#this is a COMPLETELY self-indulgent oneshot that's almost a character study of reyna including even more self-indulgent rynbth

[stoiicist]

i saw something on twitter awhile ago about the intimacy of being in someone’s room for the first time which inspired this, a completely self-indulgent oneshot that’s essentially just annabeth poking through reyna’s room ft. rynbth

under cut bc i don’t know when to stop

the way reyna reclines onto her bed, arms folded behind her head as her eyes follow annabeth around the room, it suggests a certain sense of ease. but the reality is far different, if annabeth would only claim the space next to her and find that reyna is tense and on edge, breaths measured as she fights off the fear of being vulnerable. dark eyes stare into annabeth’s back with a characteristic intensity that reyna doesn’t know how to stop and she wonders if this is as scary for annabeth as it is for her.

because there really is something so intimate about this— about letting someone into your room for the first time, watching them poke around your belongings. it’s like having all the little hidden things about yourself pushed to the forefront, and reyna has never liked being in the spotlight. she keeps to herself most the time, privacy being one of the pillars of her personality. the last person who had been in here was jason, someone reyna had known for years before him letting past that barrier. and even then, it was only because he was helping her fix the shitty hinge on her bathroom door.

reyna wonders if this is too fast, too soon. she wonders if she’s ready for this sort of thing, or if she’ll ever be ready, if it’s something she’s even meant for.

but when annabeth picks up a silver figurine in the shape of a greyhound and looks over at her, grey eyes alight with that curious look reyna has come to know so well, it’s with an almost heartbreaking ache that she realizes that she won’t be able to deny annabeth anything.

“ hylla got me those. some kind of amazon tech. if you press the nose, it— “

suddenly, the figurine is melting in annabeth’s hand, it’s shape changing until all she’s holding is a thin silver chain. she slips the bracelet on and then off again and when she unlatches the clasp, it’s mere seconds before it condenses back into its sleek figurine form.

annabeth doesn’t say anything, only smiles as she sets it back down next to it’s gold counterpart.

she moves to look through reyna’s vanity next, fingers ghosting over some of scipio’s old feathers, pocketed by reyna whenever they would fall out. there’s a brief pang in reyna’s chest, guilt and grief all rolled into one sinking feeling, but annabeth seems to know better. reyna thinks she catches a sad smile before she moves through the mess of makeup and sticky notes that cover the mirror. reyna’s not an untidy person, but she’s human; clothes on the floor that missed the hamper, a half-drunken bottle of wine she has yet to put back in the kitchen, and—

“ #1 praetor, huh? “ annabeth lifts the embellished mug off the bedside table, eyebrow quirking in a way that’s almost teasing. 

reyna laughs. “ what, you don’t agree? “ this is an easier memory to share. “ a christmas gift from the centurions. you should’ve seen jason’s face when he opened his gift and it was this weird enchanted garden gnome that does the macarena whenever someone walks by. and before you ask— no, i didn’t understand it either. “

this earns a laugh from annabeth, a sound reyna will never grow tired of hearing. she’s smiling too, even as annabeth continues to move around the room, hands now settling on the windowsill, rising on her tiptoes just a bit so she can peer into the small potted plants catching the afternoon sun. reyna’s eyes follow her as she presses a few fingers into the soil, as she looks into one of the brown paper bags to find drying herbs. 

“ didn’t know you had such a green thumb. “ annabeth remarks, casting reyna a sideways glance. the roman hesitates before answering.

“ sometimes, circe would give us lessons in her craft when we weren’t busy doing hair and makeup. “ a shift in annabeth’s body language, attention now fully on reyna who has to make a conscious effort to maintain her relaxed facade. “ hylla was much better at magic than i. i didn’t have the patience for it. “ and as a frightened little girl who was just trying to escape the war she was born into, the last thing reyna wanted was another weapon. “ but she taught me how to make a few useful potions. which herbs to use, how to prepare them. “ 

annabeth is quiet, but reyna knows her well enough to see the gears turning in her brain. maybe it’s an uncomfortable memory for her, though reyna has insisted time and time again she holds no animosity over her former home being destroyed. that bitterness had been directed at percy and even then, it was water under the bridge now. all of it had led to reyna finding her place in new rome. but she can understand why there’d still be some discomfort there, so she doesn’t press.

“ i have something else from when i was on the island. “ reyna finally says, after a minute of annabeth staring at the plants with furrowed brows. she reaches over to pull open the drawer of her bedside table, digging through the mess before coming up with something and handing it to annabeth.

a small golden trinket that fits easily in the palm of her hand, all smooth metal and gentle turns. the way the metalwork crisscrosses on itself, it’s spiraling, it should’ve been impossible to form without the material breaking. but there it was, in one piece, it’s shape reminiscent of a small torch.

“ a man washed up on the shore and after circe, you know, turned him into a guinea pig, i found it when we were sorting through his things. she let me keep it. “ 

“ what is it? “ annabeth asks, turning the object over a few times.

“ here, you just— “ reyna sits up, reaching to twist a portion of sleek metal. the room instantly illuminates with a soft glow paired with a gentle warmth now coming from the trinket in annabeth’s hands.

annabeth stares at it, mouth slightly open as she inspects it, as if trying to figure out how exactly the object worked. reyna watches her with rapt attention, the way the light makes her blonde hair almost shine, and for what feels like the hundredth time, reyna wonders how she got this lucky.

“ it’s like, “ annabeth muses, still transfixed by the magical object. “ it’s like... “

“ it’s like having the sun in your hands. i know. “ but reyna’s eyes never leave annabeth, more captivated by her than she had ever been by the tiny object. than she had ever been by anything.

annabeth finally twists it off, the room darkening again but a residual warmth left in her hands.

“ i think it’s connected to hekate. a torch of hers, or something. why circe let me keep it, i have no idea. maybe she figured i needed a little light in my life. “ sure, she had a habit of turning every man who showed up into a guinea pig, but circe wasn’t all bad. and to her credit, she never asked any questions. just welcomed two runaway girls with open arms. life on the island was good. it never felt right, but sometimes it felt good.

annabeth puts the object back in the bedside table, eyes glancing over reyna’s phone, it’s screen cracked a dozen times over. it’s past the point of saying anything about it— annabeth has teased her for it plenty.

and annabeth doesn’t comment on the cutlass that hangs off the wall over the dresser, dull and almost rusted with age. but reyna can sense her interest, and reveals a few memories anyway. it had been her only weapon for so long, reyna explains, used to prove her worth with the pirates. and after that, her only means of defense on her journey to california, to camp jupiter. the weapon kept her alive. it’s hard to let go of something like that. it’s hard, even when it’s a reminder of things she’s not proud of.

the grecian nods thoughtfully, gaze held on the sword before dropping to the framed photos on the dresser. reyna keeps more photos in the front room, but annabeth has a feeling that these are her favorites. there’s one of reyna and hylla, taken at a post-war celebration hosted by camp jupiter. reyna is sitting on one of the low couches in the mess hall, her smile wide and genuine as hylla’s arms drape over her shoulders in a hug. the elder ramírez sister has her eyes closed, mouth open and laughing. the first picture they’ve taken together in years and reyna admits she’s glad to have pictures of the two of them that aren’t from san juan.

beside it, a photograph of reyna and nico sits in a dark frame. at first glance, the son of pluto looks grumpy as ever, slouched next to reyna who’s giving a small smirk. but upon closer inspection, annabeth can see nico is doing his best to suppress a smile. a mythomagic card is tucked into the frame with an illustration of the mighty pegasus, his wings outstretched. a gift from nico, if the tiny NDA scrawled in the corner of the card is anything to go by.

annabeth finally settles on a photo of reyna and jason, picking it up to get a better look. they’re young— really young. reyna already has that posture of a hundred years, but she almost looks carefree, like she hasn’t yet been crushed under the weight of shouldering an entire city on her own. jason looks equally untroubled, like he’s finally found someone who sees him as more than rome’s golden boy.

it must’ve been taken shortly after reyna got to camp because there’s no brand on her arm yet, which is hanging around jason’s neck. it’s an affectionate gesture that annabeth hasn’t seen reyna display outside of herself, hylla, sometimes nico, and she starts to think she underestimated how close reyna and jason really were. but when she looks back at reyna, she’s wearing the same sad eyes she had when jason returned to camp jupiter after disappearing— so different, so greek, and hardly giving his old friends the time of day. annabeth sets the picture down again without a word; maybe now isn’t the time to open these old wounds.

she’s sure there are dozens more of reyna’s things she can poke through later ( annabeth hasn’t even touched her closet ), but there’s one more thing that catches her eye. 

“ you kept it? after all this time? “

she doesn’t mean to sound so shocked when she says it. annabeth holds up the silver drachma coin. it’s strange to have it in her hands again, after giving it to reyna before her quest. at the time, she wasn’t even sure it wouldn’t reappear in her pocket right after. it never crossed her mind that reyna would hold onto it after the parthenos was delivered.

reyna finally stands and takes the mark of athena from annabeth. she turns it over, rubs her thumb along the inscribed owl. she can feel annabeth’s eyes on her and it makes her cheeks flush. it’s dizzying and vulnerable and all too personal, but reyna eventually manages to meet annabeth’s gaze. they’re standing so close now, she wonders if annabeth can feel the way her heart is thundering in her chest.

“ it brought me luck, didn’t it? “

annabeth’s hands join reyna’s and she looks up into dark, serious eyes. she lets out a breath of laughter with a shake of her head. “ as if you needed it. “

reyna shrugs off the compliment, the way she always does. “ and it’s a sign that things could change. romans and greeks, we could work together. save the world together. make life better together. “

“ well, we certainly proved that. “ annabeth says, in a way that’s so cheesy it’s endearing and reyna doesn’t have a chance to respond because she’s cut off with a kiss. it’s hardly chaste, doesn’t need to be in the privacy of reyna’s home.

a lifetime of suffering, of burdens, of loneliness. it’s terrifying to let someone in and allowing annabeth into the sanctity of her bedroom is more symbolic than reyna cares to explain, or is even currently capable of with the way her girlfriend presses against her insistently. but being with annabeth is like being normal for the first time. getting to be just a girl. not a praetor, not a hero. just reyna, and being just reyna is good enough.

all she knows is annabeth’s mouth is on hers, a promise of a peaceful conclusion, and as the setting sun casts a shadow across the room, reyna knows she has her whole life ahead of her.