Chapter Text
Annabeth stared down at her laptop, the artificial light the only bright thing in the room. Her brows furrowed as she bit the inside of her cheek. This was a good opportunity. Gotham University didn't usually give out scholarships for students for just the year, especially when they were already attending college elsewhere. And the architecture course there was as good as they got. But accepting the offer would mean moving across the country, away from Percy, for a whole year. She couldn't do that.
She closed the laptop.
~~~
She stepped out of the shower, wiping her face with the towel, light streaming through the curtains. Her stride faltered as her eyes landed on the laptop.
She shook her head and followed the smell of sausages through the door where Percy was humming to himself.
~~~
Their apartment was a cosy, one-bedroom, with pictures hung all over the walls and with cushions and books on almost every surface.
Annabeth was curled into Percy's side on the couch, the tv playing some Disney movie they'd watched a million times. The drawings were good and the plot was funny, but she found her mind on the offer. She hadn't responded yet. Didn't quite want to shut out that option. But she also couldn't just leave. It's not like New Jersey to California was a drive you could do on the weekends. Blackjack could do it in about four and a half hours, but he'd be wrecked. And that meant Percy could only visit her so she wouldn't be able to see all her friends. So she shouldn't go. Right.
“What's on your mind, Wise Girl,” Percy said, interrupting her little one sided debate.
“Hm?”
“Come on, I can practically hear you thinking,” he said, picking up the remote and pausing the tv. He shifted his position until he was facing her, smirk tilted to one side, cloudy eyes almost meeting hers. They never did though.
“Just,” she sighed. “I got offered a place at Gotham U for the year. I'm not going though, so it's not important.”
“What? Why not?” Percy said, looking confused.
“Why not? Because I'm already in college here. Because it's on the other side of the country and my whole life is here, with you, in New Rome.”
“But… not because you don't want to go.”
“Well, I mean it could be fun, but things are good as they are. Sure the architecture there is insane and the courses are good, but the same can be said for here. And here I have my friends and I have you. I don't have those in New Rome.”
He took my hand in his lap and said, “Well, whatever you decide-”
“I’m not-” she starts, but he cuts her off with a grin.
“-whatever you decide, we'll be here. Whether you go across the country to Gotham, with its cool architecture and amazing courses and new exciting people, or if you stay here, in New Rome, where you've seen everything and done all the courses and where you meet the same boring old people. You're not going to lose any of us.”
She studied his face. The scar going through his thick eyebrow. The way his nose was bent just slightly to the left. The eyes that she fell in love with all those years ago, changed, but the very same.
“How do you always know what to say, seaweed brain?”
“Well, years of practice have helped. Now, would the lady prefer to finish the movie or sit on the counter and eat the batter as I bake cookies?”
She laughed and said, “How about both?”