Percabeth One-Shots

Diner

The bathroom door bangs open, footsteps sound, and somebody pounds on the stall door. "Rachel. Rachel! They're here!"

Rachel pauses, which is awkward, because, well- "They're...? Oh! Oh, damn. Hold on. Just..."

"Hurry!" Piper says on a giggle. Her shoes squeak as she turns and hurries out, and Rachel flushes, pulls up her pants, slams out of the stall, and washes her hands, all in just a few seconds. She's tripping out the door as she's wiping her still-damp hands on her pants and makes it back behind the counter just in time to see Piper across the diner, asking what Blondie wants to drink. Rachel doesn't know why she bothers- the woman orders the same thing every time, a cup of coffee with just a dash of milk and sugar, a salad with grilled chicken.

Rachel turns to get Blondie's coffee ready. Piper comes over and pinches Rachel's stomach as she sidles up to her at the counter. "You get that?"

"Yeah."

"Gave me her order, too. Wants to try the burger this time!"

"Funny," Rachel says. "'Cause Percy ordered a breakfast plate when he came in, and, wow, would you look at that, it looks like that'll take a while."

"I'd feel bad about doing this except it's clear they are meant for each other." Piper says, sticking her order to the open cook's window. She sticks her tongue out at Travis on the other side, who rolls his eyes and tosses a pickle slice at her, which she catches in her mouth before turning back to the counter and Rachel. "I mean, just look at them."

Rachel looks. And yeah, it might seem like she and Piper are reaching. But...

Blondie and Percy are separated by an empty booth over in the left corner, but they're facing one another. Percy- and they know his name because sometimes he pays with card, and they've looked- he is usually busy messing around on his phone or coloring on a kid's menu, and Blondie- who always pays with cash- reads though the newspaper. She's usually dressed in a dark, pressed business suit, her hair pulled up and away from her face; it's a sharp contrast to Percy, with his dark jeans and rolled up flannels over print t-shirts.

But today- today, Blondie's got her crisp white shirt unbuttoned one button further, her suit jacket slung over her purse beside her, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her ponytail's loose and lets a few stray strands of hair curl around her face. She hunches over the table and flips lazily through the paper, and it's clear she's not interested in it at all, as clear as the bags underneath her eyes and the way she keeps tugging at the locket around her neck.

It's not new, but Percy continually looks up. They often come in at the same time, just after the work crowd passes, right after sunset, and they never talk, but sometimes they watch one another. Blondie less so than Percy.

"Today's the day." Piper whispers giddily, reaching for their plates. She grins at Rachel before she turns around the counter, sliding the breakfast plate to Blondie and the burger to Percy.

Piper's already turning back next to Rachel when Blondie looks down to her plate and sees that it's not her order. She glances up and sees Percy, first. He's already looking at her across the empty booth. There's a smile on his face, a what-can-you do? kind of smile, and he's up and moving with plate and drink in hand before she can react.

"Hey," he says, sliding into her booth. He easily switches their plates around and unrolls his silverware. "Hope you don't mind? Guess they mixed our orders up. Understandable- I usually get the burger here, it's amazing."

Blondie's unconvinced. "Yeah," she says, dragging out the word.

"Rough day?"

"Ugh, yes," she says. She closes her paper and folds it, places it on top of her coat and purse. Slowly she pulls her plate towards her. "Best burgers in the area?"

"I wouldn't say best," Percy steals a fry from her plate and takes a large swipe of ketchup. Something hesitant, shy and reckless hovers in his face. "Maybe third best. I could give you my list, if you want."

Blondie smiles. It's the first time Rachel's seen her do so, and it lights up her face, makes Piper elbow Rachel in the side. "Yeah," Blondie replies, reaching out to grab Percy's soda and taking a sip. "That'll work."

"Maybe we should start with names," Percy says.

Rachel wants to cheer. Go, Percy!

It takes Blondie a long, agonizing moment, while Piper clenches Rachel's hand underneath the counter and jumps silently up and down, but eventually she smiles, says, just soft enough that Rachel has to strain to hear, "Annabeth. Nice to meet you. You better not be lying about that list."

"Not to you," Percy says, his grin a mile wide. "And not about burgers."

--~•|•~--

♆Sorry for not updating for a while. Been having life problems lately. Anyways, I hope this is okay. And DID YOU GUYS SEE MOCKINGJAY LIKE OMG I CRIED.