Rise of the Guardians One-Shots pt.2

Picnic

He grunted at the weight of the box in his hand. He was given one of the food boxes. One of the most important boxes of the whole trip as they walked up the largest hill in the Warren. He wasn't allowed to fly either. He could feel Jack's worrying glances towards his way but Liam was keeping him from looking at him. 

This was their test as Uncles. 

He glanced over to see Ares smiling with no shame as the Chief Pooka watched him struggle. He saw Eleanor glaring at her sons, then glaring at her husband, then giving him a soft smile of encouragement. 

He didn't even try to look behind him at Lily. Aster was meeting them up the hill. He could feel her looking at the back of his head. She was the only one who he wasn't on the best side with. He didn't understand where her grudge against him had come from but she had one. It was the one thing that made him want to do this.

When they finally got to the spot, he hid his exhausted breathing behind a cough as he placed the box beside the others. He felt Jack step beside him, cold air slowly going over his clothes as the sweat on his back dried. He felt goosebumps cover his skin before he finally looked over at his lover. He noticed Jack was clenching his fist and jaw in silent anger at the test. He slowly took Jack's hand, lacing their fingers together. 

Archie felt eyes on him as he held Jack's hand. He glanced over to see Lily just watching with a blank face. She was looking between him and Jack before looking away. She was the one last one he had to get through. Eleanor had trapped him in a corner this morning giving her two cents in.

"Archie." He looked over his shoulder as Eleanor was walking up to him. He looked around to see no one else and knew this was about to be a Grandmother/ Grandson's boyfriend talk. 

"Yes ma'am?" He could see she liked the response by her little smile before it disappeared. He stood his ground as she walked right up in front of him. Their height difference was insane but he knew he couldn't show it intimidated him. He felt his breath catch as she raised a flower in the air. 

It was beautiful but he knew exactly what it was. The Angel's Trumpet, one of the most poisonous flowers in the world. It was one he tried his best not to let it grow in areas near children. 

"I assume you know what this is?" He noticed how she wore gardening gloves while holding it. A simple touch could spread the poison.  

"Yes ma'am." He couldn't help but step back, his back hitting the wall of the house behind him as she stepped closer to him with the flower. He watched her carefully as she held it close to his face while holding his breath. Inhaling the plant was dangerous. She pulled it back with an evil smile. 

"I know every poisonous flower in the world, just like you do. I know over 100 hundred ways to kill a person, 90 of them can look like an accident. Do we understand?" Archie nodded. He knew that Eleanor would never truly kill him but the intentions of what she meant where loud and clear. 

Hurt Jack and she'd hurt him. 

Archie blinked back into the present as Jack pulled on his hand to sit. He took his spot beside by Jack, not realizing that it meant sitting right next to Lily. He thought Bunny would be the one to sit next to them but he was wrong. He could sense the tension surrounding her. He didn't know what her problem with him was but he needed to figure it out. 

They talked about random things. Production in the Warren. Seasonal Problems. Liam's relationship with Thea and how it was going. Ridley's mistake with the colors at the East river. 

He fell into a comfortable conversation with Ares when the tension he felt finally snapped. He heard Jack place his plate on the ground a little harder than he should have. He glanced over to see Jack glaring with cold eyes at Lily.