tratie oneshots

{ farewell, camp half-blood }

words: 529

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Taking one last long look at the cabins that had been her home for so many years, Katie felt her vision blur with tears.

She felt the first of many roll down her cheek and caught the shift in Travis's expression in her peripheral vision.

Sending him a watery smile in reassurance, she turned her gaze away from him, first letting her eyes scan the beach where she and him celebrated their first date on July fourth, before allowing it to slide over to the woods where countless capture the flag wins had been debated.

Memories flooded her brain as tears left wet tracks along her cheeks in quickening succession, but she was smiling, too.

She felt a hand slip into hers, and forced herself to tear her eyes away from the camp below. Facing Travis, she saw what was likely a mirror image of her own expression displayed on his features — blue eyes sparkling with sadness, the corners of his lips turned up in a melancholy smile.

"You okay, Katie-kat?" as he spoke, Travis leaned forward to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face.

She managed a nod, hesitating before forcing her voice to cooperate. "I'm really gonna miss this place."

"So am I, Kates."

"We made so many memories here." Katie found herself subconsciously leaning into his side for support, but neither her nor him made any effort to stop this action.

"Remember the time Connor and I decorated the Demeter cabin with chocolate bunnies?"

"I don't think decorated is the correct term for that—"

"Or when I helped you become camouflage with green hair for a day?"

"That was not funny—"

Katie knew exactly what her boyfriend was doing, and it was working.

She gave a laugh, elbowing him in the side and slipping into their old routine easily.

Without missing a beat, Travis joined in flawlessly, placing a hand on his chest in mock offense, "That hurt, Katie-kat!"

However now they broke their old routine because instead of shooting him a withering look and marching down Half-Blood Hill until she reached her old cabin, Katie simply pushed herself up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek before speaking, "Oh, shut up, Stoll."

They settled into silence, each falling into a chasm of memories and allowing themselves to be temporarily lost in them.

Katie felt a strange sadness envelop her, unlike one she'd ever felt before, as an image of her racing Travis to the canoe lake filled her mind, soon accompanied by many others.

It was sadness, yes, but it also carried a spark of elation at the thought of a new beginning.

"I can't believe we're actually leaving."

Travis's voice shook her out of her memories once more, and she found herself agreeing with him.

They were only twenty-four, fresh out of college and ready to attempt to live in the mortal world for the first time in years.

"Me neither."

But whatever challenges the world threw at them in the days, months, and years to come, Katie knew she and Travis would face them together, just as they had in the days, months and years past.

-

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