WAIT GUYS PLEASR COME BACK

hunter x reader imagines (enemies to lovers)

i am literally in love with hunter from the owl house, so in honour of ep1 s3 here are some imagines!!! this is like the story of the reader and hunter from season 2+ sooo yeah xx slay

warning: swearing, female pronouns, straight people, major sexual innuendoes, hints towards intimacy but nothing graphic

season 2

you are a healer that the emperor has requested to accompany hunter on the weekends when he goes out for missions

you accept because it’s good money, but you quickly find out that hunter does NOT want you there at all because he believes he can handle himself

during missions he walks off and leaves you behind, to which you go in your own pay and complete missions for him to get back

he realises you could be an asset and angrily decides to be less of an arse to you

one day he gets pretty injured and instead of telling you, he ignores it until it gets infected and it’s super visible

you scold him and order him to tell you if anything’s wrong, or there use you’d have to spend a shit ton of time nursing him back to health with you would ‘rather die than do’

you visit him frequently and tease him for a few days as he gets better, which he secretly really appreciates as he gets rather lonely

he also gets really flustered whenever you touch him or get closer than anyone normally would, which you tease him about even more

he laughs it off and pretends to be all nonchalant, but he’s super embarrassed that you noticed how flustered he got

after he gets better, you’re able to go on mission with him again.

you often squabble and argue with him, but on one particular mission he says something that keeps you completely silent

“maybe i wouldn’t get so easily flustered if you didn’t so easily flirt”

‘easily flirt’?! since when did you ever flirt with him?!

he didn’t think much of it, he was truthfully joking about you flirting with him- but your reaction made him think more about your relationship with him.

it wasn’t flirtatious… was it???

a few weeks pass, and the comment manifests into a joke between you two where you flirt all throughout your missions

not because you like each other!!??! so gross!!!!!??!?

just casual stuff like:

“jeez, take me out to dinner first”

“that’s what she said”

“well, if you insist!”

and then out of nowhere, it became a competition to see who could get the other more flustered and uncomfortable.

one day in a mission, you tripped over a tree root that had grown over the ground and face planted on the dirt.

he laughed, and said “a pretty girl like you shouldn’t be getting all messy. next time just fall on me”

you went red from that ‘pretty girl’ comment, stuttering and stumbling over your words for the next few minutes

on the next mission, you decided to get him back.

you had to go into a bar to ask questions about a vigilante on the loose, in doing so you garnered the attention of a few boys and girls around your age.

hunter saw this and felt a twinge of jealously. no, what?? jealousy?! since when was he ever jealous?!!

he walked over to the table of teens fawning over you, “y/n, we’ve gotta go.”

“ugh, sorry guys! my boyfriends being sooo naggy today”

BOYFRIEND?!,!,$/!:

he literally froze

wtf

once he snapped out of it, he took you by the arm and stormed out of there, flustered as hell

“don’t tell me you’re jealous or something?”

“i’m not jealous, i’m just…”

“just what?”

“you can’t just go around saying im your boyfriend! especially without warning and in front of the guy you’re calling your boyfriend”

you smirked, “why?”

he went silent. “we’ve gotta catch up with this lead”

you didn’t question it anymore after that

until the next night

you were looking over some paper work and wanted to ask hunter if he knew if he had any potions so you could write it down for the stock collection

you knocked on his door, earning a “who’s there?” from the other side.

“y/n?”

the door opened cautiously, greeting you with a mask less hunter.

you had only seen his face a few times, but he looked especially… not handsome at all… that night

“oh, hey!! um… do you have the… bruises potion i made…?” you asked, trying to avoid his eyes.

he smirked, catching on to what was happening.

“yeah”

you tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and then held your hands behind your back.

“um… can i have it back?” you asked, still avoiding his eyes

you could feel him looking you up and down, his gaze burnt your skin.

“maybe,” he stepped forward. “what’s in it for me?” he continued.

“um…” you finally met his eyes- they were stunning. certain imperfections in his face just seemed so natural. his eye bags were weirdly super attractive, he had no baby fat his gap tooth was just absolutely adorable.

a few seconds pass, until you realise your staring.

he doesn’t say anything as he steps closer.

he’s barley a few steps away from you now, and the distance is painful

he moves in closer and reaches his arm behind you

you can feel his breath in your neck as his chest sits slightly on your shoulder

why was he so tall?!!!!!! and attractive?!!!! this wasn’t fair. at all. what the fuck!!?!?!!!

he suddenly bounces back with the potion in his hand. “there you go” he says in a monotone voice, passing it to you

“um, yeah… thanks!!” you take the potion and walk over the the door, tugging at the handle

it wasn’t locked or anything, it just wasnt budging, so you were struggling with the handle as hunter held back laughter

“oh my god please do not do this to me” you muttered

“here, i’ll get it” he said, trying to not make his mischievous smile come through with his tone

he leans behind you, one again too close for comfort

he stuggles with the door handle for a few seconds before getting it open

you rush out the door, flushed and tripping over every second step

“uh! bye! see you tomorrow!” you call out, shakily

“see you later, y/n”

in his mind, that was payback for yesterday when you called him your ‘boyfriend’

in your mind, you had become extremely attracted to hunter and couldn’t get that moment out of your brain.

to be fair, he couldn’t stop thinking about it either.

after that, you two stopped flirting with each other. mostly because you went very quiet during missions and he could tell he did something wrong

‘i think i made her uncomfortable lol‘

‘holy fucking shit how can he act so natural after cornering me twice and flirting with me last night???!!!! what an arsehole!!!! please kiss me’

as unity day got closer, the two of you bonded a little bit more and when he didn’t return to the castle one day, you decided to leave as well.

you jumped from house to house, usually hiding in emira’s closet

you finally reunite at the blights house in the hot air balloon, where you still couldn’t get that image of hunter out of you mind.

“hi, hunter” you said, stiffly

“long time no see, y/n” he replied

the way he said your name send shivers down you spine

‘WHAT THE FUCK 😭 WHY IS HE SO HOT’ you thought

‘WHAT THE FUCK 😭 WHY IS SHE SO HOT’ he thought

everyone could see how attracted to each other you were EXCEPT for you and hunter

season 3

time flies and you’re in the human realm

you didn’t have much waiting for you back in the boiling isles, and neither did hunter

everyone was still pretty on edge, so a week in you all decided to have a sleepover.

“let’s play truth or dare!” liz suggests, confusing everyone

“what the fuck is truth or dare??!” willow asks

luz explains truth or dare, and the questions are pretty standard

“luz, truth or dare?!” asks amity

“truth” she replies

“who’s your crush?!”

“bffr”

soon enough, you’re asked truth or dare by gus

“truth”

“do you like anyone?” he asks, smiling

you freeze and avoid eye contact with everyone, especially hunter

“i mean dare” you laugh

“i dare you to tell us who you like” says gus

“i don’t like this game”

“are you chicken?” hunter smirks, catching your eye

‘oh my god kill me now THAT FUCKINF BRAT’ you think, staring down hunter

“im gonna go brush my teeth” you laugh

“awwwww chicken!!! everyone boos dramatically

you head to the bathroom where you brush your teeth and are washing your face, until you spot a wild hunter leaning against the door frame in the corner of your eye

“HOLY SHIT!” you yell out, only for hunter to cover your mouth and hold a finger to his lips as he made a ‘ahh’ sound

“luz’s mum is sleeping, idiot” he whispered

you ripped his hand if your mouth, already red from the sudden contact

“ you’re the one that scared me”

“i didn’t mean to scare you, sorry”

you lean back against the wall, keeping a sensible distance between you two

“why were you avoiding the question from before?” he asked, genuinely curious

“because!” you folded your arms.

he smiled moving forward a little. “you like someone in the group!” he smirked

you didn’t say a word.

“i bet you like amity or something”

“no way! i don’t like her, she’s in a relationship!”

hunter tapped his chin, moving forward a little more. “that means you don’t like luz either- or gus, because he’s like 12…”

you gulped.

“you like willow!” he whispered, earning an arched brow from you.

you shook your head

hunter looked confused. “what? there’s nobody else?!” he said, completely puzzled.

“you’re fucking stupid” you laughed, walking back to the room where everyone else was.

hunter took a moment.

“y/n likes luz’s mum?!!!”

he walked back out the bathroom and stopped you in the hallway before you enter the room where eveone else was.

“since when do you have a thing for mums?!!!” he whispered in your ear, making you gasp and turn to hunter

flustered from when he whispered in your ear, you move away a bit. “i don’t like luz’s mum” you said plainly, rolling your eyes.

“who do you like then?!! we’ve know. each other for months, you can tell me” he assured you, looking down into your eyes.

‘this height difference is definitely not making this harder than it has to be.’ you thought.

you sighed, standing on your toes and wrapping your arms around his neck before planting a small kiss in his lips.

he completely froze, turning red. “oh! okay!” he said, nodding his head slightly.

you anxiously stared into his eyes, averting your attention to the floor every few seconds.

“since when?!!?!” he asked

you pursed your lips. “since the night i took back the bruise potion from your room- actually, probably before that to be honest” you admitted.

hunter, broke into laugher, holding on to your shoulder. “i can’t believe i seduced you!” he gasped for air between words.

you punch his arm playfully. “shut the fuck up!!” you smiled, leaning against the wall. “can we just forget i said anything?”

“no” he said as he walked towards you again.

“can you stop cornering me!” you demanded, as he back you into the wall again.

“no”

“okay, this is just unfair!” you shook your head, trying to walk away but being cut off by hunter pushing his hand up against the space you were planning on leaving through.

he leaned in, centimetres a way from your face.

“you’re an arsehole! fuck off!” you whispered, getting interrupted by hunter’s lips netting your own.

this kiss was leagues more passionate that the peck you gave him earlier

you both wished it would never be end

he slowly pulled away, turning red and covering his face after realising what just happened

“omg i did not just do that wtf 😭 why does the hottest girl on the boiling isles like me that’s so gross” he muttered, making your face burn up again.

“the hottest girl on the boiling isles?!” you say, smirking.

hunter broke out of his bubble, “ummmmmmm yeah 🫣”

“that’s sweet” you smiled, placing another kiss on his cheek.

“do just wanna like… date or whatever…?” you asked. hunter nodded. “it’s be an honour dating the hottest girl on the boiling isles”

you both walked back into the room where everyone else was, as they were sat talking in a circle.

“there you two are! we thought you died” willow laughed

“you better not have been making out, otherwise you’ll get cooties” gus said, leaning back into his sleeping bag.

you two instantly looked at each other and turned red. your eyes quickly averted and you shuffled away suspiciously.

amity looked you two down, widening her mouth slightly. “they were making out!!” she whisper-shouted, instinctively hitting luz’s shoulder lightly.

“holy shit!!” luz said

“wait please i can explain-“ hunter said as he tries speaking, but everyone else was already freaking out

luz put your sleeping bags at opposite end of the room just in case

that never stopped anyone 😋

good thing the age of consent is 16!!! (i am sixteen, they are sixteen, the age of consent is sixteen!! i am not writing smut because that’s fucking gross!!! and also this boy is a nerd they would NOT fuck)

ok i wanted to write a few headcanons for your dynamic in and outside of your relationship so that’s here lol 😍 this is basically what you like about each other, how he started liking you, what gets each other flustered, etc…

pre-relationship

you always admired how fucking awkward and oblivious he was

but don’t let that fool you, that man is a massive flirt and can get so cocky (in the hottest way possible)

he knows that he can get you flustered, but he doesn’t think you like him?!!!! he’s so dumb

he is very touch starved so he uses cornering you and getting close as an excuse to feel another person for like 2 seconds

he also secretly really loves when he gets injured because then a pretty girl will bandage him up and tease him which is his ideal situation (mostly cause you’re in it)

he would never say anything about it though

he started liking you when he first got super injured and still was trying to hate you

he appreciated how desperate your mutual disliking for each other, you still provided the best care possible.

you really like how he tried to protect you on missions

if there was ever a threat he’d make sure you stayed behind- not because he didn’t think you were capable but because he didn’t want to see you hurt because of him

you didn’t care and you fought the enemy as well lol

before he stopped wearing the mask as much, he would just stare at you for hours on end because nobody could see where he was looking

you never caught on

during your relationship

he is still SSOSOSO touch starved

touches you every chance he gets

hand holding, touching your hair, hugs, forehead kisses, etc…

he gets close with you every chance he gets, but you both still get flustered anytime you touch

it’s actually so cute

he’s very very gentle with you whenever you’re hugging but you’re very strong and use a lot of force 😭😭 he’s always super shocked like “are you trying to kill me?????”

he’s still a giant flirt

you’re still a giant flirt

very competitive

you both have big spoon energy, but you usually end up being the little spoon because it’s just more comfortable

it’s hard for you to sleep when you’re close because you both just gets soso flustered

your make out sessions are… interesting, considering how easy is is to get you both super flustered and embarrassed

and in a house of 7 people, every time it gets a little more heated than usual, someone just has to walk in

gross

the furthest you could get for a long time was literally just giving each other hickies

so fun to explain to the rest of the group how you both got burnt by a straightener even though the nocedas don’t own a straightener

make out sessions in the forest :)

he’s still so awkward

i love them:(

i love him i love the owl house im gonna cry

---

i get so giddy when other luke castellan fic writers reblog my work like!!! it feels like i’m one of the cool kids. love you guys xx

FORWARDS BECKON REBOUND

luke castellan x reader

based on this request !!

★ “mystery of lack, stabbing stars through my back”

ABOUT - luke castellan lovingly pissing off his girlfriend while she’s reading

WARNINGS - luke being annoying in a cute way

you’re alone in your cabin in the early afternoon, enjoying the silence that comes after your half-siblings leave to join in on camp activities for the day. you lay on your stomach with your back towards the ceiling, quietly reading a jane austen novel.

peace and quiet was a rare occurrence at camp half-blood- a rare occurrence that you consistently took advantage of. wether it be sneaking luke into your empty cabin during cold winter nights, exploiting the absence of the rest of your siblings as they go home for the year, or simply spending days reading for hours undisturbed.

so here you are, basking in the quiet of your cabin as you read peacefully. your elbows prop up your torso as you flip through the pages, letting your legs move idly.

suddenly, you hear the door to your cabin open with a loud creak. you whip your head around, only to find your loving, gentle boyfriend standing in the doorway. you watch him as he closes the door behind him.

“hey, princess,” he says breathily, walking over to you with his hands in his pockets. you nod softly, before turning your attention back to your book.

luke sits down at the end of your bed, watching you read in silence for a moment. sadly, luke is one of the most energetic and social people you have ever met, so you brace yourself for whatever he’ll say or do next- knowing the serenity of your afternoon will soon vanish.

“what’re you reading?” he asks quietly, before laying down next to you with his back sinking into your mattress. he turns his head to look at you, resting his hands on top of his stomach.

you turn a page, eyes locked on your book as you respond. “emma, by jane austen,” you say quietly. he nods, quiet giggles escaping his mouth. “of course you are.”

you both lay like this for a few minutes, luke trying not to disturb your peace and quiet. but watching you look so focused on your book, laying on your stomach with your hair cascading down your body- you looked too gorgeous to be left alone.

luke was starting to feel jealous of the fucking book, especially the way you’re holding it so delicately.

luke adjusts his position on your bed, turning to lay on his stomach with his head still facing towards yours. his body is pressed against the mattress lazily, but his hands are less relaxed. he moves his hand towards your arm, softly caressing the bare skin that was holding up your book.

“you okay?” you mumble quietly, still looking only at your book.

“mhm…” he nods, moving his head to lay on your shoulder. he reads the page, letting his body move much closer to yours. you giggle as he tilting his head down to kiss your neck, your cheeks turning pink.

he wraps an arm around your waist, resting his hand on your hip. he lets his head lay back down on the mattress as he begins to press soft kisses on the side of your torso.

you roll your eyes, trying to stifle a flustered smile. “luke, i’m trying to read…” you whine, finally turning your head to face him.

“i know, i know.” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss your forehead, taking advantage of the way your head is turned towards his.

you sigh, closing your book and placing it neatly onto your bedside table. he pouts at you as he grabs your waist, pulling you closer to him. you laugh quietly, wrapping your arm around his back as you bury your head in his chest. he kisses the top of your head as he softly rubs the side of your waist from under your shirt.

you groan quietly, shaking your head. “so needy…”

i hate it when i look at my screen time and it’s 5 hours on tumblr. what is this?? 2012???

i wanna draw a female marauders comic bud i have no ideas. my life is hell 😁

---

"Remember who the villain is" LIKE BESTIE AM I TRYING!!!

MILESTONE AFTER MILESTONE

sorry ik this is cringe but HOORAH!

---

“omg all the moots are getting inspiration from ttpd”

realizing that the luke castellan x reader tag is about to be filled with gut-wrenching angst

“wanna listen to the sound of you blinking, wanna listen to your hands soothe, listen to your heart beating, listen to the way you move”

a/n: quick luke drabble based on an adrienne lenker song ^_^ i’m very excited for the last episode! (no i’m not my heart is hurting)

warnings: minor spoilers for PJO! angst, angst. angst, fluff.

luke castellan is a quiet lover.

he likes the small things- the sound of your heart beating when he rests his head against your chest.

the sound your hands make when you scratch his scalp ever so gently.

the shaky breaths you take in between giggles.

he sits in silence and he listens. because he’s already memorised your face and the feeling of your hands on his arms and the taste of your neck and the smell of your hair.

now, he needs to memorise your voice, and your sniffles, and the nasally laugh you release from your lips when you’re pretending his jokes are funny.

he needs to memorise all of it.

because sooner rather than later, if he wants to hear the way your tongue clicks against your teeth after you say something sarcastic, or the humming noises you make in the middle of the night, or the melodic whimpers you let out when you’re trying to guilt trip him- he’ll only have his imagination to rely on.

sooner rather than later, he’ll have to learn how to think up your body next to him when he sleeps at night.

sooner rather than later, he’ll have to conjure up a version of you, alive only within his mind, if he desires the comfort and tranquility that you once brought him.

because luke left as quietly as he loved. the luke you knew, anyways.

---

WHAT WHAT WHAT??????

HWAT THW HELL?!!!

i’m crying guys tysm i didn’t even realise i had gotten over 100 bc tumblr doesn’t rlly focus on follower counts😭

at the beginning of december i had like 40 followers n i barley used tumblr but then OUT OF NOWHERE my percy jackson hyperfixation started up again and i finally got back into writing 🩷

not to overshare or anything but for the past two years i’ve really struggled with loving myself and my interests bc they were ‘cringe’. i stepped away from things i loved, like fanfic and fan art- and if i did indulge in them, it was always in secret.

but this year i promised to be open about what i love and be proud of what i’ve created. and i am proud!! i love to write and i love being a dork and i love being a teenage girl <3

and i love that you guys are just as strange and giddy about this stuff as i am. i love that you guys can love.

thank u for sharing your love for things with me.

rotten to the touch; luke castellan

wc: 3.2k

pairing: pre-tlt luke castellan x f! reader

synopsis: you’re pretty sure you’re an awful person. you’re pretty sure luke castellan is too. and you’re pretty sure you want to make out with him.

warnings: reader is flawed & not the greatest, luke is ... a little dark🫣, small mention of blood, swearing, lots of making out but no explicit nsfw, a bit toxic, & no more more ‘i can fix him’ or ‘i can make him worse’ it’s ‘he can make ME worse’

notes: this is… sluttier than my usual stuff so it’s not as good as good but i’m trying, feedback is appreciated! also i wonder what cabin we think this reader would be in, let me know where you’d place her im curious :) maybe i’ll write more of her in the future she’s interesting!! and thank you for 100 followers i am so grateful<3 designated song for this fic is crush by ethel cain

You are a miserable, wicked, asshole of a person, and everybody knows it. Including you.

It’s unclear to you why you turned out this way—every reason to blame never satiates the fury searing your insides. All the campers hate you. The counsellors, too. Even Chiron looks down on the viciousness inside you. You are Camp Half-Blood’s black sheep; a mean, bitter person with no love for the people around you. And it’s not just for show. You know you’re rotten. You know the anger will never go away.

It’s evident in the things you think about other people—the way you pick them apart in your head, toss them aside, because they just don’t see it. This miserable, unforgiving world, with children sleeping on wooden floors because the people who created you think you disposable. Because they can just make more of you. More, more, more, until one of you comes out rotten, born of all the ugliness they have inside them. You are the worst parts of Godly blood. The wrathful parts.

Everyone hates you. Everyone hates a person with an unquenchable anger.

But everyone loves Luke Castellan.

He’s a saint at Camp Half-Blood if there ever was one. Handsome, generous, kind. Goes out of his way to help out the new kids and gives them homes in his cabin. He’s the best swordsman in camp by a mile. Shit, you’d even love Luke Castellan if you didn’t know any better.

But you do, and you don’t, and it’s complicated, okay?

Because there’s something you know about Luke Castellan that nobody else does: he’s miserable and wicked, too.

You see it in his eyes sometimes. The way they look at you at dinner, when you’re picking at your food away from anyone else at your table. Something familiar rises in them, and your stomach twists. His body tenses whenever someone mentions his father, but the smiles he flashes are so charismatic nobody notices. But you do. It’s exciting.

During sword practice, he quips back and forth with the kids and laughs whenever they take a jab at him. He’s light, easy, carefree. But you see how he holds back, the tension in his shoulder, the way the arc of his sword never fully finishes. So you wait until everybody leaves and he’s alone, with the training dummies and the setting sun. And you. Hiding.

He slashes through them and spears through their heads. You see it, the gnashing of his teeth, the sweat curling down his cheeks. There’s something there. A chasm he’s hopeless to fill.

Before you know it, you’re going out of your way to catch him training alone. It’s creepy, you know, and awful, you know, but the more you watch him the more you see a sort of violence scabbed under his skin.

Whenever you see him now, the feeling you get is entirely foreign to you. It’s almost . . . longing.

Wherever she is, you’re pretty sure Aphrodite’s having a cosmic fucking laugh. And you’re sure she’s laughing double tonight.

The Aphrodite cabin is hosting some secret party for the older counsellors. You’re definitely of age to be a counsellor, but you’ve never been made one because that would probably make half the campers drop out. Chiron and Mr. D don’t know what to do with you. You’re sure you’ll be kicked out of camp soon for good.

But you’re here anyways, for a reason you don’t want to admit, and you stay tucked in a corner as the world around you mingles. Luke is on the other side of the room, lovely as always, laughing with a few other counsellors. He brings a drink up to his lips, and you have a startling thought of what it would be like to kiss him. And you’re fucked. You’re so fucked. Because for the first time in your life you want something tangible, something real. You want to hear him and feel him and pry him apart, and a part of you wants him to actually see you, see all the awful things that might make you the same. You feel like a teenage girl with a crush, and it is infuriating.

An Aphrodite girl comes up to you with a foolish smile. “Hey, sorry, you want a drink?”

“Fuck off, you idiot,” you snarl.

You wait for her to leave. She doesn’t. “You know, you don’t have to be so mean all the time,” she says evenly. “If you’re here, you might as well enjoy it. So yes, I want to give you a drink.”

“Have you ever thought that I’m not being mean? Maybe I just am.”

You glare at her. She looks you up and down. “Sure,” she shrugs, walking away. There’s a vivid picture in your mind of her falling through a hole in the cabin floor. It doesn’t soothe you, but at least the fantasy is there.

The night drones on. You’re sick of the smells and the laughs and the heat. And you’re sick of yourself. You can’t believe, underneath all your sourness, you came here to stare at a boy you barely know, and you don’t even know why. He’s fascinating, and you resent him, and he’s also beautiful. But he’s looked back at you all of three times tonight and you’re sick of the way your skin crawls when he does.

Leaving the cabin brings the relief of the cool night air, and the singularity of your body. You are the only one who feels this rage. You are the only one who hates.

To stave off your discomfort you walk around to the back of the cabin, to the crest of the hill facing the water. The stars above twinkle at you in spite. There’s a bitterness in your throat you want to wash down with something worse (maybe you should have taken that drink), but you know it won’t matter. Nothing matters. Those stars and whatever they hide are apparently the only important things in the universe, so why should anyone care about anything?

They stars only get brighter. It’s probably their goal to piss you off. You grunt, “Oh, fuck you,” to them. It’s not enough, never nearly enough to expel the rotten part of you. “Fuck you. Fuck off!” You groan at the sky. Nothing happens. Until:

“I’m guessing you’re not having a fun night.”

You whirl around. It’s hard to see in the dark, but whatever light is left catches a long scar on a cheek. Your stomach knots.

“Yeah, me neither,” Luke Castellan says, hands in his pockets as he meanders towards you.

Even when he’s close enough, you don’t say anything. If you do, you’re afraid it’ll be something ugly. Like I kind of want to make out with you. Are you awful too? I need a lobotomy.

The thoughts almost make you laugh. Been a long time since you’ve been funny.

He nods at the sky. “Those things don’t talk. You do know that, right?” He’s still so captivating, so self-assured, even when there’s no one around but you.

“Gods, you’re the worst,” you scoff. You really mean it, so you can’t look him in the eye.

“Then why have you been staring at me all night?”

It catches you so off-guard that you whip back to face him. He has an eyebrow raised and the itch of a smile that makes you burn with shame. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

He shrugs, leaning against the cabin wall. “I’m not stupid. You’ve been brooding in the corner watching me the second you came in.” He cocks his head to the side, adding, “Actually, you stare at me all the time. At meals and stuff. I really hope you don’t think you’re being subtle.”

You huff. “Okay, if we’re really being honest here, you started that! You do it too! All the time!”

His hands shot up like he was being arrested. “Hey, I never said I minded it. A guy’s . . . just gotta wonder. What’s up with you spying on me when I’m training alone, anyways?”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You watch me when there’s nobody else around. I’m not blind. It’s weird. If you want tips you can just ask me. Or if you like what you’re looking at, at least be upfront about it.”

You speak before you can take in that last sentence, or the way his smile took pride in itself when he said it, or how embarrassed you should probably feel. “You didn’t answer my question about why you started staring at me first.”

The anger (shame) blinding you made you forget how close you are to him right now. Close enough to touch, but not enough to see. But almost there. Almost.

“People think you’re mean,” Luke says after a moment, his dark eyes probing you. The words curl out of his mouth slowly, like he’s choosing them all with care. “You’re rude. You never listen to anyone. You judge everything. They all think you’re awful.” Again, he looks you over. “I’m not so sure.”

“If I’m awful, then you’re awful,” you spit before he can say anything else.

He just shrugs. “Well, I guess that’s why I’m not sure.”

It’s irritating, his calmness. He has the same anger you do. How come he can just . . . shove it down? You try to unearth any fury in his eyes, but it’s too far back. Simmering. “Jesus,” you mutter, “You’re worse than me.”

He looks genuinely taken aback by this. His scar deepens when his brows wrinkle. “What?”

“You’re a pretender—that’s what you are.” It’s your turn now, to step closer, to make his skin crawl. “Look at you. Everyone loves you. You’re this perfect golden boy and you’re sweet and attentive and whatever the fuck but you know it’s one giant lie. At least I’m honest, but you just sit pretty and act like you don’t have that . . . thing that I have. Resentment. Insanity. Whatever you want to call it. We’re the same, but I’m the only one getting shit for it.”

Now, you are close enough to really see him. The patterns on the wood behind him frame the vision of his ever-shifting face. You realize that this, like most things are to Luke Castellan, is a challenge. You also can’t remember the last time you saw him lose one.

But when you play, you play to win.

“You don’t know that,” he dares.

“Oh, I do. You’re rotten, Castellan,” you sneer, index finger jabbed into his chest. You can feel his heartbeat if you concentrate. “And you’re not owning up to it, so you’re also a coward.”

However scathing you look, it isn’t enough. If anything it only makes Luke’s manner more playful. Nothing feels playful anymore. Everything, inside and outside of your mind, feels like constant, exhausting war. Maybe that’s why you don’t slap his hand off you when it wraps around your wrist, keeping it pressed to the middle of his chest. His heartbeat thrums through you.

He tilts his face towards you, grinning, “Then why do you want to kiss me?”

All right. What the fuck. It feels like you’ve been electrocuted.

“What the—what are you talking about?” You blunder, but he knows, of course he knows, because there’s something between the two of you that has been formed and understood by eye contact alone. He can probably read your mind. As much as you don’t want to admit it, you’d like to read his just as much.

He cocks his head. “I mean, you did call me pretty,” he teases, and it’s almost endearing. “You’re pretty like this too.” His other hand comes up to your face, and you’re surprised you don’t flinch when his thumb gently smooths the crease in your eyebrows. “Don’t call me a coward, heathen. Then we’ll both be embarrassed.”

The nickname makes you want to fight, but the touch makes you dizzy. “You don’t want to kiss me, Luke,” you say with all the control you have, which, right now, is increasingly sparse.

“You’ve gotta stop telling people what they want,” he muses. The hand on your wrist traces further down your forearm. The one on your face snakes around your hips. “One of your more disagreeable qualities.”

His words fan over you. That fire simmering in his eyes has finally come to the surface.

“One of?” You challenge.

“You let me make out with you and I’ll give you a whole list.”

You snort, hoping it hides the shortness in your breath. “What a charmer you are.”

His lips brush yours. “Well, that’s what makes me so rotten, isn’t it?”

There’s hardly time to unravel if that’s a question or a statement because you grab a fistful of his shirt and he kisses you. Your heart detonates. It is not rotten in the slightest.

His body is warm and firm. You smell the cabin wood and the drink on his breath. It all matters, and none of it does. You’re warm everywhere as he wraps both arms around your back, and the way he kisses is, unfortunately, exactly how you thought he would. Your hands are tentative in his hair. So is your mouth on his. But Luke is so deliberate in the way he kisses that you know he’s thought about this, too. It makes you all the warmer.

His hand takes your jaw and tilts it up. You know your neck is shaky with breath, and you’re pretty sure he’s admiring it. You don’t complain when he presses a kiss to your jaw, then another one, like he’s testing the waters. “You’re so nice like this,” he mutters almost to himself, thumb running across your neck. “If only people could see you.”

“Then they’d see how mean you are too, no?” You huff. “You don’t want that.”

Another kiss to your jaw. “Not yet, sweetheart.”

Whatever feeling is harbouring in your body right now, it’s so fulfilling it almost makes you uncomfortable. You want to reject it. You’re not supposed to want things. Worse, you’re not supposed to get things. Luke starts marking a path down your neck and you are so determined to enjoy this that you’d kiss a fucking baby if someone asked you to. You might as well be a saint.

He bites the pulse point on your neck, sure to leave a mark, and a shudder rips through you. You’re pretty sure the bastard starts laughing. You hit his shoulder in retaliation.

“Easy, heathen,” he reprimands in your ear, and you know he’s still smiling.

“Don’t—don’t call me that.” You hate that you start to smile, too, and that your stomach burgeons with butterflies when he pulls back to look at you.

He touches the corner of your upturned mouth, kiss-bitten and red. His expression is boyish. “Hard to when it makes your face do that,” he goads. “I thought it was impossible for you to smile.”

“Be quiet.” You thread a hand through his camp necklace and bring him closer. You can almost taste his mouth on yours, but he sweeps past you at the last minute.

He gently tugs your earlobe with his teeth and whispers, “Yes ma’am.”

Fuck him. Seriously. You might have to.

It’s a tangle of teeth and hands and smiles kept hidden, as you slip your fingertips beneath his shirt and he does the same, and you’re both angry and greedy and incredibly destructive, but it doesn’t matter yet. Now you’re just teenagers fooling around at the back of a party, and it’s the first good thing either of you have had in a long time. Luke leaves you gasping whenever his mouth hits certain places, maybe too many places, and he teases you accordingly. “So sensitive,” he taunts, pressing his knee between your legs so he can see you squirm. You rake your nails through his scalp and he tilts his head back to groan. It shuts him up for a while.

He bites your neck until you say his name. You trace lines on his stomach till he takes your hand in his own. You’ve been hungry for something your whole life, and you finally have something to sink your teeth into. For better or for worse.

After Hades knows how long, laughter floats out from the front of the cabin. Sounds of feet tripping over each other and muffled goodbyes. You pull away from Luke, chests heaving together. His hair is wild, his shirt crumpled, and he looks entirely satisfied with it. Smug little shit. “Party’s letting out,” you mutter.

“What a damn shame.” His hand rubs your jaw, and it’s too tender a gesture so you angle your head away to peek over the side of the cabin. You barely pay attention to the kids straggling back to their bunks.

“Is now the time you tell me all my horrible qualities?” You ask once you’re ready to look at him again.

He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Actually, I came up with more since I said that so I’m pretty sure it’ll take more than one night.” He fakes a wince, “Might have to spread it out for a few days.”

You roll your eyes, “Oh, you ass.”

“I’ll give you one for starters.” You feel like a tornado when he kisses the juncture between your jaw and your neck. “Your hands are too cold.” They’re tucked underneath his shirt right now, pressed against his back. You don’t move them. “And,” he adds, “you’re incredibly crass.”

“Thanks, dipshit.”

“Thank you for proving my point, heathen.”

The commotion at the front gets louder, and you know your time to go undiscovered runs short. “You meet me again tomorrow, and I start telling you the rest?” He raises his brows.

The prospect both repulses and excites you, although perhaps they’re hand-in-hand. You tentatively reach up to trace the scar on his face. A faint, jagged line that holds scripture within it. His eyes flutter shut for a moment. “Even though I’m rotten?” You ask, and there’s an echo of mischief in your voice, too.

He’s got a strange expression when he looks at you. “That’s not true.”

He leans down, angles his head to kiss you. It’s slow, but bitter, and he bites down on your lip until you’re pretty sure there’s blood. “Luke,” you murmur, and he kisses you softer. You lean into him like a hapless, lovesick fool.

After you part, he loosens his grip on you. The bumbling campers have gotten louder. He stares at you, and you see the chasm in his eyes again, brimming with fire. Same as yours. You know you’ll see him tomorrow.

He says, “You’re not rotten. You’re right.”

And damn it, you really do believe him.