Percy was drunk. Really drunk. So drunk that at one point Annabeth lost him and when she finally located him, he was sitting on the kitchen floor giggling and holding a banana he'd grabbed out of the fruit bowl.
When he got drunk, he got super happy and giggly and flirty. For the most part, it was pretty damn cute.
It got a little less cute when he came up behind one of the cheerleaders and tried to hand her the banana he had grabbed, and she just looked confused. Annabeth immediately ran to collect him and pull him away, apologizing for her drunk friend.
Yeah. It was cute for the most part.
When she finally decided it was time to get going, she felt lost as for what to do. It hadn't been far into the party when she lost sight of Jason and Piper and everyone else she knew was busy doing their own thing.
So, Annabeth struggled immensely to get Percy out of the house and down the street towards her car. He was like a six foot tall sack of bricks. They had just barely made it off the front porch when he collapsed into a heap and started laughing, his head lolled back against the grass.
Annabeth just sighed and knelt down to sit him up. He smelled like alcohol and a certain kind of body spray that he always wore. When he did finally sit up, as drunk as she'd ever seen him, he gave her that Percy-esque smile that could've lit up the dark side of the moon. What a cliche, but it just fit him so damn well.
His hand came to rest on her upper arm, and his smile faltered slightly. His brow furrowed and he stuttered for a bit, trying to find his words. "I-I...just wanna thank you," he said slowly. "Like...for being my friend, y'know? It...it means a lot to me."
He gave her a grin, chuckling as he leaned against her, his forehead pressed to her shoulder. His messy hair brushed against her neck and made goosebumps raise on her skin. "Like...spending time with you makes me sooooo happy," he said in a slightly slurred voice and raised his head to look up at her, that big grin back on his face as if it had never left.
His green eyes sparkled like the ocean. "You make me happy."
Her heart felt about ready to explode. He was looking up at her with the sweetest smile and the happiest look in his eyes. Even if he was drunk, it was adorable. She was just looking at him and smiling when he did something that kind of took her by surprise.
He leaned up and kissed her.
She was stunned for a moment, and all she could register was his warm, gentle hand on her cheek and his soft lips pressed against her own. He tasted of beer and soda.
He pulled back after a moment and gave her a smile before his eyes went wide with what looked like panic. She was about to ask what was wrong, when he promptly threw up onto her shoes.
After her initial squeal of disgust and horror, she felt a rush of ease and relief that he hadn't done that into her mouth or onto her during their kiss. As she sat there, staring at him in disgust, she began to giggle. Why it was funny, she had no idea. But it was. She was soon laughing as she removed her puked-on shoes and helped Percy to his feet, ruffling his hair.
He seemed a little more subdued now, leaning against her quietly. He hadn't wiped his face quite yet, and it looked rather gross. The second they got to her car and she unlocked the door, she helped him inside. She made sure he was buckled before she reached in front of him and rifled through the glovebox until she found a stack of napkins. She grabbed a handful of those and a bottle of water before handing them to Percy with a smile. "Here, seaweed brain. Clean yourself up, okay?"
He nodded quietly and gave her a sheepish smile as he began rinsing his mouth and wiping everything off his face. She closed the door before walking around to her side, climbing in and turning the car on. It was well past sunset, and it was dark and a little chilly outside, and Annabeth flicked the heat on. She turned on some soft music, and it ended up being some music from her phone that Percy had showed her.
He had made her a playlist a while back of some songs he thought she would like and she had quickly fallen in love with it.
She smiled to herself as she pulled out and began driving down the street while she listened to the first song that came up. It was a song she thought that Percy would never listen to but actually did. It was soft and quiet and almost mournful - the opposite of his personality altogether.
The raven-haired boy in question was seated in the passenger seat, staring out the window in absolute silence. Now, it wasn't like drunk or regular Percy to be quiet and look so forlorn, and she knew something was up. She glanced at him as the streetlights they drove by cast a ghastly orange-tinted shadow across his face.
"You alright?" she asked him softly, her voice seeming too loud in the quiet car. The music continued playing softly under their conversation. He stared right ahead for a little bit and stayed so quiet that she debated on whether or not he had heard her. She was about to ask again, when he let out a little sigh. "Yeah. I just feel dumb," he said in a quiet voice. "Like...I feel bad. I wasn't thinking when I did that."
She knew he was still a little drunk, and that's probably why he was addressing the issue instead of ignoring it. "I'm sorry, Annabeth." She couldn't help but smile a little bit as she shook her head to herself. "Don't worry about it," she chuckled as she glanced over at him. "Really, Percy. It's fine. I thought it was kind of cute."
He froze a little and the blonde just chuckled to herself in the driver's seat, making a turn towards her place. "Really?" he mumbled, and she could hear him fiddling around with his seatbelt.
She had learned that he often played with random things he could find, like clicking a pen during class or zipping and unzipping his jacket. He seemed to always need to keep his hands busy.
She nodded in response to his question and gave him a soothing smile. "Yes, of course. Don't worry about it." She chuckled to herself and shook her head. "It's not like it meant anything, y'know? You're pretty drunk."
He got quiet again, though this time she kept her eyes on the road, just smiling. She heard a bit of a chuckle as he rustled around and leaned back in his seat. "You're right. Let's just forget about it," he murmured. He sounded tired.
She pulled into her driveway and he looked up at her house confusedly. "Why are we here?" he asked her as he sat forward. She smiled and turned her car off, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Well, my parents aren't home, and I thought you'd want to sleep off that hangover here." She climbed out and walked over to his side, opening it up and helping him out. "You don't wanna make Sally worry," she told him as he unbuckled himself.
He nodded in agreement as he clumsily got out of the car, leaning against her for support. "You're right there," he admitted as he managed to slam the door shut before the two of them made their way inside. The house was dark and silent, yet Annabeth still felt a warmth inside of her as they slipped off their shoes and made their way into the house.
Percy was still kind of stumbling around, so she had her arm laced around his waist as she led him to the couch and sat him down. She flicked on the lamp and smiled as he played with the edges of a throw pillow. "I'll go grab you some clean clothes," she told him with a smile. "You need to change out of those. You smell like puke."
He laughed a little and nodded as she turned and ran off up the stairs to her room. She had some of Luke's old clothes laying around that she thought would fit Percy. She found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt as well as a sweatshirt that she gathered into her arms and carried downstairs.
What she definitely wasn't expecting to find in her living room was Percy in nothing but his boxers. They had little pictures of sharks on them.
Not that she was looking, of course.
Her mouth felt a little dry as she slowed a bit, her eyes trained on him. He heard her come down and raised his head to look at her, giving her a smile. "Why?" is all she could ask as she tossed the clothes at him. He managed to catch them and gave her a bit of a pout. "Why what?" he asked as he began to slip on the shorts she had thrown at him. "Why are you not wearing clothes?" she asked with red cheeks as she averted her eyes.
"Well, mine were gross. You told me to take them off," he reminded her as he rustled around. When she looked back, he had just finished pulling the shorts up. Her eyes caught his toned stomach and chest and her cheeks heated up all over again.
She tried not to pay attention, but how could she not? He was lean yet muscular, and the low light of the room cast shadows that just accentuated everything. He had tan lines on his arms and neck from his jersey and spending a lot of time out in the sun, yet the rest of his body was tan as well.
What she noticed most of all though were a few scattered scars along his chest and arms. There weren't many, and if the stark white of the scars didn't stand out so much against his tanned skin, she wouldn't have noticed.
It finally hit her that she probably shouldn't be staring at him, and she groaned. "Percy!" she exclaimed as she looked away again. She still felt uneasy about the scars, though. She would have to ask him about them sometime though. "Put the damn clothes on!" She heard him mumble something about how girls are confusing as he rustled around some more.
After a moment, she heard him sigh. "Okay, okay. I'm done now. Are you happy?" She turned around to see him fully clothed, his arms folded across his chest. His hair was an absolute mess, and his dirty clothes sat in a pile on the floor.
She rolled her eyes and smirked at him, nodding. "Yes. Thank you."
He snorted and laid back on the couch, closing his eyes. He was exhausted, drunk, and kind of delirious. She grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and spread it over him. "Here. Sleep well," she mumbled in a soft voice. She doubted that he heard her since he was already practically asleep.
She smiled to herself and rolled her eyes as she turned to head upstairs to her room. "Seaweed brain," she muttered to herself and shook her head before she made her way up the stairs.
Annabeth slept like a rock that night, and when she woke up she almost smiled to herself. It was the weekend, she didn't have practice until the next day, and she was going to be able to spend the day hanging out with Percy. The only thing that would've made it a lot more ideal is if Luke was home and she could spend the day with him. Not that Percy wasn't cool to be with, but she missed her boyfriend.
When she sat up, she was greeted with the sunlight shining through her windows. It was one of those perfect, picturesque mornings that made her think of a day full of possibility and promise.
That is, until she checked her phone to see two snapchats, five texts, and eight calls from Luke.
She suddenly began to feel very sick. From what she could gather when quickly glancing them over, he was angry. She sat up in bed and her blood went cold as she read everything he had sent her. He had found out about Percy kissing her, and he was pissed.
Someone from the party had seen the pair in the front yard and went to tell Luke. Shit.
What was even worse is that, apparently, he had come home for the weekend and was on his way to her place. He had sent this a half hour before she woke up, so he was almost here. She panicked, her mind racing and her heart pounding.
She was screwed. Percy was screwed too.
She began to panic even more as she realized that her raven-haired friend was still passed out in her living room, trying to sleep off a severe hangover. She needed to get him out of here before Luke got there, or else he was dead. She practically flew down the stairs, her heart pounding a lot faster than it should've been.
Percy was actually a really good friend to her, and the last thing she wanted to do was drive him away because her boyfriend was insanely jealous and angry about something that didn't mean anything.
When she got down to the living room, Percy was still knocked out cold on the couch. She ran over and shook him awake, and judging by the shocked look in his eyes she guessed she had a rather intense expression on her face. "Listen, you have to go," she said hurriedly as she grabbed him by his shoulders and tried to lift him to his feet, though it was like trying to pick up a car.
A stubborn, hungover, drowsy car.
"Why?" he mumbled in response as he rubbed his eyes and sat up, groaning softly. "What's wrong?" She didn't know how to explain it. She didn't want to tell him that her boyfriend figured out about their kiss, and that he was pissed and on his way over to her house. "Just...trust me," she rushed as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to his feet. "Please, just trust me. Hurry up."
As he finally sighed and nodded, gathering up his phone and his keys from the coffee table, she saw a glint of light come from outside the big windows at the front of her house. Her heart began to pound as she saw Luke's car halt in the driveway, and him step out. He looked pissed.
She made a pathetic choking noise in the back of her throat as she as she shoved Percy in the back towards the back door.
Maybe she could get him out without Luke seeing him? But his car wasn't here. He'd have to run or walk.
Maybe she could push him into a closet or another room and he'd hide until she could help him get out? But if her and Luke resolved everything he'd probably stay over and sit in the living room.
Her mind felt fuzzy and she felt panicked. She didn't know what to do. She never didn't know what to do. Luke was coming up the stairs of her front porch, and here she was, standing in her living room with a boy she kissed the night before while in a relationship, who was also wearing her boyfriend's clothes.
What a mess.
She found herself frozen in worry and fear as Luke knocked before he opened up the front door. Usually whenever Luke walked through her front door, they were both all smiles and she she would run to give him a big hug and a kiss. This time, she wanted to turn and run right out the back door.
He stared straight at them, almost analyzing their positions, Percy's clothes, and everything else. The anger on his face just intensified. Luke was usually an easygoing, sweet guy. When he played football, if someone even violently tackled him, he would just smile and get up and pat them on the back. She had never seen such rage in those blue eyes of his.
"Jackson," he said through gritted teeth as he walked forward. Percy froze completely beside her, and she could tell he was scared out of his hangover. "Uh, hey, Luke," he said in a quiet voice. "Listen, man, I'm sure we can talk everything out."
The blonde snorted a little and rolled his eyes, glaring heavily at Percy. "What exactly do you want to talk about? You kissing my girlfriend?" He took a few steps closer, and Annabeth stepped between them, her back towards Percy and her hands held up to Luke. She hoped she didn't look as scared as she felt.
"Babe, please, he was drunk. It didn't mean anything," she tried to assure him. "Please just calm down. It didn't mean anything." Luke clenched his fists and shot her a fiery look. "You told me I didn't have to worry about him," he spit at her. "You promised me."
Luke was angry, and she could see it in his eyes as he glared between them. "How do I know that it was just a kiss? How do I know that you didn't fuck?" he snapped, a thousand emotions running through his blue eyes. Those blue eyes that she had seen sparkling as he laughed.
"Dammit, Annabeth," he exclaimed exasperatedly. "Can't you tell that he's into you?" The frustration in his voice threw her for a loop. What did he mean?
She glanced over her shoulder at Percy, whose face was a light shade of pink, though he was shaking his head at her. His green eyes flicked from hers to Luke's. "That's not true. We're just friends."
He sounded adamant, though the look in his eyes made her think otherwise. A moment later, though, it was gone.
She looked back to Luke, who was giving him such an intense glare that she thought his face would get stuck like that. "You're a fucking liar," he growled before he surged forward.
Annabeth tried to stay between them, but she felt hands from behind her shove her away. It honestly felt as if it happened in slow motion. She stumbled away from the boys and heard a fist connect somewhere.
When she finally turned back around, she saw Luke standing with his fists clenched, a bit of scarlet red blood on his knuckles. Percy was a few feet away, hunched over with his hand covering his mouth. He had tears glistening in his eyes and his face was scrunched up.
Before she could even speak, Luke lurched forward again and hit Percy hard in the stomach. The dark-haired boy gasped and didn't have much or any time to recover before Luke sent several more desperate, emotion-driven punches Percy's way.
It, unfortunately, wasn't until then that Annabeth found her voice. "Luke! Stop!" she cried, rushing forward and grabbing his hand by the wrist. When that didn't work, she put herself between them. The rage in his eyes terrified her. Luke would've gone after him again, if it hadn't been for Annabeth holding him back.
"Stay the fuck away from her," the blonde growled at Percy, who was cupping his face and wincing. "Stay away. If I even see you so much as talk to her, I'm gonna beat your ass."
All of a sudden, Annabeth felt a surge of anger, and she shoved him back. "At least he was there for me when you were being an asshole," she spit at him. "Go upstairs and calm down. I'll deal with you in a second."
Annabeth was never one to get overly angry or to snap like she had just done, but when she did, it was serious.
He just gave them both a glare before he huffed and turned around, stomping extra hard up the stairs. He seemed as if he didn't want to argue with her right now.
As soon as he walked away, she deflated. She felt nothing but guilt for everything she had done to him. How would she feel if he was at a party with his best female friend and had kissed her? She would feel exactly like he did. Except...she probably wouldn't try to break the girl's nose. Probably.
She sighed and shook her head before she sat a dazed and pained Percy on the couch, his fingers cupped over his face. A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she looked at him, his hands lowering from his face. "I'm so sorry, Perce," she mumbled as she examined his features.
His eyes were cast down, though one of them was close to being swollen shut. He had a small bruise on his jaw and lower lip was split. That must've been where the blood came from.
He gave her a sheepish smile, his eyes still looking elsewhere. "Don't worry. It's my fault. You didn't initiate it." He shrugged a little and winced as he brought his fingers up to his lip. "Fuck, that hurts." She chuckled a little and helped clean the blood off his face before she patted him on the head.
She didn't know what to do or how to feel about what just happened. Luke was never angry like that, and it terrified her. Percy was a good friend, but after the kiss and everything else, was it worth it to keep talking to him and ruin the best relationship she'd ever had?
She looked down at him while he played with his fingers, before she sighed again. "Listen, go grab some ice from my freezer. Put it on those bruises, and then you need to head home."
His face fell a little and he cocked his head to the side. "But...we were gonna hang out today." She averted her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, but Luke's here now, and he's pissed. I really can't just write him off to hang out with you. Especially not after that."
It came out a lot harsher than she intended it to, and she could see the hurt glint in his eyes. She wanted to apologize, but he just stood up and winced. "Yeah, you're right." He couldn't meet her eyes again. "I'll see you later, Annabeth. I'm sorry for everything."
She just stood there, staring at the ground, until she heard the front door close. She felt kind of bad, but she wasn't going to throw away her entire relationship just to hang out with another guy, even if he was her friend.
Maybe that was bitchy of her, but she loved her boyfriend.
She really had to work to clean up this mess though. She rubbed her forehead and sighed before she made her way upstairs to go deal with Luke.