A/N: Hey guys! Back again with another chapter! Hope you like it!
Percy's knee-deep in his book when Annabeth comes home. He doesn't acknowledge her arrival because it's one of those times where if he doesn't write the words right now, he will lose them.
After one look at him, she retreats—to the living room, probably, he's not sure and he doesn't have the brain space to really think about it. The plot is unfolding before his eyes and he needs to write. He probably looks like a madman, but his mind is moving so much faster than his hand, so what can he do about it?
It's the best writing streak he's had in forever and he's so close to wrapping everything up. So close to the end, he can almost taste it. Or rather he can feel it (in the way his hands are cramping up.)
He feels like he's run a marathon by the time he's stopped writing. It's followed quickly by a burst of panic that he hasn't saved it yet. He's finally consolidated all his writing onto his laptop and he only feels relief when the save animation pops up. He should really should move it all over to a Google Doc or something.
But he likes living life on the edge. If you consider the edge to be the edge of a pit of despair he would fall into if he ever loses any of this writing.
That's enough thinking for today, he tells himself, and gets up from the bed to wander out to the living room.
Annabeth is settled on the couch with a cup of tea and, as usual, a Youtube video pulled up. He sits down on the armchair and she pauses the video.
"Get some good writing done?" she asks, taking a sip of her tea.
He shrugs. "Got writing done, I don't know if it's good, but I'll worry about that later."
She sighs. "I wish I could do that."
"Do what?"
"Make something and not worry about whether it's good or not."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I am definitely worried about whether it's good or not. That's just something I have to worry about in the editing stage," he explains. "I can't think about it when I'm writing and need to get down all my ideas." His cramped wrist is a reminder and he does not look forward to work tomorrow.
"Your brain must be a crazy place to be, I can't imagine it," she replies, leaning back against the cushions. She looks so cozy, her hair tied up into a casual bun, wearing one of his t-shirts.
He might be mentally exhausted from all the writing, but he wants nothing more than to mess up her hair so it falls back down.
"Oh?" He smirks at her. "I bet you can imagine what my brain is thinking now?" He raises an eyebrow suggestively.
"How hungry you are?" she deadpans and shit, now that she mentions it, he's starving.
He makes a face at her as he gets up to walk towards the kitchen. "There's pasta left over in the fridge," she yells at him.
Oh the gods, he loves her.
"I love you too!" she calls back.
Seems like she can read his brain just fine.
-.-
The closer her trip gets, the more anxious she feels. It's a too-hot summer day and she's taken off work for no reason other than she woke up and didn't feel like going.
There's a vague video idea rattling around in her head and she should probably film it while they're daylight left. But she can't bring herself to get ready.
Her brain is spiraling down a rabbit hole of what if she's not good enough to do this project, what if she gets there and her idea is so bad they decide not to film it? Sure, she signed up, and sure she got chosen by some random chance, and sure, she's excited, but…
It's the but that gets her. She's not super popular or anything, but she's managed to hit 100 subscribers which is a pretty hefty amount when you consider just how much 100 people are. She's got a small little community now, with some twitter interactions and tumblr posts.
She's beyond grateful.
But grateful doesn't mean great, and she's pretty sure the other people who got chosen have larger audiences and have been doing this for longer than she has and are probably better than her.
Ugh, she needs to get a grip.
She forces herself up and wonders if she should just do a Get Ready With Me video. It's been done ten thousand times before, though, and even more parodies of it probably exist. She groans and lays back down. Plus it's not like she does anything special, so there's not much for anyone to learn if they watched her video.
What's the fucking point?
Wow, she really didn't expect to have this existential crisis at 10 am on a bright Tuesday morning in the middle of June.
She remembers one comment she got asking her for a Get Ready With Me video. So, she supposes, at least one person would like it.
That's all you need, a part of her brain that sounds suspiciously like Piper says.
Her eyes flicker to the camera she had bought for filming. A fancy new camera that wasn't her phone. It's a testament to her commitment, and after staring at it for a few more seconds, she resigns herself to get up and turn it on.
"Hi everyone— or maybe just user katiekat who requested a Get Ready With Me video in the comments of my last video. So here we are, though I'll be honest, it's 10 am and I've been up for long enough to call out of work today, so we're just going to pretend it's 7:30 and that I actually have a skin care routine.."
Surprisingly, when she's editing it later that night, she's actually pretty happy with it.
She lets out a content sigh and Percy nudges her leg with his. He's curled up in bed beside her, scrolling through his phone.
"What's up?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing, I just surprisingly really like the way the video turned out."
He shifts to her. "Why is it surprising?"
"I almost didn't make it."
He traces random lines on her leg and she shudders at his touch. "Why?"
Well, there had been a whole existential crisis but it had mostly boiled down to, "It's been done a million times."
"But not by you," Percy responds with a shrug.
He says it casually and the hand on her thigh squeezes before he turns back to his phone leaving her frozen in place because fuck, that was what she needed to hear.
He doesn't see the tackle hug until it's too late and she's straddling him.
"You know what has been done by me before?" she says with a smirk.
She doesn't give him a chance to answer.
-.-
Annabeth's trip is a week away and Percy's all too aware of how much he doesn't want her to leave. So on Saturday morning, he drapes himself over her so she can't get out of bed.
"Percy," Annabeth whispers, tugging on his arm, trying (though not that hard, he might add) to get it off of her.
He shuts his eyes even tighter and burrows into the pillow.
"Percy," Annabeth repeats, louder than last time. His grip tightens and he hears her sigh. "Percy, I know you're awake."
He cautiously opens one eye to see amused grey orbs and a raised eyebrow in his direction.
He fakes a yawn. "Good morning beautiful," he says with a smile, not making any attempt at moving.
"Any reason why you've got me held hostage?" she asks, shooting him a look.
"Hostage? In your own house? In your own bed? By your deviously handsome boyfriend? I don't know what you mean." He gives her what he hopes is an innocent look.
She rolls her eyes but the corners of her mouth are tugging into a smile. "Uh huh, now let me go."
"No," he pouts. It's childish but it's bound to get her to laugh.
He's right and she does, leaving him feeling accomplished. "Why not?" she asks, seemingly exasperated, but he can tell by the way she's settled herself in that she doesn't mean it
"Because you're leaving me for California!" He frowns at her.
"I'm not leaving you for California. I'm not leaving you, period," she replies matter of factly.
His heart skips a beat at the words. He's got no doubt that she means them, but something in the way she had said it, like she was there to stay...it hits him just how far their relationship has come. He's never really taken the time to think about it, but he's here to stay too. He can't imagine being with someone other than Annabeth.
They've told each other before that they were going to make it work but it doesn't hit him 'til right now that they really have. They've actually managed to build something strong and resilient.
She's not going to leave him. Ever, from the sound of it. It's the best kind of reality to stare in the face of. Because for once, reality is better. Because for once, he thinks like he might have his life figured out, just a bit.
His silence must make her question her word choice because when he looks over, she's blushing. "I mean...I'm not…" she stutters, trying to explain herself.
"It means you love me," he cuts in, interrupting her.
She smiles. "Yeah, I love you."
She's told him before, but hearing the words again brings a warmth to his whole body.
It's one of those perfect moments, where everything is soft and sweet and it feels like they're in their own little world. The summer sun is streaming through the windows and he doesn't intend on getting out of bed till at least noon.
The air seems to hang still when they turn towards each other with soft smiles, holding on in a firm but gentle way. They don't need to say anything, they don't need to kiss, they don't need anything beside this, here, now.
This moment, laying beside each other, content with each other's presence and a love that rings loud even in the silence.
A/N: Some soft sweet Percabeth after the wild ride that this fic has been. We are only two more updates away from the end of this long journey!
I've tried in this fic, to not only to be realistic in the events and characters, but also show what a healthy relationship looks like. It's not perfect, as you have seen, it's about putting in the effort every day and making things work.
Percy and Annabeth have come so far in this journey and I hope this soft sweet moment helps make up for the hardships of earlier.
Please Review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
And as always thanks for reading!
See ya! :)