monarch.

❛ --- and for tomorrow’s weather, it is going to be fifty-five percent sunny and mildly rainy to the east of --- ❜ a sigh escapes pink-tinted lips as the weather forecaster continues to blabber on about the slightly gloomy condition of the clouds that night. it is a saturday, which means that of all the things a person could possibly do during free time, staying in is definitely not one of them. vienna seems to differ. being her place’s trophy girl meant that her parents would never understand how being an adult already allows her to do whatever she wants. in fact, they never let her out of their sight for the most ridiculous reasons. it’s quite safe to say that she doesn’t have a life. ❛ moving on to other news --- ❜ she groans, frustratedly at that, tossing and turning in the silk sheets and royal blue duvet of her king size bed. she wants nothing more than to escape from her house tonight; go and have some spontaneous adventures with someone... which is exactly why she’s reaching out for the phone on the dock on her nightstand, slender fingers subconsciously typing the numbers to a contact she has memorized all-too-well, pressing the button that would decide whether or not she’s going to go crazy that night. ❛ --- hey, it’s me, vienna. i just wanted to ask if you’re still up for saving the princess this time of the night? i need the rescue. badly. ❜

          he released a soft sigh of slight relief, although his muscles are still a little bit tense from the surprise. as he heard the other’s mumble, he couldn’t help but smile shyly to himself, dipping his head down a bit. “me too,” he mumbles right back to the other. “we can go up to my room and chill if you want. i don’t think it would be too suspicious. sort of.”

             jem is tired. to top it all up, he feels stressed out. he doesn’t know what he wanted to get out of this confrontation. he is tired for reasons he already made sure percy understood a while ago with his outburst. he is stressed out because he is suddenly wallowing in so much self-pity and loath. how dare he pressure the other to come out? how dare he impose that he should abandon everything just to be with him? these are one of those moments that jem regrets ever opening his mouth in the first place. percy doesn’t deserve to be the receiving end of this side of him --- the side that is ugly and insensitive and selfish. jem loved percy, to the point that he wanted nothing less than the best for the other male. but here he is, contradicting himself. he knows he is hurting percy right now; knows that he shouldn’t be. he listens to percy’s words and presses the heels of his palms against his eyelids; trying to rub away the little wounding stabs of percy’s painful explanation. “no, no ---” jem protests when the other sits beside him and pulls him close, allowing his body to fall frail into his arms. “you shouldn’t be sorry, perce,” he says, shaking his head. “i’m sorry,” he apologizes, pulling back from the other’s arms and looking at him straight in the eye. “i don’t know what came into my mind just a while ago. i’m so sorry.”

       harry cannot believe the other’s shameless behavior. in his house, the walls practically have eyes and ears. he still feels the ongoing anxiety of possibly getting caught by his brother or the maids, making him frown at jason’s flirty attitude. “oh, my god, can you please---” harry lets out a soft groan and pinches the bridge of his noise. “just get on with it. quick! if you’re obedient, you might get that payment you so badly want.”

APOLLO: cause you deserve it, sunshine APOLLO: you’re special to me

APOLLO: heh i was just kiddinggg APOLLO: what kind of sneak peek do u want?

     “i--- no--- it’s just.” harry let out a defeated sigh. “he’s been increasingly intrusive in my private matters lately; i can’t help but think he’s on to something,” he explained to the other. “i’m pretty sure he’s got his eyes on you as well, to be honest.”

     the panicked look doesn’t leave harry’s face even after hearing the guy’s reasonable alibi, hands still pressed on the boy’s shoulders but not pushing him back anymore. “i told you not to come through this part of the house though!” he hisses, looking around to see if the maids are eavesdropping. “you’re lucky my brother is in his office.”

APOLLO: should i take it back? APOLLO: OH SHIIIIIIT APOLLO: ok ok i’m gonna go throw some rose petals on the carpet now

     jem knows he is in the wrong here. how can he demand such a thing from percy? he himself should know firsthand what it is like to be closeted and pressured to come out. but what is going on his mind then? all jem knows is that he’s done sick of it all -- playing percy’s trusted best friend in front of friends and family, seeing him out with different girls during different times of the day, and still not having the right to look at him affectionately in public. jem is not heartless; in fact, he is probably one of the most easily affected people one could ever know. his younger sister, winter, would oftentimes call him a big softie -- a sugarcoated term for “weak, insensitive person” maybe. that’s why he is so bothered by all of this. he likes percy. he really does. he wants nothing more than to hold his hand in public and kiss him under the flashing lights of the city... but he can’t, and that hurts him more than anything in the world. “i don’t want your money, i don’t want your title, perce--- i want you!” jem raises his voice as well, before heaving out a loud sigh and shaking his head. “i’m sorry. i’m sorry, i just...” the male closes his eyes as he sits down on the bed, head in his hands. “i just feel so tired, percy. so damn tired.”

     this is the essence of it all --- when she finally reaps the harvest of what she had sown. it shouldn’t even be challenging anymore to begin with; venus has always gotten everything handed to her with just a bat of her eyes and a smile that makes the toughest guy weak in the knees. maybe it was because she has always found the other girl cute, or maybe she just feels giddier when it comes to women than with men-- but venus bites back a face-eating grin when she notices the other come closer to her. she might not have been blessed with the most empathic and sensitive heart, but one would be a fool to think that venus is any less of a human because of it. she still feels the urge to tuck the strands of hair behind dawn’s ear as they fell on her face, still feels the urge to rub her thumbs gently over the girl’s knuckles, and still feels the urge to say ❝ no, i have all the time in the world for you, ❞ when dawn asks her-- but she doesn’t. not the last part, at least. her face falls slightly at dawn’s proposition, red tiers forming into a small pout as she brings the other’s hands up to cover her own face. ❝ i sort of am, ❞ she says, much to her dismay, pulling dawn’s hands down slightly to peek above them. ❝ i’m not sure you’re really into listening to me reject three dozen more people on the phone, but give me a clearer insight on what that something is, ❞ -- she smiles -- ❝ and maybe i’ll reconsider. ❞

APOLLO: my love, you know full well you don’t need to be invited over APOLLO: to be able to come to my house APOLLO: i would go there myself APOLLO: but i have to set up just in case you really come here