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Connor thought he could get away with it. It was just a harmless prank, right?
Wrong.
During Capture the Flag, Connor snuck away. That was the easy part, considering he was quick on his feet. He made his way towards Cabin 6, where the Athena kids resided, making sure to stay out of sight of any demigods who might’ve opted out of playing. The cabin was just as lame as he remembered it being. Bookshelves crowded the walls, with some books that dated back to the B.C days. Connor didn’t understand how anybody could entertain themselves with that. He’d much rather have fun joking about like, oh, right now.
The inside smelt weirdly nostalgic, like an old school library. Another thing Connor hated. It reminded him of the good old days, being picked on for being a bit odd and getting mauled by Tartarus spawn day in and out. He shuddered at the memories. Those days had not been fun, especially not the day he crashed through the ceiling of his classroom and broke a fellow student's arm.
He shook the thoughts away. That wasn’t relevant to what he was doing now - pranking his good friend Malcolm pace. After a quick scan of the room and definitely not stealing any cute little trinkets, he found the guy’s bunk. The sheets were surprisingly soft, and a spare pair of thin-rimmed glasses rested atop the blankets. Or maybe Malcolm had decided to wear contacts today. Connor pushed away the urge to take those as well as the blueprints that were NOT shoved down his pants.
Reaching into his pocket, Connor yanked out a fake spider. Maybe this was a bit mean. He almost considered not doing it. Almost.
He realised how stupid second-guessing himself was. That just wasn’t the Connor way, no. He moved about the pillows and blankets, nestling the spider gently into the centre of the mess. He made sure to move Malcolm’s glasses, and even picked them up by the rim like he had been taught. Connor took a step backwards. From a further distance, you couldn’t see the spider. A little bit closer, the legs peeked out. It was a perfect set-up. Connor snickered quietly, feeling damn proud of himself.
“What are you doing,” A voice from behind made him jump out of his skin. “And what has it got to do with my bed?”
Malcolm Pace. Shit.
Connor whirled around on his ankles, facing a familiar angry glare. His deep gray eyes bore into him, as if constantly working out an equation. His blonde hair wasn’t tied up today. The strands blew freely down to his shoulders. It looked really nice like that, actually. Connor realised he was staring. He grinned, waving awkwardly.
“Erm, about that!” Connor took a breath, trying to think of any excuse off the top of his head. But it was hard to ignore that inquisitive stare. The sheer intensity of it made him want to confess. “So, I actually don’t have any excuse. It was just… uh.. Funny?”
Malcolm’s jaw tightened. “I don’t like the sound of that. Let me guess, you’ve put a spider in my bed?”
Connor forced out a laugh. Sweat beaded on the nape of his neck. “Now why would you ever think that?”
“Probably because you’ve done it five times this week. And counting.” Malcolm sighed.
“Did I?” Connor winced. “Yeah, I guess I did do that…”
There was a long pause of silence between the two. Malcolm stood with his arms crossed, like he was scolding a child. Connor stood sheepishly opposite him, feeling like the child being scolded. Wind rustled the leaves outside. Connor found it easier to focus on the breeze rather than Malcolm’s stare.
“I’m so sick of this,” Malcolm’s voice was stone cold. “You being in here every week, pulling some silly prank.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Connor waved his hand in a circle. “I’ve heard it a thousand times before. ‘Oh, Connor, you’re so-‘“
“Shut up.” Malcolm cut him off. “Listen to me.”
Connor obliged.
“You never apologise to anybody, you never have,” Malcolm continued, sounding truly fed up. “So, today, that’s gonna change.”
Connor blinked. “Huh? Like.. I’m sorry, I suppose.”
“No. You’re gonna say it like you mean it.” The son of Athena stepped forward. “On your knees.”
Connor didn’t know what to say. He just stood there dumbfounded, mouth hanging open. He wanted to laugh, but Malcolm didn’t seem to be joking. He built up the courage, and met Malcolm’s stare. That was a mistake. His pulse sped up, blood rushed to his face.
Connor wanted so badly to defy him. Tell him to shut it and maybe flip him off for good measure. His fingers twitched, aching to possibly punch Malcolm in the face. That stare stopped him. Looking at Malcolm’s face, his sharp features twisted in anger, he wanted to do anything just to make him happy again. and Malcolm was damn stubborn. Connor caught himself. He must’ve been staring a while, because Malcolm piped up again.
“Go on,” He gestured to the floor. “Drop to your knees. Apologise. I’m not waiting all day.”
“What if I don’t?’ Connor tested.
“You will.” Malcolm said simply, as if this were a fact.
Connor was taken aback by his confidence. It took him another moment of processing. The two had a staring contest. He shifted his weight between his feet. Gods, Malcolm's glower was totally unnerving. Connor tried to hold his ground, but quickly realised this was futile. Because, as mentioned, Malcolm doesn’t give up when he knows what he wants. Another annoyingly endearing trait of his.
Finally, Connor cracked.
With an overdramatic sigh, he collapsed to the floor. The wooden panels scratched at his knees. Connor adjusted himself so he was kneeling at Malcolm’s feet. The heels of his shoes dug into his thighs. He craned his neck upwards to lock eyes with the son of Athena, who looked just as intimidating from a lower angle. Connor straightened his shoulders slightly, moistening his lips.
“So,” He kissed his teeth. “I’m, like, really sorry about putting a spider in your bed today. And all the other times I also did that. Yep.”
Malcolm did not look impressed.
“Oh, come ON!” Connor groaned. He spread his arms. “I’m literally kneeling in front of you! AND I’ve just apologised. Aren’t you happy now?”
“No,” Malcolm replied bluntly. “Because you’re being sarcastic. You’re not genuine.”
“Yeah, well, genuine isn’t my thing.” Connor rolled his eyes, dropping his arms. “Not sure if you noticed, Your Majesty.”
Malcolm studied him with those dove-gray eyes. He remained quiet for a while, which agitated Connor even further. The tension between them seemed to grow. He would rather hear his smartass reply than his silence. Then Malcolm spoke again.
“I figured you would know about the phobia us Athena kids share, but maybe you’re thicker than I originally thought.” Malcolm’s voice lowered.
“Hey!” Connor protested. “And also, what phobia?”
“Proving my point,” Malcolm muttered. “Arachnophobia. It’s especially bad for the younger campers.”
Malcolm paused like he was waiting for something, but nothing clicked in the son of Hermes’ brain. It might have been because Connor had no clue what Arachnophobia was. He had heard the word in Science once, derived from.. Arachnids? But he’d totally napped during that lesson, so the definition was blurred in his mind.
Conner shrugged. “And this is related.. How?”
Malcolm raised his eyebrows. “Oh my gods, you’re actually an idiot.”
“You sound like my 5th grade teacher.” Connor grumbled.
Malcolm chose to ignore him, which might’ve been for the better. “Arachnophobia is the intense fear of spiders. Look, the point I’m getting at is that, while this might be harmless fun for you, it’s freaking out our cabin. The younger kids live in constant fear not knowing when the next spider will show up, even if they know it’s fake.”
“Phobias aren’t rational. They trigger your fight, flight and freeze instincts. So, Connor, this is related because it’s scaring my siblings to death, and if you don’t stop, well..” He didn’t finish his sentence.
Connor suddenly felt the world’s biggest dickhead. His arms felt heavy, even resting by his side. The only reply he could muster was a weak ‘Oh.’ Malcolm let the words hang in the air, which only intensified his guilt.
“That’s why I’m not taking your half-assed apology.” Malcolm’s tone hardened. “If I let you off that easily, you’ll do it again. So you're going to give me a true apology.”
Connor finally understood. Malcolm had every right to be mad at him. It wouldn’t make his actions okay, but the least he owed was an honest sorry.
Connor propped himself up onto his knees. Reaching up, he took Malcolm’s hands in his own. He didn’t shy away from eye contact, taking a deep breath. He could only hope his words could convey how felt. Malcolm was always better at that.
“I didn’t know. I mean, I did know you had a fear, but I didn’t think it was that bad.” Connor internally facepalmed. Already off to a bad start. “What I’m trying to say is what you think. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry. I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”
He watched for Malcolm’s reaction closely. After what felt like an eternity, the son of Athena let out a long exhale. His jaw relaxed. His shoulders dropped. The intense fire in his smoke-like eyes fizzed away into a spark again.
“Thanks,” A thin smile spread across his lips. “Was that so hard?”
Connor laughed. “I am never doing anything nice for you ever again.”
He went to stand up, but a hand shoved him back down again. The force behind it wasn’t very strong, but Connor fell onto his back. He caught himself, barely stopping his head from hitting the floor. He rolled his eyes.
“I didn’t say you could stand up.” Malcolm grinned.
“You can’t keep me on the floor forever.” Connor shot back, but he didn’t make any attempts to move or get up.
Malcolm cocked his head to one side. “Obviously not, but would you rather be on the floor, or on dishwasher duty?”
Connor scoffed in defeat, spreading out on the wooden floorboards. Looking at Malcolm’s beaming face, how the sunlight and the wind caught his hair, he had to smile. He looked so happy, and Connor was glad he was.
He was glad Malcolm was happy again, and sacrificing his dignity was definitely worth it.