Hanging by a Moment
Summary: A year, there was only a year left of their high school careers, yet Percy had never spoken to her, the grey-eyed girl who so often crossed his mind. He gave himself a year—filled with music, libraries, scrabble, sunrises, maybe even friendship and affection—to change that. And if he was lucky, come the end of the year, Annabeth Chase would fall in love with him too. | | Percabeth. One shot.

Word Count: 8,600+
Cover thanks: Burdge on tumblr for the Percabeth drawing.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO—the same goes for any and all of the songs mentioned.

A/N: So, this was going to be my Valentine's Day one shot… But you see, I didn't have it done by Thursday… SO, here it is, minus a couple of things I was going to do specifically for the Valentine's Day version.

Also, I have a playlist with all the songs mentioned in this one shot. I'll post the link here, heroluke. tumblr . com * / tagged/hbam-playlist (remove the spaces and *), if you want to listen to it while reading. At the bottom, the link will also be listed in case you want to listen to the songs afterwards.

xx

Hanging by a Moment

...

Percy Jackson was never particularly good at expressing his feelings. Despite the many times his mouth would open, zero feelings ever seemed to slip out. Actually it was never a matter of how it seemed because the feelings never did tumble out. Maybe it was the fear of rejection, cool fingers that grasped around his neck, constricting him from talking and risking being told the dreaded word, "no." But it got worse, he had never actually talked to the girl who created so many feelings to swell inside of him.

To say the least, she was unapproachable. Sure, he was the captain of the swim team, however that was no competition for her multiple presidencies in almost every club, as well as being the president of their class; her multiple academic awards, as well as sports awards; and her locked-in place as being the valedictorian to give a speech come graduation. Nevertheless, the girl with flaxen curls pulled into a high ponytail could have anyone she wanted, and she truly did. It was a known fact that she was dating a college guy with a scar no less.

However, there was nothing to stop determination, and Percy certainly had a lot of it.

...

Despite the fact that Percy never truly accomplished much of any work during his free periods, he found himself stumbling into the library after seeing a blonde haired girl venture her way into it. Maybe it was dumb, the way he was so determined to at least befriend her, but he knew that he couldn't go another year without talking to her—without being near her; besides, in a year, she was destined to be at Yale, Harvard, Colombia, MIT, Princeton, or Stanford whereas Percy was merely likely to go to a school where he was another face in the average sea of students.

She sits alone, he noted as he waited in line to sign into the library. In front of her sat the perfect pile of binders and books in a neat procession when she went to remove another book. Regardless of the number of chairs surrounding the wooden table, it was only her at the table, flicking a pencil over what appeared to be paper yet Percy wasn't so sure. He had heard, once, that she was destined to be an architect, granted she apparently could have been anything on which she opted to focus. Although he wasn't certain whether to view it as truth or fiction, he had heard Annabeth designed Olympus, a restaurant occupied by many a business person or famous actor. He often passed it when walking aimlessly about the streets wondering if sh—

"Sign in," the teacher at the desk ordered, watching Percy with skeptical eyes. "If you don't know your student ID number, then you need to leave." Percy nodded once, typing in his student ID number under the skeptical gaze of the teacher. "Next time, don't expect a personal invitation."

"I didn't need one in the first place," Percy shot back without thought, a sassy comment that he didn't originally intend to make. Sure, it was the first thing that came to mind, but those things generally were not the best things for Percy to utter.

The teacher raised an eyebrow, far from amused. "Smart Alecks get nowhere in life," the teacher called after Percy as he wandered into the library.

He was out of his element, on the other side of the school from the pool. The second he passed the sign-in desk, thoughts swirled into his head of how he should have turned back and gone to a place where he seemed to fit in, where he was comfortable. However, she wasn't there, and he had already decided that he would at least befriend her before the school year ended. Moreover, it was his last chance to do it.

His friends were there too—in the back of the library, making obnoxious noises that were sure to get them kicked out. He noted how every time they make a loud noise, the blonde's nose wrinkled slightly in great distaste. He thought it was cute. He wondered if her supposed boyfriend ever noticed that she did that.

Something about her pulled him in, his legs leading him towards the table without a second thought, his eyes trained on her. His heart beat quickly, pushing against the back of his ribs as he attempted to steady his breathing. Why was he so nervous? Was it due to the fact that she was completely out of his league? Was it due to the fact that the icy fingers of fear of rejection quickly wound their way around his neck? Was it due to the fact that his stomach dropped when her head tilted up towards him as he slid into the seat across from her?

He forced a smile, gliding his books across the table as easily as he slid through the water. It wasn't likely that he would open his books since his dyslexia paired with his ADHD often inhibited him from reading. So instead, as the girl dropped her gaze back to the blueprints in front of her, he sat there and took her in, never having been so close to her.

If he was honest, she was more beautiful close up than afar. However, he would never tell her that. He lacked the ability to tell her that. And so, he sat there, becoming distracted in the way she pushed a curl behind her ear or slid her fingers along her pencil to brush layers of graphite across the page.

"Do you talk?" She asked abruptly, not raising her eyes from off the page.

He raised an eyebrow, nodding his head once before clearing his throat. "Yes."

She lifted her eyes to his, the grey meeting the green. "Has anyone ever told you a picture lasts longer?"

He shrugged, feeling his throat becoming lodged once again. "Yeah."

An eyebrow rose in amusement. "Please tell me that you can say more than one word at a time…?" She questioned, setting her pencil down as she leaned back in her chair.

"I can," he replied, his eyes taking note of the way she crossed her arms, tapping a finger against her forearms.

"Two words, I'm impressed," she teased lightly, the corner of her lip lifting upwards into a smile. "I'm Annabeth," she said after a beat, tucking a hair behind her ear.

He nodded, "I know."

"Well, I can't say that I know your name." She responded easily, secretly enjoying the fact that there was someone at her table, no matter how clueless he may have seemed.

A slight blush covered his cheeks, despite the fact that he willed them to stay neutral colored. He hoped that Annabeth couldn't see the heat rising to them, but as the smile on her face edged larger, he was certain she could. "I'm Percy," he said, then swallowed hard, willing his nerves to be swallowed away as well.

"Percy Jackson, swim captain and voted most likely to be a model," Annabeth recited with a fake air, smiling again as Percy's cheeks took on a red tint. "You blush a lot," she observed, picking up her pencil to twirl it between her fingers.

"Not normally," Percy shot back with a little annoyance at the fact that she was so good at making him so uncomfortable.

She cocked her head to the side, curls falling from their place behind her ear. "So, are you saying I make you blush?" He shrugged a shoulder, deciding it was best not to answer some questions; this was one of those questions. "So, Percy Jackson, what brings someone like you to the library?"

"Someone like me?" He questioned, shifting in his seat in an attempt to quell his discomfort.

Annabeth nodded, tucking the hair behind her ear once again. "I figured you'd be one to sit with the guys in the back," she jerked a thumb back there, contorting her face into pain when they made another noise that was louder than needed.

"Ouch," Percy teased, feeling himself ease into the conversation, "are you saying you think I'm just like them?"

"I'm saying," she paused, absentmindedly running her fingers along the pencil in her hands, "that you're friends with them, therefore it's more likely that you would sit with them."

"Who says I'm here for them?" Percy challenged, secretly enjoying a hint of a smile that covered Annabeth's features.

She leaned towards him slightly, until her body was half way across the table before whispering, "Well, Percy Jackson, you make it sound a lot like I'm the reason that you're here."

He leaned forward, bringing his green eyes mere inches away from her grey. "Well, Annabeth Chase, not everything is about you," he instructed as if deflating her ego. She laughed, the puffs of breath lightly hitting Percy's face. A grin inched across his face, his heart quickening at the small distance between the two of them, "But this time, it just so happens to be about you."

"So tell me something, Percy," she leaned back again in her chair, increasing the space between them; Percy echoed her actions, "how did I bring you here?" He shrugged. He never was good at discussing his feelings.

...

"You're smart, right?" Percy asked, having spent much too long staring at the math problems in front of him. He wasn't sure how he made it all the way to Precalc. He wasn't sure that he ever wanted to get to "calc". If he was having so many problems with the "pre," he doubted getting to the actual "calc" part would help. However, he was certain that Annabeth could probably help him in some way, some manner. Somewhere along the minutes which turned into hours which turned into days, they had gotten along, learned to work in synch despite the numerous disputes that filled their time together.

She raised an eyebrow. "Is this your not-so-eloquent way of asking me for help?" He shrugged a shoulder, meeting her stern gaze with his own. She sighed, rolling her eyes at the times that he opted not to talk. "What do you need help with, Percy?"

It would continue like this for weeks—Annabeth first leaning across the table to help—until she finally opted to have him sit next to her, shoulder to shoulder, leg to leg. Neither one seemed to mind the closeness; in fact, neither one seemed to be aware of the lack of space between the two of them. Had they become aware of it, or the lack of it, Annabeth would have surely felt guilty, and Percy surely would have blushed. However, they weren't aware of that, and that might have been in part because neither one wanted to be aware of it.

They worked in synch that way, never brushing elbows or running their objects into the other's space. Somewhere along the way, their space merged as Annabeth's pencils became Percy's, or maybe he forgot his pencil that day; and Percy's mess turned into neat piles that Annabeth stacked absentmindedly, or maybe it was her OCD running wild. She taught him organization. He taught her speed held no importance.

He always got it, always understood it, even if days elapsed. He would stumble into the library, sliding into the seat while proclaiming the fact that he finally got the verification or how to decompose partial fractions. She felt triumphant as his grades slowly raised because of her presence, and he felt thankful for deciding to stumble into the library that day; it wasn't because of his grades though, or at least they didn't play the largest role. There was more to it than that. She was more than that. He began to notice the way she only used grey, mechanical pencils, never one of any other color. She often twisted a bracelet on her wrist while reading, her eyebrows furrowing each and every time as her eyes covered the page. She didn't often read aloud he noted one day; in fact, she would avoid reading almost anything to him whenever he asked. Instead, she would read it in her head and then translate it for him.

"You have dyslexia, don't you?" He finally asked after weeks, stopping the beat his pencil made against the edge of the table.

Annabeth glanced towards him, through the slits of narrowed eyes. He wasn't asking to ridicule her, she noted after a second, placing her pencil carefully next to her blueprints. "How did you know?"

He shrugged a shoulder, turning in his chair to face her. "I have it too."

"Apparently we have more in common than we ever would have thought," Annabeth quipped with fake disdain, breaking her gaze from Percy's. Despite the fact that dyslexia had yet to stop her from achieving the level of intelligence that she held, it was a roadblock that she often stumbled over; she didn't want people to know. She didn't want people to view her as something different merely because she had a disorder that impaired her learning. "Don't tell anyone, Percy," she spoke softly, looking down at the way Percy's shoes ran over the carpet in slight swings.

He nodded, waiting for her to look up until he spoke; at times, he said few words like the first day he met, careful of anything and everything he said. At other times, the words flew from his mouth with no intended target, no intended destination to be reached through saying them. He waited, not stopping his hand when it reached up and tucked a blonde curl behind Annabeth's ear, softly securing it in the crook of her ear. She glanced up then, startled and slightly amused with the boy sitting next to her who regarded her with an affectionate smile. "I never will."

...

They never hung out outside of the library, not really even in the halls; it seemed to be a mutual agreement to leave all things in the library. However, somewhere along the way, Percy took it upon himself to wait for Annabeth outside her classes when he could, walking her to the next as she rambled on about something interesting or boring that occurred in the previous class. Generally, he didn't understand it, and a glazed look would settle across his features. At the times when Annabeth glanced up at him, she would roll her eyes at his expression, turning the conversation to suit him, whether it be swimming or Greek mythology; they both loved Greek mythology.

They fell into a pattern, one repeated five days out of seven, and later one would be made to accommodate the other two. It was simple for them, easy for them to make room for the other in their busy lives. However, they never truly needed to make room because the space had always been there. Maybe they didn't realize it originally, the way their schedules aligned so that their classrooms weren't too far apart or how their cars were parked in the same area of the student parking lot. Maybe they had needed each other all along, but neither was in the place to accept the other at the time; maybe they had been too blind, too scared to allow the other in or attempt to enter into the other's life. Maybe they thought they were much too different when in all reality they were different and yet the same.

Percy noticed that day that Annabeth seemed different, was different as he sat next to her in the library. She constantly erased whatever she drew on her blueprints, often sighing in exasperation or anger when the line wasn't drawn perfectly to scale. It was different than normal; she was different than normal. He wanted to ask her; he truly did, but he feared being dismissed by her in the off chance that she did not desire to divulge the details to him. The fear of rejection never released him from its distant grasp.

"Do you want to do something tonight?" He asked quickly before the words that he said even registered in his mind.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, thankfully dropping her pencil neatly next to her blueprints. "What are suggesting we do?"

"I haven't decided yet," Percy replied with a grin to which Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Come on, just go out on a limb, and say yes."

She hesitated, noting the way he looked at her with his green eyes dotted with blue and a goofy grin upon his face. "It's a school night, Percy."

"You aren't going to lose everything just by taking one night off," Percy pointed out, crossing his arms tightly across his chest. Annabeth shot him a look, not at all convinced. "Come on, just one night, Annabeth. For once, just forget about the time."

"Forget about the time?" She asked for clarification, tucking a curl behind her ear.

Percy nodded, not saying anything until Annabeth got close to hitting the smug look off his face. "Forget about the fact that we have school tomorrow. For once, just do something because you want to do it instead of worrying about the next day."

"You act like I worry too much," Annabeth said, attempting to change the subject.

"It's because you do," Percy shot back, an endearing smile barely visible on his lips. "Just for one night, Annabeth."

She sighed, pushing her bangs off her forehead as she picked up her pencil. "It depends on how much homework I have. If, and it's a big if, I can make it, where am I meeting you?"

"The lake at ten," Percy replied with a grin, knowing that was Annabeth's way of agreeing to be there without giving up her pride.

She rolled her eyes, focusing her attention onto her blueprints once again. "Which lake?"

"Oh, you'll know when you get there," he responded easily, leaning onto the back legs of his chair without any real care.

"Percy," Annabeth began, her voice serious, "I'm not going to go to every lake until I find you." He merely laughed under his breath, wobbling slightly on the back legs of his chair. "Percy, I'll push you back off your chair if you don't tell me what lake," Annabeth threatened, but Percy merely laughed freely, not caring that he was in a library; and maybe just maybe, a sliver of a smile slid across Annabeth's lips. Of course, that was before Percy tipped himself back in his chair because then she laughed like she had never laughed before.

...

"You're such a Seaweed Brain," Annabeth concluded after Percy spent hours rambling about water, fish, and the art of swimming. Truly, it was no exaggeration; Annabeth arrived at ten on the dot, and Percy began ten minutes later, not ending until three hours after.

He shrugged a shoulder, turning his head to look at her in the passenger seat of his Jeep. "M'sorry I'm not a Wise Girl like you," he said with finality after tracing the swimming amusement in her stormy eyes. "You have pretty eyes," he said after a moment, thankful for the covering darkness that kept his red tinted cheeks hidden.

A slight smile tugged at her lips. "Right back at you," Annabeth replied, pushing his dark hair from in front of his eyes. It was simpler that way, for her to merely say it that way instead of going out of her way to compliment him.

He never pushed her to say more, to divulge how she felt about his presence, and she loved that about him; she truly did. She valued that aspect in him more than almost anything in the world. He knew when to leave things be, when not to ask. He knew when to simply take in the glow of the moon and let her thoughts pool in her brain.

"What happened?" His voice cut through the silence, drawing Annabeth's eyes to his startling green ones.

She let her eyes roam over his face, his hair, his chest before focusing on his eyes again. She yearned to say nothing, but she knew he'd see right through it. She knew he wouldn't push her to tell him then, but for some reason, she wanted to tell him. Her gaze broke from his, focusing on the moon. "It's hard dating Luke," she said after a moment, avoiding Percy's eyes. He nodded, but she couldn't see. "I changed when I started dating him, conforming so as to be able to fit in with his friends. Somewhere along the way, I lost not only my friends but myself." Annabeth paused, a sigh racking through her body as she finally forced herself to meet Percy's gaze. "Sometimes, I wonder if it's worth it, worth with all the arguments I have with him."

"Loves worth it," Percy assured, forcing his feelings aside because that's what you do when you really care about someone—you put their happiness before yours, even when at times it hurts.

She shrugged a shoulder, cocking her head slightly to the side. "I'm not too sure that I love him," she mumbled into the air, knowing that it would become true the second she said it. It was no longer a secret as it mingled with reality.

Percy merely met her gaze, pushing a lock of curls behind her ear. He let his hand caress her cheek as she leant into it, smiling at her actions. His rough hand met perfectly with the softness of her cheek, flattening the hair behind her ear. "Then you don't love him," he affirmed with more strength than a simple whisper should ever have.

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth questioned, shifting her gaze between both of Percy's eyes.

He let his hand fall to his side once again, holding her gaze for the longest time. He was never good with feelings, and this was borderline feelings, far enough at the same time to voice it. "Because you'll know when you love someone. There won't be a doubt in your mind."

"You love someone, don't you?" Annabeth asked, noting the sincerity in his eyes. Percy shrugged, pulling on a wayward curl that caught his attention.

"Stay with me 'til sunrise?" He requested, the moon reflecting on his eyes.

She didn't need to say yes because she simply didn't leave.

They sat there conversing as if the conversation of love never arose. It was there, somewhere, in the back corner of the Jeep waiting for a later time. But right then, it was not the time; there was the future ahead with an ending seeming imminent. Yet it could wait because the ending was not tomorrow nor the next day nor the day after that. Neither considered the ending because they simply lived in the present that night.

She didn't need to say yes because he could see it in her eyes.

Despite everything that Annabeth may have wanted to believe, her eyes were a tell for anyone that could see. Percy was one of the few people who could actually see into the depths of the stormy grey eyes, past the clouds of barriers that she used to keep people at bay. It haunted her often, the way his green eyes pierced hers at the times of her greatest vulnerability, yet it was a comfort too for his orbs would soften with great care towards her.

She didn't need to say yes because there was no way that she would have said no.

Their laughter swept through the chilled night air, the smiles illuminated in the dark that encompassed the Jeep. There was little noise besides them, or the noise did not reach their ears. It wouldn't have mattered either way for they were merely focused upon themselves, almost missing the first stroke of sunlight that passed over the horizon line, reaching towards them.

They sat in silence then, soaking up the sunlight as they experienced something new together, something that they had never experienced before. Hope was the first thing that came to Annabeth's mind as the pink and orange melted together across the once dark sky. She had hope, for some reason, that this could last—that the sunrise could last. She knew that this sunrise would end soon enough, being echoed later on by the setting of the sun, but this feeling, this sense of novelty could last forever, would last forever.

She knew their days were numbered as she let her eyes fall on the raven haired boy next to her, but she forced herself not to think of that. His hand rest on the arm rest between the two seats, his eyes still focused on the sunset in front of him as a slight smile formed across her lips. Annabeth did something rash then as the orange and red reflected off his green eyes, sliding her hand across his and entwining their fingers right then. Her heart quickened during those few seconds of unknown where he might reject her hand, but rather he squeezed it tighter, the grin spreading larger then.

"I have a song for you to listen to," Percy said, breaking the silence. She nodded, having heard his words. "These Crazy Times by Jon McLaughlin." There was silence again before Percy quietly whispered, "And time's not what she used to be. She's turning into an enemy."

Yes, the days were numbered; they both knew it, but she was certain the novelty would not wear.

...

They never spent a night out waiting for the sunrise again, as the nights chilled throughout the days; she had listened to the song but never mentioned it to him. Nevertheless, Percy insisted that they do even more things to cement their friendship; he knew he was her only friend, and if he was honest, she was his only true friend too. Sure, he had the swim team and she Luke, but there was never any comparison between the relationships. It was the simple things that they did together such as homework, talking, or listening. It was so easy then, so uncomplicated, as they spent more time together, the hours adding up higher and higher.

"Scrabble," Percy said then after he pushed the word's last tile down. This was Annabeth's idea now, to spend the time building something together.

Annabeth shot him a glare before taking in the board in front of her. "It's a lot better than something else I could have suggested," she shot back, often times wondering how this Seaweed Brain had become such a great friend to her.

"Like what?" Percy prodded, raising an eyebrow with interest.

She paused, glancing towards him with amusement. "An art museum for example."

"You need to get out more often," Percy muttered, faking pain when Annabeth smacked him against his arm. "Don't shoot the messenger."

"Trust me, I didn't plan to," Annabeth answered with sincerity, running her fingers along the edge of the board. "You know, you've gotten better at Scrabble since you've been hanging out with me."

Percy rolled his eyes, something he had picked up from Annabeth. "Should I take that as a compliment or should you?"

"Funny," Annabeth muttered, carefully placing her tiles down on the board. "If we were keeping track of the score, that would have just put me at least two hundred points ahead of you."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows, scrutinizing the tiles that Annabeth just placed down. "That's not a word."

"Since when?" Annabeth questioned, amusement present in her eyes.

The dark haired boy shrugged a shoulder, glancing up to meet Annabeth's gaze. "Since I've never heard of it," he lamely shot back for lack of a better comeback. He knew he shouldn't have brought it up in the first place, yet the words still tumbled out of his mouth.

"Then there would only be one hundred words in the entire English dictionary much less any other language," Annabeth stated, the corner of her lip lifting slightly.

"What does redam—"

"Redamancy," Annabeth corrected, tugging on the end of a blonde curl, "means love returned or the act of loving someone who happens to love you back."

"So basically," Percy began, shifting on his couch opposite Annabeth, "that's what everyone wants in the world." Including me, he added silently, watching the way Annabeth's eyebrows characteristically rose upward as she pondered information.

She made an audible exhale before expanding, "I suppose so. It's a lot better than unrequited love which tends to indurate the heart of many a person. But still, there's no guarantee that a requited love will not induratize. Nevertheless, the hope is that it won't."

Percy paused, casting an indignant look. "Say that in English?"

She rolled her eyes, shifting the tiles in front of her. "Basically yes, most people want to love someone who loves them back, but that doesn't mean it won't cause the heart to become hardened such as being wearier with emotions."

"You could have said that the first time," Percy scolded, narrowing his eyes at the tiles in front of him.

"You could have understood it the first time," Annabeth countered, leaning back on the couch as she observed Percy. She waited, noting the way his eyes shifted countless times from the tiles to the board to the tiles to the board to the tiles to the— "You don't have a word, do you?" He shook his head, bringing his green eyes to meet Annabeth's. He waited, expecting to her to note how she won again as normal, but instead she held his gaze not uttering a word and barely a breath.

"Do you love him?" Percy asked abruptly, sliding his hand over the board to push the tiles into the middle.

"Pardon?" Annabeth immediately replied, nervously twirling a curl between two fingers.

He glanced up before swiftly pushing the tiles into a small bag. "Do you love him?" Percy repeated once again, his voice sterner now than before.

As it dawned on her what he was referring to, Annabeth bit her lip while rolling it between her teeth. Did she love him? Her immediate desire was to say yes because shouldn't she have loved him by then? Shouldn't she have been capable of loving the boy she was with for over a year? Shouldn't she be capable of simply saying yes, she loved him? It wasn't matter of should or shouldn't because that was not reality. The reality was:

"No, I don't," in a whisper barely audible to Percy.

However, he heard it. He always heard her. Now, whether or not he chose to decipher what she said was another story.

His sea-green eyes pierced hers as he paused from folding the board before he let his calloused hands gently place one edge of the board over the other. Annabeth noted the gentle way he did so, the care evident in his actions. She missed that Luke; there were multiple things missing from Luke such as the way he always spoke instead of sometimes choosing to listen; the way he believed he could fix all her problems; the way he believed she only spoke to him to have her problems fixed; the way he never chose to be silent like Percy did when he pursed his lips together with understanding eyes. She shouldn't have been comparing them, the blonde to black, the blue to green, but life was not a matter of should or shouldn't.

"I'll never love him," she said finally, pressing her temples against the palms of her hands. "I know that I'll never love him."

He was swift, next to her quickly as her shoulder brushed his and his thigh hers. "Okay," he replied simply, not judging her for a second.

"What do I do?" She questioned to no avail, not wanting an answer because she knew the answer.

"Maybe It's Over by Jon McLaughlin." The boy next to her shrugged a shoulder, lazily tossing an arm around her shoulder. "You find someone you know you can love. Love never asks for the time she takes," he whispered the last sentence softly into Annabeth's ear.

There was silence then as the weight of Percy's arm lay against Annabeth's shoulder. It wasn't overbearing nor was it too light. It fell, instead, in that slim range of just right, as if his arm was shaped to fit perfectly around her two shoulders, leaning lightly against her neck. She leaned into him then, letting his arm wrap tighter around her shoulder. "I love you," she muttered, pulling her face from her hands as she buried it into his shirt.

Her arms snaked around his waist as he pulled ever closer. Because for some reason, close was simply not enough. "I love you too, Wise Girl," he responded with a grin that was quickly covered as he pressed his lips into her curls, leaving his head there.

He knew it was different, different forms of the same thing. He could accept that though because for once the grip of rejection did not wind its way around his neck. He would tell her eventually; he still had time. But right then and there, she didn't need to carry the burden of his feelings. She needed him to be there for her, in the most pure of ways.

"I shouldn't love you this way," she murmured into his shirt, desperately wishing to press a kiss to his chest.

However, life wasn't a matter of should or shouldn't.

Because right then and there, he should have heard those words drift into his ears.

But for once, he didn't hear her.

...

They became more comfortable then, somehow entwined in any way possible. If they sat at a table, they were brushed side to side or their feet were entangled. At other times, one hand fell on a thigh or another around a waist or shoulder. Was it wrong, the way their bodies desired to be near one another, to touch one another? No, it certainly was not wrong because feelings couldn't be helped; necessities could not be help. They needed each other; they needed the other to be there for them when all else was falling apart. And sometimes, that was the easiest way for the other to know that their counterpart was still there—a brush of the hand, a light grasp of the wrist. It was natural then, in more ways than one.

Percy had accepted then that his mom would forever tease him for it. Annabeth had accepted then that she couldn't continue to push herself away.

Over the course of a week, Percy mirrored the air in the chair next to him, wondering if she was okay. He knew she was in school; he had seen a flash of blonde hair around a corner or sliding into a car—her car. She was avoiding him; he was certain. She was avoiding him; he couldn't begin to comprehend why. Maybe she understood then that he loved her as more than a friend. Maybe she understood then what the latest song meant to him. Maybe she understood then that he always yearned for more than a quick kiss on the cheek or the simplest of hugs. Maybe she understood then that he yearned for her and her alone. Maybe he was overthinking things, but the thoughts sure scared him. He would take it back then; take back his feelings if it meant having her back. His need for her had become a daily one, needing her around him; needing to know that she was still breathing in her normal rhythm; needing to know that her nose still wrinkled when the guys in the back of the library were louder than necessary.

He broke from his normal routine then—passing her locker at a time that he normally did not, when she normally did not. However, things were certainly not normal for a set of blonde curls remained at that locker.

The weight in his pocket rocketed upward as the object plummeted deeper into his pocket. Maybe he was a tad bit prepared for this—to see her at some point. Maybe he foresaw this moment from months prior before he had the courage to befriend her. Maybe he planned to do this differently, in better circumstances.

Nevertheless, his feet brought him to her as his hand lay lightly on her shoulder; she didn't start. She expected him to turn up eventually, and apparently that day was the day. However, she expected him to say something instead of lightly lifting her wrist and placing a small, almost obsolete MP3 player into her hand. He nodded once then, moving around her to make his way to his next class; despite what may have occurred on a regular basis, he preferred not to be late and was risking just that due to his choice of routes.

"You were right," she called after him, noting the way his pace stalled at the sound of her words; a slight smile appeared on her lips. "I needed to find someone else."

"You never know what you have till it's gone," he whispered to himself, shaking his head. He turned then, pivoting only halfway on his feet so that only his profile was visible to her. "Aren't I always?" He supplied with a grin before turning again and walking.

He didn't need to wait to know that she rolled her eyes but laughed at the exact same time.

...

"You know Annabeth, there isn't always one exact way for you to take things." Percy said, shaking his head as Annabeth prodded him as to why he chose the song You Never Know by Jon McLaughlin; on the MP3 player, which Annabeth had placed back into his hand not ten minutes earlier, there was only one song, and it was that one.

"How did you take it?" Annabeth questioned, stopping in front of her car in the school's parking lot.

Percy raised an eyebrow, noticeably amused. "Why does it matter?"

"Because you gave it to me," Annabeth stated with obvious questioning. Although it wasn't often, there were times when Annabeth could not derive a good reason, a worthwhile reason, and this was one of those times.

"You never asked about all of the other songs," he pointed out. "I gave it to you for you to experience it, not for you to know how I took the song," Percy explained, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets.

"I like you better when you're clueless," she teased lightly, lightly placing her hand on his arm to let him know that either way—clueless or not—she still needed him and more than anything wanted him around. Because sometimes, you might need things, but you certainly did not want them. Yet other times, you wanted things but certainly didn't need them. Though in the rarest of cases, and maybe theirs was one of them, sometimes the things desired were the necessities. "Yours or mine?"

"Mine," Percy answered, making his way over to his car without even a goodbye. They didn't need a goodbye. They would be seeing each other soon enough.

Sometimes, soon was never enough, just as close was often not close enough.

They lay on Percy's couch not twenty minutes later, their legs entwined, with a head on a chest and an arm around a waist. They lay there without care, not even considering the possibility that Sally Jackson might tease them for it or Paul might shake his head with a knowing look. It wouldn't change things; only they could change things, and they became accustomed to them long ago.

"When I first saw you," Annabeth began, placing her chin on his chest while meeting his eyes, "I never thought we'd be here." Percy raised an eyebrow, knowing she had not said all that she wanted to say. "Actually, I never thought that I would ever talk to you since you're, well…"

"I'm what?" Percy questioned, shifting his head to glance down at Annabeth.

She sighed, closing her eyes tightly for a second. "I figured you were like the rest of the swim team, no offense to them, but the ones in the back of the library. I guess I was wrong?"

"You guess?" Percy repeated, rolling his eyes at Annabeth's stubbornness.

She merely shook her head, speaking again. "You were aloof, with your ridiculously green eyes and messy hair. I remember the first thing I ever heard you say was, 'Love, be good while you last.'" A slight smile formed onto her lips, "It was summer, a few Junes ago, but you probably won't remember. I wouldn't blame you if you don't. Then, the next time I saw you, I pegged you to be just like all the other swimmers I had the horrible fortune of being around. You weren't, so I guess I was erroneous originally in thinking that."

"You guess?" He reiterated once again, the smile edging onto his lips.

She shot him a look, "I was wrong."

"You were wrong," Percy recited, forcing a grin from spreading across his face. He was certain he would remember this moment for the rest of his life—the light freckles that peppered her nose, the small weight of her body against him, the flaxen curls that framed her face. And when somehow, someway their lips slowly came together, he was certain that he would remember this day for the rest of eternity.

Somehow, someway, they were kissing then, their lips brushing against each other and fitting together. It was soft, sweet, and close like they had never experienced before, but they would experience it again. The novelty of it would never wear off—that they were certain. They would kiss each other again, and somehow it would feel like the first one all over again, be as special as the first one was for them.

"My Girl Tonight," Percy whispered when their lips parted, and Annabeth rested her head on his chest with her eyes closed, "by Jon McLaughlin." Then he closed his eyes too, saying in a breath, "The taste is filling my mind with the rest of our lives."

And sure, the days were dwindling down then, but somehow, it seemed like they had the rest of their lives, all of that time, to be together.

...

"I wanna hold your hand forever," Percy whispered into her ear, pressing a kiss against her temple.

"Shut up," Annabeth playfully responded, enjoying the warmth that spread through her hand as he held her hand tighter. "You did not just quote Wanted by Hunter Hayes."

He shrugged a shoulder, knowing that he could not refute the truth. "And if I did?" The raven haired boy questioned, stopping them at the doors of the swimming pool.

She quickly pressed a kiss to his lips, pulling back but remaining close. "It's sweet, but don't ever do it again."

"No guarantee," Percy replied, pressing his forehead up against Annabeth's. Annabeth dropped her gaze from his. "Hey, what's wrong?" He questioned, grasping Annabeth's other hand in his.

She shook her head slightly, dropping her head to have it rest on his chest. "All of this is almost over." He nodded, pressing a kiss into her curls. "I just don't want it to end."

"You're more nervous than I am for my last meet here," Percy joked lightly, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"Percy," Annabeth stressed, wishing she could bury herself in Percy's arms again, "I'm being serious. In less than a week, I'm giving my speech in front of over a thousand people, and then, it's all over. Then two and a half months later, we're gone. We're off to college and not in the same state, on opposite sides of the continent." She paused, pushing out a shaky breath, "I don't think I can do it."

He nodded, knowing that she couldn't see him. He had never told her before this point, never knew when the perfect time would be. Yet here it was, and here was the fear and grip of rejection coming nearer and nearer to him. They hadn't said the words since they started dating, and maybe now was the perfect time to say it. "You can do it," he lamely replied; it was ironic, telling her that, because even he could not do what he needed to do; he was unable to say the words to her.

Annabeth chuckled, the light puffs hitting his chest. "What makes you so sure?"

"Since when have you ever not been able to do it?" Percy questioned, knowing that he was merely adding to Annabeth's hubris. It was of no matter that he did so; he was merely stating the truth.

She shook her head. "What if I can't do it this time?"

"You'll do it," Percy stated matter-of-factually, removing one hand from Annabeth's to dig into his pants pocket. "I planned to do this understand different circumstances," he explained, finally grasping the object, "but times change. Things don't go as planned. Keep it, this time." He brought his hand to hers again, pressing the object into her hand. "You'll know when to listen to it."

She nodded, pushing the black, strands of hair off his forehead. "Make your last meet a win?"

"I wouldn't go out another way."

...

Annabeth lay awake in bed the night before graduation. Insomnia appeared to be gripping her tightly, allowing her brain to whurl like a well-oiled motor. Despite the fact that she often had the best thoughts at night, she desperately wished they could wait until morning or even mid-day so as to gain at least an ounce of "shuteye." She needed it this night more than any other, yet her nerves would not seem to quit. The speckled paint on her ceiling captivated her eyes, turning the dots into images that were barely defined. A simple shift in her bed caused her mind to awake once again at the rustling noise.

She remember then, the object he had given her not long before as she spoke the words of her speech lightly under her breath. They became almost a chant as she started from the beginning whenever she hesitated or made a simple mistake. Her legs swung to the side of her bed, the words still repeated in her head. The cool carpet shocked her for a second before she stumbled to her drawer with the beat of her speech playing out in her head. She grasped the knob, pulling open the drawer while the other hand grabbed a pair of headphones, and her mouth still uttered the speech's words. She took it up then, in her hand, with a whisper of her speech, the small, almost obsolete MP3 player that she had held before. The headphones were plugged in, and she fell onto her bed as she repeated her speech once again.

There were six songs, she noted as the words of her speech filled the air.

These Crazy Times.

Maybe It's Over.

You Never Know.

My Girl Tonight.

Wanted.

And when the last song played, one he had never told her to listen to nor reference before, a smile formed on her face as her lips stopped whispering the words of her speech.

Hanging by a Moment.

She whispered words again, but they were far from being in her speech, something she could hear him whispering along with her although he never said words like that to her before, "I'm falling even more in love with you… I'm hanging by a moment here with you."

...

She gave her speech the next day; Percy would say it was perfect. But before that, as they spent their time on the upper level of their school amongst the other soon-to-be-graduates, she slipped her own almost obsolete MP3 player into his hand, closing his fingers around it. They called all of the seniors back into their rooms then, to line up by last name; they would be separated—a foreshadowing of something both wanted to forget. "You'll know when to listen to it," she whispered quickly against his lips before she pushed her way into the sea of black caps.

The next time the grey met the green, she was delivering her speech.

She began it simply, not even introducing herself first. "I learned this year," her voice rang out over the crowds of people as their whispering hushed, "that sometimes there is no right and wrong—sometimes, there is more than one way to take things." Her grey eyes settled then a certain pair of green, the same that had once whispered so many song titles in her ear.

A smile broke onto her face then, one that never faltered throughout the rest of her speech.

It was easier than she expected, and she was thankful when she could finally feel his arms grasp her tightly before they posed for pictures, beaming. He would often whisper into her ears sweet nothingness or compliments and sometimes even both—though never a song title. Her smile would only widen then, and a flash would blind their eyes, their grips on each other tighter as they pushed the burning from back behind their eyes.

It was no surprise that somehow, after all of the compliments Annabeth was given; after congratulations were sent both of their ways; after the dinner and celebration hosted by their high school; they found themselves in Percy's Jeep, rolling over the gravel of the familiar parking lot. It parked in the same spot as the first time—if you asked either one of them, they would say it was the best place to observe the sky, but the reality, set deep, down, somewhere in their hearts and minds, was they wished they had as long together as the first time they parked in that spot on a school night, when they first mentioned love.

It was easier then yet harder too.

"Stay with me 'til sunrise?" Percy finally asked, breaking the silence as he trained his green eyes onto her grey.

"Always." She replied, knowing that she didn't need to say it; she never needed to say it, yet for some reason, it felt right that time. Always. "And, Percy?"

He nodded, making a noise of affirmation, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear.

"I love you too."

...

So they did that summer, everyday minus a few—spending the nights and early mornings watching the sunrise like the first time. It was different every time—a different shade of red or orange, mixing into different shades in the sky. The feelings that arose those early mornings were different each time, the actions different too—hand holding, laughing, kissing, talking, and for the last time, crying, silent crying that fell from their eyes.

It was over too soon. It all seemed to end much too soon.

His Jeep pulled up to the lake, hours earlier than he was ever there before. He felt alone this time but just as right as any time before. The only sound was the gravel being kicked up by the four tires. The only breath was his, the only person in the Jeep: him. The only eyes the sun's rays met were green, as it began to sink below the horizon line.

He smiled, knowing that now was the time as the sun continued its trek. Plugging the chord into the port, he swiped to play, letting the beginning keys with the distinct style of Jon McLaughlin fill the Jeep.

Summer Is Over. His smile only widened.

Yes, summer was certainly over, but the novelty had yet to wear.

Love, be good while you last;those familiar words whispered into the chilled air.

Then the sun cast its closing ray for the evening before it would rise again the coming morning.

A/N: Playlist, with all of the songs mentioned, link: heroluke. tumblr . com * / tagged/hbam-playlist (remove the spaces and *)

I apologize if I'm rusty; I haven't written anything near "fluff" or "lovey" stuff in a while.
Well, I hope you enjoyed, and until next time.