expensive mistakes

he grinned proudly, "thank you. took a bit but, it has it's useful moments." he raised his eyebrow, a bit worried, "they didn't tell you? i could've sworn they were supposed to tell you. they told me, but well, i've been around for a while so..." he looks around his room, knows it's ridiculous but he knows it's helpful, scrambling around to find a college pamphlet for finn, "well. yeah... we're kind of all at risk. think of it as like, out there there's vampires and we have like super delicious special blood and these vampires are like super tough and good at hiding and they want us bad, so they send us to school here. so when we go out there. " he uses his hands to explain and point to the outside, "we're capable of handling it and you know, making sure we survive and stuff. i know using a vampire analogy doesn't make it make any more sense, but that's the general gist of it." he finds the pamphlet, and hands it over to finn. "if you want that in actual writing, this should help."

it's nearly impossible for him to keep the look of pure shock off his face as peter put a pamphlet into his hand. honestly, a pamphlet? yeah, this guy had a lot he needed help with, finn decided. a lot of corruption that he needed to be put through. honestly, how was this guy even surviving in higher education by handing out pamphlets? as peter rambled on about something about vampires, finn tried to listen, but found it was just doing nothing but making his head hurt. "so, we're going to have people sucking our blood when we leave? i mean, i'll try anything once, but i hope these vampires at least buy me a dinner first." he flipped through the "literature" that had been given to him, wondering if it would give any true clues as to why he'd been forced to be sized up for armor on move in day. honestly, what kind of place even was this, really? surely this had to be some sort of elaborate prank.

his brows furrow, finger wagging in disagreement." uh-uh, not at all the same thing when i always eventually give you your shit back and i literally can't get my food back. " he protests, hatching new plans to never return her things from this point forward. he's gonna steal ALL her stuff. “ am i ? “ he questions with a tone indicating she's full of shit. “ you can be best friends with someone and it not work out as more than that.” he points out, whether or not it's relevant to her he'll have to let her decide. besides, he probably shouldn't be giving out relationship advice to a girl he hardly knows. or to anyone, for that matter. " it's fine, what are frien— fuck off, annabeth. " he tries to swat away her attempt before she can grab it but he's lost another one. he can't quite sit in his blackhole of hunger forever, not when he's finally positive on the friendship scale. still, he keeps his glare present, a shrug of his shoulders. " see, that's interesting 'cause to share my food, you gotta be, like, level eight billion. " he tells her, though not doing much more to actually stop her eating it. " so if i'm therapizing you or whatever, i need some respect. bring your own food. and some for me, you know, like, as a fee. " he nods, that sounded like a fair deal to him.

she raised an eyebrow as he wagged his finger at her. after all, what was she? seven? "you can always just get more food. it's not the end of the world for me to eat two fries and half a chicken tender," she said. however, she felt herself spiraling as she considered what he said. if annabeth hadn't dated percy, like... ever, then what would her life have even looked like? how would they have worked if they had just stayed friends? would they be fighting as much now? would she have even come to this school? or would she be back out in california with her dad, trying to get into a school out there? "percy and i are going to be fine," she finally muttered. "he just needs to stop being an idiot when it comes to my roommate." she couldn't help but smirk as she ate what she'd taken, his swatting attempt having not worked on her. "last one of these i'll take, i promise. at least, for right now. and fine. tell you what: tomorrow morning, i'll bring you a bagel. sound good?"

“ my bad, my bad. ” he grins as he's whacked, palms up in surrender. he takes back her being soft, he definitely deserved that. " i'd accept the punishment. " aaron admits, and gladly, too. at her words, there's a slow arch of his brow. his date ? he definitely didn't have one of those, or at least not that he knew of. if anything, she'd been the one he was hoping to see all night. “ what, you don't like me like this ? ” aaron presents himself, far-less wet but soon-to-be sticky, a soft grin on his lips. 

wadding up what was left of the napkins she had grabbed, angela tilted her head as she pretended to consider him. "it's not that. i already told you i thought your outfit was nice, and having something spilled on it doesn't change that. i just, i thought most people would bring someone with them to these types of parties. and i didn't want your date getting mad at me for one, getting you all sticky, and two, keeping you away from them. but..." she paused, her eyebrows lifting as he continued. "if i'm really not keeping you from anyone, and i'm only here with my roommate who is..." angela waved her hand behind her, knowing she would have next to no hope finding her for a while. "nonexistent at the moment. maybe you come with me to get another drink? i promise not to spill it on you this time."

as his precious tender is torn from him, he's sure his heart is also hacked in two once annabeth splits herself a piece off. he scoffs, “ you've officially crossed the line. ” he mutters as he takes it back with a snatch. her response of why brings forth a touch of disgust to his features, both disappointment and pity in his silent gaze toward her. he contemplates saying just how dumb it all sounds but he knows how girls can be when it comes to defending their basic ass boyfriends. but then she keeps talking and he knows he can't just ignore it. “ so because you've spent three years dating, and are friends or whatever, that's enough reason to just stay together ? spend the rest of your lives together just because... you have so far ? " he thinks that's fucking dumb and his pokerface isn't exactly activated. " there's no way you can't see how flawed that logic is. ” then again, maybe his dad will be proud of him for being smarter than a daughter of athena— this could be a good thing. " well, if you need my help with anything, let me know, but i think you should definitely kick his ass. " and sam wants to watch.

annabeth ignored the incredulous look he gave her as she took another fry off his plate and ate it. "you take my school supplies, i take your food," she said, as though her logic should already be abundantly obvious. but the shift in his expression--to one of pity no less-- is enough to make her squirm in her seat. "you're missing the point," she insisted. "he's my best friend. we just... we're in a weird place right now." weird place was definitely an understatement. she'd lost count of the number of fights they'd had over the last several weeks, with each one seeming louder and more intense than the one before it. but surely, she knew something had to change between them, and soon. no way her relationship could stay like that forever. "thanks, sam. and... i'm sorry i keep turning you into my impromptu therapist. soon you're going to have to start charging me by the hour." she paused, reaching over and snatching more of his chicken tenders. "uh oh. it's happened. you've officially reached friendship level seven," she teased.

he finally seems like he's having a bit of fun, a glint in her eyes as she watches his expression change. she had been in a couple of fights that could've gone either way, where both her ego and skill were tested and she'd come out of it bruised and broken. barely a bragging matter when you can't even stand for the glory, like she had failed regardless of the fact she'd managed to keep herself breathing. his comparison snaps her back to reality, to the boy in front of her, one who probably uses his mouth or dick to get what he wants and would last mere seconds in actual battle. she raises a brow at him. “ well, that sounds like you deserved a punch or two. how'd that end ? was it worth it ? ” piper wonders if he just got his ass kicked, really. she scuffs the edge of her shoe against the ground while she waits for him. she's acting passive but she's paying close attention to all his little changes, and he's looking better already. she can feel the difference in this swing too, lips twisting as her form does to step away from it. once she's out enough, her foot swiftly catches beneath his with a swipe, trying to test the balance in his stance.

it's almost surprising, how quickly he's finding some sort of level of comfort doing this. maybe that stupid orientation film did have some points right about him. maybe they did have some sort of natural battlefield reflexes or some shit along those lines. "might've had a black eye from it, but nothing too bad. besides, i can't be held responsible for the fact he couldn't keep it up. his girlfriend was looking for a good time and i was more than happy to help her out. not my fault he didn't know how to keep her..." finn paused, trying to think of the best wording so he didn't sound like a complete and total creep. "satisfied and smiling. and yeah... definitely was worth it." her foot hooking onto his does cause finn to lose his balance and he swore underneath his breath. it felt like something he should know to do already. he should know to protect things and ensure he's not easily knocked over. then again... the fact this was still even legal was blowing his mind if he focused too hard on it.

" you're fine... he's told me that story about fifty times. you saved me in a way. " aaron admits, a laugh escaping even if he does feel somewhat guilty of being glad to ditch his friend. if it was someone else he wonders if it would still be the case. " — but ruining my favourite shirt... " aaron sucks through his teeth as he looks down at her, shaking his head disapprovingly. " now that's unforgivable. " he can't even feign seriousness, a smirk so present on his lips. he's not trying to actually make her feel bad but there's a bit of amusement in the fact he still thinks she will, like he can make her squirm a little and have some fun with it. not too far, though, she seems a bit soft, or softer than he's used to, and he doesn't want to actually upset her.

" i didn't know you were a dancer, though. maybe you just missed the coordination part... " he teases, grin wide as he shrugs. she's probably pretty flexible. strong, too, despite not looking so. " what were you drinking anyway ? " aaron wonders, bringing his wet wrist to his nose to see if he can tell from the spillage.

she slapped him playfully on the arm as he teased her about her coordination. "first, you make me feel bad about your shirt, and now you're making fun of me." angela shook her head in mock disapproval. "maybe i should've spilled more of my drink on you on purpose if i'd known you were going to be this mean," she teased. "it's just a coke. so it'll dry alright, and it should come out, but your date might have to deal with you being a little sticky for the rest of the night." because surely, there's no way he can't be here with someone else, she concluded. and whoever she was no doubt would be missing aaron soon.

she still doesn't really need to try all that much to evade him, allowing him the free swing before she counters with her own, letting the clash of steel chime as she smiles, pushing against his weight through their weapons. being so close now she can imagine him beneath her, the thought pleasing her more than she'd thought originally, but there's an intimacy in battle, one she's addicted to. " you don't really think about what's legal when it's life or death. trust me. " piper answers, thrusting him back, she envies that mindset though; that this is just silly and unnecessary, a little quirky extracurriculum they'd never actually use. " loosen up, try again. "

the sound was almost too loud as the two weapons collided. yeah, he definitely didn't know how he was going to handle this. still, the fact he was brought so close to her as their weapons locked for a brief moment had him grinning down at the girl, though it was hard to keep his expression as she spoke. "you've been in life or death battles before? think the closest i ever came was when some asshole tried to hit me because i slept with his girlfriend. and that definitely did not involve these." finn stumbled for half a second, working to quickly regain his footing. how was this girl smaller than him and yet able to push him around--literally? finn did as she said, stopped thinking so much about what he was doing, loosed his grip the tiniest bit so it wasn't quite so tight and came for her once more.

like now, he's talking to some third year— seemingly alive in the conversation and his grin is so trained to stay put even if he's not completely listening, instead eyes are scanning every now and then for a certain first year. “ tommy, you… you gotta stop with that, no one thinks you’ve got rizz. ” he laughs, shaking his head as he humiliates his friend. then he hears some kind of shatter and he shifts himself to turn, only noticing the shorter person too late— and now he's wet.

he scoffs a bit in surprise, not quite registering her yet as lips press into a thin line, examining his shirt, his pants, even his shoes — all doused in drink and disastrously damp. then he hears his name, eyes widening when they land on angela with his lips curving into a smile. “ oh, hey, it's you. ” his form relaxes once more like he'd never been splashed in the first place. her panicking causes a laugh to escape, his thumb tracing his jaw to wipe away some of the drink. “ don't worry about it, i can go clean up. ” he assures, but he's not quite ready to say goodbye as soon as he's found her. “ you should come give me a hand, though, actually… you kinda owe me. ”

"the least i could do," she agreed, her hand moving to grip at his elbow. "i think i saw something this way," angela said, pulling him away towards where someone had laid out various chips. thankfully, there were indeed, some napkins. not the best option, she knew, and would probably still leave him sticky, but it had to be better than nothing. quickly, she picked up a few and handed some to him before trying to dab at some of the spots on his shirt.

"sorry to take you away from your friend back there," she apologized. "and for spilling my drink on you, obviously. you'd think i'd be a little more coordinated. my dad's going to be so upset knowing all my years of dance didn't seem to translate into grace in the real world."

still, even if he'd really like to see her explode, he can't hide the genuine confusion on his face at her words.  “ no he didn't. he LAUGHED ? ” sam is ignoring the fact he's done a lot worse, instead now staring at annabeth with his own horrified expression, no longer fussed at the fact she's eating his food. “ how does that make you satan ? nah, that's bullshit.” he shakes his head, reaching for one of the tenders like some act of ownership, like fine she has his chips but these are all his, chomping in thought before swallowing it down. “ why would you even wanna be with him if he's like this though ? you shouldn't be feeling second to some other girl, no matter who she is. you're his girlfriend, you come first. ” he nods, and he does know that much at least, knows that's why he'd always avoid labeling anything as such. “ who's this chick anyways ? want me to beat her up ? want me to beat HIM up ? ”

after sam took a bite of his tender, annabeth reached over, taking it from his hand and pulling off part of it before handing it back. staring at her bite of chicken for a moment, she contemplated his question before shrugging. "he's... well, my boyfriend," she said, knowing it was completely lame as a reason to be with him. "we've been best friends since we were twelve, like... our names came out as one. we were percyandannabeth. he's always been there for me, no matter what. a relationship just seemed the natural next step for us. and at this point it's already been like, three years. it wouldn't make sense to start over, not when between the friendship and relationship we've invested so much time into one another." sighing, annabeth popped her bite of chicken into her mouth. at sam's offer to beat up both of them for her, she gave a small smile. "thanks but, no. i'll just sneak blue hair dye into her shampoo or something. and for percy, well... i'll get him to spar with me later. maybe not totally pull a punch or two."

" uh... i mean, i only got dropped once, but... " he jokes a bit in his hesitation, not sure he really gets the full context here, or whether he's really the guy to advise on a boyfriend issue, but annabeth seems pretty worked up. " that does sound like an incredibly moronic thing to do though... like... wait, what ? some girl's been a dick to you and he's defending her ? " he scoffs. he regularly fucks over girls and even he knows that's lame.

"it always happens. like, i get it. percy's friends with her. like, guys and girls can totally be friends, you know? one of my best friends is my RA and he's a guy, and we've been friends since we were like... ten, so i get it. i'm super chill about it. all the time. but what i'm not super chill about is that, i swear, she has made it her personal mission in life to make me miserable. and how does my boyfriend respond to it? by laughing about it."

annabeth shoved the fry she'd been waving in her mouth as she did a bad imitation of percy's voice. "it's just a joke, annabeth. why do you take everything so seriously?" her voice went back to normal as she kept going. "maybe because she's not joking? she actually wants to ruin my life? and a stupid pun isn't enough to justify it? but no, i'm literally satan--his words, mind you, not mine--for calling her out on this. like, honestly, sometimes, i truly think he'd rather just be with her than with me."

brown hues size him up, watching how he grips it in his hands, his stance, his expression. she can't help but grin a little at the sight of him, stiff and awkward and out of place. she simply pivots to dodge him, no swing of her axe to follow. he's not quite ready for that and she doesn't want to aim to miss on purpose. " i know you can do better than that. " piper's wants to get a rise out of him, her tone light in an attempt to taunt him a bit. " actually try this time, please. "

at her next words to him, finn huffed in frustration. readjusting his grip on the sword in his hand, he held it tighter, determined to at least get close to her this time. taking a deep breath, he bounced on the balls of his feet once, twice, before taking off running again at her and swinging once more. "not sure how this is supposed to be part of gen ed requirements. doesn't seem exactly legal to make us hit each other with these things."