alcnextcgether

[alcnextcgether]

if anyone would be interested in plotting with my bbies (oliver queen, james potter, or percy jackson) just let me know

it’s been a while but i’m eager

[alcnextcgether]

me? miss writing my babies more than i ever imagined?

you know it.

me? trying to come back?

you know it.

[alcnextcgether]

so you’ve been lying to me this whole time ?

He knew he’d been caught.  The second her eyes locked onto his, he could almost feel the anger radiating off of her.  And he could try to play it off, claim that he’d been hurt in practice and that this nice young cheerleader was simply helping him out to his car.  Which was why his arm was thrown casually around her shoulders.  That he was clearly limping--couldn’t she see that?  No?  Oh well, he would show her with an extreme exaggeration once he dropped his arm from around her shoulders.

But, he knew that the gig was up and he shot the girl under his arm a look that told her she needed to move on and let him deal with this.  “Dinah...” he started, running a hand through his hair as he continued to try and find an excuse to give.

“It wasn’t the whole time.  You know how I feel about you.  It’s just...” His voice faltered a little, knowing what he needed to say would not be taken well.  “We’re not... compatible anymore.  Our circles... they’re too different since you quit your team this year.  You have to know that.”

#;; answered by oliver #hawkinssongbird

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

Hiding was something she would never grow tired of, or grow out of, for that matter. Even when it was becoming harder to escape, unless she ran away in the middle of the night. Tempting, but never tempting enough, when the outcome would result being found in days time. 

It was merely a dream, spoken in hushed whispers with another dreamer. The one who would seek her out as soon as he noticed the empty seat by the Duke. Being the wife and pretending to love them was incredibly suffocating, easily unhappy in the first month. Which was being kind, in her way.

When she heard someone approaching, she didn’t need to turn to look to who it was. She already knew. As long ago as it had been since their last encounter, she still reacted to his presence, inhaling deeply as she stood a little more straight.

“You surely made it a long journey to get here. Were you busy tending to your Queen?” She teased, in translation: her patience with waiting on him was thinning. Unfair, given the risks they continued to take for each other. 

@alcnextcgether​!!

There were definitely times where it all got so boring.  Honestly, if Oliver had to listen to the same boring gossip and laugh at the same stupid joke one more time, he might actually have to take matters into his own hands.  And do what?  Well.... he wasn’t entirely sure.  But, he’d do something.  Even if it meant hanging out with people of a lower standing than him.  He could practically hear the scandalized cries now.  But anything had to be better than this mindless chatter.

His eyes flicked to where Dinah was supposed to be seated, in an attempt to send her a pleading look to come and rescue him from this drudgery of a conversation.  However, she was not there.  Immediately, Oliver excused himself, claiming he had something he’d forgotten to attend to and needed to be seen to immediately.

Oliver walked the familiar path until he found her, her back turned to him as he approached.  "Oh, of course,” he shot back.  “You know me: always looking to climb the social ladder.  Any way I know how.”  He reached for her then, his fingertips lightly brushing against the back of her hand.  “Then again,” he started, leaning down so his lips were right against her ear as he continued.   “She knew I had another, much more... pressing appointment to take care of first.”

#;; convos with oliver #royal au #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

Waking up any time now from this nightmare would be really fantastic. She still couldn’t look at him, only straight ahead, and wanting to shrink in her seat when some of the mom’s did a double take at who she was with. His name had been all over the news - Star City’s Billionaire Miracle Mystery. Of course they were going to be curious and talk. 

Then, he spoke. Words that made her attention finally turn to him. Can I meet her? She replayed the words in her head, over and over again, he probably thought she was overthinking to the point of finding the right reasons for Oliver to not interfere with her life and their daughters.

“Yes.” Her voice was steady and eyes slightly widened in surprise at how easily the answer came to her. She hadn’t let any of the men she dated meet their daughter. Not even if one ended up with more than a third date. Frankly, she hadn’t been seriously committed to anyone since Oliver.

“If you want, you can come in with me? Or, I can give you more time and you can wait out here while I get her? It’s just, um. She’s not aware of who her father is. I thought maybe I could tell her when she’s older and curious. We can just tell her that we’re old friends, and once upon a time I thought you were the love of my life.”

She tried to lighten things up and laugh at those last four little words she said, but it was all strained. Suddenly, her parenting ways felt all wrong within that very moment.  “I’m not serious about telling her the last bit. So, friends? And, you heard so much about her that you wanted to meet her?”

He supposed that he shouldn’t have been shocked Dinah didn’t tell her daughter about her father.  After all, he could only imagine how that conversation would’ve went.  Yes, your dad and I were supposed to get married but he chickened out and left.  Maybe he’s dead?  Who knows?  Either way, he’s not around.  Sorry.  Too bad, so sad.  But still, something about the fact that nothing about him had even been mentioned... and now the fact he was going to have to lie about his connection to her?  That seemed... sad.  Then again, Oliver had no room to talk.  Clara had been under Dinah’s care for the last several years.  He had no room to come in and immediately fight for parental involvement.  Not since he literally only just found out about her.

“Yeah, I’ll just... I’ll come in with you.”  Oliver got out of the vehicle, before stuffing his hands into his pockets and falling back half a step.  As normal as being the center of attention came to him, he didn’t think that busting into a room full of small children would be a welcome sight.  Especially considering none of the kids would have a clue who he was.

“Just... one more question before I meet this kid,” he said, his voice hushed as they started to fall in among the other parents.  Of course, Oliver was certain he’d have infinity more after meeting her.  But, the idea of continuing this conversation with other listening ears around did not seem like the best move.  He’d have to save them for other times, when prying eyes wouldn’t keep glancing in his direction.  “Do you think she’ll like me?”

#;; convos with oliver #;; the last 5 years #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

@singcanary

(teen) Kophie + height difference

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

Always sharp with his quips. Just one of the many things she missed about him. “Right, right. Sightseeing. Because, apparently, you’ve never seen a wasteland in your life.” Gotham wasn’t all that bad. A lot had changed over time, but the crime rate had its moments of suddenly spiking.

The joke wasn’t honestly lost on her. At the start, there were times when one or the other, ended up lost in translation but, somewhere down the line - they started to balance each other out. And, it was good to laugh. Smile. To see a friendly face.

“About that burger. You do realize this is the District Attorney’s office, and not Big Belly Burger, right?” She smiled, stepping closer, while leaving a comfortable space between them. “Unless you’re here to, oh I don’t know, see if I’m available for a greasy burger date. Throw in a black and white milkshake, and you know I can’t resist.”

“Weird,” he said, looking around at the building he was in.  “I kept waiting for you to ask if I wanted fries with my order,” he teased.  Yeah, yeah, there were supposed to be other reasons that he was supposed to be here.  But, messing with Dinah never did get old.  No matter what world he was on.

“For real though, you want to go get some lunch?  Get out of this place for a little while?”

#;; convos with oliver #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

How she WISHED it was a single day of pain after being left at that altar. Even now, she hadn’t quite healed. Emotional wounds that slowly opened up as he explained his reasons. Something she would have boldly voiced if they had been that age again, when she was certain and not willing to let him go without a fight. Sure, they were trying. Reconnected for their daughter. But, she would be lying if she wasn’t being cautious around Oliver. The fear of him disappearing from her life again easily controlled how close she should get.

“Good. That’s good. I mean…” She let out a soft chuckle, shyly looking down at the floor for a second, as though trying to compose herself. When she was finally ready to make eye contact, a small smile overtook her lips before the truth came out. “We like having you here with us.” With me. She wanted to add in, but it had been a long time since she allowed to think of herself before her daughter.

Besides, she would be getting too far ahead of herself, thinking of being involved with him on a romantic level once again. She couldn’t make the same mistake twice. Then, she would only have herself to blame if they didn’t work out. “Can I ask you something else?” Without waiting for an answer, she went right for it. “Would you like to maybe come back to our place and have dinner with us? Clara would really like it, if you could.” 

It wasn’t easy, sticking around.  When he’d first found out about the little girl, slammed on the breaks, the alarms in his head had alerted him to turn tail and run again.  But, he’d stuck it out.  Even when she didn’t know who Oliver truly was and what his connection to her was.  After all, he wasn’t going to push Dinah into anything yet for fear of being booted out of her and Clara’s life this time.

“Well, I like being here,” he said, finding a genuine smile on his face.  And he truly meant it.  As frightening as this whole ordeal was, Oliver was stuck in it now.  No matter what.  He couldn’t imagine his life to be any different now, and he didn’t want to.

He couldn’t shake the feeling though at how familiar the conversation would’ve been.  How easy it would’ve been to let his hands lightly graze the top of her arms, and pull her in, kissing her lips ever so gently.  And, no doubt, the new addition of the little girl would stick her tongue out at the sight of her parents kissing.  But, that would’ve been a different life where Oliver had made a different choice.  And he had to put that thought out of his mind.

At the dinner invite, Oliver immediately nodded.  “Sure,” he said.  “I’d love to.”  

#;; the last 5 years #singcanary #;; convos with oliver

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

“A mistake.” She repeated, unable to mask the way her voice cracked. The internal debate she had with herself before meeting up with him to talk, whether or not, she should leave it alone and move on - start fresh - she now wished the latter was chosen. 

Would it help to continue talking about this? Maybe. She didn’t know, it wasn’t like she had life all figured out. “You couldn’t have talked to me? Oliver… that’s all we used to do. We would talk and create this dream of a life we wanted with each other. What did you think would happen if you told me that day, that you wanted to cancel the wedding? Because what you chose to do, it was embarrassing and hurtful in ways that I haven’t gotten over completely and I don’t know if I ever will?”

There it was again, her voice completely cracking, and the tears couldn’t be stopped. It made her curse under her breath and wipe them away quickly, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, not wanting to make a scene. It was hard, to be in a situation where the one who was hurting her was someone who used to be her best friend, when he was the one who would always comfort her over how difficult and unsupportive her dad truly was over their relationship.

“You gave my dad so much reason to how right he was about you. I mean, if he knew, if he found out that I was back in contact with you? I think he would risk losing his badge and everything else.”

A frightening thought. It made her sick to her stomach, because no matter how upset Oliver made her, it didn’t make her heartless. Guarded and cautious, but never heartless. “And I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that I’ll always defy my father when it comes to you, or the fact that I’ll never be this perfect daughter with a bright future ahead of her.”

But, Dinah did have a bright future. Clara. “Maybe this is the mistake. Letting you back into my life. Allowing you to get to know Clara and be part of hers, but I can’t let the fear of thinking you’re going to leave again, take that chance away.”

It would’ve seemed the logical choice: to talk to her about his reservations.  But, Oliver knew better.  Knew that the second he saw her, that his resolve would’ve crumbled.  He wouldn’t have been able to leave and hopefully give Dinah the opportunity to reach the full potential.

The joke of it all was that he still managed to fuck life all up for her.

The second her voice cracked, Oliver felt his reflexes to try and reach out to her.  To try and pull her to him and comfort her like he used to.  Like he still wanted to.  But he knew he had no right to do such a thing anymore.

And, as awesome as Clara was, he knew that that wasn’t the life Dinah’s dad had wanted for her.  Knew that somehow, someway, he would probably still hate Oliver for oh so many reasons.  He could practically hear the older man’s disgust now, yelling at him for the way he destroyed his daughter’s life, which was actually an accomplishment considering he hadn’t even stuck around for it.

“I didn’t want to hurt you.  It seemed like... one day of hurt or however long would be better than going through with the wedding.  I wanted to marry you, Dinah.  That’s not what it was all about.  I just didn’t want to hold you back.  You could’ve had any guy that wasn’t such a screw up.  You could’ve done anything.  Marrying me seemed like I would’ve been trapping you in a life that you didn’t deserve to be stuck with.”

He sighed, his eyes moving to lock on his daughter.  “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.  “Never again.”  Oliver’s gaze drifted back to Dinah’s.  “I want to be here for you, for her.  However you let me.  For as long as you’ll let me.”

#;; convos with oliver #;; the last 5 years #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

The sheer panic that overtook her from the sound and feel of the car coming to a screeching halt, silenced her, too scared to scold him for ignoring their safety. She felt helpless to remove them from the situation they were in. It was new for them, never seeing this particular side of him. Adding more fuel to the fire would simply make matters worse, so she waited for him to come back to his senses. Surely that was still intact.

It wasn’t until they were moving on the road again that she could breathe a little better, but she hadn’t let go of the seatbelt that she was gripping in her hands. It was uncomfortably tight, not wanting to risk another incident like they had a moment ago.

“I didn’t know on the day of our cancelled wedding.” She told him flatly, unable to decipher how she should be feeling at that moment. Part of her did relax a little more, letting go of the seatbelt to reach down for her purse on the floor, picking up the contents that spilled out. “But, if memory serves me right, we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other leading up to that day.”

When she leaned back into the seat, she was relieved to see that they were almost there. If he wasn’t ready for any sort of contact with Clara, then she could get a ride back home without him.

“Honestly, I was nearly halfway there when I found out. Four months in, I thought the symptoms had something to do with going through the motions of losing you.” 

Something that she wasn’t ready to go through again. She didn’t want to lose him. As much as she shouldn’t be allowing herself to think like that, part of her wanted to give him another chance. No matter what form that may be in. Even if it was just to be part of their daughter’s life.

“Ollie.. I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.” Her voice was small, and she still couldn’t look at him, but there was a real need to fix the mess they were in.

He turned into the parking lot of the school, finding a spot and putting the car in park.  Her words kept turning in his head, and Oliver struggled to still make sense of it all.  A daughter.  He had a kid.  Sure, there’d been scares before.  But they’d all turned out to be false alarms.  But this... this was different.  And hell, it wasn’t even a baby.  It was a full blown child.  Like, someone that could probably talk to him and had things that they liked and didn’t like.  They would know that he hadn’t been around for the first part of their life.  And what would they think?  

Hell, how would he even introduce himself to the girl?  ‘Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.  I’m the guy that knocked up your mom and then ditched her on our wedding day.  And then disappeared for, y’know, your whole life?’  Somehow that didn’t seem appropriate.  And not just because she was only like... five.

But the most bizarre thing was that now, she was apologizing.  Last time Oliver checked, that wasn’t how this was supposed to play out.  He was the one that skipped town.  Left her with a kid all by herself.  Came back out of nowhere.  Almost crashed.  And now she was apologizing.

“Don’t... don’t apologize.  It’s my fault.  I’m the one that’s sorry.”  In more ways than one, it seemed.  “So...”  Oliver took a deep breath, scared of the next thing he was about to ask.  And honestly, he wasn’t entirely positive what answer he was scared of Dinah giving him.

“Can I meet her?”

#;; convos with oliver #singcanary #;; the last 5 years

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

There may have been five years between the now estranged couple, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t pick up on how much the news was bothering him. Should she tell him the whole truth? Or, would he definitely swerve off the road and crash them into a ditch? It made her tense up, not really wanting to answer any more of his questions.

She was regretting all of it and she couldn’t even blame him, because as always, she was the one who got herself into this mess in the first place. Instead of reacting the way she did to him showing up out of nowhere, she could have kept it more… civilized. Not let her emotions get the better of her. 

Don’t make it any worse. Don’t say it. Don’t – “I had thought about naming her Olivia.” Because they discussed what names to pick for a girl and a boy. Olivia for a girl, Connor for a boy. “But, I decided on Clara. Because it meant bright. And, at the time, I was grieving over…” Him. Nine months later, she thought the worst when he remained missing. 

Please don’t crash. Please don’t crash. Because the confession was screaming to get out. Prolonging the truth, that would be her biggest mistake. Unfair to their daughter. “And, I didn’t think naming her after a father who was presumed dead would age very well.”

It stung.  Every part of this conversation.  And every time Oliver thought it couldn’t get any worse, there seemed to be something else she would throw out.  Another dagger.  Not that he had any room to really and truly complain.  Not when it was his fault that so much of this had happened.  If he had really been so scared they were making a mistake getting married, he could’ve just called it off.  No need to run away and be completely MIA for so long.  Then maybe things would have been different.

It had seemed a life time ago that they had sat, talking about the future and planning it all out.  What they would name their kids one day.  What their house might look like.  Just planning what their happily ever after might be.  And now, it all seemed like a bizarre fever dream.  So long ago.

Naming her after a father who was presumed dead.

His blood ran cold.  For a second, Oliver swore his heart stopped and the pity party that he had going on in his head seemed to shut up real quick.  He slammed on the breaks, ignoring the blares from angry drivers around him as they swerved to get around his car.  “What?”

Oliver forced himself to breathe.  Once.  Twice.  Three times.  The people giving him weird looks as they passed would get over it.  Carefully, Oliver eased back onto the accelerator.  After all, he still had to get her to pick up her daughter.  His daughter.

“How did you...  When did you... Why did you...”  He paused his words again, forcing himself to think before speaking.  “When did you find out you were...y’know... pregnant?”  Because as scared as he was, there was no way Oliver would’ve dipped out that day.  He would’ve forced himself to go through with it had he known there was a kid involved.  Probably would’ve been drunk as all hell during the ceremony, but he would’ve stood up there and taken responsibility for what had happened.  He wouldn’t have left her to deal with a kid all by herself.

#;; convos with oliver #;; the last 5 years #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:​

This was partly why she acknowledged him with such an abrupt attitude. If he only gave her a warning, instead of showing up, then the car ride wouldn’t be laced with the awkward silence that followed. Dinah could only imagine where Oliver’s mind was going with the information provided. If the roles were reversed, she would be crushed. Especially with the lack of exact details. She wasn’t even sure how to tell him the truth, but she also wasn’t going to try hard to keep him away from knowing it, either.

Clara may be young, but Dinah was the kind of mother who weighed in on situations and circumstances that could harm her child’s mental and emotional growth. If she wanted to know her father, she wasn’t going to keep them away from each other. All Dinah needed to do was find the perfect opportunity to bring it up.

“She just, um… she had her fifth birthday in January.” He was going to think Dinah had a rebound with one of his closest friends. She wouldn’t be surprised if he immediately thought of Tommy. Fair, it’s not like they didn’t try a few dates a few years after Oliver’s disappearance. 

Everyone knew that it was Oliver for Dinah and Dinah for Oliver. Anyone that tried, it always turned out the same, with her ending it before it could ever get a chance to begin. “I really wish you would have called, so you didn’t have to find out like this. There’s no one else, Ollie… it’s just me and her.”

His grip tightened on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched, and Oliver had to force himself to keep his eyes on the road.  Instinct told him to pull over, to get out of the car and find some new place to run off to.  Let his parents find the car later, let Dinah walk to pick up her daughter, and he’d just pretend that this never happened.  After all, he’d been stupid.  What had he really expected to happen?  Him just waltz right back into her life, apologize, and pretend that nothing had happened?  Like the last five years hadn’t been a thing?

When she kept talking, Oliver felt his grip tighten a fraction of an inch.  So, she wasn’t with someone.  Not that that made it any easier.  The fact that she could just so easily go off with some other guy and have his kid?  That was the life the two of them were supposed to have.  That was the life...

But Oliver forced himself to stop that train of thought.  It was the life he was supposed to have.  But it was the life that he gave up.  “What’s her name?”  Now, he was just forcing himself to focus on small details about the kid.  The reality... the big picture idea... that got to be too much.  And he couldn’t get caught up in that while he was driving.  It was easier to compartmentalize.  Drive, get Dinah to her destination, and make small talk.  Later, he could no doubt find something to take his frustration out on. 

#;; convos with oliver #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

Another variation showing up on an earth they didn’t belong to was never a good sign. Nor, was it welcoming, for that matter. That would have been the case, if this hadn’t been someone she hoped to see again. Another time. The right time. Right place. Yeah, Dinah was never one who believed in happy coincidences.          

“Wow. Oliver Queen, as I live and breathe. How long has it been? Three, four years?” He still looked good, but that was something she didn’t freely express. Though, she knew he could read her expression. He always did. “Now I know there’s a Gotham on your earth, so what brings you to this one in particular?”

@alcnextcgether​

He hadn’t been planning on running into her.  Actually, he hadn’t been planning on much of anything here.  Well, besides the usual “save the world” shit he always felt that he was getting up to when he came to places like this.  Places like this... another world... it was still an idea that was hard to wrap his head around.

And, of course, because they were two people that seemed forever magnetically drawn to one another, she would be the one he’d come across.  It didn’t matter the world, didn’t matter the amount of time, he’d always come back to her.  It was almost unfair, really.  The way she would pull him back in so easily when he tried so hard to keep everyone out.

“Sightseeing.”  It was a stupid answer, and one he knew she wasn’t going to buy, but it at least was amusing in his head.  “The burgers are better in this one.”

#;; convos with oliver #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

“I would come out here nearly every day. At first, I was waiting… and waiting. I’d see the same people go and come back.” It was the very dock where the last sighted report was taken of Oliver Queen on CCTV. 5 years ago. “During Clara’s first year, I would bring her out here with me.” Their daughter, who she gave birth to all those years ago, just straight out of high school. Not part of their plan at all, but neither was his sudden departure.

“Then I realized that I was not only torturing myself, I was also torturing our daughter. For being so young, you could see her paying close attention to kids her age, or just a bit older. Whole families reuniting.”

She wasn’t there to guilt trip him. Far from it. All she wanted were answers to questions that haunted her for so long. WHY? Being the biggest question of all. They were happy. Young. In love. Stupid. The latter bitterly added by her father after what Oliver did.

“I just… I need to know. And, don’t… don’t sugar coat it. Why did you leave me waiting at the altar?”

@alcnextcgether​

He’d thought about this moment for so long.  The moment where he finally spilled everything to her.  All the regret for running away.  After all, he’d only been a kid when he’d proposed to her on a whim.  Of course, there had been no doubt in his mind that he loved her.  Of that, Oliver was completely certain.  No, the doubt came from the fact that he wasn’t sure if he could be who she needed.  Dinah had so much potential, and Oliver could just see himself fucking it all up.

He shrunk deeper into his jacket as he stared out at the dock.  No matter how many times he’d rehearsed what he’d say, and all of his words had left him.  The guilt of leaving not only Dinah, but then finding out he’d left his daughter behind as well.  That he’d missed out on years of her growing up.  Years that he would never be able to get back.  That he would never get to make up for.

“I was scared,” he finally said.  And, for a very rare moment, his voice was quiet, uncertain.  A far cry from the Oliver Queen that he tried to paint for the outside world.  The one he tried to paint for his family, so they wouldn’t continue to feel he was the world’s biggest disappointment.

“We were young,” he continued.  And, in an odd way, they were still young.  Incredibly so.  But they’d both been forced to grow up all too quickly.  “I was afraid that we were making a mistake.”  A pause, then: “That you were making a mistake.  Your father always made it undeniably clear that I wasn’t good enough for you, and I knew he was right.  And I didn’t want to tie you down into something we would regret.  So I...”  Oliver waved his hands towards the dock helplessly.  “Left.”  He paused again, this time to shove his hands into his pockets.

“It seemed the easier way.  Just to take myself out of the equation instead of making you go through a failed marriage.”

#;; convos with oliver #singcanary #;; the last 5 years

[alcnextcgether]

singcanary​:

Percy had a point, Dinah did use him as a pawn first and as much as it annoyed her that he kept on with the list of valid points, she couldn’t deny the act of being in a fake relationship with each other would benefit them. Sure, it would mean creating more tension between the former best friends, but the days of doing anything right by Annabeth were long gone. 

Still, would it be worth it? No matter how bad the fall out was between the pair of friends when Annabeth’s popularity grew, it didn’t change how much Dinah would always care for her.

“I’m not signing this contract.” Dinah firmly stated to Percy, after he agreed to look over the rules after school. It was much too bold of him to add in what was so infamous for couples when she already created a non-negotiable rule to no kissing. “The ski trip? Are you nuts?! No. A very hard no. We’re not doing this for three months. If we can make this believable… I’d give it two weeks for Annabeth to crack.”

@alcnextcgether​

He couldn’t believe that she was being this stubborn.  Honestly, after the way she jumped him, he should have been adding about fifteen other things to this contact.  Most of them including the fact that she owed him about three dozen cookies every week for the absolute concussion he got from hitting his head on the ground. (Which, Percy still insisted he could have caught her just fine if she hadn’t completely caught him off guard.)

Okay, maybe that was exaggerating just a little bit.  A slight bruise did not constitute a concussion, and he could practically hear Annabeth rolling her eyes at the mere suggestion that he was wounded.  But, this wasn’t Annabeth.  And he needed to make sure that Dinah didn’t start trying to back out of what he felt was a very important part of this contract.  

“Look, consider it a... safety clause,” he said.  No doubt Annabeth would’ve been impressed hearing him using the word ‘clause’ in relation to something other than a jolly fat man in red.  “We might not be dating then,” he said, making air quotes around the word “dating.” “But, if we are, then we’d have to go on the ski trip.  No one would buy the relationship if we didn’t,” Percy insisted.  “Come on, Dinah,” he said, pulling out what he felt was his best puppy dog eyed expression.  “Sign it?  Please?” 

#;; convos with percy #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

shadowplaymuses​:

“You’re not going to let it drive on its own, are you?” While it was amazing what the future of technology could do these days, she wasn’t too keen on living the Jetson life. She knew Oliver was trying to make amends, and it really wasn’t like her to play the ice queen for long. Dinah was a forgiving person, and cared immensely. Holding a grudge wouldn’t benefit her, or them. Most importantly, it wouldn’t benefit her daughter. 

A daughter who would be pretty excited about riding in a car like Oliver’s. Could she continue withholding information from him? Not really. Because the moment she smiled and nodded her head at his offer, she had to say something before getting in the car. It just didn’t feel right to pick up their daughter and bring her out like it’s no big deal that since he left, she became a mother.

What if he jumps to conclusions? What if he puts two and two together? What if he did none of the above? Her mind was taking too long to make up its mind on how to come out with it, that she didn’t speak up until they were inside the car. 

“Ollie.” She brought a hand to rest on his forearm, as a way to not start the car just yet. It was better to tell him when they were no longer outside, with a little privacy. Mainly, because she didn’t find it right to go there and come out with a child without a reasonable explanation.

She let out a strained chuckle, just a bit nervous to his reaction over some of the truth. “It has obviously been a long time since we last saw each other, and a lot has changed. I’m definitely not who I used to be.”

Carefree. Hopelessly in love. It felt like a decade ago, rather than half.

“I have a daughter.” Words that came out naturally, because she wasn’t ashamed of being a mother. “She’s everything to me, and the reason why I need to go to the academy.” 

“Not if you don’t want me to,” he quipped, smirking over at her as he climbed into the car himself.  At least she had agreed to get in the car with him.  As far as he was concerned, that was definitely a step in the right direction.  The hand on his arm made him pause.  Despite the time that had passed, and the distance that had been between them, he could still read her.  Still read the nervous expression on her face.

But he had never expected the words that left her mouth.

Immediately, his mind started spinning.  A daughter?  And, clearly, a daughter that was old enough to go somewhere else for an extended period of time.  So, this wasn’t a recent thing.  Did he know the father?  Did he have a right to even feel the odd pang of jealousy that flared up in his stomach?  After all, he’d been the one to leave her.  What she did in her private life was up to her now.  Not him.

“Oh,” was all he finally said, realizing that he should probably start talking so the silence didn’t become completely unbearable.  “Um... that’s... that’s cool.”  For a brief pause, Oliver started the car and started heading towards the school.

Now that Dinah actually had a kid, it seemed like all the things he’d rehearsed in his head didn’t matter.  Having a kid he knew changed things.  It made it infinitely more complicated.  And suddenly, his appearance back in town and his attempt to make things right with her didn’t seem quite as important somehow.  Dinah had clearly moved on with her life.  Who was he to try and waltz back in now?

“So...” he started, trying to find a way to keep the conversation about this from completely ruining the small amount of time he had alone with her.  To keep them from riding in utter silence.  “How old is she?”

@singcanary​

#;; the last 5 years #;; convos with oliver #singcanary

[alcnextcgether]

adiosbyealoha​:

Her mother always did tell her that she had a tongue so sharp, it gave her father a run for his money. She wasn’t cold hearted, no, not even close. She was far from cold. This was annoyance on a whole other degree. Because if she softened with him at that moment, it would mean that she cared. About whatever he needed to say. And, if she wasn’t careful, it could get signals crossed. Even send out the wrong one

Still, he left her curious enough to want to hear him out. If she didn’t now, he would just keep coming back. And, what did he mean when he told her that he tried? When did he ever try to see her? The runaway groom. Those words entered her mind as a reminder that left her scoffing.

“You’re not going to leave me there afterwards, are you?” Nope, she really couldn’t hold back. Besides, she had someone who was waiting for her. Her… their daughter.

Shit. He really couldn’t have paid a visit at a more inconvenient time. So much unlike him. No, she could recall the days when he would sweep her away from her locked tower when they were in middle and high school. Some memories were hard to forget.

Truth be told, she hadn’t forgotten anything about him. About them. She remembered. All of it. “I… I actually have somewhere to be,” she admitted, with slight hesitation. “The Learning Academy.” Details be damned? For all he knew, she could be doing a favor for a friend. “We could talk on the way over?”

Alright, he deserved that, and he couldn’t help but wince at the harsh comment thrown his way about leaving her there.  It would no doubt be the greatest mistake of his life, leaving her at the last possible moment.  No doubt she would have moved on, and he would be left to wonder what his life might’ve been like if he had gone through with the whole wedding.  Surely, it’d be better.  Less... empty.  So much of Oliver’s life had been tied up in Dinah.  Pulling her out of it so quickly had been like cutting a part of himself out.  He hadn’t felt whole, and he’d spent the last half of a decade trying to fill the hole that he’d left behind when he left her.

It was just too little too late that he realized his mistake.

Still, he tried for his most charming smile.  The one that had gotten her to cave so many times before when they were growing up.  Oliver couldn’t have her walk out on him.  Did he deserve a chance to apologize?  A chance to explain?  Absolutely not.  And he was aware of that fact.  But, Dinah was too good to him.  Something he always took for granted.

For a moment, he thought she was going to go through with leaving him there.  Leaving him standing, like an idiot, begging for her to not walk out on him.  But, she didn’t.  Thank all the gods in all the countries in all the worlds.  She didn’t walk out on him.

The Learning Academy?  It was a weird place to need to be, but Oliver didn’t push for why.  No doubt it was none of his business.  At least he was getting the chance to keep talking to her.  To keep it all going.  “Sure, sounds good.”  Pulling out his car keys, Oliver pushed open the door and nodded over to his car.  “You want to take my car?  My mom called it a welcome home present.”  A trade up from the motorcycle from a few years ago, but the paint on this one still sparkled in the sun, and the new car smell was yet to fade.  And the two doors that folded up instead of out?  Standard for people of the Queen family’s socioeconomic status, he believed. 

@shadowplaymuses​

#c: dinah #;; the last 5 years #shadowplaymuses