Fourth Year
"So it looks like I'm finally taller than you."
He says it offhandedly one day, not counting on the flare that it would bring to her eyes. When Annabeth looks up from her Transfiguration homework, he can tell that he's pissed her off. They're sitting in the library and Percy is practicing wand movements while Annabeth etches her handwriting neatly onto a piece of parchment with a long, black feathered quill that her father had given her.
"So?" she says, quirking an eyebrow. "Why should I care?"
He fumbles with his wand for a moment and the wood almost slips from between his fingers when he sees the cold look that Annabeth is giving him. It seems to slip away from him all at once- why did he say that? Why does it matter? There's no reason why Annabeth should be interested in the fact that he's taller than her. And it's just by a little bit; it's nothing that most people would bother to notice. He doesn't even know why he noticed.
"I don't know," Percy mumbles, face suddenly burning bright red. "I guess I just thought it was… notable."
She sets down her quill and stares off into a distant corner of the library for a moment. The only movement that she makes is her fingers kneading together on the surface of the desk.
"We're growing up," she says quietly, and when she looks down at her hands, her long, blond eyelashes flutter with her movement. For a moment, Percy just focuses on them, and how pretty they are. "It's… strange. I don't like it."
"You're going to be fine," Percy says. "Just because you're shorter than me, doesn't mean you're a failure in life."
She gives him an exasperated look that lets him know that she wasn't just talking about height. He's glad that he isn't sitting next to her because Percy's reasonably certain that she would have shoved him had he been in shoving distance.
"No, it's just… everything seems to be happening really quickly. We're at the halfway point in our Hogwarts careers and I'm already panicking about what I'm going to do when we get out of here."
"That's because you're Annabeth," Percy observes. "You do that because you're you. But everybody else knows that you're going to leave this place and take the world by storm."
"Do you know what you want, though?"
He raises one of his eyebrows while keeping the other one low, creating a comical look on his face.
"I'm going to answer your question with a question: do you know what you want?" She shakes her head. "Well, if you don't know what you want, how could you possibly expect me to know what I want?"
Annabeth laughs in disbelief.
"Your future goals don't have to piggyback mine, Percy."
"Oh, that's not what I was commenting on."
"No?"
"I just meant that it would be kind of dumb to assume that I could get my life together before you got yours together."
"Oh. Of course. Duh."
"You know what they say about assuming, Annabeth Chase."
He leans across the table, lifting himself out of his chair so that his elbows are right in front of her. This close to her gray eyes, he feels like he can see the storm that brews within them. He likes staring at the tiny intricacies of her irises, so instead of pushing back, he just remains there, studying her closely.
"Please don't say it," she teases, but her voice doesn't sound as strong and sarcastic as it usually does when she's discouraging his bad behavior. "I'd have to storm out of this library and I happen to be extremely comfortable right now."
Only now can Percy find the strength to push back, and he does so with a laugh that just comes out awkward. The two of them stare at each other from across the table, not knowing what to say.
He is fourteen years old and he cannot fancy his best friend.
(ooo)
Percy almost drops the quaffle when he hears the words leave Jason's lips.
"Er- what?"
"I said," Jason replies, throwing the quaffle back to him, "you fancy Annabeth."
"I most certainly do not fancy Annabeth!" Percy says indignantly, throwing the quaffle a little bit harder than usual. Jason gives him a disbelieving look. "What? I don't."
They have the Quidditch pitch to themselves because it's freezing cold outside and nobody in their right mind wants to be outside playing Quidditch. But Jason and Percy both want to get onto their House teams, and doing so means practicing all of the time. Which is why they're sitting on brooms in the freezing weather, tossing a ball back and forth. And apparently, Jason thinks that this is a good time to talk about Percy's relationship with Annabeth. Which totally makes sense. Yeah.
"You don't fancy her," comes Jason's flat reply. "Sure, fine. Then you won't mind if I ask her to go to Hogsmeade with me, then."
His stomach swoops with anxiety and his chest suddenly starts to feel cold.
Percy throws the quaffle so hard that it slams into Jason's chest, nearly knocking him off of his broom. Jason swears loudly as he catches his breath, and Percy zooms down to retrieve the quaffle, which is now soaring towards the ground at an alarming speed, having used Jason's chest as a diving board.
"I WAS JOKING!" Jason shouts in his direction, coughing and laughing at the same time. Percy directs his broom back towards Jason, contemplating flying at him and mowing him down, school rules be dammed. "I wanted to see how you would react- and I was right."
"You're not right!" Percy refutes. He can feel his face starting to turn red. Jason just flashes him a knowing smile. "You're not. Ask her out! It's fine! Go ahead. Have fun."
"You're an idiot," Jason says, nodding wisely in Percy's direction. He starts to tilt his broom downward, motioning that Percy should follow.
"I'm going to stay and do a couple of laps," he says, not trusting himself to be on the ground with Jason.
And it's not because he's upset about the Annabeth thing. He just wants to get in a few laps around the Quidditch pitch. Because, really, why would he be upset about Jason taking his best friend to Hogsmeade? Everybody in their year is starting to pair off now and it shouldn't be surprising if Jason wants to do the same. With Annabeth. Percy's best friend.
They'd probably have a great time in Hogsmeade together. They'd hang out, and have lots of fun, and then they would end up spending tons of time together after that. Jason would join Percy and Annabeth in the library when they study every night, but instead of being reluctant to go back at curfew, they would head back to the Ravenclaw common room before then because they would have each other. And at the end of the night, Annabeth and Jason would vanish behind the large wooden door with the ornate knocker and Percy would not be able to follow them, which is probably good because they'll spend all of their time snogging in that common room anyways.
He's going to die alone. And, worse? He's going to lose Annabeth as his best friend.
No. No! He's not going to die alone and he's certainly not going to lose Annabeth. One day they're going to start dating people, and then they're going to grow up and leave Hogwarts and get married and have kids, and that doesn't mean that they have to lose each other. It just means that their lives are going to change a little bit. But they're fourteen right now. They don't need to worry about that yet.
The future is far, far away.
(ooo)
"The future is right around the corner," Professor Stoll reminds them as he passes back their quizzes. "It is extremely important to begin thinking about what you want to do with your future. Certain jobs require specific qualifications, and therefore, when studying for your O. , you should add extra focus in certain content areas."
A glance at Frank shows that he's experiencing a look of panic that is similar to the panic that Percy is feeling. O. are more than a year away! Why would they be worrying about them right now?
"Of course, all areas in which you are taught at Hogwarts are crucial in being a functioning wizard in our society. You need to put copious amounts of time into studying everything that you'll need to know for your O.W.L exams. Failure is not an option. You will notice that the teachers in your main subjects will be giving your more work than usual. Yes, school is about to become even more rigorous and time consuming than it has in the past. There's very little time until you take the O. , just about a year, so now is the time to begin preparing yourself."
He stops pacing the classroom long enough to see the entire classroom of fourth years looking at him with shock on their faces. They don't usually get pep talks, admittedly, and nobody is ready to talk about fifth year yet. Fifth year is hell year. This is fourth year. Fourth year is supposed to suck way less.
"What?" Professor Stoll says, looking only a little bit guilty. "I'm just the messenger!"
(ooo)
He happens upon her sitting on a window seat in a random alcove somewhere between the Hufflepuff dorms and the Ravenclaw tower. It's purely coincidental that they're both there at the same time, but it doesn't stop Percy from sneaking up behind her and pressing two fingers into her sides. Annabeth shrieks and whirls around, her long blond ponytail slapping Percy in the face. As he splutters and spins away from her, she rams her book into his arm, causing him to catapult himself into the wall.
"Ow!" yelps Percy, grabbing the wall to keep from falling down. "Merlin, Annabeth!"
"You scared me!" she shrieks at him, her cheeks still red with surprise. "And you are not allowed to poke me ever again. Ever."
"Hello to you too," grumbles Percy, rubbing his arm where Annabeth hit him with her large, heavy textbook.
"Stop being a baby," she tells him, jutting her chin at the arm. Percy's mouth drops open.
"A baby? Annabeth, you attacked me with a book! It hurts."
"You're fine," she scoffs.
He stares at her, face tense for a moment, before shaking his head and letting his robes fall off of his arms. After reaching behind his neck to pull his gray Hogwarts jumper over his head, he is left in a short sleeved undershirt and a bare arm that proudly displays an enormous red mark.
"Do you see?" demands Percy, thrusting his arm in her direction. "See what you did to me?"
She inspects it carefully.
"Are you sure I did that? Lots of people want to punch you in the arm. Leo does it quite a lot, you know."
He laughs, reaching to the floor to grab his jumper and tug it back over his head.
"And by the way," Percy adds, watching as Annabeth turns around and begins collecting the school things that are scattered all around the floor, "why did you attack me the muggle way? You know that you're a witch, right?"
"It was my first instinct," Annabeth admits, a small smile stretching across her lips. He can tell that she's proud of herself and is trying hard not to show him exactly how thrilled she is. "And if the red mark on your arm is any indication, I did a damn good job. As a matter of fact, could you leave the robes off? I want people to see my marksmanship."
"No way. I'd be a human target."
"No more than usual, what with your general Seaweed Brain-ness and all that."
"Haha," he replies drily. "Very funny, Annie."
"What did you just call me?"
"Oh, nothing at all. Beth."
"Percy, you stop it right now!"
"Sure thing. Anna."
"You know I hate nicknames."
"Yes, I'm aware. Beth."
This time, she actually does use magic to curse him. As he's standing in the middle of the hallway, watching her walk away and feeling a thousand hands viciously tickle his body simultaneously, Percy actually feels kind of proud of her.
(ooo)
It's been raining for weeks, courtesy of their lovely Scotland weather, and Percy just wants to get out of the castle. However, it's also a lazy Sunday, and their group specializes in lazy Sundays. Currently, they're all spread out across the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, where they've been ever since lunch. Leo and Frank are playing a rousing game of Exploding Snap, already having nearly burnt off their eyebrows several times. Jason and Piper are playing wizard's chess with Annabeth's new set; they're bent low over the table, with their eyes narrowed and their brows creased as though this will help them catch every detail. Hazel, Grover, and Rachel are pouring over a divination textbook and discussing different techniques for the subject.
Percy just wants to play Quidditch.
"Does anybody want to have a fly?" he asks to the general group, even though he doesn't feel very hopeful. Getting them to move on lazy Sunday is nearly impossible.
Unsurprisingly, his question is met with general silence. Percy sighs and reaches into his bag to pull out some paper, hoping to doodle on it if he can't think of anything else to do. When he resurfaces from under the table, Annabeth is looking at him, her finger marking her spot in the book.
"When was the last time we raced?" she wonders out loud, her eyes on his face.
Percy shakes his head as he tries to think.
"A while, I guess. You won."
"Well," Annabeth says, smirking. "I always win."
"Is that a challenge, Chase?"
"I think it is, Jackson."
They get up at the same time.
"Bye!" Annabeth calls over her shoulder.
"We'll be back soon!" Percy informs their friends.
They barely even raise their hands to acknowledge a goodbye.
Annabeth goes to grab her expensive broom from the Ravenclaw tower and, when she returns, is holding a second broom in her other hand. Percy raises his eyebrows.
"It's Jason's," she admits. "I wanted the race to be fair. Can't allow you to lose to me while on a subpar broom."
"Awww," says Percy, "You snuck into the boy's dorm just so I could beat you on a better broom? Bless you, Annabeth."
The Quidditch pitch is mercifully empty when they get there, as most kids are lounging on the grass to enjoy the first dry day in a while, or, in the case of the upperclassmen, studying furiously instead of enjoying the post-lunch lolling about that most Hogwarts students choose to partake in on Sundays.
They practically sprint to the field, slightly winded by the time they get there and get their running jumps onto their broomsticks. For a moment, Percy just savors the feeling of being able to soar through the air, feeling the wind flying through his hair. He's actually flying, and it's something that will never cease to amaze him.
Annabeth does not share the same amazement.
"Five times around the pitch," she says in a professional voice, hovering by one of the goalposts. "If you bump into a goalpost, you have to start that lap over."
"Please," Percy responds, rolling his eyes. "Neither of us are amateurs, Annabeth."
"Fine. Whoever reaches the goalpost first wins. On the final lap, you have to touch it so that there's no mistaking of a tie, in case it's that close. Ready?"
"Yep," Percy says, voice cocky even though he's never beat her in one of these races. She's had far more practice than he has even if she doesn't savor flying as much as he does. "Let's go."
He doesn't plan on beating her- he really doesn't. He never has before, and he's more than happy to see the rosy pink that tinges that she gets when she's excited about something. He likes seeing the giant smile on her face when she wins, even when she's gloating about something. He likes the pat on the back that she gives him, letting her hand linger for a little longer than necessary, and he always analyzes it for several minutes after she does it because best friends don't let their hands linger on other friends' backs. Right?
Percy totally doesn't mean to beat her, which is why they're both taken aback when it happens.
He drifts slowly to the ground, a strange feeling of regret mixing with the euphoria in his stomach. Annabeth follows more quickly than he does, clambering off of her broom far more gracelessly than she usually does. Despite the fact that she didn't win, she still looks beautiful. Her face is bright from the exercise, her hair is windswept and tangled, which is a look that the public rarely gets to see on Annabeth Chase, and a gloriously enormous smile is on her lips.
"That was phenomenal, Percy!" she praises, her voice loud and deliriously happy. "The way you took those corners was unbelievable. You've been practicing a ton, haven't you?"
"Yeah," he replies slowly, trying to comprehend her mood. Annabeth isn't usually happy when she loses. Not that she loses a lot. Or ever. "I actually read some of the books that you gave me about flying technique and I learned some good body positions for rounding corners."
"It definitely worked!" Annabeth praises. "I think that you could make the House team next year for Hufflepuff."
He's still not smiling, even while she radiates her glee onto him.
"That's cool," Percy says, and Annabeth frowns, biting her lower lip. He can't look at her. He turns around and starts to walk away.
"Percy?" comes her questioning voice, and he feels her hand on his arm.
He doesn't want to turn around. How is he supposed to explain that he was looking forward to the consoling pat on the back and the way she would sympathetically meet his eyes? But when her hand clasps more tightly around his arm, he turns around anyways because it's not in his nature to refuse Annabeth Chase anything.
Which is why he doesn't refuse when her lips quickly meet his and mash forcefully against them.
Well, that's one reason.
Among other things.
Annabeth is kissing him.
Kissing him.
And her hand is still on his arm while the other one twists into the fabric of her skirt, and that's when Percy realizes that his eyes are still open so he makes the conscious decision to close them, leaning further into the feeling of her lips pressed against his as his hands hang uselessly at his sides.
When she pulls back, he wishes that he had kept his eyes closed so that he didn't have to see the look of horror in her expression.
They both run off in separate directions.
Fifth Year
They've never gone this long without talking to each other, and now that Percy knows what kissing can do to a relationship, he has decided that he never wants to kiss Annabeth again. Ever. After all, when she had run off that day, panic in her eyes, he hadn't thought that it would lead to an entire summer without any communication. He hadn't written her because he hadn't wanted to seem like he was hitting on her or trying to get her to go out with him, and he has a feeling that she hadn't written him because she feels ashamed of what she's done.
That said, it's with less enthusiasm than usual that Percy pushes his cart into the brick wall that will lead him and his mother onto platform 9 ¾. It's buzzing with cheerful, excited voices and teeming with Percy's fellow Hogwarts students, and normally the sight would make his heart explode with delight. But today, all he can do is keep his eyes open, waiting for Annabeth to appear and find out how they're going to approach the situation. She's always been the alpha in their friendship, so it makes sense that she's going to lead the way. She's the one that hadn't spoken to him after she'd kissed him on the mouth, so to Percy, it had only made sense to not speak to her either.
He takes her cues. He always has.
If his mum has noticed, she doesn't say anything. She hasn't asked about Annabeth all summer- not since he had come home from school and promptly dropped himself onto his bed, allowing his frustrated, angry yell to be swallowed by his pillow. He spent a lot of the summer near his pillow. It's always there for him. It's dependable.
Of course, he'd also gone to one of Rachel's vacation houses with their friends, and he had been genuinely expecting Annabeth to be there as well. When he casually tried to ask why, Rachel had given him a sympathetic smile and told him that Annabeth had declined the invitation.
"Percy!"
The female voice that leaps up to him isn't Annabeth, so Percy is able to take his time turning around to look at Hazel.
"Hey," he says, voice disheartened at the sight of her.
"Not the girl you wanted to see?" she asks knowingly, and she gives him a sad little smile when she sees the angst on his face.
"Nothing personal," Percy says as he nods.
"I know," Hazel replies. "She's going to have to talk to you eventually, Percy."
Their friends don't know what happened, but they do know that it got really weird really fast between Percy and Annabeth, and that's probably enough to figure it out on their own. Of course, Percy doesn't know who would ever assume that he and Annabeth would kiss each other. It's so out of the blue.
Hazel has turned to his mum and begun a conversation about a television program that they both watch, so Percy has the chance to look for Annabeth. His green eyes dart purposefully around the platform, skimming desperately for the person that he's been missing since the end of the year last year. When his gaze lands on her, she's already looking at him.
Percy wonders if it's coincidental that she's biting her bottom lip.
When Annabeth sees him looking at her, her first instinct is to lock her jaw and square her shoulders. When he makes no movement to walk towards her, instead staring at her, she lets out a breath and starts making her way towards him. As she walks, he observes a shiny prefect badge resting right above her left breast. He also observes the fact that her face seems older- much more mature than it had the last time he saw her. He wonders if he looks any different.
It wouldn't be surprising if she grew up and left him behind.
"Hello, Percy," Annabeth says stiffly. "Hi, Mrs. Jackson."
"Hi, Annabeth," Percy's mum says, her brows knitting together with concern. "Did you have a good summer?"
The 'no' is on the tip of her tongue, but at the sight of Percy's eyes clamped onto her, Annabeth tightens her jaw again.
"Um, yes. I suppose. It was alright." Which in polite pureblood means 'it was utter and complete shit.' Percy bites back a smile. "Listen, Percy, I have to get on the train to do my prefect duties. But I was wondering if we could talk before then?"
His throat starts to feel thick, but all he can do is nod and reach up to kiss his mum goodbye.
"Have a good year," she whispers in his ear, her voice musical. He loves her voice. "I love you."
"I love you more," he promises, even though she rolls her tear-filled eyes. "I'll see you at Christmas."
Annabeth helps him hoist his trunk onto the train, and as they get onboard early, there are several empty compartments to choose from. Annabeth picks one on the left side of the train and holds the door open for Percy, giving him a weak smile as he passes her. When the door closes, she is all business.
"So," she says, "I think we need to address what happened last year."
Percy sits down on a chair, his face neutral.
"Okay."
Annabeth takes a breath.
"Percy… I'm so sorry. I never should have done that. I have no idea what came over me. I got caught up in the moment and lost my head. It's all my fault and I promise that I will never do that to you again. Our friendship is just too important to screw up over something as stupid as a random, spur of the moment… you know. So… please forgive me."
His throat feels like it has peanut butter in it as he nervously swallows and then scratches the back of his neck. For a moment, he wonders why she can't even say the word 'kiss.' Then he ponders if anything in her statement had left an opening for him to say something about it- to start a discussion. Then he realizes that he'd much rather have her back as a friend than be able to kiss her again.
"Of course I forgive you," he says, allowing a fake smile onto his lips. He hopes that it seems more genuine than it feels, because while he's glad that he has her friendship back, there's a small part of his heart that feels like it's breaking.
"Thank you!" Annabeth exclaims, leaning forward to hug him. She changes her mind at the last moment and reaches out her hand to shake his instead. "I have to go to the prefect compartment, but I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Okay," he replies, the smile still plastered onto his face.
As she exits the compartment and he sits down on the seat, the words I promise that I will never do that to you again ring through his head in an endless loop.
(ooo)
"Would you stop pacing? You're going to make the team. I know it."
He stops pacing long enough to flip her off, which just serves to make both Annabeth and Athena flash him annoyed looks.
"Okay, I get why you're pissed off, but why is your owl giving me the stink eye?"
"She's very protective of me," Annabeth coos, scratching the owl's head. "Aren't you, Athena?"
Percy wishes that there was someone to exchange a sarcastic glance with, but it's just the two of them sitting in the owlry while Annabeth catches up with Athena. If Mrs. O'Leary were here, she'd probably side with Percy, but she's a cat and cats only understand their own sarcasm. As it is, he's reasonably positive that she's curled up somewhere in the yellow folds of his bedcovers, taking her 80th nap of the day.
"Whatever. I'm still going to pace."
He starts walking again, treading the same path over and over again as the anxiety rolls in his stomach.
"Percy. You're going to make the team."
"How do you know?"
"I just know!"
"Did they say something about me?"
Annabeth gives him a look.
"No, Percy. No they did not."
Percy racks his hands through his hair, making it even messier.
"Why aren't you nervous?" he demands, turning to Annabeth. Her tryouts had been yesterday, and she hasn't shown a single sign of weakness since they had taken place. "Did Jason guarantee you a place on the team or something?"
"He's not captain," Annabeth reminds him. "He's only been on the team for half a year!"
Jason had gotten onto the Ravenclaw House team because one of their keepers had fallen off of his broom when going for a particularly spectacular save in a game against Slytherin. He had needed to be replaced for his physical injuries and then, because he was a seventh year, had decided that he didn't want to play anymore. Jason Grace had, per usual, gracefully answered the call.
"Still. He could put in a good word for you."
"I certainly hope he does," Annabeth admits. "But that doesn't guarantee me a spot on the team, especially if I don't deserve it. He'll only put in a word if I'm the best one for the job. He doesn't play favorites like that."
"When is your list going to go up?"
"Tonight. In the common room."
"Same."
Percy finally gives up on pacing and hauls himself onto the ground next to Annabeth, wincing in pain at the feeling of hitting the hard, cold floor so hard. Annabeth doesn't say anything about it, instead choosing to put all of her focus on Athena. The gray owl seems particularly pleased at the attention that she's getting today; Percy knows that Annabeth doesn't have as much time for her at school. At home, however, when Annabeth is locked in the gigantic mansion that her mother lives in, Athena is basically the only contact she has outside of her mother and the house elves that they live with.
"Did you talk to your dad over vacation?" Percy asks, giving Athena's chin a scratch. The owl hoots in response, moving away from Percy and closer to Annabeth, who tries not to giggle at the indignant look on Percy's face. "What the hell did I do?"
"Nothing," Annabeth promises. "She's just picky like that. I guess she doesn't really approve of you."
"Approve of me? She's an… you know what, never mind. Your dad. Did you talk to him over vacation?"
Annabeth's eyes seem to turn a shade darker as she stares down at the floor.
"I didn't talk to anyone over vacation, really."
Her voice is so sad that he wants to reach over a hand to comfort her, but he doesn't do that because that would be weird and they're already in such a tentative place. It's getting easier to pretend that things are normal, but sometimes he just wants to come out and say it. Tell her that he fancies her and that he dreams about her all the time, and when he wakes up, he doesn't even realize that they're not together until halfway through brushing his teeth because it seems so real and so natural. He wants to look over and say I like you and have it not be weird, because he does. He likes her.
"So you didn't see your dad," he surmises.
"I was… studying."
"Mhhhmm."
"And he was busy."
"Yeah."
"And, okay, it's kind of my fault."
"Okay."
She hits him on the arm.
"Percy! You weren't supposed to agree with that!"
"Well, it sort of was your fault."
"Percy!"
She looks repulsed by him, but he doesn't know what she wants him to say.
"Just because he has another family, doesn't mean he's your evil step-father, Annabeth," Percy reminds her, his voice gentle.
He feels like pushing a piece of hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear, so he does.
"But he doesn't want me."
"Okay, so he's made some extremely shitty decisions in the past. But life is about giving people second chances. Right?"
"So if your dad came back, you would just let him into your life?" Annabeth inquires skeptically.
Percy shakes his head.
"No. But it's different."
"How?"
"He walked out when I was a baby, Annabeth. And the divorce wasn't a mutual decision- or even anything that my mum saw coming- and he never sent me birthday cards or Christmas gifts and he never tried. Your dad tries. You have to award him something for doing that."
"I never thought that my dad would look like the more attractive parent in any situation."
"Also, you never thought that I would out-logic you," Percy points out, looking a little smug as he crosses his arms over his chest. "How does it feel?"
"Please. I taught you everything you know. You're welcome, Percy."
He shoves her and she shoves him back and in that moment Quidditch doesn't seem to matter as much.
(ooo)
"We're going to beat you tomorrow."
She says it like it's most obvious thing in the world, when Percy doesn't really think it's true. Hufflepuff may not have the best House team, but neither does Ravenclaw, and he's pretty sure that they're reasonably evenly matched. Still, Percy doesn't say anything as he pulls open a tapestry that leads to a hidden passageway and allows Annabeth to duck under his arm.
"What? We totally are!"
"I'm sure," he says absently, knowing that it will drive her up the wall to hear the lack of competition in her voice.
This is totally gonna be his strategy whenever they have games against each other. He's just going to pretend like he doesn't care and it's going to rile her up so much that she'll be completely distracted during the game tomorrow and Hufflepuff will reign victorious.
Ha.
"You don't seem upset enough about the fact that we're about to kick your ass."
Her eyes are tired from spending so much time in the library, but it's fifth year and they've both emotionally prepared themselves for the hell that they're about to go through.
"Well, you beat us the last time you played us, so I guess I'm just reconciling myself to the fact that we've already had dinner tonight and there's no chance for me to go downstairs and get another slice of cake."
"…Percy?"
"Hey, do you think we could bribe the house elves into making us blue cake? I mean, we do have kind of a friendship going down there. We're pretty tight, us and the house elves."
They're nearing the Ravenclaw tower and Annabeth is struggling not to laugh. When they pull up to the wooden door, Annabeth hesitates before putting her hand on the knocker. She turns around to Percy, who is still standing there, trying not to stare at the way she looks when she's only illuminates by the moon coming in through the windows and the torches that are alight on the walls.
"Well, have a goodnight," Annabeth whispers, smiling at him. The grin that he gives her is kind of lopsided because of the way that she's staring at him. He wishes that he could reach out and touch her hand, but he digs his hands into his trouser pockets instead, lifting his shoulders up in an elongated shrug. His foot scuffs back and forth when he looks back up to her again, seeing her studying his movements.
"You too," he replies, far too late.
"Goodnight," she says again, savoring the word.
"Goodnight."
She's way too close to him. Before he can do anything stupid, like kiss her again and completely wreck their friendship, Percy whirls around and practically sprints down the hallway, leaving Annabeth standing behind him, alone in the corridor.
She's like a princess. A beautiful, badass warrior princess who beats people up with books and has amazing quidditch skills and is the smartest, funniest person he's ever met. He loves fighting with her, and he loves talking to her in general, and he never gets sick of her and never wants her to leave him alone. He loves watching her interact with his mum and he loves playing Quidditch with her and he even loves studying with her in the library, which is weird because he absolutely hates studying.
And he isn't sure, but he think he might actually love her.
If he is in love with her, that means that their friendship is totally destroyed anyways, right? So what cause does he have to not tell her? What's the point of not kissing her? She kissed him once, and that has to mean something, and she was standing so close to him in that hallway. So ridiculously close.
He changes directions without even thinking about it, and then he's sprinting the wrong way- away from the Hufflepuff living quarters and back towards the Ravenclaw tower. When he gets there, Rachel Elizabeth Dare is standing right in front of the door.
"Ha!" she says, enthralled. "I knew I was supposed to be here right now!"
Percy stops, nonplussed for the first time.
"Um, what?"
"I just had a feeling that I had to get to the tower, and I was right."
He raises his eyebrows, deterred.
"Really?"
"Really. So you want to see Annabeth, right?"
"Right! And, Rachel?"
"Yes?"
"Can you grab her fast? Before I completely lose my nerve."
She beams at him.
"Of course."
Rachel answers the riddle quickly and the door swings open for her. She disappears and Percy tries to compose any form of coherent thought in his head, jumping up and down to keep his heart pumping. There's no way he's going to be able to do this if he's calm or relaxed. He's going to do it like a normal boy: he's just going to tell her, and then see what happens, and he's going to worry about their friendship later because he needs this, he's fancied her since they were eleven and they're nearly sixteen and if he hasn't gotten over her year, he isn't going to be getting over her now.
But all of his plans go out the window when Annabeth has exited the Ravenclaw common room and is standing right in front of him. Her hair, usually tied up in a bun or a ponytail or in a braid, is loose around her elbows. She's wearing soft shorts to sleep in and a Ravenclaw t-shirt and a look of confusion on her face.
"What are you doing, Seaweed Brain?" she asks, voice warm. "You're going to be out after-mmph."
He wasn't supposed to start off with kissing her, but his heart is pounding so fast that he can't hear anything and can't think anything and the only thing left to do is to press his lips against hers, light at first, and then, as her lips come alive underneath his, harder. He decides to place his hand in her hair, tangling it up in the curls there, and the other one is on her cheek, cupping the skin there. Annabeth, for her part, moves her hands from pressing against his chest to winding around his neck so that she can crush her body harder against his.
"I thought we said we weren't going to do that anymore?" Annabeth reminds him, pulling back breathlessly. She's smiling so hard that Percy has to kiss her again.
"I change my mind," he murmurs. "I really, really changed my mind."
"Fine by me," she says against his lips before threading her fingers into his hair and pulling him back down again.
(ooo)
"Would you stop laughing?"
He breaks away for the third time in the past five minutes to glare at Annabeth. She's biting her lip, looking guilty but not nearly chastised enough for laughing while he was kissing her. At the thunderous look on his face, she bursts out laughing again.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just weird. I've wanted to kiss you for a really long time and now that it's actually happening it's like… you're Percy. And we're snogging."
She bursts out into laughter all over again while Percy stares at her in shock, thoroughly put out. She'd been happy enough to find a corridor to hide in with him after they had their second kiss, but she hasn't been able to hold it together since they started snogging and she's making it awkward. He presses his lips together, dejected.
"I'm not going to keep trying to snog you if you're going to keep laughing about it. We don't have to try a relationship. We can just be friends."
They can't just be friends. There's no way he'd be able to handle that now that he knows that she fancies him too. Now that he knows what it's like to kiss her and hold her and feel her breasts brush against his chest as he twists his fingers into the curls that lie at the bottom of her hair.
"No, I can do this. I can keep it together." She smiles awkwardly at him. "I want to be with you, Percy."
It's the latter statement that melts him, and his lips are immediately on hers again, coaxing her tongue into his mouth with a little bit of nonverbal communication. But as soon as she sighs into the kiss, she becomes conscious of what they're doing and starts to giggle again.
"ANNABETH!"
"Shit! I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing," Percy sighs. "Maybe we're just not supposed to be-"
"No!" She places a finger on his lips, stopping him. "We're supposed to be together. I just have to… I don't know… work at it?"
"Are you not attracted to me?" he asks her, stumbling over the words because they're just too awkward to get out.
"I am extremely attracted to you," Annabeth promises. "I'm just not used to this."
"Neither am I," he reveals. "Okay, hang on. I have an idea."
He stands up, stepping away from her for a moment to take off his jumper, his tie, and then his collared shirt. Annabeth's eyes widen and she bites her bottom lip.
"Oh," she says, and Percy starts to smirk.
"Quidditch," he says by way of explanation. "We've been practicing a lot lately."
Annabeth nods.
"I can certainly see that."
She looks up at him, not smiling at all. When he sits back down on the bench, directly in front of her, Annabeth's cloudy eyes don't leave his face. She leans in, eyes still wide open, and hesitates for a moment before fitting her lips to his. Something warm and tender blossoms in Percy's stomach, and he brings his hand to the side of her neck where he can feel her pulse point beating against his thumb.
This time, when Annabeth sighs, she doesn't start laughing. She just swipes her tongue over his bottom lip and allows her hands to travel off of his shoulders and onto his chest, making him moan at the feeling of her fingers dusting all over his flesh and making him feel like tantalizing feathers are ghosting over his skin.
As he tentatively moves his hand from her hip to her lower back, he has a feeling that they're going to be okay.
(ooo)
They hold hands when they walk into the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning and don't say anything as the entire table begins to gossip about the fact that Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are officially in a relationship.
Sixth Year
"I missed you."
He grins and rolls his eyes as he backs her against the wall, pressing her against it as gently as he can.
"You saw me three days ago," he reminds her, lips ghosting over the skin at her neck. Annabeth sighs and puts a hand in his hair, stroking it tenderly.
"And I missed you."
Percy really likes kissing her. He likes the way they figured each other out- how to be together. They'd spent the entire summer at Percy's house, going to movies, spending time with his mum, and snogging when she wasn't at home. At first, being able to touch Annabeth whenever he wanted to- and having her do the same- seemed strange. They had spent so much time purposefully not acting like a couple. But now they are a couple, and everything is different all over again.
"Okay. I missed you too."
They're in a broom cupboard in the basement because Annabeth had been walking Percy to his dorm when they had suddenly realized that they hadn't kissed in three days. And that was completely unacceptable. But he likes being this close to her, and he's not really complaining about the size of the broom cupboard because her scent seems to be surrounding him and he's never loved lemons so much.
His jumper is hanging on a broom that's in the corner of the closet, and Annabeth's hands are now tugging his white button down out of his trousers so that she can slide her hands up the warm flesh of his back and press him closer to her. He lifts his lips back up to hers when he feels her do that, smiling into their kiss when he sucks on her tongue and she sighs into his mouth.
"Annabeth?"
"Mhhmm?"
"Do you know what you want now?"
She pulls back, tracing a finger along the side of his face.
"Like, in this moment?"
"No. Like, the future. Remember how we were talking about how we didn't know what we wanted out of life and we didn't have any plans?"
Annabeth lifts an eyebrow.
"And you're thinking about this while we're snogging? Am I boring you, Percy Jackson?" He kisses her thoroughly to prove that she most certainly is not boring him. "Okay. I see your point. But that was two years ago. Why are you thinking about it now?"
"We have to pick classes tomorrow at breakfast," he tells her. Annabeth's eyes widen in realization. He wishes that he'd had the good sense to have this conversation after they were done snogging. His mind is half on what he wants in the future and half on what he wants in the present- which is, incidentally, to get Annabeth's shirt off. Although he's pretty sure that he'll want that tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, so it technically is a long term goal.
"And you don't know what you want to do?"
"Not really. No."
"Take the courses that make you want to work hard," is Annabeth's sage advice, but Percy doesn't know what to do with that because he usually studies with her and being around Annabeth seems to make him want to work harder and to do better in general. "Take the stuff that seems to have meaning behind it and isn't just about wand work for you."
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
The question seems to startle her; he can see the surprise in her eyes. Then she squints her eyes in the darkness, letting them drift away from his face and up to the ceiling. She chews on her bottom lip contemplatively and Percy leans down to kiss her, gently prying her lower lip from her teeth as he does.
"I want… this," she says clearly. "My best friend and my boyfriend. I like how they blend together like this."
"Me too," he agrees, pressing his forehead against her head.
"It just feels like we're already growing up so much… the concept of 'when I grow up' is too close, Percy. I don't want to leave this school."
"I don't either," he grouses. "Let's just stay here."
"In this broom cupboard?"
"In this broom cupboard."
They're silent for a few moments, holding each other.
"I like architecture."
Percy pulls back.
"Huh?"
"That's what I want to do when I grow up. I like buildings. I like things that are enormous and undefeatable and permanent. And I like the art of them. The way they curve and dive and the fact that they can be so pretty and so strong at the same time."
He thinks that Annabeth herself is pretty and strong, but he doesn't know if it sounds too cheesy to say it, so he kisses her forehead instead, savoring the feeling.
"That's incredible, Annabeth."
She smiles.
"I know it's not a very magical job, but there are Ministry architects, and people that work for the National Quidditch Association that design pitches and stadiums, and I can also work in the muggle world as well, even though I wouldn't need to use my magical background. I was thinking about going to muggle University and getting a degree. Professor Hunter told me that there are specific universities that partner with Hogwarts and allow the students to get degrees that will enable them to work in the muggle world."
"You've been researching this." He feels something odd nagging at his stomach and takes a few seconds to try to figure out what it is. "You didn't tell me that you were interested in it, but you were… researching it…"
Annabeth catches his hurt immediately and extends her neck so that she can peck his lips.
"It's not you, I promise," she says. "I just didn't really know if it was what I truly wanted and I didn't want to excite you if it wasn't. And, besides- I would be going to a muggle university and I'm not really sure how you feel about that."
"Annabeth, I'd be fine. I'm a half-blood, remember? I spent my entire childhood in the muggle world."
She makes a face.
"Oh yes. How could I forget when you annoyed me so fervently when we were first years?"
"My awe for the wizarding world was annoying?" Annabeth nods vigorously. "I would hypothesize that you were just extremely confused about how attracted your eleven-year-old self was to me and got the emotions that you were feeling swapped up with annoyance."
"You would, huh?"
"I would."
"I think you're wrong."
She peppers kisses down his jawline, moving slowly over the smooth flesh that is there. He's sixteen years old and he wishes he would have to shave more, but Annabeth doesn't seem to mind and he doesn't care because she doesn't care.
"We're going to figure this out for you, Percy," she says, placing her hand over the spot that she has just kissed. "We're going to find out what you want to do with your life. You and me. Together."
"You don't have to," mumbles Percy, looking down at the floor. Annabeth places her hands on his cheeks so that she can, lift his head up, forcing him to look directly into his eyes.
"I know I don't have to, Seaweed Brain. Now c'mon. We're going to get caught by the prefects if we stay out too much longer."
"Hey," he says as he moves to get his jumper. "You're a prefect. Do you have to turn us in?"
"Shut up, Jackson," Annabeth instructs.
(ooo)
"What are you doing for Christmas?"
Annabeth looks up from her Ancient Runes homework with a confused look on her face.
"Why would you ask me that?"
"Just… something I heard Piper say."
Annabeth sighs and sets down her quill.
"I'm staying here for Christmas."
He suddenly feels like somebody has dumped icy cold water over his head. All this time, he's been talking about how excited he is to go home for Christmas and be with his mother and experience their yearly traditions together and Annabeth's been planning on staying at school.
"Come to Christmas with us!"
She looks so uncomfortable. She's actually fidgeting in her chair.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
Annabeth looks up, eyes frustrated.
"Percy, my mother is going on vacation, okay? I don't have anywhere to stay. I can't stay with you for the entire vacation, especially because you don't have a guestroom. And I'm not allowed to go home while she's not there and all of the elves are going to be celebrating together anyways. I would just get in the way of their vacation."
"Stay with your dad," he suggests. His eyes widen at the murderous look on Annabeth's face.
"No!"
"Okay, fine, you're right," he concedes, backtracking before she can get so angry that their relationship is irreparable. "I'll just stay here."
Annabeth's body freezes.
"What?"
Percy shrugs.
"I'll stay here. We'll have Christmas together. Our first Christmas as a couple."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"You didn't ask. I offered."
"You've been looking forward to going home and seeing your mum for months. You love spending Christmas with her. You have absolutely no responsibility to spend it with me whatsoever."
"Annabeth, I realize that it's not my responsibility. But I want to spend it with you. I want to spend every day, every night, and every holiday with you because I love you. Remember? We've definitely been over this before. I can pull out the transcripts."
"Transcripts? Are we testifying in front of the Wizengamot?" she asks drily.
"Hey now. Be nice to me. I'm sacrificing my Christmas for you."
"Percy, I told you that-"
"Relax. I'm joking." She continues to scowl at him. "If you smile, I'll help you with your Ancient Runes homework," he coaxes.
It's the only subject that he's better than her in, something that he likes to remind her of quite often. Annabeth wrinkles her nose as looks down at the long translation that she's doing.
"Alright. Only because I owe it to you. All the extra practice, you know. You're welcome."
Percy nods understandingly.
"Of course."
(ooo)
It's a mark of how important today is that all of the students are out of bed before 9:30. Usually, the Great Hall is empty before that time on Saturday mornings. Today, however, is different. Today is Quidditch. If the whole school doesn't get out of bed in the morning to watch Quidditch, you know there's something wrong.
The Gryffindor and Slytherin tables have split amongst themselves, all wearing pieces of clothing that indicate whether they support Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Over at the Gryffindor table, several students sport badger puppets that they made to support the Hufflepuff team. Down the table, another Gryffindor has a raven hat.
By the time Percy gets out of the shower and gets into his Quidditch uniform, the entire school seems to have gathered in the Great Hall. Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Rachel are all sitting at the Ravenclaw table, clustered together. Frank and Hazel are there too, looking thoroughly out of place in the yellow and black that loudly shouts their House affiliation. Hazel moves over as soon as she sees Percy, giving him a welcoming smile. He smiles in return as he slides onto the bench next to Annabeth, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss.
"Good morning," he says, voice low and quiet.
"Good morning," she echoes, adjusting his sweater and smoothing it out over his shoulders. "You look handsome."
"You look like a very skilled chaser, Ms. Chase."
"It's the ponytail that does it."
"Oh, I agree."
When Jason sees them holding hands while they eat, he groans dramatically.
"You two are disgusting."
Piper nods her head in agreement.
"And fraternizing with the enemy, I might add," she puts in.
"Hey, you," says Percy, "what's with the Ravenclaw garb? Are us Hufflepuffs not good enough for you?" Annabeth elbows him deeply in the side. "What?" he demands, turning to her.
"Hufflepuffs are fine," Piper says, turning bright red. "I just felt like supporting Ravenclaw today. That's all. There is nothing to read into it. Nothing at all."
Annabeth kicks him under the table.
It's a clear, sunny morning when they make their way down to the pitch. The players go first, Annabeth, Jason, and Percy all walking off towards the changing rooms for their pre-game pep talks. It's Percy's second year on the team, and he's the only sixth year player. Everybody else is either a seventh year player or an underclassman, so he knows that the school has high expectations for him. It's this, and not the actual game, that makes him nervous for the game.
His hand tightens in Annabeth's, and she looks over at him at once, scrutinizing his facial expression and body language.
"Go on without me," Annabeth says to Jason, eyes still on Percy. "I'm going to trash talk my boyfriend and I don't think you need to see the carnage."
He knows that she's joking, but he laughs and walks off anyways, saluting her as he walks into the Ravenclaw changing rooms.
"Hey," Annabeth says, reaching up to brush Percy's bangs off of his forehead. "What's wrong?"
"Lots of expectations," he says, gripping her waist tightly. She frowns.
"But you've surpassed them all before."
"I know," he admits. "I do. I just… we're older now and it feels different. There's more at stake."
"Because you'll probably be captain next year?"
Percy pulls back slightly, startled.
"What?"
"Oh come on. You have to have thought about it. You're probably going to be captain next year. You're going to be the oldest player on the team and the one that's been playing longest. Hufflepuff's been top heavy for years because they kept selecting the seventh years for their team, and now that there aren't any sixth years in your year, they need a leader. That's you, Percy."
"Was that supposed to make me less nervous?"
"No." Annabeth shakes her head, then leans in and kisses him sweetly. "But that was. How did I do?"
"We might need a second go. Just to get all of the jitters out of my system, you know."
This time, it's he that kisses her and he that pulls away.
"So I think Hufflepuff is going to win today's game. Just a casual, unbiased observation."
"Yeah right!" Annabeth crows, pulling out of his grasp. "Dream on, Percy."
"I don't dream, Annabeth. I do."
"In that case- I do believe that Hufflepuff is going to get smashed by Ravenclaw today."
"Probably," Percy lowers his voice, "but I hear there's some crazy sexual tension between two of the chasers on opposing teams, so at least that'll be worth a watch, eh?"
(ooo)
Percy and Annabeth are both too young to get their apparition licenses, even though they've been taking the class. Still, they have the pleasure of waving goodbye to all of their friends as they all stroll gleefully down to Hogsmeade, excited to get out of the castle. Percy, for his part, isn't that upset about not being able to go to Hogsmeade. He loves the school building more than anything, and even though Annabeth is disappointed that she's not able to go and take her test, Percy knows he'll coax her around.
"I have a present for you," Annabeth says after they walk everybody to the gates. Percy wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and she shoves him good naturedly. "You're incorrigible."
"You're my enabler."
"So you're saying that I should stop having sex with you? Because I can do that. It wouldn't be that hard."
"Please," he snorts, tousling his own hair and flashing her a winning grin as they start to walk back up to the school. "You can't resist my charm and good looks."
"Hmmm," she hums thoughtfully, lacing her fingers through his and swinging their hands between the two of them. "I don't know. It could go either way, really."
"We just started having sex," he points out. "You definitely couldn't stop now. We need lots of practice so that we can start kicking arse at it."
"Are you complaining about our current level of arse-kicking?"
"I am not, as such," he affirms, stooping down slightly to give her a kiss on her cheek as she laughingly tries to squirm away from his affectionate grasp. "So my non-inappropriate and therefore utterly useless present?"
"If you're going to be so ungrateful, maybe I just won't give it to you."
Percy allows his face to drift into a neutral expression.
"Okay, okay. I'm totally serious now. I'm going to love whatever you give me. Unless it's a large box of Bertie Bott's vomit flavored beans."
"Then let's go."
She begins walking forcefully across the grounds of Hogwarts. Normally, he would enjoy a leisurely stroll with his girlfriend, but he can see that she's actually got a destination. He follows her quickly as Annabeth speeds away from the greenhouses, the Quidditch pitch, and the Care of Magical Creatures hut, eventually leading Percy to the Whomping Willow. She grabs her wand from her pocket and pulls it out, swishing and flicking it in the direction of a branch, which then proceeds to lift into the air and float to a knot at the base of the willow. The tree stops moving, causing a sly smile to flit onto Annabeth's face.
"Where did you learn that?" Percy questions, awestruck.
"Oh, just a little conversation I had with Professor Waters. He had some information to share and I had a listening ear. It was nothing, really."
"…Did you drug him?"
"Percy!"
"Yeah, sorry."
"Let's go."
"Wait, what?"
She grabs him by his Hufflepuff tie and tugs him forward, moving through the branches that are suspended in movement. When they come to a large hole in the tree, Percy and Annabeth slither down it, finding themselves in a dirt hallway.
"Follow me," instructs Annabeth.
"Where does this lead?" Percy asks, ignoring how much he enjoys it when she's bossy in favor of getting answers.
"You'll see," Annabeth responds.
They walk in silence until they finally arrive in a room.
"Annabeth, where are we?"
She turns around, beaming.
"The Shrieking Shack."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously!" She looks so proud of herself that he has to high five her. "And look what else."
With her pinky finger entwined in his, she pulls him forward and leads him into a room in the house where there's a small picnic resting on the floor.
"Annabeth-"
"It's my thank you for Christmas."
"That was months ago, and you don't owe me anything for that. It was the best Christmas I've ever had."
"But you were amazing to me and I wanted to do something for you. That's the way being in love works, right? One person makes you happy and then you try to make the other person happy because you owe it to them for making you feel this good."
"Something like that," he says, voice husky as he moves closer to her, pressing a series of soft, simple kisses on her lips. Annabeth wraps her arms around his body while he puts his hands on her waist and dips his head so that his nose is resting in the crook between her neck and her shoulder. "Love you," he mumbles into her skin.
They sway back and forth like they're dancing, even though there's no music to dance to. Annabeth takes the opportunity to play with Percy's hair, which she does far too often, but he doesn't care. He likes to play with hers as well.
"Percy," Annabeth murmurs, and he feels her heart thumping a little faster as he responds in an affirmative moan to let her know that he's listening. "Do you want to eat now?"
"Not yet," he says, the words rumbling deep. "We're having a moment, sweetheart. You gotta enjoy them when they come along."
"Okay," she agrees, "a few more minutes."
And then they take a few more after that.
Seventh Year
He can't believe that this is his last opening feast at Hogwarts. It's unbelievable that he's already been at Hogwarts for seven years. He knows that he's never going to be back in this place again, something that makes his heart splutter with anxiety.
Annabeth bumps her shoulder into his, a playful smile flickering at her lips as they watch the first years get sorted into the Houses that will be their homes for the rest of their time at Hogwarts. The returning smile that Percy gives her is wan, but when Annabeth bites her lip and reaches up to fix the pointy hat atop of his head, he knows that she feels the same sense of melancholy.
It sucks to be sitting in this room and knowing that he has such a limited number of days left in it. But, at the same time, he's glad that at least he knows that he's not alone.
(ooo)
"So, you're good with girls, right?"
Percy and Annabeth both look up at the same time and exchange confused glances.
"Me or him?" Annabeth inquires, looking as though she's holding back a laugh at the strangeness of Jason's question.
Underneath the table, Percy places a hand on her thigh, just because he wants to be touching some part of her.
"Percy," Jason amends, "but… I guess you can stay, Annabeth."
"Gee thanks," she says sarcastically before returning to her Herbology textbook.
"So you," Jason says, turning back to Percy. "You're good with girls, right?"
Percy frowns.
"Not particularly, no."
"Yes you are!" Jason is frustrated now. "You and Annabeth are practically an old married couple."
"We are not!" refutes Annabeth, dropping all pretense of not listening as she looks up from the book. She points at Jason with her wand, which she'd been using to make important bits of text bounce off of the page for the next time she wanted to go back and review for an exam.
"Oh please, don't argue," Jason snorts. "Everybody thinks so, Annabeth."
"Well, why are we an old married couple?"
"Maybe because none of us have gotten together and you two have been together since fifth year. Maybe because you bicker all the time and you're the only people in our group to have sex with the same person for such a long time. Maybe because everybody knows that you two are going to move in together after we graduate because Annabeth doesn't want to live at home and Percy's mum won't mind."
Percy blinks a few times before turning to Annabeth.
"Do you want to move in together after we graduate?"
She scrunches her nose, thinking.
"I always assumed that I was going to be roommates with Piper."
"But that kind of sounds kinda awesome, doesn't it?"
"Living together?" She grins. "It does sound pretty wonderful."
"Think of all the uninterrupted sex. And we don't have to be quiet all of the time!"
Her eyes harden.
"Do you only want to live together because of sex? Because if that's the case, I can still move in with Piper."
Oops.
"No. There's other stuff, too."
"Such as?"
Percy glances over at Jason for help, but he just sits back in his chair, crosses his arms over his chest, and gestures for Percy to continue. Percy shoots him a dirty look, but Jason just shrugs and plops his feet up on the table. Percy, in the meanwhile, turns back to Annabeth. He finds that he can't say what he needs to say with his eyes on her judgmental expression, so he allows them to drift to the table, where his fingers find hers.
"I don't know. It's like, all those nights that we had to study in the library and we couldn't stay together without sneaking because there was a curfew. And we probably could have stayed in this library or in the hallways that we used to find to study in and we could have talked all night if we wanted to. But we never got to do that. And, like, if we lived together, we could fall asleep together, which would be pretty brilliant, and then we could wake up together, and figure out how to cook together because neither of us know how to do that, and even when we both have shitty days, we could know that we have the other one waiting for us at our little flat with a bright blue couch. And, I dunno, that sounds pretty fantastic to me."
Jason and Annabeth are both staring at him in awe when he looks up from his and Annabeth's entwined fingers.
"That was… oh, Percy."
"Yeah," Jason agrees, nodding vigorously. "Wow. Can I live with you?"
"Go away, Jason," Annabeth says flatly, eyes still on Percy. She's giving him the 'I want to kiss you' face, which is why it's extremely annoying that Jason is lurking like this.
"Hang on!" he says, indignant. "I came for girl advice and Percy just proved that he's more than equipped to give it to me."
"Girl advice?" Percy echoes, breaking his gaze from Annabeth for the first time. "What are you talking about?"
"I want to ask out Piper."
Annabeth claps her hands and spins around on Jason.
"Aha! She finally got you?"
Jason frowns.
"What are you talking about?"
"Um, nothing," Annabeth replies, gathering herself and biting her lip.
"That's great, Jason. You two are going to make a great couple."
"But first," Annabeth says. "You have to-"
"Wait, stop," Percy interrupts. "I know that voice. That's your logic voice. Do you really think that this is the time for 'logic voice'?"
A worried look begins to take over Annabeth's expression.
"It's just… there's a lot of things that could go really wrong when you're going from best friends to girlfriend and boyfriend. You have to consider whether you love the person so much that all of the risks are worth it, because other than that you're just screwing up your relationship with your friend for a few good snogs, and is that ever going to be worth it when you can just go off and snog somebody random to almost the same effect?"
"Is that really what you think about friends dating?" Percy wants to know, feeling slightly horrified at the fact that kissing Annabeth when they were fifth years could have gone so handily wrong. She shrugs.
"Well, not with us."
"No?"
He's starting to smile now, a feeling of hope poking at him.
"No. I knew that we weren't just going to breakup. I'm not an idiot."
Percy and Jason exchange amused glances.
"So you would associate the assumption that two people in a relationship breaking up to… stupidity?"
Annabeth is beginning to look slightly embarrassed.
"I don't know. I just knew it was going to be okay. Once I knew that you wanted the same things I wanted, it didn't seem like a problem anymore."
Jason slaps the table with the palm of his hand.
"See, that. That's what I want."
"Piper wants that too," Annabeth admits. "Just… don't fuck up, Jason."
Percy covers her mouth with his hand immediately.
"Annabeth! You can't say that in the library!"
She licks his palm until he lets go.
"Why not? You say that in the library all of the time," she reminds him.
"I know, but… you never say it in the first place… it's weird."
"Don't fuck up," Annabeth says again, trying to ignore Percy's laughter. She keeps eye contact with Jason as she tries to cover Percy's face with her hand. "And don't make me say it again, Jason Grace."
(ooo)
She's been carrying three enormous books for the entire Hogsmeade trip, and Percy hasn't said anything because it's Annabeth and Annabeth reads books all of the time. But when she suggests that they go into The Three Broomsticks and she carefully sets the books on top of the table where they are supposed to be enjoying their butterbeer, Percy finally breaks.
"What are those?"
She licks her lips as she looks over at the books, a mischevious smile on her face.
"Career books."
"What?"
She smacks him lightly on the arm.
"Keep up, oh boyfriend of mine. Remember when I told you that I was going to help you find out what you're going to do after school? Well, now is that time."
He's completely taken aback- they haven't talked about this in months. Percy had just resigned himself to several months of stress after school ended in which he would become insufferably anxious and never shave.
"You're choosing now to do this? In Hogsmeade?"
"I figured that it would be easier for you to figure out what you want to do when you're away from the school and not worrying about tests that you could be studying for or essays that you could be writing."
"I never really stress about essays."
"Probably because you copy off of mine."
"Definitely because I copy off of yours."
"Focus, Jackson. By the time we leave Hogsmeade today, you're going to have a career. Are you ready?"
"I don't see how this is going to help," he grumps, taking a sip of his butterbeer as Annabeth picks up the first book. A very large, heavy, official looking book, he might add, with the words Wizarding Careers stamped on the front in gold lettering. "It's not like I've never heard of any careers before."
"Ehem," Annabeth says, opening to the first page. "Career number one: Accountant."
At that point, the door opens, allowing a blustery wind to billow through The Three Broomsticks as Frank, Hazel, and Leo enter the bar. Upon seeing Percy and Annabeth, their eyes brighten and they begin to make their way over to their table, but Annabeth shakes her head and scowls, causing the three of them to turn around.
"How are you so good at that?"
Annabeth smirks.
"I'm Head Girl. I'm formidable."
"I'm Quidditch captain and nobody runs in fear from my wrath."
"But you're never wrathful. Try summoning true wrath and then see what happens."
"Hmm. I'll consider it."
"Also, though, you're Hufflepuff's Quidditch captain, love. Nobody's afraid of Hufflepuffs."
"One day I'm going to start insulting your House and we'll see how well that goes."
"Like I said. Nobody's afraid of Hufflepuffs."
"List," Percy says, jamming his finger on the page where Annabeth's mighty list of careers rests. "We'll talk about the fear that I inspire in the hearts of children later."
"Accountant," Annabeth repeats.
"Yelch."
"Acrobat?"
"Annabeth."
"Actor… actuary… acupuncturist… administrative assistant…"
"I have an idea," Percy says, placing a hand over the book to stop her from reading. Annabeth looks up at him, eyebrows lifted. "What if you just read the ones that you think I might have a semblance of an interest in."
"How am I supposed to know?"
"Because you know me better than anybody else has ever known me," Percy says genuinely. "And also because I strongly suspect that you've already got a few careers in mind for me and were never intending on reading me the entirety of all three of these books."
Sighing, Annabeth closes the book.
"Okay, I might have an idea."
"And the reason that you didn't tell me this idea is because…?"
"I wanted you to discover it on your own so that you could feel like you found it yourself. And, also, if I told you what career to pursue and you didn't like it, I would feel absolutely terrible. I mean, think about how disastrous that would be for our relationship! Every single time you came home after work and needed to complain about your job, you would be complaining to the person who told you to go after that job, and then you would pin it on me and our relationship would end in this giant fight about how I don't really know you and how your future unhappiness is all my fault."
"My future unhappiness is only your fault because you broke up with me in this scenario," Percy points out. "Now tell me what I'm going to be when I grow up, dammit!"
Annabeth looks down at the table, tracing random shapes in the ring that her glass has left on the light wood.
"I think you should be a teacher."
Percy stares at her for a moment, then starts laughing.
"A teacher?" he chortles. "Seriously?"
Annabeth is immediately defensive.
"It makes sense to me!"
"Yeah. Sure," he laughs.
"No, seriously, Percy. You're not the best student, but because of that, you understand students. You'll be able to help them the way we helped each other going through school. You know what kids like and what they don't like because you've been in the exact same position as they have. And once you grasp a concept, you're phenomenal at it. Remember how much trouble you had with changing charms? Now you can do them without even thinking about them- you can even do them non verbally. That's impressive."
"A teacher," Percy muses, his throat beginning to tighten. "Really?"
"And you're amazing at Ancient Runes," Annabeth reminds him. "You help me in that class, not the other way around. You're probably the top in the class."
"Well, that's because it's easy for me."
"Exactly."
When he looks up at her again, she's twisting a strand of hair around her finger, apprehensive of what he's about to say.
"A teacher. Yeah. Okay."
(ooo)
The look on Jason's face is so earnest, so enthused, that Percy almost wants to agree. Doing this might make him feel better- might make them all feel better. Things have been really heavy lately, especially with the N.E. . But they're over, and everybody thinks that they've passed all of their subjects, and instead of feeling relieved, there's an odd, choking feeling that comes with realizing that school is almost over. They're almost adults.
With one look at Annabeth's expression, he knows it's not going to happen.
"That is a terrible idea," Percy says, channeling his inner Annabeth. She looks approving, but Jason's eyes narrow with suspicion almost at once.
"Hang on," he says, stabbing angrily at a piece of steak. "This was your idea!"
Now Percy's actually confused. His eyebrows knit together as he tries to remember what Jason is referring to.
"I said it would be a good idea to jump into the Black Lake on the last week of school?"
"Yes!" Jason says fervently, his eyes wide.
"Follow up question: How drunk was I?"
"It was in, like, third year," Jason shrugs. "We thought it would be a great idea back then, and I seriously thought that we were going to be doing it. I got Piper and Frank and Rachel on board as well. We're all ready to go. I thought you knew!"
"So, when exactly were you planning on doing this?" Annabeth puts in, leaning over Percy so that she can speak to Jason without anything intercepting.
"Tonight," Jason says, his voice sounding as though this is very obvious. "Graduation is tomorrow. It has to be tonight. Seriously, I thought you knew. Haven't you heard us making classy jokes about it all week?"
"Forgive us for assuming that telling each other to 'go jump in a lake' and then laughing really hysterically afterwards was just a sign of immaturity," says Annabeth drily.
"We'll come with you, though," Percy says, and Jason perks up.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. We'll watch."
Annabeth doesn't say anything, but she nods, and that's how they end up at the Black Lake in the middle of the night watching Jason, Piper, Rachel, and Frank leap into the icy cold water. Percy and Annabeth, on the other hand, lounge on the shore, lying on a blanket and staring up at the stars that illuminate the dark castle.
"Seven years," Percy says, whispering it to Annabeth and the sky. He is so grateful for everything that the castle has given him- for the magic that flows through his veins, for the friends that are bouncing around in the lake, and for the girl that is lying beside him with her hand in his. He loves everything about this school.
"I can't believe it's over," Annabeth says, her voice catching over the words.
He can tell she's about to cry, so he kisses the top of her head, letting his lips rest there for an extra moment before he places his chin on top of her head.
"I can't believe it happened in the first place," he chuckles, shaking his head.
Annabeth sits up very suddenly.
"Percy?"
"Mhhmm?"
She reaches up and pulls her hair out of the bun that confines it behind her head.
"Let's jump."
He's about to ask what she's talking about, but his question is answered when she reaches behind herself and unfastens her school skirt. It drops to the ground, leaving her to pull her jumper over her head. Percy quickly follows suit until they are both left in their undergarments.
"I love you," he says ardently. Annabeth shrugs.
"HEY!" Piper shouts, jumping up and down in the water. "LOOK WHO'S COMING!"
"The old married couple takes a risk," Jason teases while Frank splashes him. Rachel, for her part, is just floating effortlessly in the water, her thick red hair spreading out underneath her. She shoots Percy and Annabeth a lazy, content smile as they jump in.
By the time Annabeth and Percy have gotten a few good splashes in, they're having just as much fun as their friends. Annabeth wraps her legs around Percy's waist so that he's giving her a piggyback ride, and he swims around the lake with surprising agility.
"You could've jumped in without me, you know," Annabeth murmurs when they've slowed down slightly.
Percy turns his head so that he can look at her, their lips almost-but-not-quite touching.
"I wouldn't want to."
(ooo)
The ceremony ends more quickly than any of them would have ever assumed, and when they are all carrying the certificates that proclaim them graduates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Percy feels the sort of emptiness that comes with the completion of school. He can never go back to this place or this time. Who knows if he'll ever be able to go back to having the same relationships with the same people.
He's going to miss everything about Hogwarts.
"You'll come back," Annabeth says as they make their way down to the boats. Her voice is soft and reassuring, but her hand shakes as it clutches its arm. "I know you will."
He lets her get into the boat first, wanting to linger on the grounds for as long as he can. He, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason all sit together, their eyes almost as wide as they were the first time they came to Hogwarts.
"Remember the first time we were on these boats?" Jason asks, gruff in tone. "It was just me and Percy and a bunch of other first years that I don't even remember anymore."
"I don't remember either," Annabeth shrugs.
"Hey, I think you were on the boat with me!" Piper gasps, mock offended. Jason laughs and smiles at her from where he sets next to her, his arm loosely around her waist.
Annabeth clutches his hand tightly as the school fades into the distance, and it's only then that he sees the tears as they fall from her eyes. He kisses them away, not wanting her to feel the same hurt that he is feeling but knowing that he can't protect her from it.
He meets her eyes when he helps her out of the boat, and then she's standing on the platform right next to him, her eyes bright in the sunlight. Tear tracks still stain her face, and for a moment, he can picture the haughty vulnerability that pervaded her countenance the first time he ever saw her. She had two pigtails gliding down her back and she was clutching an owl and looked as though the entire world was beneath her and her beautiful gray eyes and that was Annabeth Chase.
But this is Annabeth Chase. The girl that was his best friend for five years before they fell in love and lost their virginities to each other and then fell in love even more, again and again and again. She's been bewitching to him ever since their first day at Hogwarts, but that only makes him love her more.
Everything changes. Everything has to end. But this never will.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10487142/1/