tratie one shots, vol. i

[ the first time ]

words: 914

. . .

The first time Katie met Travis, they were twelve-year old kids at the camp she'd never been to before full of people just like her. He'd been at camp for two years and was well-known among the demigods, being a player and a charmer as well as a prankster and thief. He was one of the first people to introduce himself, and made a snide remark about her inexperience and naivety.

She abhorred him automatically. 

The first time Travis pranked Katie was when they came back from capture the flag after her team won. He put an air horn under her mattress in the Demeter cabin, and after she teased him and gloated to the fullest, she laid down on her bed only to wake up the entire camp. Over the confused screaming and shouting, Katie could hear Travis' cackling from across the way. 

She hated him even more.

The first time Travis visited Katie in the strawberry field, she was getting a bunch together for dinner that night. He plopped down right next to her and chatted away like they were best friends. She quipped snarky remarks to him while he returned the favor, and she hated to say it, but she was happy to see that he planned on making their strawberry field talks a tradition.

She hated him a little less.

The first time Travis gave Katie a cheesy pick-up line, she was surprisingly quick-witted and snapped a comeback to him instantaneously. He took that as a challenge and tried to dazzle her with suave words every time they spoke. She acted like she was immune to them, but deep down her heart fluttered and her face flushed (without her permission, mind you).

She didn't hate him that much. 

The first time Travis declared Katie his "girlfriend", he threw his arm around her and kissed her cheek. She shrugged him off, becoming flustered and muttering about him being an idiot. He grinned and said he loved it when she blushed. Then and there he decided he'd call her his girlfriend from that point on, just to annoy her and make her red in the face.

She still minorly disliked him.

The first time Travis asked Katie to fireworks, she thought she heard him wrong and her imagination was going wild. But when she told him to repeat himself, he said the same thing. She grumbled that she would, but she still hated him. He agreed, and assured her that it was strictly as mortal enemies. Still, when they showed up at fireworks together, everyone thought they were finally dating and all congratulated them. Both of them claimed it wasn't true, even though that night they grew somewhat closer.

She decided he wasn't that bad.

The first time Travis brought Katie to the roof of the Hermes cabin, they talked for hours about anything and everything. College plans, camp rumors about themselves dating, and their godly parents' wishes for them. It was well after midnight when Katie slipped back into her cabin, grinning from ear to ear and wishing that night hadn't ended. Luckily for her, those nights happened frequently.

She may have liked him.

The first time Travis kissed Katie, she was laughing at something he said while they were stargazing on the cabin rooftop. He stopped chuckling and stared into her eyes fiercely, making her blank out. She propped up on her elbows and asked what was wrong. He only sat up and ghosted his lips over hers, asking for permission before committing to a more tender kiss - her heart stopped, but she kissed back before her brain fully processed what was going on. It was weird because it was Travis - but not. It wasn't weird at all.

She totally fell for him.

The first time Travis told Katie he loved her was in a tent in the forest at camp. They were snuggled close together, sharing a sleeping bag, and syncing breaths in the cool air. She turned her head to kiss him on the jaw, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. That was when he sighed the three words into her skin, and it felt so right. Katie's giddiness was smothered by her peacefulness, like she was waiting for the moment to come. 

She loved him, too.

The first time Travis and Katie tried to get married, they were interrupted by an attack on the camp. Luckily, no one was seriously injured, but it dampened the mood enough for them to set the wedding off a few months to prepare again. Katie admired the way Travis worked so hard to set things back on track, and before she knew it, she was walking down the aisle a second time in her white dress and flower crown. 

She really loved him.

The first time Travis saw Katie and their newborn child, he cried. He wasn't ashamed one bit to say it. Their baby boy was the strongest, cheekiest looking infant he'd seen, he expected to become a little emotional. He was overcome by the urge to protect his family, and fear and uncertainty entered his mind. He wondered if he could provide for his wife and kid, or if he would even do a mediocre job of being a father. But when he voiced his anxiety to Katie, she smiled and insisted he would make the best dad in the history of demigods.

He couldn't describe how much he loved her.