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It's only six pm and the daylight hasn't completely faded yet, but Percy Jackson is in bed. He's wide awake with eyes closed but quiet as a church mouse. The kind of quiet that would be suspicious if his mother knew he wasn't alone.
But she doesn't know that there's someone else in bed with Percy besides his collection of panda teddy bears. That Luke Castellan lays with his legs between Percy's legs, the fingers of one hand woven with Percy's fingers, and his arm over Percy's waist. Their foreheads touch, noses touch, mouths inches apart, breathing the same air.
Close isn't close enough. They make do.
Percy opens his eyes to slits. Percy's bedroom is bathed in the golden golden of twilight and the flashing blue light of the TV from the living room. He sees a smattering of freckles across Luke's cheeks. "Your freckles are cute," Percy says under his breath.
"Yeah?" His voice is quiet too, barely audible so that Sally doesn't hear. Luke slips his hand up Percy's shirt and runs his thumb along Percy's hip. "Thanks."
When he moves, one of the pandas falls to lay on Luke's shoulder. Luke shoots Percy a look of amused exasperation. This is not the first time one of Percy's panda teddies has fallen onto them. At least they still have their clothes on.
Percy smiles guilelessly. He unlaces his fingers from Luke's - immediately misses holding Luke's hand - and puts the panda firmly back in place. When Luke is gone, he'll lecture it about falling on them. But for now, Percy wants to enjoy his time with Luke. He slips his hand back into Luke's, fingers slotting between Luke's. Percy sighs in pleasure, eyes sliding closed again. "Sorry." He tilts his head just slightly, catches Luke's lips in a soft kiss.
There's an art to kissing quietly.
Between kisses Luke says, "I don't mind" for the hundredth time.
Percy intends to make him keep saying it a hundred more times.