Just Studying
You all have ObeliskX to thank for this because I've been promising them some genderbent percabeth smut and I've finally gotten around to it. It's a high school au, too. I sure have missed au fics. Anyways, here it is:
Peyton used to have a crush on Adam. Of course, that was way back when in third grade when every single girl in the entire class had like-liked him. Adam was the neutral party, not overly popular but not a total loser. A person who it was completely socially acceptable to have a crush on with no judgment at all. He was that kid who was fairly popular right up to before middle school started, where he then blended into the background of everyday life. Adam was no one special, no one important, and no one who Peyton would have ever seen herself dating. So when she saw his name on the tutor list, she barely thought twice about calling him up to set a date so she could bring up her D+.
Originally, Peyton wasn't going to go anywhere near the tutor binder. She was perfectly content with her un-failing grade and was even sort of embarrassingly proud of herself for it. Whatever it takes to get by, had been her motto. When she told that to her mother, however, Sally Jackson was not so giddy about it.
"Peyton," she'd started off with her calming motherly tone, "I know you aren't technically failing algebra but I'd appreciate it if you got some help."
"What kind of help?" Peyton flicked her wrist swiftly and her miniature basketball flew into the plastic hoop attached to her door, "Wait a second, you aren't seriously considering-"
"I am telling you that you need a tutor," Sally crossed her arms and forced Peyton to look directly into her eyes, "This isn't a big deal, you've had plenty before."
"Yeah, but this time I'm doing well for me," Peyton pushed, sitting up straight, "Can't you be proud of me? Plus, with practice it's been getting harder and harder to find spare time."
"Peyton, do it for me, please? You know I'm always proud of you but I don't want this grade to slip."
Sally was so genuine that Peyton rolled her eyes and huffed, "Fine, mom, whatever." Which in teenager, is translated as "yes."
Here she was, plugging Adam Chase's number into her cell phone, exactly twenty-four hours later. The phone rang three agonizing times before Adam picked up.
"Hello?" his voice was fuzzy and muffled.
"Um, hi," Peyton sighed, "This is Peyton Jackson. I heard you tutor in algebra?"
"Yes, I do," he sounded almost smug, "You'd like to set a date?"
"Yeah, uh, any day after four-thirty is good for me," Peyton shrugged even though he couldn't see her.
"Okay, how does Thursday at five sound?"
"That's fine."
"Should we go to the library?"
"Ugh," Peyton didn't mean to make a disgusted noise but libraries always tended to make her skin itch, "Sorry, is there another place we can go? I'm not a huge fan of libraries."
Adam was silent over the line, he didn't seem like he was used to negotiating things with people. No one had probably ever rejected his library suggestion.
Peyton cleared her throat, "How about you stop by my apartment? Is that okay?"
"Um, uh, yeah," Adam sounded strangely nervous, "That's fine."
Peyton gave him her address and tossed her phone to the edge of the bed. With her algebra textbook open to the pages she was supposed to complete, her pencil laying helplessly on the floor where it had rolled off the bed, and her notebook, torn and frayed, abandoned next to her, Peyton closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Thursday rolled around sooner than both Adam and Peyton had expected and Peyton swept the junk off her kitchen table as Adam briskly climbed several flights of stairs to her apartment. With three solid knocks on the door, Adam took a shaky breath. Much to slowly, the door opened and Peyton stood, her charcoal hair flying in wisps out of her ponytail and her blue hoodie rumpled and bunched up at her hips. She always manages to look beautiful, Adam thought and prayed the words wouldn't fly out of his mouth. He set his jaw and nodded firmly at Peyton because he was Adam Chase and Adam Chase never slipped up.
"Come on in," Peyton gestured through the door, "You can take a seat at the kitchen table."
Adam tried not to stare too much at his surroundings but the contents of Peyton's home were just so interesting. Glass lamps filled with seashells, curtains that looked like waves, little potted plants and figures all scattered about. Adam noticed a small stuffed shark on the floor.
"You have a dog?" he asked. When Peyton gave him a mildly concerned look he pointed at the shark and added, "Dog toy."
"Yeah," she said, thank god she said yes because that would've been very awkward, "Her name is Mrs. O'Leary. She's a poodle. I have her locked up in my parents' room for now so she doesn't bother us. Do you, uh, do you like dogs?"
"I love dogs," Adam said a little too enthusiastically, "I have a dog, too."
"Sweet," Peyton smiled awkwardly, "We should get started, shouldn't we?"
"Good idea," Adam pressed his lips together and followed her into the kitchen where he set his bag on the floor carefully and sat in the wooden chair primly. Peyton was rummaging through her refrigerator.
"You want anything to drink?" her voice was muffled by the open door and humming of the fridge, "We've got coke."
"No thank you," Adam politely refused, "I'm okay for now."
"Suit yourself," Peyton opened the can with a soft hiss and took a sip as she sat next to Adam.
"Is anyone else here?" Adam inquired out of pure curiosity.
"Besides Mrs. O'Leary?" Peyton set her can down on the table, "It's just you and me, dude."
Adam tried his best not to make any weird comment or gesture after that. He didn't know what to do with the information he was just given. Because now he was in Peyton Jackson's house, the girl he'd had a crush on for god knows how many years, and her parents weren't home.
"Ugh, so I actually have to learn now, don't I?" Peyton pouted and took another swig.
An hour and what must've been seven thousand problems later, Adam desperately tried to explain another crucial topic to Peyton.
"You see, you multiply the number on the outside of the radical by the outside number on the other one like this," he scribbled the correct values on the page as Peyton stared at the page with glassy eyes, "Then, you take the two numbers on the insides of the radicals and multiply them together. It's actually really simple once you get it."
"When am I ever going to need to multiply radicals in my life other than for this stupid class?" Peyton leaned back in her chair as she whined, "This is so pointless."
Adam shook his blond curls out of his eyes and shrugged, "Well, once you pass you can forget all about it but for now it's very useful information to you."
Peyton laughed bitterly, "When I pass," she mocked, "Don't be so certain about that."
"Why not?" Adam leaned in, his gray eyes shining with concern.
"Because I rarely pass anything. I'm a moron." Peyton's green eyes darkened as she slumped into her seat even more.
"Don't say that," Adam placed a hand on the table in front of her, "It's not true."
"Oh, come on," Peyton got louder, "I'm ADHD and dyslexic, I know I'm not the brightest in the bunch."
"Those factors have nothing to do with it," Adam shook his head, "If you want to learn and you want to succeed, you'll do better."
"Oh, really?" Peyton's voice was fragile, "How do you know that?"
"Because I'm ADHD and dyslexic."
"Shut up."
"Pinky swear."
"So it's just me then, huh?" Peyton rolled her eyes. Those gorgeous sea green eyes Adam had always loved, "I'm just the idiot."
"Remember what I just said," Adam felt the pressing need to comfort her, "You have to want this."
"Okay, fine, fine," Peyton rubbed her temples, "But can we take a quick break? I feel like my brain is about to melt through my skull and out of my ears."
"Of course," Adam blinked and took a deep breath as he organized his things.
"How much longer is this going to be?" Peyton ran her fingers through her ponytail, "No offense, this is great, I just have swim at eight-thirty."
"We don't have to study for much longer," Adam shrugged, "Whenever you want to stop it's your choice. I have nowhere to be."
"Where would you want to be?" Peyton asked loosely.
"Excuse me?" Adam squinted at her and folded his hands uncomfortably into his lap.
"You're a very closed book, I've noticed," Peyton looked him up and down, "I really don't know all that much about you. Tell me about you."
"I don't know what to say."
"First thing that pops into that big brain of yours, GO."
Adam looked at he ceiling for a second before lifting his shoulders and saying, "I like architecture."
"Really?" Peyton was interested, "That's really cool. So do you like designing buildings and stuff?"
"Yeah, anything to do with it, really. Looking at old structures, designing new ones, anything and everything."
"So you can like, draw really well?"
"I mean I guess so," Adam rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
"Draw something for me, then," Peyton slid him a strip of notebook paper, "Whatever you can draw."
"Um, okay," Adam took her pencil shakily and started sketching a variation of his favorite creation. Peyton was mesmerized. His pencil was so gentle on the page, so unlike her. She watched his face as he drew, his eyes stern and focused yet at peace. His curls fell into his eyes and she had the odd urge to tuck them away or pull on them and make them bounce back. Wow, this third grade crush was rebounding back to her faster than a rubber band stretched five miles across.
Adam hadn't noticed how close their faces were until their cheeks were two inches apart. He tried to stay focused on his task and not pay much mind to it. But she smelled like the ocean and her skin looked so soft...
They were both teenagers with bursting hormones and no sense of right and wrong once they got into the swing of things. Of course, Adam knew better, but she initiated it. So when their lips were touching and Adam could confirm that she tasted like the ocean,too, he went with it. He went with it as her hands eagerly dug into his hair, which smelled like lemons, and as she cupped his face gently. Ans Peyton went with it as he rested his hands on her hips and slipped his tongue into her mouth.
Peyton pulled away with even more disheveled hair than usual and plush, rosy lips, "Wanna hang out in my room?" she suggested lightly although it was more of a command than a suggestion.
All Adam could do was nod and stumble behind her as she dragged him into her bedroom and shut the door quietly.
"I really like you," he blurted as she pushed him so he was sitting on her bed, "I've always really liked you."
"Ditto," Peyton replied as she climbed on top of him so their legs tangled together and their chests were flat against each other with glorious pressure.
Adam didn't know why but soon they were rushing. Maybe it was because Peyton's parents were going to be home soon. Maybe she was going to be late for swim practice. Adam didn't know and frankly, he didn't care because she was peppering kisses along his jawline and tugging his pants off. Even when he thought he was going to get together with Lucy, strong Lucy with her blonde hair and distinguishable scar, Peyton was always in the back of his mind. Stuck on his shoe like a wad of freshly chewed gum.
But now he was paying attention to Peyton and how she was pressing a small foil package onto his chest. Of course she had condoms in her room, I mean, they were both seniors in high school for crying out loud. Who hadn't fucked someone?
Adam marveled in her beauty, at her toned stomach, round breasts, and perfect tan and she stripped off her shirt and bra in front of him. Then, Adam was rolling the condom on and Peyton was throwing her panties onto the floor. They were blue. Adam knew why; blue was her favorite color. He remembered from sixth grade when they had to make bar graphs in math class.
Both of their stomachs burned with fiery lust and bottled up feelings. When Adam was hovering over Peyton, and then pushing into her in one swift movement, they both groaned with relief. It had been years of waiting. And even though they really knew close to nothing about each other, they had known each other for nearly their entire lives. This was their chance to get closer and more educated about themselves. They were just doing it in the way that teenagers do.
Peyton felt full with Adam's cock sliding in and out of her. She clawed at his back and made tiny whimpering noises that Adam would be lying if he said he hadn't fantasized about. Her legs wrapped around his torso and he reached in deeper.
"Oh fuck, Adam," Peyton gritted her teeth and pressed her head into the pillow.
Adam was supposed to be smart. That was his adjective. You know when you don't know someone really well and your mom asks you about them so you tell her their adjective.
"How is that boy, Adam Chase?" she would ask.
"Oh, he's really smart," your response would be.
"How's that girl Lucy Castellan?" her next question is.
"She's nice," is all you know about her.
Adam knew in some barricaded part of his mind that what he was doing was wrong. But Peyton was going with it. So he was, too. Peyton. Sarcastic, troublemaker, brave Peyton. Panting below him, eyes closed, and pearly teeth gritting together. She lifted her hips up to take more of him in. Adam. Sweet, bright, slightly uptight Adam. Broad muscular chest over her, lips on her neck, delicate curls brushing her chin.
Peyton couldn't last any longer. The friction and the breathtaking sounds of Adam's shallow breaths clouded her thoughts. With a sharp thrust of Adam's hips, she felt a warm, buzzing sensation sweep through her veins and relax her body. After seeing Peyton unwind underneath him, Adam didn't last much longer after her. Once they were both tired and laying next to each other on the cool sheets, the rational thinking bounded through the door.
"That wasn't me," Adam swallowed thickly and sat up, "I'm sorry, I have to go."
Adam began to gather his things, stepping into his boxers ungracefully and almost knocking a lamp over as he put his shirt on.
"What?" Peyton seemed genuinely confused, "Why are you so jittery all of a sudden?"
"Because I'm smarter than this!" Adam snapped and looped his belt around his waist.
Peyton's blissful facial expression crumbled, "Oh, so I'm a mistake now, aren't I?" she spoke deadly soft, "This was all some huge mistake that you're just going to regret your entire life? Yeah, okay, what else is new? Get out of my house."
Suddenly, Adam's original plan of leaving escaped his mind, "Wait, Peyton, no," he tried to collect his feelings and force them through his lips, "I never meant it like that."
"Sure, whatever, just leave." Peyton rolled her eyes and angrily snatched up her discarded articles of clothing.
Adam figured he had less than three seconds before Peyton beat him out of her apartment. He took a deep breath and remembered to think clearly, "What I'm trying to say is that I really like you," Peyton hesitated for a split second before grabbing her pants and shoving her lean legs into them, "And it wasn't just because of this. I always have. I'm just nervous because I feel that we moved too fast and I want to get to know you better."
Peyton mulled over his words, "Um, okay," was all that she could say. Wow, Peyton, smooth.
"How about Frankie's Pizza Parlor tomorrow," Adam suggested, "Five o'clock?"
Peyton smiled and licked her lips, "Yeah, cool. Sounds like a plan."
She looked him in the eyes for the first time. Like, really looked. They were the color of the sky right before a massive thunderstorm. Peyton had a feeling that the first droplet was just about to fall.