igrab
in
grabi_hands
♌ She's on Fire • Percy/Rachel
Percy/Rachel
• written for greenconverses
• 1,150 words
• "You aren't good enough for Rachel Dare."
"I just don't see why you have to spend so much time with her," Annabeth whined, and it was the same story for what, the fiftieth time?
"Um, she's my friend," he said, typing out a hasty response to Rachel's text. It had only said Seeing you Sunday, right? but of course Annabeth had jumped all over it like a red flag - as if this was news, as if it was interesting. Be there at noon. You'd better be wearing pants.
"You don't text me that often," Annabeth was saying.
It was true, but then, nine times out of ten she didn't answer, and Olympus was a long way away from a cell phone tower.
Aw, you take the fun out of everything.
•
"I was out with Annabeth," Percy moaned, falling down onto Rachel's bed. "She wouldn't shut up about it for hours. I officially hate you."
"Yeah, uh-huh, sure," Rachel teased, wandering around her walk-in closet in a button-down shirt and underwear. "Remind me to text you more often."
"Bitch," Percy muttered, grinning. He rolled over - not that he was trying to get a glance or anything, I mean, Rachel was never wearing clothes so it wasn't like it was a big deal and plus, he had a girlfriend so it wasn't even an issue, he was just rolling over because -
"I see you there, Persexy Jackson."
He rolled his eyes as she shut the door, only a little disappointed. "If you wore pants more often, this wouldn't be a problem."
"I'm gonna tell on you," she sang. "Dear Annabeth: your boyfriend was totally checking out my ass..."
"That's not funny, Rachel," he said, and it was supposed to be 'that's not funny, I wasn't staring at your ass to begin with' but it sort of came out... wrong. Percy sighed. "Just put your pants on, we're going to be late."
"Can't be late when we're the honored guests," Rachel said matter-of-factly, and she had a point - they were going to an art show, some avant-garde thing that Rachel's art was featured in, and Percy didn't pretend to understand it but he did have fun. Mostly because they spent their time drawing mustaches in the air and making fun of modernism. And Rachel would compare everything to food and they'd get hungry, and wander out into the city night, stumbling their way to the nearest chinese restaurant, probably looking like the worst drunks but only laughing.
Her insistence that she needed a date to these things was probably a lie, but Percy didn't care. He had more fun being Rachel's pretend date than Annabeth's real one.
"There," she said, "how's this look?" and strode out into the controlled mess of her bedroom, into Percy's line of sight.
And gods, was she stunning. Percy had always loved her confidence - the way she always carried herself like she was on fire, like she was gorgeous, even when her hair was a mess and her clothes covered in paint. But now, with a gauzy white shirt and jeans that sculpted to every curve, she was more than beautiful, she was dazzling, she was.... perfect.
He felt his throat close tight, and that little voice that he never wanted to listen to spoke up with a sudden clarity - she's everything you want, she's incredible, how can you ignore her, how can you pretend she isn't everything you've asked for.
But there was another voice that was always louder, and as guilty as it made him feel, it wasn't the one that said 'but, Annabeth'.
You aren't good enough for Rachel Dare.
•
"Just break up with her," Rachel said, reaching across the table to steal some of Percy's lo mein.
"What?" He was caught off guard, a Coke halfway to his lips, and it sparked a laugh, half nervous, half dismissing. "Why? Is this some kind of Oracle thing, is she going to bring about my doom?"
"No," she said, using that 'don't-be-an-idiot' voice. It was different from Annabeth's 'you're-retarded' voice - Rachel always believed, for some unfathomable reason, that Percy was actually decently intelligent. He chose to ignore her, but nevertheless, it made him feel special, sometimes. "You're obviously not happy. She doesn't treat you right."
And, like so many times in Percy's life, he spoke before he thought. "What, and you would?"
Stupid, stupid Percy.
Rachel paused, her chopsticks hovering over the salt-and-pepper squid. She looked, for once in her life, at a complete loss for words. "...Well," she finally said, sounding as though she was choosing her phrases very carefully, "I was going to save the selfish objective for later, but now that you mention it...." she looked up at Percy then, and he felt that tight feeling in his chest, like he was standing on a cliff edge, or about to fight some huge monster. "...Yes. I would. Actually, I already do," she added, and Percy really didn't have anything to say to that.
"Um," he managed. Also, "er."
"But let's pretend I have your best interests at heart, okay?" she said, a little too quickly. "Let's pretend I'm not as jealous of Annabeth as she is of me."
Rachel gave him a very pointed, very obvious kind of look. The kind that guys normally dreaded, because it meant The Girl was trying communicate something that The Guy was supposed to already know.
But when Rachel did it, he got it. Yeah. He understood. I'm already your girlfriend in everything but name. It's not like she doesn't have a reason to be jealous.
And then... she sighed, and shrugged, and took a sip from her Sprite. "I mean, your life is up to you. If you like what she's doing to you, it's fine. Yeah, I want a second chance, but that's up to you, isn't it? I just want you to be happy."
Annabeth had never once asked what made him happy.
Wise girl? We need to talk.
• written for greenconverses
• 1,150 words
• "You aren't good enough for Rachel Dare."
"I just don't see why you have to spend so much time with her," Annabeth whined, and it was the same story for what, the fiftieth time?
"Um, she's my friend," he said, typing out a hasty response to Rachel's text. It had only said Seeing you Sunday, right? but of course Annabeth had jumped all over it like a red flag - as if this was news, as if it was interesting. Be there at noon. You'd better be wearing pants.
"You don't text me that often," Annabeth was saying.
It was true, but then, nine times out of ten she didn't answer, and Olympus was a long way away from a cell phone tower.
Aw, you take the fun out of everything.
•
"I was out with Annabeth," Percy moaned, falling down onto Rachel's bed. "She wouldn't shut up about it for hours. I officially hate you."
"Yeah, uh-huh, sure," Rachel teased, wandering around her walk-in closet in a button-down shirt and underwear. "Remind me to text you more often."
"Bitch," Percy muttered, grinning. He rolled over - not that he was trying to get a glance or anything, I mean, Rachel was never wearing clothes so it wasn't like it was a big deal and plus, he had a girlfriend so it wasn't even an issue, he was just rolling over because -
"I see you there, Persexy Jackson."
He rolled his eyes as she shut the door, only a little disappointed. "If you wore pants more often, this wouldn't be a problem."
"I'm gonna tell on you," she sang. "Dear Annabeth: your boyfriend was totally checking out my ass..."
"That's not funny, Rachel," he said, and it was supposed to be 'that's not funny, I wasn't staring at your ass to begin with' but it sort of came out... wrong. Percy sighed. "Just put your pants on, we're going to be late."
"Can't be late when we're the honored guests," Rachel said matter-of-factly, and she had a point - they were going to an art show, some avant-garde thing that Rachel's art was featured in, and Percy didn't pretend to understand it but he did have fun. Mostly because they spent their time drawing mustaches in the air and making fun of modernism. And Rachel would compare everything to food and they'd get hungry, and wander out into the city night, stumbling their way to the nearest chinese restaurant, probably looking like the worst drunks but only laughing.
Her insistence that she needed a date to these things was probably a lie, but Percy didn't care. He had more fun being Rachel's pretend date than Annabeth's real one.
"There," she said, "how's this look?" and strode out into the controlled mess of her bedroom, into Percy's line of sight.
And gods, was she stunning. Percy had always loved her confidence - the way she always carried herself like she was on fire, like she was gorgeous, even when her hair was a mess and her clothes covered in paint. But now, with a gauzy white shirt and jeans that sculpted to every curve, she was more than beautiful, she was dazzling, she was.... perfect.
He felt his throat close tight, and that little voice that he never wanted to listen to spoke up with a sudden clarity - she's everything you want, she's incredible, how can you ignore her, how can you pretend she isn't everything you've asked for.
But there was another voice that was always louder, and as guilty as it made him feel, it wasn't the one that said 'but, Annabeth'.
You aren't good enough for Rachel Dare.
•
"Just break up with her," Rachel said, reaching across the table to steal some of Percy's lo mein.
"What?" He was caught off guard, a Coke halfway to his lips, and it sparked a laugh, half nervous, half dismissing. "Why? Is this some kind of Oracle thing, is she going to bring about my doom?"
"No," she said, using that 'don't-be-an-idiot' voice. It was different from Annabeth's 'you're-retarded' voice - Rachel always believed, for some unfathomable reason, that Percy was actually decently intelligent. He chose to ignore her, but nevertheless, it made him feel special, sometimes. "You're obviously not happy. She doesn't treat you right."
And, like so many times in Percy's life, he spoke before he thought. "What, and you would?"
Stupid, stupid Percy.
Rachel paused, her chopsticks hovering over the salt-and-pepper squid. She looked, for once in her life, at a complete loss for words. "...Well," she finally said, sounding as though she was choosing her phrases very carefully, "I was going to save the selfish objective for later, but now that you mention it...." she looked up at Percy then, and he felt that tight feeling in his chest, like he was standing on a cliff edge, or about to fight some huge monster. "...Yes. I would. Actually, I already do," she added, and Percy really didn't have anything to say to that.
"Um," he managed. Also, "er."
"But let's pretend I have your best interests at heart, okay?" she said, a little too quickly. "Let's pretend I'm not as jealous of Annabeth as she is of me."
Rachel gave him a very pointed, very obvious kind of look. The kind that guys normally dreaded, because it meant The Girl was trying communicate something that The Guy was supposed to already know.
But when Rachel did it, he got it. Yeah. He understood. I'm already your girlfriend in everything but name. It's not like she doesn't have a reason to be jealous.
And then... she sighed, and shrugged, and took a sip from her Sprite. "I mean, your life is up to you. If you like what she's doing to you, it's fine. Yeah, I want a second chance, but that's up to you, isn't it? I just want you to be happy."
Annabeth had never once asked what made him happy.
Wise girl? We need to talk.