Okay, I kind of had to write this. If I finish this quickly, though, I make a few other oneshots I've been wanting to write. But, where I live, it's already Thanksgiving today. And even though I don't really celebrate it, I do get invited to a bunch of huge meals, so yay for me! Actually, I probably won't even be able to walk by Sunday from so much food, but whatevs. I only get pumpkin pie a few times each year and lo and behold, I'll get some today!
So yeah, this oneshot will basically be about Thanksgiving. I know this prompt is SO cliché so I'll try to make the writing extra-good. In my head, that makes the scales even. That's it.
Enjoy!
Annabeth's desk chair creaked as she shifted her weight slightly. She gazed at her history textbook from a new angle, but the words still blurred and ran as if her childhood dyslexia had returned.
She picked up a highlighter and marked up a few words, hoping to refocus her mind. A wind blew against her window, causing it to rattle, and she jolted in alarm. Her hand jerked across the page, dragging the bright yellow highlighter with it. Now there was a stream of neon yellow beside a stately picture of Richard the Lionheart. She sighed again. Well, she did spend thousands of hard-earned dollars on these books, she could very well draw across them if she wanted.
Her attention still continued to wander. She abandoned her highlighter into the mess of half-used stationary on her working desk and went over to examine her window. It was partially open and getting pushed about by the wind. Annabeth pulled it back, her fingers immediately icing over once they came into contact with the frame. A chill raced down her arms. She rubbed down her hands, grabbed a heavy blanket from her tiny twin bed, and returned back to her chair with it draped across her shoulders. It creaked the second she sat down.
Annabeth tried not to groan.
She spent who knows how long sitting at her desk, trying to shove the information from her textbooks into her mind. She was just about to press her cheek against the soft nest of worksheets and doze a little, like how she spent every night, when something in the corner of her vision caught her eye. She stood up, her blanket trailing behind her, and swept over to the window again.
Little lights were dancing in a nearby building. Silhouettes, framed by warm golden light, moved across a row of windows on the building. They occasionally intercepted the beams of light in their pathways, causing the night to flicker sporadically. If she squinted, she could even catch the crackling flames of a fire.
Of course, just across Annabeth's home was the NYU dorms. She used to live there, with a lively party girl as her roommate, but the constant noise was too loud to study with. She had to take up a nighttime job in order to afford her extremely cramped two-room apartment, but at least she had peace and quiet. Unless the old granny upstairs started yowling about her dead husband to some imaginary visitor.
Suddenly a sheet of yellow light was spread onto the gray walls of the dorms. Someone had thrown open a window. That was hardly a smart decision, since the party clearly had heat and it was negative degrees outside. A head poked out of the open window. To her surprise, it turned in her direction.
Annabeth jumped a little. She peered closer, close enough so she could see her reflection on the smudgy glass. And then her jaw became unhinged.
A pair of luminous green eyes blazed through the night. They looked like emerald flames. More light spilled out from behind the person, and she realized those eyes were the exact shade of sea green. They were so stunning Annabeth felt like the whole world slowed around her, all pinpointing to a pair of jewels in the dark. The bright lights from the surrounding buildings glimmered and reflected in those green pupils like glitter.
Her breath slowed in amazement. Her fingers gripped the cold windowsill, barely recognizing the cold in her shock. Those eyes were more beautiful and anything she'd seen before. Even the well-polished emerald earrings her mother owned seemed like plastic toys compared to the stranger's gaze.
A new light switched up around the person. Her heart started beating faster once their features were illuminated. It was a guy, and a very handsome one. He had a thick mass of artfully tousled raven hair, a wide, carved jawline, and a generously friendly grin. He raised one hand to raise at her excitedly.
She was a bit startled, but she waved back. He curiously squinted in her direction, so she flipped a cracked beige light switch beside her window. His lips rounded into an "o". He was probably surprised at how messy her hair and face was. Annabeth realized with a start that she had no makeup on and averted her eyes from the glittering green ones.
When she dared to look back, the guy was pouting, but his eyes lit up comically when she looked into them. He waved again brightly. Without hesitation, he held out his hand and beckoned her, grinning hopefully.
Annabeth cocked her head. Why would he be… oh. He was asking her to come over. She bit her lip, considering. His eyes seemed to shine brighter in the night, and his perfect white smile was as welcoming as a heater. There was a twinge in her heart. She nodded shortly and pointed to the cement field between them.
He pointed to himself, her, and then the field again with a questioning look. She figured he was asking, "You, me, down there?"
She nodded again and felt a rebelliously excited smile pulling on her lips. He returned her smile vibrantly, switched off the light over him, leaving only two glowing pools of sea green. Then they disappeared into the well-lit room. Annabeth hurried over to her closet, threw on as many thick sweaters and jackets as she could, and clambered down the rickety stairs. Her aching legs spurred into a run and she blazed down the dusty courtyard. Her eyes picked out a tall, broad figure across from her and her heart thudded at top speed in her chest.
"Hi, I'm Percy," the mysterious guy said, coming closer so they could see each other with the help of a nearby streetlight. His voice was deep and smooth and tugged at some long-dead heartstrings.
"Hi." She awkwardly waved. "Annabeth."
His eyes lit up. "That's a nice name."
She blushed, pulling her fleecy jacket tighter around her. "Thanks."
"So, let's stop standing out here in the cold. Want to join our Thanksgiving dinner party?"
Suspicion hovered at the back of her tongue. Percy looked like the nicest guy on Earth, but she could never be too careful. "But why? You don't know me."
Percy smiled again. "Well, if you came, I could get to know you." That was so obviously a line, but Percy's voice was completely earnest. "Besides, it's Thanksgiving. I want to share company and gratitude and food with people."
Annabeth gestured to the bustling dorms. "You can, and you were. I'm fine." The raw goodness packed in one person was a bit overwhelming. Her instincts told her to back up a little.
"My mom cooked way too much," he said, leaning in to stage whisper in her ear. She shivered pleasantly at his warm breath grazing her cheek. His eyes glittered teasingly at her. "I can eat a lot, but not a whole herd of cows. And my mom made that much food for each person."
She grinned widely back. "Well, I guess I could try a whole cow. Maybe."
"Great!" He beamed, almost like a little kid. "I'd love to spend the night with you. Come on, this way." He gently took her arm and slowly led her over to the dorm buildings. Her mind was so concentrated on the long fingers wrapped around her forearm that she barely realized she was walking inside a boarding a sleek elevator. His fingers left her arm, leaving her cold again, and she snapped back to attention. They had emerged into a large, warm room. Candles and lights were left on everywhere, and an unexpected mantle held a roaring fire. Even from the doorway Annabeth could feel its heat. In fact, just as she stepped through the doorway, it felt like all the frost melted off her and she was pushed back into summer. She almost sighed in bliss and shed a few coats.
People crowded around the room, all carrying food and smiling and chatting with others. Annabeth realized that students from freshmen year to senior were easily mingling without a care about their age difference. In fact, she saw some people sporting clothes from other schools like Stanford and Brown.
When she entered with Percy, several heads turned their way. A tall, muscular guy with close-cropped blond hair and serious electric blue eyes strode up to them with a scrawny, disabled boy in tow. "Percy!" The blond guy exclaimed. His deep voice rumbled like distant thunder. "We were wondering where you went."
"Yeah," the second guy agreed, scratching his red Rasta cap. "You never disappear in parties. Not even with Rachel."
Many other people crowded around Percy. A short, Latino boy with curly hair and a slight, gorgeous girl with cinnamon locks beside him, snickered loudly. "Yeah. Are you two taking it slow, Perce?"
The pretty tanned girl elbowed him. "Oh, drop it." Her voice was smooth and honey-like, completely different from her dry words.
Percy shot her a thankful look before crossing his muscular arms. "Rachel and I are not together," he snapped. Annabeth felt something unexpected loosen in her heart. She mentally told herself to stay out of Percy's business.
"Oh, hey. Sorry, didn't notice you with all those clothes." Another extremely beautiful girl spoke up, this time to Annabeth. She was too stunned by her looks to reply. This girl had glowing maple-syrup skin, dark silky hair, and eyes that flickered from one bright color to another.
"Oh, um, hi." She nervously waved and pulled off a scarf.
"Here, I'll take them." A short girl with frizzy dark hair said, pushing her way through the cluster of people over to Annabeth. She had incredible golden eyes and smooth brown skin. She picked up the pile of clothes Annabeth held and gracefully whisked off into the crowd of people, with a tall and burly Asian boy following behind her.
"So, who are you?" A tall, pale girl next to the muscular blond guy asked. She had short black hair, carefully lined eyes, and tight black clothes. Her voice wasn't as warm as the others, but she didn't seem hostile, either.
"I'm, um, Annabeth. A sophomore here at NYU. Percy saw me in my house across from here."
The Latino boy waggled his eyebrows. "You were looking into her window?"
Percy lightly shoved him. "No, I just saw this really pretty girl and had to invite her over," he said quietly, his eyes trained on hers.
She immediately blushed, drawing a few soft awws from the girls. "Thanks," she whispered back.
"That's a really old line," the blond guy muttered under his breath. Everyone guffawed while Percy glared at them. "That's because I can pull off lines, unlike you, Jason."
Jason slid a muscular arm around the gorgeous dark-skinned girl with multicolored eyes. "Well, I have Piper, so why do I need to pull off lines?" He easily pulled her up to his height and they kissed slowly.
"Aww," a skinny green-eyed girl cooed, elbowing the Rasta-cap wearing boy as he fake-puked with the short one. "Alright, stop it, Grover and Leo. I can't believe I go out in public with you too."
The spiky haired Goth girl snickered. "That's what I say every day about my friends. And break it up, Jason and Piper! Like, get a room!"
Percy smiled at Annabeth. "So yeah, these are my idiotic friends. Yeah, I know, they're strange people. I'll introduce you." He started off with the people closest to him, which was the Goth girl and Jason, the blond one. "That's Thalia and Jason, my cousins. Can you believe they're siblings?"
She squinted at them and realized they both had striking blue eyes. Otherwise they were totally different people. Jason looked like the perfect golden boy with his letter jacket and casual grin. Piper smirked up at him, like the kiss was totally her plan. Meanwhile, Thalia was utterly Goth with her ripped jeans and chain jewelry.
"Yep, there's basically no difference. Thalia is fierce and will get on your case about just anything and Jason is really responsible and stern. He's dating Piper who he just kissed very annoyingly. She's really sweet but also tough. And really stubborn, actually. I do have another cousin but he's probably in a corner with Reyna." He grinned before turning to the short, curly-haired boy and the girl on his arm. "So that's Leo and his girlfriend, Calypso. They have a love-hate relationship. Well, Calypso would tell you mostly hate. Moving on. The boy with the crutches is Grover, and that's his girlfriend, Juniper. Oh, and those two are Hazel and Frank. They're the nicest couple ever. They're basically the main gang."
Annabeth blinked, a little unused to the huge number of people. "Well, okay. Um, they all seem nice."
Percy laughed, not unkindly. "Yeah, well, pretty much. I guess. Anyway, let's get some food. It's Thanksgiving!" He placed his hand on the small of her back with ease and they headed over to the crowded dining room.
The table was completely piled with food. There were the traditional foods in the center, and the rest was potluck. The air was heady with savory and heavy and spicy and warm smells. Annabeth felt like wrapping the scent around her. Most people just passed by and grabbed a plate, but Percy insisted on them sitting down and having a proper meal. Percy politely guided her into a chair and got a fork and plate for her. He was the perfect gentleman, it seemed. Annabeth couldn't help but watch him sit down, fill his own plate, and constantly greet passing people. Finally she snapped back to her steaming plate and dug in.
The food was incredible. The turkey was tender and oh-so-juicy that it dripped everywhere. She stuffed an excessive amount of ham into her mouth along with mashed potatoes. And then she felt like she'd traveled the world with all the food she tasted. She could hardly name some of the exotic foods she ate, but they all tasted incredible.
When she looked up from inhaling food, she saw that Piper and Hazel had joined her, though they had already eaten, so they only got small portions. They were both incredibly friendly. Annabeth was essentially bffs with them by the end of dinner and poured out her life story between bites.
She couldn't help but adore all this. This warm and populated environment, her two new friends smiling and chatting with her, and Percy touching her elbow from time to time to check on her. She especially loved the last part and stuck out her elbow as far as it could go.
Once she was too full to move, her lips were permanently stuck in a grin from all the laughter and friendship. Percy leaned over to her, a smudge of cranberry sauce on the edge of his mouth. Annabeth ambitiously wiped it off. He looked stunned for a moment before grinning at her. "Well, hello," he said slow, deep voice. A bright glint in his eyes told her that he was joking.
She blushed a little. "Sorry. Too much food, probably."
"Oh, I don't mind," he said in the same velvety tone. It twisted her heart dramatically. "Anyway, I think you successfully ate a cow."
Annabeth laughed, relieved that he stopped with the scurrilous voice. She pointed to her slightly bulging stomach. "You think?"
"Oh, look, a child!" Percy joked, laying a gentle hand on her stomach. She tensed, her eyes flaring wide in surprise. His hand was warm and sent an army of butterflies into her gut. Her blush returned in full force.
"Woah, Percy, take it slow," Piper teased, leaning over. He quickly retracted his hand, blushing too. He looked adorable.
He managed to recover and frown at Piper and Hazel's grins. "Annabeth, let's go somewhere else without meddling people." He took her hand and led her off in another direction, scowling at Piper's snickers and oohing.
They found a mostly deserted corner where they slid to the ground and started chatting. Percy played Twenty Questions with her, though asking way more than twenty questions, trying to get to know her. She gave him lengthy answers and interrogated him too. Annabeth already way too much about his obsession with blue pizza than she wanted to.
Halfway through, they got up to cut generous slices of pumpkin pie and returned to their corner. It was full of spices and perfectly sweet, just like Percy. She wanted another piece.
Finally, Percy delivered his last question. "Well, this is the most important part of tonight. What are you thankful for?"
An answer immediately sprang to mind. She searched his beautiful eyes and decided to take a chance. "Well, I'm thankful for meeting you," she murmured, leaning in.
"Me too," he whispered, his eyes slipping shut as their lips slowly met.
Ah I done I'm kinda proud of this, it's not great, but okay. I'm off to sleep now, see you guys soon with some other tiny oneshots.
Au revoir,
Pride-and-loyalty