Percy wakes up once in the middle of the night because his phone buzzes with a new message. He tries to reach for it, but finds that he can't move with Annabeth's body curled up on his chest, so he relaxes into the sheets, wrapping his arm around her and holding her close. Carefully, with his other arm, he reaches for the phone, reading the text sleepily. For a second, he wants to wake Annabeth up, show her the message and laugh about how he wouldn't want to leave New York behind and go off to Arizona, but decides against it. Instead, he settles back into his original position, matching his breathing to hers and falls asleep in seconds.

oOo

The next time he's woken up is by somebody shaking him violently.

"Perce, wake up goddamn it!" He squints to see Annabeth bouncing beside him. He glares at her before turning away from him, burying his face in his pillow.

"Annabeth," He starts with a sigh. He wonders what to tell her for a minute. "Fuck off."

"Don't be like that. Get up, we're going surfing with Rach and Luke and Jason."

"You can." Percy grunts. "I'm sleeping in."

"No, you're coming with and teaching Rach how to surf. She's really shit."

"Annabeth, seriously, fuck off. And turn off that awful light."

"That's the sun."

Percy doesn't respond, and there's a silence that lets him believe he's actually going to get some sleep. Of course, Annabeth has different plans. She flops over him, and he shoots bolt upright, struggling for breath and shoving her off of him so hard that he sends her flying out the bed. She lands with a loud thud on the wooden floors, and Percy has to catch his breath before apologizing.

"I didn't realize- you're so light- Shit, are you hurt? Fuck, Annabeth, I'm so sorry-"

She cuts him off with a loud, boisterous laugh. "That's okay. At least you're up. Let's go."

It doesn't make him feel any better, but she shoves him into the bathroom with his swim trunks and calling for him to get changed fast. Hastily, he brushes his teeth and changes into a pair of red trunks that Annabeth calls his Baywatch clothes before coming out to see her slip a bottle of sunscreen into her large beach bag. When she sees him, she beams.

"We'll stop by to get some breakfast and then meet the others out at the beach. Jason said everyone was already ready so I let them go ahead. There's no way you're going to surf without something in your tummy." She pokes him, and he scowls at her.

"I'm not four." He says as they make their way to the restaurant at the resort. Annabeth sticks her tongue out at him.

"Could've fooled me." He admits he walked right into that one. He rolls his eyes as they're ushered to a table. He orders a plate of pancakes. Annabeth gets some granola. Percy narrows his eyes at her.

"Are you starving yourself for Luke again?" He knows the answer before her eyes widen, and his heart sinks. Years ago, back in college, Annabeth had developed an ED because she got too conscious of the calories she consumed. She'd made her entire life about Luke, and thought he'd never go for someone like her. Helping her heal was one of the hardest things Percy's ever had to go through, and he'll be damned if he lets it get to a point where he's being woken up in the middle of the night by his mom, telling him they have to get to the hospital, now, because Annabeth's gotten really sick. He'll never forgive himself for not watching out for her.

"No, why would you think that?" Annabeth asks, not sounding convincing. Percy gives her a once over, trying to peer through her kaftan to see if she looks skinnier than usual. It's a brown and blue patterned one, so he can't tell very easily, so he shoots her a suspicious look.

"Annabeth," He doesn't even know what he's trying to say. Where does he want to go with this?

"Percy." She mimics. "I'm fine. Honest."

"We're going surfing. Get something heavier to eat." He tells her sternly. She glares back at him. "Please." He adds as an afterthought, managing to crack his voice so it sounds filled with emotion. It's the one way he knows he can get her to listen to him. Of course, like always, it works like a charm.

"I can't." She admits. "I don't know why, I'm just never hungry."

"I've known you since I was twelve years old," Percy says softly. He doesn't like how hopeless she looks right now. "And I think you're beautiful, Annabeth. You really are. I mean it. When you drop pasta sauce down your front or you eat the mushrooms off my pizza or you steal my tiramisu, even when you have your own dessert- I don't care, because you're really special to me. And you're really special to Luke, too- I can see it. So would you please just get some eggs to go with that?"

He's managed to draw out the smallest smiles out of her, and he takes this as an opening to order an omelet for her. He isn't about to let her go through all that torture- Not after she'd worked so hard to get better.

"You always know the right things to say, don't you?" She asks quietly. Percy usually gets really uncomfortable when he's having serious conversations with people, but this is Annabeth, and her health. He can't say he doesn't miss the light banter they generally shared, but right now, she needs a friend, and he's glad to fill in. He has a million ways to respond to her, but chooses not to. Instead, he leans over the table.

"Your dad's been asking about you." He starts, and she freezes. Her smile falls off her face at the mention of her father, expression turning stony. Percy knows what it's like to not get along with your dad- He didn't even get along with his step dad- but this it's different for Annabeth. Where his own dad (and step dad) couldn't care if he lived or died, Dr. Chase has been trying constantly to rekindle his relationship with his daughter. To salvage what little remains, something Annabeth is so adamant about not wanting to do. Percy, personally, would love if his real father reached out to him, probably forgive him in seconds, and it's possibly this personal preference that keeps trying to help Dr. Chase.

"What does he want?"

"To know how his daughter is." He says quietly. "He cares about you."

"Would've been helpful if he did, back when I needed someone to care for me." Annabeth snaps.

"It takes a lot of strength to forgive someone." Percy tells her. She doesn't soften.

"Don't fucking tell me about forgiving people." And she's right. She forgives too fast, too easily. People who know this about her, of course, use it to manipulate her. He can't say Annabeth's had the easiest life. "He's here now, because I've built my own life- that he's not a part of- and he isn't responsible for me, anymore, thank the gods."

"I still think it's fucking absurd that you say gods." Percy decides to change the subject before Annabeth blows her top. He's afraid she'll start steaming soon, and if he's going to talk to her about the offer at Arizona, he needs her to be completely calm and at ease.

"Paganism." She snaps, like she wants to ignore him but she can't overlook such ignorance. "Twelve major gods. You say it too."

"Only because I've heard it from you, like, a hundred times a day."

"Whatever, Percy." Annabeth rolls her eyes.

"Stop letting him get to you like that." Percy says. His tone isn't accusatory, but it's lost the kindness it had a moment ago.

As a child, Annabeth had everything laid to her in a silver platter- The latest gadgets and the fanciest clothes. It's probably because she came from a long line of rich brats, Percy thinks. She's no less a rich brat, but she'd cut herself off completely from the Chase family and all it stood for, choosing to be her own kind of rich brat- The kind that worked for the money she spends, having started out from nothing.

He remembers the times she'd crash on his couch in summer because she wasn't going back to her father's house, and she didn't have any money to pay rent anywhere else. She'd work odd jobs at Olive Garden and Macy's to pay for a place to stay, but landlords were biased about women and she'd find herself getting evicted way too often. She'd worked hard to get where she is, and Percy thinks she deserves the pride she wears like a second skin.

"You're right." She says tightly.

"You should talk to-"

"No. Oh look, breakfast is served!"

And that was that.

oOo

When Annabeth said Rachel couldn't surf, Percy expected her to be bad. Like, I-can't-stand-on-my-board kind of bad. He didn't think she was this bad.

"Rachel, you literally just have to paddle with your arms." He calls out, lying stomach down on the board and looking over at her flailing arms. "In the water!" He tries to clarify, pushing himself off the board as he floats over a particularly large wave. The same wave that slaps Rachel in the face and sends her slipping off her board with a scream.

"Rach, stay on the board!" Annabeth calls unhelpfully from somewhere in the front, but everyone can hear the laughter in her voice. With a resigned sigh, Percy paddles over to her, helping her get back on her board.

"Okay, Rachel. The next time a wave approaches, push your chest off the board with your arms. Like this." Percy demonstrates. Rachel nods, pushing some of her red hair out of her face.

"Got it." She says, just as a wave approaches them.

"Paddle till the last moment!" Percy calls as he pushes himself over the wave before looking back at her. She's almost got it, except she doesn't paddle as soon as she's over the wave, and gets pushed back to her original position. With a roll of his eyes, Percy gives up.

"Just stay there. One of the waves will take you back to the beach." He tells her sarcastically, and can tell she's about to bite back with a snarky comment, but a loud squeal attracts both their attention.

Annabeth is cutting through a large wave, one arm outstretched and the other holding her board. She screams in delight as she rides the wave, calling out to them as she passes them by,

"See you at the beach, losers!"

"Oh, you're on, Chase." Percy yells back, abandoning Rachel and paddling out into the blue. He doesn't spare a glance backwards as he paddles up until he sees a large, beautiful wave forming. He turns his board around, preparing himself for it. He catches it easily, cutting across it and passing Jason, who's paddling back out, and then Rachel, who's so distracted watching him that his wave downs her again. She struggles back to her board, but Percy can't be bothered. The wind is in his hair, and the sea sprays water on his face, and he feels like he can do anything.

When he gets closer to the shore, he bends a little lower to slow down, but he sees Annabeth (and Luke), crouched over something, her board floating a little further away from her, looking at the rocks like it's the most interesting thing she's ever seen. When she sees Percy, she gestures for him to join her. He gets off his surfboard and approaches the two of them slowly.

They're crouched over a little shell glistening in the sunlight. The inside is bright, shimmering between the soft ripples of the water.

"That's-" Percy recognizes it almost instantly.

"Mother of pearl." Luke finishes for him, for the first time not trying to mock Percy. The three of them look at the shell in awe. "I wish we could pick it up." Luke murmurs.

"No, it's a part of the sea. Don't touch it." Annabeth says.

"She's right. It's best to leave everything in the sea to itself." Percy nods.

"I love it. It's just so pretty." Annabeth says dreamily. Luke looks up at her like she's so much more precious.

"Yeah, okay, great. Luke, aren't you going to surf?" Percy nods to Luke, who snaps out of his thoughts and sends him a wicked grin.

"I should get in. You guys want to compete? We'll get Rach to judge, she's not getting very far, is she?" He laughs, nodding to Rachel, who seems to have given up, lying on her board making no attempt to move.

The rest of the morning, the five of them spend on the beach. Percy spends a significantly longer time with Rachel than he does with the others. He doesn't really complain.

"You know, Percy," She tells him as they're all starting to head back. He looks down at her from the bottom curve of his shades to show her she's got his attention. "I'm not dumb. I know what's happening between the two of us."

"Okay." Percy says, mostly because she pauses for too long. They're walking ahead of the others.

"I just want to let you know- A lot of people I've been with, they think I'm interested in building something out of it. I'm not. I don't- I don't want this to be tied to any emotions."

"Absolutely." Percy never thought he'd hear these words from Rachel. Could she be more perfect?

"What I mean is, this can't go on forever. I'm not in it for the long run. Is that okay?" She sounds unsure, like she thinks he doesn't understand. "Now's your chance to tell me you don't do that and walk out?"

Percy shrugs. "No, really. It works for me. Perfectly."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Look, I'm not the kind of guy you'd fall in love with. Or the kind who falls in love. It's all just a concept that humans came up with to make themselves feel good about wanting someone for a long while."

"You're lying. That's exactly what I always say!"

"Yeah and you see people like Annabeth, or my mom, looking out for love and spending their entire life waiting for that one person who's probably got eight hundred things on their mind that isn't them, waiting so patiently for them."

"You don't get along with your mom?" Rachel asks quietly. Percy's shocked she'd even come to that conclusion.

"What? No! I lov- Well, she's the only person in the world I'd admit I love. And I care for her deeply. But she's not unlike Annabeth. It's frustrating, to see people you care about fall down this rabbit hole, you know? Waiting hopelessly for someone to come into their life and change it, all of a sudden. It's just not logical, you know? It's surprising, because Annabeth's like that. The most reasonable person I've ever met - She thinks Luke's it. There's tons of guys at work that ogle her- I've seen it. She hardly pays them any attention. She's missing out, and it's really sad to see."

"I know exactly what you mean." Rachel says quietly. "I've never seen people in 'love' be happy." She makes quotes in the air. "I mean, sure. They're happy for the first two days, weeks, months. It's not lasting, though, is it? It must be so boring to be hung up on one person; the same one for your entire life. And to wait for them to turn up?" She snorts. "That's for people who watch too many romantic movies."

Percy watches a lot of romantic movies with Annabeth and his mom. He chooses to keep that to himself.

"It's dumb." Rachel finally decides, turning around to look at the others who were trailing long behind them. Percy follows her gaze to see Annabeth giving Jason a piggyback ride- Or trying to, rather. They can hear their laughter over the waves and she's hunched so low, she's almost doubled over. Jason has his arms held up in victory and Luke, who's walking beside them, is also laughing loudly.

"You know," Rachel says quietly as they slow down for their friends to catch up with them. Percy reckons it's going to take a while, if that's the pace they're moving at. "Annabeth was my best friend, back in college. I never understood how we got along- We're polar opposites. The only thing we had in common was sarcasm and our halls at college."

"We've all been there with Annabeth." Percy agrees, thinking about the first time he'd spoken to her. He'd just moved into her school, and she'd been a right bitch to him. Understandable, he thinks, because she was the most popular twelve year old in school and he was the newbie. He'd only started to like her a little when she volunteered to partner up with him for a history project (Not his strongest subject, and definitely not his favorite teacher) and they'd been attached at the hip since.

"No, you don't get it, Percy. For the whole of my first semester, Freshman year, I resented her. Perfect scores on all her essays, but dyslexic. She partied more than I did, met more people that I could. People were either terrified of her or loved her. People wanted to be with her- Be seen with her, be her friend. It's not hard to be jealous of a person like her. I didn't know what the difference between us was; What the real difference was, I mean. The one conflicting belief we held that made us so different- Humans are easy to understand, that way."

"Really? You wanted to be popular?" Percy teases, mostly because he's afraid Rachel's going to say mean things about Annabeth and he's going to have to sock her out cold.

"She'd disappear every weekend, though." Rachel ignores him. "Someone who got as much attention as she did- It was easy to notice her absence. Nowhere to be seen. When we were lucky enough to see her, she always had this one guy with her. He- Well, he was really hot, not going to lie. I asked if you guys were dating, and she laughed. Told me you were best friends, and she loved you to bits and couldn't imagine a life without you."

"She's weird about friends like that." Percy laughs, scratching the back of his neck. The sun was making his skin itch.

"Yeah, see- We got along famously after that, but the point is, people like Annabeth- Her emotions are pretty intense. She comes across as very rational because she's always thinking, Percy, but a lot of the time, she thinks with her heart." Percy doesn't like her tone and immediately finds the need to defend Annabeth.
"You don't know what she's been through- For her to still have a heart,-"

"Why does she want to be an architect, Percy?"

"To build something permanent." Percy recites automatically. He's heard it so many times. "Something that can withstand the test of time."

"And why is she after something so… Permanent?" Rachel pushes.

"Because nothing in her life has ever been permanent."

"She build her career on something that happened in her past. Purely out of emotion." Percy lets that sink in. He'd never thought of it that way. Apart from this whole being in love with Luke thing, he's never thought of her as particularly emotional. "And why'd she help you out with that history project in the sixth grade? Oh yeah, she talks about you all the time. I've heard the story." Rachel adds at his surprised expression.

"Because she wanted to prove to the teacher that she could do a good job, even with-" Percy pauses, before huffing out the rest of his sentence. "The weakest student in class."

"Pride." Rachel summarizes. "Emotion. See?"

Percy remains silent, watching Annabeth. It's like he's seeing her in a completely different light. To him, she's always been his best friend. He didn't care what she was like- She could've been a serial killer and he'd still have stuck with her through it all. Well- maybe not a serial killer, but you get the point.

"Why are we talking about her?" He asks, mostly so they can stop discussing her.

"Because, weird as this sounds, she's a big part of your life. I can sense it. And I just wanted to be sure that you understood that."

"Okay." Percy's never thought of Annabeth as a part of his life, but the more aware of it he is, the more he wants to unwind himself from her. He feels a little sick in his stomach, and he wants to leave as soon as he can.

"Percy," Rachel's voice falters, and she looks conflicted. Like she can't decide whether to say it or not. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I didn't explain that right. Annabeth loves people. I expect it's easy for her to get confused about what kind of love she's feeling."

Percy stares at her.

"Oh- no." He laughs shakily. The others are close to them. "No, no. I- No. Not Annabeth. She's my best friend, that's all we are." Rachel raises her brows, but nods as the others catch up with them. Luke is laughing about something Jason did when they were at the beach, and she catches his eye over Annabeth's bent head.

"Okay, then."

oOo

For the rest of the day, Percy tries his best to avoid Annabeth, which is hard when he's pretending that they're dating without actually so much as meeting her eye. He knows he's hurting her right now, but something about the way Rachel had said, like she knew for a fact- that Annabeth was a part of him made him uneasy. Maybe it's because he hates being associated with anyone. Maybe it's too intimate for him.

Maybe it's because it's the truth.

He's sitting with Grover on the large balcony of the restaurant, completely ignoring his bottle of cola, that's probably flat and warm now. He feels most comfortable with Grover, who's been a friend to him for a while now.

"I can't tell if she's into me or not?" He says about a particular redheaded maid of honor. Grover shrugs.

"I don't know what to say, Perce. If there was something I did want to talk to you about, though, it would be your relationship with Annabeth."

"Not you too." Percy groans. Grover frowns, but ignores him.

"This fake dating thing. It's dangerous."

"What?" Percy snorts out a laugh. He can't think of a single way their little fabrication has done anything but drive Luke up a wall, and in his eyes, that's a success.

"You may be completely thick skinned and entirely unable to accept your emotions, but she isn't." Grover says, but Percy's struck by his choice of words. He's never been told to accept his emotions. It's the dumbest thing he's heard. He hopes Grover isn't having a midlife crisis at twenty five.

"Okay, G-Man. We're friends, I'm- hopefully- spending the night with Rachel today. Tomorrow's the wedding, and we're taking the first flight out the day after that. It's simple and quick. Nothing to worry about."

"I wish you guys would just look at each other once. Like, really look. See how much you care about each other." Grover sighs, swirling his smoothie before taking a long sip. "How she looks at you, or knows your drink order, or sneaks a glance at you every now and then."

"Grover, you know she's been pining for Castellan for who knows how long." Percy laughs, but he can't keep the resentment out of his voice.

"Long enough for her to get mixed up in the excitement." Grover points out. "Honestly, Percy, you've said it yourself. There's a million idiots out there dying for a chance to get with her. That doesn't bother you, does it?"

"No. Because they're just nobodies. They can't hurt her the way Luke could."

"Percy, consider it." Grover says, voice quiet. "Luke is a good guy. Why are you really so against him?"

"If he gets with her, Grover, I'm sure he's going to somehow manipulate her into completely cutting me out of her life." Even Percy is surprised by the harsh tone to his voice.

"You know she's smarter than to let anybody manipulate her."

"She's weak when it comes to Luke."

"He cares for her, Percy. He'd never want to take away what makes her happy. Including you. Consider it. Why not the others?"

"I don't know." Percy sinks into his seat, feeling defeated. He's a mess, right now. He hasn't spoken to Annabeth all day, but spent so much time talking about her that it's giving him a headache.

"Do you think it's because, well," Grover continues softly. "They're incompetent?"

"What?"

"That they stand no chance of getting closer to Annabeth than you are, and so you might be taking it for granted?"

"No- What? No. She's not a trophy. She's a human being- A damn good one at that. If anyone was competing with me for Annabeth- I would-" Percy growls.

"That's not even close to what I said and you know it." Grover cuts him off easily. "You said it yourself, Perce. Nobodies. You don't care for them- It's the other somebodies in her life that worry you. Jason's like her brother, and that only leaves… well, Luke. Remember, love means different things for different people."

Percy stays silent for a while. Then, he claps his hands on his knees.

"Yeah, alright. I'm going to take a shower, go out with Jason, get smashed out of my mind and then sleep with Rachel Elizabeth Dare." Percy announces, getting to his feet, Coke abandoned. "Are you coming out tonight?"

"No, I'm not, but you have fun, Perce." Grover sighs sadly.

oOo

"You're avoiding me." It's a statement, not a question. Percy looks around to see Annabeth standing behind him, arms crossed over her chest. She's glaring daggers at him. He tries to smile sheepishly.

"Me? Avoid you? Aw, sweetheart, you should know that I'd never-"

"Cut the shit. What's going on?"

"Luke's interested in you." Percy's lie comes off even more smoothly because it's the truth. "And I'm just stepping back for him to sweep you off your feet. From right under my nose." He grumbles the last part, for the first time wondering what that could mean for their already strained relationship. "Now's your chance, Annabeth. Don't let me hold you back."

The words have a bitter taste and he can't shake off the strange feeling of dread growing on him. What if Luke and Annabeth do get together? Will she still let him crash on her couch? Will she stop talking to him entirely? Does he really mind?

"You're doing that… for me?" Annabeth sounds mystified, like she can't imagine people doing things for her. Percy understands why, but it only serves to increase his guilt.

Truth be told, Grover's words had really struck a chord with him, and it had become harder than ever to pretend he's happy about Luke and Annabeth. Not unlike Luke, he does want her to be happy, but he can't bring himself to accept that her happiness could mean not having her around as much. His entire brain is screaming for him to let her go, but there's a tiny voice in his head telling him to hold on. He'd argued with Grover about her being a human being, but what was he doing, right now? He feels like a hypocrite.

"Of course, babe." He pulls her into a hug, but she wrestles out.

"I need to take a shower. I'm sweaty."

"Alright, fine." Percy laughs, pushing her gently into the bathroom. "Go away, Stinky."

When they're both showered, Annabeth plops down to the bed beside Percy. They remain silent for a while. He looks over at her. She's all set to get to Piper's bachelorette party, it seems like, because her eyeliner is winged and she's got her favorite bronze eye shadow on. Percy notices the fact that she's wearing a peach lace crop top over her skirt, for some reason, and can't seem to shake it out of his head.

"You're wearing a crop top to a bachelorette party?"
"Would you like to borrow one?"

"Do you think my polo is too boring?"

"I know it is, Seaweed Brain. That's alright. Just go have some fun."

"You bet I will." He winks at her and she rolls her eyes. "What are you girls out doing?"

"No idea. Piper invited me- I think it was out of courtesy, really- but Thals and Rach are going to be there so, how bad can it be?"

"You could die of alcohol poisoning." Percy wonders out loud. "Realize that everyone's ditched you and get stranded alone, in Hawaii, the place Luke calls the Island of Love!" He fakes enthusiasm, earning a smack from Annabeth. He rubs his chest where she hit him with a scowl. "No need to get violent."

"No need to be annoying." She mocks lamely.

"How are you so pathetic," Percy asks. "And still my best friend?"

"I ask myself the same thing." She must realize how dumb she sounds and shrinks into the sheets. "Please ignore that."

"Annabeth Chase. Genius on the streets." Percy looks down at her, curling into the covers. "Absolute numbskull in the sheets." He wiggles his brows and she scowls at him.

"You're just the most painful person I've ever met." She states.

"And Luke is?" He asks, a little because he wants to know where she stands with him, and mostly because he knows that if Luke's also tagged with an affectionate insult, they're serious. Her eyes turn a little dreamy, but it's not as bad as it used to be when she was in college. She looks like she's thinking of a fond memory, not envisioning a picket fence future for them.

"He's… Something." She says, looking at him as if just realizing he's actually listening. "it's funny, Perce. I feel like I'm talking to a different person, now. He reminded me of you, in college. And now, I mean."

"And now?"

"He's just changed. He isn't into casual dating anymore. Wants to find the One and get married, have kids. That kind of thing. Wants to start a family."

"I want kids." Percy whines. He doesn't like this new Luke any more than he did the old one.

"You want me to give you my first two children. It's not the same." Annabeth says absently.

"Yeah, but you can keep the rest."

"I'm not giving up my kids to a man who's going to have different women coming in every week." Annabeth decides. "I want them to have a mom who loves them and looks after them and is involved in their lives." Her tone is sad, longing. Percy reaches out and takes her face in his hands, angling it so he can look into her big eyes.

"You'll be a great mom. I promise." He tells her quietly. "Your kids are going to be the luckiest in the world."

"Thank you." She mouths before clearing her throat and averting her eyes. "And for the record," she mumbles. "I'd give you one. Just because your kids would have the best dad every to exist."

"Aw, man. Just one?" Percy likes how there's a small smile creeping up on her face. Her eyes sparkle.

"Out of my nine- Sure." Annabeth nods with a laugh. There's a loud knock on the door and Thalia's voice yells over the wood for Annabeth to get out. She shoots up and out of the bed. She fixes her hair in the mirror. "Does it look like I just rolled out of bed?"

"You look like you had a good time in bed." Percy nods earnestly, earning another glare. "I'm kidding, babe. You look fantastic. Now get out there and kick some ass."

"It's a bachelorette party."

"Fuck some ass then, I don't know." Percy waves her off but she's already out the door.

He falls back into his pillow.

He can't possibly have romantic feelings towards her, can he?

That dork? His brain asks him with a scoff. Right.

oOo