Regina tapped her knuckles against Zelena's door. Her older sister looked up from her math homework.
"Do you need something, Regina?" Zelena asked.
Regina closed the door behind her. "Just wanted to talk."
Zelena's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"
Regina decided not to beat around the bush. "You and this Hades guy...What are you two, exactly?"
Zelena stared disbelievingly, then laughed. "What do you care?"
"I'm just...curious." At Zelena's eyeroll, Regina continued. "Look, if I'm going to cover up for you, I'd like a little background information on what I'm concealing from our mother, of all people."
Her sister sighed, and closed her math book.
"We're friends," Zelena said shortly. "He's helped me out a few times, and we talk. That's all."
"Is that his number on your wrist?" Regina asked knowingly.
Zelena's hand unconsciously went to the black ink written on her wrist. "Possibly?"
Regina gave her sibling a look. "Zelena..."
"It's none of your business, Regina. Hades and I are friends, and that's all there is to it."
Regina held her hands up in surrender. "Alright. Just wanted to be on the same page."
"Well, now you are. Can I do my homework in peace?" Zelena said tersely.
"Sure. By the way, I can give you a ride to school tomorrow," Regina offered.
"Okay, fine. Now leave," Zelena snapped distractedly.
Regina smirked as she exited Zelena's bedroom.
Z: Regina's giving me a ride to school. Is that okay? You don't have to come all the way to now.
H: You make it sound like that's a bad thing.
Z: You know what I mean. Is that okay, though?
H: Sure thing. Take care, Zelena.
Z: You too.
Zelena shut her locker door firmly, only to come face-to-face with Keith Nott leaning against the locker next to hers. Giving a start and taking a few steps back, she stared quizzically at him, her lip curling in disgust.
"Hey, Wicked," he said casually.
"Get out of my way," she snapped. She started to move past him, but he looped an arm around her shoulders. She could smell the fake woodsy scent coming off him in waves.
"So, I was thinking-"
"You'd need a brain for that. Get off of me," she said irritatedly, shrugging his arm off of her.
Keith stood in front of her, blocking her way. "There's that dance coming up," he said, taking a slow step towards her, then another.
"I'm assuming there's some sort of half-wit point to what you're saying?" Zelena guessed, taking two similar steps back, running into the lockers.
"It's your lucky day, Wicked. What time should I pick you up for the dance?"
Subtlety was not a strong match for Keith.
"You presume, wrongly, might I add, that I want to go with you," she said, trying to edge around him.
He planted a hand on either side of her against the lockers. "Aw, come on, Wicked," he said goodnaturedly.
"Is there something about the word 'no' that you don't understand? Or is it just all words?" she snapped as he leaned uncomfortably close to her, his cologne making her nauseated.
A hand pulled Keith back roughly.
"Problem?" Hades said pleasantly.
"Can you mind your own business? I'm kinda in the middle of asking a girl out," Keith barked.
"An uninterested girl, who has a name," Zelna retorted.
"Come on, Wicked. I'd be doing you a favor."
"A-a favor-?" Zelena sputtered. "Why, you arrogant-"
"Clearly, we're making this too complicated for you," Hades said, his voice losing its amiable tone fast. He took a few steps towards Keith, putting himself between the other teen and Zelena.
"Allow me to put it simply: Back. Off." Hades snarled.
Keith was somewhat shorter than Hades, and with a quick glance at the other boy's clenched fists, he reluctantly backed down.
"Witch," he muttered, casting a dark look at Zelena, turning to walk off. Hades started after Keith, but Zelena caught his arm, and stopped him.
Her touch seemed to bring him back, and he turned towards her.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said, then questioned, "Are you?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm great," he said, running a hand through his blond hair. "It's been a bit of a crazy morning, that's all."
"Oh. Anything I can help with?"
Hades laughed. "No, no, it's just family business."
"I thought you moved out," she said, confused.
"Doesn't stop them from pestering me."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," he said lightly.
The bell rang.
"I should probably get going to history," Zelena said. The fingers that were still on his arm drifted down to his hand, and she gave his hand a small comforting squeeze before saying "Hang in there," and quickly walking off.
Hades' POV
He watched her stride down the hall, her heels clacking on the tile. His hand and arm still tingled from where she had touched him.
In his mind's eye, he saw her concerned expression, and her question of his well-being echoed in his head.
His family seemed to taint everything good, whether or not any of them were present.
"Give it up, Zeus."
"Come on, Hades. She's sexy as hell!"
"You know, unlike you, I don't view women as playthings. Zelena is my friend, not a toy."
"Ok, fine. I get it. If you don't want her, can I have her?"
Hades was ready to throw his textbooks at his brother.
"No," he snapped. "In fact, if you could just stay away from me and anyone I'm acquainted with, I'd appreciate it."
And with that, he shoved past Zeus, smoke practically coming out of his ears.
Out of all the people in his family, Zeus pissed him off the most.
And for some reason, the thought of his brother even looking at Zelena made him angrier.
So when he saw Keith backing her up against the lockers, with Zelena trying to get him to leave her alone, he'd almost snapped.
If Zelena hadn't held him back, he probably would've taken out all his frustration on the other boy.
He couldn't help but wonder what she'd think of him if he had.
Shaking his head, trying to clear away his thoughts, he set off for English, in the opposite direction of Zelena.
Hades cursed Ms. Superior all the way to chemistry. It made no sense to cause all twenty-five students to be late when only three had done anything wrong.
He opened the door to Mr. Gold's a little too hard, and it banged against the wall.
"Break the door, Mr. Graves, and you pay for the new one," Mr. Gold said irritatedly.
With a mumbled apology, he sat down next to Zelena.
"Are you okay?" she whispered. Hades nodded.
"Would you mind explaining why your arrival is so belated, Mr. Graves?" Mr. Gold asked.
Hades looked up at his chemistry teacher, and said, "Ms. Superior thought it fitting to punish the whole class because three students threw a paper airplane at her."
Mr. Gold was silent for a moment, clearly trying to figure out a way to punish Hades. Evidently, he couldn't think of one, so instead he turned away wordlessly.
"Continue your notes from yesterday," he ordered, and there was a shuffling as students pulled out their textbooks.
Hades rifled through his things, then cursed quietly when he realized that in his hurry to get away from Zeus earlier, he'd forgotten to pick up his chemistry textbook.
Zelena wordlessly slid her book over, moving her chair closer to his so she could read it too.
She was close enough that he could smell her perfume, and their shoulders were brushing. He glanced at her sideways, taking her in.
Her red hair glinted with the bright lights of the classroom, and she absent-mindedly traced circles on the table with one hand while the other wrote words on her paper, in cursive so detailed he almost couldn't read it.
He could see his phone number still scrawled on her wrist.
She was beautiful.
The second that particular thought went through his head, she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
God, he could drown in her eyes.
"Mr. Graves?"
Hades tore his gaze away from Zelena's to acknowledge Mr. Gold.
"However late you are, next time I expect a tardy slip," their teacher said, not even bothering to lower his voice.
Hades only nodded, and when Mr. Gold had turned away, he glanced back at Zelena.
She had her head down, cheeks pink as she hastily continued writing her notes.
Feeling a twinge of resentment for Mr. Gold, he too began to write about the uses of enzymes.
"Do you need a ride home again?" Hades asked her at lunch.
"Um, Regina said Robin could drive us," she said, her tone apologetic.
"Oh. Alright, then."
"I think she's trying to keep us apart," Zelena joked.
"Is she succeeding?" he asked, just as lightly.
"No, I don't think so," she replied. "Do you?"
He shook his head.
As if a thought had just occurred to her, she straightened. "Hey, about what happened earlier, with Keith...I realized...I never said 'Thank you.'" She laid a hand on his. "So, thank you for that."
All of a sudden, he couldn't think, not with her cool touch on his hand.
"Ah-sure," he stammered.
She smiled softly.
Before he could stop himself, words came tumbling out of him.
"Would you like to go to the dance with me?"
Zelena blinked. "Oh-"
"I mean, I don't know, I just thought-"
"Hades," she said, lacing her fingers through his and making his brain short out even more, "I'd love to."
He stared at their entwined hands for a moment before looking at her genuine smile.
"Great," was all he could say.
She gave a small laugh. "Great."
And across the lunchroom, Regina watched the two of them, chuckling to herself. "'Just friends,' hm?" she mused. "The only one you're fooling is yourself, sis."
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