good god i know it's dangerous (but it's you that i need)

by biclarisselarue

Summary:

Percy and Annabeth hate each other. Until they don't.

Chapter 1: our backs against the wall (we rise and we fall)

The elevator dings pleasantly, and Percy sighs as the doors open to reveal his archnemesis and complete pain in his ass, Annabeth Chase. And no, he is not exaggerating. Ever since he was hired on in her department, she seemed to take it as a personal slight every time he was asked to do a presentation instead of her or when, god forbid, his numbers were even the slightest bit higher. It’s not his fault he’s good at his job. It could, however, potentially be his fault that the situation escalated, seeing as he was the one to make the first snide remark after enduring one too many of her post-presentation scowls.

“Chase.”

“Jackson.”

They stand in tense silence for the rest of the elevator ride, and Percy refuses to give her even the slightest edge over him by glancing at those long legs revealed by a pencil skirt that should, in his professional opinion, be banned. She has no right to look that good when he knows that underneath her soft lips, clever eyes, and toned arms, there is nothing but spite and condescension. God, he hates her.

By the time lunch rolls around, Percy is in a much better mood: Grover had surprised him with a coffee, and he had spent the better half of a meeting sending stupid pictures back and forth with Rachel, each trying to one-up the other. Of course, Annabeth seems to have an innate instinct for knowing when he’s finally happy, so it really shouldn’t surprise him to see her sit down across from him in the break room and pull out her lunch.

“We should go over the notes management wants us to review, so we can get it in before the deadline.”

Percy can see the gleam in her eyes as she subtly references the one time he handed in a report late, and he grinds his teeth together.

“I can handle it myself, thanks.” He congratulates himself on the professional, if curt tone, and hopes she’ll go away before she can ruin his mood further. Unfortunately, Annabeth never seems to do what he wants, or even what he tries to predict if he’s being completely honest with himself, no matter how many months he’s now known her for.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t.” She raises one eyebrow. “I am surprised you managed to pick up on the implication though.”

His jaw clenches and Percy crosses his arms, already thin patience wearing even thinner.

“I’m surprised they didn’t give you the file directly, given how high your- Wait, no, my numbers were better than yours last quarter, weren’t they? Huh. Almost forgot.”

They glare at each other for a moment before Percy starts packing up his lunch angrily.

“You know what? I’ve lost my appetite.” He scowls down at her, looking all angelic with the sun framing her from behind. As if below that beautiful exterior could be anything but a deep black hole. He’s so preoccupied with how he definitely won that argument (Percy - 1, Annabeth - 0) that he doesn’t even notice her following him out the door until she’s grabbing his wrist and pulling him into the supply closet. She’s pushed him up against the wall and grabbed a fistful of his tie before he can even think to say something.

“You’re fucking infuriating.”

And then her lips are against his, and, oh, they’re even softer than he imagined. And, okay, he hadn’t realized he’d imagined them before, so he tucks that thought away for further examination, turning his focus to the hot, annoying coworker currently doing her best to rid him of all coherent thought. And, even worse, it’s working. Unwilling to be outdone, he grabs hold of her waist and pulls her flush against him, one hand reaching up to finally tangle his fingers in those stupid, bouncing curls.

Annabeth pushes herself further against him until he doesn’t know where she ends and he begins, and she slides one leg between his until any remaining thoughts that aren’t more, god please more, are erased from his mind. Eventually, she pulls away and rests her head against his chest, panting slightly. Slowly his thoughts come back to him and he slumps his head back against the wall.

“Fuck.”

A small laugh comes from below his chin, and he’s startled at just how clear and bright it sounds. Before he can think too much of it, she’s stepped away from him, and even though her face is in covered with shadows, Percy can’t find it in himself to look away from those eyes. One finger gets pressed to his chest, defiant and prideful.

“I still hate you.”

“But you think I’m hot.” He smirks.

She glances down slightly, and is smirking as well when she looks back up. “I’d say the feeling is mutual.”

Annabeth sweeps out of the closet, looking infuriatingly polished aside from slightly flushed cheeks, and Percy takes a moment to promise to himself that next time he’ll have to ruffle her careful exterior as payback. He thinks that over- the words ‘next time’ flashing brightly. Fuck.

Annabeth - 1.

Notes:

title is from the song Everybody Business by Kehlani!

Chapter 2: i've been lookin' hard (for a lover disguised as a sinner)

Percy doesn’t get a chance to make good on his promise until the annual office Christmas party one month later. A whole, excruciating month later. He’s pretty sure all those tight turtlenecks tucked into pleated skirts had not been an accident given how smug Annabeth had looked when she caught him looking the first time. (It was also not even close to being the last time he got caught either.) Unfortunately, she had not given him the chance to pull her into a dirty closet and wipe that expression off her face the way she had done to him, no, that would be too easy. Percy’s brow knits together as he remembers how kissable she had looked all month, knowing it was probably done just to piss him off.

“Dude. You’re doing the I’m-thinking-about-Annabeth face again.”

He turns towards his best friend, who doesn’t even try to look sorry. “I wasn’t making a face,” he sputters, “that’s just my regular face.”

“Exactly.”

Percy rolls his eyes as Grover grins victoriously, but he’s not the only one who can resort to dirty tricks, so Percy tilts his head in the direction of Juniper, who’s watching the spiked punch bowl carefully, not wanting anything bad to happen at the first office party she had gotten a chance to plan.

“How’d your date go?”

This launches Grover into an in depth play-by-play that Percy is happy to listen to. Eventually he’s interrupted by Rachel showing up, already clearly tipsy, and demanding they both join her on the make-shift dance floor the supervisors in HR had thrown together. Two drinks later (for Rachel and Grover), SexyBack is thumping through the stereo, and Percy is in the middle of Rachel and Grover, laughing madly as they both try to outdo each other with their sorry attempts at grinding. The lyric ‘It's just that no one makes me feel this way’ is blasting when he makes eye contact with Annabeth, sinful in a tight red dress that’s only slightly off-put by the santa hat someone must have placed on her head. How she manages to look simultaneously endearing and hot while wearing a murderous expression is beyond Percy, is probably beyond anybody, but she holds eye contact with him for no more than a couple of seconds before turning back to her conversation with Piper and Jason, and all of his breath leaves his body.

Rachel and Grover manage to pull his attention back to things that aren’t what that dress might look like on his bedroom floor, but it takes nothing less than Mr. Brightside to do it. An hour of dancing later, Percy has shed his tie and jacket, and everyone who’s still there from their department is sitting in a giant circle surrounding a hat someone must have produced from somewhere and waiting for two names to be pulled out of it. He tries to remember what the name of the game is, but he’s a little distracted by how Annabeth’s dress has ridden up her thighs as she sits, shoulders bare, and irritatingly perfect exterior somehow still in place even as she leans on Piper to help keep herself steady. He knows she's only had one drink, and that was almost two hours ago now, so he narrows his eyes at the two of them.

“Percy.” Feeling caught, Percy tears his gaze away and looks up.

“Hm? Yeah, what’s up?”

Grover can’t stifle the laugh that escapes him even when Percy tries to subtly dig his elbow into his side. “You have to go into Reyna’s office and wait until the next person gets called.” Percy frowns slightly, but figures it would only look more suspicious if he asked what game they were playing now, so he gives in and lets himself be locked into his manager’s small office space. A minute passes before the door opens and one Annabeth Chase comes through, minus the santa hat. They stare at each other. He clues in and thinks, Oh. Seven minutes in heaven, face splitting into a grin.

He gets up, stepping closer towards her slowly, giving her plenty of time to back away, but she doesn’t. Annabeth Chase would never back away from a challenge she enjoys, and for once he’s glad of that usually annoying quality.

“There’s money being placed on who will kill who first.” There’s a hint of amusement peeking through the otherwise neutral tone, and Percy thrills at hearing it. They’re standing close enough that their chests are touching.

He hums noncommittally before pulling her into a bruising kiss, remembering his promise. He blindly walks her backwards until her back hits the wall and then he lifts, bracing himself with one hand on the wall, one hand high up on one of the thighs that have haunted his dreams for the past month. Her legs immediately wrap around his waist, followed by her ankles hooking together, keeping them locked in place. Annabeth digs her nails into his shoulder blades, giving back just as much as she gets.

He mouths down along her jaw, her neck, her collarbone, and she grabs onto his hair, holding him in place.

“You’re going to be the death of me with your— ah— your stupid shirts, and your... your... awful dance moves.” Percy gently nips at the soft skin underneath him and she shuts up, but pulls him back up into another kiss.

A knock at the door startles them after what must be seven minutes, even if it had only felt like a brief moment, and he would definitely have dropped her if not for the way her thighs tightened above his hips, and, wow, if he had thought his slight obsession with her legs was bad before, it would have nothing on that memory.

“When we unlock this door, everybody better be safe and sound! Nobody here wants to see a crime scene or explain what happened to the police.” There’s the sound of laughter, but Percy and Annabeth are too busy trying to straighten themselves out that it’s nothing but white noise.

Annabeth hisses under her breath, “If you gave me a hickey on my neck, I swear to God-”

“Shut up, I’m trying to calm a situation down right now, and you’re not exactly helping looking all, all,” he gestures helplessly in her general direction, “that! You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

She gapes at him angrily, “Me? As if you haven’t been walking into the office everyday smelling of the ocean and cinnamon! Those scents shouldn’t even go together!”

The door opens just as Percy is about to fire back a winning point about legs, and they both go silent. Annabeth storms out, and he’s left to face the sheepish expressions of his colleagues who probably think they caused another blowout argument. Great. At least she had looked slightly ruffled, but that thought does nothing to calm the knot in the bottom of his stomach.

Notes:

chapter title is from I'm Ready by Sam Smith and Demi Lovato!

Chapter 3: honey, baby (please don't play me)

He is going to murder Grover. Percy even bets he could convince Rachel to help him cover it up, and he says as much through the phone.

“I pinky promise I’ll make it up to you. I’ll, uh… Aha! I’ll let you win our next game of pool.”

Percy grumbles, “I don’t want you to let me win. I want to win because I’m good at it.”

“Then you’ll never win, dude.”

“You know the real reason why I’ll never win? Because my best friend abandoned me at a bar, knowing I don’t drink, to go help Juniper rescue an abandoned kitten she found.” And okay, maybe that’s a pretty valid reason, and maybe Percy would do the same if he was in Grover’s situation, but still. The betrayal stands. “Thus breaking our tradition of playing pool on New Year's Day. A tradition that is, need I remind you, almost ten years old now.”

“I’m really sorry, Perce. As soon as we’re done at the vet’s office, I promise I’ll come straight there.” The little actual anger he was holding onto almost fades completely at how miserable Grover sounds, and it melts completely upon hearing Juniper’s sweet voice through the phone.

“Honey, please don’t be mad at Grover, it’s my fault! This pitiful-sounding little thing was hiding under a parked car, and Grover was the only one close enough who could pick me up.”

Percy rubs a hand over his eyes, sighing. “It’s not your fault, Juniper. Tell your boyfriend not to worry about meeting me afterwards, I know how much he hates driving in the dark.” Juniper starts to babble her thanks, and Percy smiles a little. “But I better get to be the one to give her a name.”

“Of course. Thanks again! You’re a gem.”

He hangs up as the two of them both start singing his praises through the phone in weird falsettos and fails to stop himself from smiling, unable to fully wrap his head around the fact that those dorks have been married for over three years now. God, he’s getting old. He can still vividly remember watching his mom get married the second time, a warm glow over that whole day, shaking Mr. Brunner’s hand after graduating and doing his best not to trip over his own feet on stage, trying to fix his and Grover’s sink in that crappy apartment they shared, meeting Rachel after she punched some creep at a party, kissing Annabeth in the supply— Percy blinks.

Then takes a moment. Blinks again.

It requires more effort than he’d like to admit in order to shake off the ghost of her hands in his hair, but when he looks across the room, it’s almost like he can see her sitting at the bar.

Fuck. She is sitting at the bar.

“Are you following me?”

Annabeth starts a little and the water he’d watched her nurse while crossing the room almost spills over the edge of her glass.

“Jesus fucking— someone needs to put a bell around your neck.”

Percy slides onto the stool beside her and rests his chin on his fist, tilting his head slightly. “Are you avoiding the question?”

An immaculate but accusatory eyebrow is raised at him. “Why would I ever willingly seek out your company?”

They grin at each other, feeling the infiniteness of entering a blanket fort you managed to make all by yourself and understanding how wonderful it is to reap the rewards of your own hands. He doesn’t want to look away, and so, feeling bold under the dim lights, he lets himself observe, gaze sweeping over the faint dip of her collarbone, the sweet bend of her shoulder, the hallowed lift of her chin. Heat curls low in his belly, and he gravitates an infinitesimal amount closer, needing to reach harder than he’s ever had to for the more familiar feelings of exasperation and frustration. Percy blames it on the off-the-shoulder blouse and the few curls that have escaped the first messy bun he’s ever seen her wear, accustomed to carefully done hairstyles and clean lines. If he were a prudent man, Percy would probably spend more time on that, but it’s quickly swept underneath the image of Annabeth before him, soft and a little rumpled in her ripped jeans. Somehow everything feels different between them simply because they’re out of the office and out of their coworkers’ lines of sight.

“What brings you to this corner of the city then? I wouldn’t expect you to leave the comfortable upscale bars and quaint brunches of your neighbourhood.”

Her jaw tenses slightly, and she takes another sip. Two brief memories have already connected in the space before she speaks— Piper alluding to how rich Annabeth’s dad is, and Grover mentioning how long it’s been since Annabeth has actually spoken to her family — and he feels that knot in the pit of his stomach again. “Actually, I live in this neighbourhood.” It’s a challenge, but Percy isn’t dumb enough, or cruel enough, to take her up on it.

“I can’t believe I’ve never seen you at Jupiter’s before then. Not a big fan of bars?”

Acknowledging his unspoken apology, Annabeth’s lips turn up in a brief smile, “I knew it was your hangout spot with Grover. I didn’t want to be bothered by you anymore than I already was at work.” The implied I didn’t want to impose doesn’t slip past Percy, and he wonders for a moment why she’s here today. Annabeth doesn’t allow him to think for too long, seeing how she knocks back the rest of her drink and stands up.

“Are you coming home with me or not then, Jackson?”

And she’s off, making her way towards the exit without a single glance back to see how he responds just as the opening notes to You Shook Me All Night Long start playing. How perfect. Percy makes eye contact with the bartender who’s trying and failing to hide his smirk, and sighs, knowing what his choice will be, what it will always be with Annabeth.

“Fuck,” the word escapes him in a soft, slow breath.

He’s forced to follow at a jogging pace in order to catch her before she disappears out the door, and they stand outside to wait for their cab, shoulders close enough that Percy can feel the promise of her skin.

“Not one to mince words, are you?”

He can feel her eyes trail up his body, leaving a trail of phantom shivers in their wake.

“Do you want me to?”

He swallows, feels her watch his Adam’s apple bob. “No.”

They’re both silent for the remainder of the wait, and even when the cab pulls up, they don’t say anything to each other, feeling the tension fill the small car, the expanse between them simultaneously infinite and fragile. Even their driver seems to pick up on it, and after one attempt at making conversation that gets answered politely by Annabeth, he falls silent as well. Percy counts his heartbeat to try to keep himself from ending up in an awkward situation when he has to eventually get up, but he keeps getting distracted by the innocent sight of her hand resting gently on her thigh and needing to start all over again.

After what feels like an eternity, they pull up in front of an unremarkable apartment building, and he reaches for his wallet, adding more to the tip when Annabeth protests.

“It’s my treat, sweetheart.” He grins at her glare, knowing she won’t deign to say or do anything in front of a witness.

One quiet elevator ride later, and they find themselves in front of her door. The door barely closes behind them before Percy finds himself pushed, breath leaving his lungs in a combination of his back hitting the wall, the surprise, and how beautiful Annabeth looks in the darkness of her apartment. She hooks her fingers in his belt loops and pulls him forward until their hips are pressed flush together. His jeans grow uncomfortably tight, and he can feel her smirk against his lips as she kisses him, destroying what little sanity he had left. It feels like being slowly torn apart by the highest fever, every nerve humming, every atom in his body trying to get closer to her. Hoping to regain a little control over himself, he turns his attention to her neck, taking his time and finding all the little places that make her gasp, the spot beneath her jaw that makes her shake slightly in his arms, and he feels humbled, unable to believe this insane, lovely woman is letting him take her apart. Annabeth runs slightly cold hands under his shirt, sliding them over taut stomach muscles before tugging at the hem, huffing impatiently.

“Speechless, huh?” He quirks his lips up in a teasing smile, pulling back to meet her eyes, knowing his pupils are dilated and feeling a thrill at seeing that mirrored in her own gaze.

She narrows her eyes and pokes her finger into his belly button, causing him to jump and try to squirm away from her touch, “You’ve got a big ego there.”

No denial, his thoughts whisper softly.

“Okay, okay!” He laughs, inordinately happy simply to see her smile at him. Just as suddenly, his mouth goes dry as she uses that same finger to trace down to the top of his pants and over his belt buckle. Annabeth watches carefully as he pulls the shirt over his head, tossing it to the side.

“Your turn.” He says softly, reverent.

In hindsight, Percy should have seen it coming given the, you know, off-the-shoulder top, but he’s still very surprised when there’s no bra. Pleasantly surprised. Very pleasantly surprised. He pulls her closer, feeling the warmth of her skin against his, and he’s helpless against the way the feeling spreads throughout his entire body.

They gaze at each other for a moment too long, but it feels fragile, as if one wrong move could shatter the frail, private truce they’ve formed. He doesn’t want to make that move, can hardly breathe at the thought of losing this.

And, shit.

He likes her. Like, likes her likes her. Fucking shit.

She’s looking at him with an unreadable expression, almost nervous and irritated at once, and he hopes that whatever flickered over his face wasn’t as obvious as it felt, so he pulls her back into a kiss, speaking in the small space he leaves between them, “Do you have a bed? Because as much as I like the idea of recreating our second kiss,” and god, that sounds so ardent, so boyfriend-esque, but he presses on, “I don’t know if I could hold out as long as I plan to tonight.”

Her eyes darken even further, and she tightens her grip on his shoulders, nails digging into his skin just slightly, enough to pull him out of his thoughts.

“As long as you’re not there in the morning.” She laughs a little, as if the mere thought is amusing, and his stomach twists. He takes a second longer than normal, and it’s the sight of her brow creasing that finally pushes him into saying something.

“I’ve seen you in the office without coffee, Annabeth. It’s not something I’d ever subject myself to willingly.” A lie, and his mind fills with thoughts of her, vulnerable, messy hair, warm and pliant against him.

She starts to walk backward, tugging him with her by a couple fingers hooked into his belt, “And I wouldn’t ever want to see you drool, the way you do when you take those stupid quick cat naps in the break room.”

Stumbling slightly as Annabeth tugs him into another kiss, her eyes flash with something that’s gone before he can identify it, and he wills all of his unwanted thoughts to leave his mind, determined to focus on what matters right now: Annabeth and everything she wants.

Later, as her breath evens out beside him and Percy stares at the ceiling, he squeezes his eyes shut and imagines all the ways this could end (seven), and in how many of those he doesn’t get hurt (two). Yet, he knows that after experiencing the whirlwind that is Annabeth Chase, knowing how she looks when she lets her head fall back in rapture, he would never have the strength to end it, so that brings it down to (one). As he slips out of her bed and quietly gets dressed, he allows himself one last look, pulling the covers up over her shoulders and giving into the devastating urge to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead.

He is so screwed.

Notes:

a HUGE thank you to alyssa (divineauthor) for all of her help and kind words :')
and thank you to all the nice comments everyone has written!! i appreciate them all sm

this title's song is from honey baby (SPOILED!) by kali uchis

Chapter 4: it might make me fall hard (it sure ain't gonna break my heart)

January

“You’re late.”

Percy rolls his eyes as Annabeth all but drags him inside her apartment, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him into a deep kiss.

“You messaged me fifteen minutes ago, and I was in the shower.” He mumbles against her lips but there’s no heat to it, none left when everywhere she’s touching is burning, a fire that’s been growing for longer than he’d like to admit and filling him faster by the second.

It’s familiar now— they’re familiar now. Every couple of days, never more, often less, one of them will text the other: a time if it’s Annabeth, some sort of code name if it’s Percy. He knows it’s made her laugh if she smiles as she kisses him, and he’s made it his mission to accomplish that reaction every time. Operation Disappointing the Office had caused Annabeth to blush and cough furiously to cover up her laughter in the middle of a meeting. Reyna had insisted she go home in case she was getting sick, and Percy had just smirked, knowing where he would find her when he excused himself to visit the restroom five minutes later.

Usually they’ll meet up, have sex, and he’ll leave. Simple. Except for the small matter of his unrequited, unwanted, and ubiquitous feelings for her. She hasn’t hinted at wanting anything else beyond what they’re doing, so it’s more than a bit of a surprise that when his stomach growls, she doesn’t keep kissing him or make some lewd joke about being hungry.

Instead, Annabeth pulls back and frowns at him, “Did I make you miss dinner?” She chews on her lip for a moment. “You didn’t have to come tonight, Perce. I… I wouldn’t have been angry.”

It takes him aback, and he scrambles to think of the right thing to say without revealing everything. He eventually settles on a gentle, “I know,” not nearly enough, but he won’t risk saying anything else and ruining this. How can he possibly tell her that he would burn down the gates of heaven for her, let alone miss one meal? Missing dinner is nothing compared to missing her.

Percy can tell she isn’t satisfied though, and that they’ll get nowhere until he does something about food. And, well, he really wants to get somewhere.

“Have you eaten?”

She shrugs, watches him closely, “I had a late lunch, and I was planning on having a late dinner. After, you know, building up an appetite.” The shameless grin she sends him has him leaning down to capture her mouth, hands naturally finding their way to her waist, and he gives in to the small part of his mind telling him to go for it.

“Well, then we’ll get dinner afterwards. My treat.” Percy aims for nonchalant and fails miserably, but Annabeth is smiling, so he stops caring.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Jackson. I know a great Greek place around the corner that you’ll love.”

And then they stop talking about food and start focusing on other, more important things. After that night, it becomes a tradition, alternating who pays each time. It feels almost like dating, but Percy is quick to put those thoughts out of his mind, fully aware they’ll do nothing helpful, even when he wraps an arm around Annabeth to keep her warm as they walk back, when she slips her cold hands under his shirt to warm them up, when they sneak off to the restaurant bathroom for a hurried blowjob, when they feel invulnerable with the other by their side. Even then. He doesn’t let himself think about it too hard.

February

Looking back, he would pinpoint this moment as when he knew he was absolutely, head over heels, falling for Annabeth Chase. In that instant however, it seems like nothing. Percy is lazily pulling his boxers back on when she comes out of the bathroom and sharply points one finger at him. It should be slightly terrifying, but he’s too distracted by memories of those clever hands, how soft they feel against his skin.

“Are you even listening to a word I’m saying, or is your brain off-line post-coital?”

“Oh, yeah, baby, that’s so sexy. Say post-coital again.” He purrs from the edge of her bed, knowing it will throw her off, hoping to change her attention from why he actually wasn’t concentrating.

Annabeth stutters slightly, but manages to pull herself together relatively quickly, only blushing somewhat. “Fuck off. As I was saying, if you don’t have any plans for the rest of the evening, I want to show you a documentary. I overheard you having a heated debate with Rachel about doping, and you clearly don’t know anything about it, so we’re going to watch Icarus.”

She stands there, arms crossed, in nothing but a bralette and boyshorts, and Percy feels as if he would give anything to memorize this, memorize her. If he was ninety-five, alone, and dying, he thinks he would be okay if he could remember her like this, imperious and absolutely bewitching.

“Sure. As long as you don’t whisper behind the scenes information and facts throughout the whole movie.”

She does. He loves it. Every single time, Annabeth inches closer in order to reach his ear, until by the end of the movie she’s practically in his lap. Her legs are thrown over his, warm to his touch as he gently rubs her thighs, and she eventually rests her head on his shoulder, yawning slightly towards the end. Percy doesn’t dare move a muscle, eyes on the screen but every inch of him aware of where they’re touching, where her hair tickles the back of his neck, where her breath ghosts across his cheek.

March

It’s almost at the end of the work day when it hits Percy, and it’s natural now to pull out his phone, hitting the most recent contact.

You haven’t been to my place yet. We’ve defiled every surface in yours, don’t you think it’s only fair we do the same to mine?

Annabeth’s text comes back almost immediately.

Tonight, then? 7? I’ll be surprised if you can go enough rounds to defile every surface.

Percy’s grinning uncontrollably when Grover peeks his head around the partition separating their desks.

“Okay, who are they?” He wheels his chair into Percy’s cubicle, their arms touching in the small space. Grover’s got his own crossed, but it’s belied by his teasing smirk.

“Who’s who?”

“Bro. You wound me. As if I haven’t noticed how you seem to always be on your phone now, and I know full well neither Rachel, your mother, or I make you smile like that.”

And, okay, maybe he and Annabeth had been texting more often than they ever had, but it’s only because Percy sees so many things that remind him of her or that he knows would make her smile, and she sends him photos of Piper and Jason gazing at each other lovingly, even though, in Annabeth’s words, they’re both way too dumb to realize the other person is into them. Her indignant exasperation at their cluelessness has gotten him through many a boring phone call with a client.

Percy laughs as he nudges his best friend with his shoulder. “How could you say that? You make me smile everytime.”

“Ah ah ah, do not try to change the subject on me! I know your tricks.”

“It’s nobody.” He doesn’t miss the brief flash of hurt that passes over Grover’s face. “I promise I’ll tell you if it amounts to anything. It’s just… very new right now, and I don’t want to fuck it up. Okay?”

“...Okay. Okay.” They grin at each other.

“Now get out of here before I get yelled at for not doing my job again.”

“Reyna thinks you’re brilliant, you know. That’s why she’s so hard on you.” Grover winks and wheels his chair back to his own cubicle, leaving Percy to plan the perfect, totally casual dinner to cook later and wondering if he should hide any of the embarrassing knick knacks around his apartment.

In the end, he decides on fettuccine alfredo with a bottle of Chardonnay, along with leaving everything out because, honestly, he wants to see Annabeth’s reaction to the photo of him winning a skateboarding competition when he was a teenager, her reaction to the photo of him with cake covering his face as Rachel grins beside him. He wants her to know him. He wants to show her the home he’s made for himself. The home he can see her fitting into perfectly.

April

Percy freezes as he catches a glimpse at his t-shirt folded neatly on Annabeth’s dresser, last night coming back to him. How they were watching the show they started together, how they got a bit… distracted, and how he had pulled his sweater back on after, forgetting completely about said shirt in his hurry to get back to the couch and into Annabeth’s lap so she would keep playing with his hair.

And, really, it’s nothing. It’s nothing. Except it looks so domestic, and he can’t help but imagine how she must have found it afterwards, made the effort to fold it, and then placed it there for him, knowing he’d be back to grab it. He’s still staring at it when Annabeth follows in behind him.

“Oh! I meant to tell you that you forgot it-”

“No, it’s okay-”

“But I got distracted by Piper calling me-”

“I’m here now anyways-”

“Plus with how much you’re here, maybe you should keep some stuff here anyways.”

He forces a small laugh out of his suddenly dry throat. “Like a toothbrush?”

“I mean. Why not?” Annabeth crosses her arms, and he’s reminded of being in Jupiter’s, knowing he’s said something wrong, but this time he can’t figure out exactly what.

So, he pulls her into a kiss. “No, that’s a great idea. Very practical, Chase.”

And that’s that. If the next time she shows up to his place with a toothbrush, some shirts, and hair ties, he doesn’t mention it. He does carefully file away how she looks in his boxers later that night, how soft her sweaters are when he wears them after she forgets, and how, near the end of the month, he comes over to her apartment to find her in his sweats.

May

The knock on the door startles Percy, and he carefully sets down his toothbrush, checks his watch to make sure it is actually 1 am so why the hell is anyone knocking, and quietly makes his way to the entrance to his apartment.

What he sees at the peephole is a punch to the gut. Annabeth is standing there, small in Percy’s oversized sweater, hair up in a loose ponytail, and eyes red from tears. It takes him a couple of seconds before he remembers to open the door, mind stuck on Annabeth and tears.

“Hey.” Her voice is quiet, and he bundles her up into a tight hug before she can say anything else and ushers her into the living room.

“I’ll make some tea, okay?” She grabs his hand, and Percy sits down beside her, all too aware of their knees touching and how fragile she looks in the late night lighting.

“Can you just,” Annabeth’s voice catches and she takes a moment, unable to meet his eyes, and he can feel his heart break for her, “just stay. Please.”

“Of course.” It comes out just as soft, and he gently pulls her into another hug, wrapping his arms around her. Percy forces himself to focus on the woman who’s currently breathing deeply into his shoulder, or he knows he’ll get angry, angry at whoever- whatever did this, ready to do anything if it means he’ll never have to see fiercely kind, confident Annabeth like this again.

After a few moments, she pulls away from him, and he can thankfully see a glimpse of the Annabeth he’s used to in her face. He takes her hands in his.

“Thank you.”

“Annabeth, I-” the words he desperately wants to say catch in his throat, so he switches gears, “you’re my friend. I’ll do anything you need.”

“My life is messy, Percy. I really don’t think you want to make that promise.”

“I do if it’s you.”

She looks away from him, but he can’t bring himself to regret saying it. It’s the truth. Percy breathes softly, feeling as if he says anything more it will be the first and final blow to this delicate thing they share, but he’ll wait as long as Annabeth needs, as long as she wants.

Finally, her eyes reach his, deep and guarded, yet somehow he knows yet another inch between them has been crossed.

“I ran away when I was seven.” A pause. A breath. “My step-mom had made my life a living hell ever since she had married my father. Now, I realize that it was because of fear— she loves my dad so much, and I think she believed I could get in the way of that. Luckily for her, she found out rather quickly how wrong that idea was as he could barely look at me without feeling disappointed— my mom moving away when I was young destroyed his dream of having the perfect family. Now what he had was a bastard child and a fractured home, and I was the cause.”

Percy’s heart clenches inside of his chest like when you lose sight of the shore and feel helpless amidst the waves. He soaks in every word, carefully laying them down as if they were shards of glass, and can do nothing but imagine a young, small Annabeth forced to carry a burden that did not belong to her.

“He didn’t give one shit when I disappeared. I came back a week later to see that nothing had changed, that they truly didn’t care. Honestly, I only think they called the police because the neighbours noticed.” Her voice breaks slightly, but Annabeth’s gaze stays firm, determined to see the story through. “I tried to reconcile with them every couple of years, always hoping that next time would be the one where they realized how much they’ve missed out on— I pushed myself harder and harder, trying to accomplish more, do anything that they might be proud of. Nothing mattered. In the end, it was Piper who got through to me, snapping at me when I continuously blocked her attempts to get to know me.” She swallows, “I didn’t think anyone would stay if I couldn’t first convince my own flesh and blood to first.”

Picturing punching Annabeth’s father in the face is the only thing that allows Percy to keep a calm expression firmly planted on his face, and he rubs gentle circles onto the smooth surface of her hands with his thumbs.

“Anyway, since then, we haven’t spoken. I haven’t attempted to contact them, and they haven’t attempted to reach me. Except for today. Apparently, my mom called to ask for money, something about collecting what’s owed to her or some bullshit, and my dad asked me to talk some sense into her. As if it’s below him, but not me. As if this is finally the way I can make it up to my dad for just being born from a woman who couldn’t stay and love him the way he wanted. I told him to go fuck himself,” She laughs a little, “and hung up the phone before he could lecture me the way only a proper father should.” Annabeth furrows her brow. “Why do I still feel so guilty? What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I get them out of my head?” Her voice grows slightly louder with every new question, and Percy places his hands on her cheeks, just barely touching her skin, careful not to be harsh, but needing to get his point across.

“Hey. Look at me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you.” It’s the fiercest he’s ever sounded, and he has never been more sure of something in his life. “You are a good fucking person, Annabeth Chase, and it makes sense that after years of them blaming you for something that was not and will never be your fault, you still hold onto a piece of that. That doesn’t make it fair. You deserve better than them, and if they ever call you again, you can send that right to me, and I’ll set them straight.”

Her lips lift up the tiniest amount. It’s the first genuine smile he’s seen from her all night, regardless of how small, and it warms him from the inside out.

“I’d like that tea now, if it isn’t too much trouble.”

Percy can hear the silent If I’m not too much trouble, so he nods easily, gets up, squeezes her shoulder once, and makes the tea.

June

The sound of an unfamiliar alarm jolts Percy awake, fumbling around in the dark before something collides with the underside of his chin.

“Fuck!” He groans and has to shield his eyes as bright light suddenly fills the room.

“Shit, Percy, I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

His muscles relax as soon as the first syllable leaves her mouth, subconsciously recognizing the inherent warmth and security that he associates with Annabeth. It takes a few seconds longer for his eyes to catch up and adjust to the brightness, but the view of Annabeth hovering over him in her bed, bathed in the morning sun, does nothing to make him believe he’s awake. He’s pretty sure she was the one who had made it clear that they would never stay the night in each other’s bed. Even on that night in May, Percy had slept on his couch while she took his bed.

“I’m… fine. What-”

She tilts his chin from side to side, inspecting for any bruises, and he stops talking, focusing on how intent she looks, eyes narrowed.

“You fell asleep not even halfway through Hercules. You know, the movie that you had suggested, and I didn’t want to wake you up.” She avoids his gaze as she continues, “I noticed you’ve been covering a lot of Grover’s work recently and your cat naps have steadily become longer and longer, so I figured you must be exhausted. Especially with helping them with the baby.”

He stares at her. “How did you-”

“I’m not an idiot.” She says, but the smile playing around the corners of her mouth gives away how proud she is to have figured it out. “Anyway, get up, or we’ll both be late for work, and, yes, I’ll drive because I’m just that amazing. Also because now you’ll have to watch that one documentary I’ve been meaning to show you.” Annabeth grins at him, and he has to fake an eye roll, secretly thrilled at the prospect because a passionate Annabeth is always a beautiful Annabeth. Then again, his mind helpfully supplies, when is she not?

“Well, if you’re trying to not make me fall asleep again, you’ll definitely lose.”

“Dick.”

They grin at each other, and Percy pushes any thoughts out of his mind about breaking rules and how this will definitely not end well for him. He can worry about that later. Right now he has a brilliant woman above him, and, well, maybe, if he’s really lucky, they can be a bit late for work.

Later, Rachel catches up to him at lunch and pushes at him until he makes room for her in his cubicle, so he glares up at her. Ignoring him, she sits precariously on the edge of his desk, legs swinging wildly, kicking him with every second swing.

“Can I help you?”

She blows a wet raspberry down at him. “Why, as a matter of fact, you can, Perseus. I’m dying to know what kind of person would have the power to make you late for our daily coffee and gossip sessions.”

Fuck.

“Fuck, Rachel, I meant to text you, but it completely slipped my mind.”

Shrugging, Rachel kicks him again. “It’s okay, you can just buy me coffee for the next week and we’ll call it even.” Percy grabs onto her foot and threateningly tugs on it.

“Fine. Now will you quit bugging me, so I can eat my lunch in peace?” He complains and yelps when she retaliates by flicking his ear.

“You love me.”

He grins up at her. “God help me, I do.”

She smiles back and plants a kiss on the top of his head as she gets off his desk and stands up, about as graceful as a newborn foal. So, not at all.

“Whenever you want to tell me about them, I’m all ears, sweetheart.”

And she’s off, probably to sweet-talk Reyna into once again minimizing their plastic use. Good for her, he thinks.

July

It’s a complete accident the way it happens, really. Sally was early, Annabeth took a bit longer to leave than usual— and, okay, that was partly Percy’s fault, but she had looked so good in nothing but his sweats and a bra. The next thing he knew, the doorbell was ringing, and Annabeth froze against him, in the middle of giving him what was going to be a spectacular hickey on his chest.

“Who is that?” She hisses, pulling away to throw her shirt on, and he shivers from the loss of contact.

“Would it make you feel any better if I said my mom?”

Her eyes widen and her movements become more frantic. “No! I can’t meet your mom! I look like- like,” she gestures down at herself, wearing sweatpants a size too big and a t-shirt that says the word ‘FUCK’ in big letters across her chest, “like this! She’ll hate me.”

The doorbell rings again, and Percy grimaces, nothing going the way he had imagined it would. “Annabeth, she’ll love you no matter what, trust me.” I know because I do. “We’ll just say we were working on a project together. It’ll be fine.”

And with that, with Annabeth desperately trying to wrangle her hair into a nicer bun, he opens the door to his mom.

“Percy, baby! I missed you so much.” Sally immediately folds him into a tight hug, and he feels as if he’s eight again, a single touch from her and everything is already better.

“I missed you too, mom.” He breathes in the familiar smell of home and sugar before gently extracting himself, allowing his mom an unadulterated view of the other person in his entryway, feeling only slightly jealous that she is having the unique experience of seeing Annabeth for the first time— the one he never took the time to appreciate, too caught up in his new job and office to care.

“You didn’t tell me you would have visitors.” She frowns at him slightly, but immediately turns a bright smile towards Annabeth, who stops inching closer to the wall. “I’m Sally, Percy’s mom, and you must be?”

“Annabeth, ma’am.”

Sally goes over to pull Annabeth into a hug as well, shorter than the one she gave Percy but just as loving. “Please, ma’am makes me feel so old!” She laughs. “It’s lovely to meet you, Annabeth.”

Percy watches quietly, heart thudding inside of his chest.

“Well, I was just about to leave actually, but it was great to finally meet you. I wish I could stay longer, but I, uh, I should get back to mine.” She folds her arms over her chest as if Sally maybe hadn’t seen the shirt yet. He snorts slightly and fails to cover it up in time to avoid Annabeth’s glare.

“Of course, dear. I’d love to have you over for dinner sometime— Percy can cook a mean steak, and I’ve been known for my cookies.” She smiles warmly, and Annabeth glances at Percy.

“I’m lucky enough to have tried it actually. I’m sure your cookies are much, much better.”

Percy smirks back at her. “The noises you were making as you ate it say otherwise.” They laugh, caught up in the memory, caught up in each other.

After Annabeth leaves, not without another hug from Sally, Percy locks the door behind her and finally turns his full attention to his mother, who is staring at him with her hands on her hips.

“You didn’t mention being in love once in any of our calls, and I was under the impression that’s exactly the sort of thing a mother should hear about.”

Percy stares back at her, unable to respond— one word filling his mind.

Love.

Shit.

Notes:

song is from Sure Ain't by Wilder Woods (HIGHLY recommend!!!)

and thank you to lexi and my non-fandom friend who i dragged into this for beta-ing it!!! ly guys x

Chapter 5: what really kills me (is all the small things)

Love.

Percy’s still turning the word over in his mind later that night, long after his mother leaves. She had attempted to grill him thoroughly, made sure he was being safe (to which he had blushed profusely), and finally let it slide when he admitted he had no idea what he was doing. It’s times like these when he’s even more grateful for Sally’s uncanny ability to know when he needs to be pushed to open up and when he needs more time. And, really, he knows that if he had spilled the whole story, she would have given him one look, and he would have probably done something very stupid — like run after Annabeth to confess his love outside of her apartment or something equally soppy.

Love.

It feels blistering, like a liberation. Percy drops his head into his hands, mentally going through all of his favourite memories of Annabeth which, honestly, are pretty much all of them. She’s biting her bottom lip in concentration during a meeting, holding back a laugh when he ‘accidentally’ drops something near her desk in order to bend over right in front of her, sweet-talking a client into buying something crazy, calling him at twelve a.m. just to tell him how much she wants to get a dog, poking his shoulder to make sure he’s paying attention to the movie she had wanted to show him, driving them to get food late at night, glowing in the moonlight. A physical throb deep inside of his chest is starting to make him feel nauseous.

He needs to tell her. He can’t tell her. Those two thoughts spiral incessantly around his brain until Percy forces himself to go to sleep, hoping for a clearer mind in the morning.

He gets the answer he’s looking for, just not when he expects it. Waking up, he’s confused. Driving to work? Still confused. But then he catches a glimpse of Annabeth from across the room and he’s never been more certain of anything in his life — he needs to tell her. The thought splits a grin across his face. Logically, he knows just how badly it could end, but he can’t shake a memory from a week ago of Annabeth sitting across from him in a 24/7 diner, telling him in great detail about her plans to increase efficiency in the workplace for the next quarter. Her face is lit up, and she’s gesturing wildly as she recounts all the ways each colleague could do their part to help, stopping every couple of minutes to steal a fry from his plate and eat it. It’s almost two a.m. and he has never felt more awake, feeling like he could stay up for a whole week if only to listen to her talk, every word carefully tucked away for future reference. He loves her, and it spurs him across the room.

Just as he makes his way to her cubicle, somebody else comes into his field of view. Taller than Percy, lean, with soft curly red hair down to his shoulders, and a brilliant smile across an equally brilliantly handsome face — Percy doesn’t know whether to be annoyed that somebody is blocking his big moment or in awe of such a beautiful man. Then the rational side of his brain catches up and he takes in the way said man is sitting: leaning over Annabeth’s shoulder to watch as she shows him something on her computer, entirely too close to not be flirting. He coughs pointedly, and Annabeth jumps slightly, immediately moving away from the mystery man who, on the other hand, takes the time to languidly stand up straight, a smirk appearing on his face. Yep, annoyed is definitely how Percy is feeling right about now, but he forces himself to plaster on a kind smile and put up his hand for a handshake. And, wow, okay, his hands are so large and smooth, with such long fingers — Percy has to shake his head slightly to rid himself of those traitorous thoughts.

“Hey, I’m Percy. I work in the same department as Annabeth here,” he mentions pointedly, and ignores the look she gives him, “And you are?”

“Momus. I was sent by HR to do an internal audit.” Even his voice is pretty, smooth and low, like whiskey being poured into a nice glass, but Percy can’t shake the feeling that it’s mocking him somehow.

He waits to see if Annabeth will chime in with anything, maybe politely ask Momus to leave so they can talk since that’s clearly what he came over to do, but she simply sits between the two of them, watching carefully like it’s a particularly interesting tennis match.

“Well,” Percy draws the word out slightly, still hoping for her to say something, “I guess I’ll leave you two to it then.”

“I guess you should.” It’s said with a grin, as if they’re old friends, but he can see the glint in Momus’ eyes and it makes him wish, not for the first time, that he and Annabeth were actually dating so he could deliberately wrap an arm around her waist and kiss her cheek before leaving. As it is, he has to make do with a smile and an awkward wave that he instantly regrets.

He’s still fuming over the missed opportunity later, even when Grover swings himself into Percy’s cubicle, and, as always, Grover senses it immediately.

“Hey, what’s going on with you?” It’s not harsh, but the confused tone makes Percy bristle, angry at himself for not telling Grover anything because he knows his best friend would definitely have a solution for this mess that he’s in.

“Nothing.”

Grover raises an eyebrow, surprised by the slight edge in his voice. “Percy—”

“Really, it’s nothing.” He makes sure to soften the words this time and watches as Grover’s shoulders relax slightly, his hands immediately start twisting his ring around nervously. Percy adds, “Just didn’t get enough sleep last night, I guess.”

“If it’s because of me, Perce, I’m really sorry, and, actually, you know what, I’m going to tell Juniper that I’ll just have to take more time for work.”

“No! No, buddy, that’s not it. Trust me. I love helping out in any way I can for you two, almost three now, okay?”

Grover looks him over carefully for a long moment, but must feel satisfied with what he finds because his hands stop moving. “Okay. But if you ever don’t want to do something, you have to tell me.” He stares Percy down and he’s reminded of how scary Grover can be when he feels passionately about something.

“Deal.” Percy grins and the mood lightens instantly. “So, have you met the internal auditor from HR? What kind of dumb, pretentious name is Momus, anyway?

“Dude. Your name is Perseus.”

“... Fair point.”

They laugh a little, and Grover pushes his chair back to his own cubicle after one last considering look. Percy already feels much better, but then he catches a glimpse of stupid Momus laughing at something Annabeth said, something almost certainly brilliant, and his mood instantly sours again. For the rest of the day, he can’t concentrate, and nothing seems to help the heavy feeling that he has somehow lost something that was never truly his. Reyna even pulls him into her office after a meeting to ask if he’s okay, eyes gentle and mouth tense. Lying to her only worsens his mood.

Finally, it’s five o’clock, and Percy sluggishly packs all of his stuff into his briefcase, every limb feeling like a thousand pounds. He’s already daydreaming about the fantastic nap he’ll have once he gets back to his apartment when a hand on his shoulder pulls him out his thoughts.

“—the meeting, Percy?”

“Huh?” He blinks up at Annabeth, realizing just how out of it he must have been to not notice the woman he loves talking to him, and, fuck, Percy really needs to stop thinking of her so casually in that way if he ever wants his chest to feel normal again.

Her eyes narrow slightly, a furrow appearing between her brows, and he wants to smooth it out, wants to see her smile the way she was not two seconds ago.

“Did you not get enough sleep last night again?” It’s slightly demanding, but he smiles a little at the concern in her voice.

“No, I did. It’s just been an off day.” He shrugs one shoulder up slightly and Annabeth leans against the side of his cubicle, smirking slightly.

“Does that have anything to do with a certain young man in the office today?”

Percy can’t help the brief flash of irritation that darts across his face at the mention of Momus which, of course, Annabeth picks up on right away. Percy can do nothing but watch breathlessly as Annabeth kneels gracefully over him while he’s still sitting in his chair. She’s straddling him and he looks up at her, effectively distracted from his annoyance by how breathtaking she looks, confident and assertive. His own hands flutter slightly, trying to pick the best spot to land, and eventually positions them on the tops of her thighs, feeling the soft fabric of her long, pleated skirt under his fingers.

She whispers into his ear, “You have nothing to be jealous of.”

He shivers, feeling every place where she leans in to kiss him, every inch warm under her touch. It’s all a bit overwhelming, so much so that it takes him a while to remember where they are.

“Annabeth,” he breathes out softly, far too reverent for what he’s trying to achieve, “what about—” His breath hitches as she rolls her hips slightly. Percy tries again. “What about the office?”

She pulls back slightly to look at him and he swallows down a whine at the loss of contact. “Honey.” Percy almost misses what she says next, too stunned by how easily the term slipped off her tongue, how easily it gets added to this thing of theirs. “You stared at your desk for a good forty-five minutes while everyone rushed to get home. It’s six o’clock, and there are no cameras.” Annabeth smiles, smug. “I checked.”

He knows she can feel just how hard he is underneath her, but she asks anyway, always needing to get verbal confirmation — something they both do, a small thing that always ends up turning him on even more. “Do you want to do this? If you do, we could always go back to my place instead.” The idea of taking the time to gather his stuff, get in his car, and drive to her apartment drives him a little crazy, and he’s shaking his head before really thinking about it.

“No.” It comes out in a rush, and she starts to pull away from him, taking it as him telling her to stop, so he forces himself to take a small breath. “I mean, no, I, uh, I definitely want to do this.” A blush spreads across Percy’s cheeks at how awkward he sounds and he clears his throat. “I am very amenable to doing it here, unless you want to go somewhere else?”

The lidded look she sends him as she shakes her head and leans back in to kiss him is almost enough to drive all coherent thought from his head. Then, he feels her deft hands start to make quick work of his belt, and he vaguely hears himself muffle a low groan, all coherency flying out the window.

Afterwards, Annabeth slumps against him, head resting against his shoulder, and Percy’s brain slowly comes back online. Despite the setting, he’s well aware of the fact that it was the closest to actual love-making than they’ve ever gotten: soft, slow, sensual. If he tries, he can vaguely remember practically saying I love you, if not in those explicit words. And, more importantly, she murmured much of the same right back, each of them wrapped up in making the other feel good.

He’s about to just go for it, finally tell her how he feels, when he notices how tense she is, how she’s kept her face buried in his shoulder for the last minute, breathing deeply as if to reassure herself. He racks his brain for anything that could have gone wrong. His hands feel awkward at his side, but he doesn’t want to touch her in case that’s not what she wants right now.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Percy keeps his voice low and soft, desperately wanting to fix whatever happened. She looks up then and everything feels wrong, her gaze too carefully blank, mouth too firm and too far away. “Talk to me — is it… did I do something?”

He would have been satisfied at causing something other than that nothingness, except it’s pain that crosses her face and he feels worse.

“No. No, Percy, you did nothing.” Somehow that feels like a condemnation, as softly as she says it. Annabeth gently extracts herself from the chair, out of Percy’s lap, and he does up his pants without looking, keeping his eyes on her, wary and uneasy.

“I don’t think we should continue this anymore.” Her words are blunt, matter-of-fact even, and she doesn’t look at him as she leans down to grab her handbag. He can do nothing but stare, all the breath leaving his body as she breaks his heart in one fell swoop. Annabeth swings the strap over her shoulder and tucks her blouse back into her skirt, finally turning to look at him. “It’s nothing personal.”

He wants to argue, insist that it’s strictly personal, but he also knows that neither of them promised anything to the other. If this is what Annabeth wants, then he’ll let it happen, in spite of how his world is shattering around him.

“Okay.” The calmness of his voice is a surprise, but he says nothing more, watching her jaw tighten almost imperceptibly.

“Okay. See you tomorrow then.”

Percy nods once and she’s gone. It isn’t until the sky has darkened outside that he finally forces himself to move again.

Notes:

song is from the incredible Jojo and it's called Small Things

a HUGE HUGE thank you to alyssa (divineauthor on ao3 & biannabethchase on tumblr), bia (annabetncnase on ao3 & tumblr), and torie (percyheartsannabeth on tumblr) for beta-ing, it wouldn't be what it is without you <3

also i know it's kinda short and late so i am so sorry, i've just been v busy with two jobs rip! (check me out on tumblr - biclarisselarue - if you want more pjo content in your life)

Chapter 6: how do you slow your blood (after the body rush)

August

The elevator dings harshly in his ears, sliding open to reveal the last person Percy wants to see right now. Annabeth, professional and put-together as always — a stark contrast to the bags he knows are under his eyes and his wrinkled shirt — acknowledges him with a tight smile before turning to face the door. The silence is painful and heavy, and his mouth opens a few times, trying to figure out how to address her. Annabeth is too familiar, too sweet on his tongue. Chase feels harsh in this context and he immediately discards it. Baby is definitely not an option.

In the end, he opts for saying nothing, mouth closing with a quiet click. The muscle in her jaw jumps, so imperceptibly that if he hadn’t been continuously sneaking glances at her out of the corner of her eye, he wouldn’t have noticed. It only solidifies Percy’s decision to stay quiet, regardless of how desperately he wants to hear her voice, familiar, harsh, or otherwise.

Finally, the doors open at their floor, and Percy lets Annabeth stride out in front of him, unable to tear his eyes from the rigid lines of her back, the taut muscles in her neck, the way she wears her suit like armor. He doesn’t move, keeping his eyes on her until she ducks into Jason’s cubicle and out of his line of sight, before even considering walking towards his own desk.

The sharp, distinct smell of coffee reaches him before the cup enters his vision, and Rachel gently curls and holds his hand around the warm mug until he grasps it firmly.

“You look like you could use this.” She quirks a smile at him, but her eyes are serious and worried. The absence of crinkles around her eyes and the presence of frown lines on her brow snap him out of his daze — it’s thoroughly unlike Rachel.

“Thanks.” His voice sounds hollow, even to his own ears, so he forces a smile, tacking on, “You know me so well.”

“Percy.” Rachel looks like she’s about to say something else, but Reyna appears in front of them right at that moment, catching Percy’s arm and steering him back to the elevator.

“I need you to help out another department today, okay? I only trust you to do it, and it’s a full day task, maybe even a week, so I better not see you up here for a good while, Jackson.”

If his mind wasn’t filled with thoughts of a certain colleague of his, maybe he would have noticed the sympathetic gleam in her eyes, the way she exchanged a nod with Rachel before lightly pushing him back into the elevator. As it was, he didn’t notice, so he simply gives a small nod in response, still trying to work through the leftover fog in his mind. The doors close between them, and the smell left from the faint residue of Annabeth’s perfume overwhelms him, citrus-y and light and far away and — okay, working in another area of the building for a bit might be a bit helpful.

Percy brings the coffee closer to his face, letting the sharp smell wash away her scent, trying to forget how just one week ago he was the happiest he can ever remember being.

Receiving a text from Grover later that morning is a welcome distraction.

Roadtrip with Rachel at 2. Do not reply to this with anything but a yes because we’ve already talked to Reyna and she’s agreed to move your assignment to when you get back.

Also, no, we’re not telling you where we’re going.

September

Going back to his regular desk and cubicle area doesn’t feel quite real after almost a month working with the IT crew, but it helps to brush off the small layer of dust that’s collected over his photos and keyboard and turn on his computer, letting the familiar background of his department wash over him. He’s early enough that no one else has arrived yet, the floor quiet with only the hum of the fluorescents overhead. It’s peaceful.

It’s in this light and silence that he finally, consciously allows himself to think about her. Percy had seen Annabeth one or two times, but only at a distance, and he can’t help but hold out hope that they’ll be able to slowly, very slowly, rebuild a friendship, albeit probably simply a professional one. The thought of no longer being as close as they once were — in more ways than one — has haunted him every time he wants to send her a text about the cool new art exhibit downtown, every time one of the songs she made him download comes on through shuffle, really just — every time. But it’s softer today, less insistent. Honestly, Percy knows he would take any kind of relationship Annabeth asked for, whether that be a husband or a work colleague you send one short text to on their birthday, though the former is looking less and less likely. Unfortunately.

He’s distracted from that dangerous path by the sound of the elevator doors sliding open. It feels like the longest two seconds of his life as he waits to see who it is, heart beating faster, completely ignoring how calm he had just been, how much progress he had just been thinking he had made.

It’s only Reyna, but he’s glad to see her anyway. Percy doesn’t know what he would have done in the last month if he had had to see Annabeth every day, only a few feet away from him, but still so clearly distant. The warm smile he greets her with is returned in equal measure even as a look of slight confusion passes across her face.

“I didn’t know it was possible for you to arrive early, Jackson. Usually I catch you and Rachel rushing in with seconds to spare, but now my expectations have gotten significantly higher.”

He laughs. Reyna grins. It feels good. Percy remembers all the times he went camping with his mother as a kid — how nice it was to get out of the house but how much nicer it was to come back home.

“I can’t wait to disappoint tomorrow.” The mock salute he performs causes her to roll her eyes, grinning even as she disappears into her office to get ready for the day.

Yeah. He feels good.

So good, in fact, that he doesn’t even really stop to think when Annabeth shows up late, too concentrated on doing the perfect casual wave and greeting.

Percy’s pretty sure he nailed it when his voice doesn’t waver as he says, “Good morning, Annabeth.” It sounds polite and professional, and he’s rewarded with a gentle, “Good morning, Percy.” His name in her mouth, as quiet and detached as it was, is the best thing he’s heard all week, and he rides that high all the way until the next figure enters the office, hair mussed, cheeks flushed, and an irritatingly familiar smirk firmly in place. It isn’t hard to put two and two together by the way Annabeth flushes slightly and quickly turns her attention to the files on her desk, the way Momus can’t pull his gaze away from her. Percy vaguely wonders if they were ever that obvious.

He makes eye contact with Momus, who winks at him, still dreadfully handsome, and bile rises in his throat, even as the rest of him goes numb, like if you were able to watch the guillotine drop on your own head, that split second before it hit. It’s cold and he can’t bring your focus away from the one thing he wishes he could forget.

Percy closes his eyes briefly in an attempt to process and move on, but all he can see is Annabeth’s hands and the way they touched him with a reverence she made him feel like he deserved, the way she looked when he put his mouth on her, and he quickly opens them again, overwhelmed and confused and hurt and angry and guilty for feeling all of those. Then guilt for feeling guilty— is he not allowed to grieve?

No, he’s not. This steadies him, and his vision opens up to more than just his clenched fists, able to feel more than just his nails pressing into his palm. And, well, yes, he is, but not in any way that would only push Annabeth further away, not in any way that would disappoint his mother, not in any way that would cause his twenty-two year old self at the Women’s March to feel shame.

Knowing this doesn’t stop all the emotions from building inside of him, pressing against every inch of his skin and beating against his mind, but Percy trusts himself enough to handle them with grace and maturity.

The rest of the day sucks. He can’t get rid of the terrible energy inside of him the way he would like to, preferably with an hour or two at the gym, but he manages to keep it together. He even tells Momus to have a good evening as he makes his way towards the exit, thankful to be the first to leave, and ignores the feeling of Annabeth’s eyes on the back of his head.

Rachel gets up as soon as she sees him leaving and joins him in the elevator, standing beside him silently, arms crossed as she stares Momus down for him. The doors shut, and he wraps an arm around her shoulder, drawing her in closer.

“Thanks.” She has to tilt her head up to look up at him, but she manages, smiling until he adds, “You didn’t need to do that though, really.”

Rachel’s eye roll is familiar in all the best ways. “Of course I didn’t need to. I wanted to. One, I’m on your side, and two, it gives me an excuse to stare at that hot piece of ass even longer.” She grins at his bark of laughter, her own arm snaking its way around his waist, giving a gentle squeeze. “I’ll spare you the you should have told us it was Annabeth lecture today, given that you’ve probably heard it a million times from Grover already since the road trip.”

“You’re the best.”

“I know.”

Percy makes a mental note later that night to appreciate Rachel more. Especially when he calls her after finding one of Annabeth’s shirts under his couch and she doesn’t even tease him once. Not even when he brings up how good it smells and how soft it is for the fifth time. Not even then. Do thank you cards even cover situations like this?

October

Percy is exhausted. Staying on top of work, helping Grover make the final preparations for a newborn, and trying to find the perfect balance between maintaining a friendship with the woman he’s in love with while not breaking his own heart in the process (again) is exhausting. So, he’s expecting a snap to happen, maybe in the form of going to stay at his mother’s for a bit or rashly joining a beginner boxing league, but he never would have predicted this. Though, as for who’s on the receiving end of it, it could have been a lot worse — at least in Percy’s opinion.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

The older man, with thinning hair and a sallow face, looks up at him in surprise. “I’m sorry, but you must have me mistaken for someone else. I’m here looking for—”

“Frederick Chase. You’re looking for Annabeth.”

He looks relieved, as if everything’s been cleared up, and Percy’s jaw tightens.

“Yes! Exactly. It seems I arrived a bit too late — traffic, you know how it is — so if you could just tell me how to reach her, that would be—”

“No.” He crosses his arms, back straight and mouth in a firm line.

“Excuse— Excuse me?”

“No. You don’t deserve to see her. And she definitely doesn’t deserve to have her life thrown upside down just because you’ve decided you want to see her now, and for what? What do you want from her? Is it her mother again?”

A look of guilt flashes across Mr. Chase’s face before he narrows his eyes, and Percy knows he’s hit upon the truth.

“Look here, young man, I don’t think you understand the complexity of the situation, and honestly, I don’t really think it’s any of your business anyway, so I’ll just come back tomorrow, at an earlier time.”

“I don’t think you will, honestly.” Rage swells in him like a wave, and he takes a step closer, relishing the cornered look that appears in Annabeth’s father’s eyes. “Annabeth has worked too hard on building a life without any remnant of you in it for you to come waltzing in as if nothing happened, as if you weren’t a horrible father — and I use that word loosely here — to her from the moment her mother left. That wasn’t. Her. Fault. And quite frankly, I’m starting to see why her mother left, if staying meant having to be around you for even one more second. You don’t get to pick and choose when you two are a family when it suits you, so, no, unless you want to come visit Annabeth to beg for forgiveness and to put in the work to be an actual father without asking for anything in return, you won’t be coming back tomorrow. I’m not above going to security and showing them a picture of a strange man who I definitely saw attempt to break in if that’s what it takes. And if I hear one word from Annabeth that hints at you being here in any way that I did not just describe, I will find ways to make your life hell. Do you understand me?”

Frederick’s eyes are wide and he nods, quickly turning to go and scurry back the way he came, looking for all the world like a rat with its tail between its legs. As soon as he’s out of sight, Percy sinks down at his desk and breathes out a small, “Fuck.” He doesn’t know whether his mother would be proud or not and it twists a knot in his chest. What he knows for certain is that Annabeth deserves to know, so she can actually make the decision for herself, so he brings out his phone and slowly crafts a text.

Hey. Just saw your dad. He wants to talk to you, so I said I’d pass on the message — thought you should be the one to make the final call.

He’s focused on his phone, staring at the little photo of Annabeth grinning back at him above their messages, and doesn’t notice the way one of the cubicles is lit up for a quick moment or the way a hidden figure sneaks out before he can collect his thoughts, holding on to a previously forgotten charging cord.

November

Percy never would have guessed a party thrown to celebrate a baby having been born could get so wild, but he supposes that with Clarisse hosting, Grover and Juniper didn’t really have much of a choice. Luckily, Sally was currently taking care of the almost month-old baby, so the two of them could go just as hard. Well. Not Juniper, of course, so Grover had actually decided to stay sober to support her, but the thought was there, so that’s how the three of them came to be the only sober people there, watching as their friends and colleagues went wild in the open plan basement. A riveting game of beer pong currently had their attention, watching as Piper and Reyna competed against Annabeth and Jason in the tie-breaking round, each team focused and shouting insults at the other.

And, okay, maybe it wasn’t just the game that held Percy’s attention, maybe it was a little bit the way Annabeth’s curls were loose around her shoulders, the way she blew on the ping pong ball then got Jason to do the same before every throw, the way she grinned and cheered everytime they got one in, a flush high on her cheeks. But, really, mainly it was the game.

He’s just happy to be part of the crowd watching, feeling lighter than he has in months as he joins his friends in cheering raucously and booing dramatically. He feels even better when Annabeth looks around at the crowd after sinking a ball, face splitting into a wide grin when she sees him, gesturing wildly at the table in pride. Percy nods his head to show that he saw it and gives her an exaggerated thumbs up, laughing as she grins even wider, turning her focus back to the table.

Jason and Annabeth win, obviously, and Nico grumbles slightly as he hands over a crumpled ten dollar bill into Percy’s waiting hand, just as Rachel finally arrives. Rachel holds out her hand for a fistbump, which Nico gives, still sulking. She quickly flops down beside Percy in the empty spot Nico leaves when he goes to complain to Reyna and Piper about them losing.

“I was starting to wonder if you’d be showing up.”

Rachel snorts, letting her head rest against Percy’s arm, sprawling out in the opposite direction and taking up every inch of the other side of the couch. “I may not ever want kids myself, but luckily this is a ‘we had a baby who is currently elsewhere so let’s party’ party, not a ‘we had a baby let’s watch them cry for an hour’ party. I think I can handle that.”

“You don’t fool me for a second. I know you already love that kid with your whole heart, and he’s lucky to have you.” He shrugs, causing Rachel’s head to move up and down with the motion, and she lifts her head slightly to glare at him slightly.

“I’m going to be the coolest aunt ever, aren’t I?”

Their faces are inches apart, and he can see every freckle on her face. She’s smiling at him, familiar and warm and teasing, and, maybe if he pretends, if he tries — Percy closes the gap between them and kisses her.

It’s light and soft and wrong. They both pull away at the same time, Rachel searching for something in his eyes, and he looks away, not wanting to know what she finds. Unfortunately, that means locking eyes with Annabeth, who’s staring right at them, mouth pressed together in a firm line, knuckles white around the cup she’s holding. It feels too long to be caught in her gaze before she turns stiffly and pushes her way through the throng, up towards the stairs and out of his sight. Looking back at Rachel only makes him feel worse.

“Rachel, I’m sorry, I don’t know why—”

She shakes her head, effectively cutting him off. “Yes, you do.” The gentle smile she gives him feels like a heavy weight dropped onto his chest. “You had your heart broken, Perce, and you thought that might help. It’s okay.” Rachel nudges his shoulder with her own. “I’m flattered, really, but I think we should just be friends, yeah? I can’t get with anybody who thinks Aladdin is the hottest Disney prince when Naveen is clearly the better option.”

She holds up a hand to stop his second apology, adding, “Seriously. It’s okay. There’s no feelings on either end here, so you can stop feeling bad. Now, go after her! Fuck, you’d be terrible in a 2000-era teen movie.”

Rachel winks, and, just like that, they’re back to normal again, teasing and understanding.

“Thank you. Seriously.” He hugs her tightly before he gets up off the couch, trying to convey his sincerity and gratitude in one simple touch, but she simply pushes at his thigh with her toes.

“Go! Before I drag you up there myself.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he laughs and turns to jog across the room and up the stairs.

Finding Annabeth turns out to be a lot easier than he had anticipated, since he immediately sees her huddled figure through the large window in Clarisse’s living room, standing on the front steps, arms wrapped around herself. He grabs his jacket without a second thought and steps outside, coming to rest beside her.

“Take this, you’re going to catch your death out here without a coat.” He keeps his tone light, aiming for gentle teasing, but she turns around to face him, eyes blazing, and he regrets it instantly.

“I don’t need your stupid jacket, Percy. Shouldn’t you be in there—” She jabs a finger towards the door, “—with Rachel?”

Her tone sets him off, releasing something that he hadn’t realized had even been building, and once he opens his mouth to reply, the words rush out of him, having crawled their way out and left gaping wounds behind them.

“Why are you so angry? We were never dating, or do you not remember making it absolutely fucking clear that we were nothing serious? That I meant nothing to you?”

“Fuck you.” It has no heat, no matter what she intended, and he laughs, a mean sound, too loud in the brisk evening air.

“Eloquent. Maybe if you spoke to me beyond a couple of meaningless good mornings, you might have found something more interesting to say.”

Annabeth’s eyes flash, hands clenched into fists at her sides, and he feels nauseatingly vindicated at having produced a real reaction, anything to prove that she feels anything about the way their relationship has been the last few months.

“I don’t owe you anything.”

“Yeah, that was the arrangement, but clearly it only goes one way, since you can be with whoever you want — which is fine — but I can’t.”

She grits her teeth, and grinds out, “You can be with whoever you want. I just didn’t think it would be with her, you know, since I remember you telling me how you two were just best friends.”

“We are just best friends! Fuck, Annabeth, why do you have to make everything so hard?”

“I’m the one who makes things hard? Excuse me for not wanting to see two of my colleagues make out right in front of me—”

“—We did not make out—”

“—When I’m trying to enjoy my friend’s party!”

Percy runs a hand through his hair, frustrated and confused at how everything got to be so messed up and so far from what they should be talking about.

“I don’t understand you sometimes.”

“Well, the feeling is mutual. I had just wanted to go back to the way things were before we had kissed, and everyone’s making that impossible—”

“I’m in love with you.”

Her eyes widen, and he pushes forward, desperately trying to explain. “I’m in love with you, so, no, things can’t just go back to the way they were. And I can live with the fact that you don’t feel the same, and that you don’t owe me anything — and you never did — but I can’t do this. Pick how you feel about me and stick with it. Or I’m going to lose my mind here. Please, Annabeth. Just. Please.”

Annabeth simply stares at him, mouth working as if she’s about to say something but no sound escapes. Percy sighs, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he speaks again, it’s much softer, fatigue seeping through every word.

“Look, I’m sorry. We can pretend nothing ever happened between us and just be colleagues.”

She’s still watching him, frozen in place, so he reaches around to gently place his jacket over her shoulders. “Goodnight, Annabeth.”

Percy doesn’t let himself look back as he walks down the block to his car and drives away.

Notes:

an endless thank you to torie (percyheartsannabeth on tumblr) for beta-ing! along with another friend of mine who i adore and suck into reading these even though she has never read pjo asdhksahk

title is from Insensitive by Jann Arden n it is phenomenal so i highly recommend

Chapter 7: holding nothing back (and give my heart away)

Notes:

thank you to everyone who has commented, left kudos, and also just generally taken the time to read :) I appreciate all of it, more than you could ever know!

if you have the time to read this chapter, please take a little bit of time to read through this wonderful compilation of anti-racism resources! it includes organizations to donate to, things to read/watch/listen to, accounts to follow, a list of some black-owned businesses, resources for parents, and even other resource compilations to use! i also highly recommend looking at anti-black racism in your own country if you don't live in america (like myself), contacting your representatives to speak out about racist bills and policies, and examining what the companies you buy from are saying/doing right now (and whether it's only right now that they're speaking up and out). educating ourselves, reflecting on our own words and actions, as well as the words and actions of others, starting conversations, speaking up, and acting on our words, as well as constantly striving to improve and learn is the only way forward.

Annabeth doesn’t show up at work the next day. Or the next. Or even the day after that. By Thursday, Percy feels himself going a little crazy from resisting the urge to reach out and ask if everything is okay. But he knows he’s said his piece and, really, there’s nothing more he’d like to add.

Except that’s a lie.

He wants to tell her every single thing he loves about her. The way this love came in light rainfall, gently soothing his skin as she’d laugh and dig her toes into his thigh while they watched a movie. The way it crashed over him, stealing every breath in one, terrifying instant as she ran her fingers down his back while they kissed. The way it laps at every inch of his being even now, persistent, constant, and unyielding.

Thankfully, any time he feels the desire to text even the shortest of messages, Percy lets either Grover or Rachel take his phone from him. Mainly Grover. Every time he looks at Rachel, he can’t help but feel guilty, even if earlier that week Rachel had told him about someone down in the warehouse department who she’s been talking to, and maybe even more so after learning about that. It doesn’t help that he also has to fight a wave of bitterness rising in his throat every time he glances over at Annabeth’s desk — which happens way more times than he’d like to admit — and consequently remembers their argument from that weekend.

All in all, Percy desperately wishes to go back to the way things were. Hell, he’d even take the antagonism that had existed between the two of them, anything but this silence, this dreadful not knowing.

It snows that night. Heavy, wet, thick snowflakes that melt as soon as they touch skin, yet somehow stay perfectly formed on top of his curly hair. It only serves to deepen the already-present chill within his bones. He fumbles with his key with cold fingers as he opens the door and shucks his jacket off with a short huff. Usually getting back to his apartment would feel like a blessing after such a long workday and such a windy evening, but he can’t find the energy to find that feeling tonight. All he has are empty space and dark rooms before him, and Percy can only remember to lock the door behind him before sinking to the ground, utterly exhausted.

He sits there for a long time, legs folded underneath him, damp from the snow, but eventually manages to pull out his phone. 12:07 AM glows up at him, along with a new message from Sally.

Honey, I’m so sorry. Grover filled me in. Do you want me to take the rest of the week off and come stay with you for a bit? xo

It’s the thought of his mother, hard-working and loyal, putting her own life on hold for him when he can’t even get off the floor that finally spurs Percy into getting up, quickly typing back a message, even if he knows she’ll already be asleep.

Thanks, but I’m okay for now.

I love you.

The shower he forces himself to take feels like nothing. It’s as if he’s watching from a distance as the hot water beats against his skin, swirling in rivulets down his body, soaking every inch. He watches as his hands methodically wash his hair, as they wash his face, as they wash his body. It’s almost 1 AM by the time he steps out of the shower, shivering and dripping wet and feeling none of it. Percy dries himself off, throws on the softest sweatpants and shirt he can find, and resigns himself to a long, sleepless night alone on the couch. He’s simply lying there, watching the ceiling, and taking in every soft sound he can hear when the loud knock comes.

He doesn’t startle, but his brow creases, eyes still trained on the familiar popcorn ceiling, and ignores it. Probably just some drunken idiot forgetting which apartment they’re trying to get to.

Except it comes again. Louder. More insistent this time. Sighing, he gently gets to his feet and makes his way to the door, ready to patiently explain that either Mike is just across the hall or that Camilla is actually in the apartment directly above him. Percy doesn’t even look through the peephole before opening the door, which is why he finds himself staring, without a word of warning, at a soaking wet, wide-eyed Annabeth. An Annabeth who’s wearing his coat. The coat he placed on her shoulders four days prior and hadn’t expected to ever see again. She almost looks as surprised to see him as he feels.

“Uh?” he says eloquently.

“Look, I know I should have called. Or texted. Definitely should have waited until sometime that wasn’t almost two in the morning to come over, but—” Her eyes are wild and she’s gesturing rapidly with her hands. “I couldn’t wait. I just. I needed to see you, and I know that’s selfish, and I’m sorry, but, just, you make me want to be selfish.” Annabeth gradually gets louder, and he knows that at some point someone will yell at them to shut up, but it’s the sight of her shivering slightly in the hallway that pushes him into action.

“Hey.” The words are soft, but she quietens instantly, watching him carefully. “Come inside, okay? Let’s get you warmed up first. I’ll make some tea.”

She follows him inside, leaving a small trail of dripping water behind her, but she doesn’t wait for him in the living room as he expects. Instead, she continues alongside him into the small kitchen and hovers in the doorway, still watching him with those sharp, wild eyes as he sets about putting on the kettle. Percy doesn’t know what to say, but Annabeth starts talking again, so he focuses on listening and finding the tea bags and mugs.

“Look,” she repeats, filled with a sort of frenetic energy. “I’m sorry.”

Unable to be facing the cupboards for one more moment when the emotion in her voice is so clear, he turns back around to face her. He can’t find his voice, still in disbelief that she’s actually here, just across the room from him, so he says nothing. Annabeth runs a hand through her hair, causing it to stick up slightly, and takes a deep breath.

“I started loving you from the moment we first kissed, but I had, somehow, stupidly, convinced myself that I didn’t.”

Percy can’t move. Hope starts to spread up through his ribcage, like a hot drink bringing back all the feeling to his body.

“I was scared, and I was an asshole, and — Percy, you don’t ever have to talk to me again after this, but I need to tell you.” One of her hands is absent-mindedly massaging the other, hard and firm, and her gaze is anywhere but on his own.

“Not for me. Honestly, I could learn to live with this — this — loss if it meant you were fine, but you deserve to know. You need to know.” Finally, she looks into his eyes, and he startles to see that they’re glistening in the warmly-lit room. She swallows and looks down.

Percy keeps staring at her, his kettle left forgotten behind him as it starts to steam. She looks dreadful, huge bags under her eyes, hair limp and greasy, but he realizes that he’s never seen a better, more stunning picture than this one of Annabeth, back in his apartment, telling him she loves him.

“I was — am — terrified of this. Of loving you. And when we had sex that last time, it felt like lightning, like thunder and rain and one big, beautiful storm, and I panicked because I finally understood the depth of what I feel for you, and it scared the hell out of me. Seeing you kiss Rachel—” She swallows, guilt colouring her expression, and Percy’s heart aches for her, knowing exactly how she must have felt. “I was an asshole. You’re under no obligation to forgive me. I know how shitty I acted, especially with the whole Momus thing, but—”

“I forgive you.”

Annabeth looks up then, meeting his eyes, her mouth halfway into forming her next words. She pauses. “Why are you smiling?”

“You were an asshole.” Percy’s smile turns into a grin, the hope in his chest threatening to swallow him whole.

Her expression turns a bit indignant. “I mean, y—yeah.” She shakes her head, brow drawn together in half confusion, half annoyance. “But I’m trying to tell you that I love you and that I’m sorry.”

Crossing the room in three, short strides, Percy catches her in his arms, feeling better and lighter than he can remember feeling in months. “No, I forgive you. Honey, baby, sweetheart—” He laughs, delighting in finally being able to say the words of endearment he had felt he couldn’t before. “You love me!”

Annabeth laughs a little too, but in a confused way, like someone had just told a joke but she didn’t manage to catch the punchline. She doesn’t seem too irritated though, every bit of wild energy having fled from her body the moment he had wrapped his arms around her.

“I, uh, yes?” She looks at him, almost going cross-eyed from how close their faces are.

“Annabeth, I love you too.”

Her face hesitantly splits into a grin, growing slowly to match his own. “Are you going to kiss me then, Jackson?”

Percy can’t help but tease, “Don’t you want that tea to warm you up first?”

He watches, captivated, as her eyes darken slightly, as she pulls their bodies closer together. “Screw the tea. I’d rather you warm me up right now. It’s been four months of watching you in those, quite frankly, ridiculously tight pants and those tight shirts that pull across your shoulders when you stretch in the morning—”

He kisses her, laughing slightly into her mouth as he does so. The kiss deepens almost instantly, a year of pent-up emotions and love and frustration poured into every point of contact. Annabeth’s hands are adoring when they gently stroke over his cheeks, when they cup his neck, when they tangle themselves in his hair. His own hands start to re-memorize every inch of the familiar body held tightly against him, the warm muscle of her back, the smooth lines of her arms, the sharp cut of her jaw.

“Let’s get you out of these wet clothes, yeah?” Percy murmurs against her lips, soft and warm and tasting faintly of honey.

It’s her turn to tease, and she quirks an eyebrow at him, slowly pushing one leg between his own. “You don’t want me to keep on the jacket, maybe?”

He groans slightly at the image of her naked save for his coat draped over her shoulders pushing out almost every other thought in his head. If it weren’t for the fact that he wants — needs — to feel nothing but her skin against his, no space between them, he would have agreed right then and there. As it is, he simply pulls her back into a bruising kiss and mutters, “Hold that thought. We are definitely coming back to that another time.”

Annabeth tilts her head back to laugh and Percy takes the opportunity to kiss his way down her jaw to her throat, finding all of the soft dips and curves and warmth that he had missed like a phantom limb since August. Gently biting at the point where her neck slopes into a slender shoulder makes her shudder against him, any trace of laughter fading as she sighs into him. She softly tugs on his hair and he follows the motion upwards, knowing if she tugged him right to the edge of the Earth and pushed, he’d go willingly.

“Bed. Now.” Her tone is urgent, but her eyes are still so full of wonder and love, and he can feel every beat of her heart against his chest.

“Bossy,” he shoots back, his smile alight with amusement and contentment.

Annabeth narrows her eyes slightly, smirking, and allows him no time to prepare himself for what she says next. “If you’d rather I slowly take you apart in your kitchen instead, that’s fine with me. I was just worried about my knees on this tile.” She taps her foot on the ground lightly, emphasizing her point, and he swallows roughly, unable to stop himself from looking down at the motion before his eyes flick back up to meet hers, wide, the grey almost completely overtaken by dilated pupils.

“Bed it is.”

Percy gets his wish of skin on skin contact from pretty much the moment they step into his room. Annabeth makes good on her promise of taking him apart, but not before he manages to do some ruining of his own. They barely separate that night, always keeping some sort of contact, a hand running up a thigh, a mouth running down a chest, always with a whisper of, “I love you.”

They fall asleep sometime around 4 in the morning, sweaty, tired, and happier than either of them can remember feeling in a long time. Her head rests on his chest, legs tucked between his, and his arm is draped across her waist, palm flat against her hip where it had been idly tracing patterns into her skin. Their chests rise and fall together as they sleep.

The morning brings with it a more serious tone than the night before. They both text Reyna separately, letting her know they won’t be coming in to work that day, and Annabeth sits up to face Percy, determination set in her jaw.

“I know you said you forgive me, but I want to apologize again. I hurt you — I hurt both of us because of my past, something that hasn’t gone away. I’m not perfect, Percy.” She sighs, and he pulls himself to a sitting position, taking one of her hands in his and letting her speak. “And, you’re incredible and kind and better to me than I deserve—” Percy clenches his jaw, but stays silent. “—And I heard you talking to my dad. Even when we weren’t whatever we were, you still had my back, and I did nothing but continue to cause you pain. I’m stubborn and prideful, and I hate when other people know better than me. I love you. So much. But I don’t like to rely on anyone and that especially goes for you. I’m not exactly what you would call easy to love.”

Percy takes a moment, knowing what he wants to say, but needing to find the right words. “You weren’t the only one who was scared, even if you probably had more reasons than I did to feel that way, and you weren’t the sole person responsible for how our relationship progressed or changed. I don’t, and I will never, hold any of that against you. I love you, flaws and all, and trust me, I know your flaws.” He smiles softly. “Like how you like more vanilla in your cookies than there ever should be. But I don’t treat you better than you deserve, Annabeth, okay? What you deserve is nothing short of perfection, and I can’t give you that. I’ll do my damned best to try, but I’m not perfect either, and I’ll probably fuck up at some point.” He laughs a little. “Scratch that. I know I’ll fuck up at some point.”

Annabeth’s looking at him a bit like he hung the moon, and he can feel the sentiment reflected in his own eyes. He has to swallow the sudden lump in his throat before he can continue.

“We’ll both fuck up. We already have. But I know you, Annabeth, and I know you’re a good person who cares and tries so hard, and that’s all that matters to me, if I’m being honest. If you ever stop trying — if I ever stop trying — then we’ll have a problem, not if you sometimes snap at me after a long day of work.”

Her eyes are full of tears now and Percy reaches over to squeeze her hand as he keeps going, desperate to have her understand. “I don’t want you to rely on me either, okay? I mean, I’ll always, always have your back and be there to support you, but you don’t ever need me to do anything, to be anything. You’re Annabeth fucking Chase!” Tears have started to quietly fall down her cheeks and he leans in to kiss her for a moment, wet, salty lips pressed against his own.

He keeps their foreheads touching as he picks up where he left off, one hand coming up to gently brush away her tears. “And you’re the easiest thing in the world for me to love.”

Percy’s surprised at the strength with which she pulls him into a hug, crying softly into his neck. They stay there, holding each other tighter than is necessarily comfortable, but neither of them willing to loosen their grip. Eventually, Annabeth pulls back, using the back of her hand to wipe the rest of the wetness from her face, and they look at each other for a second before—

“Be my boyfriend?”

“Move in with me?”

They both burst out laughing, Percy’s cheeks tinged slightly with red, and he mutters, “I just thought, but if that’s too soon or too much, I completely understand, we can just start with dating and seeing where that goes first—”

Annabeth pulls him into a kiss, cutting off his embarrassed rambling. “I would love to move in with you. Are you kidding? I love this place.” She smiles as she corrects herself. “Our place.”

The grin taking up practically half his face makes it a bit hard for him to speak, but he manages to say, “And I would personally love to be your boyfriend.”

“Well, good.”

And they’re laughing again, falling back into bed and letting the warmth of the sun filtering in through the open window add to the warmth between them. Percy pokes her side when she accidentally elbows him in the ribs, and it devolves into a full-on naked wrestling match, both of them shrieking and yelling, cheeks beginning to hurt from how hard they’re grinning.

As they settle down, Percy slips on a pair of boxers and lends a large t-shirt to Annabeth, and he watches as she pads her way into his — their — kitchen, knowing that despite everything that had happened, if he would always end up with this result, he wouldn’t change anything for the world.

She starts to take things out of the cupboards, getting ready to make pancakes, and he marvels slightly at just how easily she fits right back in, moving around confidently. She’s gorgeous in his shirt, hair piled up into a messy bun on top of her head.

God, he can’t wait to tell his mother everything.

Notes:

song title is from Let Me Fall in Love by Sebastian Olzanski

thank you SO SO much to alyssa (divineauthor on ao3 and biannabethchase on tumblr) for beta-ing, i love you to the moon and back and then even further

(also... should i do a mini epilogue?)

Chapter 8: but look in my eyes (and know i'll always stay)

Notes:

just another reminder that if you have the time to read this, you have the time to go to the previous chapter's notes and find some good anti-racist resources to keep learning and helping to create much needed change! things are happening and we need to keep the momentum!

The elevator dings pleasantly, and Percy sighs as the doors slide shut in front of them, beginning the ascent to their floor. It’s familiar, as is the hand in his.

“Tell me again why we didn’t take that extra week off and stay in Rocamadour?”

Annabeth squeezes his hand and shakes her head. “Because Reyna and her wife are celebrating their five-year anniversary, plus Grover and Juniper are expecting their second kid any day now, and, on top of all that, Rachel is finally opening her first art exhibit.” Of course, he knows all this but listening to her talk to him, for him specifically, is nice, considering that he knows it’ll be one of the few moments they’ll get to be alone today. He’s been so used to having her all to himself these past weeks. “Also, maybe more importantly, your french accent sucks.”

He lets out a snort. “Remind me again why I married such a cruel woman?”

She pretends to think for a moment. “The sex is fantastic?”

“No, that’s definitely not it.” It’s teasing, warm, and Annabeth rolls her eyes, unable to stop the smile from forming.

“Oh, really?”

Shrugging casually, Percy uses his hold on her hand to pull her closer and plant a soft kiss on her forehead. “Okay, that might be one part of it.”

The elevator slides to a stop, and Annabeth gamely takes the last opportunity before they’re back in public to pull him into a short, messy kiss. As the doors start to open, she winks. “Well, I know I definitely married you for your body.”

He can feel that his cheeks are flushed, eyes wide, and he mutters, “I’m not complaining.” His wife laughs and he follows that sound out into their office, still not quite able to believe that the solid weight looped around his ring finger is real, that the starkly witty, breathtaking, and complex woman standing in front of him with a matching ring let him be hers.

Annabeth turns to him, aware of all the eyes on them, trying and failing to be stealthy. “I’ll see you after work then, Jackson?” She’s grinning.

“Since I need my date for the anniversary party tonight, I guess you will.” Percy pauses, savouring the feel of the next word in his mouth, letting it warm him from the inside before allowing it to smoothly slip off his tongue. “Jackson.”

They grin.

Notes:

here's the mini epilogue a lot of people said they wanted!! it's very short but i wanted to keep it simple yknow adhak anyway thank you all so so much!!!

and thank you to bia (theseaofmonster on tumblr and annabetncnase on ao3) for beta-ing this lil piece!

the song title is from the talented Ben Platt's Run Away

i also write short little drabbles and prompts on tumblr, so if you wanna check out more of my stuff, you can find me at biclarisselarue :)

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Office Rivals AU