tratie one shots, vol. i

[ pick-up lines ]

this one was super cheesy but really fun to write, so enjoy!

words: 1061

. . . 

A sunny morning at breakfast was the first time Travis did it.

Katie wasn't expecting him to address her at all, but there he was, calling out her name like a lifeline. The entire camp lulled their chatter, eager to find what drama would play out with the two. She attempted to ignore him, she wanted so desperately to just have a peaceful meal for one moment of the day. But he persisted in his demand for attention, and she finally got sick of it.

Huffing, Katie begrudgingly stood up to see him. "What is it now, Stoll?"

"Your lips look a little lonely." His infuriating grin shone across the tabletops. "Do they wanna meet mine?"

A couple of the girls sighed dreamily, and the guys laughed and spun to see Katie's reaction. She, in fact, was taken aback by his straightforwardness. Surely he was talking to someone else? Or maybe he was playing a prank on her.

Yeah, that was it.

She just groaned and sat back down. "Not especially, Travis, my lips prefer ones that can speak eloquently."

He slapped a hand over his heart and feigned offense. "Well played, my fair lady. How's this for eloquence? My heart beastest only for thee and I shan't give up until thou returnest my deep love."

"Sure, you do that." And Katie went back to her food.

He did it again that day, in the strawberry fields in front of all the Demeter kids. "It's a good thing I brought my library card, because I'm totally checking you out."

A couple of her half-siblings wolf-whistled, but Katie was less than impressed. It wasn't worth her attention. Still, she couldn't help her snappy words. "You're a Hermes kid, Travis. You wouldn't use a library card, you'd just steal the books."

"Like you did with my heart!"

She rolled her eyes and moved on.

The next time he did it was in the middle of archery practice a week later. She was pulling back on her bowstring and peering at the target's rings when Travis strolled to her row.

"Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I need to walk by you again?"

She stared blankly into his shocking blue eyes, giving him no satisfaction in seeing her blush or giggle. "Travis, we've known each other for seven years."

"Take as long as you need, babe."

It took her a few more days of this, but it dawned on her that Travis Stoll may just happen to be hitting on her. Her, Katie Gardner. There must've been something extra wrong with his brain lately. The entire camp grew to love watching the couple's squabbles, starting with Travis' attempt in wooing Katie and ending with her responding in a rude, brutal manner. It never got out of hand, but it happened so frequently and for so long that the new campers thought they were a couple just bickering and being cute together, and the old ones began to believe it themselves.

"Hey, Katie-Kat." Travis' voice rang across the fire pit when she arrived at the marshmallow roast.

"Oh, boy, here we go again," Katie declared loudly. "What suave garbage do you want to clog my ears with today?"

"Nothing, I have something for you."

"Really? What is it?" she asked dryly.

Travis grinned. "It's a kiss. But if you don't like it, you can return it."

For once, Katie was sick of being sarcastic. She wanted to throw him off, just once. So she strutted over to him, in front of the whole of Camp Half-Blood, and yanked him into a kiss.

The demigods went silent, not expecting that reaction whatsoever. Travis smirked into her lips, holding her around her waist and humming contentedly when they parted. The half-bloods greedily awaited Katie's next step, supposing she'd be scrambling to punch him or something of the sort. Instead, they found her smiling smugly.

"Sticky. How many marshmallows have you eaten?"

He chuckled. "A lot. Unsatisfactory?"

"Very."

"Returns are available, kiss back guarantee."

And so it continued.

Rather than Katie growling hateful comments back to Travis' lines, she'd pry a flirtatious one from her head. If Travis said, "Your hand looks heavy, let me carry it for you", she wouldn't let go of his hand for the rest of the day. When he inquired if she had an inhaler because she took his breath away, she threatened to do mouth-to-mouth CPR. Neither of them were phased by the shift, but the rest of the camp was. They drove themselves crazy trying to figure out what was going on between the most gossiped-about couple since Percy and Annabeth. It became a challenge to Katie and Travis, who'd out-charm whom. They loved the excitement they stirred up, how people would place bets of chores or food on who'd flirt the best, and how everyone watched for the new quip. It evolved into a camp-wide game, the next-best to see only to capture the flag. Everybody wanted to know what was going on with Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner.

The two were sitting alone by the lake one afternoon, his arm slung around her because she said she was falling apart and he was the only one who could keep her together. The shore was quiet aside from their breathing and the distant splashing of naiads in the water.

"So... I'm not a professional photographer, but I can easily picture us together."

Katie groaned, leaning her head back against his arm. "You weren't even trying then, Trav. That was the worst one yet."

He bit his lip, playing with her braid absent-mindedly over her collarbone. "I mean, it's true."

Now, of the things we wasn't counting on, that was at the top of the list. She checked his facial expression, making sure he wasn't joking. "You're serious?"

"Dead."

She tilted her head so that it barely brushed against his neck when she relaxed it on his shoulder. "Huh."

"What, no snarky comeback?" He shuffled just so that he could look into her eyes.

She shrugged. "I guess I'm fresh out of them."

Quiet.

"...does that mean we're...?" Travis was uncertain but impatient of waiting for her to say something first.

A nod from her, a brilliant smile from him.

"Does that mean I won? I wooed the heartless Katie Gardner?"

She pursed her lips and ruffled his hair. "You win, Stoll."