#chuu fluff

When you walked into Jiwoo’s apartment, you heard far more banging and swearing than you expected. At first, you wondered if her roommate, Sooyoung, was working on another “D.I.Y. project,” but when you heard a sweet, familiar voice angrily yell, “Fuck!” you knew that it was Jiwoo. So, you slowly and carefully walked through her living room, looking for the source of the sound to determine if anyone was injured or otherwise in distress.

“Honey, do you need help?” you called as you walked through the kitchen toward Jiwoo’s bedroom.

“I’m fine, babe!” Jiwoo shouted back. “Just trying to get this fucking thing to stay put!” You heard more banging as she spoke, and you wondered what the hell was happening.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you entered her room.

“Oh, this!” she said, frantically turning around to show you the dresser that she’d just finished assembling.

It was small, barely fitting next to the one she already had, and it looked like it might fall apart if you touched it the wrong way, but you knew she’d put a lot of effort into putting it together. So, you smiled and said, “I’m so proud of you, my love. But, why?”

She looked shy as she answered, “You know how you’ve been spending the night here more?”

“Yeah?”

“I thought having a dresser to store your stuff in would make it easier,” she answered, fidgeting and blushing as she tried to explain. “Instead of bringing stuff with you every time like you have been, you could just keep some of your clothes here. I even got you a new toothbrush to keep with mine.”

You didn’t say anything for a minute, stunned that she took the time out of her already chaotic schedule to do something like assembling furniture just to make it easier for the two of you to spend time together. When you noticed that she looked worried, though, you smiled and said, “Thank you. It was a wonderful idea.”

“Are you upset?” she asked, clearly still nervous.

“Not at all. Just surprised, honestly. You assembled a dresser by yourself for me?”

“Well, I asked Sooyoung for help, but she had to work. And of course I did it for you. I love you.”

Without another word, you pulled her into a hug, struggling to comprehend exactly how you found someone like Jiwoo, who was always willing to go above and beyond if it meant making you happy or just making life even a little bit easier. As you held her close, you silently hoped that the two of you would spend the rest of your lives loving each other.

You didn’t know how much time had passed with the two of you silently holding each other close, but next thing you knew, you heard Sooyoung yell, “I’m home, Ji! Did you get that dresser put together?”

Jiwoo stepped away to yell back, “Yep! It was a pain in the ass but I did it!”

“That's great!” Sooyoung said as she passed by Jiwoo’s room to get to hers. “I’m going to Jinsol’s place for a girls’ night, so I'm not gonna be back until tomorrow. I'm just stopping by to grab the overnight bag I keep in my room.”

“Ok, have fun!” you and Jiwoo said at the same time.

After Sooyoung left, Jiwoo asked, “Do you wanna go get some of your clothes to keep here?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

With that, the two of you left to go back to your apartment. The drive was unusually quiet, with you focused on driving and Jiwoo keeping her eyes closed as she enjoyed the silence. It was common for Jiwoo to just rest whenever the two of you were in the car together, and you loved being able to give her a few moments of peace within the chaos of life.

When you got to your apartment, the two of you worked together to gather some of your clothes, as well as a few skincare products and a bottle of your favorite body wash to keep at Jiwoo and Sooyoung’s place. Once you finished packing everything, you drove back.

Once your stuff was inside, you worked together to fill the new dresser while Jiwoo showed you her newly expanded vinyl collection. As you decided where you wanted to put the clothes that you’d brought with you, she showed you each album and told you a little bit about it, like when it was released and fun facts about the songs.

“This one came out in 2019!” she said, her eyes sparkling as she showed you Miracle Pill by the Goo Goo Dolls. “I still can’t believe I managed to find it at a thrift store of all places.”

“I remember when you sent me some of the songs right after we started dating,” you said as you folded a pair of pants to put them in the dresser.

As you listened to Jiwoo talk about her favorite songs and all of the reasons they were significant to her, you thought about how much you loved it when she shared the things she loved with you. Every time she showed you another piece of her world, you fell just a little harder, and all you wanted as you put the last of your things away was to continue falling for her every day for the rest of your life.

After your things were put away, you pulled Jiwoo into a hug and said, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For doing this for me. For everything you do for me.”

“You know I do it because I love you, right?”

“I know. That’s exactly why it means so much to me.”

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It was not painfully early in the morning when Dionysus, or Mr. D as you called him to annoy him, called you to the Big House to be a glorified tour guide to a new camper. He very rarely called you to do this job as you generally had about a thousand other things to be doing as well as the sadder reason: There were few new campers coming each year. On your way out you remembered to wear blue and put on some slightly corny sea jewelry, the visual reminder of the sea just feels good. 

Not even bothering to knock, you opened the door and turned into the ‘living room’ that Chiron had designated more cozy for bringing in new campers. Honestly, you’re thankful for his entire existence because Dionysus would probably end up welcoming half of the new campers in the dusty attic. 

Across the room was a small girl half swallowed by the large and plush red chair that her clothes match surprisingly closely in colour. Her hair was curled adorably over her shoulders and an oversized bow sits crooked on the back of her head. The white shirt was the most wrinkled and rumpled as well as the vest over top, but she seemed intent on smoothing out the matching red skirt. Overall, one of the best states recent campers have been in when they arrived.

It seemed she was still lost in thought over… something, but probably the events that had led her here in the first place. As well as simultaneously learning that the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods and creatures exist in our world, just very hidden. Many other pantheons and creatures exist as well, but you’d wait a bit before dropping that equally overwhelming information. 

Since you had been born into this world of creatures you never had that experience but you learned fast enough that telling them everything at once was… a poor decision, at the very least.

Dionysus saw you and cleared his throat making the girl’s attention snap up to your face, her eyes wide and innocent. You waved and put on a little welcoming smile, hoping and praying that Dionysus hadn’t done much to break her soul yet.

“Ah, you’re here. Unclaimed, as usual. Her name is…” Dionysus trailed off and you looked to the girl instead, hoping she’d take the hint and just introduce herself to you.

“Ah! Kim Jiwoo. And.. what does unclaimed mean?” Her voice was just as innocent as the rest of her, but the softness might just be due to some lingering shyness or hesitancy, a valid concern when Mr. D was there.

You sighed and shook your head, not directly at Dionysus as you might be cursed for that or something, but just generally at the state of the gods.

“My apologies, Jiwoo. I’ll explain as I take you on a tour. Come with me?” 

She was half-standing before you even fully extended your hand to her. Most certainly, the award of bravery was given to her since most new campers were hesitant to leave when they learn a literal god was sitting in front of them. It’s not really like you could blame her, Dionysus, especially at the camp, was hardly the most pleasant person to be around. 

When you stepped outside with her a fair amount of campers were already milling around looking for distractions for the morning. Breakfast must have just ended since a few people were still sitting and talking at mixed tables. Maybe it was better if you hadn’t eaten yet, Jiwoo would probably feel better with a slightly familiar face rather than sitting completely alone. 

Of course, you had faith someone would come up to her eventually, the more established campers were always extra welcoming to new faces.

“Sorry about him. Try not to take it to heart he doesn’t remember your name though, I doubt he even remembers mine and I’ve been helping him directly for years now.”

“Hm… If your job is just to help the director then you’re not a demigod, are you? What are you then?” She seemed to be talking to herself and you at the same time, then turned to you with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, that was probably so rude! Let’s just start the tour.”

You laughed lightly and started walking ahead of her, hearing her little steps following up behind you.

“I don’t mind, just be careful with strangers, for obvious reasons. I’m an Atlantian, so-”

Jiwoo suddenly jumped in front of you, analyzing you as if there was some feature that may have given it away. You tapped the top of her head and simply kept walking. After that, she stood ramrod straight and kept walking.

“I just- Atlantis was… is? Is real? And you’re from there? I’ve learned more in the last day than in like, 4 years!”

You expected her to sound a bit more overwhelmed but for now Jiwoo seemed thrilled to be exposed to this new world. Probably a bit of a high to being exposed to so much that was living right under her nose.

“It’s not like it used to be, but yes I have been there a few times. Quite a few Atlantean people have moved to the surface over the years and just return occasionally, and my family is one of those. We’re here, so if you want to know more then I’m around, just come and ask.” 

The abrupt stop you make in front of the metal shed shook Jiwoo from listening to you. She was nodding like she was still listening but you could see her really peering through the windows to all the weapons inside. You just went up and pushed the door open, creaking slightly on the hinges. It was not in the best condition if none of the Hephaestus kids were even oiling that lately, you’d have to tell them about that later.

Each wall was lined top to bottom with various weapons. You’d heard there was even a plan to try and anchor some of them to the roof but that hadn’t worked out, at least not yet. Right behind you was Jiwoo, watching each corner light up as you lit the lamps. Really, what were those campers doing trying to put things on the roof when they hadn’t even done the lights yet?

Either way, Jiwoo didn’t head towards any particular weapon immediately. Instead, you headed off and let her look while you check that there were no ridiculous practical jokes waiting for anyone. 

Not as many as you would expect when no one has checked the building for this long, but still enough to be annoying, which you know was the purpose. Blades that looked sharp but couldn’t cut a leaf if wielded by Ares himself, buttons on switchblades that just popped out different flowers, and several more. The creativity was amusing, but you could never tell them that, of course. 

When you finished, Jiwoo was still standing at the small weapons wall and running her finger over various double daggers. You walked up behind her and find a small amount of amusement and guilt at the way she jumped when she realized you were there.

“Find anything in particular you want to try? You probably won’t gel 100% on the first one you try so bring a couple options.” 

You turned and grabbed a crossbow, modeled after the gastraphetes, from the opposite wall and headed to the training dummies. Jiwoo came out a moment later with throwing and claw knives around her fingers, a boot dagger hanging from a string on her wrist and a xiphos in one hand. The sight of such a small and pretty girl loaded with knives drew out a small laugh from you.

When she got closer and realized Jiwoo pouted about it, but looked down and laughed along when she saw it through your eyes. It was just a cute little giggle that suited her well but the grin that accompanied it was wide and bright. The force shook her a bit and the xiphos fell from where it was tucked. She gasped and picked it up quickly, as if hoping that you wouldn’t notice.

“They’re made for fighting so dropping it on the ground is fine. Let’s test some of these things out, hm?” 

With an enthusiastic nod she put all of them down and examined what she wanted to do first with a little furrowed brow and twist of her mouth. It wasn’t as if you told her that only one could be tested but with the intensity she was hovering over them with it may as well be so. 

Soon enough though, she stood with the throwing knives in hand. Each ring was set over her fingers in a very natural way that would make you think she had practiced with them for years.

“Feels alright to hold them? You look like a natural.” You complimented. 

Her cheeks flushed and the same sunny grin appeared. Even though she had only been with you for an hour you felt a sense of pride at being able to make her laugh. 

“It was like I just knew how to hold them. To put the rings around my fingers, and how to make them lay so that I caan grab them easier.” 

As if to demonstrate, to you or herself you’re not sure, she took one and put it back without looking. All of them sit completely still on her and it was like she never grabbed one at all.

“Well, it’s no good if you can’t throw them. Try for the chest first.”

Jiwoo turned to face the dummies head on and you let out a noise to make her stop, as you had seemed to forget she didn’t know the first thing about how to do this.

“Okay, put one foot forward, same as the hand you’ll throw with. Right dominant? The usual, good. So, you need to..” 

You go about instructing her, or trying to, on how to stand. It didn’t proceed the best as you hadn’t had to do this in a while and she had only held kitchen knives before. When her foot placement consistently wasn’t working you huff and walk over. 

“Kim Jiwoo.” You muttered and stood behind her. 

Bending down, you grabbed each leg and put it into the position you needed. Then, you stood and turned her, first her torso then her neck and head. Only when she turned her head to look at you do you come back to yourself; half pressed against her and a hand still rested on her cheek. It took a second of staring before you stepped back and sputtered some half-apologies. 

Jiwoo just snapped her head back to the dummy and raised an arm. It wasn’t the best form but you weren’t about to step towards her again. Finally, she had the chance to actually throw it and did so with relative confidence. You puffed up a little in pride when she maintained the stance and landed the knife surprisingly close to the middle. 

She turned to you and you swore, each time she smiled it seemed a bit brighter. You let her have the moment before kind of breaking it and gesturing to her 3 other knives. 

Normally, new campers didn’t get that close and kept trying until they hit the dead centre. Jiwoo immediately surprised you by throwing her next one to the head. She hit it right in the centre, not the best place practically, but impressive nonetheless. 

“Well! Seems like you’re a natural with those. There’s plenty of people around who can train you even better. Hitting moving targets while you’re moving, and whatnot.” 

Jiwoo nodded at you and put the remaining knives back on her belt, then went to retrieve the other ones. You quietly chuckled about her struggle to get them out of the dummy. Whether it was her current physical weakness or how hard she embedded them in the wood, or a bit of both. 

By the time she was back to you all the knives were in her belt and a xiphos was in her hand. You hadn’t planned on duelling her but you also hadn’t planned on her ranged weapon being so easy to choose, but there you were. A natural beauty and a natural talent all at once, it seems. 

“Are we duelling Miss Kim?” You raised an eyebrow at her continued eagerness, knowing the type of day she had.

Jiwoo nodded quickly at you, poking her weapon at the middle of your chest and grinning. “Take out your sword. Unless you’re that confident, but I’m better than I look, obviously.”

She stepped back and confidently stabbed at the air, making little ‘pah pah pah’ sounds under her breath. You grinned at the slightly childish display of confidence and how the sword wobbled as she swung it. 

“Come on~ I’m getting bored here, invisible enemies can only entertain a demigoddess for so long!” She stepped back further, making a mock fighting stance that reminded you she was still innocent and had no idea what to do in such a dangerous world like this.

So, you mirrored her moves and took a few steps back, drawing your sword from your side. It shone nicely in the afternoon light and you took just a minute to appreciate the work you did to polish it. It looked damn good and you knew it.

“This is around the most common length of sword you’ll see other campers and other creatures or people using, so get used to it.”

Before you even started to duel you went over basic steps to make sure Jiwoo wasn’t going to trip and cause self-injury before you even got close to her. Even then, she had a close couple of encounters and you had to come up and stop her from swinging her sword any closer to her own head. Generally, you tried not to notice how often you were touching her to move her body but gods was it hard to ignore entirely. But you didn’t let it show, being a good mentor and all. 

The bell rung for dinner before you even know it. When you look, the sun was distinctly lower and you weren’t sure how you missed it considering you were outside the whole time. 

“Alright, cutie pie. Time to meet some fellow campers, follow me.”  

You led Jiwoo away to the dining pavilion where you could already hear a fair gathering of campers talking like the dull hum of an engine. For a second, you wondered if Jiwoo would be uncomfortable surrounded by so many people at once but she seemed pretty bubbly and positive so she’d probably make it through either way. 

You were proven correct not 5 minutes in. Admittedly, you did kind of abandon Jiwoo since you’re not meant to sit with the campers, but you definitely did anyway, but when you looked back she was integrated with a group of kids at the Hermes table. You did hope she would be claimed soon, she was really meant to be claimed years ago, so she would have a proper place to fit in rather than just a ragtag group from the Hermes cabin.

Once you realized your own train of thought you looked away and shook your head. She was just like any other camper, why were you getting so attached this time? Oh well, she was fitting in well enough so she probably wouldn’t be spending too much time around you, back to the Apollo cabin with you.

Just the next day you were proven wrong, however. What you were expecting was for Jiwoo to go find some kids from Hermes to try out some more weapons with but she came bounding over to you mid gastraphetes shot and tapped your shoulder. Confusing, since most of the campers were little demons and just screamed when they wanted your attention, but it was nice to know that someone here had developed manners.

“Hey, Jiwoo. Did you run away from everyone or did everyone run away from you?” You teased, knowing that no one could have the heart to run from her.

She giggled and poked your shoulder. “I ran away! I liked training with you yesterday, so I hope it’s okay that I came back?”

Somehow, it seemed like she just naturally pulled the puppy eyes on you. With great willpower and effort you resisted the urge to pull at her puffy cheeks and coo at her cute face. 

That became a routine, everything about it. The training, especially with weapons, and you resisting the urge to poke at her cute face and wanting to make her blush. Having both of those happen every day made it a lot harder for your feelings to go beyond the initial physical cuteness attraction.

Now there was emotional investment as you learned that her icing exterior was accompanied by a cute cake interior. Weird metaphor. Basically she was cute inside and out, which really wasn’t fair, but it was too late now. 

It seemed like every moment with her flew by, and when you add in that you end up spending quite a bit of time together every single day… yeah, the months flew by faster than you ever thought. The summer passed by and smoothly into fall. You half-expect her to go back to high school or college or something but she didn’t say anything about it and neither did you. Some people were able to go back, mostly kids of less powerful gods and goddesses who were less in danger, yet your routine with Jiwoo continues. 

Your favourite was probably the quieter mornings. Somehow, Jiwoo was still as lively in the morning as any other time of day, but she toned it down when she saw that you’re not awake yet. Paperwork for new campers kept you awake to odd hours, unfortunately. And all the new time with her was kind of taking away from your other duties… but you’d never tell her that because even if you’re being serious about your tasks, time spent with her was still fun. 

Though, maybe there was probably a tie for your favourite time of day. Sometimes, if you had been working for too many hours, Jiwoo will come to your office and pull you out for a walk. Generally, you had no idea why she was awake or why she knew that you were still awake, you gave up asking when she never gave an answer to either of those questions. Oftentimes you’d sit by the lake with her and dangled your feet in, since the water is still just a bearable temperature. 

Soon after that started, she’d finally claimed by her godly parent. There were certainly moments before that when you felt like you were putting the pieces together.

There were several gods that could talk to animals and many kids have certain specialities. So, her ability to talk to fish? Definitely takes out some godly parents, but left too many options for anything definitive. The funniest part was the first time she talks to the fish around the lake out loud. You could understand most of them but when you questioned why she could the confusion set in.

As it turned out, she had been doing it for years. Most kids would beg for a cat or a dog but she wanted fish, because who wouldn’t want to be able to talk to their pets? Though her mom stopped when she got overly depressed everytime the fish died. Apparently, genius Jiwoo, had just thought it was a demigod thing to talk to fish, and not whoever her specific godly parent was. You wished there was an Athena kid nearby because they’d flip their lid. Most of them wished to talk to animals to create strategic advantages, but alas that is not an Athena ability, not as far as you knew at least. 

The second one was her ability to manipulate water. That came as a bit more of a shock to everyone, most of all Jiwoo herself. At some point she was put on guard duty for Capture the Flag and in a moment of pure panic she flung a stream of water in her opponents’ face. Later you learned it was the senior counselor of Ares, whom the mental image of getting soaked with a rogue stream of water was admittedly amusing. 

You didn’t know of too many gods that could manipulate water in any way, but you didn’t want to get her hopes up too soon for anything. You had never had the experience of being claimed since you weren’t technically born directly from a god, but you knew how amazing it felt to watch someone be claimed by their parent. 

As it turned out, you didn’t have to wait too long either way. 

By her own admission, Jiwoo had walked into the forest by herself. It wasn’t strictly dangerous unless the camp was infiltrated by monsters, but in an attempt to avoid injury it was generally advised against. As she was out there, something moved behind her, and she had heard about your stories of monsters being in the forest before and panicked. With her eyes slammed shut, Jiwoo couldn’t exactly see what happened but when she hesitantly opened them a circle of tree trunks were covered in frost. 

Yeah, there were no other gods who were powerful enough to control water in that way without just being one of the ice-related gods. The moment she stepped back into camp and view of the other campers, Jiwoo was being claimed. The trident of Poseidon was a radiant blue like a spotlight on her. Ironic since the first outfit you saw her in was red but you do admit that she looked just as pretty in that deep ocean blue. 

You got to explain to her later what exactly it meant that she was now officially claimed. She did get her own cabin all to herself, which also meant she automatically became the senior counselor. Presiding over herself and the fish tanks she had always wanted. As well, she was technically meant to sit at her own table in the pavilion but you assured her that the Hermes kids would take her back if and when she got lonely. At which point she decided to get mischievous. 

“But what if I want to sit with you instead? We’re both people of the water, come sit with me~” 

She said it in a half-cheeky and half-serious tone which made you slightly unsure how you were supposed to answer. Instead, you just awkwardly poked her and laughed.

“Sit with your friends, Jiwoo. It’s a lot more fun than sitting with us stuffy camp staff, trust me.”

Something flashed across her face but she turned away and when she looked back at you it’s gone, replaced by puffed cheeks and a pout you’re embarrassingly weak for. 

“You’re my friend, too! And I don’t care if I have to deal with you talking about stuffy camp business sometimes.”

With a face like that, how were you meant to deny her? So she joined you there as well and you could only fall deeper into your attraction.

The fact that she was claimed by Poseidon and is now a child of the Big 3 only made her more popular around the camp. Younger campers coming up to her and saying how they want to be cool like her, or people trying to watch her practice combat. It didn’t seem like it bothered her all that much, which you found rather impressive. 

Yet, Jiwoo still found the time to follow you around, indeed she spent more time with you than with anyone else. You took a strange pride in it, in being her fellow water companion and connecting with her in a way that the others didn’t. It also worked like that because there weren’t any other children of the Big 3 there at the moment. You were sure it’s only a matter of time since those 3 gods were always out doing something but that was how it was then.

When you realized how much you enjoyed that she spent so much time with you, the guilt was rather strong. Why were you happy when she denied an invitation, only to spend that time with you later? Or when you approached and her attention got diverted from someone else to you, a smile lighting up her face. It all convinced you that maybe she felt the same spark of affection in her heart that you did.

One night you were walking and stopped by a small stream in the forest. It was a bit spooky being in the forest so late at night but being able to turn and see the lantern lights from the cabins was comforting enough that you didn’t mind. Jiwoo also helped with that, because of course. 

She was soft that night, dressed in something between pajamas and just lounge clothes. Still, your heart squeezed and you just have to say it. 

“Hey, Jiwoo?” Your voice came out softer than you intended.

She just hummed, continuing to run her hand over the smooth rocks in the streambed. 

“I like you. Romantically, I mean. I know that you haven’t been here long but you’re such a bright force in my life that I don’t know how I was getting by before.”

The silence stretched on and you start to think that maybe you did read it wrong, maybe that was just how she was with friends. Finally, Jiwoo stood and the look on her face was what did it. Her mouth was slightly curved down where it normally curved up and her eyebrows were pinched together.

“You shouldn’t have said that. Confessing like this was selfish of you, why would you do that.” She stepped away and the noise of the gentle stream blended into the static of your mind. “If it wasn’t obvious, that’s a no. Good night.”

The soft yet shaking voice she used hurt more than if she had yelled. As she stalked back to her cabin you’re left staring at where she was standing before and the ribbon that fell off her shirt. Purple, red and blue, combining herself and her father. 

Your attention quickly became diverted in two directions after that night, because something was wrong with Chiron and Dionysus. 

They kept talking about something when you weren’t there. Always in quiet, but rushed voices and always stopping once they noticed you. The first few times you asked what it was but after they told you not to worry you just had to let it go. But you hadn’t, not really. Attempting to listen through doors, having other campers ask them about it, anything you could think of to finally figure it out.

If Jiwoo was still talking to you then she’d probably have some weird, but maybe plausible idea for what to do. Instead, you were forced to stew in all these feelings alone. I mean, you’re not forced to, but talking to any of the campers about that was a little strange. You were meant to be this figure of protection and guidance for them, not the other way around!

Then your attention got split in a third direction. You were just not having a great month, honestly. Some new campers were coming in, which was all well and good, but some of them were tragically burned from their journey. New campers getting injured on the way in isn’t new, but in the same specific way of a burn every time? That’s suspicious. 

Most of the campers didn’t know and didn’t suspect any strange happenings, at least as far as you could tell. You weren’t about to be the one to tell them either, you couldn’t see the looks on their faces if your guesses came true. Still, you couldn’t stop thinking about Jiwoo. How the light smiles on her face would turn into serious looks, getting ready for a fight. A fight you just couldn’t fathom her having, couldn’t imagine that she was ready for. 

Jiwoo almost spoke directly to you during a Capture the Flag game. She was co-captain of the team and ended up giving you directions on where to go. It wasn’t much of anything, and she barely even looked at you, but you’d take it. It was better than sitting in the dark and wondering why she got so angry that night in the forest and permanently moved on. 

There was another possible opportunity to speak to her that you completely fumbled. She happened to find a new camper waiting at the border tree, and you came to find them both to lead them back. It was a bit of a long walk, especially with the camper’s injured leg, and there were so many things you wanted to ask Jiwoo. Instead, you said nothing at all and just listened while she talked with the new boy. Anthony, who his friends usually just called Ant. 

By the time he was introduced to Mr. D you could have sworn that he had already developed some mild heart eyes for Jiwoo. You felt the increasing harshness in the way you stepped and pulled him along, but you could hardly help it. You were the one who led her into this camp, who spent nights with her by the lake where nobody knew where you went. It wasn’t the most righteous cause for anger but your smoldering heart was there regardless. 

All three things break on the same day. Over the last week, Chiron and Dionysus were being even more secretive than before. You saw Chiron’s light on late into the night when he was generally the one shoving you to bed at a reasonable time. Dionysus was out doing who-knows-what for most of the day and immediately went to Chiron’s office when he came back. 

Only after you had been basically ignoring them for quite awhile, other than the usual necessary duties and communication, did they tell you a bit about what was going on. Simple details at first: a dangerous creature running around the nearby area, a mythological one, and they were trying to track it. 

But then one morning they had finally explained it all. The fire and scale of the creature had narrowed it down to either a dragon or a chimaera. You prayed to literally anyone you could think of in that moment, just begging for it not to be a dragon. Sure, chimaeras were dangerous but dragons were on another level. If it was to be so, then there would be a whole lot of problems on your hands soon. 

So with that information you set out to the training area, only to find a mini tournament being set up. Honestly, fighting real people as opposed to some unmoving dummies was preferable. So, you snuck in, successfully scaring Changbin and Wooyoung, the organizers. 

It was like Apollo had twined you and Jiwoo with a golden thread, or maybe he put the fates up to it, because this was getting ridiculous. You didn’t fight her first but in the semi-finals, you do. Even with this ice between you, you had to congratulate her on getting so skilled so fast. Something had been pushing her to train and you were impressed with the work ethic. 

Still, your uncertainty and anger over the whole dragon/chimaera situation was not gone yet. Seeing her right in front of you, so close yet so far away, did not help you at all honestly. Being the mature adult you were, you were sure that you can handle a fight that’s only about 2-3 minutes long. Not quite. 

Within one minute you were struggling to hold it back. Each emotion that flitted through you with a look at her face was building. It all coalesced to anger inside you, anger at why she said such harsh things that night and why she felt that your friendship couldn’t come back from it. 

You swept your leg and the moving gravel kicked up a little dust around your feet. She jumped back, but it was too late and your foot caught around her ankle and caught hard. Once you felt the resistance, you pulled even harder, the adrenaline making your brain flash that she was a real, threatening enemy for a moment. 

Your fight or flight instincts kicked in and you pulled more with your leg. Her hands flew out to catch her but the shock took too long to wear off and she still hit her face on the ground. Your shock took nearly 3 times as long to wear off of your mind. Slowly, your eyes tilted down, only to see her already looking up. But you didn’t see what her face looked like, only the fact that you may have genuinely hurt her. 

The sound of a few people rushing forward to check on her was what snaps you out of it. Quickly sheathing your sword and keeping your head down, you rushed away from the scene. 

Congratulations, genius. Whatever chance you may have had about making up with her is certainly gone with the Anemoi now, you think bitterly.

All that mental questioning about why she had gotten so angry about nothing, and all the disapproval you had given her about it. Now you had gone and done the same thing, possibly hurting her because of your uncontrolled anger. Technically, it was equal on both sides but you didn’t feel like she was any closer to talking to you, if anything you would guess she was taking even more steps away.

You sunk into the chair with your cup in hand and waited for Chiron to speak. Strange that Dionysus wasn’t there but with so much going on you assume that there was more pressing things for a god to be doing related to his camp.

Chiron knocked on your door early the next morning, two things he never did. Usually, he waited for you to get up to talk and that was breakfast by the latest. Over the hills and the trees you could see the sun just rising but Chiron’s face immediately dispelled any complaints you had about being up so early.

“There’s a chimaera loose. Dionysus has been tracking it loosely for a while but we’ve never actually caught it, often being a few minutes behind. It lets us get to the new campers sooner, if nothing else.”

You had suspected that something like that was going on, but with no evidence and no knowledge of the situation it wasn't as if you could do much.Something built up in your chest and you saw it as anger, a more common feeling for you recently. It took a couple more breaths until you were sure that opening your mouth wouldn’t cause you to lash out about why they left you out of such an important issue. 

“It was my idea if you must know.” Your mouth snapped shut when Chiron continued speaking, he wasn’t looking at you anymore. “I wanted to protect you. There is no need, you’re a fine young adult now. But for someone with such a long life as me, I cannot help but to still see you as the child you were when you got here. At this point, I can only hope that it is not too late and that you are willing to help us with this.”

With a heavy thunk you set down your cup and rolled your eyes at Chiron. He saw it clearly, you made sure he would, but you cut in before he could go on.

“You think I’m not gonna help you, old man? I’m kind of offended, really. This is my camp, my campers, my kids. I want to protect them just as you were, and maybe still are, trying to protect me.”

Chiron sighed and shook his head, but you could still see the smile he let out. When he looked back up it was gone, replaced by the serious Chiron you’d gotten used to seeing over the last few weeks. 

“It’s coming this way, and rather fast. Mostly it’s been wandering the city but for some reason it’s coming this way.”

You could only hope that there wasn’t some sort of other force behind this, someone strong who would wish to do harm to these demigods. It only strengthened your resolve to think of the helpless new kids, literal children, who had come to the camp. 

“I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” you nodded. “This chimaera can catch these hands!” 

You punched your first into your other hand as if the first thing you do in danger wasn’t pull out your sword. Chiron took a few steps forward and put his hand on your head. Honestly, you could kind of see what he meant about still seeing you as the younger version of yourself who came to the camp. Especially, when he did things like that which make you feel so much younger, to reminding you of a simpler time when you didn’t have to worry about rogue chimaeras breaking into the camp. 

About a week later you were wandering when a new camper ran up to you. 

“Hey! Chiron told Jungwoo, who told Ona, who told Kira, who told Jay, who told me that Mr. D is looking for you!”

You raised an eyebrow as they went down the chain of people the message took to get to you. If the message had been anymore complicated it quickly would have become a terrible game of telephone, quite honestly. Dionysus rarely looked for you so specifically and directly so you had to assume it was important. The whole chimaera debacle, hopefully, unless something new had popped up somehow. 

“It’s in the forest now. I’m looking for good fighters and trackers to go find it, tell anyone you think can do it.” Chiron told you.

You wished it wasn’t such a concern, but unfortunately he was probably thinking about how to keep certain campers away from the thing. Those old enough that they thought they could fight it, or just wanted see it, but young enough that they definitely couldn’t fight hard enough or even run fast enough. Smart enough to know they shouldn’t get close, but reckless enough that they’ll trail behind someone more experienced. 

You’d admire their commitment if it weren’t such an obstruction to their own, and others’, safety. Though, you couldn’t fault them overly much because, as Chiron would love to remind you, you had tried to do something similar as well. 

The first stop of your trip was, of course, the Ares cabin. They had the most experience generally, and also the drive to fight against a real opponent. Most of them weren’t there but you knew where to find most of the people you’d need. 

Changbin, the cabin counselor, grabbed his sword and despite the situation it almost cracked you up. The blade was nearly as long as him and the handle reached over his hand by just a little. The moment he turned around the laughter was gone because there was a dark look on his face and the familiar Ares flame in his eyes. You hoped that for everyones’ sake that he at least got a crack at the thing.

Jisung from Hephaestus was the only one in their cabin, but thankfully he was the one with fire-controlling powers, and exactly who you happened to need. Fighting fire with fire, which always goes perfectly, especially in a giant forest. 

Last destination was the dummies and sword fighting area where you picked up Jiwoo, Jungwoo, Kim and Hwang Hyunjin, Chaeryeong, Felix, Chenle, Bomin, Wooyoung, and Sanha. About half of them agreed because they have nothing better to do. It may have seemed like a knock against them but you had faith that they had as much drive to protect the younger campers, especially from their own cabin, as you do. 

It was a bit odd to tell them all about what you’re sending them into. One, sending them into danger, two making them fight in the woods, which was only ideal for about 2 people in the whole group. The rest would have to figure how to fight so close to each other and the trees. Somebody proposed groups or pairs, an idea you wished you had thought of yourself. Before you could blink half of the group had paired themselves off. Apparently, the friends Chuu had joined had become an odd number of people, which just so happened to leave you two as the last ones. 

Ignoring that, you all quickly talked about your ‘flares’ to call other people to your location. It was a good thing Jiwoo had more affinity with water control than you do so she could actually make a visible signal in the air. It was all fine and dandy at first when there were other people to talk to, but as you got further into the forest people split off in different directions. Before you knew it it was just you and Jiwoo. After being in the camp for so long and almost constantly surrounded by sound it felt almost wrong to only hear the silence. You stared off in the opposite direction of Jiwoo, watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary.

When you did hear something and looked back to check if she did as well, you finally noticed that she had up and disappeared. It sent a little jolt to your heart, wondering if something snatched her away. That idea was gone nearly the moment you thought about it, realizing she probably just didn’t want to be around you and wandered off to be by herself. Once that settled in you started to mentally curse her, wondering if she knew just how much extra danger she had put both of you in. 

The silence in the forest was unnerving, even more so by yourself, each crack from a branch or leaf could be one of your fellow people or something just waiting to pounce on you. But you of all people couldn’t sit idly by when you knew that you could protect these people, especially since some of them were such young, young kids. Even though Jiwoo was long gone and you should really wait for her, you stepped confidently forward like there’s 100 people at your back. 

The sound of your own breathing, your heartbeat, every step, you could hear it all. Something flashed at the corner of your eye and you turned towards it. Then to the other side. Were there multiple or was this thing just that fast? Neither were good options for you. Each move of shadows brought a little waver of the leaves and some quick crunches on the undergrowth. It was stalking you, waiting to see if you would let your guard down for even a moment. 

You loaded a bolt into your little crossbow, hoping to have time to fire it off first. All the crunching and darting of shadows was far off again, so you stood and waited, hoping it would come to you first. 

It did, with a blur from the trees that you hardly saw and had time to jump away from. Having to roll with a crossbow in your hands was far less than comfortable and easy. You positioned and fired once, hoping to catch it as it landed. You hit the torso but it was hard to tell if it was even bleeding with the darkness and size of the thing. 

One look later and you were putting the crossbow away in favour of your sword. Fumbling, you took another few steps away and sent up a bolt of water, letting it scatter and reflect rainbows across the sky to use as your impromptu flare signal. 

Once again, it leapt towards you and you crouched under it and swung at one leg. With how narrowly you missed, you had to assume that it lifted its legs to go over your sword. Great, it seemed to be even smarter than you thought it would be. 

The next time you weren’t caught so off guard and swung higher, making a substantial cut on one leg. Still, that hardly acted as a deterrent or hindrance, as it continued to move and lunge with all the speed and strength it had before.

Further cementing its intelligence, it leapt toward you but instead of swiping, it opened its wide maw with the intention to clamp down on your torso. 

You jumped backwards to avoid the bite but hit a tree, hard. It half stunned you and it took longer before your brain could actually get your body to move. In that time the chimaera unleashed a breath of fire on you. It caught you straight in the chest and you screamed a bit. To stop the show of pain, it would use that to its advantage honestly, you bit down on your lip so hard that the pain, and likely blood, distracted you. 

The moment you lifted your sword to swing again the burned skin flashed white hot in pain and you reflexively dropped it. Okay, hopefully someone would find you soon, because you didn't know how long you could dodge this thing. 

After a close call with a swipe to the head, someone did find you. 

Kim Jungwoo bursted through the trees, spear in his hand and ready to be used. He came out so suddenly that you nearly stabbed him instead but your brain caught up in time. Normally, it was hard to believe that he's a son of Ares, but in the midst of battle like that there was no mistaking it. 

There was a reason no one dared to make him angry. 

It was easier to dodge and weave with 2 people. Sure, sometimes you got in each other's way or go for the same swing, but generally it worked out. Even more so when Dami from Nyx and Yeonhee from Apollo started to pester it with arrows from the trees. 

You grinned a little as Jungwoo dispatched a final blow to its chest, the adrenaline fully taking over you. More people found you over the next few minutes as you all calmed down and started trying to breathe normally. 

As the adrenaline wore off a bit, you started to feel the uncomfortable movement of your large area of burned skin. 

As you turned to head out of the forest a knife embedded itself in the tree next to you. You turned and saw the familiar pattern of it, Jiwoo's. She pinned the body of an abnormally large bug, one that definitely seemed like it would attack you, to the trunk. 

Training must have been doing her good, you nodded and continued on, not daring to look back.

The adrenaline began to wear off and the pain of the burn became even more acute. Tramping your way through the bush, you had hardly any care for whatever other natural predators may have came out and found you. 

Your fight or flight instincts were still running rampant through your body and you had to actively resist stabbing the person who came running up next to you. And you were very glad you did because you didn’t think anyone, including yourself, could forgive you for stabbing Chenle or Felix.

One on each side of you, each winced at the slight burning smell you were sure you carried and at the nasty looking skin. You wanted to say it wasn’t as bad as it looked but the resident chatty boys spoke up before you could. 

“That looks really bad, I’m sorry you had to come upon the chimaera first. But… thank you for protecting us, protecting all of us. Bomin told us that you had been fighting it alone until they found you. I just don’t know who might have gotten hurt if you hadn’t done it, so thank you again.” Felix said earnestly. 

Chenle must have been hyped up on adrenaline with how fast he was bouncing and speaking. 

“Mhm! I would've frozen up for sure if it was just me. Guess I should’ve kept to the Apollo cabin instead of going to look for it. Speaking of which…” he awkwardly looked off and nodded at you before pushing past the line into the cabin. 

You wanted to say that he should have, the more people in Apollo cabin to soothe and treat any injuries the better. You had already heard that some people got scared and stabbed or shot at a fellow camper. It was unfortunate, but not everyone had realistic combat experience so this must have been worse than you expected for a lot of them. 

Contradictingly, you hoped some campers would come talk to you but at the same time you knew you’d need to lay down and not irritate your burned skin for the next few days. 

"Chiron, can you set up the bed for me? I'm heading to the Apollo cabin for a few minutes."

Chiron turned the corner and grimaced when he heard that, and winced even more when he saw you. You were sure that you looked rough from the romp in the forest, maybe even worse than you thought if his reaction was so uncontrolled and strong.

You both knew what that meant, you were expecting this to be an extended stay, longer than anyone in Apollo cabin would prefer. Nathaniel wasn't surprised when you said you needed him to come to the Apollo cabin with you. Over the last few years he had dealt with many of your injuries from the monsters of the world. 

Still, he didn't seem to expect how bad it was and grimaced when you peeled your shirt off of it. 

"Alright, okay, this is fine." He said, in a way that told you it was not really fine. "Scratches first, then we'll see what I can do."

It was calming, the warmth of Nathaniel healing you. The feeling of your skin stretching or growing back or whatever he did, was very disconcerting but you were more than used to it bythen. Like an old friend that it took you a minute to get used to. 

"Gonna be honest: not sure I can do much for you. It's not too late, but I would have liked to treat it immediately and the Chimaera was powerful. It'll be painful, so you need to rest a lot, but I think you know that." 

Nathaniel let out a sigh as he looked at the edges of it, a clear red compared to your skin. 

"And the scar. It should only be in the spot where the fire originally hit, rather than where it spread to after. I wish I could do more for you, gods." 

He ran a hand through his shiny blond hair, though whether he was more frustrated with you or himself was unknown. You reached out and put a hand on his arm. 

"Nate, it's honestly fine. My fault for getting burned by the damned thing in the first place. And if it's as small as you say it is then I won't see it that often anyways." 

A grin slipped out and Nathaniel shook his head at you, hair falling perfectly over his forehead. 

"You're so lucky I like you enough that I won't hit you for immediately calling me Nate like that." 

You gasped dramatically, hands coming to clutch at your heart as you fell back. After just a second you popped back up to playfully glare at him. 

"Threatening to hit your favourite patient? How dare!" 

This time he did smack you, a light one over the back of your head. Really, you saw it coming from a mile away and you both knew you could dodge it, but you let him do it, for fun. 

"Please stop saying you're my favourite when I have a boyfriend from Aphrodite. He's actually my favourite because he hardly ever gets injured, unlike someone I know." 

You shoved him away and then shoved him again, towards the door this time. 

"Go away then, I don't need you! Also the look on your face when you talk about him is disgusting and I hate it. Bye!" 

You successfully pushed him towards the steps and slam the door on him, wincing at the movement of your shoulder. Why, oh why, must our whole body be so connected? 

The silence allowed you to finally think back on the stressful experience you just had. And as your mind was prone to doing lately, it drifted back to Jiwoo eventually. The way she seemed to have moved on like your friendship never happened at all. Entirely oblivious to the way that you weren’t like what you had become and had instead become what you were before she came along. More withdrawn and into your work rather than the social aspect of your job you had come to enjoy.

Focused on training almost wholly, studying with a close second, and only talking to people who came up to you first. Save Chiron and Dionysus who had camp duties first and generally didn't have thought to spare to your relationship problems.

It seems they got involved anyway, as you learned after your self-imposed bed rest expires. It felt good to be free of having to walk around the camp and see Jiwoo around every turn, at least that was what it felt like. You laid there and did quite a lot of thinking, and quite a lot of paperwork once you could sit up. Chiron was a blessing every day of his life but managing tens of people who also have superpowers basically, takes a real toll on you.. 

That felt like a real return. Just sitting in your office, like the days before you accepted that working with the campers was far more useful than just doing an office job.

Chiron didn’t bother to knock, you had rather moved past that in the Big House. 

“Jiwoo came by and asked about you the other day.”

Your eyebrows shot up farther than you thought they could. She had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want to talk to you over the past little while, so why would she be trying to check in on you now?

Chiron took your lack of response as good enough and kept going.

“Right up the door and knocked like she had been doing it all along. And when I asked her that, didn’t she know that you had been burnt in the forest, she ran away. Just got this pained look on her face and blasted away faster than any children of Hermes that I’ve ever seen.”

You leaned back in your chair for a moment, going over what he just dumped on you. It felt like a cold bucket of water, like you had just been shocked awake. So Jiwoo didn’t actually hate you like it seemed she did? You needed answers, and you were more determined than ever before to get them from her. 

Oh yeah, from the look on his face, Chiron also wants some sort of explanation. From budding friends to completely ignoring each other in just a month or so? He was going to need to check if you're ok, like the comforting uncle figure that he was. 

That night you went back to the lake with the little dock, honestly someone needed to repair it. When you got closer and saw someone there you were ready to turn around but then their head turned and both the bow and the way her hair fell was familiar to you still. You let out a quiet breath, not quite sure if you were happy she was there. So, you walked up and sat next to her. 

Finally, she didn't walk away but she didn't speak either. You must have sat there for half an hour, silently playing with the water. Neither of you spoke, and she didn't even look at you. Eventually, you just stood up and accepted it. What she said when you were in the forest that night was it, the end.

Before you could take more than half a step Jiwoo called your name with panic in her voice. When you turned back she was looking at you wide-eyed and her hand was hovering near your arm, like she was waiting for permission to grab it. 

"Stay, please." Her voice was quiet but pleading. 

You were too happy about her speaking to you and even saying your name again to consider doing anything else. 

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. For everything really, but first the burn. If I- If I hadn't left you then you probably wouldn't have been burnt at all. They said it wasn't all going to scar, but even some of it is a reminder. A reminder to you of how terrible I was in my anger, and fear." 

She glanced at you and a small sob wracked her body when she saw the edges of the burn on your arms.

"Woo, hey, don't cry please." You laid your hand lightly on her shoulder and she took in a shuddering breath. 

"Ugh, why am I crying? You're the one who's probably still in pain. Nevermind how terrible I've been to you." 

Hesitantly, you moved your hand from her shoulder to her back, and she stared back at you the whole time. 

"Jiwoo. If you had been with me I might still have gotten burned, we don't know. Or worse, you could have gotten burned like this." 

Before you could say more she burst into tears. You hesitated just a moment before wrapping her up in your arms. Jiwoo tensed before melting and throwing her arms over your shoulders. 

It felt amazing to touch her again, it was just unfortunate that it was while she was sobbing against you. It took a few minutes for her to calm down and lean away, wiping away the falling tears. After that it only took Jiwoo a few moments before she was speaking again, her voice thick. 

"Why are you being so nice to me? I've been cruel and put you through so much pain. So much unnecessary pain." 

You saw her eyes go to the burn again and breathed out heavily through your nose. Her eyes snapped back up to yours, obviously concerned that this was where you finally lost it.

"Jiwoo, you better not think you're responsible for my burn. The chimaera did that, not you." 

Her mouth fell open and you mentally heard her protests long before they happened. 

"I'm not hearing it. It is not your fault, and I'll tell you that as many times as you need." Your 'teaching voice' unintentionally comes out, firm and unwavering with no room for protest.

Jiwoo looked up at you, shocked, but closed her mouth and swallowed her protests. You cooed and leaned forward a little to pat her head. 

"Good girl~" 

She flushed just enough that you could see it in the dim light and smacked you lightly. You just laughed and nudged her towards you, one arm still firmly over her shoulders. 

To your surprise, Jiwoo slid away. As if she burned it, you moved your arm away. Then you noticed the look on her face, pained. 

"I was angry because I knew I couldn't ever be good enough for you. A strange kind of anger, I know. But I was. I was angry that you would stoop down to my level. My pitiful little self." 

You opened your mouth to speak but she continued, the words now spilling out of her like she couldn’t stop them if she tried. 

"From the first day I came I've seen how capable you are. Able to handle almost any weapon with ease. Comfortable with any campers, whether they've been here 5 years or 5 minutes. I even saw you convince Mr. D to do something once! And everything in the forest. Fighting after you were burned. Holding in the pain so half of us didn't even know. And leading the camp back to safety, back to where we belong."

Her words slowed and she let out a choked little noise. You wanted to reach out, to say her name and comfort her. But she shook her head and continued before you could do it. 

"Then there's me. Falling on my face, literally sometimes. I nearly stabbed myself with every weapon I picked up. I know nothing of the gods. It took me weeks to approach any of my fellow campers. In the quest... it was so much worse there. Failing the most basic tasks. Failing to protect you, body or heart." 

You could barely hear her talking about how she 'failed' you between the whisper of her voice and your own rushing thoughts. 

You cut in before she could go on any longer, "Jiwoo, just listen to me." 

She nearly whipped herself off the pier in her hurry to turn towards you. In that moment she seemed almost scared. Scared of what you may say after she had bared her heart like that. Like you could ever live with the knowledge that you had hurt her.

"All of those things come with experience. Every single one. I've been at Camp Half-Blood for nearly 10 years now. When I got there, I can guarantee that I shot hundreds of arrows beyond the targets, or smacked myself in the back of the head with a weapon. And it's not as if I met all of the campers at the same time. I met them one at a time as they came in, getting to know them and getting to know how to settle in new campers at the same time." 

You turned to her with a sly, little smile. 

"None of them have compared to you, if I'm being honest." 

Her mouth fell open a bit more with every sentence you spoke, like for some reason she couldn't believe you being a bit of a clumsy fool at first. With that last sentence she smacked at you again, grumbling under her breath. 

"Really, Woo. If you took me to the city I'd be far less capable. I don't know anyone there. I know how the shops work but I'd probably try to pay with Drachmae anyway. Or look for a place to Iris Message rather than a payphone. All sorts of things that being holed out here have gotten me used to." 

You let out a little sigh and think of anything else you should say. It was getting harder the closer you felt Jiwoo getting, both physically and emotionally. The urge to cuddle her until any and every problem goes away was like a flashing light. 

"Oh, right. You think that you know what I 'deserve'?" You raised an eyebrow at her like a challenge. "I don't care what I deserve. I want you, by my side, as long as you'll have me." 

Finally, finally, Jiwoo flung herself towards you. Squeezing and attaching herself to you with every bit of her like any less would allow you to disappear. You held her close, your face in her neck and felt her pounding heart. That time you knew it was from happiness. 

Silently, you looked at a nearby fish in the lake. It swam up to your foot and you asked, extra kindly, if it could make a crown for Jiwoo from the lake plants. It vanished with an excited little gurgle. You were pretty sure she wasn't listening, but Jiwoo moved back at the same time that the fish reappears. That time it had many friends and was holding a pretty little crown. 

You thanked them and took the crown off their backs, wasting no time before taking the water away and put it on Jiwoo's head. She blinked and looked at her reflection in the water. You weren’t sure how well it shows in the dim light but it must have been enough from the way she looked back at you. 

When she took it off her head you froze. It seemed like she liked it, did she not? The feeling crystallized to frustration when she tried to put it on your head.

"Why won't you take it!?" She whined.

From her expression you had expected something a bit more intimidating from her mouth. Either way, you shook your head and put it back on her.

"It's a queenly crown from the lake. That is what you deserve, darling." 

It seemed like Jiwoo stopped breathing for a moment and you worried that the pet name was too far, too soon. Suddenly, Jiwoo turned her head toward the lake, but not before you saw the deep red on her cheeks.

The fish came back, some the same as before and some not. For some reason, you couldn't understand them or her as they conversed about something. Then they disappeared again and you were left to wonder. Jiwoo didn't offer any words, just put her hand in your lap, staring at something. Something behind you it seemed, though you couldn't tell. So, you grabbed her hand and waited, waiting until she told you what her strange actions meant. 

It was pretty easy to guess when the fish returned with a crown like the one you had asked for before. Jiwoo chattered eagerly with them for a moment before taking it. The crown was dry the moment it touched her hands, and you couldn’t even see the water flow out the way you had to do before. Children of Poseidon.

You fixed her with a playfully flat look as she put it on your head. By the time she pulled away to look at it better you had already lost your expression to a fond smile.

So, you pulled her back to your side, looking at your reflection. The moon shined from above, lighting Jiwoo so you easily traced your eyes over her features. After tonight, you'd be content to sit like this with her until the sunrise. But she has other plans. Jumping up, she pulls on your arm to have you follow her. When you just raise an eyebrow at her, she gestures towards her cabin with her head. 

"Stay with me? For tonight at least." 

It was the beginning of spring. March 14, white day. The concrete pavement was damp, as it had been raining before the city awoke. You walked alongside your friend, Jiwoo, and soaked in all the noises surrounding you, almost like a sponge. The chirping birds, Jiwoo’s heels clicking on the pavement, her voice as she rambled, the footsteps of strangers passing by, the way your friend exaggeratedly sighed - almost as if she was in love. She claims she is.

“Do you think she’ll give me anything?”

“Huh?”

Silence. It all snapped you back into reality. You looked over at your friend; she pouted while crossing her arms. “I said…” She began. Her lips parted a bit, almost as if she wanted to keep talking. But she never did. Seeing the sadness in her puppy eyes, it was like a punch in the gut. You plastered on a smile. “I think she will. You said it was going well, right?” You replied. You weren’t quite sure what she had been rambling about, but you assumed it was about Sooyoung. She’s been the only thing Jiwoo has wanted to talk about recently. Ahh… Sooyoung! Sooyoung this, Sooyoung that. As much as you loved Jiwoo, you wished she would shut up sometimes.

And so, she rambled on about how good Sooyoung was to her, how they had their little moments of outbursts, but who doesn’t? As much as you wished that she would have a regular conversation with you, you enjoyed seeing Jiwoo’s eyes light up. Her bright smile and the way she giggled made you feel some type of way. This is happiness, isn’t it? Jiwoo was your closest friend, and probably the only person you truly trusted. Something about her felt different, everything felt right around her… it felt like… home?

It had been hours since your little walk with Jiwoo. You remember her saying, “I’m going to see her later today. I promise I’ll tell you all about it.” You just nodded in return. Now it was late; the sun was down and you were kicking it back with some mashed potatoes and some random late night show. You started to doze off mid episode, your hair slowly falling in front of your face as your head went down from tiredness. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. You were half asleep. Assuming it was for your downstairs neighbor, you continued to get some shut eye. A few minutes pass and your phone rings. Your eyes dart open, as if being awoken from a nightmare. Your brain feels foggy, but you realize your phone is still ringing, and so you reach over to find out who it is. Kim Jiwoo.

You quickly answer the call and before you can even greet her she softly says, “Can you open the door? I’m kinda cold…” Her voice sounds shaky, as if it’s bound to crack any moment. You hang up and bounce to the front door, almost tripping down the stairs. You open the door and there she is. Kim Jiwoo, looking like a puppy that's just been kicked. She holds her hands close to her chest and her eyes drift off. “Come in,” You say to her softly, moving your hand to a ‘come-in-motion.’

Jiwoo sits down on your bed. Your apartment was small, it was basically a bedroom and a kitchen combined, with a bathroom off to the side. You wrap a blanket around Jiwoo and you both hold eye contact for a while. Her eyes are red and puffy, however, it looks like the rest of her face has been drained of color. You watch her eyes tremble as you ask, “What happened? I thought you were gonna be with-” You’re cut off by Jiwoo lightly pressing her fingertips against your lips. Jiwoo raises her eyebrow in surprise, almost as if she touched you subconsciously. She jumps a bit when you reach for her wrist, moving her hand away from your face. The silence is heavy and the atmosphere is suffocating.

She’s gone back to her vulnerable state. Her eyes bouncing from wall to wall, focusing on anything except you. She knew if she told you what happened then that would mean accepting the events that had occurred beforehand. But finally, she spoke.

“She broke up with me, I think? My heart was beating so fast I couldn’t process everything…”

Her eyes trembled, slowly filling up with tears. You could see her try to stabilize her breath, but it was as if she had a lump at her throat that didn’t allow her to inhale properly. You both slowly pulled each other into an embrace. The moment felt straight out of a movie for both of you. Having your friend so close to you felt comforting. Having your friend wanting, no, needing you to hold her felt comforting. The desire to be needed consumed you. However, her tears soon began to drown your thoughts.

You two spent the night together. You listened to her the entire night. One minute she’d be ranting about Sooyoung, the next she’d be sobbing — she was a mess. None of that mattered to you; you just wanted to be by her side. 

Jiwoo had stopped rambling and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Now you’ve been mindlessly scrolling through your socials, but it was so late at night that not many people were online. You could hear soft mumbling come from your bathroom. The mumbling becoming footsteps and mumbling; your ears perked up, trying to pick up on the words Jiwoo was saying. Alas, you couldn’t. Suddenly, the door is slammed open, startling you a bit. 

Jiwoo walks out of the bathroom, her right hand in a fist slamming down on the palm of her left hand. Her face seemed relaxed, but something about it gave you the feeling that there was mischief to arise. She stops in front of you, her posture and aura radiating in confidence.