Chapter Text
Tuesday 12th December 2017
It’s the twelfth of December and Annabeth is drunk.
She’s not sure who’s apartment she’s in and she lost Piper about half an hour ago. She’s taken up residence on a very comfy couch and has resorted to people watching. Annabeth has been staring at the lights on a girl’s reindeer sweater for perhaps five minutes when a body slumps down next to her.
She looks over to find her best friend, Percy, blinking at her sadly. She reaches over and pats his head.
“What’s wrong, Pineapples?”
“I’m gonna spend Christmas alone. Mom’s book tour just got extended until mid January.”
Annabeth sits up and tries to keep her words not slurred. “She couldn’t get Christmas off?”
“She’s got Christmas Eve and day off but she’s gonna be in Michigan so it’s too expensive to fly home for two days. She offered but I couldn’t make her do that.”
Annabeth pats his cheek. “You’re such a good son.”
Percy droops his head to the side on the back of the couch. “I know.”
She grins and then punches his arm. “At least you don’t have to spend the Holidays in hell.”
“San Francisco is not hell.”
Annabeth gives him an if you say so look, but then an idea comes to her.
“Wait, what if…what if you come with me?”
Percy frowns at her, lost. Annabeth sits up again and pats his arm enthusiastically.
“No I’m serious. It means you won’t be alone over Christmas and you can help me get through the Holidays with my family!”
“Annabeth, that’s a terrible idea.”
“No it isn’t come on!”
He gives her a look. “Why are you going if you hate it there so much?”
Annabeth sighs. “My brothers guilted me into it. I haven’t been to visit for ages and I spent last Christmas with your family so I felt bad. But come on, please help me out. Please, please, please.”
Percy groans, his head buried in the couch cushions. “Annabeth, you know I'm easily peer pressured”
“Yes, that’s why I’m asking you.”
She knows he won’t say no to her. In the three years they’ve known each other, he’s always indulged her plans and ideas - whether good or not - without much protest. Annabeth isn’t sure whether it’s down to her skills of persuasion or the fact that Percy’s impulsiveness is just as bad as hers. Worryingly, when the two of them and Piper are conspiring, Annabeth is the most sensible out of the three of them. Perhaps it’s these similar traits that drew she and Percy together in the first place; having met in the first week of Freshman year and clung together for dear life all the way through college.
“Percy,” she prompts, when he’s been quiet for too long.
He’s pulling a face which she reads as would I rather spend Christmas day alone or watching Annabeth pretend she hates her family? It’s a highly exaggerated thinking face. His mouth is open and his nose is all scrunched up as he looks up at the ceiling.
Annabeth flicks his ear and he bats her hand away. “Ow.”
She raises her eyebrows at him. “You looked stupid.”
“Fuck off.”
“So are you coming then?”
He groans some more. “Okay, fine.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yes.”
Annabeth jumps on him. “Yes, I’ll book us tickets in the morning. In fact, no, I’ll do it now so you can’t back out.”
Percy rolls his eyes but he’s smiling lazily at her. “You haven’t booked your tickets yet?”
She avoids his stare as she tries to unlock her phone. “I was maybe putting it off.”
“You know that’s my phone right?”
“Hm?”
He shakes his head. “How fucking drunk are you? You’re trying to unlock my phone and you’re gonna get me locked out - gimme.”
She lets him pluck the phone from her hands but stoops down to rest her head on his shoulder as he unlocks it. “Fine, we’ll look on yours then.”
Percy laughs. He’s a warm weight under her shoulder, comforting a familiar. She hooks one of her arms behind his to get more comfortable and his elbow rests against her belly. She’s so comfortable she could fall asleep right here.
That’s until someone sits down heavily on her other side. Annabeth lifts her head, but doesn’t move otherwise, to frown at the intruder.
“Well, don’t you two look cute.”
“Hi, Piper,” Percy greets kindly.
“You abandoned me,” Annabeth accuses.
Piper shrugs. “Looks like you survived without me. “Did you two finally get together or is this supposed to be platonic?”
Annabeth sits up, pulling her arm away from Percy’s and trying to ignore the way her cheeks warm up as she glares at Piper. “Shut up.”
Piper grins. “Good one. What are you guys talking about anyway?”
Annabeth can’t quite look at Percy as he answers. “Looking at tickets to San Francisco.”
“You still haven’t booked them?” Piper looks accusingly at Annabeth.
Annabeth shrugs. “I was about to.”
Percy’s shoulder bumps against hers and stops herself leaning away from the contact. She’s always more careful about how tactile she is with Percy when Piper’s around. Because Piper always comments on it and makes things awkward.
“Well,” Percy says, “Now we’re booking two tickets.”
Piper stares between them both as a slow smile spreads over her face and Annabeth regrets ever befriending her. “You’re spending Christmas together.”
“We spent last Christmas together,” Percy points out, sounding as defensive as Annabeth feels. She gets a little bit of satisfaction from that.
Piper snorts. “Yeah, I was there too though. Your mom adopted us all for three days and we slept on her living room floor. No one flew cross country.”
Annabeth shoves her. “His mom can’t make it home. I offered for him to join me and he is. It’s no big deal.”
Piper clearly doesn’t believe either of them but she rolls her eyes and shrugs. “Alright, well I’ll want a full rundown of events when you guys get back for New Years.”
Mariah Carey comes on through the speakers and Piper drags them both up to dance then, leaving the awkwardness forgotten on the couch. Annabeth forgets about it for the rest of the night, but before she passes out in her own bed, she bookmarks a skyscanner webpage for two flights to San Francisco two days after the semester ends.