Annabeth's arms are so sore, she can't move. She's lying flat on her back, and Percy's body is draped over her in a really weird angle and she's so uncomfortable and tired and she wants to close her eyes and sleep for the next two years.
She takes a deep breath, poking Percy's side. He grunts into the mattress, but she gets no other response from him.
"Perce, get off me." She jabs him again.
"Mmf. Later."
"Perce, we have to finish the room. Get up." She insists, and for a moment, he doesn't say anything. Then, with a groan, he rolls off her and struggles to his feet. She reluctantly peels herself off the mattress, and gets up. She looks around the large room with her hands on her hips.
"We've got to get this walk-in in order." She decides, looking at the pieces that are strewn across the carpeted floor, and bends down to pick up the two larges pieces, despite her muscles' cry for her to stop. She straightens up to see Percy watching her with an expression she can't really label.
"What?" He shakes his head, and moves to her side, picking up parts of the pull out shoe shelf.
"Let's do this." He beams at her, and as if his smile was giving her energy, Annabeth feels the urge to go on. She thinks that Ikea gives the public way too much credit, if they think that these contraptions can be set up at home. She and Percy work in synchrony, him doing the parts that are too high for her and her doing the parts that hurt his back to do. They settle into a light conversation as they work.
"Hey, it totally slipped my mind, but Hazel swung by last week looking for you, and, you know, I forgot. Did she reach you?" Percy asks, and Annabeth rolls her eyes, hitting him lightly over the head with a pillow that still hadn't been dressed.
"Yeah, she did. She wanted to know if we can make Frank's surprise birthday party." She says, and Percy frowns.
"Why didn't you tell me about it?"
"Because you can't keep a secret. Anyway, you're going to have to go for the both of us, I've got to work tomorrow."
"Annabeth, it's a Sunday."
"I know, and I'm really sorry, Perce." She isn't lying. She's the youngest (and newest) recruit at Campbell Architectural Firm, which is one of New York's finest, meaning she's called to do all the jobs that none of the others want to do, overseeing construction being one of the most popular ones. "We'll do something fun at night, though, right?"
"Yeah, okay." Percy says, even though he doesn't sound particularly happy. Annabeth looks over at her best friend, wondering how she ever got this lucky. Percy Jackson is the most perfect boyfriend she could have ever asked for, and she sometimes needs a moment to convince herself that this is real, they're actually together and very much in love. He's been nothing short of supportive of her, and she knows she runs a tight schedule, but he's never complained about it, and she can't voice how thankful she is for that.
"So how's work been?" He asks her as they wordlessly move on to setting up Annabeth's mirror and dressing table. She straightens up to retie her hair before answering.
"Difficult, and that's putting it mildly." She says. "Robson's been pushing me really hard lately, but I've also got a project under Parrish, who actually takes what I have to say into consideration, so I guess I'm alright." She fills him in with all the latest gossip from work, and he listens intently, laughing and saying the right things at the right times. "What about you?"
It hits her then how long it's been since she and Percy had had any time to themselves. He gestures with his hands as if to say 'eh, it's okay'. "I'm not complaining for as long as I'm getting paid enough to be able to live in this Ikea model home with my Cosmopolitan model girlfriend." He winks at her and she rolls her eyes, even if she can't stop herself from laughing.
They'd decided to move out of their crummy apartment in Manhattan to a larger one in Brooklyn, higher up and with a nicer view. Annabeth had insisted that the living room be done first, which is why anyone who walked in would be under the impression that they had their lives together. That is, until they stepped into any of the rooms, that still looked like Ikea had exploded in them.
"Very funny. How's Ruby?" She asks of Percy's colleague from work and he shrugs.
"She's good, yeah. She's off delivering her baby now, though." He says. "Mark's always asking about you, though- What a creep, he's like, seven years older than you." He adds, and Annabeth smiles. Like her, Percy's also one of the youngest at his firm, because unlike most of his colleagues, he'd rushed off to do his law degree in Europe, meaning he finished significantly faster than most of them. He's been working for a while longer than she is, though, meaning he isn't the newbie at work, unlike her.
"Anyway, are we on for a morning run tomorrow?" He asks her doubtfully.
"Have I ever put that off? Don't be a weirdo, I've just got to do a site check. I'll be gone for not longer than two hours." She promises, and Percy pouts.
"And I have to go to Frank's party without you?"
"Percy, it's not that bad. And you can't tell anyone about the party, okay?" Annabeth sighs. "Can you get the other end of the drawer? It's too heavy." He helps her slot it into the chest of drawers, and Annabeth straightens up, looking around her. They'd been at it for hours together, and the room looks like it's finally coming together. She collects the pillows off the bed, quickly dressing them and then moving on to the mattress as Percy covers up the mattress with a protector. He's just tucking the last of the white sheets under when she arranges the pillows and drapes the duvet over the bed. She turns around to find Percy smiling triumphantly at her.
"We're done!" He declares, and she laughs, pushing him lightly towards the bed. He flops down on his back and grins.
"Not until we Hoover this mess." She tells him lightly, stepping out to get the magic cleaning machine, and starting it up. She can feel Percy's gaze on her as she works, and looks up to flash him a grin. When she's really, really done, she climbs into the bed beside him, curling into his side. Her body is screaming in pain every time she so much as blinks, so she closes her eyes, resting her head on Percy's shoulder.
She feels him wrap his arm around her body, drawing her closer. He's sticky and reeks of sweat, but she probably does, too, so she doesn't complain. She takes a deep breath, and feels him press a kiss on her forehead.
"I love you." He whispers, and she wants to respond, she really does, but she's too tired and her body's in too much pain. She knows Percy Jackson inside out, and she knows that he doesn't need her to say it back to him for him to know she loves him. Being in love with him is a part of who she is, it's in her bones. For her to love Percy Jackson is natural. She lets out a small hum, and he pulls her closer to him, because he knows, and that's enough.