Work Text:
The bustling cafeteria buzzed around Annabeth as she worked on her essay. It was due in the next couple of days, and there was nothing that was going to distract her from finishing it.
Until Percy Jackson came bounding over.
"Annabeth, this is going to sound really weird, but I need you to sit on my lap."
This pulled the girl from her essay, her eyes furrowed to the point of hilarity. Percy was panting; his curls were tousled, and his face was a little red. "Um, excuse me?" She responded.
He sat down beside her, looking around at the entrance of the cafeteria. He then put his head in his hands. "It's Lucy Franklin. She caught me as I was coming out of History. She's been hinting about going to the game on Saturday tomorrow, which I absolutely don't want to go to. With her, anyway." He quickly explained.
Her face hadn't changed since his strange request. Percy bit his lip as he waited for her response. He could sense he'd have to explain a little further. "I know that sounds crazy, but she's relentless." He sighed and checked one more time.
Annabeth took a second to picture Lucy following Percy around like a puppy. She could feel her blood begin to boil at the idea of Percy and Lucy at the game together. Especially since they usually rode there together in his truck.
She looked over his shoulder and noticed Lucy making her way toward them with a smile Annabeth didn't trust. Without any time to think, she got up from her seat and planted herself right onto his lap.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, his around her waist. His eyes widened at her sudden contact. She smiled, conveying with her eyes to play along. But he seemed a little caught up with Annabeth's proximity. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. She's right behind you." As if she were a panto villain.
He cleared his throat, tightening his grip a little bit. He could tell Lucy was behind him because Annabeth's arms brought him slightly closer to her chest. "Hi, Lucy!" He didn't recognise her tone. He almost wanted to laugh at the cheery tone that he didn't realise Annabeth could access.
Lucy stopped in her tracks, scanning the image in front of her. Annabeth was on Percy's lap. And looking mighty comfortable while doing so. She didn't know what to make of it. "Hey, guys." She spoke cautiously.
Annabeth made a power move, leaning her head against his shoulder. He was immediately met with pineapple and mango as her hair flooded his senses. He tried not to inhale too much of the sweet scent. He couldn't afford to be distracted. "Uh, Percy, can I talk to you?" Annabeth couldn't believe she was still trying to ask, even though she was literally on top of him.
Percy went to respond when he felt kisses start to pepper down his neck. Annabeth's plump lips, warm and soft behind his ear. He fought to keep his eyes open, the tingling pressure making it very difficult. "Uh, sorry, Lucy. I'm a little busy at the moment." She watched as Percy's hand began to run up and down Annabeth's thigh.
She bit her lip, confused at what she was witnessing. "I didn't realise you two were together." She smiled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Percy, you never mentioned you and Annabeth were dating when I asked if you were free last week."
Annabeth was dying of embarrassment for the girl. She was currently watching Percy receive borderline hickeys, tapping her foot while waiting for an explanation from the boy who was crumbling in his chair. He fought for his words.
"Yeah, we didn't really want to be loud about it. It's still kinda new." Annabeth's lips were just below his ear, which he was now discovering was a weak spot for him. He could feel her fingers begin to tangle through his curls, tugging on them slightly.
He knew she was doing it purposely to put Lucy off, but he was not going to deny he was enjoying it.
"This seems pretty loud," Lucy muttered, sighing before turning. "See you guys later." Annabeth released his neck from her mouth, noticing the lip gloss marks she'd left behind. Maybe some slight bruising. Annabeth's cheeks flushed red. "She's gone, Wise Girl."
She laughed, sliding from his lap back into her original seat. Her chest was heaving a little bit, and she could still feel Percy's hands on her thigh.
"Uh, thanks." He mumbled, placing a hand on her shoulder. And although for the past 5 minutes she'd been in his lap, leaving kisses down his neck, it felt like too much. Not enough.
"That's what friends are for, Seaweed Brain."
The trio was currently hiding behind the chocolate fountain at Frederick's most recent work do. Annabeth was given a two-guest limit, which worked out perfectly for her.
"This buffet is ridiculous." Annabeth scoffed, scanning the truffle caviar bites, goat cheese cubes, and bread rolls cooked into the shape of doves. She rolled her eyes, cringing at how much her father probably spent on it.
She turned to Percy, who was too busy stuffing his face with bread and cheese to listen. She rolled her eyes and looked toward Grover, who wore a cheeky smile.
"Is this the worst party he's held this year so far?" He asked, taking a swig of his Coke. Percy shrugged, taking another large bite of his roll. "It's not too bad." He said, spilling crumbs from his mouth.
The three spent the next hour on the edges of the party, avoiding any adult whose only job was to include them in boring conversations. But they didn't stay lucky forever.
"Annabeth?" She heard her father's voice; the authority of it alone dragged her out of her corner. "Sorry, Dad, I was using the bathroom," she lied, already dreading what her dad was going to say. "I'd love for you to speak to Thomas Matthews. His father's going to be doing business with me in the new year. Thomas is your age, so it shouldn't be too difficult." Before Annabeth could protest, he walked away, leaving her to quickly look for any incoming people.
Without warning, a tall figure came up behind her. "You must be Annabeth!" She swung around, practically breaking her neck as she looked up. His face almost resembled some kind of snake. Sharp cheekbones, a pointed nose, and skin that someone could describe as slimy.
She plastered on a smile, nodding. "Uh, yeah! Thomas, I assume?" She reached out a hand, ploughing on in this conversation so it would end as soon as possible. He put his hand in hers. Confirming to Annabeth that his hand was as sweaty as it looked.
"I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few months." His tone felt odd. It felt as if there was some sort of expectation behind it. She pressed her lips together, nodding. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I don't tend to get involved in my father's work. But I'm sure I'll see you at these kinds of events."
She could see a small sense of disappointment flood his face, which only annoyed Annabeth more. As if it were her duty to become friends with this stranger. She could see him try to conjure something up in his brain. "How about we get some food one of these days? Get to know each other?" And there it was. The reason he came over to speak to her.
She quickly scanned through the Rolodex in her brain of excuses.
Family event? No
Rabies? Nope
One of the smartest brains of her generation, Annabeth couldn't even think of an excuse. Just as she had lost all hope, she heard a bombastic laugh. Knowing exactly who it came from, an idea came to mind. "That sounds great, Thomas! My boyfriend and I are going bowling next weekend. You could join us!" She grinned, looking over to see if this could work.
If Thomas was a little disappointed before, he was oozing it now. "Oh, you have a boyfriend?" His words were dripping with annoyance as Annabeth nodded, gesturing behind him. But before Thomas could turn around, Annabeth had walked around him and grabbed someone who had been about 6 feet away from him.
Suddenly, Annabeth appeared again with a boy next to her. "This is Percy, my boyfriend." Percy went from having furrowed eyebrows to looking down at her with an unspoken understanding. His confused pout suddenly turned into a gentle smile.
"And ain't I lucky?" He responded, staring directly at her. He could see Annabeth's face flush a little. If she needed his help, he was going to give it to her with full force.
Annabeth giggled, giving him a small swat on his shoulder. "Sorry, he's always like this." Percy looked up from her, locking eyes with Thomas and giving him a cheeky smirk. "I mean, can you blame me, Tom?" In response, Thomas grumbled. "It's Thomas, actually." Percy wanted to laugh at his face.
"Right, sorry, man," Percy muttered, not really caring about his mistake. He looked back down at Annabeth, and without thinking much about it, he leaned down to leave a kiss on her cheek.
She could feel the warmth radiating off her skin against his lips, making them even more inviting. He could kiss her face all day. He could also feel her smile.
"I'll probably see you around, Annabeth." Without any further comments, he walked away with his tail between his legs. The two watched as he sulked, trying their best to hide their laughter.
Percy's arm was still wrapped around her back as they walked back to Grover.
Unfortunately, or maybe not, they had to keep up the act for the next 2 hours, because it seemed that Thomas was always around.
This resulted in slow dancing.
"I can't believe you've got me slow dancing." He didn't seem annoyed as he tightened his grip around her middle. His red cheeks and grin also didn't show any signs of annoyance. Annabeth rolled her eyes; her arms, which were around his neck, gave her ample opportunity to take in his scent.
"How can you complain when you've got a 10 out of 10 on your arm?" She said, with sarcasm radiating from her words. Percy laughed, nodding as he pulled her in closer.
They swayed to the music, enjoying the look on Thomas's face every time they caught him staring. But enjoying the proximity even more. Not that they said that out loud, of course.
Percy leaned down, placing his lips right next to her ear. "You know, we look pretty good together, Wise Girl." His cool tone sent a shiver down Annabeth's spine, causing goosebumps to form on her skin. "Oh yeah?" She spoke quietly so only he could hear her. Percy smiled, lowering his head to land a soft kiss on her bare shoulder.
Annabeth's heart was hammering behind her chest.
Fake dating weirdly felt a lot like real dating.
As Grover dropped Percy off at home, he then made his way to where Annabeth was staying. "Well, that was an interesting night." Annabeth seemed to have a permanent blush on her cheeks. "How do you mean?" She knew her tone wasn't convincing anyone. Grover scoffed, turning into the driveway, parking up, and turning to the girl.
"I'm just saying, you could have asked me, and yet you picked fish for brains." Annabeth looked away. "I wonder why that is."