Prompt from Guest: Stompies Slippers and Annabeth
"… Just focus the camera over here." It's Annabeth's voice, slightly far off. "It's not centered… A little more to the right, Nico… Now the left… Just an inch…"
"What is this even for, Annabeth?" Nico's voice is muffled, then slightly staticky as a whoosh overrides it. A sharp intake of breath is heard, though muffled and far-off. "I got it! I didn't drop it. It's good," says Nico quickly, slightly muffled as if he was turned from the camera. A sigh of relief is heard from the same slightly far-off distance as before.
Several seconds of silence pass. "Are you gonna tell me what this is for anytime soon?" Nico's voice sounds from below the camera, and a stc-tch thphm is heard thrice. He sighs before continuing, after Annabeth's silence shows that she had no such plans to do so. "There... The tripod's all set up... Yeah, you're good to go."
Annabeth's grateful 'thank you' is followed by a request: "One last favor, Nico?"
A smooth, quick reply follows: "Only if you tell me what this is for."
"Nico, I told you. It's embarrassing."
"What, is it some sappy 'happy anniversary' video for Percy?" Nico's voice takes on a more derisive tone, before sliding back into his usual playfully mocking one.
"Maybe it is. You should clear out to make sure none of the lovey-dovey-ness gets under your punk-rock-homeless-man exterior."
"Ha-ha." There's some silence, and then Nico says: "I've known you for like five years. I was there for the Coffee Bean Incident of twenty-twelve. Nothing you do now can be more embarrassing than anything I've seen before."
"That's nice an—"
"Unless it actually is some sappy video, in which case I would shadow-travel out of here in a second."
"It's nice that you show just how you care. It's great. Nice support." Annabeth's voice is amused. "No, it's not an anniversary video. It's nothing directed towards Percy at all. But," she continued, cutting off Nico's short-lived interruption, "it's still embarrassing. So can I just see where the person is in frame with the camera set up this way? Please? It'll take two seconds."
A sigh. "Fine."
There's silence, some "Hmm… I guess it's centered… Are you sure you're standing on the mark? Oh. I guess it's good then."
"Okay… I'll just be going now…" Slow, far-paced footsteps. "I'm just leaving… Over there… I'll go play basketball… Away from here… No need to watch me leave…"
"You're not subtle, Nico. But 'bye. Hopefully for real."
"Yeah… I'm really walking away…" Slowly, the voice fades.
"Hmph."
There's silence for a little bit, some footsteps, then:
"Stomp-stomp-stomp, Stompies!" And under it, 'tropical' sounding music.
"Stompies are fun slippers, that your kids will love! Stompies are far more than just ordinary sl– NICO!"
Huge laughter sounds over the music, which is still playing even though Annabeth stopped talking.
"I told you to go away!"
"I– I know… I just–" His laughter cuts him off. Breathless: "I just needed to know what was more embarrassing than the coffee bean incident… And– and you were right–" More laughter.
"I'm just– It's a job!"
"Re-doing infomericals about slippers?"
"Yes!"
"I– I– I can't–"
"Stop laughing! Even better, go away! For real!"
"Okay, okay, but–"
"I will drag you to Tartarus if you don't leave right now and not tell another soul!"