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The Jones middle sibling's voice snatched the three girls' attention from the movie they were watching. "Ah, hello, ladies." He grinned at them after opening the door to the Russo apartment.
"Hey." Harper, Athena and Alex said un sync, making the three exchanged a quick weird look.
"What y'all watching?" He turned his attention to the TV screen as he grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl that rested on Harper's lap and shoved into his mouth. He cringed at the movie title. "I'm in Love With a Teen Werewolf?" He questioned. "Really?"
Athena shrugged. "Be our guest to suggest any other movies."
Joshua shook his head slightly and turned them. "Anyways, I came by to ask Harper to help me with my new jumper."
"Huh?" Harper frowned. "Why?"
The Jones boy scratched the back of his neck, trying to come up with an excuse to snatch Harper away, when he eyed Alex passing Athena an already bitten pickle.
"Because it's pickle themed!" He blurted out the first thing that came in his mind. "Yeah, it's a pickle-themed jumper and I thought 'who better to lend my a hand than the themed clothing queen herself?'."
Harper let out a giggle. "Me? Themed clothing queen?" She repeated his words in a sweet-shy voice before her face got serious again. "Let's do this."
The Finkle girl got up and handed Alex the popcorn bowl. "Alex, do you mind if I go? I mean I can st-"
The Russo girl shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Don't worry, Harper." She threw an arm around Athena's shoulder. "I've got Athena here with me." The blonde nodded with a smile.
"Okay, then." Joshua grabbed Harper's arm and pulled her rapidly towards the door. "But if you need anything you can call m-'' Harper's voice was cut off by the sound of the door slamming.
"Oh, hey, look, this is the funny part when all the angry villagers surround the werewolf and then they destroy him!" Alex commented, her voice raising as she spoke.
"Hm." Athena tilted her head as she watched the villagers attacking the werewolf. "I wonder where you can get torches like that." She added, Alex nodding.
Next thing they knew, the front door was opened again, only this time it wasn't Athena's brother, but Alex's. Max.
The Jones girl felt her heart skipping a beat as he smiled at her.
"Uh, Alex, do you mind if I borrow Thena real quick?" He rubbed his hands on his jeans, something Athena noticed he did whenever he got nervous. She raised her brows as his aura became visible floating above his head.
A mix between a light grey and punch-pink spun around in a light mix above Max's head. Stress (the grey) and what the girl thought was tenderness (the pink). Her heart warmed up at the thought of him caring so much for his sister's being, unaware that, in fact, the pinkish tone she called tenderness could also be called passion. Only all he felt wasn't directed to Alex...
"What for?" Athena questioned with a raised brow.
Max gulped. "I... uh... need to ask you something." Nervousness showing in his voice and the grey mist in ir aura gaining territory over the pink one.
Alex widened her eye at her brother's statement. "Ask her... Yeah, go!" She pushed Athena off the couch, the girl hitting the ground with a 'humph'.
"Why?" She questioned, taking Max's arm for support as she got up. "First my ankle and now this. Are you trying yo get me killed?"
"Just go already!" The Russo sister threw some popcorn at them, making the two rush downstairs to the Sub Station.
A small grin appeared on her lips as she hoped that one of them would ask the other out on a date. But that grin soon faded when the door of her apartment opened again and Mason stepped in.
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"So..." Athena mumbled, leaning over the cashier.
"So..." Max repeated her words also leaning over the cashier by her side.
Athena ler out a laugh. "Okay, so what did you want to ask me?" She tried to play it cool in front of him, twirling a lock of hair with her finger and keeping her eyes in the restaurant tables ahead of them.
Max bit the inside of his cheeks as he felt his heartbeat increasing and his mouth getting dry.
Get it together, he told himself, it's not like she'll run away. Or will she?
Max opened his mouth but no sounds came out.
Athena let ou a breath. "Okay, so since it seems like the cat has got your tongue," She joked after a few moments of pure silence. "can I ask you something?"
Max turned to her, eyes slightly widened. He nodded and as he did, the girl took a deep breath, recalling the conversation she had with Alex earlier.
"You and Max like each other. It's that simple." Alex's voice rang in her mind.
"What do you think of... I don't know, going out or something?" She managed to speak. "As... on a date, I guess...?" The girl kept her eyes straight ahead, not daring to look over to her crush.
"Oh" He did not expect her to ask him that. He let out a relieved chuckle.
The girl held her breath. Was she this ridiculous? At the point where he'd actually laugh at her? She started to pick on the skin around her thumb, still not glancing in his direction.
"We don't have to, I mean I... you... It's getting hot in here, huh." She felt her cheeks and ears warming up, a bitter taste taking over her mouth as she tried to get herself out of that embarrassing situation.
"No, no, no, no!" Max blurted out, moving to the other side of the cashier so that he could face her. "I mean, yes, I'd love to!" His voice held excitement. "I was about to ask you the same thing, to be honest."
The Jones girl felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders as he said he'd love to go on a date with her. "For real?" She questioned.
Max nodded. "Here we go." He told no one in particular in a low voice. "I, uh... I think..." He bobbed his head. "I know, I have this... feelings. For you."
Athena's blue eyes were fixated on his caramel ones, neither of them knowing how to act or what to say after that. The girl's lips curved in a shy smile and she tilted her head to the side a bit.
"I have... feelings for you too." She managed to break the eye contact, lowering her gaze to her hands.
The boy's mouth went 'o' and he fought the urge to scream. "For real?" He contained himself, saying the exact words she had said just a few moments ago when he told her about how he felt.
"For real." She confirmed with a small nod, her eyes traveling back to his again. His eyes never left her, though.
Max let out a chuckle, and in a boost of confidence he decided to place his hand on top of hers. Both their cheeks gained a crimson tone as their fingers enlaced together.
"So it's a date." He mused, still looking at theirs hands.
"Finally!" Justin's voice caught the duo's attention, making them stare over to where he stood holding hands with Juliet next to the staircase that lead to the apartment. "Now, you two, let's go. Harper found out Alex is with Mason and she's looking for us with a hot glue pistol."
"Alex's with Mason?" Athena frowned in confusion. "But he- I- Harper-" She tried to come up with answers for her many, many questions. And that's when something clicked in her mind. She turned to Max, her arms crossed over her chest as a guilty look took over the boy's face.
"Had to ask you out some time... and I have no regrets." He said sternly, walking over to where his brother stood and taking her hand in the way, making her walk with him.
Athena stopped next to him. "I was the one to ask you out." She corrected.
"Minor details." The boy mumbled, Juliet chuckling at the two just as Justin waved his wand and teleported them to wherever Mason and Alex went.
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Athena loved to revisit the places she had once visited. But Transylvania was not one of those places.
The bad illumination provided by torches and the sound of crickets and other animals Athena decided was best not to find out what were made a chill ran down her spine. The girl tightened her grip around Max's hand.
She hated Transylvania.
"Hey! There you are!" The oldest Russo yelled as the group landed eyes on Alex and Mason.
"How did you guys find us?" Alex asked in annoyance, her arms going akimbo.
Max used his and Athena's hand to cover his face from Alex and the other one to point directly at himself. "Don't tell her it was Joshua and I." He whispered. Athena rolled her eyes at him and Alex threw her hands in the air, deciding it was best to ignore her brother. But the Russo girl fought a smirk back when she noticed her little brother holding hands with her friend.
"Mason! It's good to see you, buddy!" Max greeted, the group or four walking towards the werewolf and the wizard.
"You too."
Justin pulled Max back, taking the lead. If looks could kill, Mason would be on the ground at that point.
"I wish you were cool with me like your little brother." The Greyback boy said with resentment.
"That's where you're right. You and I are not cool." Justin took a step in Mason's direction in a threat. "Now back away from my sister."
"Justin, it's okay." Alex decided to intervene, placing a hand on her brother's chest to prevent him from coming at Mason. "He's gonna prove his feelings for me with the True Love necklace."
Athena frowned. "Is that really a good idea?" She tilted her head. "Haven't Mason caused enough trouble already?" Alex threw her a look filled with plead. The blonde girl sighed, holding her palms out in surrender. "Okay, then."
"As long as you guys are here, can you help look for it?" Mason asked them.
"Yeah, we'll help you find it." Max responded as soon as he finished asking. "It's weird, I love things that glow. I'm like a moth, like a were-moth." He grinned at his realization, completely oblivious to the tension between the group.
"We're just gonna..." Athena spoke up, making a funny face and pointing somewhere behind her with a thumb. Alex nodded and she took Max's hand in hers again so they could go ahead and look for the necklace.
"Have you found anything?" Athena asked after a few moments of tossing rocks and kicking leaves around.
"Nope." Max responded with a sigh. "Should we-" He was interrupted by a loud snarl.
The two turned in surprise, and were met by werewolf Mason growling to Justin, who held Alex by the wrist and tried to drag her away from Mason.
"I said she's not going anywhere!" He screamed in anger.
"I thought he'd be a prettier werewolf. Like the ones in Teen Wolf." Athena mumbled in disappointment, her expectations of Mason's full werewolf form being crushed.
Juliet gave her a nod. "Yeah, they're always prettier in the shows."
"Mason's a werewolf, that's so awesome!" Max exclaimed. "Especially since I know I'm not in danger cause we're buddies, right, Mason?" He smiled at the wolf, who growled in response. "Mason?" He snarled again, the smile vanishing from Max's face. "Mason, you didn't answer my question." With one last roar, Athena decided to step in.
"Max, baby, I don't think now is the time to be buddies with Mason." She pulled him by his forearm, the boy's eyes traveling from the werewolf to the pretty girl calling him 'baby'.
"Mhm." He nodded automatically at her statement with a goofy smile and blushing cheeks.
"You gotta teach me those tricks." Juliet commented to Athena, watching in awe how she had the youngest Russo wrapped around her finger.
"Look, I'll admit it, I'm a little scared right now, but I'm not backing down." Justin said in a shaken voice. "Come on, Alex, we're going home." He started to pull his sister one more time.
"No!" She yelled in protest, getting her arm out of his grip. "I have to find the necklace." With that, she ran in search for it.
"We have help her." Athena followed after Alex in a sprint.
Behind her, grunts, groans and snarls could be heard as Juliet and Mason stated to fight because of Justin, but the girls decided to ignore it, prioritizing the necklace search.
"I found it!" The Jones girl yelled. Alex ran to where she was and the two started to grab random objects from the ground and throw to where the necklace was —which was on top of a tall stone-wall, too far high from their grip.
"Wait!" Justin started, appearing behind the two girls just as Alex took off her sneaker to throw at it.
"I have a better idea." Athena took her wand out of her jeans back pocket, but Juliet's scream snatched her attention.
"Get away from her!" Justin yelled in desperation as Mason prepared to attack Juliet.
In sync, Justin and Athena casted a small exploding spell, which hit Mason and got him away from the struggling vampire. "We got him!" Justin celebrated and turned to high five Athena.
"Dude." She shook her head at him, his excitement fading.
"Right." He got serious again and prepared to attack Mason if he needed to, as the werewolf regained his strength. But before he could cast another spell, Alex grabbed his wand and threw it in the necklace's direction. "My wand!" He yelled as they watched the it being thrown on the other side of the wall.
"Sorry, I couldn't think of a spell!" Alex apologized in a high pitched voice.
"Will you two shut up! I'm trying to think!" Athena snapped. "Of course!" She cleared her throat. "Levitatus Inanimatus" She hummed the spell and they all watched as the necklace started to levitate towards the blonde girl.
The fight continued behind them, but Alex and Athena kept their eyes glued on the floating necklace, unaware of Juliet getting completely dominated by Mason.
"I got it!" Athena cheered, reaching out for the heart-shaped pendent and sighing in relief as she wrapped her fingers around it. She handed it to Alex. "I hope you're sure about this."
But before Alex got the chance to respond, Juliet's scream interrupted them. "Get off of him!" The two girls gasped as they watched the vampire launching herself at Mason, who was on top of Justin, and biting his neck.
"No!" Alex yelled.
Mason let out a pained snarl and threw Juliet off him, stumbling onto the ground. "You bit me." Mason realized, his face shifting to his half werewolf form, hand on the injure on his neck. "How could you do this?"
"I didn't have a choice." Juliet yelled as she got up. "You were attacking my boyfriend."
"What's going on?" Alex questioned their argument, Justin sprinting to his girlfriend as she sprinted to Mason.
Athena girl gulped, already aware of what was going on. She recalled it from one of her summer lessons at WizTech what happened to a vampire if they bit a werewolf and what happened to a werewolf if they scratched a vampire. The girl wrapped her arms around herself, deciding not to say anything.
"When a vampire bites a werewolf, they turn into a wolf." Justin clarified.
"You mean a werewolf?" Alex frowned.
"No, an actual wolf... forever." Athena mumbled from where she stood, her eyes traveling from Mason, with his neck injury, to Juliet, who had her arm scratch, with sympathy and confusion in her face. How could the two let things get so out of hand?
She wondered where Max had gotten himself, she could really use someone by her side right now.
"Yeah, and when a werewolf scratches a vampire..." Juliet begun.
"What?"
"I lose my vampire powers." The blonde said in a low voice.
"Well, that's not so bad." Justin walked over to her.
The Jones girl decided to give them all some privacy. She turned on her heels, after offering both Mason and Juliet one last apologetic smile and went looking for Max.
As she walked around, her mind was filled with depressing thoughts of how the two Russo siblings would deal with those... news. Her heart ached for the two, but she knew there was nothing she could do to ease the situation besides being there for them.
"There you are." She took a few steps over to where Max was kneeled at. He held the True Love necklace in his hands.
"Yeah, Alex dropped it again when Mason jumped at Justin." He got up, cleaning the heart pendent with his thumb. "Are you okay?"
Athena shrugged. "It's not me that I'm worried about." He nodded in agreement. "We should probably get this to Alex before Mason turns into a wolf for good."
Max took her hand in his, and together, the two made their way to the others.
After making sure Alex and Mason had the necklace, the two decided to go up the stone wall again, seeing Max had left the Mummy's eyes up there.
A loud howl snatched their attention. Athena sighed, realizing that it was indeed, Mason. She blinked a couple of times, reaching down for the Mummy's eyes. The girl turned to Max, ready to let him know she had found it, but was met by a rather melancholic scene that made her bit the inside of her cheek.
The youngest Russo rested his elbows on the stone edge, looking down to where Justin and Alex sat together. And as he watched the two sibling comforting each other, Athena noticed the worry and sadness for his siblings in his eyes. So she did the only thing she could think of.
Slowly, she approached, holding out a hand and placing it on his shoulder softly. Max turned his face to her before he turned whole body. The girl clicked her tongue and grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him into her embrace.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and let out a deep breath, trying not to think of the broken looks on his siblings faces as he rested his chin on her shoulder, lowering himself to do so because of her height.
Max knew he wasn't the smartest or the bravest Russo sibling, or that he wasn't as close to Justin and Alex as they already were to each other, but he was sure, deep down in his heart, that they would do anything for each other at anytime. And in that moment, he knew that if he could, he'd do anything to make his siblings happy again. But he didn't know how or what he could do.
So he forced himself focus on the pretty girl he was hugging. And that was all he needed for now.
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"Well, at least one of us is happy." Justin muttered, Alex resting her head on his shoulder after Mason left in his wolf form for the second time.
Alex held out her head and followed her brother's gaze. "Yeah."
The two watched as Athena held their little brother in her arms. They knew that even though they were in pain for their lovers, Max was also friends with Mason and Juliet. It wasn't easy to also loose a friend. On that moment, a glimpse of happiness warmed their hearts, for their little brother having someone.
"We're spying on their date, right?" Alex asked her big brother as she leaned on his shoulder again, eyes never leaving the young couple.
"Is that even a question?"
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Author's notes:
WHAT A HUGE CHAPTER Y'ALL
I hope you enjoyed it anyways lmao
Also, thank you so much for 3k reads on this book! It means the world to me to see that people actually enjoy this story!
Let me know your thoughts and suggestions for the following chapters and don't forget to comment and vote!
I hope you have a wonderful day or night and I'll see you in the next chapter
<3