It wasn’t a compliment,” she clarified. “Just an observation. I would have expected you to change at least a little, but you’re still basically the same. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. You were always one of the hot guys, for people who like that type.” That type being men.

              HIS BROWS AUTOMATICALLY shot up when she apologized upon hearing his friendship with rostam, although he knew fairly well that she knew of their closeness, “i mean, i don’t know if it’s necessarly a need for apologizes but, it’s okay?” teddy offered as he leaned back into the couch now that he had a fresh drink, taking a hefty swig as he rubbed his lips together while the alcohol went down, “right, ‘course not.” it was about on par due to his recent luck, first an ex of his literally disappearing after her kissed her. and more recently with virginia leaving in the middle the night after their mistake of a hook up, it seemed like no one ever really stuck around. “uh, was that a compliment? you’re sort of confusin’.” and really intimidating, enough to make him chug down more of his drink, head falling to the side, “either way, i guess i’ve always thought if something isn’t broke don’t try to fix it...or change it, in this case?”

𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: by lake cleito

—– with no classes for the time being to worry about, juniper takes refuge by lake cleito with her camera. it’s an unusually peaceful moment for the girl, and she intends to keep it that way as long as possible. less than happy thoughts about her mom, her dad and whole demigod world seeping to the back of her mind while she sets up her tripod for a serene landscape shot of the lake. she moves to adjust the camera settings before noticing someone standing in the line of her camera. “ seriously !? ” juniper groans at the person, gesturing to her camera set up. “ you’re standing right in front of the camera so, like, you mind moving or are you just gonna keep blocking my shot ? ”

ღ

she made her bed , she had to lay in it — that was the reminder her that got her through their breakup when all she wanted to do was run back to him. when it took everything in her not to pick up the phone and call him or show up at his doorstep on christmas morning. she had played out the conversation in her head time and time again until it led up to her leaving but none of it ever felt as heartbreaking as it did now. actually hearing what he had to say, having the conversation she swore she’d never have with him, it all hurt different. it made it so much more real in a way she couldn’t even wrap her head about. a shaky sigh leaves her lips, words escaping her knowing there’s absolutely nothing she can say to fix things. everything she had inflicted on him was unforgivable but it didn’t stop her from needing him to say all would be okay. she needs him, just like she always has and always will, but what the hell is she suppose to do to make it all magically better? the subject of his family proving to be a blessing in disguise as things feel a little lighter, a mere distraction but one she welcomed with open arms. “wow, it sounds like they’re during amazing. i bet derek has a bunch of fun stories he comes home with?” she smiles. her tone grows softer, more cautious, afraid that one wrong word and things will shatter. they’re walking on eggshells and all she can do is try to shift his attention to something that won’t break him any further. “of course, it’s izzy we’re talking about.”

the air shifts around them once again and all virginia can do is hold onto the impulsively bad decision that ended with her lips on his. a contradiction of emotions running through her body, every fiber in her telling her it wasn’t right or fair. she had already let him go once why was she trying to tangle him in again? the answer was obvious though it was one she wasn’t allowing herself to process. instead, she pressed herself closer to him as she felt his hand on his waist, not refusing to let go and face the obvious. mind reverting to a state of denial, concluding how words had gotten her nowhere. which left her with only her actions, a selfish decision but feverish lips pressed onto each other has her focused on only her interests. how is she suppose to let go when it all felt so right? the fear of him slipping through her fingers thanks to all the lies and pain she caused being imminent. is she pulls away, is that it between them? no, it couldn’t be. they’ve been through so much together, he’d been her first in so many ways that virginia refuses to let that fear settle in her mind. instead, she follows as he pulls her along. any and all consequence be damned, she wasn’t about to let go of the first boy she ever loved.

          AT THIS POINT, IT almost feels as if a weight had been lifted off his broad shoulders, all the words he’d wanted to say that had been building up inside of him came tumbling down like a tower. some sort of closure, in some sense, even if it was muddled with confusion. small talk about his family, something so comforting, littered in the midst of tears and confessions. it somehow fit, they somehow made it work, and it was only proof that in some sense they were meant to be a part of one another’s life’s. maybe not as lovers, but teddy knew that no matter what, virginia was always going to be a part of him. a shareholder in his massive heart, she stamped her name in permanent ink. kissing her was vaguely familiar at first until it barreled through him like an inferno, memories and hormones hitting him like a semi-truck. it only caused him to pull her closer, the need to be like this overwhelming any common sense he may have had left in him (which, to be fair, wasn’t a lot to begin with). teddy didn’t want to break apart, he didn’t want to think about if this was a good decision or not, he just wanted her...no, he needed her. that missing piece fitting back perfect as her lips pushed to his in a fire that he didn’t even know still lived inside of him, “fuck, i missed you.” he whispered against her lips, because it was the truth, unfiltered as it left his mouth and he used the hands on her waist to pull at her shirt and only momentarily leave her to get it out of the way. when he got like this, hot and bothered, he tended to drive with full speed. scooping her up in a swift movement to move backward a little more until they collapsed onto his bed.

✂︎

“I don’t care. I don’t like to drink. I’m just bored.” She took the cup without another thought and downed the contents in two gulps. Maybe it would at least take the edge off, or make Teddy more interesting to talk to. She had such high hopes for a son of Zeus, but all of her experiences with him at Camp had been unimaginably dull. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try to have a conversation. “You’re friends with my brother, right? We both went to Camp Half-Blood. It’s so weird, you literally look like you haven’t aged since we were fifteen.”

               HIS BROWS KNIT together in confusion at her explanation, laurel had always been a rather...interesting character. “oh, uh, alright.” teddy didn’t know what to say, stumped and buzzed as he watched her down the drink like water and then glancing around the party. rostam and her couldn’t have been any more different, similar in the way they were sort of unapproachable, but for differing reasons. his attention was drawn back at her question, “yeah! yeah, i remember you from camp, rostam and me are super close.” he confirmed, flashing a smile that faltered if only for a second at her comment, “thank you? i think? i don’t know if that’s a compliment to good genetics or....if you’re telling me i look fifteen.” and with that, he knew he would need another drink if they were going to keep talking, reaching over on the table in front of them to pour himself a new one.