Work Text:
i. ”You want a hug? My mom hugs me when I cry. She says they help.”
Annabeth is starting kindergarten today. Her dad is holding her hand as he greets her teacher, exchanging words that Annabeth doesn’t catch as she looks around the room. It’s full of bright colors (her house doesn’t have too many of those) and laughing children (there’s a lack of those, too).
She squeezes her dad’s hand tightly as a boy with black hair trips and hits the ground, face first. She jumps a little, waiting for him to cry — she usually does, anyways — but he just pushes himself up and dashes over to a table with blocks on it.
"Hello, Annabeth!"
Annabeth snaps her gaze away from the boy (she thinks he must have superpowers; who doesn’t cry after they get hurt?) and looks to the woman kneeling before her. She’s wearing glasses like her dad, but her’s have weird chains. “Hi,” Annabeth says, looking down at her red shoes.
"I’ll just show you where to put your bag, and then I’ll introduce you to the class, okay?"
Annabeth looks up at her dad, eyes wide. “Are you staying, Daddy?”
Her dad smiles, but shakes his head. Annabeth doesn’t like that. “I have to go to work, sweetie.” He kneels down, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll be back when school’s over.”
Annabeth nods, confused. “Okay. When’s that?”
He laughs. “Mrs. Evans will tell you.” Annabeth looks to the woman, who nods along.
The next few minutes are a blur. Both adults stand up, towering over Annabeth. She glances back at the boy, but he’s moved on to a blue table with papers all over it, and what looks like coloring crayons. Annabeth loves to color.
"Alright, so let’s put your bag right over here. I’ll show you your cubby," Mrs. Evans says, making Annabeth snap to attention. She nods and follows the woman, pushing her backpack into a yellow square and picking at the beads on her shirt.
It occurs to Annabeth ten minutes later that her dad isn’t standing by the door.
She drops her crayon and immediately feels her eyes sting. He left her? Her dad’s never left her.
"He’ll be back," a matter-of-fact voice says to her left. Annabeth jumps, feeling much more jittery now that she’s with nothing but unfamiliar people. She turns to see the same boy who had tripped. "My mom said she would be, too."
Annabeth nods, but her eyes feel even hotter. “He didn’t say bye,” she tells the boy, promptly bursting into tears. Annabeth’s usually not much of a crier, but her dad knows that she hates being alone. She always drags her toys into his office; follows him when he wanders from room to room on the phone; hugs his leg as he answers the door.
"He’ll be back, though." The boy shrugs. "Besides, there’s coloring crayons here. New ones!" He seems delighted as he presents a full box of crayons — the twenty-four pack. Annabeth only has the pack of sixteen.
She nods, offers a watery smile, and accepts the crayons. “Thanks.”
The boy smiles. “I’m Percy.”
"My name is Annabeth," she replies primly, sniffling. She and her father had practiced saying her name clearly rather than the mumbled way she usually gave it.
Percy nods a little choosing a blue crayon and drawing what was probably supposed to be a star. Annabeth smiles at it, but then she remembers that her dad left. Her heart sinks. Percy puts down his crayon and looks at her. “You want a hug? My mom hugs me when I cry. She says they help.”
Annabeth wipes her face. “Okay.”
Percy smiles, and pulls her into a tight hug. He smells like blue Jolly Ranchers, which are Annabeth’s favorite candy. He rubs her back with one hand, clumsily, before he leans back. “Did it help?”
Annabeth goes to shake her head, but she realizes that her eyes aren’t watering anymore. It also feels like she’s made a friend, so maybe she isn’t as alone as she thought. So, instead, Annabeth smiles brightly and laughs. “Yes!”
The boy mirrors her smile, picking up the same blue crayon. “Do you know how to draw an octopush?”
"Octopus,” Annabeth corrects. “Not push.”
Percy sticks his tongue out and thrusts the crayon into her hands. Annabeth draws him an octopus.
ii. “Besides, Luke’s a fucking asshole, anyways.”
As soon as Annabeth stumbles through Percy’s bedroom door, she flops onto the bed. If she were a starfish, she would be making her starfish parents proud.
Sally had let her in, but Percy’s in the shower, if his loud singing is any clue. Annabeth listens in for a moment, recognizing the newest Katy Perry song. She allows herself a faint smile before she remembers why she’d decided to show up at Percy’s house late on Saturday night.
Needless to say, the date with Luke had not gone well for several reasons. The first of which being: it wasn’t a date.
Before Annabeth can let herself think for too long, she hears the water cut off. She takes it upon herself to pull his soft blanket up off the ground and use it.
He’s still singing when he walks into his room, shutting his door behind him. “Don’t drop your towel, I’m in here,” Annabeth greets cheerfully. “Also, Katy Perry? Really?”
Annabeth smiles as Percy doesn’t even jump, just moves to his dresser to fish out articles of clothing. “I had an inkling you were here.”
"Mhm," Annabeth hums, not watching the way Percy’s back muscles shift. “Aren’t I always.”
Percy shoots a smile over his shoulder. “Sometimes I go to yours.”
She snorts, pulling the blanket over her head. “Go on. Get decent.” Annabeth waits as Percy pulls his clothes on, allowing herself small, private smile as she realizes that the blanket smells like blue raspberry.
"I’m always decent," Percy says, eventually, and Annabeth knows it’s safe to look again. He shakes his hair out like a dog and dries it more with his towel before tossing it in his hamper. "How was your night?"
Annabeth groans, pulling the blanket over her head again. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she says, her voice muffled through the blanket. She slowly peeks out.
"You do," he assures her easily. "Otherwise you wouldn’t be here."
"Who’s to say I didn’t just want to play video games? Or study?"
Percy gives her a soft smile, but his eyes look worried. Annabeth doesn’t like that. “I didn’t, until you just confirmed it.”
Annabeth groans again, burying her face into one of his pillows. She feels the bed shift as Percy sits down next to her, offering up a hoodie she had left a few nights ago. She takes it and sets it in her lap. “It sucked,” she sums up, picking at the hoodie strings.
Percy hums sympathetically, pulling a curl and letting it spring back up. He loves Annabeth’s hair. “What happened?”
"Were you aware that it wasn’t a date? Because I was under the impression that it was a date." Annabeth smiles, self-deprecating, and pushes her face back into Percy’s pillow. He rolls over onto his stomach so he can pet her hair.
"How do you know?"
“‘You’re a good friend, Annabeth’,” she quotes, in a mockingly deep voice. “‘I’m so glad we’re friends.’ Oh, and the huge kicker, ‘You’re friends with Thalia, right?’”
Percy gasps. “He didn’t.”
"He did."
"I’m killing him."
He moves to get up immediately, making Annabeth smile. She pulls him back down. “Don’t,” she says through a laugh.
Percy grins at her before his expression fades. “You alright?” He tugs at her chin when she tries to look away, which makes her scowl. “Hey, come on. Honestly.”
"I’m fine," Annabeth says, but her voice shakes a little. Her eyes sting as she plays back the moments before the ‘date’, where she’d been excited beyond belief, checking the time nonstop, smiling like an idiot. More than anything, Annabeth feels stupid. After all, Luke is a senior. Why would he care about the girl with the highest GPA in the freshman class?
Her eyes well up with tears, and Percy sees them before they fall. “Oh, Annabeth,” he mutters, pushing the tears off her face before they can properly make their way down. “I’m sorry.”
"It’s not your fault," Annabeth says, trying to laugh but falling just short. It sounds more like a sob. She takes a deep breath, and for some reason the scent of blue raspberry makes her cry even more.
He rubs her back while she lets it out; drags his hands through her hair, because even if it’s near impossible, he knows Annabeth thinks it’s comforting; squeezes her shoulders and her hands; tucks the blanket snugly around her. He mumbles a string of words the whole time, none of which Annabeth can really hear over her sniffles and loud breaths.
"I’m sorry," she says, after she’s managed to control her breathing, at least. "I’m ruining your pillow."
"Hey," Percy says indignantly. "You’ve been ruining my life since day one. It’s the way it goes. Besides, Luke’s a fucking asshole, anyways."
Annabeth huffs out a laugh, a bit choked off, so Percy takes it as his queue to pull her into a hug. Annabeth feels her muscles relax immediately as she hugs him back. “It hurts,” she whispers. “I feel so stupid.”
Percy holds her tighter, nodding against her shoulder. “I know. But you aren’t, okay? It’s just him. He’s stupid not to want to date you.”
Annabeth pushes her face against Percy’s chest. He’s holding her the same way she had always hoped Luke would, maybe. Percy smells shower clean and still like stupid, blue, sour candy. She leans out of the hug and Percy lets her go easily, instead moving to offer her a few Kleenex from the box he still has from being sick two weeks ago. Annabeth steals three and chucks it at the wall half-heartedly. “I hate him.”
"That makes two of us," Percy says, smiling a little. "He never had the best friend seal of approval, anyways." He takes a Kleenex from her hand and cleans some of her tears off his neck without complaint. "I’m going to find you a prince one day," he says softly, a few seconds later. "But I’m sorry about what happened."
Annabeth’s heart squeezes; she loves her best friend more than anything. “Thank you,” she tells him, reaching out and gripping his hand tightly. He holds her hand back. “Seriously. I would be so shit without you.”
Percy smiles, but shrugs shyly. “You’d be fine, I’m sure.”
Annabeth only shakes her head, leaning forward to hug him again. He presses one hand against her back, bracing himself on the bed with the other. “I love you,” she tells him, her voice thick with emotion.
Percy takes a deep breath, and Annabeth hears the way it shakes. She’s glad she’s not the only one feeling emotional, in some sick way. “I love you, too,” Percy says firmly. “Fuck Luke.”
"I tried," Annabeth says drily, making Percy jump back with wide eyes. Annabeth laughs and pushes his shoulder. "I was kidding, you prude!"
"I think that’s a fair concern!" Percy argues, smiling. He watches Annabeth for a second with green eyes — green eyes, Annabeth corrects, adding italics mentally. She hasn’t found a specific color for Percy’s eyes yet, but they’re greener than just green. “Come on,” he says, nodding towards the door. “Mom made cookies.”
iii. “Don’t stress. Here, just have some fries.”
Annabeth groans as she deletes the last sentence she’d typed, which is coincidentally the first sentence she had typed.
She’s been staring at the college admissions essay prompt for the past two hours. It’s taunting her now, dancing before her sleep-deprived eyes. She yawns, glancing over at her clock.
It’s only one in the morning, Annabeth thinks, completely rationally, picking up her phone to call Percy.
He answers just when Annabeth’s decided that he’s dead asleep. “Yeah?”
"I woke you up," Annabeth says, wincing. "I’m so sorry, I’ll just — "
"It’s fine," Percy tells her. There’s a rustling on the side of his line. "What’s up?"
"I’ve been staring at this stupid prompt for two hours, I haven’t written a word, I’m starting to feel the effects of being up since 4 A.M., I think I’m having a caffeine crash, it’s cold as — “
"Which essay are you working on?" Percy asks, slurring a little. "The prompt, or whatever?"
"I called you because I don’t want to work on it,” Annabeth whines. “Let’s have a movie night.”
"It’s one A.M."
"Movie morning, then, don’t get testy!"
"I’m not!" Percy replies, and Annabeth bites back a smile as she pictures his irritated, sleepy face. "Seriously? You want me to come over now?"
"Bring How To Train Your Dragon or I won’t let you in." Annabeth hangs up a second later, shutting her laptop with a satisfying click.
Her dad’s out of town for the week, but she hates having the house to herself. Percy usually stays with her after school until she heads home to sleep, but it’s Friday. They don’t have school tomorrow anyways, so they can virtually stay up as late as they want.
She pops popcorn and makes Percy a cup of hot chocolate, because she’s the best friend in the world, obviously. Just from being up and moving around, Annabeth feels more awake. Why was it so hard for her to write about a “place or environment in which she is perfectly content”?
Percy arrives in ten minutes, several movies tucked under his arm. He has the hood of his jacket pulled up as he shoves How To Train Your Dragon into Annabeth’s hand. “I hope you made me a hot beverage.”
"I did," Annabeth answers with a smile.
He sighs in relief. “Awesome. I brought fries.” He presents a McDonald’s bag.
She rolls her eyes, but it’s admittedly fond. “Of course you did.” He stacks the rest of the DVDs on top of the one in her hand and moves past her.
"Let’s get this show on the road," he grumbles, still half-awake. "I snuck out for this. You better make it worth my while."
Annabeth scoffs and puts the movie in the. “Please. You walked out the front door, and you probably left Sally a note saying where you went and when you’ll be back. Probably even added a heart.”
Percy narrows his eyes at her. “Do you have cameras in my house?”
She snorts a little, handing him his hot chocolate. “Only in your bedroom,” she teases, elbowing his side, and if Percy blushes Annabeth decides not to say anything.
Annabeth feels her tense, stressed muscles slowly unwinding themselves as she relaxes. She pulls her knees up to her chest and leans her chin on them. Percy nudges her. “You alright?”
"I’m fine," Annabeth tells him. He nods, but he doesn’t look away from her. "Just stressed is all."
"College," Percy mumbles, humming in agreement. "I started an essay today, actually, but I accidentally deleted it."
Annabeth laughs a little, because it’s so incredibly Percy to do that. “That makes me feel better. At least we’re on the same page.” She watches as Toothless soars through the air before she drops her head against her knees. “Ugh.”
"Come on, friend, talk to me," Percy says, nudging her knee.
Annabeth scrubs at her face with her hands. “I’ve always thought I was so prepared for college, but now that it’s actually here I feel like I’m all over the place.” Percy gestures for her to go on when she spares him a look, so she does. “It’s just like… I know where I want to go. I know how to get there. But there’s all these little drop offs? I mean, how am I going to pay for everything?”
"You’ll get a scholarship for sure, Little Miss Valedictorian." Percy sends her an indulgent smile that quietly says ‘I’m proud of you’.
Annabeth smiles back. “As in gas. And food. And all the other expenses I don’t know about.”
Percy looks contemplative. “I’m sure your dad would — “
"I know he would," she interjects, "I would just feel better if I did it myself, I guess." Annabeth inhales deeply. "Plus, I feel like I have no grasp of how college life is going to be. And all of my courses sound rigorous, I won’t know anyone, you won’t be there, my laptop is starting to break…” Percy squeezes her knee supportively. “I just feel like it’s all kind of falling in on me, you know?”
Percy crowds around her, dropping his limbs anywhere they’ll go. Annabeth feels like she’s being attacked by an octopus, but she latches onto his arm when she catches sight of it. He hugs her tight to his chest, and Annabeth feels a little bit of the weight fall from her shoulders — metaphorically, of course, Percy is pretty heavy. “Don’t stress,” Percy says into her hair. “Here, just have some fries.” He leans over and grabs the McDonald’s bag, depositing it into her lap, and therefore on top of his right leg.
"You would think I could solve all problems with food," Annabeth scoffs, rolling her eyes. She grabs a few fries anyways.
"If it can cure world hunger, it can cure stress."
She throws a fry at his head because that doesn’t even make sense. “That doesn’t even make sense,” she informs him.
He grins. “Yeah, but that’s alright sometimes, I’d think.” He poshly picks up the fry where it sits lodged in his hair. He stares at it before tossing it in his mouth, and Annabeth wrinkles her nose.
"Things not making sense?" she says, having finally registered what he said.
Percy places his hand on her forearm, his thumb running across her skin gently. “I mean, like, you know. Love doesn’t make sense. Girls don’t.” Annabeth rolls her eyes at this and offers him a few fries. He accepts happily. “And, like, calculus makes no sense.” Annabeth snorts and chokes for a few fear-inducing seconds. “But if you think about it, if everything made sense, life would be really…”
"Boring," Annabeth suggests. Percy nods vehemently. "That makes sense, I guess."
"Ha-ha." He chuckles. "Making sense about not making sense." Annabeth smiles softly and passes him the fries, dusting her hands off on her sweatpants which, now that she thinks about it, are probably his.
She doesn’t hesitate before leaning her head on his shoulder. “Thank you. You always know how to make me feel better.”
Percy nods, but he’s not looking at her. “You’re welcome.”
"I don’t know what I’m going to do without you," she admits quietly, turning her face into his shoulder. "We’ve hardly been apart since kindergarten."
He pushes the bag onto the table and wraps his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll Skype. Take turns visiting on the weekends. Text.”
Annabeth sighs, picking at the hem of his shirt. “Yeah, but… Hugs? Like, I’m going to miss the luxury of having them whenever. Your hugs are the best hugs.”
"My hugs are drugs," Percy says, off-handedly. Annabeth smiles at him, but he’s still not sparing her a glance. She glares at him briefly before figuring that he’s just really interested in the movie. He tucks his fingers under her shirt sleeve and leaves them there.
They finish out the movie with some of Percy’s commentary — which is something that is simultaneously Annabeth’s favorite and least favorite thing about watching movies with him — and one break to make more hot chocolate. Annabeth thinks about not having this everyday — Percy’s smiles, Percy’s laughs, Percy’s hugs, Percy’s obsession with her curls — and it hurts more than she likes to think.
Annabeth knows she’ll be fine on her own; after all, she usually is. But somewhere along the way, she found out that she needed Percy in her life. And if it’s over the phone and shoddy videos, then that works, but it’s not her first choice.
"Hey, stop that," Percy whines from the other side of the couch, poking at her thigh with his toes. "Your brow is all…" He makes a vague gesture. "Stop thinking. We’re fine. We’ll be fine."
"Just worried you’ll find a new best friend," Annabeth says teasingly, but there’s a smidge of truth to the statement. He shakes his head, and moves forward to sit closer to her again.
"I could never," he says, after he’s kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "It would feel like cheating."
"We aren’t dating,” Annabeth points out, not noticing the way Percy flinches because her own stomach is turning uncomfortably. She doesn’t like that very much. “You can be friends with whoever.”
"Maybe," Percy says simply, "but I chose you. So stop trying to get rid of me, cuddle up into my side, and let me watch Tangled, God dammit."
Annabeth grins and laughs at the disgruntled expression on his face. “You’re my best friend ever ever ever.”
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Percy answers, lifting up his arm. Annabeth dutifully moves closer and places her head on his chest, sighing contently and — well, she just loves her best friend.
iv. “We’re so stupid.”
Annabeth hurries out of her class as soon as their professor dismisses them. After she makes it through the initial crowd, she attempts to walk in a more calm, collected manner, but it doesn’t exactly succeed. She stands on her tiptoes to see over the shoulder of the guy in front of her — annoyingly tall people, honestly — and scans the crowd for a certain black-haired boy.
It’s not the first time they’ve met up since college started, but it is the first time he’ll be getting her from the college. Annabeth feels almost nervous, since this is the perfect opportunity to introduce her new friends to the one that’s always been there. It’s just — she wants them to like him as much as she does.
Okay, so maybe not that much. Annabeth has had a few revelations since fate had put some distance between Percy and herself. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that. However, Annabeth’s heart had grown quite so fond that she was near positive she could be in love with him, which was equally as exciting as it was —
"Annabeth!"
She snaps her head to the direction she think she heard him call from, and she finally spots him, her smile growing wide. He’s wearing a casual blue shirt with a big jacket pulled over it and a pair of jeans he’s been wearing for years. Annabeth’s heart feels close to exploding. Percy starts toward her.
As soon as she’s close enough, Annabeth attacks him with a hug, pulling back before he even has time to return it. She feels as though she’s blushing and paling at the same time, because Annabeth Chase just had the urge to kiss Percy Jackson for the first time.
It’s probably not the first time, to be fair. There had been a few curious thoughts in middle school, but it had never hit her like a wave. Percy seems to hesitate, too, and Annabeth’s heart does a nervous flutter. She sees Percy’s cheeks turn a sweet pink, but she knows it’s the cold air. It has to be.
"Missed you," she says finally, her body fighting with itself to lean in or pull back.
Percy smiles, but he looks as conflicted as she feels. “Me too.”
They rush off to a coffee shop, Percy whining about the cold like they haven’t lived in New York their whole lives. It’s only after they sit down — Annabeth with a coffee that’s too bitter and Percy looking delighted with his hot chocolate — that the weight of it all hits Annabeth. She feels like she could cry with Percy all windblown and happy before her.
"Hey," she says, after successfully killing every tastebud on her tongue with too-hot coffee, "I missed you."
Percy smiles. “You said that.”
"I know." Annabeth breathes out because yes, she had decided that maybe she missed Percy a bit more than best friends casually missed best friends, but it’s different when he’s in front of her. It’s different when he’s in reach, and she could kiss him, especially with the way his lips probably taste like chocolate and —
"I think I have a girlfriend."
Annabeth is rudely kicked out of her reverie, and into the real world, where everything is hardly fair. “What,” she says, and no, actually, it’s not a question.
Percy scans her face, cocking his head to the side. “I think I have a girlfriend.”
"You think?” She busies herself by pulling the lid off her coffee to make it cool down quicker.
"Mhm," Percy answers without really answering.
Annabeth swallows thickly. “Good, then. Cool. I have a boyfriend.”
Percy raises his eyebrows. “You didn’t tell me?”
"Well, you didn’t tell me — ”
He scoffs as looks away. “That’s because I was lying, obviously.”
She blinks. “Alright, me too.”
Percy smiles a little, looking down at the table. He traces something, but Annabeth can’t tell what it is. “I knew you were lying.”
"How?"
Percy shifts forward, running his thumb across jaw. “You clench your jaw very obviously when you lie.”
Annabeth shoves his hand away. “You pretentious psychology majors.”
He rolls his eyes and looks down at the table again. When he meets her eyes again, he’s blushing the slightest bit — and it can’t be from the cold this time because they’ve been inside for ten minutes. “Why’d you lie?” he questions quietly.
"That’s hardly fair," Annabeth mutters. "You lied first."
"Okay, I lied because I wanted to see your reaction," he admits easily, but more blood rushes to his face. "There. You?"
"I lied because you lied."
"You didn’t know that I lied, though."
"Not then," she agrees.
"Then why did you lie initially?"
"What is this, twenty questions?"
"Can I — " Percy starts confidently, but cuts himself off. He takes a deep breath and sets his hot chocolate down. "Would it be really weird if I kissed you?"
Annabeth tries to keep her face impassive, since apparently Percy’s a master at reading emotions, now. After a few seconds, she realizes that he can probably tell she’s holding back her facial expression, so she gives up on that, too. Instead, she settles on contemplative.
"I think…" Her voice comes out small, so she clears her throat. "I think that would be alright."
Percy nods feverently, sputtering slightly. “Right, so, I’ll just — here? Later? Sorry, I mean — “
"Percy," Annabeth interrupts, laughing a little despite the way her face feels hot. "Come on. I mean. Just kiss me."
"But it’s — you,” he says, like that’s supposed to make any sort of sense. Regardless, he leans across the small sliver of a table. Annabeth’s eyes skit around his face, pausing at his lips and settling on his eyes. He swallows and gestures for her to move closer, so she does, and he holds her jaw with hands warm from his drink.
When he kisses her, Annabeth would love to say that it was like fireworks and a dream come true and a million other cliches, but the reality is that it lasts three seconds before he knocks his drink over.
Annabeth laughs the whole time a barista wanders over to mop it up (luckily it had fallen off the side of the table rather than into his lap), and Percy scowls before it softens out. Annabeth decides she probably loves him, properly.
They leave not long after that, Percy thoroughly embarrassed and Annabeth still unable to keep from giggling every few minutes. Percy rolls his eyes and pretends to look annoyed every time, and Annabeth thinks it’s nothing short of perfect.
Eventually, they duck into some shop on the street that’s weirdly empty. Annabeth runs her hands over the trinkets and bites back her laughter.
Percy sighs as he stands next to her, and Annabeth lets out a small snort. “There you go, let it all out. Have no mercy on the clumsy.”
"I can’t believe you knocked your hot chocolate over," Annabeth says through small fits of laughter.
"Well, I’m sorry, hot chocolate was really the last thing on my mind," he tells her sarcastically. "It’s like. My train of thought was just a long string of your name, probably. Not really any room for thoughts of surroundings."
"Aww," Annabeth coos, pinching his arm. "That’s cute."
"So, like… I mean. Right."
"You have a way with words." He shoves her, nearly making her knock over a kiosk.
He catches her arm and keeps holding onto it, staring adamantly at the ground. “Did it, you know. Was it weird?”
"It was perfect," Annabeth says, and it definitely wasn’t, but she’s happy with it. It’ll be a story to tell.
"Right," Percy nods, looking slightly more confident. "So."
It’s silent for what feels like ten minutes, but it’s probably closer to ten seconds. “Are you trying to ask me out? If so, your attempts at wooing are poor at best.”
Percy laughs, one of his loud laughs that bounce back off the walls and sink their way into your skin. Annabeth’s cheeks hurt from smiling. “Yeah, alright. I’m asking you out.”
"That sounds like telling, not asking."
"You are so — difficult," Percy grumbles, but his eyes are still grinning in the way that his mouth is trying not to. "Will you go out with me?"
"This reeks of middle school," Annabeth says flippantly, but she kisses his cheek in response. When she moves to pull back, Percy catches her elbow and kisses her lips.
This time, her mind blanks out. Because Percy does taste like hot chocolate and he still smells like blue raspberry, and the two combined make her feel a bit faint. He kisses her properly, like he’s wanted to for years, and maybe he has. Annabeth thinks she’s had the subconscious mindset to kiss him for a while, too.
She’s annoyingly breathless and red-cheeked when she pulls back, but Percy looks over the moon. “We’re so stupid,” he says matter-of-factly, pulling her close.
And as much as Annabeth thinks she could get used to kissing him, his hugs are still better. All of the pending projects and unfinished essays seem far away as he tugs her close and squeezes her like he hardly plans on letting go.
Annabeth smiles against his shoulder, and she thinks that she would probably be okay with that.