Chapter Eighteen

A/N: We freaking did it.

Always You

Annabeth stands in her old room, Thalia at her side. "I know I want to wear something red," she says. Thalia rummages through her extensive closet and pulls out a red dress. That dress. Annabeth makes a face. "That's...risky." It looks innocent enough, with a neckline dipping only below her collarbone. The back, however, is completely gone. Plus, the only actually non-see through fabric is the size of a mini dress and the rest is just lace. Thalia grabs her shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Listen. I don't know why you're getting dressed up. And you know what, I don't really care. But you are going to wear this, because you're going to look damn hot in it. And we're going to do your makeup, and your hair, and then you're going to go wherever you're going, at eleven at night, you silly girl." Annabeth sighs, but smiling.

"Alright." She loops it over her arm and heads into her bathroom. With two hours until she's meeting up with Luckybug, she needs to get going. She peels off her clothes, slipping into the dress. It is pretty, and fairly comfortable as dresses go. Thalia barges in uninvited.

"Ooh, it's going to look so good!" she squeals. Annabeth rolls her eyes, trying to hide a smile.

"I hope so."


Luckybug patters about with candles, setting them at different angles. This is hopefully going to go better than his last candlelit rooftop scheme. He surveys the setup. Candles, check. Sparkling apple cider, check. Strawberries and chocolate dip, check. Picnic blanket, check. He even brought his speaker, for God's sake. What is he missing? He hears a thud behind him and turns. Jinx. He lets out a low whistle.

"You take the cake, m'lady." Wait- cake. Shit. That's what he forgot. Well, too late now he supposes. She snorts.

"Lucky, I'm just in my regular super-suit."

"With curled hair and make-up," he says. He himself is wearing one of his dad's old suits, with green accents he made and sewed on himself, to compliment her colors. He's sure she'll wear black or green, although that might just murder him. She shrugs.

"I brought cake." He grins.

"And I forgot cake. Saving the day again." She laughs, sitting down.

"What're your plans for the evening?" He holds up his fingers, ticking them off as he runs down the list.

"First, we'll detransform and eat the strawberries because chocolate covered strawberries. Next, we'll dance for a little bit and then we'll eat cake. At midnight, we'll reveal and then we'll kiss a lot and drink sparkling apple cider." Jinx raises an eyebrow.

"Bold of you to assume that I can dance or kiss." He offers a strawberry to her.

"I know you can dance and kiss. But I'd be happy to find out again." She pops it in her mouth.

"Flirt."

They eat the strawberries quickly, because chocolate covered strawberries. True to schedule, he begins to put on music and pauses.

"We haven't detransformed yet." Jinx stands, dusting invisible crumbs off her lap.

"Yeah, well, my outfit is really embarrassing. My friend bullied me into wearing it." His heart sinks. It would have been fun, their own mini-ball.

"Oh. Well, you don't have to detransform-"

"No, no, I will! Just...don't laugh. Plagg, claws in."

He's not laughing. This is not funny. Not funny at all. She's in a lacy red dress that pools at her feet. Her makeup is even prettier without the mask and he can admire the artist's skill, but honestly she doesn't need it. Either way, she'd be giving him a heart attack.

"Spots off," he rasps, probably more embarrassed than her. To be seen with someone looking like that while he looks like this? Completely humiliating. She twists her fingers together.

"Shall we dance?" Her mask compliments the red- oh God, she's wearing his colors- dress and he swallows.

"Yeah." His voice cracks and yet agin he curses himself. She steps towards him and he hits play on the speaker. She gently maneuvers his hand to her back and his fingers touch warm bare skin. Bare skin. On her back. He is the embodiment of that 'error 404' meme as his mind short circuits just a little. She loops her arms around his neck and they step in time to the music.

They begin moving around the clearing in a small slow dance. He looks anywhere but her eyes- a point over her shoulder, her hair. She reaches a hand to his face, turning it so he has no choice but to look into her grey eyes.

"Hey. It's okay, you know? I get that you're nervous, and it's okay if you don't want to reveal." He laughs lowly.

"No, it's not that, I want to reveal, but- God, Jinx, look at you. You're stunning. Brilliant. How am I supposed to measure up to you? Be your equal? And how am I supposed to know who you are and not be with you, speak to you, just exist near you? I want to be a gentleman. If you don't want me, if you can't reciprocate my feelings-" He breaks off. If she doesn't reciprocate his feelings…

She rests her forehead on his shoulder.

"I want to be honest with you. Please don't say anything until I've finished."

He's silent.

"I…have feelings for you. I realized this recently, and I think that, given time, I could fully reciprocate your feelings for me. But there's another boy, a boy in my class, who I also lo-" She pauses, takes a breath. "Like. I like you both equally. And I know that makes me horrible, but I can't give you my all if he has part of my heart." Percy starts laughing. She looks up at him, scowl on her face. "It's not funny!"

"I know, I know, it's just…" He composes himself. "I have the same thing with a girl in my class. I really like her Jinx, and I feel awful for sort of telling you that I love you and then going and falling for her." Jinx laughs as well, and for a moment they just stand there and llaugh. She shakes her head.

"We're a pair, huh," she says.

"Yep," he agrees. He wouldn't have it any other way. 'Rewrite the Stars' from 'The Greatest Showman' starts playing and he flushes. Jinx snickers.

"So you like 'The Greatest Showman'?" He rubs the back of his neck.

"I forgot to take it off this playlist for tonight, but yeah. I can appreciate a good musical." She grins.

"We should do that thing Zendaya does with Efron."

"Yeah," he says absentmindedly, then does a double take. "Wait, for real?" She shrugs.

"Well, in costume because I doubt you have something that could work like those ropes they used, but yeah." He grins excitedly. That looked hella fun, and fairly easy when Zendaya and Zac Efron did it. It obviously wouldn't be that easy, but with their superhero strength they could manage.

"Let's do it! Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!" They transform at the same time and Jinx surveys her costume, snorting.

"Very funny." She's dressed in a black silk blouse and tight pants with green accents. It's reminiscent of Efron's outfit. He, thankfully, is dressed the same. Either Tikki doesn't have a sense of humor or she just doesn't want to embarrass him. He throws his yoyo up, latching it to a beam.

"You look dashing, m'lady. How does the dance go again?" She takes the yoyo form him and tenses it, walking on the very edge of the clearing.

"You walk around…like so. Then you begin running, like this." She's leaping through the air, coming down at short intervals. "I climb up to a beam." She flings herself into the air, landing on a beam and letting the yoyo loose. "And then I jump." She jumps and grabs the yoyo. She soars through the air, splayed out in front of the Eiffel Tower for a second. She's otherworldly. She lands next to him, letting the yoyo go. "Ready?" He takes it from her, copying her motions and keeping her as his focus point. He begins leaping, flying into the air, and on the next beam he sees Jinx is waiting. She jumps and he catches her both of them hanging on as they wrap around and around the Eiffel Tower. The song's changed, but it doesn't even matter. Back and forth they go for what seems like eternity. Finally, they slow, touching the ground, both panting slightly.

"That was amazing," Luckybug says. "Spots off." He shimmers back into his clothes and she does the same. She opens her mouth, beginning to say something, then pauses.

"Do you hear it?" He cocks his head and he does hear it. Bells. Church bells.

"Midnight."

She nods, eyes wide and bright. "D'you want to…?" She trails off and he grasps her hands, nodding.

"On count of three." He pauses, waiting for the bell to hit nine chimes.

"Three, two, one-" they chant. Breaking apart, they rip off their masks. Annabeth opens her eyes and lets out a shriek-giggle. Percy keeps his eyes closed.

"Open your eyes, stupid!" she says. He cracks one open and does a double-take.

"Annabeth?" She hugs him tightly and he lets his hands hang at his sides. "I don't-what?" He pulls back, searching her face. Drawing on a mental mask and ears. "You- and Jinx- you're," hse stammers. She rolls her eyes.

"Shut up and kiss me already." She pulls his face down to hers and smashes their lips together. It's not their first kiss, and it won't be their last. It's not their best, and it's an awkward mix of lips meets teeth and noses awkwardly positioned. And it's wonderful. She leans him against a beam, deepening the kiss, and finally she pulls back and rests her forehead against his.

"You always have the best plans," Percy says. "But- wait, what about the guy in your class? Tell me it's not Apollo." She snorts.

"No, you fool, it's you. I fell for you twice, you adorable jerk. What about your girl? Not Kelli, please, I don't even care as long as it's not Kelli."

"See, the thing is, I fell for you twice too apparently," he says slowly, lifting her face up to his and searching her eyes. "Am I enough for you?"

"Am I enough for you?" she counters. She kisses him again.

"Yeah," he says weakly a few moments later. "You definitely are." She hugs him.

"It was always you, Percy. Always you."

"Always you," he echoes, and they stand there for a few minutes, illuminated by the lights around them. Young love, tried and true, and these fools in love have no idea what's coming next. They don't want to know, and they don't care to know, because they know that they'll still be together and that's enough.

A/N: Look at me, writing all about them when I can't even get up the courage to tell *that guy* how I feel. But you're not here for me whining about my (non-existent) love life! You're here to be praised for sticking for my 500+ errors. Seriously. How the hell did you do it. I wouldn't read this(maybe if it were edited). I am so grateful to you brave souls that dared to read a first time fic. You all gave me a reason to continue, to push forward, to finish. I will never forget this fic no matter where my fanfiction career takes me, whether to the top spot or a long-forgotten nobody I'll dust off in a few years and laugh about. For the last time in Mixed Signals,

Thanks for reading.