scrunchie
this is for @siminiiedoodles who is my all time fave and a true G and i love her very very very much and not to impose my views on u but i think u would love her a lot as well!! also please check out her art she invented annabeth's scrunchie it's the cutest thing in the universe anyway this is not very good in that i have not re-read it and it was just meant to be a quick lil drabble but i hope u read it and/or like it love u bye
2.9k words. Percabeth.
Annabeth was nine when Silena Beauregard dyed her hair for the first time.
“I think you really suit blonde hair, you know.” She hummed as she ran her fingers through Annabeth’s scalp. The water was cold enough that it sent a shiver down her spine. Annabeth tilted her head up.
“Are you going to straighten it when you’re done?” She asked. Silena raised her eyebrow at her and pressed her lips into an amused smile. She was twelve years old– to Annabeth, she’d acquired a lifetime of wisdom over her in the three years between them.
“Do you want me to straighten it when I’m done?” Silena asked and Annabeth shrugged her shoulders.
“Your hair’s straight.”
“My hair isn’t blonde.” Silena told her. “So I can think of two things about us that don’t match up.”
Annabeth considered it. “You’re right. How long will I stay blonde?”
“As long as you want.” Silena promised. “I can dye it back to its natural colour if you get bored.”
“Okay, good.” Annabeth nodded her head, leaving just enough space for the faucet to spout water down the back of her t-shirt. She squirmed and Silena laughed.
“Stop moving so much.” Silena whined. “How do you want me to do it up?”
“I like my braids.” Annabeth said. She loved her hair, really, she did– but it was a lot easier to deal with when she didn’t have to spend her time combing and moussing. She was a busy girl.
“You know what? I liked your braid too.” Silena helped her out of the sink and sat her down on the edge of the bed as she got to work on her hair.
“I want to see what it looks like.” Annabeth whined and Silena smacked her on the shoulder.
“Be patient.” She said. “I’m going to do your braids and then you can see.”
It was easy to talk to Silena. Not that Annabeth particularly had much going on in her life, but she liked to imagine that if she did, Silena would be the girl she went to. Mostly Camp was kind of boring. All the older kids would practice and spar and play Capture the Flag and Annabeth, still too young to be there, was not invited. She told Silena as much.
“It’s only another two years.” Silena said, pulling a little too harshly on her hair. Annabeth yelped but Silena barely paid her any attention. “Chiron said he’d let you start training when you turned eleven, right?”
“At this rate I’m never going to turn eleven.” Annabeth grumbled.
“You know what I can’t wait to watch you do? Archery.”
“Why?”
“I just know you’re going to be terrible at it.”
“You’re supposed to be my friend.”
“Well.” Silena said. “I’m not charging you for this am I?”
“Only because you know I don’t have any money!”
Silena found that hilarious. She let go of Annabeth’s hair and burst out laughing. Maybe it was the warm glow of a lazy Sunday afternoon that made everything so much funnier. Maybe it was basking in Silena’s friendship. Either way, Annabeth found herself joining in. First a giggle, then something a little bit louder. It wasn’t even a particularly clever joke– but the two of them laughed until their bellies hurt and they had tears streaming down their faces, and Annabeth couldn’t remember a time she’d been happier.
“Stop distracting me.” Silena struggled back up to her knees and went back to work on her hair. “I’m trying to make you pretty.”
“Do you think I’m ugly without your help?”
“You’re the most beautiful girl in the world.” Silena leaned her entire weight on her back, sending them both toppling off the bed and onto the floor. Annabeth struggled under her weight.
“Get off me!” She moaned. “Ugh. I can’t wait for someone half decent to come into camp. I swear I’m never speaking to you again when I make a better friend.”
“You couldn’t find a better friend if you tried.” Silena said, sitting up straighter. She studied Annabeth for a moment and cocked her head to the side. “You know what you’re missing?”
Without waiting for a response, she crawled over to her chest of drawers, yanking out a box of scrunchies. She sorted through the millions of them until she finally found one she liked, holding it up with a certain gusto and a brilliant smile. Annabeth waited patiently as she tied her braids up in a high ponytail for her.
“Okay.” Silena said. “I think you can look at yourself now.”
Annabeth pulled herself off the floor and padded up to Silena’s mirror. For a moment, she couldn’t recognise the girl looking back at her. Her hair was dyed a golden blonde that looked slightly darker at the roots, pulled into long, pretty braids. Silena had even weaved in two beads in one of them to give her a little colour. In all her long nine years of life, Annabeth had never considered dying her hair, but looking at her reflection now, she felt a lot more at home in her body. Silena was right. Blonde hair did suit her.
She reached her hand up to play with the blue scrunchie that stuck out at the top of her head, just to see if her reflection would follow; just to see if that really was her.
“I love it.” The girl in the mirror mouthed. “Silena, I… I love it.”
“I thought you would.” She could hear the smugness in her friend’s voice. “Keep the scrunchie. I think it looks cute on you.”
=
“Why do you keep playing with that thing?”
Percy’s voice cut through her thoughts so suddenly that Annabeth jumped. Her boyfriend held his hands up in surrender, sliding into the seat beside her and giving her a quick kiss. She frowned at him.
“Playing with what?”
“That hair tie.” Percy nodded to the worn out blue scrunchie in her hand.
She hadn’t even realised she was fiddling with it. Over the last five years, the scrunchie had been through hell. She’d replaced the elastic more times than she could count and what had once been a deep, rich colour had now turned into a blue so pale it looked nearly white. But Silena was gone now– the image of her melting face still etched into the forefront of Annabeth’s mind– and it felt like betrayal to lose the stupid thing.
“Oh.” She dropped it sheepishly onto the table “It’s a scrunchie, actually.”
“Is it the same one you wore on our first quest together?”
“What?” Annabeth frowned. “Percy, how could you possibly remember what I wore on our first quest together? You can’t even remember what you ate for lunch this afternoon.”
“I don’t know.” Percy shrugged. “I remember seeing you have it on and thinking it was cute. Is that a crime?”
“At twelve?” Annabeth laughed, shoving him lightly. “You thought I was cute. God, Jackson. You’re such a sap.”
“What can I say?” Percy shrugged, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips to her knuckles. “I’m romantic.”
“I am pretty cute, aren’t I?” Annabeth loved the way he beamed at her. Percy threw his arm over her shoulders and plastered a sloppy, wet kiss to her cheek.
“Yeah. You are.” He knocked his head lightly against hers. “Now. Don’t dodge the question. What are you worrying about?”
“I’m not worrying about anything.” Annabeth lied.
After eight long months of what felt like having to live without her lungs, she had been given her first breath of life and she was terrified of ruining it again. She picked up the scrunchie, absently stretching it between her fingers and then slipping it onto her wrist. Percy was here, she told her racing pulse. He was right here, his t-shirt brushing against her bare skin and his real laugh echoing in her ear. Telling him about her talk with her mother wouldn’t make him magically vanish, she knew– but the words still failed her.
“Yes, you are.” Percy nodded to her fingers. “You’re wearing that thing out.”
I’m afraid the world is ending again, Annabeth wanted to say. I’m afraid that the world is ending and I don’t even really care so long as you’re by my side. I’m scared, I’m exhausted, I’m lonely, I’m desperate.
Whatever she’d have decided to say in response was cut short by Leo padding sheepishly into the kitchen. He didn’t dare look at them, but Annabeth could feel Percy’s entire body radiating rage. She slipped her hand into his, but it did little to calm him down. As far as he was concerned, Leo had attacked a place he lived in. A place he’d fallen in love with. A place without her.
It wasn’t Leo’s fault. She couldn’t explain it to Percy, but she knew it wasn’t. Annabeth had worked with him for hours on end over weeks to build this ship, and in that time, she liked to think she’d learned him quite intimately over that time. There was no way at all that the Leo she knew would ever try to blow up a city.
Still, it was hard to get a read on Percy. He’d always been territorial about his friends; his family and his home. Home. The word sent an involuntary shudder down her spine. Percy was so excited to show her New Rome, just as he was furious about anybody trying to hurt it. Was this the new him, Annabeth wondered. Was this his new home? When they finished their quest, would he want to come back to Camp Half-Blood with her or had his vision of the future changed?
“You’re doing it again.” Percy drew her out of her thoughts. His jaw was set, but his gaze on her was tender. “Playing with that stupid thing.”
“It’s a scrunchie.” Annabeth repeated lamely, at a total loss for words.
“Well.” There was no way to tell if Percy knew what she was thinking or was simply in tune with her. A familiar, small smile grew on his lips and a warmth spread through her chest. Camp Jupiter, New Rome, Athena’s quest– all of it fell away when she met his gaze. This was her Percy– her best friend, her most annoying sidekick, her favourite leader. Gently, Percy pulled the scrunchie off her wrist, stood up and, without a word, gathered her hair and tied it into a ponytail at the top of her head. “It stresses me out to watch you play with it.”
Annabeth relaxed into her chair for the first time since she’d discovered Percy’s bed empty eight months ago. Her boyfriend leaned over her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and her eyes fluttered closed. She took a deep breath, letting herself exist in the moment– with Percy’s fingers in her hair and his heartbeat steady by her ear, it was the happiest she’d ever been.
“Besides,” Percy whispered. “I think it looks really cute on you.”
=
The easiest thing Annabeth ever had to decide to do was marrying her best friend. Of course, that meant the world made it next to impossible to actually do it.
“Today?” Sally cried on the other end of the phone. “You’re getting married today?”
“Well…” Annabeth trailed off, looking helplessly at Percy.
“Yeah, Ma.” He called into his phone. “Do you think you and Paul could meet us at the courthouse?”
“What are you wearing?” Sally demanded. “You kids are horrible. Why didn’t you give me any warning? Paul! Have you got a suit? Percy and Annabeth are getting married!”
“I’m wearing a pair of shorts.” Percy looked down at his clothes and then at Annabeth. “Annabeth’s in a dress.”
“What colour?” Sally asked and Annabeth let out a laugh.
“Black.”
“You aren’t wearing black to your wedding.” Sally said. “And my only son is not getting married in shorts.”
“It’s not a big deal, Sally. We’ve been trying to go over the details for months. Between the venue and the guestlist and the catering– it’s so much easier to just elope.”
“And cheaper.” Percy added.
Annabeth looked out of the window as they zipped through the city. She could point at least six hotels they’d considered being married in– but one was too expensive and the other had banned Clarisse for life after an incident six years ago and according to Piper, the third one had a bad aura. Wedding planning was the most painful experience of her life, and personally, she felt like it was all a little much, really, because she was tired of waiting to marry Percy.
It had been kind of an impromptu idea– she was watching him dice onions this morning and she’d suggested it, a little bit as a joke. Hey. What if we got married today? Percy had put the knife down suddenly, looked up at her with a wide grin and in retrospect, she should have known he’d go along with just about any of her plans.
“I’m bringing you both a change of clothes.” Sally’s voice crackled through the speakers. “And we’re going to go to a nice dinner tonight. This isn’t a shotgun wedding. We’re going to respect it.”
“Oh my gods, Mom.” Percy laughed. “Fine. Just– be there, okay? If I have to wait a minute longer to be married, I think I might actually kill someone.”
And that was how Annabeth found herself in the smelly, stuffy toilets in the courtroom, paranoid of accidentally touching something while her soon to be mother-in-law fussed over her dress. Sally had been nice enough to pick up a short, white dress for her– for the photos, she’d said. Wear it so I have something to show my friends.
“There we go.” Sally said from behind her. “The dress is something new. And here you go.”
She reached up, pulling off the pair of delicate pearl drops that hung in her ears and handed them to her. Annabeth stared at them, so pure and pretty in her palms.
“Sally, I can’t–”
“It's something borrowed.” Sally insisted, closing Annabeth’s fingers around them. “I’ll give them to you if you’d like them, but please don’t fight me on this. It’s tradition. You have to have all four.”
Wordlessly, Annabeth put her earrings on. She caught her reflection. Whether Sally had planned it or not– the earrings matched perfectly with her dress. Annabeth hadn’t really spent much time wondering what she’d look like as a bride, but sure enough– a beautiful bride was looking back at her from the mirror.
“My shoes.” Annabeth looked down at her worn out Filas. She might have been able to pass it off as an outfit with just the dress, but the pearls made them look even more out of place with the rest of her. “They’re old.”
“They’re hideous.” Sally told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “But they’ll do. Have you got anything blue? I might have a barrette in here somewhere.”
She started to rifle through her handbag, but Annabeth’s eyes caught on something in her reflection. For so many years, she’d worn it every day– in her hair or around her wrist– until it had felt like a part of her. She wouldn’t even have realised she had it on– but by some stroke of luck, her eyes caught on it.
“I’ve got it.” She said, holding her hand up for Sally to see. “Something blue.”
Sally frowned. “Sweetheart, that is a white scrunchie.”
“No.” Annabeth shook her head. It was so worn, the stitches were starting to come out. Maybe she’d dye it back to blue when she had the time. “It’s blue. It’s my something blue.”
Sally looked pained, like she really did want to put up a fight, but Annabeth blinked up at her with large doe eyes and she softened.
“You’re going to make my life very difficult, aren’t you?”
“Don’t I already?” Annabeth grinned and Sally rolled her eyes. She took Annabeth’s hand gently in both of hers and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“And not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for it.” She said. “I’m so proud of the woman you are. You’re my girl, you understand that? You’re my baby girl and I’m– I’m so excited for you.”
Annabeth felt her eyes well with tears. Unable to look at her any longer, she tore her gaze away from Sally, sniffling softly.
“Thanks.” She managed. Sally looped her arm around her waist and Annabeth let her lead them back to where Percy and Paul were standing, marriage licence in hand. For some reason, her feet suddenly stopped taking her forward. Next to her, Sally frowned. “Are you nervous, baby?”
Annabeth paused, only to catch her breath. This was it, she thought. After all the ups and downs and the lefts and the rights– they’d made it. She was here, with Percy, with Sally and Paul– her family was here. They were here. She plucked at the scrunchie on her wrist. She shook her head.
A small smile crept up on her lips. Heart hammering in her chest, a wave of peace washed over her. She tied her braids into a ponytail with her scrunchie and beamed at Percy. She was going to step into the happiest phase of her life. How could she be nervous?
“Not at all.” She said. “Not even a little.”
sobbing
