Sleep my friend, and you will see that dream is my reality. - James Hetfield
Artemis looked over the top of her novel, across the table.
Percy had fallen asleep.
She'd guessed as much when the sound of textbook pages sifting and turning had ceased. Though he'd still continued murmuring under his breath in his sleep, so she hadn't been entirely sure. He talked in his sleep, after all.
It was an endearing sight, if a far too familiar one.
It really seemed like he was trying to make up for his earlier school days. Not that he was a bad student, distracted by monsters and ADHD and dyslexia and such, but he'd never quite tried to do well in school. At least, according to him. So far she'd seen at all in New Rome, he'd been dedicated to his studies.
It hadn't been so much the previous year. He'd been such a fool that year too, refusing to move into her apartment, to live with her, to ease himself of some of his financial burdens. She could understand it to an extent—they hadn't been that comfortable with each other at that point yet. But he'd insisted on doing the same the next year until he'd eventually been convinced when she'd called his (a bit too perceptive) mother.
Moreover, last year, he hadn't spent every night with his nose in a textbook or doing homework. He was busy, but not overworked. Then, Artemis had failed to convince him not to take five classes a quarter.
And between university, hanging out with old friends and quest mates, monster fighting, and even the occasional representation in the Senate, he was almost always exhausted. But he was happy, though, so even after a full year and a half of the relentless pace of his schedule she still hadn't found the heart to make him stop. Or rather, anything more than a few half-hearted protests and telling him he was a stubborn idiot.
Maybe if he wasn't banging his head through a wall over his (thankfully final) calculus class, she wouldn't call him that. But that was what made Percy the Percy she loved so dearly, even if she was left with him slumped over a textbook and drooling onto its pages every now and then.
He'd mentioned a big test the following day. Just a midterm, though she didn't have hers scheduled for another week. So while she was tempted to let his neck and back suffer from a night of bad sleeping posture, she would rather he was comfortable and ready for the test than let him suffer for his mistakes, however much he had to learn that lesson.
So Artemis set down her novel—Shadow of the Hegemon, sci-fi was much more interesting than she'd originally thought, she wished she looked into the genre earlier—and got out of her chair as quietly as possible. Making her way around the wooden table, she gently pulled him upright. Then, crouching down, she snuck an arm behind his back and the other under his legs, then picked him up. He was fairly heavy - supporting weight was different than drawing hundreds of pounds in bow strength. But it was nothing too difficult.
She made her way to their bedroom. It was just the next room over—their apartment had large floor space but few rooms, only a bedroom, restroom, kitchen, and living room. And gently, gently, she lay him down on the bed, setting his head comfortably on the pillow and pulling off his thankfully clean socks before pulling the covers over him.
She pulled open the curtains behind the bed, letting the waning half moon and stars that night shine in. Quiet and asleep, Percy looked … peaceful. Smiling at the sight, she kissed his cheek, then left the room.
She'd sleep later.
Percy blinks awake, the graceful sunlight streaming through the windows only grating on his eyes. The living room windows didn't face the sunrise …
And then there's that familiar weight on his chest. And sure enough, he looks down to find Artemis's shock of auburn hair draped across his chest.
He holds in his chuckle the best he can, not wanting to disturb her rest. Knowing Artemis, she'd stayed up reading or something until 5 AM before finally going to bed. And right now was about … he twists his left arm out from under her to check his watch: 8 AM. Gods, he hates waking up early, but he'd long since trained himself to do so to make it to classes.
There is still another hour before his exam, though, so he has some time to get ready. Percy gathers some of the long hair lying on his chest, parting it to the side, then pulls the rest the other way to tuck it behind Artemis's hair, revealing her face.
And what a beautiful face it is, porcelain and ethereal as ever, almost too pale in the morning light. He traces the few freckles upon her cheeks, before straining his neck and back a little to bend down to kiss her forehead.
She'd fallen asleep in a strange position as usual. This time, she'd shoved a pillow against his side so she could sleep across the bed and use his chest as a pillow, rather than being normal and just sleep next to him. She hadn't even bothered getting under the covers, even though they had two blankets so that they never pulled the covers away from each other.
As such, it takes a while to even extricate himself from the bed, having to twist and turn and contort to move his pillow to Artemis's side of the bed, then convince and coax Artemis onto it from his half-curled position.
Percy takes his own blanket to cover her, up to her waist as he knows she prefers it. And he can't help but lie back down for a moment. He sneaks an arm under her neck and drapes the other over her, and then draws her in. Unconsciously, she snuggles into the crook of his next, sighing in contentment.
As much as he wishes to stay like this forever, though, he can't. He needs to pass this class, to finally finish all the math he never wanted to take in the first place but needs for GEs. Then he can go back to the classes he actually wants to take, the English classes for his major ...
So Percy takes one last inhale, to pick up and preserve the muted scent of jasmine that she wears, that he's become so intimate with, before pulling away and getting up.
He needs to take a shower, get changed, eat a bit of breakfast, grab all his things, etc. He shuts the curtains first, though, to not let the sunlight wake Artemis.
And as he leaves, there's a pot of coffee brewing, to be ready when his lover wakes.
