it's a work of heart!

His look of despair faltered at the mention of fairy dust. Leland had been only expressing bitterness when he mentioned flying. Only Theo would take that seriously and it broke the pirate’s heart even more knowing that he would still never be deserving of someone like the demigod. His eyes fell to the floor and he could feel his vision blurring. If tears were ever shed between them, he always expected them to come from Theo first because of something Leland had done, not the other way around.

His fingers curled into the fabric of his pants, holding tighter and tighter as he forced himself to listen. Then Theo came into his line of sight once again when he knelt before him and he had to shut his eyes which prompted his tears to overflow and cascade down his cheeks. This made Theo the third person to ever see him cry in his entire life. Tears were his ultimate shame but how could he bring himself to care when the simple act of breathing felt like he was inhaling broken glass. It just all hurt so much.

Leland didn’t know what he would have done if Theo had left him in person. Maybe he would have made a fool of himself begging him to stay or left Auradon entirely. The Isle had been his home once. The pirate was only half hearing the demigod, confused as to why Theo was apologizing for breaking up with him. This kind of apology was far from kindness. It was a cruelty that not even Leland could fathom.

He jumped when the other male made contact. It was a light pressure but his eyes snapped open and he scooted back on his bed like he had been burned. “Don’t touch me an’ wh-why should I forgive ye?  Ye — Ye left me. Ye don’t want me anymore.” He paused to take a shuttering breath, trying to steady his voice so he didn’t sound as pathetic as he felt. “Why do ye want me forgiveness? Why do I matter tae ye if ye broke up with me? If this be some Auradon courtesy ‘tis bullshit. Not even I was this cruel on the Isle.”

Out of all the possible paths Theo had envisioned this conversation taking, nothing could have prepared him for Leland's tears. Though he could count the number of times he had seen Theo in his own bouts of saline-stricken grief or anxiety, the thought of Leland being somehow... invincible when it came to these things sometimes lingered in his mind. He was able to forget the expectations that came with having the blood of a God running through his veins, to collapse into a true, fallible human state and know that no matter how he stumbled, Leland wouldn't look down on him for it.

Heart clenched as he watched the tears roll down pale cheeks, his fingers itched to cup Leland's face and brush them away. That was what a good-- no, even a decent boyfriend would do. But when Leland all but jerked away from him, Theo himself flinched back, mirroring Leland's earlier action of curling his fingers around the fabric of his pants. Initially, he could feel his head lowering in shame at the truth of Leland's words. A part of him wouldn't blame the other for it - why should he forgive him? Maybe after some time passed, but even then Theo felt that it might be longer than he'd like for even a blossom of forgiveness to sprout.

His head suddenly lilted upright as Leland continued, however, his features betraying all the bewilderment now springing to the surface. Broke up with him? Theo's mind instantly traced back the contents of the letter; nowhere in it could he recall even remotely stating that he'd wanted to break up with Leland, nor could he fathom the thought of ever wanting to in the first place. Then again, the final draft was a tad on the jumbled side, written in frantic haste after so many failed copies before it. Oh Gods, and to leave right after delivering it, not even in person--

Hearing his name fall so desperately from the demigod’s lips almost had him turning around. However, the pirate refused to be so pathetic. It helped when one of his mates noticed he had stopped and they gently urged him on to his room. The crew had put together the situation after days of Leland switching between snapping at everyone he encountered, locking himself in his room, or spending hours sword training until he couldn’t hold a sword.

Finally arriving at his room, he nearly fell into his bed when the ship rocked to the side once before righting itself. The pirate groaned, cursing himself for forgetting that he had in fact been dating a demigod. With Theo’s gentle personality, he often forgot that he was descended from a god and most of the time Leland didn’t care. However, the entire ship rocking meant that his ex-lover had clearly made it on board. He was tempted to run and avoid this whole conversation all together. The other male had already broken his heart so what more could he possibly want from him? Nothing good was his only conclusion.

Sighing, he knew he would never break his word. If the demigod had made it on board then he owed him a talk. Sitting up right on his bed, it wasn’t long before he heard heavy footsteps approaching his room. He had left his door open and he was staring at the doorway, waiting for Theo to appear in the frame. His whole body was tense and rigid, making him look as if he was ready to bolt or draw his sword. The heavy beating of his heart made everything worse and he almost wished he could go back to the days where he could go through a string of lovers, leaving them behind with nothing but bittersweet words as they cursed him for being heartless. If they saw him now they would probably be cheering, believing he was getting what he deserved.

It didn't take Theo much longer than a few minutes to finally descend upon Leland's room, though he lingered just inches from approaching the doorway. The reality of what - of who he might find inhabiting the small space suddenly dawned upon him. Seeing Leland with such a broken spirit made his own chest ache in sympathy, but being the one who had inadvertently caused that pain? When they had first met, he'd believed the pirate to be more invincible than himself. All that confidence and swagger charmed Theo effortlessly - no doubt a great many others. But peeling back the layers, one piece gently as time came and went, getting to know the slightly bumbling, delicate core beneath the rough exterior.

That was when he knew he'd completely fallen.

They couldn't give up on that so easily. Theo inhaled slowly, steeling himself for any number of reactions before easing into dimly lit view. Their eyes met for a moment, a sudden rush of cold slinking along his veins at how real all of this actually was. This boy that he truly and wholly cared for, and who he hoped still reciprocated the depth of emotion; hoped that he would at least be willing to let Theo do his best to fix what he'd so stupidly broken. "I... I'm sorry about, the-- rocking the boat. I didn't really have any fair dust, so..." He huffed out an exapserated breath, palm coming to slide down his face. This was useless stalling, why did he always turn to rambling when he couldn't deal with a situation head on?

Resurfacing, he edged cautiously past the entryway, slowly lowering himself until he was kneeling at Leland's feet. "I should have told you I was leaving - in person. I was just so scared to say goodbye, that if I did I wouldn't even go in the first place. It just... You deserve the best of someone, Leland. And I felt like I couldn't give you that, even though I really tried. And I'm sorry for not telling you all of this in the letter - it wasn't fair of me to just expect you to be waiting for me, I..." Jaw clenched, Theo slowly moved to rest his forehead against Leland's knee, throat constricted with held-back tears. "Please forgive me?"

anything “good” about harriet hook was disregarded once she heard the news that theo was back. her father’s blood boiled within her, the green hues flashing red as his own blue hues did when on the hunt for vengeance. the stomping of her boots echoed against the wood of the ship, the crew moving out of her way knowing this captain was one to be feared. right now she was her father’s daughter, loud and barking orders, a once lollygagging crew picking up their pace as they once did. the forger of their crew sat down writing the letter word for word, signing with the L for leland. dispatching her fastest member she knew that letter would draw the boy to the ship. standing at the railing she addressed the rest of the crew, “anyone ‘as anythin’ tae say ‘bout this can jump of the ship now.” her words sharp and she paused watching to see if anyone would leave, none did. “this boy hurt one of our crew and we dont’ allow wenches tae hurt one of us now do we.” murmurs of agreement reached her ears. “good. now set up the plank, brin’ the chains, e’s a demi god but that isn’t gonna help ‘im by the time i’m done with ‘im. he’ll regret ever messin’ with one of us, ye ‘ear. now a pirate ‘as two rules correct.” a collective yes echoes. “right. loyalty and parley. but in times of conflict parley ‘as been overlooked and i do believe this is one of those times! no mercy! no kindness! he will pay. now tae yer stations, not one of ye interfere or so help me i still know a croc who goes tick tock!” she shouted, the crew shouting with her. she turned and a wicked grin curled upon red lips. “he’s gonna pay for what he did make sure of that.” and with that she was calmed, composed, a gust of wind lingering, unwavering never really sure when it would pick up and cause pain. she reached down to grab her sword. “two names waitin’, one today, one another.”

@theosiphies

Theo had admittedly been a little off put by Leland's letter, but mainly due to the fact he had decided to send a letter in the first place. The entire mess and misunderstanding between them had been forged by a few words scrawled on paper, after all. Either way, Theo wasn't about to question the request laid within, and soon enough he was on his way down to the docks. The bundle of nerves he had been some days ago felt long ago compared to there here and now, and for that he was eternally thankful. Everything he had with Leland was so rare, so natural, the thought of losing him - well, he wouldn't dwell on it. Confident steps drew him up and along the brow leading onto the ship, expecting to see the tall male aboard. But when he caught sight of Harriet and the crew, a wave of dread washed over him. Things hadn't exactly been on stable ground to begin with when it came to making... friends, but, Theo honestly wasn't sure if he should even mention anything after all that had happened between himself and Leland. Still, it would be rude not to say a word, and he cautiously offered a small smile towards the captain. "Hi, Harriet. Ah, do you happen to know if Leland's around? It's just he... said he wanted to see me, so, uhm... I'm here,"

Alex loved his siblings, but he honestly hasn’t been able t to spend any time with them. So, finally hearing from his younger brother, Alex easily agreed to meet up, exciting to have a chance to be with his sibling. As he noticed the other male, Alex smiled a bit before calling out to him. “Theo! What’s going on? Long time no see.”

@theosiphies for theo

Technically he had wanted to see his brother for a while now - although, Theo couldn't help feeling a tad guilty about the circumstances for contacting Alex. Asking for advice wasn't something he felt ashamed of (well, maybe a little), but he hoped his brother wouldn't think that was the only reason he'd even texted him in the first place. Blonde head picking up from his book, Theo felt himself smile a little with a wave in Alex's direction. "Yeah, tell me about it. Guess life just kind of slipped us by, huh? How're you doing?"

“I got yer damn letter,” he spat out harshly, finding it easier to slip into his cruel facade as he used anger to force out the pain. It was tempting to tell Theo to leave. Even more tempting to call Tick Tock and see what the former crocodile would do with the situation. However, for Theo’s sake he did neither.  Even through his anger he did not truly want to harm theo. Not yet, at least. Instead, he turned to order one of the crew members to remove the brow that connected the dock and the ship. If Theo wanted to talk, he would have to work to get his way onto the ship.

Turning back to the male with his arms crossed, he stared down at him for a long moment, contemplating the danger of giving him the chance to get closer. It was easy to deny him with the distance keeping the worst of his hurt at bay but he doubt he could cope if Theo dared to reach out and touch him. Sighing, he finally proposed his offer. “If ye want tae talk that badly then find yer way onto the ship. Climb, fly, whateve’r ye can think of. I’ll be in me quarters.” Swiftly he turned and marched to his room, warning the crew not to lift a finger to help Theo. Half of him hoped Theo would make it, the other half feared for the last bits of his own sanity if he did.

The confusion only deepened as Leland responded, and Theo could only shake his head. "But if you did, then, where is all this coming from?" Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't been mature enough to actually deliver the words from his own mouth. That, he could understand being upset with. Still, Leland's behavior seemed to speak more than just being mad at him. The waver in his tone still hadn't gone unnoticed; there was an underlying emotion Theo couldn't put a label onto. Although any moment he could spare to further inquire of his boyfriend's demeanor literally slipped from his grasp the moment his only entry was removed. His legs instantly shifted forward in a vain attempt to haul himself onto the brow, and he could only gawk up at Leland helplessly. "Leland, you can't be serious--" he sputtered out, eyes widening when the other disappeared from view. "Leland!" When it became glaringly apparent that this was actually happening, Theo began pacing the deck while weighing his options. There was leaving, which fell onto the very last rung of decisions because he'd be damned if they weren't going to talk about this. Even if they argued, screamed, if Leland ended up hating him by the end of it, he was going to just sit by and do nothing. So, that left him with the task of finding a way aboard the ship.

Flying was out of the question; it wasn't like he carried around a fresh supply of fairy dust. Come to think of it, that suggestion had probably been more sarcastic than anything. Letting out a huff, Theo eyed the towering wooden framework hesitantly. With virtually no grips on the sides, aside from the coverings of the portholes, scaling would be a no go. And jumping on his own didn't seem wise - he just needed to get on the ship, not potentially put a hole in it from a failed landing. But maybe if he had something to counter his weight...

After a few minutes, Theo returned to the dock, this time grasping a vaulting pole tight beneath his fingers. Though he'd never used one before, he had seen plenty of other students wield it effortlessly. Plus the physics were pretty easy to understand, all he had to do was not overshoot the target. Yeah, no biggie. Nodding to his own reasoning, he began jogging back a few paces, mentally measuring the distance before coming to a stop. "Okay," he breathed, readying the pole with a look of pure determination, "Just don't overshoot. You got this... for Leland," Swallowing the last remaining lump of hesitation, he pushed his body forward into a sprint down the dock, jabbing the pole into a wooden plank and felt himself go airborne. At first he felt triumphant, body poised The initial surge of adrenaline gave way to panic as he heard the fibers splinter beneath the pole, making a split-second decision to abandon his landing plan and instead heave his body towards the edge of the ship.

Everything about Leland screamed defensive and on guard. If they had met on the Isle this was one of many facets that Theo may have encountered. Even if the pirate had the potential for good in him, he had felt how easy it was to let himself slip back into old habits and he knew that darkness would always be nestled into his core. The darkness was his only comfort, offering numbness to the pain that the demigod had brought him under. His gaze and stance remained harsh but if tested, he would melt under the gentlest of touches so long as that touch came from Theo. “Wh-Why?” He couldn’t help but choke out, feeling traitorous tears spring forth and daring to fall over the edge. No. No way in hell would he ever allow anyone but his captain to see him cry. He was a pirate. Pirates did not shed tears over someone that had chosen to leave them.

Keeping his tears at bay, his confusion over the next question helped and he wondered why Theo would be under the notion that any of this would make him happy. Did he think he was so pathetic that he would be happy just to see him regardless of what he had done? Perhaps he was. Those eyes that held a softness Leland himself could never possess. Lips that he could still feel their ghostly imprint against his own. A voice that could capture even a pirate’s attention long enough to teach him the most boring of subjects. Leland missed all of it and more. It did make him happy to see Theo but the happier he let himself feel, the more he loathed his heart for making him feel at all. That anger is what he chose to hold onto when he could finally muster a response. “Why would I be happy to see a traitor?!” He shouted down at the male. Nothing could hurt a pirate more than betrayal and from Leland’s point of view, he had betrayed the loyalty to his heart. He had betrayed their bond.

Traitor. The single world shifted his unease into fully developed dread, a swift punch to the gut as the hurled venom seared through his nerves. Theo felt himself wobble, unsure if his legs could remain locked into place for a moment. How on earth, or anywhere above or below could Leland think him a traitor? He couldn't think of a moment where he'd given the other any ounce of distrust - had somebody spread a rumor? Was this some type of spell? Granted, leaving in such haste had come with a large reluctance mainly due to the pirate, but he had poured over everything he thought possible in the letter-- did Leland even receive it?

"Oh-- Oh Gods, Leland is this about-- I know I was gone but, I left you a letter. I thought I'd explained everything but, did you even get it? I- I slipped it under your door..." And that in itself sounded agonizingly cowardly aloud. A groan rose in the back of Theo's throat, head swaying as he felt guilt rise like bile in his mouth. "I never should have just left, I should have-- I knew I should have said something in person, I was just so... ashamed that I even needed to get help - I'm so sorry, that was wrong but..." A traitor?

"Can we... Can we please talk about this?"

The pirate glared at the demigod before turning to lock eyes with Leland. The crew within hearing distance had all frozen and waited to see what the first mate would do. Leland himself still had a reputation to protect and despite the confusion and pain eating away at him, he would not let the crew see him be weak. Slowly, he stood himself up and strode over to the edge of the ship. The white knuckled grip he had around the hilt of one of his swords was the only give away as to how much this was affecting him. Now it was just the son of Smee staring over the edge and the rest of the crew had returned to their duties but he knew they were still keeping an ear on him. “What… What do you want with me?” His voice had started out weak, unable to cope with the sight of the only man that had ever broken his heart., then Leland stood with the presence of the person he had been on the Isle, hard and uncaring. He assumed Theo was here simply to see the effect he had on the pirate which must have shown in the dark circles under his eyes and it definitely showed in the concealed bruises and scratches hidden underneath his clothes. His violent tendencies, while still somewhat under control thanks to Harriet, had manifested in a few particularly nasty and unnecessary fights over the past few weeks.

Theo felt his smile falter underneath the crew members steely gaze, fighting the urge to shrink back. Alright, so this... wasn't as warm a welcome as he expected. The pirate's demeanor didn't really bother Theo, so much as what this behavior might have meant. Did the crew suddenly turn against him for some reason - had something happened to Leland? An ice cold rush of panic surged within him, his body inching further towards the edge of the dock. The thought of anything even remotely bad befalling the boy he'd come to cherish, it was almost too much to stand. Only when Leland finally appeared did Theo's chest deflate with a baited breath; though not one of relief. No, not when he was staring at a person who appeared so... shattered. Widened gaze taking in his features even from a distance revealed the extent of Theo's burgeoning fears, that he almost didn't hear Leland's question at first. When it registered, when the tone, cold shrouding a wary undertone, he blinked back into awareness of just what he'd been asked. "Wh-- Leland, I wanted to see you. I just got back, I'm - I'm back now," The ghost of a humorless laugh fell upon his lips, his eyes scanning the boy's gaze above him for any semblance of the adoration and belonging he'd become so accustomed to seeing in those endless sea-foam depths. What in Gods names had happened to turn Leland this way?

"I wanted to... a-are you not happy to see me?"

     "Another dance? On Valentine’s Day?” While the cheerful news had almost everyone buzzing with excitement, it had quite the opposite effect on the local merboy. Seeing the large notification poster advertising it high and proudly did little to improve his sour attitude. “They’re already preparing for it and some people still haven’t even taken down their winter decorations. At least this’ll give them time to plan a good food table,” he muttered to whoever was standing next to him, hands crossed across his chest as he huffed. It was clear he felt… strongly, about the upcoming holiday.

Theo eyed the rather vibrant display with a hum, nodding. "Granted, it does seem a little... typical?" Auradon certainly had a flair for balls, dances, and the like - Theo supposed it came along with the whole royalty side of things. The introvert embedded deep within him usually cringed when catching wind of yet another event, but for the moment, the usual sense of dread was absent. "Then again, it gives some of the newer students a taste of, well, being young. Enjoying themselves instead of, worrying about whether or not they'll have something to eat tomorrow," Shifting attention to Marius' tone, he tilted his head curiously in the boys direction. 

"Not particularly excited about going to another dance?"

Only once in his life had Leland felt this amount of pain. The only difference was that when he was ripped away from his home at a tender age, surviving became the ultimate distraction. It was also easy to forget Neverland because the memories of a child, no matter how magical, faded easily with time. Leland would never forget Theo and he had very little distraction in Auradon. Harriet helped but even she could only heal a fraction of his pain. Still, after their talk he regained enough of himself to know that he couldn’t take his pain out on others like he would have done before. Sitting on the deck of the ship for a few hours each day undisturbed as he simply listened to the crew work around him helped him keep his remaining sanity. Until he heard a voice that he thought he would never hear again.

Leland remained in his position, watching as another crew member approached the edge of the ship. A hard look crossed their face, making his brows furrows but he refused to believe that it was him. “What the hell do ye want?” He watched the crew member call out to whoever had approached the ship.

Though it was highly likely that anybody could have answered his call, deep down Theo had hoped it would be Leland popping up into view. He had rehearsed the entire scene in his head - right down to the corny leaping into each others arms with a kiss he'd yearned for every single night since his departure. It wasn't until the crew member appeared to answer him that Theo felt his nerves return. Sure, he hadn't exactly made fast friends with many of Harriet's crew but, they had at least been tolerable of his presence, for the most part. The gruff response had him shaken for a moment, but he tried to regain his footing. "I uh, was wondering if Leland's aboard? I kind of wanted to surprise him and, well, figured this would be the best place to look, so..." Theo trailed off, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he awaited the next response.

Trying, and failing to stop grinning like an idiot, Theo cupped both hands around his mouth and called out to the deck, "Permission to come aboard?"

For so many years, Leland simply took what he wanted. The only thing he had truly earned on the Isle was the respect of the crew and his captain, and that had been enough for the wayward pirate. Now, everyday he questioned what he had done to earn the love of a man like Theo. He questioned it every moment they were apart but when they were together all he could see was pure love in the demigod’s eyes and it silenced his fear. Theo made him want to be a better man and without question, Leland knew that someday he would be as long as he had him by his side.

It almost seemed ridiculous that he could something so intense for the other male when they hadn’t even gone on a first day. To be fair, lust always won over love on the Isle, which was why he had left the planning to Theo. “If ye love it, I’ll love it.” The statement was said with a calmness that it implied it to be nothing but fact. He trusted the demigod and aside from his loyalty, that was the best thing he had to offer. “I just can’t tell which of us be more excited for all ah this.”

Little did Leland know, the simple response caused the buzzing hive of nervous jitters in Theo to finally cease. Many times, he wondered how aware the other was when it came to how his presence affected Theo. With a single word, all the storm clouds of anxiety and doubt were seemingly whisked away, as if they had never existed to begin with. For someone who had completely given up on the idea of even pursuing an actual... relationship, outside of platonic, every step of this journey would always have a tinge of uncertainty. And yet at the same time, Leland infused Theo with his confidence, a confidence he could call his own, and strengthened every time he had Leland at his side.

"I think it might be a tie? I mean I know I'm excited - and I actually know what we're about to do!" he chuckled lightly, whipping around to face Leland, head bowed for a moment as he continued, bashfully, "Initially I... wanted to do a little bit of everything. There's just so much I want us to see, to enjoy, to explore -- and, in the end I almost overwhelmed myself with how endless the possibilities were. Shocking, right? Me, causing myself worry," Rolling his eyes, Theo went to grasp Leland's unoccupied hand, walking backwards up the grassy incline, "You actually inspired what I ended up choosing. Something that's got flair, a little... spark, if you will," The giddiness threatened to overtake him, giggles spilling past the last bit of speech. No doubt Leland could see plainly the mirth poorly concealed in his bright blue irises; Theo never had been skilled at hiding secrets, particularly when excited.

It was impossible to describe how Theo felt when around Leland. Intense? Well, yes that was quite accurate. But that one word only served to encompass the literal plethora of emotions that rose and fell in thunderous time with catching even a glimpse of the pirate. It barely scratched the surface, when there was so much more that lay beneath. He was often accustomed to feeling inadequate around certain people; stronger, faster, even smarter - even with Leland, the way Theo found himself awkwardly stumbling over his own feet and words seemed magnified tenfold more than usual. But the feelings didn't discourage him, not in the slightest. Instead, he yearned for nothing more than to rise above them, to prove to himself that yes, he actually was worthy of someone as breathtaking as Leland. 

All of the nights spent pouring over the 'where' and 'what' of their first date seemed so insignificant to Theo now. Simplicity had been horrendously overlooked - who didn't love a picnic? The setting sun painting purple and orange across a twilight sky, scattered with the beginnings of stars. Still bouncing on his heels like a child with a secret too large to contain, Theo could barely contain himself as he tugged Leland along the cement path of the park. "Come on, we're almost there! It's just up this hill, oh, you're gonna love it. And even if you don't love it, well... you'll at least like it, I promise,"

kai bit his tongue, holding back several sarcastic comments about just how excited he was to do this. traveling further into the office he closed the door behind him and took the empty seat at the other end of the desk. eyes traveled to the thick stack of papers on the desk and widened slightly. his bag fell to the floor before he leaned forward to leaf through the preview assignment. “sixty questions? are you serious?” looking over at theo he sighed. this was exactly what he did not want to be doing right now. glancing at the coffee mug and then back at theo he practically glared at the other demigod. “there are other people with a’s in the class you know? you could have asked someone who didn’t fall asleep in class today. or is this my punishment? you pretend you need my help so i’d come clean about not really staying up late studying.” pulling out a pen he stared at the first question of the assignment. even with coffee, his brain could not do this right now. his brain felt like it was throbbing. 

Was fifteen pages going a liiiittle too far for a mock assignment?... Yes, absolutely so, Theo concluded. Technically the work was doable, but within the time period of one night? Near impossible, as Kai's expression clearly mirrored as he glanced through the pages. "Like I said, none of it's set in stone. This is just a practice before I create the real thing," he explained, chin resting atop an open palm, his eyes meeting Kai's glaring daggers with a gentle gaze. Before Theo could come up with yet another fictitious reason for selecting him specifically, the cat had finally been released from it's bag. Though inwardly relieved, he didn't appear so on the outside, brow furrowing as if confused. "I didn't assume anything else. I figured, hey, Kai's got a good head on his shoulders, if he actually needed to take it easy he'd just let me know. But... I guess sometimes, we push through things because, I'dunno, we feel like there's a point to prove. That asking for a hand isn't cool, when in actuality, it's the smartest thing you can do. Especially when the person wanting to help doesn't actually expect you to finish that monster assignment all in one night..." Sighing, Theo removed his glasses, "Look, you don't have to explain why you look like-- well, hell warmed over, if you don’t want to. Just... don't lie about it next time?"