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It was a cold winter night in New York City. Percy and Annabeth decided to stay in for the night. They would watch Christmas movies and make Sally's perfect hot chocolate. They decided that was a far better option than spending the night in forty degree weather trekking around the city. The snow was nice to experience and seeing all of the Christmas decorations was amazing but they were exhausted from teaching earlier and wanted to decompress. They were eating Chinese takeout for dinner when Annabeth had mentioned they could make a pillow fort in the living room, like they did when they were younger, to which Percy happily agreed to immediately. When they were teens they'd always build a fort in the winter. They hadn't made one in a few years, so they were very excited to make one again.
"Make sure to grab all of the pillows and the blankets," Annabeth called out to Percy as she cleaned up their dinner.
"I know, babe," he called back as he started making a pile on their couch.
He finished the pile just as Annabeth entered the living room. She was holding her old architecture notebook in one hand as well as a couple of pencils and a ruler in her other hand, a smile on her face.
"It's a pillow fort, do you really need your architecture materials?" he chuckled.
"Yes," she rolled her eyes. "How else do you expect a structural sound fort that won't fall apart when we move?" she finished.
"This isn't Olympus, I think we'll be fine," he spoke as he walked towards her. He kissed her forehead before walking to the kitchen. "I'll make the hot chocolate while you work on the designs."
He grabbed the ingredients for the hot chocolate from their pantry. Cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract and chocolate chips. His mom said that spice made the chocolate taste better, and she was right. He grabbed a pot and placed it on the stove, turning the heat to medium. He poured the milk into the pot and whisked in the cocoa powder and sugar before dropping in two cinnamon sticks. Once the milk was boiling he added in the chocolate chips and whisked until they melted and dissolved into the milk. Once the chocolate was melted he added a splash of vanilla extract. Meanwhile, Annabeth was working on their fort. She created a meticulous list of their pillows and blankets. Not only did she keep track of the quantity of each, she noted if they were fuzzy vs smooth, small vs big, etc. Once she had completed her list she got to work on the designs. She came up with three sketches, thinking about the furniture needed to keep the fort together and what would work best. She was so focused on her work that she hadn't noticed Percy called out to her to let her know the hot chocolate was ready.
"Hey, wise girl," Percy waved a hand in front of his face. He looked at her with adoration, seeing how focused she was.
"Sorry, sorry. What were you saying?" She looked up at his face. Her heart skipped a beat.
Percy was the most beautiful person Annabeth had known. His sea-green eyes were so easy to get lost in. He never liked having a beard so she noticed the stubble on his chin from his recent shave. They had been partners for years, even married for a few, yet she was still falling even more in love with Percy and found him to be more handsome with each new day.
"The hot chocolate is ready. We should build the fort before it gets cold," he replied.
"Right," she spoke as she patted the couch cushion next to her, signaling Percy to sit down.
"Okay, here's the first one. It's not the tallest but it has more space inside for us." she pointed at the first sketch.
"I love it," he replied even though he didn't look at the sketch. He was looking at her and taking in her beauty.
"Here's the next one. It's taller so it's easier to get in and out of but it's not as spacious."
"I love it," he said, again.
"That's what you said the last time," she poked his arm.
"Yeah and I love them both," he said, keeping his eyes on her face.
"This is the last one. We'd have to move furniture around but I think it would work great. What do you think?" she asked as she flipped the page to show him the third sketch.
"It looks great," he replied, again not looking at the sketch.
"You're no help, ever, seaweed brain," she closed the notebook.
"Why don't you build it while I get our mugs filled?" he replied, knowing she'd say yes.
Annabeth liked working alone. It was faster for her and more peaceful since she thinks everything through thoroughly. Even if Percy had stayed to help, she would've done everything subconsciously, so Percy decided to give her space and help the way he could. He grabbed two mugs from the cabinet. His was a light blue mug, the words "Let it snow" on one side, snowflakes around the entire cup. Annabeth's was shaped like a gingerbread man, the handle being a candy cane design. He filled both mugs with the hot chocolate before topping both with whipped cream and crushed candy canes. Annabeth was working on their fort. She moved some furniture around to secure the blankets in place, using the pillows for more anchorage. She covered their carpet floor with fuzzy blankets so they would be comfortable sleeping on the floor. The fort looked amazing. It was definitely spacious and had a great view of their television. She plugged in all of their Christmas lights, the living room bursting with colors and their Christmas tree illuminating. She shut off the rest of the lights they weren't using so the room was only lit from the Christmas lights. It was very whimsical and already made their long day feel a million times better. Percy entered the living room, a mug in each hand.
"It looks fantastic, Annabeth!" he smiled.
The lights were bright enough but not too overpowering. The tree looked beautiful in the corner. It felt like they were teenagers again, building a fort in his mom's living room. He placed their mugs on the small coffee table and climbed into their fort. Annabeth giggled. Her hair was braided in two and even though she was in night clothes, she looked as beautiful as ever. The lights shone softly on her face. Percy's eyes focused on her face.
"What is it?" she questioned.
"You're beautiful, you know that?" he said softly.
She blushed. He always made her blush.
"The first time I told you I loved you was the first time we had made a fort. Now look at where we are," he nudged her softly.
Percy and Annabeth had been dating officially for a bit over a year. Annabeth was staying with Percy and Sally for the week and would be spending Christmas with them. Holidays at her dad's house weren't really the greatest time of the year so she was grateful she had Percy for the holidays this time. Sally had attempted to teach the both of them how to make her famous hot chocolate but Annabeth decided after the first step that it was safer if she was not involved in the process. Instead she offered to build the pillow and blanket fort that Percy had asked they make. Percy watched intently, noting every step his mom took.
"Adding cinnamon sticks is my secret. The spice brings out the sweet chocolate taste and makes it taste better." Sally said.
"Your secret is safe with me," he replied.
They had finished drinking their hot chocolate and decided to watch a movie of Annabeth's choosing. Annabeth's head was resting on Percy's chest, his arm wrapped around her body. She was listening to the calm rhythm of his heartbeat. They watched the movie in a peaceful silence, embracing each other. Percy was imagining their future together. They'd have a kid or two and would definitely make homemade hot chocolate and build forts. He felt silly imagining their future lives since they were only seventeen but they had been through so much together already. He literally gave up immortality so he didn't have to live without her. He was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with her. So it only felt natural when he casually said "I love you."
"What?" Annabeth's heart raced as she sat up.
"I said I love you," he said softly. And he meant it.
She looked shocked and happy at the same time. It was the first time he had told her. She was in love with him for as long as she could remember. She looked at him in silence, not sure how to respond even though she was thinking of so many replies. He was blushing and she could tell his heart was racing as well. She placed her palm against his chest, feeling his fast heartbeat. Percy's skin tingled. He got more nervous with each moment. Annabeth leaned in and kissed Percy delicately, her hands feeling the warmth radiating from his cheeks. She pulled away after a few moments, looking at him with soft eyes.
"And I love you."
Annabeth remembered that moment like it was just yesterday, even though it had been seven years ago. She felt butterflies in her stomach thinking about how seven years later they were in their fort, but this time married. She looked into his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. His lips tasted like chocolate and cinnamon.
"I love you," she smiled, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
"I know," he smirked. "So what movie are we starting with?"
"Hmm, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A classic," Annabeth replied.
"Of course," he said before kissing her temple.
It was one of their favorites for the holiday season. They watched the movie, drinking their yummy hot chocolate in a comfortable silence. They didn't need to talk or make comments about the movie. Just being together was enough. Percy subconsciously ran his fingers up and down her arm as they cuddled. It sent warm fuzzies up her spine. She was so in love with this man. When the movie ended they decided to put on another classic Christmas movie, Elf, before going to bed. By the midpoint of the film, Annabeth had fallen asleep. Percy climbed out of their fort as best as he could without disturbing his sleeping wife. He grabbed the mugs from the coffee table and decided to do a small load of dishes. He looked out the window and appreciated the snow lingering in the air. It was nights like this that Percy cherished the most. They didn't have to worry about work or demigod issues. They got to spend quality time together without any worries. He unplugged most of the lights in the living room, leaving the decorated Christmas tree shining. It was nearly midnight and Percy was exhausted. After shutting off the television he climbed back into the fort.
"Goodnight, love bug," he said softly as he pulled Annabeth into his side.
It wasn't long until he drifted off to sleep, his arm resting on Annabeth's hip.