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You yawned loudly as you stared at the patchy grass that moved in tandem with the warm breeze that blew inside the camp. It was getting late, obviously, the training arena had been completely emptied of people. The silence was evidently loud, or, it would’ve been if it wasn’t for the small grunts of Percy as he swung Riptide at full force, making small indents in the small setup of dummies. Yesterday at the campfire when he’d first approached you asking if you wanted to watch him while trained, you agreed to it without a second afterthought, and you’ll admit, it was fun for a few hours.
Percy would slash and hack as he tried his best to perfect his precision, sweat stuck to his forehead as he panted heavily, throwing back bottle after bottle of water as he worked himself over, it was mesmerizing. It’d be even worse if he’d pause for a moment to check up on you, asking if you wanted anything with a genuine smile as you’d wave him off, staring at anywhere but his eyes. Now it was getting dark outside and you were still sitting criss-crossed on the grass as you watched him intently, your eyelids drooping.
"Y/N, did you see that?" Percy called out to you, waving his hands in the air to get your attention. You drowsily stuck up a thumbs up, trying your best to form a smile as Percy huffed. "If you’re not up for it, we can always continue this another time." Percy suggested, capping Riptide as he gazed at you worriedly. " ‘M not even tired, really." You mumbled out, straightening your posture in an attempt to look more alert. "You sure?" You nodded frantically, or as frantically as you could with only 30% of your brain working. Percy shook his head, turning around as he uncapped Riptide and resumed what he was doing. You on the other hand were currently attempting to fight back your drowsiness as your eyes struggled to stay open, you pinched the skin of his ankle to avail.
…I can’t feel my legs.
You felt yourself losing the battle of sleep as your eyelids finally fell, your body going limp as you fell forward into the grass with a small thump. You jumped when you felt something cold on your left thigh, eyes bolting open as you looked around in sleepily confusion. "I’ve got you." Percy whispered out as he slipped your body into his arms.
Oh.
You were in his arms.
You totally fell asleep, didn’t you? You looked at him apologetically as he effortlessly strolled through the camp with you in tow. It wasn’t so bad being treated like a little kid, especially if it meant you got an excuse to be this close to Percy. You could faintly hear the way his heart pattered against his chest if you tried to and you were 100% sure he could hear the way yours was pumping too. It’s not like you could try to calm your heart even if you tried to, the fact Percy had you in his arms right now was enough to make your heart skip a beat, so the fact you were flush against his chest, soaking in the scent of sea water that wafted off of him was overkill.
You resisted the urge to let your mind wander as you felt his thumb brush against the skin of your calf, goosebumps forming on your skin as you bit the inside of your cheek. You walked in silence, hands resting on your chest awkwardly as Percy – walked past your cabin? "You know I’m cabin 4, right?" Percy glanced down at you, a mischievous grin spreading over his face. "We’re not going to Cabin 4," You hummed in confusion, heart pumping as the black haired boy slowly approached the steps leading up to cabin 3. His cabin? You gulped as you bit back a whine of discomfort. Obviously nothing was going to happen but, the idea of breaking the rules like this – for this exact reason, it seemed unreal to you. You squirmed slightly at the idea of being alone in a cabin with Percy.
"Don’t be nervous, I won't do anything you don’t wanna do." Percy remarked, hoisting you up slightly as you bounced in his arms.
SOS.
Percy kicked open the front of his cabin door with a grunt, releasing you from his arms as he helped you stand on your own two feet. "Percy! It’s late, I'm not supposed to be here – stop making so much noise!" You hush whispered. He just laughed amusingly, pressing his pointer finger to his lips in a shushing motion as he led you towards his surprisingly well made bed. It was nicely folded, blue sheets decorated with a silk white pillowcase. He flopped onto the bed with a groan, glancing at you as he scooted down, patting the space next to him. You sheepishly took the bait, kicking your slippers off as you laid down next to him on your back. "Well, are you comfy?" He asked, turning on his side as he braced on his elbow. You turned your head to gaze at him curiously, silently observing his features as he stared back at you with a small smile. He really was a sight to see.
His overgrown fringe sprawled over his face, framing his face perfectly and complimenting his colored eyes that stared back at you with the slightest bit of guilt in them, guilt that you didn’t know the reason for there being. On his face, small bundles of freckles you would barely be able to catch if you hadn’t spent your days and nights observing and thinking about him like you did. Though as you laid there admiring and observing every little thing about his face, you realized something that made your heart sink.
"What’s with that face?" Percy asked, chuckling lightly.
"I think I’m in love with you.."
…
Fuck.
You startled yourself so much you recoiled off Percy’s bed, tumbling off as you skid across Cabin 3’s wood floor. Percy jumped up frantically, yelling out your name as he stared at your figure laid out on the floor. You’d somehow scraped your cheek on one of Percy's miscellaneous weapons that he liked to throw in different places in the cabin. He wasn’t often joined with company here so he could do and throw whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Sadly, for you, that meant you now had a small gash on your cheek that was starting to bleed a familiar red liquid. "Fuck, are you okay?" Percy asked, reaching out his hand to help you up. You ducked out of the way, springing onto your feet sloppily as you brought your hand to press your cheek harshly. "I’m fine! Just – don’t worry about me." You dismissed, slipping cabin 3’s door open as quietly as you could before stepping onto the porch as Percy yelled out another call of your name.
How stupid were you? First you confessed your love for Percy then stupidly scraped your face on one of his weapons, worrying him even further. Especially after he was kind enough to invite you to his cabin to hang out – as friends . Just friends. You choked out a sob. Great, now you were crying on his porch as well. I wish Zeus would strike me down, right here, right now. Your heart stopped as Percy’s hand slithered up your wrist, gripping you tightly as he pulled you towards him. "Did I do something wrong?" He questioned, eyeing you with concern as you didn’t turn around to face him, and when you didn’t answer he bit his top lip, bowing his head as you both stood there in silence.
"Please, come back inside.."
‘..Huh? ’
You whipped your head in Percy’s direction, staring at him like he had 3 heads. "I have a first aid kid in my cabin, I can treat that gash before anyone realizes you’re hurt." You hesitated, eyebrows furrowing in concern as you looked at Percy who seemed weirdly..desperate? It wasn’t like you had anything to lose anyway, Percy was a nice guy, he’d let you down easy – for your own sake. You exhaled in defeat, nodding your head as you walked past Percy, sitting down on his bed as he closed the door behind you, fiddling with a small desk near his bed as he opened the drawers searching for the first aid kit. As you sat on his bed, you wondered how the rest of the month was going to go knowing you just poured your heart out to the Percy Jackson , on the very bed he sleeps on every night too. The whole thing made you want to spontaneously combust into flames. Your best bet would be just leaving right while Percy was distracted, lock yourself in your cabin and never speak to him ever again.
..
Yeah right.
Like you’d ever do that. You’d miss him too much, wouldn't you? It wasn’t a secret to you or the people around you that you were head over heels for Percy. Everyone knew, everyone but him somehow which was insane to you considering how intelligent he was. Or maybe he did know deep down but never told you in an attempt to keep things platonic. Whatever it was, all you knew was that you weren’t planning on giving up seeing Percy everyday, so what if things are awkward for a little bit? He’d still be your best friend, right?
"Found it!" Percy announced, tearing open the first aid kit as his scarred fingers searched for a disinfectant wipe, and when he did find one, he gently placed the first aid kit back on the desk. He huffed as he crouched down on his knees in front of you, a bittersweet smile gracing his features, placing a hand on your hand that pressed against your cheek, he lowered it slowly. "Stay still for me, please?" he asked, hovering the wipe over your gash. You nodded slowly as the wipe slowly approached your gash. You winced as Percy dabbed the wipe onto the gash, apologizing quietly as he continued to disinfect your wound. When he was finished, he balled the wipe up, throwing it into a nearby trash can as he returned to the first aid kit to find you some bandages. You have to admit, even if you were being treated for stupid reasons, really stupid reasons, you enjoyed the feeling of having someone taking care of you. Especially since that person was Percy.
"Hey." Percy whispered out as he crouched down again, opening the bandage as he applied it to your face, fingertips grazing the skin of your cheeks softly. You’d almost sobbed out when the contact faded, Percy standing to his full height as he towered over your figure sitting quietly on his bed. He plopped down next to you with a grunt, staring down at the floor as you two sat in silence.
"..So are we going to talk about it?" Percy asked, looking up from the floor as he stared at the bunk beds on the opposite side of the room. "I’d rather not." You replied, burying your face into your knees as you avoided eye contact with Percy. "You said you loved me." Percy reiterated, emphasizing the love part.
Maybe you should’ve just bailed.
"Lots of people at this camp love you." You retorted, which wasn’t a lie. You’d grown tired of hearing about yet another newcomer who’d fallen for Percy, attempting to set up days for them to train together, or for him to teach them. Playfully punching his arm and gazing up at him like he was the only boy in the world. It made your skin crawl. Especially when they’d graze his arm trying to walk past or even grab his hand if they were feeling bold. What bugged you the most about the whole thing was, they were living your dream. You’d only ever thought about being bold enough to do those things to Percy, if you had the slightest bit of confidence in yourself maybe you could’ve been as touchy with Percy as all those kids were. Maybe that's why you blurted out to him so suddenly on his bed. Well, maybe you couldn’t be like those newcomers, they can actually read the room.
"I don’t care about the other people at this camp, I care about you." You gulped. He was making this rejection so much harder for you with the way he was leading you on. You swallowed down the words you wanted to say, turning to Percy as you finally met his eyes.
‘ "Why ? " You asked, hands balling up into fists as you awaited his answer.
"Because I love you."
What?
Your eyes widened as tears started to brim in your eyes. They’d been held back long enough, relief washing over you as you finally let them stream down your way, big and hot wet tears. You laughed hoarsely, fingers latching onto Percy’s chest as you curled your fingers into his blue shirt. You buried your face in his chest as your shoulder trembled and shook violently, tears staining his shirt as his arms slowly wrapped around your shaking body. Percy chuckled warmly, angling his head down to press a kiss to your head as you continued to cry into his shirt. You gazed up at him with a lazy smile as he smiled back at you, eyes ablaze with love and adoration that made your stomach fizz uncontrollably.
"You’re not joking are you?" You asked, grip on his shirt dissipating as he brought his thumb under your chin, angling your head up to his. A small peck was pressed against your lips as Percy stared back at you lovingly. A genuine smile broke out onto your features as you laughed brightly, tackling him onto his bed, wrapping your arms around him, and tumbling into him as he pressed small kisses to your face. You stayed like that till the morning, limbs tangled in one another’s as your head rested on Percy’s chest and his chin rested on your head. You didn’t even mind that you had gotten into trouble either.