"The doctor will be here shortly," the nurse said, slipping the red pen under the clipboard's metal clamp and shutting the door with a gentle click.
Annabeth shifted uncomfortably on the examination table as the wax paper crinkled beneath her.
Going back to New York for graduate school was one thing, but switching to an entirely different doctor's office was another.
She'd had the same, trustworthy pediatrician for as long as she could remember. From giving Annabeth her first vaccine to offering personal advice about birth control, Dr. Nesla was almost like her second-hand mother. Annabeth's stepmother rarely took notice to her, much less brought up fair conversation every daughter expected from their mother. After searching up how to put in a tampon on YouTube, looking helplessly at the discarded spools of cotton, and feeling a painful jab in her lower region every time she put her right leg too far forward, Annabeth had gotten the puberty talk from an real doctor herself. And, like an actual caring parent, she would ask Annabeth how she was doing and listen in on her boy troubles.
All of that was gone, now that she had decided to enroll at NYU. It was too much of a hustle to return back to California for a simple yearly checkup. As much as New York reminded Annabeth of certain memories during her early teenage years, she knew that she belonged in the city.
Annabeth looked around the room, glancing at the eye chart next to an illustration of the muscular system. She focused on the blurring letters, realizing she was probably due for a new prescription…
The door suddenly opened and she straightened quickly, only to freeze at who was in front of her.
The man in front of her gave a small smile, and Annabeth's breath hitched.
Percy Jackson.
His smile...his goddamn smile was the same, and it ground her bones to dust and knocked her breath out of her chest. His bright green eyes, fringed with thick, dark lashes, were looking at her with the same intensity they had during those endless nights. She could feel the ghost of his hands running up the length of her arms, brushing her neck, cupping her cheek…
Percy cleared his throat. "Hello, Annabeth."
"I thought I signed up for Dr. Parsons," Annabeth said weakly, still unable to move. She didn't remembering seeing Dr. Jackson on the list. Maybe she had skimmed through it too quickly?
"Dr. Parsons is out on maternity leave," he began, shutting the door behind him. "I will be your doctor for today." Gods, if anything, it was his voice that sent a shuddering ache throughout Annabeth's body.
Percy walked to the other side of the room, swiftly washing his hands at the sink. Annabeth tried not to notice his broad shoulders that were conveniently complimented by the slightly too-tight doctor's uniform.
"What brings you back to New York?" he asked, toweling off his hands and seating himself at the swivel chair.
Annabeth swallowed, trying to remember how to speak. "After I graduated college, I did a bit of soul-searching. I went on some minor quests for a few years —more than a few years. Five. And then I finally decided to apply to graduate school."
"NYU," Percy guessed. His statement brought a pang to her chest. He had remembered how much she'd wanted to go there.
She nodded meekly. "And you… a doctor. I never would have thought —"
"After what had happened," he started, avoiding Annabeth's eyes, "I wanted to do something where I wasn't just bringing harm to people. Ever since I was young, trouble followed me. I blew up schools, attracted monsters, lost people I cared about…" his voice trailed off.
"Anyways. The health field was never on my radar, but it seemed like the right thing to do. I graduated college early, then went on to med school. Hermes helped me speed the process up a bit. But don't worry," he assured her with his famous, heart-melting, troublemaker smile. "I'm certified."
Annabeth couldn't help but laugh. "As long as that's clear."
Percy turned towards the computer, tapping on the keys. He asked normal questions a doctor would ask, and she gave her usual responses. Yes, the medications she was allergic to were still penicillin and motrin. No, she didn't have a family history of high cholesterol. And sure, on the occasion that she drank alcohol, she drank it responsibly.
The questions were getting easier to answer as they went on, which was a relief. Well, until they reached certain ones.
"How are you sleeping?" His green eyes searched hers, trying to look for hints of fatigue. She knew no concealer could completely cover the dark crescents shadowed beneath her eyes.
"Better," she decided. "The nightmares are there, but not enough for me to wake up at night. I think it's because I'm getting used to them."
Percy looked worried, but he managed a steady voice. "If they get worse, please contact me —I mean —your primary doctor."
Annabeth nodded, more at the floor than at Percy. "I will."
He stared at the screen for a second, working his jaw. "And are you… sexually active?"
Though she had nothing to hide, her cheeks colored at the question. Nonetheless, she lifted her chin and looked him right in the eye. "Not for the past few years."
Taking a heavy interest to his clipboard, he cleared his throat and nodded. She watched as his eyes slightly darkened and he visibly swallowed. Annabeth's next breath was taken with a larger effort. She looked around the room, trying to find something else, anything else, to focus on.
As she got her blood pressure, eyes, and other things checked that were deemed necessary at a typical doctor's appointment, she kept her eyes averted. There was no way she could be this close to him and not feel the urge to wrap her arms around him and breathe into his chest. All she had to do was finish this checkup, and that would be that. It wasn't an impossible task. Well, until…
Percy adjusted the stethoscope to his ears as he approached Annabeth.
"I'm just going to listen to your heart," he said, a slight blush forming on the tops of his cheekbones. "If you don't mind, this needs to go under your shirt." He fingered the bell, the small metal circle at the end of his stethoscope, waiting for her approval.
Annabeth slightly lifted the end of her shirt, acknowledging that it was okay. He slipped the bell under her shirt and pressed it to her upper stomach, the cool metal forming goosebumps across her skin. She tried not to concentrate, tried not to overthink anything. Treat him as if he was your regular doctor, she thought. It's just as if he's Dr. Nesla. Taller, and maybe more muscular. Definitely more muscular.
After a few seconds, he inched the bell higher. "Is this...is this alright for you?"
Annabeth's heart fluttered as his fingers accidentally brushed her skin. They were warm, in stark contrast to the shockingly frigid bell against her chest. If she could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, he could definitely hear it through the stethoscope. "It's fine," she managed, obliging as he told her to take another deep breath in before he moved to the center of her chest.
"Are you sure? I can ask another doctor to come in if this makes you uncomfortable —"
"No." Annabeth met his eyes wholly. "I want you."
She wasn't sure who surged in first, but that didn't matter in the moment. The stethoscope fell to the floor amidst the frenzied motion and shuffling. Their lips moved against each other, frantic and desperate. His hand flew to her hip, sending a blazing wave of want in her core.
The tip of Percy's nose brushed up her neck before she felt scorching kisses just above her collarbone. "You have no idea," he whispered, gentling his kisses, "how much I missed you. How much it hurt to leave you."
Annabeth sighed, threading her fingers in his feather-soft hair. It was everything she wanted to hear from him. She brought his face to hers and kissed him again, putting all her emotions into the kiss. All the years of bottled up feelings, desire, and love.
He took her hips and slid her to the edge of the table, making the wax paper rip and wrinkle. His breath caught as their lower halves knocked into each other, and Annabeth hooked her legs around his waist in response. She needed to be closer to him. Even now, they were too far apart. She wanted to feel bare skin against bare skin. There couldn't be anything between them, not even a sliver of light.
She began nudging the coat of his uniform, wanting it to come off, wanting everything to come off —
"Dr. Jackson is working with another patient at the moment. I'm sorry about the wait, but I can check to see if he is almost done." At that, Annabeth and Percy jolted apart, breathing heavily. The nurse sounded as if she was just outside the door.
Annabeth quickly uncrumpled the wax paper on the examination table, while Percy bent down to pick up the stethoscope and looped it back around his neck. The door opened just as Percy was running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Jackson," the nurse said, poking her head in, "but a patient is wondering when you'll be ready to see her. She has been waiting for ten minutes already. Are you almost done, or should I call Dr. Jennis to take care of her?"
"Call Dr. Jennis to fill in for me," Percy said, not taking his eyes off Annabeth. "This patient has a special case I need to deal with."
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this one shot. It has been a while since I've posted anything publicly, but I truly do miss writing. Please follow/review :). This AU is also posted to my tumblr, which is called: hernameisaithne. Thanks again for all the support! -Aithne