Percabeth Dirty One Shots and Drabbles

Made your mark on me

By @groverspanpipes on ao3

1997

"Another vodka soda, please," Annabeth said, gratefully accepting the glass when the bartender handed it to her. It was one in the morning, and she was not nearly as drunk as she should have been. Piper had headed off to the bathroom with some straight-laced-looking blond, so Annabeth was on her own now. She closed her eyes against the flashing strobe lights and took a long sip from her glass, smiling sweetly at the lanky bartender. Maybe she'd dance for another half-hour, but she was starting to get tired, and she had a feeling Piper would be going home with someone else tonight, leaving her to go to bed early.

She touched the hem of her dress, a little black thing with delicate, gold-chain straps hanging off of her shoulders. Her feet hurt- curse the heels she'd put on for tonight, however low they were! After downing the last of her vodka soda, she put a five-dollar bill on the bar and got back onto the dance floor.

A new song started, some pulsing, colorful beat undercut by a bass line that made her entire body vibrate. The throng of people made her skin heat up; as the chorus of the song started, Annabeth threw her arms about, letting her long blonde curls whip all about her head. She could smell a dozen women's different perfumes, and cigarette smoke wisping up from the corners of the room, and the sharp tang of alcohol on everyone's breath. She scanned the crowd through the flashing pink-and-blue lights to try to find Piper on the off-chance that she'd returned from her canoodle with that blond. Instead, her eyes landed on someone else.

He was tall, lean and strong, in a pale blue dress shirt with three buttons undone. On his lip was a cigarette, and she watched as he took periodic puffs from it while dancing. His dark hair was messy from all the dancing, and he was chatting briefly to a guy next to him, some specimen in a Rasta cap. She made her way toward him. His eyes were flashing all sorts of vibrant colors, and when his gaze found her, she saw them light up. He stepped away from Rasta guy, who, Annabeth noticed, was occupied with a green-haired waif. The handsome one took her hand and twirled her; it was crazy to think that the unspoken question of dance with me? had been answered so quickly. She could see the dusting of hair only just visible on his chest, and the five o'clock shadow that accentuated his sharp jawline.

He took a drag of his cigarette and, without asking, put the filter to her lips; she inhaled, and let the smoke waft out of her mouth as she turned to dance with him. They moved together, jumping and swaying and gyrating in a way that suggested he'd had more than his fair share of alcohol as well.

She felt something. Her navel was pulled towards him, her entire body magnetically charged, in tandem with his. The song changed; in the few seconds of relative quietude, he whispered, "I'm Percy. And you're beautiful."

She could now properly appreciate his eyes, sleepy and sultry, and the regal bump of his nose. "Annabeth," she said into his ear, and he grinned. He wound one arm around her waist, and they moved together as the next song began. It was one she knew, and she sang along gleefully. Her blood seemed to be warming up inside her as she put her arms around his neck, singing to Percy, watching the smile spread across his face. He had a dimple on his right cheek, one she had the urge to kiss. She settled for putting her hand on the left side of his face and feeling the scratchiness of his skin. One of his hands came up to touch the cool gold of her dress, draped across her shoulder, and then he leaned down to ask if she wanted to go somewhere quieter. She nodded, and took his hand.

They weaved through the crowd to the road outside. The cold air shocked her, and she shivered, which he remedied with an arm around her shoulder, pressing her close. They could still hear the music thumping from inside the nightclub, but outside on the sidewalk was calmer. Somehow, though, her heartbeat had only gotten faster.