There was a scene in Monsters University (during the first of the scare games, when the teams were being introduced) where Percy had his arm around George. Apparently, that's all it takes for my rabid shipping instinct to kick in, since I immediately fell in love with the idea of them as an affectionate couple. They don't appear much in the movie, but from the few scenes they're in, it seems that Percy (like most of the Jaws Theta Chi boys) is an over-the-top party animal while George is shyer and much more reserved, and that was the characterization I had in mind when writing this fic.

Artwork is by tumblr user thisismystupidart (whose art, by the way, is anything but!)

"Hurry up, dude! We're gonna be late for class!"

"Sorry about that, Percy. This kind of weather always makes me sluggish…"

It was true that George hated the cold. Even with the benefit of both his fur and his Jaws Theta Chi jacket, he still felt like he was operating at half-power on chilly days like this. But that wasn't the only reason he was trailing behind his new boyfriend.

"I hear ya, dude," replied Percy, slowing his pace so that George could catch up. "But this is Professor Horrorwitz we're talking about! He doesn't seem like the kind of prof you'd want to piss off. Given how he grades my work, I think he hates me enough already! How'd you do on his last quiz?"

"Well, I was worried I'd flunked it, but it turns out that…"

The orange furred monster never finished answering the question, for at that moment, he suddenly found Percy's hand holding his. George instinctively pulled his own hand away at once. Realizing what he'd just done, he quickly re-held Percy's hand and kept on walking as if nothing had happened, but it was no use. The damage had already been inflicted.

"Dude!" exclaimed Percy as he broke the hold and stopped walking. "What's with the flinch?"

"Uh…uh…y-your hand was cold!" stammered George, rubbing the back of his head. "That's all. Honest!"

"You're a terrible liar, Georgie. Seriously, why'd you pull away from me like that?"

George said nothing; all he could do was look down and kick at the ground nervously.

"Wait a second…is this about me?"

Percy's face quickly sank into a forlorn frown.

"What the hell was I thinking? I should've realized I was taking things way too fast…I'm such a dumbass! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"That wasn't the reason I flinched, Percy. And you're not stupid," said George as he shyly looked up at the cyclops. "You're the most gruesome monster I've ever met…"

"Really? You think I'm gruesome?"

Percy's frown morphed into a smile, but quickly reverted back to its previous state.

"…hey, you're not getting out of this that easily! C'mon, George, what's the deal?"

George sighed deeply. There was no escaping this time.

"Look, if you really want to know…back when I was in high school, there was this boy I liked, and he liked me too. I guess we were kind of a couple. At first, nobody else knew about us. But then one day, when we were sitting in the cafeteria, we decided to hold hands. We didn't think anything of it at the time, but apparently, the rest of the school did. From then on, things were…very different. Classrooms went silent when I'd walk in. Monsters I'd thought of as friends stopped talking to me. Some of them turned downright nasty."

George turned his head back towards the ground.

"So there you have it. Public displays of affection always remind me of what happened in high school. I guess I worry that if someone sees us, I'll have to go through that crap all over again…"

"George…"

The orange-furred monster slowly looked up and saw an expression on Percy's face that he hadn't seen yet. It wasn't his usual carefree expression; this time, his face was concerned and caring.

"I…I had no idea. If it makes you uncomfortable, then no more PDA from me. I promise! But just know that I wasn't purposely trying to make you uncomfortable or nothin'. It's just…I've got the best damn boyfriend in the world now, and I guess I don't care who knows it, y'know? I mean, if someone's got a problem with us, that's their problem, not ours. But hey, like I said, no more PDA. And just so you know...if anybody ever tries to pull that high school shit on you again, they're gonna regret it! As long as I'm breathing, no one messes with my Georgie!"

George could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes. He wanted to tell Percy just how much that meant to him, but he couldn't find the right words to say it with. Instead, he simply wrapped his arms around the cyclops and let the hug do all of the talking.

Caught off guard by the sudden - and surprisingly forceful - hug, Percy stumbled backwards for a bit before regaining his balance and returning the embrace. The two monsters stood there hugging for some time, neither wanting the moment to end.

His face still buried deep in Percy's jacket, George's muffled voice finally broke the silence. "I guess we'd better get to class now…"

"As much as I'd love to keep this going, that's probably a good idea…"

George slowly backed off and wiped his eyes with his sleeves.

"Ready?" asked a smiling Percy, his purple skin taking on a slight magenta glow from blushing.

Smiling back at him shyly, George reached out and grabbed Percy's hand.

"Ready."