A/N: Happy Thursday everyone! Thank you all so much for your support. I'm truly humbled by all of your kind words. I have had a gross day at work (blegh) and sharing this chapter with you has been the light at the end of the tunnel. I read every single review, every single comment, and I try to answer as many questions as possible. I never expected IGAB to become what it is, so thank you all so much.

As per usual, you can find me on tumblr at flyingcrowbar. If you don't want that level of commitment, you can track the #stm-au tag on tumblr.

Percy felt like he was on drugs.

Normally, he would have mourned the loss of the pizza on the floor, but Annabeth's lips were more addictive than he could have ever imagined.

Whoa, this is happening! he thought. Shock shut down every muscle in his body. His arms were out in front of him, like a doll sitting on a shelf. Annabeth was kissing him. Annabeth, the girl who Percy thought was a guy and had a super - sort of gay - crush on, was kissing him. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she tasted like chocolate, even though her lips were firm against his mouth, like she expected something bad was going to happen or something would spark in between their touch, electrifying them both back to their senses. And something like that kind of did happen, but in a way neither of them seemed to mind. Annabeth's lips twitched ever so slightly and they softened, allowing for Percy to glided his over hers and nudge his chin forward.

Whoa, he thought again as his eyes slipped closed and he sighed with bliss, this is actually happening.

His arms finally started listening to his brain, and they wrapped around her body, bringing her in closer to himself. She was so slight, so slender and warm. He could feel the hardness of the ace bandage on her back through her sweatshirt, keeping all of her confined, and something stirred in the place below his belly. Screw butterflies - he was hosting a full on rock concert in his gut. His heart was determined to thunder unapologetically, vibrating through his entire body like a drum. His ears rang like he had been standing too close to a stack of speakers shredding a guitar solo. His thoughts mimicked the roaring crowd, screaming for the band to do an encore. And he was consumed by her.

Annabeth broke away for a moment, gasping, and then she found his lips again, this time hers open and wanting. She was getting swept up in instinct, in the moment. Far away was the Annabeth who strategized every minute of her life living as a boy. She was showing him who she truly was - brilliant, gorgeous, his closest friend... and a truly terrible kisser. His lips spread when he smiled and Annabeth pulled back, sensing the shift.

"Wh-What?" she whispered, winded, not inches from his face. Her cheekbones were awash in blue from the television screen, her grey eyes simple specks of light that were determined to shine through the dark.

He couldn't stop smiling. He dipped forward again, and his teeth nipped the bottom of her lip. She started, and he could feel the heat radiating from her face, or maybe it was his own simply bouncing back. Her hands, which started on his chest, slipped around and up his spine, sending a chill to his knees. Her hands trembled as they went, as if she was nervous and excited at the same time. They finally settled on the back of his neck, warm and soft. Greedily, Percy did the same, and held onto the base of her head, her golden curls threaded between his fingers. He gently pulled, ensuring that this was real, that this was not some dream.

New feelings - confirmed feelings - made his entire body seize up. He couldn't believe this was actually happening, and the proof was right there beneath his lips. He wanted her. He wanted her so bad. All he could do to prove it was kiss her hard. He only hoped he was making up for last time, an event he had no memory of but imagined it was an awful experience.

She stepped forward, getting closer to him, but balance became an issue and Percy stumbled backward, carrying her with him. As one, they tripped over each other's feet, not daring to let each other go, and Percy fell flat onto his bed. They both giggled for a moment, their noses bumping, and they kissed again while Annabeth settled in beside him. She was getting better at it - more relaxed, less neat, more tongue (always a plus).

She was timid at first, maybe unsure if she was doing it right, but Percy didn't mind. His head swam with sensation, bursting to the brim of everything that could have possibly led to this moment. As far as he was concerned, the only thing that mattered in the world was Annabeth. The way she smelled - of faded men's body wash that was familiar in the locker room at the pool - Percy couldn't get enough of it. The lengths she went through to keep up this version of herself so no one suspected she was anything other than just a normal guy… He wanted her even more, because there was nothing left to hide from each other.

Annabeth got a little hungry and swooped up to kiss his upper lip, but their teeth connected and clacked loud enough for her to put her hand to her mouth in shock.

"Oh no, sorry!" she said, wincing. "Sorry! Are you okay? I didn't mean -"

"It's alright," he whispered, lingering with a peck on the corner of her mouth. "Who needs teeth anyway?"

"I'm really bad at this," she said, her cheeks rising when she smiled.

"You're not."

"I am. Because," she whispered, "you're my first kiss. My first real kiss."

"I didn't notice." He pulled her hand away - noticing how small it was against his own - and kissed her again. She twisted her wrist and clasped her fingers around his and breathed him in, sighing like her breath was being stolen. Percy rolled - the bedsprings creaking underneath - and held himself over Annabeth, letting her figure out how this whole kissing thing worked: how it felt when she sucked on his lower lip, how it tingled when her tongue met his, how a little moan could say so much.

With his other hand, Percy traced her jaw, barely letting his fingertips brush through the smallest of hairs on her skin, and he could feel her muscles tighten and goosebumps blossom beneath his touch. He kissed her, deeply, thirsty for more, and nudged her head to the side. He kissed her cheek, her jaw, and moved down her neck. He desperately wanted to suck and nibble on the softest part of her skin, make her squirm with pleasure and ask for more, but she stopped him by putting her hands on either side of his face before he even had the chance.

"You're going to give me a hickey," she said, tugging him up.

Percy raised his head, but only just. She was right. If someone saw a hickey on her neck, there would be questions. It was high school. No one ignored a hickey. So he met her lips again.

Her palms were so soft and so warm on his cheeks, he wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life. When she breathed through her nose, it tickled his skin and he felt her smile again, which made him smile even more. There was that saying that if you made a face long enough, it could get stuck that way forever, and - well - Percy wouldn't mind having his smile stuck that way forever at all.

"So you've never had sex?"

"Nope," Percy answered as they cuddled in his bed. It was surprisingly exhausting, making out for over six hours - oh yeah, and setting a freaking state swimming record but who's counting anyway? - that would be reason enough to be sleepy. But Percy was too excited to sleep, not when his arm was wrapped around Annabeth, her head on his chest as they talked well into the morning. The pizza box, which Annabeth had dropped long ago, had finally been picked up and put away in the mini fridge for later. Neither of them were hungry now that they'd had their fill of each other.

"But you've had girlfriends," she said, based on their conversation earlier.

"Yeah."

"What does this make me?" She lifted her head and twisted a bit so he could see the shape of her face cut by the peeking sunlight from the window. "Are we labeling this?"

"You are my… Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Does it matter?"

"Sort of. I'm Annabeth here, but out there… What would other people think?"

"Who cares?"

Annabeth shrugged a shoulder.

"What, are you taking back your kiss?" Percy teased. "I'll have you know, there is a very specific No Returns policy on the Percy-town Express."

"The Percy-town Express?" Annabeth scoffed, and hit him on the shoulder as she laughed.

"Yeah, 'cuz once I get going it's almost impossible for me to stop!" He mimed being a train with his hands.

Annabeth rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "No, I liked kissing you, I mean I really liked kissing you. But things are different now, aren't they."

"Different in a good way, I think."

They laid like that a while more as the birds stirred awake. Percy wouldn't take back anything that happened that night. It had been the best night of his life, after all. His lips were still numb and tingling, probably pink and definitely a little chapped. It was like they had been making up for lost time.

"Did you ever think it'd happen like this?" she asked, her voice soft. It was as if she was thinking the same thing.

"No," Percy said, laughing. "But I'm not complaining." Annabeth splayed her hand on his sweatshirt and rested her chin on it while she watched him. She looked amazing. He felt like kissing her all over again. But he could see her brain working behind those gray eyes. She was thinking over what this meant, how it would affect their lives from then on, who she could be.

"What if I was a boy?" she asked. "Would that change things?"

Percy let the question sit a moment, but answered truthfully. "No." It was the most simplistic and honest thing he could say. "I like you."

Annabeth's cheek twitched when she smiled. "I like you too. But this makes things complicated."

"I think I've learned by now you're not ever going to make things easy for me."

She looked sort of sad when he said that.

"C'mere," he said, shifting a little to open up some space on the bed for her. Annabeth grunted when she shimmied up to his level and tucked herself against Percy's side, her head on his shoulder. "I care about you, a lot. And I don't want you to be uncomfortable with any of this. If it makes you feel better, we can keep this just something between us."

"And Piper."

"And Piper and Jason."

"And Jason," Annabeth agreed. There wasn't much they could keep from them anyway. Knowing Piper, her relationship radar was going nuts right now.

"If you're scared about what other people will think, that's okay. I'm not even sure I totally understand it…" But he did understand that he wanted to be with Annabeth. That wasn't hard to figure out at all.

"I know it's not really something I should be ashamed of…" She was getting drowsy. He could hear it in her voice, the way it got higher and softer as she spoke. "I don't want to care what other people will think, but I don't want to draw attention to myself. To you."

Percy went quiet. Everyone else would see them as a gay couple. She was worried about him, worried what people might say to him, do to him even. Percy wanted to say "fuck 'em" but he understood. The world would be a better place if people just got their heads out of their asses.

She continued, "To you, I'm me; to them I'm… not." Annabeth nuzzled her head into his shoulder, getting more comfortable with each passing second.

"I get it," he said. "Mild-mannered reporter by day…" It was easier to make a joke and ease her nerves than try to tell her nothing was going to happen. He couldn't make such promises. But he was going to promise he'd do everything in his power to protect her. He didn't worry so much about himself. Annabeth was priority number one. She had a lot more to lose than he did, and he would do anything to save that. It was something he could guarantee.

"I'm serious," she said.

"So am I."

Percy hadn't even realized his eyes were closed. He was so tired, it would take real effort to open them again. He was drifting off like he was floating on the surface of the ocean, bathed in a warm summer fantasy.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, barely above a whisper.

He could only manage a gentle mmm? as sleep was quickly taking hold.

"I… Good night."

He didn't dream. He didn't need to, not when he had Annabeth at his side, was sure of her realness, dissolving in certainty that she would always be there.

He woke up only because the alarm told him to.

It yelled at him to haul ass to class or else he would be late and he shifted to turn it off but found Annabeth was still on top of him, though more thoroughly awake now that her own personal Percy Pillow had been scooped out from under her. They were a tangle of bed-head and tingly limbs before Annabeth crawled on top of him and slapped the alarm off.

His breath was probably less than amazing, especially with what he could tell was a dried river of drool caked on his cheek, and he blinked blearily in the blazing sunlight of the morning, but Annabeth still kissed him anyway. Better than any cup of coffee.

She could have been sucking on his dirty gym socks and moldy tuna the whole night for all he cared because she tasted just as sweet as she did last night. (Morning breath was not a speed bump on the road to - what was this? Would he be foolhardy enough to think this was anything more than a kiddy crush?) But Annabeth pulled away and looked at him while smiling, a crease from Percy's sweatshirt running down the side of her face, her curly hair an unkempt mess, her gray eyes ringed with a tinge of purple from lack of sleep, but that didn't stop her from being any more beautiful.

"So that happened," she said.

"Yeah." He cracked a smile, wiping what was left of his drool with his sleeve. "Oh, you know what, I forgot one thing -" He swooped up and stole another kiss from her.

She leaned in, sighing with the temptation of staying in bed all day and doing only this, and she lingered long enough for Percy to think she actually would before she pulled back and groaned, "I should shower."

"Go ahead," he said, his body still not totally - well... there was one body part that was very much awake.

Annabeth took another kiss from him before sliding off the bed to stand. She removed her sweatshirt up and over her head, but her t-shirt came with it, revealing the ace bandage that was wrapped tight around her skin. Percy's eye caught the flash of red - irritated, swollen - skin and reached out to her just as she was about to turn to the bathroom. He managed to grab the edge of her shirt and tugged. Brow furrowed, she let him pull her back to bed, but when she saw the look in his eye, she tried to wriggle free from his grasp.

"What happened?" Percy asked. "Is that from - is that from wrapping?" He hadn't realized, he never thought -

"It's nothing."

"That didn't look like nothing."

"Percy…"

He was on his feet now. "Please, can I see? It looks bad."

"It's not that bad today, honest."

"So you're saying it's been worse?"

Annabeth cringed, getting caught in her own words, but she didn't fight him when Percy lifted the shirt at her back. It looked painful, and raw, and - he realized with a sickening lurch - that she'd probably been like this for weeks, months maybe. She pretended like nothing was wrong, that she would just have to endure until who knew how long.

"Annabeth -"

"It's fine," she said, pulling her t-shirt back down. "I just slept in the bandage on accident. It seems worse than it is. Really."

Percy didn't believe her for an instant. He gave her "the look" - the look his mom had at a moment's notice - purse lipped, brow knit, quiet disapproval - and Annabeth refused to fall under his gaze. He sighed, hurting for her, and let up. He didn't want to be Annabeth's mom.

"We're going to be late," she said. "I'll shower quick and then you can."

He didn't want her to go being upset, or feeling violated, and he grabbed her around her waist and kissed her, pouring his feeling into it. He tried telling her that he cared about what happened to her, for her safety. And when they parted she hovered over his lips, breathing a moment before squeezing his forearms gently and turning to the bathroom.

Message received.

When Annabeth came out of the bathroom, refreshed and ready to go, Percy was waiting. He must have decided on skipping the shower, because he was fully dressed in his uniform, standing in the middle of the room and staring at his phone. He didn't even look up when the door opened, he was so focused on the screen. Even his tongue was peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he read.

She tried to hide that the wrap around her chest was chaffing her skin by subtly tugging on the edge of it through her shirt, but Percy didn't seem to notice. Whatever he was reading, it must have been important. Maybe it was about his race yesterday. Curious, she wanted to read it too.

"Is your name on the paper?" she asked, peeking over his shoulder.

He tapped his phone off and spun to face her. "Oh, no. I was just doing some research."

"About?"

His answer was a kiss. She couldn't help that light feeling in her belly, the thrill that surged up her spine and made her thoughts turn to static.

"Not fair," she said when he pulled back. "You can't just get away with things because you can kiss me now."

He gave her a grin and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I can try."

Annabeth had to give him that.

"C'mon, let's go get breakfast," Percy said, pocketing his phone and taking her hand into his. His fingers laced in between hers and she followed him to the door, but not before grabbing her backpack and swinging it over her shoulder. She might have believed for half of a second that this was what it would have been like if she was leading a normal life, being swept away by her boyfriend - wow, boyfriend - and unable to quit smiling because things were just so…

The door locked behind her and a rally of students rounded the corner down the hallway.

Annabeth slipped her hand away from Percy's and tucked it behind her back just as they spotted him.

"There he is!" one of them shouted, and the rest crowded the hall as they rushed toward Percy, a flurry of cheers and howls congratulating him on his victory. And before she knew what happened, Percy was swept away with the thronging masses and shouting over their heads that he would meet her in class. And then Annabeth was alone.

Her hand felt cold now that she had let him go, but it was what had to be. If anyone ever saw them together, it would be bad news. Any attention - even if it was good attention - wouldn't do well for her. It was best to blend in, be like every other guy, at least until graduation. That was as far as she had planned. The future was still a mystery, but she could see the end goal - a beacon of shimmering success - and she knew she could get there. She just knew it.

"So -" A voice made her spin around. Standing down the hall from where the crowd had come from was Mark Seever. He was a lot taller up close, and a lot handsomer too now that he wasn't glaring at her like she had stepped on his toes. "Andy, is it?"

"Yeah," she said, knitting her brow. Had Percy mentioned her to him? In a way she was sort of flattered, but there was something that just didn't feel right. Mark walked up to her with a swagger, his hands in his pockets and a close-lipped sneer on his face. It made her heart hammer.

He stopped just shy of standing on top of her, sizing her up with those dark eyes. "I saw you yesterday, at the meet."

"Yeah, you swam well."

"Mm," Mark said like he had swallowed something bitter. He looked past her, like he was waiting for Percy to come back. "So did Percy."

"You still qualified for nationals," Annabeth said, trying to smile. "That's really impressive."

His eyes flicked back to her. "Not impressive enough."

Annabeth made a face, holding her tongue from saying something she'd regret. She hadn't expected to encounter someone so prickly this early in the morning. He was practically radiating with intensity. Obviously athletes had to be serious about their sports, disciplined through training, focused through experience, passionate about their work. This was a little too much. He was like the anti-Percy.

"Well, I gotta go. It was nice -" She tried to walk past him but Mark held out his arm in front of her. She stopped just before he could touch her. Their eyes met, and Annabeth was determined not to shy away from his stare. He was a lot bigger than she was, a lot wider too. If he wanted, he could easily throw her into the wall, but they just stood there, neither of them willing to be the first to break eye contact.

"You know," Mark said, his voice low. "I could almost say you were Percy's good luck charm."

Annabeth squeezed her jaw, grinding her teeth together.

"I saw the way he looked at you," Mark continued.

"There were a lot of people there."

Mark smiled, but it wasn't friendly at all. It was like he was talking to a child who was asking stupid questions. "He's never raced like that before."

"Well then you better step up your game," Annabeth said. "I doubt he needs a good luck charm or whatever to beat you."

There was a fire burning behind Mark's eyes. "We'll see."

Annabeth's heart was telling her it was time to go. She did not feel comfortable around him at all, but she couldn't show it. But she refused to let him win.

She put her hand on Mark's wrist and pointedly pushed it out of her way as she walked down the hall. She could feel him watching her and she closed her eyes and took a breath. When she turned the corner, finally out of Mark's sight, she managed to mutter, "Butthead."

A/N: For my trans friends (and even you cosplaying folks!): Remember - binding with ace bandages is never the way to go. Though it'd be nice for everyone to have a Percy who fretted over your safety, there are resources out there for alternative and healthy methods. Google is your friend.