Hello everyone!
First, I just want to apologize to those of you who have been waiting for an update on that PJO high school AU I started. I totally lost my groove on that one and I deleted it because I just wasn't happy with it. And also because it was kind of evolving into a college AU. So, I want to apologize about that :|
Second, as an apology (and also because I've been feeling this for awhile) I've decided to do a PJO/HOO AU series. Which means, there will be multiple chapters to this, but they won't be related in any way other than the characters/stories they are based off of.
I've been doing a rewatch of The Office lately. So that's kind of where this came from.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my deep, abiding love for Jim Halpert and Percy Jackson.
He looks up from his paperwork and there she is, sitting at the receptionist's desk just like always. She's wearing her curly hair pulled back off her face and a purple cardigan belted around her tiny waist. She smiles up at the boss, who makes an inappropriate comment as he passes no doubt.
Annabeth glances over and rolls her eyes. Percy grins at her and goes back to his paperwork. He tries to focus for a good ten minutes but realizes he's not going to get any work done so he gets up and meanders over to reception.
"Hey Jackson, how's the paper business today?"
Percy grabs a handful of jelly beans from the candy dish she always keeps fully stocked on the counter. He pops one in his mouth and grins. "I honestly couldn't tell you. Clarisse has been playing some war game on her computer all morning and I can't concentrate."
Annabeth laughs and Percy's stomach does somersaults. He likes when she laughs. He likes when he makes her laugh.
They talk until Annabeth's fiance', a guy named Luke who works in the warehouse, walks in. Percy goes back to his desk and his stomach goes from flip-floppy to feeling like someone's poured cement down his throat.
Annabeth calls off her wedding to Luke and Percy feels like he's floating. Or at least, part of him does. The other part is trying to bury any and all thoughts of Annabeth deep, deep down. He's transferred to another branch and he doesn't want to think about that kiss they shared back before he'd left and before she'd broken things off with Luke.
There's a girl here named Rachel that Percy thinks he kind of likes. She's got wild red hair and pretty green eyes and she's really, really funny. She sits at the desk behind him and she laughs at his jokes and she looks at him like he's important. And it makes Percy feel good.
When the branch closes and Percy goes back to his old branch, Rachel goes with him. It's super awkward and a little uncomfortable because Annabeth doesn't hide her feelings toward Rachel and Percy is kind of just stuck in the middle.
He tries to deny his feelings for Annabeth because he's with Rachel, he likes Rachel. A lot actually. But she asks him about Annabeth one day, and how he feels about his old crush and he has to admit that it isn't really an old crush. He still likes her. Loves her, really, but he doesn't tell Rachel that. That would be mean.
So Rachel breaks up with him and he is single again. At the same time as Annabeth.
Only this time he isn't going to screw things up.
Rachel takes a job running a branch in another city and Percy asks Annabeth to dinner. The don't tell anyone in the office about their relationship but they spend as much time together as possible.
When their coworkers find out it's, well, a little crazy. Everyone takes turns congratulating them and asking ridiculously personal questions and making inappropriate comments. Which is why they didn't really want to tell anyone in the first place. But it's alright, because they are happy.
But then Annabeth gets accepted into an architecture program in the city. Which is two hours away. Percy loves Annabeth and he doesn't want to let her go but he'll be damned if he stops her from pursuing her dreams. She's wanted to be an architect for as long as he's known her. So she goes to the city and Percy stays.
He visits her as often as he can and they talk on the phone all the time. It drives everyone in the office crazy, actually.
One day, Percy can't take it anymore. He loves this girl. He wants to spend the rest of his life with her. So he calls her and they meet halfway- Annabeth argues that it really isn't halfway, she had to drive further. It's raining and Percy gets down on one knee in the middle of the parking lot of a gas station and he asks her to marry him. And she cries and says yes.
There's a wedding in the works. Annabeth doesn't want a long engagement, especially after what happened with Luke. Besides, neither of them wants to spend more time than necessary not married.
Annabeth comes back to work at the office after completing- or at least mostly completing- her architecture courses and things are good. And then they find out that there's a baby. They are both totally shocked and totally, completely, blissfully happy.
Again, they decide not to tell anyone at the office- not only because they aren't married but also because they really don't want to go through that again. Except their boss makes one of his trademark blunders and they announce it to keep Piper's secret- she isn't ready for people to know about her father's fame and money and they have to tell everyone at some point.
Of course, there are more congratulations and even more personal questions and inappropriate comments, but Percy is so happy that he isn't really bothered by them.
The wedding is nothing short of memorable.
It's happening at Niagara Falls. Their entire families have turned up as well as everyone from the office. Leo hurts himself dancing (and no one is really shocked by it), Clarisse hooks up with one of Annabeth's cousins, and Percy accidentally lets slip that Annabeth is pregnant. And that's before they're even married.
The day of the wedding Annabeth and Percy break the rules- which, let's be honest, isn't very out of the ordinary for Annabeth and Percy. Annabeth is upset- she's torn her veil- and she needs Percy to comfort her. So he cuts his tie and Annabeth starts crying. She loves this doof so much.
Everyone is driving them crazy- Annabeth's mother especially; she literally will not stop complaining about her father's wife. So they leave. No one notices. They sneak away and they get married on a boat and neither of them can stop smiling. When they get back to the church everyone is complaining about the delay but Percy and Annabeth keep smiling. And then that song plays- Piper apologizes profusely because Annabeth had put it on her DO NOT PLAY list and she tried to stop them, really she had, but she's smiling the whole time and Annabeth thinks that Piper probably wanted to do this just as much as everyone else- and Annabeth should be mad but she can't be. So everyone- and that means absolutely everyone, including even Annabeth's mother- dances down the aisle like they do in that YouTube video.
They get married (again) and they dance and eat and drink (well not Annabeth for obvious reasons) the night away at their reception and neither Percy nor Annabeth can remember ever being so happy.