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“I think he hates me,” Jason groans, collapsing onto the couch with a dramatic sigh. “I think he genuinely hates me and is planning my murder every second he has to make eye contact with me.”
“He doesn’t hate you Grace,” Leo laughs, scruffing a hand through his blonde hair in some version of affection. “I’ve known Percy since I was like twelve. I don’t think that boy is capable of hating anyone.”
“Did you see how he looked at me today?” Jason doesn’t take in a word his best friend is saying. He’s too busy thinking about the bright green eyes that had scorched his skin. Long dark eyelashes blinking slowly, twisted frown creasing unbelievably perfect eyebrows. The man was a modern Adonis and he hated Jason to the core. “Anyway, how could he NOT hate me?”
Jason still winces every time he thinks about the first meeting he had with Percy Jackson. At one of Leo’s house parties. He had spilled soda all over the man’s white t-shirt and laughed, because the stain had looked like a bird taking flight. He had asked if he could draw the bird on, make a statement from the stain. The look of horror on Percy’s face had been enough to make him want to crawl into a hole and die. Let his bones bury themselves. And then when he had tried to apologise the next Monday he had mistakenly confessed that he thought Percy was the most beautiful human in existence. Another look, accompanied but what could have only been an embarrassed awkward blush, from the black-haired beauty had also run that conversation into the dirt. Since then Jason had avoided the man as much as possible but apparently, at least according to Leo, that strategy just meant Percy thought he was stubborn, and conceited, and childish. There was no winning and now he would have to be in a small confined space with him for at least a few hours.
Hence the Dorian Gray level couch fling and endless whining.
“Everyone will be here in a few,” Leo hops up from the couch, host-mode already buzzing in his bloodstream. “Help me set up?”
With a deep breath that shoves down yet another groan of agony he drags himself from his comfortable spot and trails behind his friend. Minutes later the doorbell rings signalling the first of their ten person party.
“I’ll get it,” Leo is already walking out, “You handle chip and dip.”
Okay he can do that, and in the meantime he can think up a strategy to avoid certain other persons.
The plan starts out well, as he plays through scenarios and opens tubs of dip, but then he hears deep resonating laughter and every nerve in his body decides it’s changing career paths: inferno hiring.
The doorbell rings again and he hears Leo point their guest to the kitchen with the reassurance he’ll meet them in there.
Before Jason has time to breathe Percy Jackson is walking into the space.
And holy fucking shit. He looks… magical, unreal, incapacitating.
“Who are you and what have you done with Percy?” He blurts; he instantly wants to smack himself so hard he turns back time.
“Uh hi Jason,” The man just blinks, gives him an awkward smile. It doesn’t take away from how beautiful he is. Unfairly the soft tilt of his lips only brings out a small dimple and some unhuman-like sparkle into those already bright green eyes.
“I'm sorry,” He sighs, decides he can’t do this anymore. Cant be this unpleasant vexatious person any longer. “I know you probably hate me by now but gods i don’t know how to act around you. I feel like I'm losing my mind.”
“I—” Percy starts.
“No please,” Jason waves him off. Can see the confusion and hurt glittering in his expression. “It’s not your fault. I just find you unbelievably gorgeous and my brain cells don’t know how to handle it so they just blurt out anything. It’s a terrible strategy that’s left our conversations uncomfortable and short-lived. So I'm sorry. I genuinely was trying to be your friend before i ran my mouth like preying cheetah.”
“You find me attractive?” Percy stares at him in shock, eyes unblinking, dark skin rosy in their kitchen light.
“Well yes,” He nods, looking the man before him up and down. “I’m awkward, not blind.”
“I thought you hated me?”
He stops piling chips onto a plate, and it’s his turn to stare unblinking. “I thought you hated me.”
The bubble of laughter, uninvited and inevitable, bursts from him. Worse, once he starts he can’t stop. It’s just pouring from his mouth, taking up space in the small kitchen. Tears pool in his eyes as he remembers every cringey interaction and resulted sob-session after that. How, two years later, are they here. Life isn’t even real. Life is different puzzle pieces from different puzzles all in the same box and he is having a grand old time of trying to piece it together.
Percy is laughing too, bright and uninhibited and the sound is symphonies curling around his own amusement.
“We are idiots.” He manages to gasp.
“Well that i can agree with,” Leo leans against the doorway, brown eyes sparkling with his own laughter.
“Come on Grace,” The black-haired man finally manages to leash his giggling, “I’ll help take this stuff out.”
“Then will you let me take you out?” He winks.
Percy smiles so brilliantly, so big, it makes the fire in his chest feel dim. “Yes Jason, we’ll go on a date.”