Bubblewrap

Annabeth hauled the last box through the front door of the new apartment and dropped it on the kitchen counter. Something made a clang sound inside, but she was too exhausted to care.

"Annabeth?" Percy called from their bedroom, where he was rifling through a box labelled "ANNABETH'S NIGHTSTAND STUFF"- a box which Annabeth had specifically told him not to touch.

"Yeah?" she replied, turning her head towards the bedroom door and blindly ripping tape from the top of the box.

"Is everything upstairs yet?" he got up, making his way towards the kitchen.

Annabeth turned back to her task, "Surely is." She quietly gasped when Percy touched her from behind, gently wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her right shoulder. She reached back and took a handful of his messy, black hair so she could turn her head and kiss his left temple. She returned back to the box, which she had managed to free from the tape, and started to unload its contents onto the kitchen counter.

"Does that mean we're moved in yet?" his voice was muffled by Annabeth's shirt- which read: "I 3 BJ" (a joke shirt Percy had gotten her when he when to Beijing with his buddies).

"Not until we've unpack everything and the furniture is delivered," she sighed, abandoning the box and turning it Percy's arms to face him. She wrapped her hands behind his neck, "I'm so glad we did this."

"What, move in together?" Percy half-smiled- an expression which was one of the many reasons Annabeth adored her fiancée. "I was just surprised you agreed to be honest."

"Well, I agreed to marry you, didn't I?" She pulled him close and planted a soft kiss on his lips before pulling out of his embrace and pointing at the bedroom door, "Now go. Unpack."

Percy sighed dramatically and slunk back to the bedroom. Annabeth smiled, it felt so good to be living with Percy, instead of that stingy dormitory.

It was the summer after college graduation when Percy had proposed to Annabeth. They were on their European trip, which they had been dreaming about since sophomore year of high school. They were inside the Parthenon, which Annabeth had begged Percy to see since they'd touched down in Greece, and she was taken by total and utter surprise when she had turned back to Percy and he was down on one knee. Sure, they'd been together for almost nine years, but you can't really anticipate when the one will come about. Nonetheless, she was elated that she was going to spend the rest of her life with a man as amazing as Percy. They'd immediately begun plans to move in together, and two months later, when they got back to New York, they were ready to move their stuff out of storage at Sally's house and into their own.

Annabeth moved around the counter and into the kitchen. She started relocating the cooking equipment from the countertop into the cabinets. The furniture should be here soon, shouldn't it? she wondered. She glanced up at the clock in the lounge room- 4.23pm.

"Late," she muttered to herself. Percy was out of the bedroom once again, and walked towards the counter. Annabeth continued to fill the cupboards with pots and pans until he made a whining noise and wouldn't stop until she brought her attention to him. "Yes?" she huffed, placing her hands flat on the countertop.

"Nothing, I'm just finished unpacking," he held his arms up in surrender, then rested his elbows on the table and his head in his hands

"Really, you're finished unpacking everything that needs so go into the wardrobe?"her eyebrows shot up in doubt.

"No," he admitted begrudgingly. "But, it's so boooring, and, besides, I want to spend time with you."

"Percy, we have all the time in the world to spend together- we live together now!"

"Yes, I know," he whined, "But I don't want to unpack. I hate unpacking; it's so boring," he released his head and it made contact with the countertop. Annabeth sighed and took one of his hands.

"You said that. Fine, we can watch a movie on my laptop, but only until the furniture gets here- and then, we have to unpack."

"Okay," he pulled his head up and, latching onto her hand, dragged Annabeth over the countertop and caught her bridal-style. She laughed and beat on his chest.

"Put me down you crazy person!" she flailed her legs around and threw her head back, still laughing. Percy co-operated and put her down, legs first, and she started making her way into the bedroom. "Pick out of movie, they're in the box under the window," she called to him.

Percy made his way to the box and started pulling out movies at random. It took him a second, but he found Spy Kids and pulled it out, replacing all the other movies he'd removed messily inside the box. Annabeth emerged from the bedroom carrying her laptop and dragging a beanbag.

"What'd you pick?" she asked, swinging the beanbag in front of herself and plunking herself down on it. Percy crawled over to her and handed the DVD to her, "Spy Kids?"

"It's the Holy Grail of spy movies," he explained, nestling up next to her and wrapping his arm around her.

"If you say so," she rested the laptop on her knees and her head on Percy's shoulder.

They'd watched up to the part where Floop had kidnapped Ingrid and Gregorio when the door buzzer went off.

"I'll get it," Annabeth said, handing her laptop over to Percy. She got herself into her feet and walked over to the door. She jabbed her finger onto the ANSWER button, "Yeah?"

"Uhh, we're here from Home Living and Furniture, we've got some stuff to bring up," a voice replied from the other side.

"Oh, right," she said. "Come one up." She glanced up at the clock again. You're only an hour late, she thought.

A minute later, there was a knock at the door. Annabeth, who had been sitting and waiting impatiently on the kitchen counter. She pushed herself off and hurled herself at the door.

"Hi, bring it in," she chimed when she opened the door. Several men walked through the door, carrying large boxes. As each one made its way into the apartment, she made a mental checklist of her furniture.

Sofa, check. Dining Table, check. Bed, check.

"Where would you like it?" one of the men carrying the box with the bed pieces in it asked.

"The bed in the bedroom just there and the table and sofa can just go in this area," she pointed to the area in front of the kitchen counter, where she planned on having the dining table. "Thanks"

A few minutes later, there were large boxes all through the apartment and the men were gone.

"Furniture!" Annabeth threw her hands up in rejoice. "We have furniture!"

"We already have furniture," Percy moaned, still a bit moody about the fact that he had to move his beanbag location while the boxes were being moved in.

"A beanbag hardly counts as furniture," she walked over to him and offered her hand. He accepted it and hauled himself up and quickly embraced Annabeth before she could think about it. She wrapped her arms around him and mumbled into his shirt, "C'mon, we have to get this done."

"Okay, okay," Percy released her, but kept one hand around her shoulders as they made their way to the box which contained their couch.

Annabeth had managed to get the tape off and rip the sides of the box apart by herself when Percy gasped dramatically.

"What is it? Is it the wrong one? Is there something wrong?" Annabeth's mind immediately leaped to the worst, and she examined the couch herself.

"No, it's just.." he trailed off. He moved towards the couch and laid his hands on the plastic bubble protection covering it. He whispered, "Bubblewrap."

"Oh my God," Annabeth muttered. Percy started popping the bubbles, the grin on his face wider than that of a child who had just tasted candy for the first time. "I can't believe I'm marrying this." Percy continued to pop his bubblewrap.

It took a bit of coaxing, but, eventually, Annabeth started popping it too.

They spent the next three hours ripping the other boxes and removing the bubblewrap inside- popping it in every way imaginable: jumping on it, rolling over it, twisting it.

Needless to say, no unpacking was done that afternoon.

This was inspired by two things

1. maydayparade8123- I have been reading a lot of May's writing lately, and she's fab. Check her out if you haven't already. This is officially dedicated to her now! She writes a lot of one-shots, so I was inspired.

2. The fact the my sister and I's instruments were delivered yesterday and with that came a lot of bubblewrap

Plus, I love cutesy Percabeth.

You'll also be happy to know that I have another (lengthy) one-shot in the works, and the planning of HSH is almost complete.

CHAPTER 32 OF HIGH SCHOOL HOSTAGES WILL BE OUT ON JANUARY 31ST AT THE ABSOLUTE LATEST.

I hope you enjoyed this lil one-shot and you all have a good day!

Thank you, lovely people!

~Reanna