Hey, guys, guess what?
I was in the middle of writing this fic.
And my browser just fucking crashes.
It just crashes.
And I usually write my fics in the copy-and-paste section (like I am now) so when it crashed, my work disappeared.
And so did this other chapter for one of my other stories.
I exploded. I'm beyond mad.
I worked on that thing, my new idea, and it crashes.
Anyway, I'd like to give a shoutout to BlueMango and mew-tsubaki, the creators of Pollranda and Castoranda, the focus of 2 of my fics. They have a community for Aphrodite's Rejects, where you write about unusual pairings.
Ex:
Clew (ClovisxDrew) Harlia (the focus of this fic, HarleyxJulia) and a lot more. If you're interested in seeing more unusual (but hey, they work!) pairings, go check out Aphrodite's Rejects!
The Games We Used to Play
-.-.-
The Plank
Six-year old Julia pumps her legs back and forth beneath her. She was sitting on the edge of the fountain in her mommy's garden, the brown hair usually in pigtails loose around her shoulders. There was a loose plank in which Julia could see through, and she looked through it now, with a perfect view of the street in New Rome. Cool spray from the fountain kept her from sweating too much from the summer sun. It got hot in California.
There was nothing interesting going on. Nothing at all.
Until she sees of the boy.
He looks young, maybe a little older than her. He was holding Leo's hand, his head turning this way and that, probably because he's never been to New Rome. Leo was her friend. He helped save the world, and he was really funny. Sometimes Julia wonders if Terra had died laughing too hard at one of Leo's jokes. No, she thinks, probably not. She had never heard of anyone dying from laughing too hard.
The boy had dark brown, almost black hair. His hair was sort-of curly, like Leo's. She saw the glint of a smile as he threw his head back and roared with laughter about something Leo said. And he looks around again, this time towards her.
Leo wiggles his fingers, a language only they know. Hey, Squirt. He signs. She wiggles her own to form a Hi, Leo back. The boy's eyes snap to meet hers, and for a second she is lost in warm chocolate eyes. She smiles at him, but the moment is broken when Mommy told her it was time to go to work. She takes a last, long look at him and turns to skip away.
She'll see him again.
-.-.-
He watched her.
"Who was that, Leo?" he asked, while he tugged on his older brother's sleeve.
"Julia. Come on, H, we'll be late. I promise we'll go back to see her."
"Really?"
Something warm flutters in his heart. Maybe they will be friends.
"Really."
There was something in Leo's gaze, in his eyes, some sparkle, as he said that. Like Leo knew something he didn't. He wanted to guess.
But he didn't care.
Just as long as he could meet her.
-.-.-
"Julia, wait up! Wait up!"
Julia laughs as Harley chases her between tall stalks of grass.
"I win!" she crowed as they collapsed on the flat ground.
He laughed, and it was really contagious, so he laughed, and they clutched their sides as they gasped for air.
She sucked in breaths and thought her face would explode.
It didn't, thank gods.
They lay on the ground in the cool grass and stare at the sky.
She snuck peeks at him, and pretended not to notice his eyes watching her, too.
-.-.-
He watched her out of the corner of his eye.
-.-.-
This time, he's fourteen, and he's leaving. He wants to leave and go at the same time. He wasn't sure it was possible when people told him, but now he does. His minds yells with excitement about strawberry fields and tetherball games and campfires. He missed Camp Half-Blood, his home.
He would miss Julia though.
His heart wants to stay, because after years and years, it's been caught.
Caught by a girl with bright eyes and auburn hair, he thinks, And I'm falling hard.
He waves good-bye, and pretends to miss the sad, drawn-out look on her face as he turns away from the girl who stole his heart.
-.-.-
It had been a year. Julia was now thirteen, her hair waist-length, and boys starting to wolf-whistle as she walks in. But her heart's set on someone else already.
It had been a year, and a year is a very long time, especially when your best friend is halfway across the United States. She could not wait to see him again.
Julia dances with memories, thinking of a time when they chased each other, or as he lifts her up and twirls her around in circles. She walks down memory lane slowly, and as she peeks in memories, she thinks, Yes, I can't wait to see him again.
And she really can't.
-.-.-
He wonders if she will go to his school dance with him.
-.-.-
She wonders if he will ask her.
-.-.-
And because he's king, is she his queen?
-.-.-
Butterflies flit their wings as they circle around her. She smiles and slips through the gardens. This is how her stomach feels.
-.-.-
They sit at a fountain, just like Julia had eleven years ago when they first saw each other. And the world spins in lazy circles around them, and as their lips touch, he thinks, It took us a while.
-.-.-
She leads him through the crowd to a garden for Venus. There is something about it, the way it's green and it smells like home. They sit on a small bench, and there are so many roses here she calls it the red garden. She traces his calloused hand, tough from years in the forgery. When she looks up, she sees he is watching her. A small smile finds it's way to her lips.
"Do you remember?" she quietly asks. She pulls her hand away and plucks petals from a blood-red rose.
He says nothing, waiting for her to continue.
It is a long time before Julia stops watching her pale, slender fingers, almost white against the bright red petals.
"Do you remember the games we used to play? We used to play so much, so hard, trying our best to win."
He smiles.
"We both won, didn't we?"
She looks at him, his face scarred and imperfect, the person she grew to love.
And when she leans in to kiss him, she whispers against his lips.
"Yes, we did."
How was it?
Read and review, please.
The games they played are symbolic, you can tell if you look closely. They play guessing games and pretending games and promises. What she means; the games they play are centered around Julia and Harley's relationship. And they did both win.
See ya,
Achieving Elysium