A/N: Inspired by the music video of Taylor Swift's Ours. It's short, but something at least. Beta reading credits to Deathandjunkfood. Thanks Maia!

Enjoy ;)

"Hey."

Annabeth turned around, and there he was. As familiar to her as the back of her hand, and looking as fresh as the dawn each morning.

A smile crossed her lips. She started walking towards him, but it quickly turned into a run as she hurled herself into his open arms. Her momentum set them both spinning, each holding on to the other like a lifeline, her face buried in his neck. She inhaled, memorizing the scent of his skin, locking it in her memory.

Annabeth drew back a little, enough to cup his face in her hands and kiss him. Immediately, she felt complete again. The piece of her heart that he had taken along with him was back, and Annabeth was filled with happiness and gratitude.

Percy broke the kiss and crushed her against his uniform-clad chest. And as she buried her face in his neck again, a few tears leaking out of her eyes, he felt that he was finally home.

…

Percy walked into the kitchen to see Annabeth at the counter, hunched over a pan that had eggs cooking in it.

"Morning," he whispered, wrapping her into an embrace from behind. Annabeth turned with a sleepy smile on her face and kissed his cheek. Then she went right back to making breakfast.

Yawning, Percy let his head drop down on her shoulder. Despite all his military training, he still couldn't get up in the mornings.

His head bounced slightly whenever Annabeth moved to flip the eggs or grab a plate to put them on. He stared at her with half-lidded, sleepy eyes, memorizing her every movement and the contours of her face as she moved.

When she turned again, Percy grabbed her hands and pulled her over to the wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. He sat down, with her standing between his legs, barely any distance between their bodies.

It had been like this ever since he came back from his latest mission. For the past two months, they had been as close as they could be; savoring every moment they had together before Percy had to go away again.

Percy swept a light kiss against her jaw, and pulled her closer, even though the space between them was virtually non-existent. He buried his face in her neck; one hand tangled in her mess of blonde hair, the other on her lower back. His muscles, having tightened with the stress of news, relaxed immediately.

Annabeth had that effect on him. Whenever he felt hollow after a day on the field, one glance at her letters or her picture warmed inside. She was the reason he got up every day, the reason he fought as hard as he did, knowing he had to go back to her, no matter the cost. Protecting her was his first priority, and losing her was his worst nightmare.

It was the reason he was dreading going back.

Her fingers combed through his unruly black hair, and her mouth dipped down to press a kiss against his head. They stayed like that for a while, even as their breakfast grew cold, both marveling in the gentle caress.

Finally Percy pulled back just enough to stare into her eyes. Her grey eyes might have looked intimidating and calculating to some, but all Percy could see was the love she felt for him. She was a complicated puzzle he had learned to put together bit by bit, yet he found new pieces of her every day, piece to love and cherish, to make his best and happiest memories.

He grabbed both of her hands in his own, gently rubbing circles on them with his thumb.

His eyes roved over her face, taking in every detail as he gathered his courage to tell her.

"I recieved a letter yesterday," he blurted.

"Oh?" her voice was neutral, but her eyes widened slightly, telling Percy that she understood exactly what that letter had said.

"Yeah."

He sighed.

Annabeth looked towards his lap, where their hands lay tangled together. "And what did it say?" she asked, her lips tightening together.

Percy looked down too, squeezing her hands to comfort her- and himself.

"We leave next week. Thursday morning."

"Oh," Annabeth said again. It was all she could trust herself with.

Percy released one of her hands, using his own to gently raise her chin. He coaxed her to look into his eyes, and when she did, kept her pinned under his stare as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.

Annabeth wrapped her hands around his neck, and leaned her forehead against his. She could see the guilt on his face, and refrained from sighing.

A few years ago, Annabeth would have withdrawn into herself at this, but over the years they had been together, she had learnt that it only made everything worse, that it was best to send him off with a smile, and hope that he would be safe. She had learnt the hard way that when Percy was worried about her, he tended to get reckless, a fact that had nearly gotten him killed on multiple occasions.

She knew it had to happen eventually, that Percy would have to go back soon, leaving her behind once again. Whenever she thought about it, it got her heart racing, and wrenching painfully in her chest, her logical brain reminding her of the very real chance that it could be the last time she would ever see him.

Annabeth shook her head, chasing away these thoughts. Percy was staring with a worried look on his face, gnawing on his lower lip. She brushed a thumb against it, gently freeing the lip from its torture.

She managed to pull her features into a small smile, still tracing the outline of his lower lip.

"Then we would just have to make the best of our time, won't we?"

Percy grinned. He leaned forward and captured her lips into a long, drawn out kiss, murmuring into them. "I love you."

Annabeth pulled away, and stepped back, untangling their limbs. "Come on, Perce," she said with a cheeky grin, "Since you let my breakfast turn cold, you're taking me out."

Percy beamed. "Ten minutes," he said, hopping off the table and vanishing out the door.

Annabeth sighed, leaning against the counter and finally letting out her emotions. She frowned, picking at a loose thread hanging from her old t-shirt. She let herself wallow in sorrow for exactly ninety seconds, and then straightened, pushing away from the slab of stone.

She gathered her hair up in a tight ponytail, and started down the hall to go find Percy. There was a determined set to her jaw.

Seven days. And she would make every second count.

The stakes are high, the water's rough
But this love is ours