"the very first night" - [p.jackson one-shots]

'bad blood'

pairing: percy jackson x reader

word count: 1.0K

warnings: mentions of period pains and other symptoms, etc. reader is a swiftie

There's a knock on my cabin door, and I let out a soft groan, then call out, "Come in!"

Percy, my bestest friend in the world, sticks his messy head in. "Hey."

"Hey, Percy," I say softly. I'm curled up in a cocoon of blankets, pain written all over my face.

Percy studies me. "I was worried when you didn't show up for archery. I heard from Chiron you're skipping classes today cause you got your..." He winces slightly. "Shark thing."

I manage a laugh. "Shark thing? You mean, shark week?"

"Yeah." Percy shrugs. "Probably that." He pushes the door slightly wider. "Can I come in?"

I nod. "Yeah, course."

As he quietly shuts the door behind him and steps over to sit on the edge of my bed, I explain. "It's not usually this bad."

Percy nods. "Are you in pain?" His usual joking manner has softened.

"Mhm."

He looks hesitant, and I can see in his eyes he's trying to come up with a way to lighten my mood, to crack a joke to make me smile. "So," he starts, "is this what that Taylor Swift song is about?"

"What?" I laugh, not because it's funny, but because it's so unexpected and I'm absolutely confused.

"Bad Blood, right?"

I laugh for real this time, and Percy allows himself a cheeky, triumphant smile.

"Percy, that is not what that song is about. It's about—" I sit up slightly and cough suddenly, then groan at the uncomfortable feeling that follows. "It's about falling out with someone."

"I know," he teases, poking me on the nose playfully. "I do know some stuff about Taylor Swift, you know. Especially the 1989 album."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh you do, do you?"

"Yeah, of course." He shrugs. "You never shut up about her."

I roll my eyes, but I can't exactly argue with that. He isn't wrong. Secretly, though, I'm overwhelmed by the fact that he actually knows anything about Taylor, which he probably only remembers because he wants to know, for me. My heart swells and I sit up and hug him tightly.

Percy is surprised, but after a moment wraps his arms around me. "What's this for?" he asks with a chuckle.

"Just wanted to," I say, my voice a little muffled by his shoulder. His dark blue hoodie smells like sea salt and that sawdust from the sword fighting arena.

"Okay." His grip on me tightens, and he doesn't let go even a little until I pull away and lay back down.

Percy studies me for a moment. "What do you need?"

I try for a nonchalant shrug, fighting back a groan of annoyed pain. My head throbs in my temples, my lower back aches and my cramps are horrendously bad right now. I probably need to get up and duck into the bathroom again, but I'm so, so tired.

"What will help?" Percy presses. "I don't know much about this, but I wanna help."

I manage a smile at him. He's the sweetest thing in the world, and he has no idea. No idea how much I love him.

"Chocolate sometimes helps if it's dark," I say. "But I don't need that. I just need to sleep, I think."

"Chocolate, okay." Percy reaches over and gently rubs his hand up and down my arm soothingly.

"Actually, could you do me a favour?"

"Anything."

I gesture to the sea green coloured heat pack on my bedside table. "I need to run that up to the Big House and microwave it, but—"

Percy is on his feet in an instant. "I'll be right back." He scoops up the heat pack and darts out the door.

He's back surprisingly fast. But he doesn't only bring the heat pack back with him. In his hands is a small

plastic bag, the kind you get from the camp store when you buy things.

Percy sits back on the edge of the bed. "Here." He hands me the warmed up pack, and I immediately place it on my lower stomach.

"Thank you, Perce," I say weakly.

Percy grins, then digs around in his plastic bag. "And..." He pulls out a block of dark raspberry chocolate. "I didn't want to get the plain dark, I thought that would be boring. So I got the one with pink in it, cause you like pink."

My eyes are probably shining as I gaze at him, in awe of this boy. Doesn't he have even a clue of how amazing he is?

"And this." Percy isn't done. He hands me a can of Coke, and a bag of my favourite chips. "Cause snacks."

"Cause snacks?" I repeat, a quote I use often as a stupid excuse for things.

"Cause snacks," he echoes, that grin plastered back onto his face.

"Percy?"

"Yeah, princess? What's up?"

"You're amazing."

"Nah." He laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he stares down at me. "I'm nothing special."

"Yes, you are," I insist, reaching over and grabbing his hand to squeeze it. "Genuinely, you are. You're my best friend and... this means a lot."

Percy half smiles, and shrugs. He twists his hand in mine so our palms are touching, then laces his fingers through mine. The pads of my fingers fit perfectly in the grooves of his knuckles. "Of course, princess. I'd do anything for you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." I smile. "And right back at you, okay?"

"Okay." Percy leans over, and presses a warm kiss to my forehead. "Get some rest, okay? When you wake up, I'll convince Chiron to let us borrow that anti-monster not-really-a-device projector thing he has stashed and we'll watch a movie."

I laugh. "Okay."

And as I drift off with my hand still in his, I know it deep in my heart: I love this boy.