Expect another chapter before the end of the week! This is the longest chapter so far and is just a bunch of Percabeth fluff. Happy feelings all around and no drama (for now).
Enjoy!
Don't Think So Much Annabeth
Chapter IV: Happiness
Week 4
As Annabeth flopped on her couch, she couldn't resist laughing out loud. She was so happy at the moment, and not even the blisters on the little toes and back of her feet could dampen her mood.
Her day had originally just been a meeting with the University's President. She had wanted to meet with Annabeth, see where the plans for the new building was headed, and get to know the young architect designing the building. After a few hours, Dr. Baker was so pleased, she'd asked Annabeth if she would mind leading a special tour for some visitors.
Dr. Baker led her outside to the quad, where a group of fifty students stood with wide eyes and smiles on their faces. A quick chat revealed they were the incoming architecture students, and Annabeth didn't hesitate to say yes, her poor choice of walking footwear be damned.
After the tour, a few students had asked to see some of her work. Apparently, word had spread in the college that she was designing the new building. Cautiously she'd shown them, and their praise had sent her ego soaring. They complemented the small details that only another architects would notice, and even offered a few ideas of their own.
Those kids were so enthusiastic about meeting her, her work, and their futures in the program. She promised that once the building was completed, they could help her at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The offer had sent them reeling with excitement, and the rest of the day went wonderfully.
"I deserve a bath and a good book." She announced to the room and leaped from the couch. Usually, a bath was reserved for the days that stressed her out to the point she was pulling on her hair, but today she would celebrate.
While she didn't have a bathtub, Thalia did. It wasn't anything new for Annabeth to randomly show up asking to use the tub, and even if Thalia wasn't home, she wouldn't mind the blonde using the emergency key. It wouldn't be the first time Thalia came home to find the blonde lounging in her bathtub and enjoying a refreshing glass of wine.
As she gathered a new change of clothes, a bath bomb, and her toothbrush and pajamas in case she ended up staying the night, her phone started to ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Annabeth. What are you up to?" Percy's voice made her smile, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm getting ready to go to Thalia's. Why?" She continued packing her small duffle bag, squishing her phone between her cheek and shoulder to hold it in place.
"I was going to invite you over for a movie tonight." He sounded disappointed, but she really wanted that bath. Taking a bath while she was this happy would be the equivalent of the getting the invincibility star in Mario.
"Sorry. I had a really good day, and her bathtub is calling my name." Percy laughed, and she smiled again. What was it about his laugh that made her heart flutter?
"I'm glad you had a good day, but why don't you use my tub? It's a Jacuzzi. I won't even bother you, and you can pretend you have the whole place to yourself." The prospect of a bath already excited her, but the idea of a bath that bubbled and stayed warm as long as she wanted it to?
"Do you have candles?"
"Yes. Do you want me to leave you alone?" He questioned, and Annabeth could hear that shred of hope in his voice. It was her turn to laugh.
"I want to relax in a Jacuzzi, read a book, and let the flickering candles lull me into a trance of warm happiness. If you leave me alone until I'm done, maybe I'll stay and watch a movie with you." Percy accepted her proposal immediately and with cheer, only hanging up after expressing how excited he was to see her.
She only knocked once before Percy opened the door, his crooked smile already on his face. He was clad in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, hair ruffled like he'd been asleep.
"I didn't wake you up did I? You knew I was coming."
"I took a power nap so I wouldn't fall asleep during the movie. Come in, the bathwater is heating up as we speak." He guided her inside, and she raised an eyebrow. Percy caught her expression and held his hands up in defense.
"Not trying anything, I promise. I'm just being a gentleman. Creepy would be if I answered the door in a towel." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed.
"Okay, point taken. I'm gonna go take my bath now." She headed towards the bathroom with Percy in tow. After he showed her the controls, he told her to yell if she needed anything.
As the door shut, she took a moment to take in the bathroom. It was spotless, and the candles were already lit and placed around the room. As the tub filled, she stripped and laid out her pajamas. She decided they would be more appropriate than the regular clothes she brought, seeing as Percy was in his pajamas.
An hour later, she emerged from the bathroom totally relaxed and even happier than before. Her stepmom could call her, and it wouldn't ruin her mood. Percy was asleep on the couch, movie queued up to the menu ready to start. As she approached, he didn't move. A bit of drool ran from the corner of his mouth, and she smirked. Rather than find it gross, Annabeth found it hilarious.
She was a light sleeper and never relaxed enough to drool in her sleep, meanwhile Percy seemed to be able to go into a deep sleep at the drop of a hat. Was he always like this, or just when he was at home?
He woke up when she sat down on the couch, shooting straight up and looking around confused. She thought his hair was messy before, but now it was wild. One side was even sticking straight up.
"Sorry, I told myself I would take another powernap until you were finished."
"You drool in your sleep. Besides, I just got out so don't worry." Annabeth patted his cheek, a teasing smile on her face. Percy blushed red and stood quickly to walk towards the kitchen.
"I've got the popcorn ready to make. It should just be about five minutes, then we can watch the movie." She didn't miss him trying to secretly wipe his face but refrained from embarrassing him any further.
While he made the popcorn, she settled on the couch and curled under the thick afghan. She'd eyed it the last time she came over, but now it was chilly, and the thick yarn was calling her name. Percy joined her under the blanket with the popcorn in hand and started the movie.
"My Mom made this for me when I first moved out." He rubbed the soft fabric between his fingers, smiling with obvious affection. Annabeth felt a small pang in her chest. She didn't even know her biological mother, and her stepmother never showed her much emotion past tolerance and disappointment. What would it be like to be in a family that loved each other? Her brothers loved her, but that wasn't anything like a parent's love.
"Hey? You okay?"
"Yeah, just thinking. So, this movie, what's it about?" Percy recognized her need to change the conversation and excitedly explained the movie.
It didn't take long for both to get into it, and by the end, they were both shouting and throwing popcorn at the T.V. Their laughter filled the room until a knock at the door silenced them. Percy got up to answer it, finding a security guard standing there.
"Ah, good evening Mr. Jackson. Sorry to bother you sir, but there was a noise complaint. Well, not an actual complaint, but more of a concerned neighbor. They wanted to make sure someone hadn't broken into your flat." The security guard seemed nervous, hardly looking Percy in the eyes. Annabeth was curious why and intrigued why the guard referred to Percy with such respect.
"I'm sorry, I have a guest over and we were watching a comedy film. Everything's alright though, I promise." Placated he was fine, the security guard bid them goodnight and scurried down the hallway. Percy was snickering as he turned around to face her.
"Your neighbors were concerned? Do you never have anyone else over?" Percy ruffled his hair in embarrassment and plopped back on the couch beside her.
"If I hang out with Jason or Grover we usually go to their places. They can get kind of rowdy and things get broken." Percy didn't have to say anything for Annabeth to know the things in his apartment were expensive. Even if he had the money to easily replace his belongings, which she was still unsure of, he may want to avoid the time and effort it does take to replace broken objects.
"That's understandable. Thalia and Clarisse were playing Monopoly one night, and the next thing I know there's a hole in my wall from the board and my coffee table is broken in half." She smiled at the memory. Despite the property damage, they'd had a great night. It wasn't often they all had time off together from work to hang out.
"I can picture that. Thalia's a great person, but she's such a sore loser."
"Actually, she didn't start it or even lose. She bought out all the light blue properties and put hotels on them all. Clarisse landed on them and she was bankrupted instantly. Thalia sounded like an evil genius she was cackling so hard." Percy laughed, and Annabeth could tell he knew the laugh she was talking about.
They talked for another hour or so before Annabeth yawned. Percy immediately yawned too and stood up to stretch. Annabeth followed, starting to gather her phone and the charger plugged in behind the couch. Percy helpfully scooted the couch back once she had it in hand, but instead of leading her towards the door where her shoes rested like he normally did, he stayed beside her, looking conflicted.
"Everything okay?"
"Everything's perfect. I want to ask you something, but I'm afraid to." Annabeth raised an eyebrow but kept her smile.
"I know you brought your pajamas to be comfy, but I was wondering if you'd like to stay the night?" She opened her mouth to respond but Percy cut her off before she could speak.
"No funny business, I promise! It's just late, and neither of us has to work tomorrow. I could take you home, but then you'd have to come get your car. So I think staying the night here would make more sense." He was flustered, but she found it endearing.
Her mind drifted to the night they met, and how flustered he'd gotten then when asking her to stay. This time was different because he was just asking if she'd like to sleep here, but he was still struggling. Suddenly it dawned on her that he was flustered because he didn't ask women over often. He could have his pick of women from his looks alone, but for some reason he chose her.
"Percy, you can relax. I'd love to stay here tonight. Provided I get pancakes in the morning." He'd mentioned to her once his fondness of pancakes. Lucky for him, she also loved pancakes but hated making them. The batter always splattered her kitchen, and then the missed spots cemented to her cabinets and counters making them almost impossible clean.
"They will be the best pancakes you've ever had, I can promise you that." He puffed his chest out playfully, and she giggled.
"Well before we can have pancakes, we need sleep." Percy walked to the bedroom and stopped in the doorframe. He bowed and gestured for her to enter.
It didn't take long for them to settle down. Now that she wasn't focused on pleasure, she took the time to appreciate the extraordinary comfort of the mattress. It was soft and in combination with the soft sheets and fluffy comforter, Annabeth found herself quickly drifting off. Percy's arm slipped around her waist, pulling her flush against his side.
"Is this okay?" He whispered.
"It's perfect." She mumbled and let herself slip into dreamland.
In her brief fantasies of spending the night with Percy, she'd imagined waking up alone to the smell of breakfast cooking. She'd get up and join him in the kitchen, and he'd ask her how she slept. She'd tell him she slept fantastically, causing Percy to only half-jokingly suggest she stay the night more often. Instead, she woke up encased in Percy's arms.
Her head rested on his chest, the rest of her body flush with his. Both arms wrapped tightly around her waist, his chin resting on the top of her head. With Luke, she couldn't stand to cuddle. She always felt suffocated, and even resorted to putting a wall of pillows between them to keep him off. The experience made her think she wasn't a cuddler, but now she decided maybe it depended on the person.
Percy's embrace felt warm but not suffocating, and she found herself not wanting to leave it. She felt safe and protected from everything, as cliché as it sounded. Curiously, she moved an arm from under the covers and found the room freezing cold. He must have turned the air down while they slept rather than let her go. The thought put a smile on her face.
"Are you awake?" Percy's groggy voice was muffled, and he sounded like he was still mostly asleep.
"No. Let's sleep more." She responded, closing her eyes and nuzzling her face into his neck. He hummed approval and was out again in seconds. Annabeth was awake, but she found no reason to leave the little bubble of contentedness she'd woken up in.
After another hour, Percy finally stirred into consciousness. He yawned, squeezing Annabeth to him in the process. She'd been about to drift off again but decided to mess with her human boa constrictor.
"Are you awake?" She asked, her lips curling into a small smile. Percy shifted to look at her, and he smirked.
"Yes, I am awake. I believe you were promised pancakes. Do you want to sleep some more while I make them?" The idea sounded heavenly, but she asked if he would need help first.
"No, I can handle making breakfast. Just stay here a sleep a little longer. It's still pretty early. Are you allergic to cinnamon?" She shook her head, and Percy told her to go back to sleep. Not one to take sleeping in for granted, Annabeth quickly dozed off again.
The next time she woke, Percy had a pan hovering next to her. She could smell the pancake, and her mouth immediately began to water.
"Pancakes are ready." Percy sauntered off to the kitchen, Annabeth quickly scrambling from the bed to follow. The aroma drifting around the apartment was different than when she made pancakes, but it was definitely an improvement.
"These pancakes smell amazing." She stated, sliding onto the stool at the island. Percy placed butter and syrup before her, then joined her with two plates in hand. When he set the plate down, she stared in confusion for a second.
"It's blue."
"That's intentional. Try it. I promised you the best pancakes you've ever had, and I'm confident I can deliver." He sounded so sure of himself, and so she trusted him. Taking a bite, she wasn't disappointed. They were fluffy but not dry, and a strong hint of cinnamon exploded her taste buds. Without meaning to, she moaned in delight. She hadn't even added butter or syrup and they were already amazing.
"It's my Mom's recipe. She used to make these for me when I was a kid, and once I was old enough to cook, I demanded she teach me how." He spoke around a mouthful of pancake, but Annabeth didn't mind. She'd already inhaled her first one and was a third of the way through the second pancake. Usually, she didn't eat a very big breakfast, but these pancakes were divine.
"When I meet your Mom, remind me to thank her." Percy stopped eating, and Annabeth forced herself to stop as well. He stared at her with a look of wonder and a slight smile.
"What?" She asked, blushing under his gaze.
"You said 'when'. That means you want to meet my Mom. Do you really want to meet my family?" His tone was controlled, but she could still hear tones of hope.
"Yeah, I do." His smile was blinding, and it made her heart swell. She never thought someone would be so happy about her wanting to meet their family, but it didn't dull the feeling of love she felt.
"I know we haven't discussed it officially, but does this make us…" He paused, frowning as he tried to think of the word.
"Exclusive?" She supplied and he nodded.
"Do you want to be exclusive? I mean, I already told my secretary we were dating when you stopped by my office." He laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her head.
"I've wanted to tell everyone you were my girlfriend since the night we met." She couldn't help but laugh as Percy pressed more kisses on her neck and let the happiness she felt wash over her in waves.
