riptidejackson (riptidejackson) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-02-15 21:30:00 |
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Percy was trying to work out his math problems. It was only one page of math but seemed like it was never ending. It was almost as bad as fighting a Gorgon. Almost. He swore he had been looking at the same problem for fifteen minutes and finally he just put his pencil down. He’d get back to the math later. He needed to take a break and that meant bugging Reyna. While still new in their relationship, Percy was trying to make sure he was doing everything right. Right by Reyna’s standards. And that meant focusing on his homework. But he was calling an audible and left his room. He headed towards her room and peeked his head into hers, as the door was open. “Hey” he said, his hair the usual mess. “It’s break time” he said with a grin. “And you’re the lucky winner of one Percy Jackson on break” *** Reyna had similar struggles with her homework: letters and numbers never quite arranged themselves the way they should with her. Spellcheck and text to speech helped with text, but with numbers she had to simply slog through. Fortunately, she had a lot of patience. She was well used to just settling in and attacking a problem with grim determination. Still, Percy’s interruption was a welcome one, especially when he came in looking so cute and rumpled. She marked her page in the textbook before closing it and gave him a smile. “And how does Percy Jackson want to spend his break?” *** “Well” Percy said, leaning on the door frame “I’d say we should go for a swim, but since it’s January, I don’t think you’d like that very much” he said. “Next time we get abducted on a cruise ship, we’ll need to make it a priority though” Percy said, remembering Reyna in her swimsuit. “I could always make you a sandwich, if you’re hungry. I’m no master chef, but I do consider myself a decent sandwich guy.” He scratched his chin “Or I could just admire you. I’m fairly confident I could do that, but you may get bored with that” he said, grinning. “But you might have better ideas for our break” Percy said. *** Reyna almost blushed thinking of that time on the cruise, when she'd stepped out of the pool to find Percy staring at her like she was a dessert he wanted to lick up. It had been the first time he'd looked at her that way, and she still burned up whenever she thought about it. “Come here,” she said, patting the bed beside her. This was an innocent enough invitation - although if they ended up making out, she wouldn't be too upset. “Tell me about your day.” *** Percy sauntered over to her bed and he almost flopped down beside her but quickly realized that may not be the best idea. So he sat next to her and with his weight on the bed, the two slid a little closer to each other. “It was a day like any other” he said in a movie trailer voice. “It was a dark and stormy night and intrepid hero Percy Jackson braved the dangers of being trapped in a dome” he said before a dramatic pause “And had the misfortune of going to high school” he said before adding “DUM DUM DUM!” he said, before cracking a grin. “It was fine. Class, class, break, class, lunch, avoid homework, library, and now here I am, sitting next to you, in your room. A Greek invader” he said softly, before brushing some hair away from Reyna’s face. “How was your day?” he asked quietly, looking intently into Reyna’s eyes. *** “It just got better,” Reyna said, tilting her head slightly so it rested against his hand. Coming from her, the words weren't a sappy declaration: they were matter-of-fact; the simple truth. Having Percy’s company did make things better. “Coach Summers wants to know when you're going to come down from the bleachers and actually join a team.” Her smile turned mischievous. “Should I warn him about you, or let him find out himself?” *** “Me and team sports?” Percy said, cocking his head slightly. “Doesn’t everyone here know that I’m not a team player?” he questioned. “I mean, what kind of team would want me anyway. I don’t really do much” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “It might be better for everyone for me to just keep watching you, which I’m very good at, if I say so myself” he said, grinning quickly. “Besides, if I joined a team, it’d take away all my free time, which I know for a fact, is better spent with you” he said. *** Reyna laughed, warmed by his words. Laughter didn’t come to her easily, but Percy had a way of pulling it out of her without much effort. “You do watch really well,” she agreed, her dark eyes dancing with amusement. “The soccer team’s pretty much decided you’re our mascot. I guess I’ll have to break it to Coach that it’s all you’re going to do.” *** “So do I get to wear a big funny suit?” he asked. “Or can I stay like this, because if I have a choice, I think me being me is the best choice for mascot” he said, grinning. “So” he said with a pause. “How are things with the others?” he asked, wondering how she was getting along with the other demigods. Mostly Jason, but he didn’t want to make it just about him. “I think things are going well, right? Or am I misreading things?” *** “They’re going fine,” Reyna said, deciding not to mention that Jason had expressed his concern that Reyna would be hurt if Annabeth ever came back. She’d already addressed that with Percy and was satisfied by his answer. There was no need to keep dredging it up. “Jason still hates his sister’s husband, though.” She herself understood the complexities of war and how a good - or at least not normally evil - man could have been steered so wrongly, but Jason’s morality was much more absolute. He hated Luke and it was mostly likely causing tensions with his sister. Reyna didn’t envy any of them. *** Percy shrugged his shoulders at Reyna’s statement. “I can’t imagine anyone not hating him. Though I think there’s a definite downgrade of not-hate after awhile. But it’s hard. Even when I look at him, I always expect something from him” Percy said in a resigned voice. “But I guess it’s better that it’s out in the open then festering away into something worse. At least, I can imagine there being a worse” he said, looking over at Reyna. “Did you know that the blue whale is the biggest creature ever on Earth?” Percy asked intently, looking at Reyna for a few seconds before breaking into a grin. “Sorry, had to break the somberness of that.” *** “So long as he doesn’t harm anyone who lives here, I’m willing to let him live his life,” Reyna acknowledged. She didn’t have to say that if he did go back to his evil ways, she would be one of the first to stop him, Thalia be damned. Percy’s sudden non sequitur had her staring at him, confused, for a moment, but she laughed when he did. “That was the worst transition ever. I thought Greeks were smoother than that.” *** “I think the only smooth thing about Greek is Greek yogurt” Percy said grinning stupidly. “We’re all rough and tumble and unsmooth” Percy said. “I mean, look at me” he said, indicating himself with his hands. “Now you. You are the epitome of smooth” he said, giving Reyna an overall look. “I’m very lucky to be sitting next to you” he said. *** He might not be smooth, but he did say some very sweet things sometimes. Even if they might not be true. “I'm anything but smooth,” she said, taking his hand in one of hers so she could lead him through the feel of the callouses on her other. “That's ok. I'm a warrior. I was made for battle.” That stated, she curled her fingers around his. “ So what were you taking a break from?” *** “You know, I don’t remember” Percy said, honestly not remembering what he was taking a break from. “And you are smooth. You’re skin is smooth. Your hair. You” he said quietly. “And I don’t think I need to remember right now” he said, looking into her eyes. *** Very sweet things. Reyna smiled and leaned closer. She liked looking into his eyes; they were as deep and green as the ocean, hinting at depths beneath the shallows. “Maybe I can help you remember,” she said, and leaned in to kiss him. |