* this oneshot is based off of a scene from the tv series Alexa and Katie, a show my little sister was obsessed with for a bit. she hyped up this scene and it didn't disappoint, and i figured i'd write some percabeth based off of it. i tried to spin it and make it more original, but there were just some genius parts i couldn't leave out. i don't own them.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Annabeth and Percy.

They despised each other. Enemies, constantly at each other's throats, since the day they met. He teased her, she teased him.

They weren't friends.

Annabeth had worked at the Thinking Cup since her second year of high school. She'd accepted the job when she'd needed the money, walking to the little cafe after school most days. It was a quiet place, but business was always good. She took orders, made the coffee, acted as waiter, and sometimes cleaned the bathroom. The boss was a grumpy man, but he kept to himself and Annabeth knew he secretly appreciated her company most days. 

Her life was right on track. It was senior year now, and soon she'd be leaving the small town behind and heading off to college. She'd miss it, of course, but she was ready to start her life after high school.

First, though, Annabeth had to finish senior year.

That's when he arrived. He was her age but didn't go to her school, tall and tanned, toned and snarky.

He was annoying.

Percy Jackson got the job, and from then on made it his life goal to annoy Annabeth to the death.

Now, her after school hours consisted of endless sarcasm and teasing, cleverly placed comebacks and arguments about who made the better frappaccino. She held the day he slipped on a napkin and fell over his head, and he relentlessly picked on her because she kept a binder full of each item and how to make it on the menu.

"One of you needs to close up tonight," Gary, their boss, grumbled as he hung his apron on the hook. "I'm leaving the keys with Annabeth."

"Because you know I actually have a life, right?" Percy smirked from across the room, where he was wiping down a table.

"No. I trust her more." Gary placed the keys in Annabeth's hand, his ever present frown stretching his already wrinkled skin. "I will see you both tomorrow. Don't be late."

"Yeah, Annabeth." Percy stuck his tongue out.

"That was for you, Percy." With a wave, Gary slipped out the door. It clicked shut behind him, the bells above it giving a little jingle.

Annabeth turned to Percy from her spot beside the counter, restocking the bags of coffee beans. "You walked right into those."

Percy rolled his eyes, placing a few empty mugs in a bucket. His smirk never faded, though. He hoisted the grey bucket into his arms and made his way over to her, taking exaggerated steps. "Well, I guess since you're in charge of locking up today, you can have the duty of washing these." He dropped it onto the counter, the mugs and glasses clinking together. "I have to babysit my little sister anyways, so enjoy."

Annabeth scowled, glancing at the bucket and then the other tables inside the building, all still piled with mugs and crumbs. "You're the worst."

"We have something in common, then," he called over his shoulder, dropping his apron onto the bench beneath the hooks. "I'll see you tomorrow, Wise Girl."

Annabeth muttered some things under her breath, moving to grab an empty bucket as the door slid shut once more. She allowed herself to revel in the peace and quiet after that, piling dishes and trash neatly into the container. 

Unfortunately, her brain could never let her enjoy what little quiet she got. It always had to go  on some overthinking tangent, digging a hole deeper and deeper into whatever topic on her mind.

The current focus point for her self-inflicted torture?

College.

Annabeth had been working her butt off to save up for it, one penny at a time, and she'd finally made it. She was going to college.

But the more she figured out, the less she knew. Annabeth had been interested in architecture her entire life, finding a way to include it in anything she did, whenever she could. Yet, when her best friend, Piper, had asked what she was going to major in, she'd told her business. Finance. Annabeth wanted to choose the practical thing so she'd be better off later in life. 

It wasn't what she wanted at all. She'd been telling herself that it was what she needed, though, and that had worked good. 

Until now.

Annabeth wasn't focusing on the work her hands were doing as she fell deeper into a mental hole of stress, knowing it was happening but not being able to stop it. It was silly, but she'd been plagued with horrible anxiety since high school started. She tried to remember what her therapist told her, what to do when this started happening, just to prevent a panic attack.

Relax, Annabeth. Breathe.

She forced a small, shaky laugh. It was just college. 

It was college. The segment of her life that would describe her story, the first chapter of who she was going to be.

Annabeth wanted to be an architect. 

But she couldn't be. It was just a hobby.

Her hand hesitated halfway to the bucket, mug hanging from it. Annabeth blinked, looking at it strangely. Work, hand.

Then a wave of nausea rolled over her, and she realized what was happening. It was the scariest thing she'd ever experienced, and she'd hoped it would never happen again. 

With all of her strength, she placed the mug back onto the table. Annabeth took a few deep breaths, squeezing her eyes shut and recalling her therapist's words.

Wiggle your toes. Count backwards in threes.

"100, 99, 98." Annabeth paused to take a breath and wiggle both her fingers and toes, but her hands were shaking and she felt cold, clammy.

She pressed her hands to her chest in an attempt to control them, but to no avail. With trembling fingers, she reached into her back pocket and gripped her phone, blinking rapidly as she found the contact she was looking for.

"Hey! You've reached Piper! Sorry I missed your call, leave me a message!"

Beeeep.

"P-piper. . ." Annabeth swallowed, trying to make her voice work correctly. In her panicked state, she didn't hear the door open, didn't see the raven haired boy slip in and grab his jacket off of the bench.

"Piper, I. . .It's happening again. Please. . .call me back." Her voice faded to a whisper at the end, and she gripped the phone harder, trying to stop the shaking of her hands.

It took all of her focus to lower the phone and end the call, trying to make the action last as long as possible. She was alone, away from home, and she couldn't even breathe properly. She wanted Piper to call her back, she wanted to finish cleaning up and lock the door, she wanted to walk home like normal. She wanted to feel like she was in control of herself.

Now Annabeth stood, knees weak, unsure of what to focus on, The trembling of her hands was becoming unbearable, and her breathing was coming faster and faster.

When a warm sensation erupted on her forearm, she couldn't look to see who it was. She felt herself being directed to the nearest chair. Immediate relief in her legs.

"Hey, Annabeth," Percy said casually, pulling up his own chair. "How are you doing?"

Annabeth couldn't answer. She pressed her hands to her chest again.

"Looks like you haven't finished cleaning up yet, slowpoke." Percy tried to meet her unfocused eyes. "Hey, I'm over here, Wise Girl. It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you."

Annabeth tried to speak. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say, her brain wasn't actually telling her what was happening, but it felt like it was the right thing to do. 

She still couldn't. The realization came with another wave of panic, and she made a pathetic gulp for air.

"Okay, okay." Percy reached over and clasped her shaking hands, holding them firmly. "I want you to tell me about our worst customers. The ones you're always complaining about. Come on, it's not that hard."

"I. . ." Annabeth swallowed, her panicked eyes searching his green ones. Her mouth was moving, but words weren't coming out.

"Fine, I'll start." Percy pasted on a fake thinking expression, furrowing his brows and puffing out his lips. Something in the back of her mind told Annabeth it was cute. "Mrs. Dodds. She orders one thing and then claims we made it wrong and demands a refund!"

Annabeth let out a nervous laugh, though it was mostly indistinguishable through her heavy breathing. "Every. . .every time."

"Exactly!" Percy leaned forward, propping his elbows up on his knees. "Okay, your turn."

Annabeth tried really hard to think, because he was waiting on her. "Mr. D. He--he always brings his own drinks."

"Oh, him." Percy made a disgusted face. "He has it out for me, I swear. He gets Gary mad, and when Gary's mad, the whole day's ruined."

"Yeah. . ."

Percy tilted his head when her breathing didn't slow and she didn't speak anymore. "Okay. . .tell me about the time I slipped on a napkin."

Annabeth couldn't help a little laugh again, her knee bumping up and down. "There's nothing to tell. . .you slipped on a napkin."

Percy grimaced. "I could've cracked my head or something, you know."

"Wouldn't have made a difference. Your brain is already so damaged."

Percy mocked offense. "That hurts, Wise Girl. You know I have feelings too, right?"

"Oh. . .I know. You. . ." Annabeth hesitated.

"What? I what?" Percy's brow furrowed in concern, his eyes scanning the room for anything more to talk about.

"No, I. . .you knew what to do." Annabeth looked down at their linked hands, swallowing hard. "How'd you know?"

"Oh." Percy leaned back, giving her a smile. Not a smirk, a real, genuine smile. "Let's just say you aren't the only person I know who deals with them."

Annabeth sunk deeper into her chair, still trying to steady her breathing. Her hands had ceased their shaking, reduced to small fits every few seconds. Her body temperature felt like it was returning to normal.

Percy released her hands, lifting himself from his seat. He resumed what she'd been doing at the table, piling the last of the mugs into the bucket and carrying it to the back as Annabeth relaxed for a few moments. 

"You know," he observed loudly, "me and you aren't that different."

"You and I," Annabeth muttered.

Percy peaked his head out from the back room. "Huh?"

"You said 'me and you.'" Annabeth spoke as she picked up her phone once more. "It would be 'you and I.'"

Percy mocked her from the other room, repeating her words in a horrible high pitched tone that earned him a laugh from Annabeth. "Well now I know I don't have to worry." He emerged from the room, wiping his hands on a towel. "Grammar Natzi Annabeth is Normal Annabeth."

Annabeth ignored him, dialing Piper's number again. This time, her best friend picked up extremely quickly.

"Hey! Oh my gods, Annabeth, I'm so sorry I missed your call! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Piper, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I. . .I got help from a friend."

"Oh gods, Annie, I'm really sorry that happened before I saw your message. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll call you when I get home."

"Okay. Stay safe, Annabeth. I'll see you later."

"See you."

Annabeth hung up, and suddenly the situation set in. She avoided Percy's eyes as he watched her, messing with the hem of her apron. Why did it have to happen then? When Percy was around?

Actually. . .she had been really lucky to have him around. As much as she wanted to deny it, she'd needed someone, she'd needed him in that moment, and he'd done a great job at calming her down.

"Thank you," she blurted, looking up abruptly. "Usually I have Piper to calm me down, so I was kind of freaking out."

"No problem," Percy said, playing around with the sugar shaker. Then that lopsided grin returned to his face when he seemed to think of something. "That's what friends are for, no?"

Annabeth felt her face flush. "Shut up, Percy. It was just easier than saying 'The Guy Who Slipped.'"

“Mhm.”

They shared a look for a few moments, gazing at each other in a way they never had before.

Percy was the one to break eye contact, his expression morphing from peaceful to panicked. “Oh no. Ah, I've got to go, Esetelle’s probably home alone right now.”

“Oh, Okay.” Annabeth released a breath, raising herself to her feet with as much balance as she could. Percy disappeared into the back room again as she untied her apron and shoved her phone into her pocket.

When Percy appeared again, he was holding a steaming to-go cup. He walked up to her, taking the apron from her hands and replacing it with the drink.

As he went to hang her uniform up, Annabeth raised her eyebrows at the drink. It was her favorite, peppermint mocha.

“Uh. . .thanks.” The warmth from the cup helped calm her further, and she curled her hands around it. “You didn't have to make me a drink, weirdo.”

“Who said I thought I had to?” Percy watched her go to push her chair in, her movements slow and full of caution. He shook his head and slipped in, pushing in the chair for her. “Look, Annabeth. . .I may try my best to annoy you all the time, but I'm not a terrible person. Let me walk you home, okay? You shouldn't be alone right now.”

Annabeth really, really liked that idea. Not only did she hate being alone after a panic attack, but she was beginning to see a side of Percy she. . .liked.

But it was impossible. He had things to do, and they were enemies.

“Percy. . .you have to babysit your sister.”

“Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Right.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes, looking down. She realized how close they were standing, and took a slight step back to put space between them. “I'll be fine, Percy.”

He stood, unmoving. Annabeth didn't look up to see his face, she was used to having to push people away.

What she didn't expect was for him to reach forward and grab her hand.

Startled, Annabeth’s gaze shot up. His smile, again, it was there. Small, kind, and full of warmth. She felt a million times warmer and fuzzier as her eyes traced his lips, wondering why she'd never noticed Percy. This Percy.

“Come with me,” he proposed. “You get to explain to my mom why I'm late to get home. And you can meet Estelle––I always thought she'd love you.”

Annabeth’s eyes lit up at the offer. Then they dulled again. “But––”

“Nope.”

“Percy––”

“I've got the keys, I'll lock up.”

“I can't––”

“You can, and it's about time you did.” Percy waved the keys in front of her face. “I'm not going to let you go home alone only to study all night. Bor-ing. Estelle is getting sick of just me.”

Annabeth sighed, her eyes stuck on their hands once more. “Alright, but––”

“No buts!” Percy’s smile grew wider as he whisked her over to the door, never releasing her hand.

As they walked home, as they talked about college, as Percy introduced her to Estelle, and as they exchanged numbers later that day, Annabeth realized that sometimes good came from the bad.

Panic attacks were horrible. Anxiety was horrible. But Percy turned out to be not so bad.

Every time she found herself holding his hand, or receiving a hug, or even a kiss from him in the future, Annabeth thanked her anxiety.

And when they sat, side by side, and Percy was cheering her on as she slowly neared the submit button to the form for an architectural major, Annabeth didn't regret the panic attack that day at the coffee shop.

a / n

lolll this is kinda long.

if you have seen the show this is based off of, i'm sure we can agree that this scene was one of the best, and i was happy to make it percabeth.

i updated on time this week ! yay me ! but school's starting next week, so my update schedule might be a little wonky from here on out.

thanks for reading !!

yours in demigodishness and all that,

~ grace 💙🍪💙🍪💙🍪💙

edit two seconds later : wAIT OMG MCKENNA spacenams IS THIS NOT TRATIE MATERIAL LIKE :O