I'm currently writing this instead of my multichapter fic, go me.
Anyway, here's some fluffyness for Percabeth, ending before the HoO timeframe, enjoy! (Rated K but with some cursing near the end)
OOO
Nothing was really random between the two of them. There was always an underlying cause, something they were trying to say.
Of course, at twelve, Percy and Annabeth weren't exactly super glued to each other but every time they touched, it was for a reason.
Percy realized later that the first time Annabeth had ever voluntarily touched him (quests do involve a good bit of shoving each other out of the way) was when she fastened her camp necklace around his neck. Her face was pinched in a scowl, her eyes glassy with tears and her fingers lingered on his throat, wiping at some nonexistent smudge as she spoke, "For good luck."
Because damn, he was going to need it.
OOO
The second important touch Percy registered was after the chariot race. The whole camp was pumped and Annabeth was beaming proudly as they cheered for the duo of winners.
Annabeth told them they couldn't have done it without Tyson and Percy agreed, grinning at his brother. Then she shouted something happily in his direction but Percy couldn't tell if it was actual words or just a scream of excitement.
"What?!" He called, on the verge of laughter.
She grabbed a hold of his forearm, perhaps to steady herself or him or both--they were shaking with adrenaline still--and she leaned to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
The camp grew louder with some jeers but Percy didn't know why they were making a big deal. Annabeth was excited, he was excited and they were friends and--
Annabeth pulled away to look at him, blond hair shining like gold in the sun, storm gray eyes dancing ecstatically, cheeks rose and beaming at him like they were the greatest team in human history.
So then Percy kind of understood why it was a big deal.
OOO
At the bottom of the bay, with the bubble around them, Percy couldn't help but marvel at how wonderfully she fit to his shoulder.
OOO
The dancing should have been so very painfully awkward. And yet, the two of them were so exhausted and simply lost that they weren't really focusing on the feeling of each other's hands. He should've been more aware of it, after all, Percy had been tossing around the memory of the half spent dance since they were separated.
But he wasn't really concentrating on her steady breath or lemon like smell, just the comfort of having her presence. Knowing she was alive, that she was okay. He had lost so much in the past months . . . Zoƫ, Bianca and the terrifying thought of loosing Annabeth too nearly drove him over the edge.
But she was here, she was fine, smiling faintly every time he stepped on her foot.
Everything was spiraling downward and she remained a strong, brave beacon of light in his life.
OOO
In Zeus' Fist, surrounded by strange darkness, Percy couldn't really find it in himself to be embarrassed for holding her hand.
In fact, it was ridiculously comforting.
OOO
A quest of four might not have been the smartest plan, but this was Annabeth. Annabeth with her strategies and ideas and wit, they could survive, Percy knew they could.
So he didn't hesitate to volunteer, he wasn't going to let her go down in the Labyrinth without him and come back all crazy, they had been through too much for that.
But she just looked so scared, so raw and unbelievably worried, that when her eyebrows knitted painfully and her eyes pooled with tears . . . Percy didn't at all hesitate going straight into her open arms.
Again, he had that overwhelming feeling of being normal and okay. He had Annabeth, they were a good team, they could do this.
OOO
Percy didn't know where to start with the kiss at Mount St. Helens.
It kind of reminded him of the kiss on the cheek, almost two years before, because of the way his brain stopped thinking. His nerves went crazy but his brain just simply stopped. For a moment, Percy couldn't really think or speak or even see clearly.
And by the time his brain completely restarted and he could actually remember his name again, Annabeth was invisible and the sea demons were lunging at him from all directions.
He remembered it later, lying awake in his cabin or the stupid maze, attempting to sleep. Screw his ADHD, seriously, because he couldn't stop analyzing the freaking kiss. Percy tried hard not to, really he did, because he always had to face her in the morning and make normal conversation.
Percy would take those nights to his grave if he had to . . . But, sometimes, he would lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, remembering tingling of the soft, flustered lips of Annabeth pressed desperately to his own.
One kiss wasn't going to last him, he knew that much for sure.
OOO
Annabeth looked terrible, and that was saying something. There were scratches of claw marks on her shoulders and arms, her face was covered in a layer of sweat and grime and her princess curls were weaved into a large knot at the base of her neck, not to mention the sick green in the veins of her arm.
Will said she would be okay but it only eased Percy slightly, she still looked like she could pass out at any second, even with Silena pressing a cool cloth to her forehead.
When they were alone, Percy couldn't help but ask why she took the knife, though he already knew the answer. He had the curse of Achilles for a couple of days* and Annabeth had basically figured out where his spot of weakness was.
But still, when she asked, he told her anyway.
"You can't die while I owe you a favor." He told her, his voice sounding like a soft beg, clinging to her hand.
She almost smiled and Percy was positive she understood. You can't die while I owe you a kiss.
"So you owe me," Her hand was warm in his and her voice was breaking but he could hear the underlying amusement it carried, "What else is new?"
OOO
Percy wanted to say something really nice and poetic and eloquent to explain how he felt about her. He wanted to speak her language and make her happy with his words but her cute little laughs were most definitely not helping him focus.
"You're so not making this easy." He complained, finally looking at her.
Annabeth was trying not to laugh but it wasn't working, delicately holding her hands to his neck. He hadn't ever seen her eyes look so happy in his life.
"I'm never going to make things easy for you Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."
OOO
They held hands in public. It was a thing he and Annabeth did now.
Whenever Percy used to see other couples (they were a couple, that still blew his mind) walking on the Manhattan sidewalks, tethered to each other, he had resisted rolling his eyes. It was just so sappy and dumb, couldn't they be apart from each other for two seconds?
But now Percy was sappy and dumb himself and yeah, technically, he could be away from her, but why would he want to be?
OOO
Percy was a sixteen year old guy with a really pretty girlfriend. So obviously he really liked kissing Annabeth. (And playing with her hair, and teasing her, and messing with her hands and . . . Anyway, this was all beside the point)
Chiron had decided that Camp Half-Blood was going to have a small celebration a week before Christmas and most of the summer regulars made it, including Percy and Annabeth.
It was freaky to see the camp covered in a layer of white snow, fluffy and light, in mounds over all the cabins and the Big House. But it was cool at the same time.
There was a huge bonfire and everyone was warm by it, despite the cold, roasting about a thousand marshmallows total. Rachel kept winking at him and Annabeth, whatever that was about.
Chiron told a good lot of stories about the heroes he had trained, all the happy ones, where multiple demigods didn't end up dead then he called curfew at ten, telling them to head back to their cabins.
Percy and Annabeth took their time, wondering slowly back while Percy swung their intertwined hands playfully. She was talking about a Greek hero with a long and confusing name and he was doing his best to pay attention, but the warm, syrupy happiness of being at Camp again was making focus close to impossible.
"Did it snow?"
She stopped and Percy realized he interrupted her mid sentence, "Sorry. I was just thinking about how you stayed for Christmas at Camp and I never have."
"Oh," She said softly, looking at the snow and then up at her cabin growing closer, "Yeah, it snowed." Annabeth smiled just a little, "I hadn't ever seen snow actually stick before I came here."
"Really? Well welcome to New York, the snow is in abundance around these parts."
She swung their hands happily, "Yes. I've gathered that."
"Welcome to camp, your mom's a goddess, have some snow." He continued.
She laughed a little, her warm breath visible, "Your best friend is a tree, hope you packed for the cold." He laughed too.
They stopped by her cabin door and Percy faced her, grabbing her other hand, warming them both with his breath.
For awhile, they stood there in silence until Annabeth gave him a silly smile, "Are you going to kiss me good night or just breath on my hands until we both whither and die?"
"Rude." But he touched her neck and leaned closer.
"Your hands are cold." She complained. He could feel the warmth radiating off her skin.
"Always the pessimist, aren't you?"
"Wow. Using big words now, aren't you?"
Percy blamed the fiery warmth in his ribs for the way he impulsively kissed her, leaving them both at a loss for breath when he pulled away, "Sorry, I--"
Annabeth swallowed, gray eyes wide, and pulled him back quickly by the collar of his coat.
For a second, Percy had that feeling again, that his brain was melting into hot liquid, then his brain was cold and icy, and . . . Wet?
"Nice shot!" Someone staged whispered.
Annabeth pulled back and looked at him, shocked, "Are you alright?"
Percy held his hand to his temple and found the remains of a snowball, "Yeah I'm--" He caught the shadow of a bulky figure behind a tree nearby, "What the hell Clarisse?" He demanded.
The Ares kid sent him a smug look, "I'm saving you. Can you imagine what Chiron would say if he saw you too making out?"
Percy went red and he glanced at Annabeth, who was red too and even more furious, "We weren't . . ." He trailed off because, honestly, they kind of were.
Suddenly, whirling out from behind a different tree was another ball of snow, nailing Annabeth right in her chin.
There was laughter from behind most of the trees and Annabeth stood there, eyes wide, jaw completely slack.
"You owe me twenty bucks Travis," Malcolm's voice said, "I told you I could hit her in the face."
Annabeth took off after her half sibling like a shot and Malcolm's eyes went huge as he stumbled back then ran, grunting some curses and apologies and, "It was the Stolls idea!" But soon Annabeth had Malcolm pinned in the snow, sitting on his stomach, while throwing handfuls of snow into his face.
"You dumbass!" She was shouting but laughing at the same time, "I'll kill you!"
The Stolls and Rachel were cackling cheekily, Clarisse was patting another snowball in her thick hands smugly, Will Solace was shivering but wheezing with laughter, even Nico was amused by the situation.
Percy was grinning as he picked up some snow, "Hey Wise Girl."
Annabeth whipped her head around, just in time for a ball of fluffy, white snow to break against her back. It was light, but still. She got the idea.
"Take that." Percy said childishly, beaming.
"Oh it's on Seaweed Brain!" She yelled, hurling snow at him as he ducked.
"Bets on Chase!"
"Gee thanks for that Connor!"
"Dammit guys, I'd love to watch fish head get creamed but this isn't a fair fight."
"Since when do you care about fair Clarisse?"
"Can it Jackson, I'm not above mutany."
Percy burst out laughing and threw one right at her nose.
Clarisse shook her head, grinning, "You're gonna get your ass beat now!"
"Oh really?" He taunted.
Soon, the campers were in an all out war, covered in snow, water and mud, laughing like crazy.
None of them noticed the Big House light cut on, or the front door swing open, just Chiron sitting there in his wheelchair, jaw clenched.
"What is the meaning of this?" He exclaimed.
He got nailed right in the beard and everyone pointed at Percy, who shrugged sheepishly.
Chiron stood up, growing into centaur form, his voice stern, "Have you ever challenged an immortal to a snow ball fight Perseus?"
Percy beamed, but shrugged again, "Never got around to it."
"I guess it's time for me to teach you a lesson in humility." But his face was full of mischief as he chucked one in Percy's direction.
Between the screaming and laughing and clomping off hooves, the entire camp soon joined, even Mr. D, just to pelt those terrible brats of course.
When Percy finally got to bed, it was almost midnight and he was grinning at the ceiling stupidly, still out of breath.
Maybe he and Annabeth should be a little more careful where they kissed, next time.
But then again, with results like these, why would they?
