Disclaimer: I don't own CotT, but that would be cool. I'd make sure it gets the recognition it deserves!
This is my first CotT fic, so be nice!
New Year's Eve was fast approaching, marking the end of their first year of battling Cronus. There was no end in sight, but they were alive and that, they decided, warranted some celebration.
When Neil had suggested having a party, Athena had been surprisingly supportive. It had been Jay that needed some coaxing.
"New Year's Eve is an extremely significant event for the God of Time!" He'd argued, "What if he tries something while we're busy playing games and drinking punch?"
"I'm slipping extra booze in his drink," Archie had muttered to Atlanta, making her giggle. In the end, he was persuaded by who else, Theresa. All she had to do was bat her eyes, say how much she'd been looking forward to this party and Jay was putty in her hands.
A week before the party, Archie made a surprising announcement in the locker room after practice.
"I'm giving up on Atlanta. It's time to move on, don't you think?"
Odie and Neil looked dumbfounded while Jay was merely concerned.
"Just like that?" He queried, "You've liked her for ages!"
"I know," Archie said glumly, slamming his locker door shut. "And I'm no closer to telling her than I ever was.
That might have been the end of it, had Herry not piped up with the last thing anyone would have expected from him.
"Hey Arch, if you're not going to ask her out, you mind if I do?"
Four pairs of eyes stared in utter disbelief. Herry went on, obliviously,
"I knew you liked her, so I didn't want to make a move. But if you're giving up, it's cool right?"
Archie, at a loss for words, started stammering. He managed to say all the right things; you can ask, but it's up to Atlanta, no worries buddy, and so on. But Jay wasn't the least bit fooled and judging by the expressions on Odie and Neil's faces, they weren't either.
Come on, Jay thought, He may be saying yes, but he's begging you not to do it Herry! Can't you tell?
Beaming, Herry clapped Archie on the shoulder and strode out of the locker room. They finished changing in uncomfortable silence. Even Neil didn't know what to say.
Archie returned to the Brownstone an hour later than the others. While walking, he'd devised the perfect cover story as to why he'd gone for a walk in the bitter winter cold instead of hiding in the dorm with everyone else. This turned out to be a complete waste of time.
The moment he stepped through the door, he was swept off the ground and nearly crushed.
"She said yes!" Herry crowed. "We're going out tomorrow night! Thanks again Arch!" He dropped the purple-haired teen back down with a thump and strode off, whistling to himself.
"No problem." Archie grumbled, kicking off his boots.
If Atlanta noticed Archie's unusual silence over dinner, she didn't comment on it. The group dispersed almost immediately afterwards.
The next day seemed to drag, but for different reasons, depending on the person. Herry was practically skipping. Jay thought Archie was handling the situation well, until he "accidentally" destroyed another statue with his whip. Ares was not impressed; the statue had been of him.
Jay was conflicted; he felt like he should do something, but what? Atlanta was free to date whomever she pleased, and technically Archie has given Herry his blessing. This was out of his hands, just like everything else it seemed, as of late. Besides, Herry was so excited about the date that it was almost cute. If guys found such things cute. Neil kindly offered to help literally dig up Herry's one button up shirt and a pair of pants, while asking far too many pointed questions about the date.
When he was dressed, Odie reached up to pat his friend on the shoulder and wish him luck. Jay coughed loudly, making Odie jump and when he did, a small device fell to the floor. Herry didn't notice. Once he was out of the room, Jay gave the two boys his most severe look.
"No. Spying." He said firmly. "No following, and no eavesdropping, understand?" Odie had the grace to look embarrassed. Neil did not.
"Aw come on Jay! It's Herry and Atlanta! How's that going to work?"
Clamping down on his own curiosity, Jay shook his head.
"We'll find out when we ask them about it tomorrow. Go do your homework, or look at yourself, or something."
"Good idea," Neil murmured in agreement, pulling out his mirror. Odie rolled his eyes.
In the front hall, Atlanta had finally emerged from Theresa's room. Her wardrobe had been even worse than Herry's when it came to date-wear, having exclusively been made up of t-shirts, cargo shorts and sweatpants. Theresa had lent her a pair of dark jeans to go with an off-the-shoulder long-sleeved black shirt. She didn't suggest trying to change Atlanta's signature spiky hairstyle.
They exchanged pleasantries and off they went. They were going to see the new Slenderman movie and then get burgers afterwards.
A perfect date, Archie thought bitterly. He'd meant to stay hidden in his room, but he hadn't been able to resist a peek at seeing Atlanta dressed to impress. And gods, was she gorgeous. As a guy, he had no idea what Theresa had done to her makeup-wise, but her already beautiful brown eyes had threatened to suck him right in. Herry didn't stand a chance.
It's fine. It's fine. They're not going to cuddle in the movie theatre or anything, she's not afraid of anything. Let alone a dumb horror flick. She'll probably laugh the whole time. Her adorable, wheezy laugh. Damn it!
Archie flopped back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.
This was even worse than when she'd been with Pan. Yeah, seeing them kiss had felt like a punch to the gut, but they were both hypnotized at the time. He was convinced that Pan still had the hots for her, but at least he was on the other side of the world in the rainforest or something. Herry was not only here, but he was a good guy and a good friend.
Had he really liked Atlanta too, all this time? And stayed silent out of respect for him? How the heck was he supposed to compete with that?
You brought this on yourself. His conscience nagged at him, You're the one that decided to be a coward and give up on her. And announce it to the guys. You had months to make your move and you didn't.
He groaned. It was going to be a long night.
When hours of trying to distract himself turned out to be fruitless, Archie decided to get some fresh air on the roof. On the way, he absent-mindedly waved to Theresa and Jay who'd been back to back on the couch and reading. Nothing had been said as far as he knew, yet it was accepted as fact by everyone that Theresa and Jay were an item; how had they done that?
He shivered when the first blast of cold air struck his face. Odie and Neil were up here as well. It was a clear night and Odie had his telescope set up. Archie watched Odie pick up his PMR and make a call.
"Hey Theresa, Virgo and Orion are really bright tonight."
"That's cool," Theresa's staticky voice replied, "Let me know what else you find!" Only Odie would insist on stargazing in the dead of winter…with his telescope pointed at the streets below.
"What are you doing?" Archie demanded, louder than he intended.
"Archie!" Odie cried, equally loud, "You want to do some stargazing too?"
"Sure," Archie replied, tilting the telescope back towards the sky. Odie gave him his best innocent grin. Neil stared unabashedly over the edge of the Brownstone.
"Alright you caught us, don't tell Jay!" Tsk tsk, Theresa, trying to be sneaky? Or keeping Jay distracted?
"Guys!" Neil hissed, waving frantically, "They're coming!"
They all ducked, peering over the top of the wall. Sure enough, Herry and Atlanta were walking towards the dorm, side by side, but not holding hands. Archie's heart clenched. Even from this far away, he could tell they'd had a good time. They stopped by the front steps. Atlanta had disappeared from view, and they could only see the top of Herry's head.
Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no. There was only one reason a couple would stay outside in this cold after a date and he couldn't bear to watch anymore. He hurried inside.
"I enjoyed this," Herry said earnestly.
"Me too." Atlanta replied. A brief moment of silence passed.
"Atlanta?" Herry asked, suddenly sounding nervous, "Would it be alright if I uh, kissed you?"
Herry was the first to admit he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but even he could tell that the widening eyes and stammering was not the reaction he'd been hoping for.
"I'll take that as a no," He joked, hoping to keep things light. It didn't work, Atlanta's eyes started to well up with tears.
"Whoa, whoa!" Herry exclaimed, "It's ok, honestly! Don't cry!"
"I'm so sorry," Atlanta said, furiously wiping her cheeks, "I really did have a good time tonight, it's just…"
"Archie." Herry finished for her. Atlanta blinked. "Don't worry, I figured this might happen."
She had no defense. Was she really that transparent? Or was this yet another example of Herry surprising them all with how perceptive he could really be?
"But Atlanta, if you didn't want to go out with me, why didn't you just say that?"
Atlanta cleared a spot on the stairs and sat down, shielded by the snow that had started to fall. Herry sat beside her, waiting patiently for her response. Most guys, he knew, would be at least a little angry, but he honestly wasn't. Call him simple, but he knew Atlanta was not a cruel person. She hadn't meant to be hurtful and she clearly needed someone to talk to.
"I have no idea how I feel right now." Atlanta said quietly, after a moment. "Archie is the best friend I've ever had, and I can't risk losing our friendship, I just can't. I decided that a long time ago but," She took a deep breath,
"I know he can take care of himself in battle, all of you can. Well, except Neil. But when I see Archie in danger, I get scared of losing him. And it's stupid, I know it's stupid."
"It's not stupid." Herry murmured. "You love him."
Atlanta groaned and covered her face in her hands.
"I'm so awful, I totally used you! Why do you even like me?"
Herry's arm tentatively came around her shoulders. Atlanta stiffened, but didn't pull away.
"I like you because you're kind. You're fierce and fun and independent. You care about the environment, you care about the team," He cut himself off, mouth falling slightly open in realization. "You're not used to being cared about, are you?"
Atlanta looked at him sharply, but there was no malice or judgment to be seen on his face and she relaxed.
"I grew up in a foster home. I wasn't abused or anything, but there were just too many other kids, you know?"
Herry nodded. The way Atlanta talked, you'd have thought she just popped into being when the Gods were gathering the seven heroes. Not once had she mentioned her life before. Suddenly she laughed.
"You must think I'm ridiculous," She drew a design in the snow with the toe of her boot. "I'm supposed to be a fearless hunter. Not a scared teenager with an inferiority complex."
"We're all scared teenagers with inferiority complexes!" Herry exclaimed, "We're descended from Gods and heroes! How are we supposed to defeat Cronus when our ancestors couldn't?"
"Herry…" Atlanta whispered. She'd never heard him talk like this.
"I'm not saying you're wrong to be scared of losing Archie," He continued, "Any fight with Cronus could be our last. But that's why I decided to just go for it, and I think you should too. Enjoy it as much as you can, you know?" Atlanta sidled closer and rested her head on Herry's shoulder.
"Thanks, Herry. You're a good friend."
Herry gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and held her tighter.
He'd never understand guys that got angry about being "friend-zoned", what the heck was wrong with being friends?
Over the next few days, leading up to the New Year's Eve party, things began to fall back into place. Neither Herry or Atlanta said much about the date other than that it was "good." Archie was still keeping his distance, but if they were happy together, he'd be happy for them, even if it killed him.
The night of the party arrived. Neil had managed to sneak just enough vodka into the punch that Jay was drunk before he even realized it. He was currently regaling them of the time he had to fight off Atropos and resist being dragged to Hades, complete with voices and actions. The story came to and end when he fell off the couch. It felt as though a cloud had been lifted.
"Oooh, it's almost midnight!" Neil cried. He wasn't drunk, hangovers were sooooo bad for your skin and throwing up turned your teeth yellow!
"10…9…8…7…"
Archie felt a tap on his shoulder.
"5…4…3…"
Atlanta's cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, but she was smiling.
"2…1!"
Her lips brushed over his in the barest of kisses.
"Happy New Year!" Confetti was thrown in the air, fully know that Athena was going to kill them later. People cheered and whooped, Jay had attempted to kiss Theresa but lost his balance and fell on the couch instead.
"What about Herry?" Archie asked over the noise. Atlanta shrugged.
"It's not gonna work out, but it's alright." She grinned, "Wanna play Mario Kart tomorrow? It's the only game I haven't trounced you at."
Archie's smile matched hers.
"Bring it on!"
FIN