tratie one shots, vol. i

[ family reunion pt. 2 ]

hey, it's been ages.

i decided to post the epilogue of fake, because if you haven't read fake, you really deserve to read a followup to the one shot at least. i tweaked it slightly so it wouldn't exactly spoil anything in fake if you still haven't read it or don't plan to, so there's that.

anyway, here's this lazy new one shot lol.

words: 1478

. . .

"Come on, Trav, we're gonna be late!" I hopped into the car as my boyfriend casually strolled down Half-Blood Hill, an irritating smirk on his face. 

"Forgive me if I'm not dying to see your family again, Katie-kat." 

He slunk into the passenger seat and immediately slipped his hand into mine. I flashed back to the first time we'd done this, when we'd supposedly hated each other. He'd been "doing me a favor" by fake dating me. You know, like every enemy would do. 

I rolled my eyes at how oblivious I'd been this same time last year. 

"You'll survive." As I cranked up the car, he squeezed my hand. 

"I'm really happy it's real this time, Kates."

Aww. I smiled at my boyfriend - my real boyfriend - with happiness spreading through every surface of my body. I leaned over to kiss him chastely before pulling on my seat belt. "Me, too, Trav."

Our second drive up to New Hampshire for the Gardner family reunion was much less stuffy and a lot more comforting. I didn't feel like I had to show up like a nicely packaged present waiting for my family to rip me to shreds. We didn't have to worry about little details in our relationship because this time, it was real.

It was all real. 

I reveled in the emotion running through my mind; I was grateful for Travis being there for me. I wasn't suspecting him of foul play like last time, or wondering what was in it for him. I was relieved that I'd get yet another year of peace from my family saying I'd be forever alone.

And hopefully, for many more years to come. 

The second we parked and opened the car doors, Gardners crowded around the slightly-familiar guest. They bombarded him with followup questions and me with shocked exclamations that I was still dating Travis. 

He didn't need to bother about his gift of lying and eloquence this time, and neither did I.

Though my family was confused as to how I'd gotten someone to stick with me this long, they took on the same reaction they had last year: they were overjoyed to get to know him better. Dad clapped him on the back and said it was good to see him again, thankfully. My cousins once again made obnoxious kissy faces, and Travis gladly accepted that as an invitation to hold my hand (which definitely did give me butterflies). My grandparents were charmed by him and said he looked like a perfect match for me (I approved of the sentiment). 

It was all going so well again.  

"Travis," Ben greeted with a smile that could've been taken as steely or kind. 

Oh, boy.

The last he saw, we were fake dating at the last reunion. He'd interrogated him, and now Travis stuck around. Ben had always said that if I got a boyfriend, he'd pepper him with threats to make sure he knew who he was dealing with if he broke my heart. I desperately sent the silent message to him that Travis was not that kind of guy, and everything was okay. 

"Tell me," he began, a chill expression on his face as he sat at our table. "How do you feel about her now that it's been... what, two years?" 

I forgot we'd established to my family that we'd dated for a year before the first reunion. I'd tell Ben eventually, but I let Travis handle the new interrogation for now. I trusted him.