Baby Epiphanies
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians + Heroes of Olympus
Paring: Percabeth . Kind of fluffy I guess
Rating: Pretty safe haha
Setting: Months or so after BoO. Percy has a year-old baby brother.
In which Annabeth watches Percy take care of his baby brother, and realizes a few things.. besides Percy being actually good with kids.
…
Annabeth couldn't wrap her head around the millions of possible scenarios of the things that could go wrong with Percy as a baby sitter. But apparently, since Percy had done it several times now, and he was trusted enough by Sally and Paul to be completely on his own, that meant he might actually know a thing or two about little kids. That, or maybe his parents thought that babysitting wasn't the most difficult task Percy could do. If the fate of the world was entrusted on his hands once, then they could entrust a baby.
Or not, Annabeth thought, remembering his winning dork moments that were enough to make her smile and make the people around her think she's crazy.
But upon witnessing Percy baby sit for the first time, she changed her mind. Admittedly, Annabeth wasn't pretty good with kids. Logic just wasn't the thing with them, and often times, they spoke a completely different language. She tends to be impatient with them, and has a rep for permanently scarring the younger campers with her temper. So naturally, when Percy invited her to come to his place while his parents were away, she grew nervous.
Though part of her nervousness dissipated with the thought that Percy was actually adept with baby sitting, she still had one thought in the back of her mind bothering her. What if the kid doesn't like me? No kid actually ever does. Does that mean my own kids won't like me?
She gulped. What would Percy say about that?
"Annabeth?" Percy's voice broke her out of her inner tensions. He was sterilizing the baby bottle while the adorable little critter did well, baby things on his walker. "You look, I don't know, confused and scared at the same time?" He laughed, making her flustered. "Which doesn't seem very Annabeth to me."
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just worried your Seaweed Brain might accidentally melt the bottle," Annabeth teased under her breath.
"Aww, Annabeth, you gotta give me more credit than that!" Percy feigned hurt but he chuckled. He knelt down and gently ran his hand through Beans's curly brown hair, and the baby squealed and giggled, holding out his hands. "Game, game, game!" he chanted, which, as it turns out, was one of his favorite words besides Percy. Annabeth found this adorable.
"Come on, Annabeth! He wants us to play!" Percy said, though it didn't require Athenian intellect to figure that out.
Percy opened up his palm, and Beans began dipping his fingers in it. Percy started counting, and by five, he would grab at Beans's hand. If Beans swiped it away before Percy could grab it, he wins. Otherwise, he loses, and Percy had to tickle him. It didn't seem like Beans minded losing though, he loved being tickled, specially when Percy would creep up to him, opening and closing his hands, until their foreheads were touching, and Percy would swoop in for the tickle on his tummy.
Annabeth couldn't help but smile. She couldn't help this ridiculously warm and tingly feeling blooming in her chest, warming her up. She couldn't explain it, and it would've driven her crazy, if it wasn't so fun to watch Percy play with his little brother.
Just a few hours ago, Percy being responsible enough to take care of a baby was unimaginable. After all, he was somewhat a big baby himself, too, despite his heroics. But she guessed that was exactly why he could easily communicate with a one-year-old and not be fed up with playing games all day.
"Hey, come on, Annabeth!" Percy said in between chuckles and tickles, and then Beans bit his finger. Annabeth had to laugh. "Help me out here!"
"So, the great hero admits he needs my help?"
Beans kept biting at Percy's fingers, and since he only had about two teeth, Percy pretended that it hurt. "Annabeth, help me!" Percy feigned pain then laughed.
Annabeth walked over, and before she could kneel down, Beans said "Beth! Beth!" Annabeth felt like her heart was being crippled in her chest. It's definitely an aww moment, she thought, and she rustled his hair. Beans grabbed at her golden curls, and chanted her name, as if she was the most amusing thing he's ever heard since Barney.
"Hee likes you!" Percy chuckled.
"Of course he does!" Annabeth said, as she rustled Beans's hair, her fear dissipating. Maybe this was one kid she wouldn't lose her temper over. Her eyes then locked with Percy's, which never failed to make her heart feel as if it were melting like butter on her ribs. She couldn't help but smile with him.
This isn't so scary, she thought, I wouldn't mind this at all, one day..
Watching Percy baby sit his little brother was like an epiphany. The way he would gently handle him, lifting him up and changing his diapers, making his milk formula and playing weird games.. she just couldn't help her happiness. They had hope – hope of a future, hope for something she had always dreamed of – something permanent.
And with Percy, she realized, everything became a million times better. Cleaning up a baby's mess? Actually fun with a Seaweed Brain around. Babysitting a hyperactive toddler? A heartwarming experience even. She took a mental note to remind him how amazing she actually thinks he is.
While playing the hand games with Beans with one hand, she find's Percy's hand with the other and laces it through his. They share another look at each other, one that does not spear her a glimpse through his soul.
She didn't win the lottery, or pass the architecture licensure exam, or find the cure of cancer. She was plainly baby sitting, a terribly ordinary scenario with her not-so ordinary boyfriend, with whom she survived hell with.
And for once, she wasn't so scared to face the future. As long as we're together, she thought.
The End
Thanks for reading it! I hope you enjoyed it. By the way, the game Beans and Percy played is a game kids usually play here in my country (I guess my countrymen here would recognize it)