Work Text:
It had been a long day. Piper had offered to cover the rest of her shift, but Annabeth felt bad- it hadn’t been Piper’s fault that her day had been so crappy. First, there was the old man who complained about how bitter his drink was after he had specifically asked for no sugar, then the teenager on her phone who spilled her hazelnut macchiato all over the counter and onto Annabeth’s pants and had the audacity to blame her, and finally the college student who came in during rush hour and decided to tell her his entire life story before ordering his drink. She was annoyed, sticky, and weary, and all she wanted was a nice cold shower and her fluffy bed.
That is, until Surfer Boy walked in.
She knew his name- Percy- but when he let it slip that he was a pro surfer, she dubbed him Surfer Boy and refused to call him anything else. He was a regular, and always only came during her shift, which of course she found suspicious but didn’t mind. With his messy black hair and sea green eyes, she’d be a fool to mind.
Seeing him almost revitalized her, and she stood up straight with a bright smile as he walked towards the counter.
As soon as he came through the door, his eyes had gone straight to her and had brightened, making her smile. She hurried through the other orders as he waited patiently at the back of the line, stealing glances at her and her at him. He was wearing a white t-shirt under a green, zipped up jacket with worn out jeans and hi tops. Even from behind the counter she could spot the leather strap necklace with various beads around his neck. Honestly, how could someone look so disheveled and cute at the same time?
“Hey, Surfer Boy,” she said with smile when he finally reached the front of the line. “What can I get you today? The usual?” A caramel frappuccino blended with chocolate chips, which she never understood but, well, whatever.
His grin was careless as he shook his head. “No, actually. Surprise me- what’s your favorite thing on the menu?”
“Of cou- wait, what?”
He leaned forward, bright eyes twinkling. “I wanna try your favorite drink. I mean, I already know you have good taste.”
It took Annabeth a moment to realize what he meant, and when she did she could feel Piper’s eyes on her as she turned bright red. “Aren’t you cocky,” she muttered, but not rudely, of course. She was on the clock.
His grin widened. “Hey, I’m just saying what’s true. So,” Percy continued, a slight smirk playing on his lips, “what will I be ordering today?”
Annabeth looked back challengingly. “You said it was supposed to be surprise, right?” She leaned back and glanced at Piper, who was obviously amused by this boy who could make Annabeth Chase turn red like a tomato. “McLean, switch with me?”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Make yourself one and sit down with him, I’ll cover your shift. Rush hour’s about to end, anyways.”
Annabeth wanted to insist no, that she could finish the shift, but honestly, leaving and spending some time with Surfer Boy seemed so good, and her shift was only half hour longer… “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
“Great, then. How much do I owe you?” Percy was reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet, but Annabeth stopped him.
“Nothing- it’s on me. Just take a seat and I’ll bring it to you,” she said with a smile.
“I’ll be waiting. Try not to poison me, yeah?”
She winked. “No promises.”
She pulled two grande cups off the top of the stacks and started building her comfort drink: a vanilla bean frap with 2 pumps of caramel, 2 pumps of toffee nut, and a caramel drizzle. After taking off her apron and smoothing down her black shirt and (still dirty) tan skinny jeans, she carried the two drinks out to where he sat, waiting.
He grinned as she handed him one of the cups. “That looks safe to drink, actually. I’m surprised.”
“Why? You seem to like what I make- you come here so often I’m surprised you don’t have diabetes.” His face flushed and she felt her ears color slightly. Somehow he looked even more cuter when he was embarrassed, as if his normal cuteness wasn’t hard enough to deal with.
“I don’t exactly come for the drinks, though, Annabeth,” he said, a shy smile flickering on his face.
Now it wasn’t just her ears that were colored. Her heart skipped a beat when he said her name- carefully, slowly, almost savoring it. Get your shit together, girl. “Yeah, well, I appreciate it. You’re one of the better parts of this job.”
“One of the better parts? What, is there a motorcyclist or superhero or someone that beats out a hot surfer?” Though he was still visibly slightly nervous, his playful streak was slowly returning.
“Yeah. He’s a preschool teacher- married, actually, with two younger girls. He’s got this hot stubble thing going and these sexy rectangle glasses. Oh, and he’s super ripped…" Percy's eyes grew large as spoke, his mouth slowly dropping open. He looked so ridiculous that Annabeth couldn't help but giggle. "Gods, you should see yourself. I’m just messing with you, so relax."
“Yeah, whatever,” he muttered, defensively taking a sip of the drink. His eyes widened and he pulled it away, examining the cup. “Whoa, what is this?”
“Ever read Harry Potter? It’s a Butterbeer Frappuccino.” She took a sip of her own drink. “You like it?”
“It’s amazing. I haven’t read Harry Potter, but I have watched the movies, and I’ve got to say, this tastes better than it looked in those. Wait- don’t kill me!” he exclaimed before Annabeth could say anything as her eyebrows furrowed. “I’m dyslexic- reading isn’t really my forte.”
What were the odds? “Actually, I’m dyslexic too, except mine’s rather mild.”
“Are you trying to flirt with me, Chase? Making things up to prove we have things in common?”
“It continues to amaze me as you prove how pretentious one person can be.”
“No? I guess we’re just soulmates, then.”
“Cheesy, too? You’re losing points, Jackson.” Annabeth realized her mistake a second too late and ducked her head quickly to take a sip of her drink, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
No such luck. “Hey, I don’t think I ever mentioned my last name to you,” Percy commented, tilting his head with a slight frown.
Annabeth felt warm. Gods, what was wrong with her today? “Ah… yeah. You mentioned you surfed and had won awards and stuff, so I- ah- Googled you.”
A smirk took over Percy’s face. “What was that about me being pretentious again?”
“Shut up, Surfer Boy.”
“No, really, tell me. I forgot.”
“Very funny.”
“I actually think I’m hilarious.”
“You are, but that’s because you’re the joke.”
“Ouch, that hurt,” he said, clutching his chest. “Right in the heart. You’ve killed me.”
“Too bad, ‘cause I was gonna ask you on a date. Oh, well, I guess I’ll just have to ask the preschool teacher when he comes in here next time. How scandalous, an affair.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him in mock excitement.
“I don’t think so- I’m alive again. When and where, Chase?”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Of course.” He grinned at her, his eyes shining and comfortable. “You’re pretty cool.”
That was such a Percy description that she couldn’t help but chuckle at it. “Thanks. You’re pretty cool, too.”
“So? Next Tuesday sound good? I can pick you up when your shift ends.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be done around-”
“Around six.” He smiled sheepishly. “I know already.”
“So I’m not the only one who did a little bit of recon, huh?”
“What can I say? I fell for you, hard.”
At that she smiled, feeling her stomach flutter.
So maybe this day hadn’t been a waste after all.