Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hey, what’s up?” Annabeth asks Percy, approaching him where he sits at the edge of the dock.

“Hey, yourself. Nothing much, you?” 

She shrugs, “Ditto,” 

She sits next to him, putting her toes in the ice-cold water, before immediately pulling them back, “How the hell do you stand that?”

Percy snorts, “It’s not that cold,”

“Not that cold my ass,” She huffs, drawing her knees up. It’s a summer evening, and with the sun setting over the horizon, coloring the sky in beautiful blues, pinks, blues, and oranges, she feels as if she’s part of a scene in a movie. There’s a light breeze that rustles the trees whose leaves are turning red and orange, an indication of the autumn that’s approaching them quicker than Annabeth would’ve liked.

Even though she’s made some peace with Helen and her dad, Camp Half-Blood’s her home, and when it comes to an end, she can’t help but feel melancholic. Still, there was something so poetic about knowing she only came during the summer, and that, each time she left, it was like turning a page and starting a new chapter of whatever comes next.

Percy hums next to her and she looks over at him - with his windblown hair and the scene in front of her, and her cold toes, she can’t help but think of some sort of romance novel. She shakes the thought from her head and leans against him, “What’re you thinking about?”

“Hm. Not anything in particular. Everything. I dunno,”

“Wow. . . that was beautiful, Percy, I didn’t know you were such a poet,”

“Shut up,” He grins, annoyingly tugging on one of her curls, “What’re you thinking about?”

“How much of a dumbass you are,”

“I’ve missed you, too,” He says, chuckling.

She sticks her tongue out at him, “I know you missed me,”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m just awesome that way,”

He tosses his head back, laughing a laugh that makes her toes curl and makes her want to draw it out of him again. He meets her eyes after a moment, still smiling, his own eyes crinkled at the corners. She focuses on them, and the sea-green outlining around his pupils. They freckle with gold in the sun, a mischievous glint in the endless waves of blue and green and Gods, she could get lost in those irises -

A scene in a movie.

It’s poetic. 

Like a romance novel.

She leans forward, slightly, and she doesn’t mean to, not at all, but then she’s closing her eyes and parting her lips before she realizes what she’s doing, and she can sense him doing it too, his intoxicating scent of taffy and cookies and the ocean, and she needs him , they’re so close, so close, so close -

Then they’re kissing and it's the only thing but it’s everything and it’s nothing all at the same time. She breathes him in, wanting nothing more than to stay in the moment forever but then they’re kissing again and he’s her best friend and he means everything to her -

She pulls away abruptly, wide-eyed, and still slightly dazed, finally realizing what’s happening, and she stumbles to her feet, horror dawning on her as she sees what she’s done. He’s your best friend . He stares at her open-mouthed for a second before standing up next to ther, “Did I do something wrong? I’m -,”

“No.” She cuts him off a little too hastily, she knows, but she doesn’t bother taking it back, because she just needs to get away from him, “I - no, you didn’t do anything I just -,” She closes her eyes, “I have to go.” She whispers.

She starts to turn around, but Percy grabs her wrist and she looks back at him, and the hurt in his eyes that she caused. He means everything to you , “Please don’t go,” he whispers, 

“I have to,”

“Don’t do this again,”

She squeezes her eyes shut and wipes the tear that has managed to escape, “I’m sorry,” She pulls her wrist away, but he stops her again, this time without touching her.

“Are you, Annabeth?” She freezes, “Because you always say that but you keep doing it ,” She turns around to meet Percy’s blood-shot eyes and she’s surprised to see tears leaking out of them, “Is it me?” He stares at her and she stares back.

Yes. Yes, it’s you because it’s always been you and it’ll always fucking be you . “No. Gods, no, Percy, you haven’t,” She doesn’t bother wiping the tears, “You haven’t done anything,”

“Then I don’t understand,” He spreads his arms, “What’s the problem?” You, you dolt , “What can I do?”

She pushes her heels into her eyes and wishes she could think of something, anything other than you, you, you , like when they were twelve and they hated each other and “you’re insufferable” and “well, you’re impossible” .

“What is it you want ?”

“I don’t know, Percy! Okay? I don’t!” She yells, letting out a shaky breath, “I thought I did - I -,” She growls, frustrated, before whispering, “I just don’t know ,”

Percy stares at her for a moment before shaking his head slightly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset -,”

“Shut up,” She whispers.

He stops short, confused “. . . What?”

“Just stop fucking talking for the Gods’ sake. I can’t - you just need to shut up. Please,”

“. . . Okay.” He says.

She sighs and wraps her arms around herself. 

“. . .Are you cold?” he asks, quietly.

She’s not - no, not really - but he’s already stepping towards her and she wants nothing else but to be close to him again. So she nods and he closes the distance between them, wrapping the jacket around her shoulders. She pulls it tighter around herself, putting it on properly. She subconsciously leans into Percy’s arms and he holds her close, as she rests her head on his chest, as if she was made to be there.

She inhales raggedly and Percy presses a kiss to her mop of curls. They stand there for a moment, before Annabeth finally manages, “I don’t want to keep hurting you,”

He doesn’t answer for a long time before sniffing, “I think it might be worth it. At least for now,”

Chapter Text

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