Luke was still in the clutches of sleep when he felt another warm body slide up behind him. It brought a familiar smell, a familiar warmth.
Familiar lips pressed a kiss behind his ear. "Morning, love," a sweet voice murmured as lean arms wrapped around his torso.
He was still groggy but Luke knew his boyfriend even without opening his eyes. Luke also knew that Percy wasn't due until noon.
"Percy, what are you…" Luke turned around to face the younger man, burying his nose into ebony locks of hair. "It's early."
"Couldn't wait to see you," Percy replied, laying a kiss on Luke's chest.
"Mm-hm," Luke pulled his lover close. "Lights out 'til noon."
Percy was warm against him, a perfect fit against his body. Percy was also never went home this early.
-o-o-o-
On Sunday, Percy stood exceptionally near Luke at Church. It was a different one from where Percy used to worship. This Church was more liberal, more accepting. Paul and Sally Jackson stood on Percy's other side.
Luke's hand was gripped tight in Percy's hold when they sang the 'Our Father'.
There was a different kind of glint in Percy's eyes, it's been going on for the whole weekend and the weekend before. Actually, ever since Luke saw him in that Mustang.
Percy was graduating in a week and he was acting very strange.
Luke sent up an extra litany of prayers.
-o-o-o-
May's birthday landed on a Wednesday, Percy was in school preparing for his thesis deliberation in two days time so Luke travelled alone.
"Percy sends his love," Luke said when his parents opened their door to him.
"We missed you, too," Herman opened his arms and pulled his son into a hug.
"How have you been, baby?" May asked, kissing Luke's cheeks. She held her son at arm's length, inspecting the man from head to foot. "You got tall."
"I've been tall since I was seventeen," Luke replied with a grin. "Anyway, happy birthday, mom."
"Thank you, dear," May held Luke by the elbow. "Come on in, dinner's ready."
Dinner was spectacular, Luke's mom never lost her touch as a good cook and his dad opened up a special bottle of wine for the occasion. After that they had coffee in the sitting room where a soft orange glow came from the lamps, they maintained the feeling of warmth in spite of the cold, dark sky outside the window.
Herman set down his mug, looking over at his son with wise old eyes. "You look down, sonny. What's happened?"
Luke breathed deep, fingers wrapped around his own mug, inhaling the heavy aroma of coffee. "I'm – I'm fine, really, just…"
"Just what, dear?" May settled on the couch beside her son, putting down a slice of apple pie in front of him.
"Percy's been acting strange these past few weeks," Luke said. "I understand that he's fretting over his thesis but it's not that… I just… I feel like he's hiding something from me. And I don't like it."
"Hiding something?"
"I don't know but I've been noticing little changes," Luke sipped his coffee. "He keeps his stuff tidy all of a sudden. He quiets down whenever I walk into the room. He keeps taking calls outside the apartment. I feel like I'm out of the loop on something big..."
"Have you tried talking to him about it?" May asked, setting a hand on her boy's shoulder.
"I did but he just says that it's important school stuff." Luke sighed.
"Did you check his phone?" Herman suggested.
"His phone? Dad, I don't look into his things – little thing called 'privacy'?"
"Well he's not talking, how else are you gonna know about whatever it is." The man of the house gave a shrug. "You can't just start assuming things, sonny."
"You don't think he's seeing someone else, do you?" May stared at Luke with concerned brown eyes.
Luke downed his coffee, maybe the scalding drink would burn his tongue and he wouldn't have to reply.
-o-o-o-
There's a knock on his door. It's noon and Luke just got out of the shower. He picked out the nearest things on his closet and put those on. He hurried to the front door just as another round of knocks came from it.
Percy stood outside.
"Hey," the green-eyed man greeted, an anxious expression on his young face.
Luke was stumped.
It was Friday, Percy's deliberation was at noon – at this exact second Percy was supposed to be at the university presenting his thesis to a panel of judges. What the hell was he doing here right now?
"Give me your hands," Percy said when Luke continued to stare open-mouthed at him.
"Aren't you supposed to be defending your thesis right now?" The question dropped before Luke could stop it. His hands moved of their own accord, holding onto their counterparts. "I mean, I don't mind having you here but–"
"My deliberation was yesterday," Percy explained.
Luke frowned, brows knitting together. "But you said it was today–"
"I'm sorry I lied." Percy rubbed his thumbs on the back of Luke's hand, staring unwaveringly at light blue eyes. "I hated having to lie to you; these past few weeks, I've been hiding something but it all stops today. I'd never lie to you ever again, I promise. I don't want you to be angry, I love you – you know that, right?"
His throat was dry as a desert. Every single thought he'd tried to suppress so far were stampeding out of the box he'd shoved them in at the back of his mind. Luke felt cold. "Wh-What are you saying, Percy?"
"Please don't be mad at me," Percy implored. "I know I should've told you before but… I wanted to wait for the right time to say it. Because all this time I've spent with you has been perfect, Luke. You're perfect in every way imaginable and I just… I'm still scared, you know." He licked his lips. "I don't ever want to stop being with you and… there's just something I really need to tell you right now… Luke?"
"You're sweet," Luke spoke in a quiet tone. "But please… spare me the niceties. Just say it to my face, Percy. It'll hurt less that way."
Utter confusion was displayed on Percy's face. "Hurt? Luke, I – I would never – Are you crying?" He stepped closer, wide eyes staring uncomprehendingly. "Did I say something wrong? I don't understand…"
Luke swallowed hard. "Well, I don't either, but we've had a good three years – almost four, actually."
"What?" Percy looked distressed.
Just then a sharp yipping noise came from the end of the hall. Both men turned to the source of the sound and found a fluffy little puppy running up to them. It had long brownish fur and big black eyes, it went straight for Percy and rubbed itself around the man's leg. The thing stood barely higher than a foot.
"Damn it…" Percy let go of Luke's hands and picked up the puppy which licked at his hand and wagged its tail excitedly. From the other end of the hall, three teenagers came running – Luke didn't recognize a single one of them.
"We're so sorry!" a girl with choppy brown hair said. "Jason was supposed to be holding her until you gave the signal but some people" she shot the curly-haired member of her group an annoyed look "can't behave themselves properly."
"Not my fault this chico's ticklish," the teen defended wearing an impish grin; he waggled his eyebrows at the other guy beside him who rolled his eyes.
"We interrupted something, didn't we…?" the girl turned her eyes to Luke who quickly straightened his posture and looked the other way.
"I'm not sure what happened myself," Percy said. He stepped up to Luke's line of vision, gazing up at the blond with a very concerned expression on him. "Luke, are you alright?"
Luke counted to ten, breathed in and out, wiped the mist from his eyes and finally looked at Percy and the small dog he held against his chest. "So this whole time – this big secret you've been skirting around me for in the past few weeks – the reason I've been worrying my head off thinking of why you don't want me anymore–"
"Excuse me?" Percy's jaw dropped, the puppy in his hands squirmed uncooperatively. "Wha-What made you think I would even–"
"You were sneaking around! You kept taking calls from somebody and you never gave a straight answer of who it was! I saw you with some guy in a Mustang driving around town when you told me you were at the University! What was I supposed to think?" Luke said miserably. "You're young and handsome and you got a fucking degree in marine biology! I'm growing old and I still work at the same café and nightclub I did three years ago – why shouldn't you go for someone better?"
The fluffy little dog had put up its front paws on Percy's chest and was chewing at the man's cardigan. The three teens stood quietly at the side. For a couple of long seconds nobody spoke.
"I got us a puppy," Percy said in a small voice. "The reason I didn't tell you was because I wanted it to be a surprise. I was afraid you wouldn't like it because I remembered what you said before – that you'd like having kids rather than a pet." He paused for a moment, green eyes staring straight into blues. "A few weeks ago Piper mentioned that her neighbor's dog gave birth but the family couldn't afford to take care of it so I told her I would love to have it instead. We arranged for me to fetch the puppy but I didn't know her place so I asked for a ride from Jason. I couldn't take it home just yet because I was busy and I wanted to surprise you with it at the end of the school year so I had Piper take it under her roof for a while; I've been checking up on her daily ever since, that's why I've been on the phone constantly." Percy inhaled deeply. "I lied about the date of my thesis because I wanted to get the stupid deliberation out of the way before I showed you the puppy…"
A happy little bark came from the dog, completely oblivious to the tension that surrounded it. Percy looked down at it for a moment then returned his eyes to Luke.
"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have just assumed that you'd want it around but…" Percy flushed deep red, choosing to stare now at the lively bundle of fur pawing at his t-shirt. "You are it for me, Luke. I know that you're the one I want to spend forever with and I just really liked the idea of us having a pet around… But i-it's okay if you don't want the puppy, I could give it back; I'd rather lose her than lose you."
Luke pinched the bridge of his nose, taking deep breaths through his mouth – he could feel the sting in his eyes again but they had a completely different reason for existing now. He looked at the teens who had become their unwitting audience; all three were looking at different directions, keeping their eyes away from him and Percy as if that had prevented them from hearing everything.
Fuck it all to hell.
He raised both hands and took the furry little dog from Percy. The puppy yipped happily as Luke carried it in one hand and scratched its head with the other.
Green eyes stared at him, Percy bit his lip looking apprehensive.
"It's a girl, right?" Luke started in a light tone, sending a small smile in his lover's direction. "You have a name for her yet?"
"Ah – I was thinking of 'Bessie'," the younger man replied and the newly christened dog barked what could've been an approval.
"Bessie's a good name," Luke conceded, holding the enthusiastic puppy at arm's length. He turned his gaze to the teenagers again. "Which one of you is Piper?"
"T-That's me," the only girl in the group stepped forward, a bit of nervousness clear in her stance.
"Can you hold onto Bessie for a little while longer?" Luke said, passing the ball of fur over. "You guys came here by car, right?" He asked, walking back to Percy and sliding his hand around the younger man's waist. "Can you go hang around down there for a couple of minutes? I'll have Percy give you a call when you can go up again."
"I… I'm confused – Luke, are we taking in Bessie?" Percy asked, uncertainty reigning in his features as he stared up at the blond.
Luke stared at him, wondering not for the first time exactly did he land himself such a beautiful soul. He kissed Percy soundly in response, drawing out a moan from the dark-haired man in his arms. When he spoke, his face wasn't more than an inch's space away from his lover's. "Yes, yes we are. But before that you and I need to have our last bout of sex without worrying about scaring off a cuddly little canine. Do you understand me, Percy Jackson?"
"Y-Yeah." Percy's hand gripped Luke by the neck, pulling him into a deep kiss.
"We'll be in Jason's car," a male voice said, followed by retreating footsteps and fading barks.
It's with a little difficulty that Luke and Percy made it back to their apartment, neither one wanting to break off the kiss. They're completely naked even before they reach the bedroom.
Thirty minutes later, Percy called up his University friends.
-o-o-o-
Luke loved his work at the nightclub, it kept him on his feet and while he wasn't much of a drinker, free alcohol was always welcome.
Luke was exceptionally good-looking, no doubt about it, it added a great deal to his charm and a lot of patrons considered him a friend but they all knew he was off-limits. It was practically part of the basics that bar-hoppers learn upon entering that nightclub, aside from the secret that the DJ only took requests for the price of twenty bucks and nothing lower.
But truth was, Luke was nearing his thirtieth birthday and the management wanted fresh faces thinking that it would bring more customers.
The separation pay was huge and the farewell party Kelli and the others threw for him even more so.
As Luke wrapped his arms around his lover, Percy hummed contentedly against the crook of his neck. Bessie had claimed her spot at the foot of the bed; she'd grown much in the past year and she'd been Percy's constant companion whenever Luke worked his shift at the nightclub. But that was all going to change now – Luke could get a decent nine to five job, spend his days and nights properly with Percy who had pursued post-grad studies in marine biology.
It was funny how things would work out.
Silena was a June bride and she was the most beautiful amongst them all. She and Charles had been together for ten years and they were finally joined in Holy Matrimony when the roses were all in full bloom.
The Aphros Café had made exceedingly great sales in the past quarters and eventually they decided to branch out to take advantage of the haze of popularity. They bought a stall at the local shopping mall, a good spot where their target customers regularly passed by; of course, that meant that they needed a proper manager. Someone they trusted, someone who knew the business well, someone who'd take care of it while they went on their honeymoon.
Luke didn't hesitate in taking up the offer.
-o-o-o-
"Her food and water bowls are in the gym bag and she doesn't eat from any other plate so do not lose those bowls under any circumstance, okay?"
"We know."
"She needs to exercise daily or else she'd be hyperactive – get her to run around the park every morning, her frisbee's in the bag should you need it."
"We know."
"I'll call everyday to check up on–"
"Jesus C., Perce, you think we haven't read the e-mail!" Travis Stoll rolled his eyes.
"Or the text messages," Connor Stoll added.
"Or this pamphlet you freaking printed out," Nico di Angelo flipped through the pages of the stapled bunch of papers with a disbelieving look. "A pamphlet, Percy, really?"
"You know, I heard Leo wouldn't have any qualms about taking care of Bessie," Luke spoke up. "Maybe we should leave her at his place instead."
"Oh yeah, because your precious baby is totally safe with that pyro," Connor muttered.
"His flambé went out of hand one time," Percy countered.
"And the fireworks incident?" Travis raised a skeptic brow.
"You spiked his cola with vodka," Luke told them flatly.
"Oh yeah…"
"If Grover and Juniper weren't busy with their twins right now I'd have left Bessie there instead but as it is you three are the best bet we have," Percy said, crossing his arms.
Travis clucked his tongue at the older man. "Wow, you really need that vacation. Just chill, alright, you can leave Bessie to us."
"She's totally safe here," Nico assured them. "You guys just focus on getting some R and R."
"At the beach." Travis supplied, bumping his brother's shoulder.
"And then you guys can have sex at said beach," Connor concluded earning him matching exasperated glares from the couple at the doorstep.
"We'll be back in a week," Luke said after wiping the grin off Connor's face with the magnitude of his unimpressed stare.
Percy whistled and Bessie came bounding from the Stoll brothers' kitchen.
The long-haired collie stood on her hind legs, paws on Percy's thighs, barking happily with a gleam in her dark brown eyes.
"We're going ahead, girl," Percy said, scratching Bessie between the ears. "Don't give the guys too much trouble." He bent lower and got a slobbery goodbye. As he stood up and wiped off the drool with a handkerchief, Luke kneeled down and got Bessie's paws on his shoulder. He laughed as his pet smothered his cheeks with doggy kisses.
The Stoll brothers proceeded to carry the gym bag containing Bessie's things to their back yard, the four-year-old collie followed them, barking along excitedly.
Once they were out of sight, Luke gave Nico a serious look. "Your sister wanted us to pass a message."
Nico's breath hitched, his dark eyes turning wary beneath his shaggy bangs. He wore a brave façade, waiting quietly for the news to come.
"Bianca's starting to get seriously concerned," Percy said. "This running away from home drama is cute for teenagers but you're twenty-three!"
"Exactly." Nico gestured wildly with his hands when he got agitated. "I'm twenty-three – I'm a fucking college graduate – I shouldn't be living under my parents' roof at this age!"
"You're the baby of your family, Nic," Luke patiently explained. "You have to understand that your parents would be extra protective of you."
"Travis and Connor are great people, we're not saying anything against them," Percy tried to reason. "But moving in with them–"
"You lived with Luke since you were nineteen," Nico accused, a frown surfacing on his lips.
"Well, yeah, but the circumstances were different," Percy countered. "My dad was dealing with my coming out and I wanted to give him some space to adjust. And besides, Luke and I were together."
Nico's stare was unrelenting.
Luke stared back at him, his mind working the puzzle at a quicker pace than he was comfortable with. "No shit?"
Nico's pale face flushed a vivid red in the late night starlight.
"What? What is it?" Percy's confused gaze went between the two men.
"Since when?" Luke asked, absently drawing Percy closer by the shoulder.
"We started dating last year," the man in all-black confessed.
Percy seemed to get the thread at that point. "You and…?"
Nico shrugged. "Them…"
"Both of them?" Percy's green eyes went impossibly wide.
"If you want the juicy details, all you have to do is ask nicely," Travis reappeared from the kitchen walking over to the front door and placing one hand on Nico's shoulder.
"Trav–" Whatever Nico had to say, it was silenced by a finger on his lips.
Blue eyes to rival Luke's stared at the couple on the doorstep, "Gonna tell on us?" Travis challenged with a testy grin on him.
Percy only sighed, slightly leaning back against Luke. "It's not my place to tell," he replied, setting his eyes on Nico. "But your family is really worried, Nico, I suggest you call them soon. Just let them know you're still breathing in one piece; Bianca, especially."
Nico gave a nod and a half-smile. "I will. Have fun in Uruguay."
-o-o-o-
There weren't a lot of tourists in April but there were a lot of migrating whale species.
The trip was partly for Percy's work, partly for their long-planned out-of-the-country vacation, and partly for… well, Luke wanted to keep that last one a surprise.
Of course, they had barely spent one hour on foreign soil before everything came to a screeching halt. And it was only ten in the morning.
"Percy? Percy Jackson, is that you?"
They turned to find a business woman wearing dark shades pause in the middle of the hotel lobby, her hair was pulled up in a neat ponytail and it gave the impression of wild fire. She lowered her shades to reveal apple green eyes. "Oh my god it is you!"
She quickly strutted over, heels clacking against the smooth floor until she reached her target and subsequently enveloped the man in a hug.
Luke couldn't shake off the feeling that he should know this woman.
Percy stood awkwardly when the red-haired lady released him. She then turned her gaze on Luke, appraising the blond's form. "Who's your friend?"
At the question, Percy instantly straightened up, casting a glance at the man beside him. "Um, this is Luke Castellan" a quirk of a smile bloomed on his lips "He's my partner." He put his arm through Luke's and entwined their hands to get the point across.
"Oh." There's a shift of something in the woman's make-up-caked face.
Percy squeezed the older man's hand. "Luke, this is my old… friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare."
"Oh." Luke extended his hand out of habit. "Nice to meet you."
-o-o-o-
Rachel was working in the family business – Dare Enterprises. She held the position of Vice President External and she was on a business trip looking for potential estates that could be turned into profitable ventures in the country. She invited them to lunch but Percy had a meeting with fellow biologists to attend. She invited them to dinner instead and Percy was too polite to say no.
Luke sat at the outer office of the meeting hall, flipping through old copies of Sea World, The Oceanographer, and other marine life magazines. His hands itched for a cigarette but he'd quit smoking two years ago when he hit thirty.
"More Java?" the pretty secretary asked, coming out of the meeting room with a percolator in hand. She'd been trying to flirt with him, apparently going in hand-in-hand with Percy wasn't enough of a neon-lighted sign about his social status.
"No thank you," Luke answered; the mug in front of him had been drained but he didn't feel like having more.
The secretary nodded and went off to leave the percolator in the kitchenette.
Percy would be occupied by his job for the first four days – heck, Luke even volunteered to go with him to some forum on marine conservation, and he accepted that he'd have to while away hours of this 'vacation' waiting for Percy to finish appointments just like this one. Still, Luke was only a man and for all those hours he knew he would be thinking and double-thinking and triple-thinking his plan. And every time he would arrive at the same conclusion – he was going to go through with it.
The appearance of Percy's ex-girlfriend wasn't going to change a thing.