As Long as I Have You

Percy Screws Up

PERCY

"Annabeth?"

"Hmm?"

Percy's head lay on Annabeth's lap as she messed with his blond, unruly hair. All around their bed lay the rest of their clothes. Annabeth sat atop the mattress with her back to their headboard in nothing but her bralette, the only thing that hadn't been thrown off in their frenzy of need.

"How do you feel about kids?" Percy blurted out, fiddling with the thin sheet that covered them as they cooled down from their previous session.

"You wore a condom, right?" Annabeth responded in a sudden panic. Her hands left his hair to adjust herself to a more serious, upright position.

"Well, I guess that's my answer," Percy said as he picked his head up from her lap and sat himself up next to her. He was a little disappointed in her immediate reaction. They were 21 now, legal adults with their entire lives still ahead of them. Percy had at least hoped that Annabeth had thought about it at least a little bit. He knew that he sure had.

"Percy. Please tell me you wore a condom," Annabeth demanded, her face completely serious, nerves brewing in her gray eyes.

"Yes, Annabeth, don't worry."

Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes started to clear. Percy felt something small snap in his chest. He knew they were only 21, but he still hoped that kids were somewhere in their future. Apparently, Annabeth had not felt the same.

Dismayed, he threw the sheet off of his naked body and picked himself off the bed, walking to grab his blue boxers from the floor.

"Percy, what's wrong?" Annabeth asked from the bed. He should've known better than to try to hide his heartbreak at her answer; Annabeth knew him too well.

"You haven't even thought about it just a bit?" He asked, turning to face her as he put one leg through the boxer shorts. He saw Annabeth's eyes flicker downward, but chose not to call her out on it.

"Percy... I mean... it has crossed my mind... but I just don't know..."

Percy's face brightened slightly at that answer. At least she had thought about it.

"I mean.. there are so many factors... to take into account... so many... that we don't have... answers for," Annabeth continued, "like..."

Percy watched her intently, but it was evident that Annabeth was distracted. He glanced down at himself. He had his boxers on fully now, so that couldn't have been it. As he looked back at Annabeth's face, he couldn't catch her eye contact.

"Gods, Percy, either put on the rest of your clothes or come back to bed; I can't have this conversation with you when your abs are quite literally calling my name," Annabeth said, exasperation coating her words. Not just exasperation, though; there was another emotion mixed in, but Percy couldn't quite place it.

He looked back down at his body again, now noticing the bruises that were littered over his muscles. He looked back up at Annabeth, noticing how nicely his bruises matched the one on her neck. Lust. That was the other emotion in her voice. Chuckling lightly, he shook his head and remembered how he practically had to drag her away from her book in the first place.

Percy didn't bother looking around the room for where his clothes had gone and instead made his way back to the bed, resuming the position he had been in before, laying with his head in Annabeth's lap.

Annabeth picked up where she left off, messing with his hair.

"So...?" Percy asked, adjusting himself to look up at her, trying to grab her eye contact.