Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Luke didn’t plan this.

He didn’t plan to actually be an RA at New Rome University. He didn’t plan to be in charge of 40 college boys who couldn’t do laundry if you pointed a gun at their head. He didn’t plan to become a confidant, babysitter, tutor, parent, and friend to those same boys at any given moment.

And he definitely didn’t plan to fall in love with his little sister’s boyfriend…who just so happens to live on his floor.

Luke applied to be an RA for a class last semester for credit in his “Career Preparedness Seminar” that was mandatory for his major. They were required to apply to 5 different positions to gain experience applying for jobs and interviewing. He applied to be an RA specifically because he never thought he’d be selected. Sure, he has experience working as a camp counselor at the summer camp he attended as a kid, but he’s not really known for being the most “nurturing” person ever. He sent in his resume and a half-assed response to the essay questions and promptly forgot about it. That is until a month later when he got an email asking him to come in and interview for the position. If you asked him now, he still wouldn’t be able to tell you why on earth he went in for that interview. But he did. And to his utter shock (and mild horror) he was offered the job.

That’s how he’s ended up here: move-in day for the incoming freshman. So far, his day has included telling people where to check-in, dealing with countless complaints from overprotective parents, calling maintenance for the already broken elevator, telling people where to check-in, trying to help people find their dorms even though the halls are clearly labeled, and…telling people where to check-in. He’s already on his last nerve when he feels someone tap his shoulder. He whips around, expecting another mom asking about who will be cleaning her son's room. Instead, he is greeted by a much more welcome sight, his little sister Annabeth.

Annabeth is amongst the new freshmen moving in today. Unlike the others though, Annabeth looks very prepared. Her braids are tied up high in a bun. She’s in an old debate club shirt and athletic shorts that are stained from helping paint their father’s house last summer. She’s holding her old notebook that undoubtedly has a detailed inventory of everything she’s moving in. She immediately hugs Luke the second he turns around, her arms winding around his neck. Luke softens when he realizes it’s just her and hugs her back, his arms going around her waist.

“Hey Annie, I’m glad you made it ok.” He mutters near her ear. He had hoped he’d be able to fly with her to New Rome but the RA’s moved in 2 weeks early so she had to fly on her own. Annabeth squeezes Luke a little tighter in response, clearly having missed him.

The pair had always been pretty attached. They met at a summer camp for kids with learning difficulties when Annabeth was 9 and Luke was 12. They were both also in foster care at the time, and when they developed a close bond between the two of them and another foster kid named Thalia, the camp director ended up developing a soft spot for the trio and adopting them. Despite coming from very different backgrounds and not even looking remotely similar, they became a real family. Luke has always seen Annabeth as his little sister, blood or not. And Annabeth sees Luke as her big brother.

Which is exactly why she’s missed Luke so badly. When Luke first moved away to go to New Rome University, Annabeth was furious with him. Luke remembers that as the first time they had an actual fight. But it was resolved once Annabeth adjusted to the news and Luke promised to help her pay for some trips to come out and visit him. But now that Annabeth is 18, she’s starting at NRU as well. Both so she can be closer to Luke, and because they luckily have one of the best architecture programs in the country.

“I missed you too.” Annabeth says softly. She gives him one more quick squeeze then pulls back, composing herself a little. As much as she loves Luke, she doesn’t need a reputation as the girl who’s overly attached to her older brother on the first day.

“Do you need help getting your stuff upstairs?” Luke asked, looking at the two full carts of boxes, all neatly labeled and stacked, behind her.

Annabeth shakes her head. “Nope, I don’t have much with me. Besides, Percy said he’d meet me down here once his mom left so he can help me.”

Luke nods. He knows Percy fairly well. Percy attended the same camp as Luke and Annabeth growing up, but he didn’t start going until he was 12, and he wasn’t a foster kid like Annabeth and Luke. Luke became a sort-of mentor for him when he first arrived at camp. But once Percy got more settled in and made his real friends, he and Luke drifted apart.

That is until about a year ago when Annabeth suddenly announced that she was dating Percy. Luke simultaneously knew it was coming all along, but was still shocked. Annabeth is smart, but more than that. She’s witty, and ambitious, and stubborn, and reserved, and brave. Percy isn’t an idiot by any means, but he’s more well known for being reckless, charming, outgoing, and yeah he can be a bit dense at times. For two people who seem like such opposing forces, Luke can’t deny how well they balance each other out. And he’s happy that Annabeth found someone like that.

As if one cue, Percy suddenly comes up behind Annabeth, his long arms winding around her waist from behind as he kisses the top of her head and squeezes her hip. “Hey Wise Girl.” He mumbles in that soft voice that he only ever uses with Annabeth. His messy blonde hair is pressed against his forehead by a backwards baseball cap and his t-shirt already has some dirt marks that are probably from moving in his own stuff.

Annabeth squeaks in surprise before leaning back into Percy with a huff. “Percy, don’t scare me like that!” Percy just chuckles and squeezes her side again, “Yes ma’am.” He raises his hands like a kid caught stealing candy. Annabeth rolls her eyes but kisses his cheek. Percy softens and interlocks their fingers, swiping this thumb over hers twice.

“Hey Luke! Long time no see man, how’ve you been?” Percy nods his head at Luke, a subtle gesture to acknowledge the other person standing there.

“Yeah, it’s been awhile. I’ve been good, just getting set-up for the semester and helping people move-in.” Luke says as he rubs the back of his neck, an unconscious habit he has whenever he thinks about something that stresses him out. “Oh yeah, Annabeth told me that you’re gonna be an RA this year. That’s so cool dude. You get, like, free housing and all that cool shit!” Percy says with a big grin.

Luke shrugs. “Oh, yeah I guess. I dunno I’m just trying to survive the day. I swear if one more parent asks me where the check-in desk is, I’m going to lose it.” He says with a dry laugh, clearly feeling the stress of the day already starting to weigh down on him.

“Oof yeah that sounds rough dude. I haven’t met my RA yet but I feel bad for you guys, having to deal with this whole mess.” Percy says as he looks around the entrance to the dorm hall that is filled with anxious students and even more anxious parents hauling way too much stuff inside. Luke sighs, “Yeah it’s not fun. But it will be over after today.” He looks back at Percy and Annabeth. “What floors are you two living on again?”

Annabeth answers first, already having everything memorized. “Fourth floor, room S408.” Luke nods. “Ok cool, I think you have Silena as your RA. She seems like a bit of an…airhead. But she’s also pretty chill, I think you’ll like her.” He looks back to Percy. “What about you?”

Percy fishes his phone out of his front pocket and spends a second searching his notes app before he says, “Uh…seventh floor! And room N712 I think?”

As soon as Percy says that, Luke’s face pales ever so slightly. The seventh floor…that’s Luke’s floor. That means Luke is going to be Percy’s RA. Percy is going to be Luke’s responsibility once again. Luke starts to feel a headache already forming at the base of his skull.

Percy isn’t a bad kid, he really isn’t. He’s kind and funny and can be serious when it’s required. Luke has seen the good sides of Percy plenty of times, especially when he sees how well Percy treats Annabeth. But, Luke can still clearly recall the early days of showing Percy around camp. The amount of times he had to repeat rules that Percy kept forgetting or the trips to the infirmary because Percy kept touching things Luke told him to stay out of. All three of them had ADHD but Percy was a certified ADHD poster child with how he jumped from task to task or even sentence to sentence faster than Luke can process. Luke was partially grateful once Percy started making more friends and wasn’t reliant on Luke to get around everyday

But now, here they were, starting it all over again. Except now Luke wasn’t going to be showing Percy where the mess hall is or telling him to avoid some of the older kids with big egos. Now, Luke was going to be responsible for helping Percy navigate college level classes, messy roommate drama, and be the person in charge of reprimanding him for doing the very things that Luke would probably rather be doing. Not to mention, boys and girls aren’t supposed to be in each other’s dorms at NRU which means that it’ll be Luke’s job to bust Percy if he tries to sneak Annabeth in so they can…

Luke shakes that thought clear from his head and clears his throat. “Oh! Uh…if you’re on the seventh floor that means I’m your RA.” He says, trying to hide the subtle dread that itches in his voice.

Percy brightens up instantly. “No shit! Actually? Dude, that’s so cool!” He says animatedly. “Oh my god, that’s the best. I was worried I’d get stuck with some hardass RA who’s way too strict on quiet hours or something but this will be great. Just like old times!” Luke feels his headache actively growing stronger. “Yeah…just like old times.” He mutters.

Annabeth looks at Luke closely, probably sensing his overall stress and exhaustion. She reaches out and places a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. “Percy and I should probably get going. We have a lot to do and I want to try and get mostly unpacked by tonight so I can go and map out where my classes are tomorrow before classes start next week.”

Luke lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and smiles. Thank the gods for Annabeth’s overplanning. “Yeah, sounds good. I probably need to get back to work anyways but text me if you need anything ok?” Annabeth nods and Luke gives her a quick kiss on the forehead that she tries to grumble off even though she smiles a little. Luke looks up at Percy and says, “See you around dude. Our first hall meeting is on Sunday at 3:00 so if I don’t see you around, I’ll see you then.”

Percy nods. “Cool, sounds good! See you later!” He claps Luke on the back before helping drag one of Annabeth’s carts into the building.

Luke sighs deeply, mentally preparing himself to return to the horde of people he needs to help. He tries to center himself and focus. He can't be distracted by his mile- long to-do list or angry karens or the weird tingles on his back from where Percy touched him…wait what?

Luke runs a hand over his face. God, he really needs some sleep. But alas, it’s only 11 AM and he still has another 4 hours of helping with move-in. He rolls his neck to try and get rid of some of the tension there and puts back on his “happy-to-serve” face and re-enters the fray.

This is going to be a long year…

Chapter Text

Percy didn’t get back into his own dorm until much later that night.
He had agreed to help Annabeth unpack and get settled, but he had grossly underestimated how much work that would take. Annabeth really didn’t have much stuff. She had the suitcase she flew out here with, her backpack, and two medium-sized cardboard boxes. When Percy saw this he cheered internally because helping her unpack would be pretty quick and painless.

He quickly learned just how wrong he was.

Annabeth has always been a problem-solver. When they first met, Percy resented this fact. He hated how Annabeth would look at him. He hated feeling like something that needed to be fixed. But after years now of knowing her, he knows Annabeth isn’t trying to fix him. She’s trying to fix the world around him, to make things easier for him. It’s one of the many things he loves about her.

It’s also the reason unpacking took four hours.

Because Annabeth didn’t just unpack. She organized. She categorized. She optimized. Percy spent a solid thirty minutes holding a stack of notebooks while Annabeth debated out loud whether they should go on the second shelf for accessibility or the third shelf for visual balance. He didn’t understand what that meant, but he nodded like he did.

By the time they were done, Annabeth’s room looked like something out of a catalog. Her bed was made tight enough to bounce a coin off of, her desk was perfectly arranged, and her closet looked honestly kind of intimidating. Percy was pretty sure his entire life wouldn’t fit into one of her labeled storage bins. He had kissed her goodbye sometime around nine, promised to text her when he got back to his room, and finally made his way upstairs.

Now, standing in the doorway of his own dorm room, Percy realized something important.

He had made a mistake. A big one.

Because unlike Annabeth’s room, which looked like a carefully planned masterpiece, Percy’s room looked like a crime scene.

His suitcase looked like it exploded open on the floor. Clothes were half-folded, half-crumpled, and entirely unorganized. A pair of jeans was hanging off the desk chair like it had given up halfway through existing. His bedsheets were technically on the bed, but not in any meaningful or useful way.

And then there was his roommate. Jason Grace stood in the middle of the room, holding a pillow in one hand and staring at Percy like he had just witnessed something deeply concerning.

“…You’ve been here for, what, six hours?” Jason asked slowly.

Percy dropped his backpack onto the floor and kicked the door shut behind him. “In my defense,” he said, pointing a finger at Jason, “I was helping Annabeth.” Jason blinked. “You were helping Annabeth,” he repeated.

“Yeah.” Percy says like that explains everything.

“For six hours.”

Percy hesitated. “…Yes.”

Jason looked around the room, then back at Percy. “And you didn’t think to come back here at any point and prevent this?”

Percy followed his gaze and winced. “Okay, wow. When you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

“It is bad.”

“It’s not that bad.”

Jason raised an eyebrow.

Percy sighed. “Okay, it’s a little bad.”

Jason tossed the pillow onto Percy’s bed, where it promptly disappeared into the mess. “A little? Dude, it looks like your suitcase threw up.” Percy wrinkles his nose. “That’s dramatic.”

“It’s accurate.” Jason says with an almost scolding look.

Percy dragged a hand down his face, already feeling the exhaustion of the day settle into his bones. “Look, I’ll deal with it. Eventually.”Jason crossed his arms. “You’re not going to deal with it.”

“I am.”

“You’re going to sit on your bed, scroll on your phone, and then pass out in your clothes.”

Percy opened his mouth to argue, then paused. “…Okay, yeah, that sounds like something I would do,” he admitted. Jason huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.” Despite the mild judgment, there was no real bite to it. There never was with Jason.

They weren’t best friends, not like Percy and Grover, or Percy and Annabeth, but they had history. Family stuff, camp stuff, overlapping summers and holidays. Jason had always been kind of steady. The kind of person who didn’t need a lot of noise to exist. Which made him a weirdly good balance to Percy.

“Alright,” Jason said after a moment, clapping his hands once. “We’re fixing this.”

Percy groaned immediately. “Jason…”

“Nope. No arguments.”

“I just unpacked an entire architectural system with Annabeth, I think I deserve…”

“You deserve clean clothes and a functioning living space.”

“I function just fine in chaos.”

Jason gestured broadly to the room. “This isn’t chaos. This is a cry for help.”

Percy snorted. “Wow. Okay. That felt personal.”

“Good. Now pick up your shirts.”

Percy stared at him for a long moment, then let out a long, suffering sigh.

“…You’re the worst.”

“And yet, I’m still right.”

“Debatable.”

“Pick. Up. Your. Shirts.”

Percy bent down and grabbed a handful of wrinkled t-shirts off the floor. “I hate you.”

Jason smiled faintly. “No, you don’t.”

“Yeah,” Percy admitted. “…I don’t.”

--

It took longer than Percy wanted it to.

Not as long as helping Annabeth, but still longer than it should have. Jason was efficient in a way that made Percy feel both impressed and vaguely threatened. Within twenty minutes, half of Percy’s stuff was folded, sorted, and either put away or stacked in neat piles. Percy, meanwhile, kept getting distracted. By his phone. By random thoughts. By the way one of his socks had somehow ended up inside his hoodie sleeve.

“Focus,” Jason said, tossing him another shirt.

“I am focusing.”

“You just spent two minutes staring at a sock.”

“It was confusing.”

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just fold it.”

Percy folded the shirt. And eventually, the room started to look better. Not perfect. Not even close. But better. His bed was at least usable. His clothes were mostly in drawers. His desk was clear enough to actually sit at.

Progress.

Percy flopped down onto his now-functional bed with a groan. “I’m dead.” Jason leaned back against his own desk.

“You’re dramatic.” Percy groans, “I spent six hours unpacking Annabeth’s brain.”Jason snorted. “That sounds about right.” Percy smiled a little at that, staring up at the ceiling. For a second, everything felt settled. Quiet. Good. Then his brain, as usual, refused to stay that way. Because it drifted.

To earlier.

To the lobby.

To Luke.

Percy frowned slightly, his fingers tapping absently against his stomach. “…Hey,” he said after a moment. Jason glanced over. “Yeah?” Percy rolls onto his side to look over at Jason “You remember Luke, right?” Jason nodded. “Yeah. From camp. Older guy. Scar, right?”

Percy nods, “Yeah, that’s him.”

“The one who used to show you around when you first got there.”

Percy huffed. “Yeah. Babysit me, more like.” Jason smirked faintly. “From what I remember, you probably needed it.”

“Okay, rude.”

“Also accurate.”

Percy rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Because yeah. Fair. Jason tilted his head slightly. “Why?” Percy hesitated. He wasn’t totally sure why he brought it up. “Nothing,” he said eventually. “He’s our RA.” Jason blinked. “Seriously?” Percy nods again “Yeah. Seventh floor.”

“Huh.” Jason considered that. “That’s convenient.”

“Yeah,” Percy said slowly. “Convenient.”

But it didn’t feel like the right word. Not exactly. Because seeing Luke again had been weird. Not bad. Just different. Luke had always been solid in Percy’s mind. Steady. In control. Slightly intimidating in that effortless, older-kid way. But today, he looked tired. Stressed. There had been something else too. Something Percy couldn’t quite pin down. A tension, maybe. Like he was holding too many things at once and trying not to drop any of them.

Percy exhaled quietly. “Anyway,” he said, shrugging it off. “It’s whatever.” Jason studied him for a second but didn’t push. “Well, at least we aren’t stuck with a nightmare RA.” Percy huffed a laugh. “Yeah. True.”

At least…he hopes that’s true.

Chapter Text

Percy was halfway to falling asleep when there was a knock at the door. Jason sat up in bed, reaching for his glasses on his nightstand. “You expecting someone?” Percy groaned into his pillow. “If it’s Annabeth, tell her I died.” Jason walked over and opened the door anyway.

Standing in the hallway was Luke.

Percy sat up immediately. “Oh. Hey,” he said, running a hand through his hair. Luke leaned against the doorframe slightly, one hand braced against it. He still had his RA badge clipped to his shirt, and he looked just as tired as he had earlier. Maybe more. “Hey,” Luke said. His voice was a little rough, like he had been talking all day. “Just doing rounds. Making sure everyone’s settled in.” Jason stepped back to give him space. “We’re good here.”

Luke nodded once, his gaze flicking briefly around the room. It lingered. On the floor. On the drawers. On Percy. “…Looks nice in here,” Luke said. Percy grinned a little. “Yeah. Don’t get used to it.” Luke huffed out a quiet laugh. It was small. Quick. But Percy noticed it. And something about it, something about the way Luke’s shoulders loosened just a fraction, made Percy feel strangely good. “Try to keep it manageable,” Luke said. “Inspection’s not for a few weeks, but still.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Percy said. “I’ll pretend to be responsible.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Pretend?”

“Hey, I helped Annabeth unpack for six hours today. That counts for something.”

Luke paused at that.

“…Six hours?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Luke shook his head slightly, something almost amused in his expression. “You’re insane.”

“Wow. No appreciation.”

“I appreciate the effort,” Luke said. “I question the decision-making.” Percy laughed. Jason, off to the side, was very clearly watching this entire interaction like it was a tennis match. Luke straightened a bit. “Anyway. Hall meeting’s Sunday at three. Don’t skip it.”

“I won’t.”

Luke raises an eyebrow.

“…Okay, I might.”

Luke sighed, but there was no real frustration behind it. “Just show up.” He says with a sigh. “I’ll be there,” Percy said, holding up a hand like a promise. Luke studied him for a second. Then nodded. “Alright. Get some sleep.” He turned to leave, then hesitated. Just slightly. Long enough that Percy noticed. “…And Percy?”

Percy looked him in the eye. “Yeah?”

Luke didn’t fully turn back, but his gaze flicked over his shoulder. “Don’t make me regret being your RA.” Percy blinked. Then grinned. “No promises.” Luke shook his head, but there was the faintest hint of a smile as he walked away. The door clicked shut. There was a beat of silence. Then Jason spoke.

“…So,” he said. Percy groaned. “Don’t.” Jason crossed his arms. “That was interesting.”

Percy looks at the ceiling “It was a normal conversation.”

“Mhm.”

“It was.”

Jason tilted his head. “If you say so.” Percy grabbed his pillow and threw it at him. Jason caught it easily and threw it back.

“Go to sleep, Percy.”

“Gladly.”

Percy flopped back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling again. But this time, his thoughts didn’t drift to unpacking. Or classes. Or even Annabeth. They drifted to Luke. To the way his voice had sounded. To the awkwardness that was between them. To the ominous threat Luke had given…”Don’t make me regret being your RA.” What does that even mean? And why did Percy immediately shrug it off as a joke. Did Luke have some say in which students lived on his floor? Had he chosen Percy? The thought makes his stomach flip.

Percy frowned slightly, shifting onto his side. Weird. Probably just tired. Yeah, that had to be it. Still, as sleep slowly pulled him under, one thought lingered.

Why was Luke being so weird?

Chapter Text

Luke hated public speaking.

Not because he was particularly bad at it. In all honesty he was quite good at it. He could plan every lecture out into a simple formula. Like for today’s hall meeting: Go over rules. Introduce yourself. Set expectations. Answer a few questions. Done. Currently, there were forty college freshmen packed into a too-small common room, half of them distracted, a quarter of them already breaking at least one rule, and the rest staring at him like he personally designed the housing system just to inconvenience them.
It was Sunday at 2:57 PM.

Luke stood at the front of the seventh-floor lounge with a clipboard in one hand and a half-empty water bottle in the other, watching as his residents slowly trickled in. Some came in groups, laughing too loudly. Others shuffled in alone, earbuds still in, barely looking up. A couple of parents had tried to linger earlier, but Luke had politely but firmly shut that down. This part was his responsibility. He checked his watch.

2:58.

A few guys had already claimed spots on the couches. Others leaned against the walls. Someone had dragged in a chair from one of the study rooms. There was a low hum of conversation filling the space, the kind that made it impossible to tell what anyone was actually saying. Luke took a slow breath, rolling his shoulders back. He could do this. He’d handled worse. He flipped through his clipboard, scanning the roster. A few names were already checked off as he mentally matched faces to rooms. Most of them he didn’t know yet. That would come with time. His pen tapped lightly against the paper.

2:59.
Still a few missing. Not surprising. His gaze flicked toward the door for a second longer than necessary. Nothing. Luke looked back down at the clipboard, pressing his lips together. Fine. He wasn’t waiting. At exactly 3:00 PM, Luke stepped forward, clearing his throat just enough to cut through the noise.

“Alright,” he said, voice firm but not raised. “If you’re here, find a place to sit or stand and stay there for a bit.” The conversations didn’t stop immediately, but they dulled, attention gradually shifting toward him. Luke gave it a second, then another. “Welcome to the seventh floor,” he continued. “My name is Luke Castellan. I’m your RA this year.” A few nods. A couple blank stares. Standard. “I’m going to keep this relatively quick because I know none of you want to be here longer than necessary, and trust me neither do I.” he said. That got a small ripple of quiet laughter. “But there are a few things we need to go over so no one drives me or each other insane this year..” That landed a little better. Luke relaxed into it just slightly.

“First things first. I’m not here to micromanage you. You’re all adults. You can make your own decisions. But there are rules, and my job is to enforce them.” He paused, scanning the room. “And I will.” That got a few more attentive looks. Good. “Quiet hours start at ten on weekdays, midnight on weekends. That doesn’t mean you have to be silent, but it does mean don’t be the reason your neighbor wants to file a complaint.” Luke continued, flipping a page on his clipboard. “No open flames. No candles. No incense. I don’t care if it ‘helps you focus.’ It also helps the building burn down.” More laughter.
“Guests are allowed,” Luke went on, “but overnight stays need to follow policy, and no, you cannot have people living here unofficially. I will notice.” He let his gaze drift across the room again. Still no Percy. Luke felt something tighten faintly in his chest. Annoyance, he told himself. Just annoyance. “…And for the sake of everyone on this floor,” Luke added, “clean up after yourselves. The common areas are shared. If I walk in and it looks like a disaster, I will track down whoever’s responsible.”

Someone in the back muttered, “Good luck with that.”

Luke’s mouth twitched. “You’d be surprised.”

There was a knock against the doorframe. Late. Luke didn’t turn immediately. He finished his sentence, steady and deliberate. “If you have questions, concerns, or issues with your roommate, come talk to me before it turns into something bigger.” Then he looked. Percy stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath, hair more of a mess than usual like he’d run a hand through it one too many times. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder and a half-apologetic, half-unbothered expression on his face. Of course. Luke held his gaze for exactly half a second longer than necessary.

Then he said, evenly, “You’re late.”

The room shifted slightly. Not dramatically, but enough that a few heads turned toward Percy. Percy blinked once, then gave a small shrug as he stepped inside. “Yeah, I know. Sorry.” He didn’t look particularly sorry. Luke resisted the urge to sigh.

“Hall meetings aren’t optional,” Luke said.

“I’m here,” Percy pointed out, like that solved the problem. A couple people nearby smirked. Luke’s grip tightened slightly on his clipboard. “Three minutes late.” Percy glanced at the clock on the wall. “Technically, that’s still within a reasonable margin of error.” Luke stared at him. Percy met his gaze with a snarky grin, completely unfazed. There it was. That same ease. Like this wasn’t a situation where Luke had any kind of authority over him. Like they were…friends. Luke felt a flicker of something sharp and unwanted in his chest.

“Find a seat,” Luke said finally.

Percy grinned a little. “Yes, sir.”

Luke ignored the way that landed and turned back to the rest of the group. “As I was saying,” he continued smoothly, “if something’s wrong, I’d rather hear about it early.” Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Percy drop onto the arm of one of the couches, squeezing in next to a couple other guys like he’d been there the whole time. Luke forced himself to focus. He finished going through the rest of the rules. Laundry room policies. Maintenance requests. Emergency procedures. The usual. It took about twenty minutes. By the end of it, people were shifting in their seats, attention drifting again. “Alright,” Luke said, closing his clipboard. “That’s the basics. I’m going to pass this around. Sign your name so I know you were here.” He handed the sheet off to the nearest person.

“And just so we’re clear,” he added, “if your name’s not on that sheet, I’ll follow up with you individually.” A few groans. “Motivating, I know.” That got a couple tired laughs. Luke stepped back slightly, giving the room space to decompress as people started talking again, quieter now. Some got up immediately, heading for the door. Others lingered, chatting in small groups. Luke stayed where he was, watching the sign-in sheet make its way around. He didn’t mean to track Percy. He did anyway.

Percy took the clipboard when it reached him, balancing it awkwardly against his knee as he scribbled something down. His handwriting looked exactly how Luke remembered. Messy. Fast. Slightly slanted. He handed it off without looking, already mid-conversation with the guy next to him. Like this was easy. Like Luke wasn’t standing ten feet away trying very hard not to overthink the fact that Percy was here. On his floor. Under his responsibility.

Luke exhaled slowly.

This was fine. It was just Percy. Just like before. Except it wasn’t.

“Hey.”

Luke blinked, looking up. Percy had crossed the room at some point without him noticing. He was standing a little too close. Not inappropriate. Not anything anyone else would clock. But close enough that
Luke was suddenly very aware of it.

“Hey,” Luke said, keeping his tone neutral. “That wasn’t bad,” Percy said, nodding toward the now mostly-empty room. “You didn’t scare anyone off.”

“Give it time,” Luke replied. Percy huffed a quiet laugh.

There was a pause.

“You gonna be this strict all year?” Percy asked, tilting his head slightly.

Luke raised an eyebrow. “You gonna keep showing up late to things?”

“Probably.”

“Then yeah.”

Percy grinned. And there it was again. That easy, open expression that made everything feel a little less structured, a little less controlled. Luke felt his chest tighten. He shifted his weight slightly, grounding himself.

“You should get used to the schedule,” Luke added. “It’ll make your life easier.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I’m not concerned with fun.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Luke almost smiled. Almost.

“Go do your homework or something,” he said instead.

Percy made a face. “It’s the first week.”

“And?”

“And I don't have classes yet.”

Luke rolled his eyes "You know what I meant."

Another pause. Shorter this time. Percy adjusted the strap of his backpack. “Alright, alright. I’ll see you around, Castellan.” Luke stilled slightly at the last name. It wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t disrespectful. But it wasn’t what Percy used to call him. “Yeah,” Luke said. “See you around.” Percy gave him one last quick grin, then turned and headed for the door. Luke watched him go. Just for a second. Then he looked back down at his clipboard, checking the last few names off the list.

The room was almost empty now, quiet at least. Luke let out a slow breath, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. This was going to be manageable. It had to be. He just needed to keep things professional. Keep boundaries clear. Treat Percy like any other resident. Simple. Luke stared at the sign-in sheet for a moment longer than necessary. Then he closed the clipboard. Yeah. Simple.

He just had to actually do it.

Chapter Text

Percy decided, very early on, that college was a scam. Not in a dramatic, burn-the-system kind of way. More in a quiet, deeply personal realization that no one had actually explained what it would feel like to be here. Everyone had said things like “it’s a big adjustment” and “you’ll figure it out” and “just stay on top of your work.” No one had said: you are going to walk into your first lecture, sit down, and immediately feel like you’re weeks behind.
By Thursday, Percy was three classes in, two assignments behind, and had already forgotten where one of his lecture halls was located.

He sat in the back row of his Intro to Political Theory class, staring down at his notebook like it was written in Ancient Greek. The page was half-filled with notes that started strong and then devolved into scattered phrases: social contract??? Hobbes = chaos guy?? Why is everyone nodding??
Percy tapped his pen against the paper, trying to focus on what the professor was saying. Something about authority. Or legitimacy. Or both. Honestly, it could have been anything. The girl next to him was typing like her life depended on it. The guy in front of him had already flipped to a second page of notes. Percy glanced down at his own. “…Cool,” he muttered under his breath.

He tried again. He really did. But five minutes later, his brain had wandered off completely, and he was staring at the clock instead. Ten minutes left. He could survive ten minutes.

He did not, in fact, survive ten minutes. He survived by leaving five minutes early.

Which was how Percy found himself outside, blinking against the sunlight and dragging a hand through his hair. “Okay,” he said quietly to himself. “That was…fine.” It was not fine. He knew it wasn’t fine. But there was a difference between knowing something and actually dealing with it, and Percy had always been very good at avoiding the second part.

By the time he got back to the dorm, that strategy had fully failed, because now he was thinking about everything. His classes. His assignments. The fact that everyone else seemed to understand things faster than he did. The fact that Annabeth had already mentioned she’d started outlining her first paper.

He pushed open the door and dropped his bag onto the floor. Jason glanced up from his desk. “You look like you just got hit by a truck.”

“I think I did,” Percy said, flopping onto his bed.

“Tough class?”

“All of them. At the same time. In my brain.”

Jason turned slightly in his chair. “You want help?”

Percy shook his head immediately. “No, I’m good.” It came out too fast. Jason didn’t call him on it, but his expression said he noticed anyway.

Percy stared up at the ceiling, pressing his hands over his face. “I just need to figure out how to study here. It’s different.”

“That’s college.”

“Yeah, well, college is stupid.”

Jason huffed out a quiet laugh. “You’ll adjust.”

“Or I won’t.”

“Then you’ll fail.”

Percy turned his head. “Wow. That’s really encouraging.”

“It’s called tough love.”

“Remind me never to come to you for emotional support.”

“Noted.”

Percy snorted, then pushed himself up and grabbed his notebook. He flipped it open, stared at the page for a few seconds, then shut it again. “…Nope.”

Percy sat there for another minute, bouncing his leg, brain moving too fast in too many directions at once. He could text Annabeth. She’d help. She always did. She’d probably already figured out half the material, maybe all of it.

The thought sat weird in his chest.

Not bad. Just…off.

He didn’t want to feel like he was relying on her. Not this early. Not when things had barely started. He closed his notebook again, more decisively this time, and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Jason asked.

Percy hesitated just long enough that it was noticeable. “Nowhere.”

Jason just looked at him.

“…I’m gonna go ask Luke something,” Percy admitted.

Jason’s expression didn’t change much, but there was a flicker of something there. “About class?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

There was a beat. Percy shifted his weight. “What?”

“Nothing,” Jason said. “Just…don’t let him do all the work for you.”

“I won’t,” Percy said quickly. Then, after a second, “Probably.”

Jason huffed. “Go.”

Percy grabbed his notebook and headed out before he could overthink it.

The hallway was quieter than it had been earlier, most people still in classes or holed up in their rooms. Percy walked down to Luke’s door, then slowed slightly as he got closer.

He wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t a big deal. He just had a question. Luke was his RA. This was normal. Totally normal.

Percy knocked anyway.

There was a pause, then the sound of movement inside. The door opened a second later, and Luke stood there, one hand still on the handle, like he hadn’t expected anyone.

“Oh,” Luke said. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Percy replied, holding up his notebook slightly like proof of purpose. “You busy?”

Luke glanced back into his room briefly, then shook his head. “Not really. What’s up?”

Percy shifted his weight. “I had a question about one of my classes. It’s probably stupid, but-”

“It’s not stupid,” Luke cut in automatically.

The response was immediate. Easy.

Familiar.

Percy paused for half a second, then nodded. “Okay. Good. Because I have no idea what’s going on.”

Luke opened the door a little wider. “Come in.”

Percy stepped inside, glancing around quickly. Luke’s room was…predictably neat. Not sterile, but organized in a way that made Percy feel like his own room was personally offensive. The desk was clear except for a couple stacked books and a laptop. The bed was made. There was an actual system to things.

“Wow,” Percy said, looking around. “You know you’re the RA right? No one’s doing dorm checks on you.”

Luke shut the door behind him. “Some of us enjoy a clean dorm.”

“It’s sterile.”

“I can see my floor.” Luke says pointedly.

Percy grinned a little, then dropped into the desk chair without asking. “Alright, so. Political Theory. I wrote down "Hobbes equals chaos guy” and I’m pretty sure that’s not academically sound.”

Luke huffed out a quiet laugh, stepping closer. “Yeah, that’s…not quite it. You're lucky I took this class my freshman year. Let me see.”

Percy handed over the notebook, and Luke took it, flipping it open. His fingers brushed Percy’s for a second in the exchange. It was nothing. Barely there.

Percy still noticed it.

He leaned back slightly in the chair, watching as Luke scanned the page, brow furrowing just a little in concentration.

“Okay,” Luke said after a moment. “So you’re not completely off. Hobbes does think that without structure, things fall apart. But it’s more about why people agree to authority in the first place.”

Percy frowned. “So…people just decide to give up power?”

“In a way,” Luke said. He grabbed a pen off his desk and started writing in the margins of Percy’s notes. “It’s more like they trade some freedom for stability. The idea is that life without that structure is worse.”

Percy leaned forward slightly, watching. “So it’s not just chaos. It’s like…fear of chaos.”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “Exactly.”

Percy blinked. “Huh.”

Luke kept going, explaining it in a way that actually made sense, breaking things down without talking down to him. It was easy to follow. Clear. Percy didn’t feel like he was already behind.

Which was new.

“And then Locke kind of builds on that,” Luke added, tapping the page lightly. “But he thinks people still have rights that can’t be taken away.”
Percy nodded slowly. “Okay. That makes more sense than whatever was happening in class.”

Luke glanced up at him briefly. “Did you ask questions?”

Percy made a face. “Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“Because I’d have to admit I didn’t understand anything.”

Luke held his gaze for a second. “That’s kind of the point.”

“Yeah, well, I prefer to struggle silently.”

“That’s a terrible strategy.”

“It’s worked so far.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Has it?”

Percy hesitated. “…No.”

Luke’s mouth twitched, like he was trying not to smile. “Thought so.”

There was a brief pause, but it wasn’t awkward. Just…quiet. Easy.

Percy tapped his pen against the desk. “Thanks,” he said, more casually than he felt. “This actually helps.”

“No problem,” Luke said. And then, without thinking about it, he added, “If you need help again, just come by.”

It was immediate. Automatic. The second it left his mouth, something in his expression shifted, like he realized it. Percy didn’t.

“Yeah?” Percy said, brightening slightly. “Cool.”

Luke nodded once, a little more controlled now. “Yeah.”

Percy flipped his notebook closed and stood up. “Alright, I’m gonna go pretend I know what I’m doing now.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Hey,” Percy said, heading for the door. “Fake it till you make it.”

“That’s not how this works.”

“It is for me.”

Luke shook his head, but there was that same almost-smile again. “See you around, Percy.”

“Yeah,” Percy said, opening the door. “See you around.”

He stepped back into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind him. For a second, he just stood there, looking down at his notebook. Then he opened it again. The notes actually made sense now. Not perfect, not complete, but enough that he didn’t feel completely lost.

Percy let out a small breath, something in his chest easing just slightly.

“Okay,” he muttered. “That’s…better.”

He turned and headed back toward his room, already thinking about what he needed to do next. Not about Luke. Not really. Just…about getting through the week. Still, later that night, when he sat down to review his notes again, his eyes flicked briefly to the margin where Luke had written. Clean handwriting. Clear structure. Easy to follow. Percy traced the edge of the page with his thumb, then shook his head a little, like he was brushing something off.

Focus.

He had work to do.

Chapter Text

Luke did not usually agree to hang out with his residents. It was not a written rule, but it was one he followed anyway. Boundaries made things easier. Cleaner. Less complicated. He was their RA, not their friend. That distinction mattered, especially when things inevitably went wrong. So when Annabeth texted him earlier that afternoon asking if he wanted to grab dinner with her and Percy, his first instinct had been to say no. But he wanted to see his sister, and his sister was dating Percy. So he made an exception to his rule.

Now, sitting across from them at a small table in the campus dining hall, Luke was realizing that this might have been a mistake. Not because anything was wrong. Quite the opposite. Everything was easy.

Annabeth sat across from him, legs tucked slightly under her chair, a half-finished plate in front of her and a notebook open beside it. Percy was next to her, turned toward her even when he was eating, like his attention just naturally angled in her direction. They were talking about something Percy had said in class earlier, or maybe something he should have said.

“I’m telling you,” Percy was saying, gesturing with his fork, “the professor asked a question, and I knew the answer. I just didn’t say it.”

Annabeth didn’t look up from her notebook. “You didn’t know the answer.”

“I did.”

“You would have said it if you did.”

“I wanted to keep my genius to myself."

Luke let out a quiet breath through his nose, something almost like a laugh. Percy glanced at him immediately. “See? Luke gets it.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Luke replied.

“You didn’t have to.”

Annabeth shook her head, but there was a small smile there. “He’s wrong.”

“I’m not wrong,” Percy said, nudging her knee lightly under the table. She nudged him back without looking. It was small. Automatic. Luke noticed it anyway.

He leaned back slightly, watching the way the two of them moved around each other without thinking. The rhythm of it. The familiarity. Percy reached over at one point and stole a fry from her plate. She swatted his hand a second too late, already expecting it. “Get your own food,” she said.

“I did. Yours just looks better.”

“That sounds like a you problem seaweed brain." She huffed, but shifted her plate slightly closer to him anyway. Luke looked down at his own tray for a moment, not really seeing it. It wasn’t surprising. Of course they were like this. They had been together for a while. They knew each other. They fit. Still, there was something about seeing it up close that felt different. Not uncomfortable. Just noticeable. Luke chalked it up to the awkwardness of seeing his little sister in love.

“You’re quiet,” Annabeth said, looking at him.

“Just listening.”

“To Percy ramble?”

Luke shrugged. “It’s entertaining.”

Percy pointed at him. “Thank you.”

Luke almost smiled.

The conversation drifted after that. Annabeth pulled Luke into something about building layouts, pointing out details Percy clearly did not follow but nodded along to anyway. Luke found himself answering without thinking, slipping into explanation, building on her ideas. Percy watched them for a bit, then leaned back. “I have no idea what either of you are talking about.”

“That’s okay,” Annabeth said.

“Rude.”

“You asked.”

“I did not ask.”

“You implied.”

Percy shook his head, smiling. Luke watched them again, something quiet settling in his chest. It was easy. That was the word for it. No tension. No second-guessing. They moved through conversations like they already knew the outcome.

Luke had known that, in theory. But seeing it like this made it feel more real. He wasn’t excluded. But he wasn’t part of it either. And that was fine. It should have been fine.

“So,” Percy said, turning back to him, “you surviving the whole RA thing?”

“Barely.”

“Yeah, I don’t envy you. Some of the guys on our floor are a lot.”

“I’ve noticed.”

Percy grinned. “At least you’ve got me.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“It should be.”

“It’s not.”

Annabeth leaned her chin on her hand. “He’s going to be your biggest problem.”

“I already figured that out.”

“Hey,” Percy protested. “I am very low maintenance.”

“You were late to the first hall meeting,” Luke said.

“By three minutes.”

“And you argued about it.”

“I was making a point.”

“You were wrong.”

“Debatable.”

Luke shook his head, but there was no real bite to it. Annabeth watched them for a second, then looked back down at her notebook. Luke noticed that too. The way she wasn’t concerned. The way none of this felt unusual to her. Because it wasn’t. This was normal. For them.

Luke leaned back slightly, letting the conversation move without him for a moment. Easy. That was all it was.

Just easy.

Chapter Text

Luke should not have been doing rounds this late. Technically, he had already done them. Twice. Once earlier in the evening, once around ten when quiet hours started. Everything had been relatively calm. He could have gone to bed. He should have gone to bed. Instead, he found himself walking the hallway again just after midnight, hands in his hoodie pockets, listening to the quiet settle over the floor. He told himself he was just being thorough. That was all. It had nothing to do with the fact that he forgot his ADHD meds this morning and couldn't sit still for mroe than 30 seconds.

He made it halfway down the hall before he noticed the light.

Most of the doors were closed, but a thin strip of warm light cut across the floor from under Percy’s door, brighter than it should have been for this time of night. Luke might have kept walking, except he heard something too. Not loud. Just a muffled shift, the kind of movement that didn’t match someone quietly studying or getting ready for bed. A quick thud. A low laugh, cut off.

Luke slowed.

It wasn’t enough to mean anything on its own. But combined, it was enough to make him stop outside the door.

He knocked once, firm against the wood. “Hey, keep it down—”

No answer.

Luke frowned slightly and knocked again, a little harder. “Percy?”

Still nothing.

His grip tightened on his sleeve for a second. If Percy had headphones in, he might not hear it. If there were multiple people in there, it might already be getting out of hand. That was reason enough.

Luke reached for his master key in his pocket.

He mumbled "RA keying in." He said it quieter than he probably should've, but he needed to check what was going on in there.

And immediately wished he hadn’t.

Annabeth was on Percy’s bed, Percy half over her, one hand braced beside her shoulder while the other had slid under the hem of her shirt like he hadn’t even realized he’d done it. They broke apart fast at the sound of the door, but not cleanly. Percy pushed back too quickly, like he’d forgotten where to put his hands, dragging them away from her as he sat up. Annabeth shifted at the same time, tugging her shirt back down where it had ridden up, a few of her braids slipping loose from her bun and falling over her shoulder as she caught her balance.

For a second, neither of them seemed fully oriented. Percy’s hair was a mess, his breathing uneven, his chest bare and heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Annabeth’s lips were still slightly parted, her fingers lingering at his collar before she dropped her hand, smoothing it down like she could reset the moment. The space between them was small enough that it still felt charged, like they hadn’t quite untangled from each other yet, even as they scrambled to sit up straighter.

Luke’s brain caught up in pieces. The way Annabeth’s breathing was uneven as she pushed herself up. The fact that Percy was on top of her like...that

“Oh,” Percy said, a little breathless. “Hey.”

Like Luke had just walked in on something normal.

Something in Luke’s chest snapped into place, sharp and immediate.

“Annabeth,” he said, voice flat in a way that took effort, “what are you doing in here?”

She straightened quickly, already smoothing her shirt like she could reset the situation if she moved fast enough. “I-nothing, I was just-” She stopped, exhaling. “I was just leaving.”

“You shouldn’t be here at all,” Luke said.

Percy shifted, sitting back a little but not looking particularly concerned. “She just got here.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Luke shot back.

“It kind of does,” Percy said, like this was obvious. “It’s not like-”

He shot Percy a death glare and that shut him up.

Luke’s jaw tightened. “I don’t care what it’s ‘like.’ She’s not allowed in here. You both know that.”

Annabeth stepped fully off the bed now, tugging her shoes back on. She was flustered and panicking internally. She looked between them once, clearly clocking the shift in tone before Percy did and already trying to fix it. “It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll go.”

Percy ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t have to-”

“Yes, I do,” she said, quieter, but firm. Then she turned to Luke. “You didn’t have to come in like that.”

“I knocked,” Luke said, sharper than he meant to. “Twice.”

She held his gaze for a second, like she was deciding whether to push it, then just nodded slightly. “Okay.”

She moved past him toward the door. As she passed, Luke caught her arm. He looks at her for a long moment, torn between making sure she was ok, lecturing her, and just letting her go. Annabeth notices the turmoil and places her hand over his as she mumbles, “Goodnight, Luke.”

Luke sighs, deciding to save Annabeth the pain...for now. “Night,” he muttered back, dropping her arm.

She left, and the hallway swallowed the sound of her footsteps. Now it was just Percy. The room felt smaller.

Percy let out a breath, dragging a hand over his face. “Dude. Seriously?”

Luke turned back to him, arms crossing without him thinking about it. “What?”

“That was unnecessary.”

“It wasn’t.”

Percy stared at him. “You walked in on us.”

“I knocked.”

“And then you came in.”

“Because no one answered.”

Percy shook his head, like that wasn’t the point. “You didn’t have to make it a whole thing.”

Luke felt something flare, hot and immediate. “It is a whole thing.”

“No, it’s not,” Percy said, frustration creeping in now. “It’s just-normal.”

Luke laughed once, short and humorless. “Normal doesn’t mean allowed.”

“It also doesn’t mean you have to act like we’re doing something insane.”

Luke stepped forward slightly before he could stop himself. “She’s my sister,” he said. “She just got here. She doesn’t need to be sneaking into some guy’s dorm room after midnight.”

Percy blinked. “Some guy?”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t,” Percy said, more serious now. “Because I’m not ‘some guy,’ Luke.”

That landed harder than it should have.

Luke’s grip tightened against his arms. “That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

The question hung there, heavier than it should have been. Because Luke didn’t have an answer that made sense. It wasn’t just the rule. It wasn’t just the policy. It wasn’t just being an RA. And it definitely wasn’t just being her brother.

Except it was.

It had to be.

“I'm trusting you with her,” Luke said finally, the words coming out lower, tighter. “Don’t make me regret that.”

Percy’s expression shifted slightly, something flickering there. Not anger, exactly. Something closer to surprise. “I’m not-”

“Just don’t,” Luke cut in, sharper than he intended. “Follow the rules. Find somewhere else to do it next time or don’t do it here at all. I don’t care which. And she can't come up to your room anymore, not even during visiting hours.”

That wasn’t standard protocol. He knew it the second it came out. Percy did too.

Percy frowned. “That’s not even the rule.”

“I’m making it the rule,” Luke said.

“For me?”

“For everyone.”

Percy held his gaze for a second, like he was trying to figure out what was actually going on. Then he nodded once. “Okay.”

It wasn’t agreement. It wasn’t even really acceptance. It was just Percy deciding not to argue anymore.

And for some reason, that made it worse.

“Anything else?” Percy asked.

The question wasn’t rude. But it wasn’t easy either.

Luke hesitated, just for a second. Then he shook his head. “No.”

“Cool.”

Luke nodded once, stepping back into the hallway. “Goodnight, Percy.”

“Night.”

Luke turned and walked away before he could think about it too much, his chest tight in a way that didn’t make sense. He had handled it. He had enforced the rule. That was the job. That was all it was supposed to be.

Except it wasn’t.

Because the image stuck. Too clear. Too immediate. The way they had fit together without thinking. The ease of it. The familiarity.

Luke dragged a hand over the back of his neck, jaw tightening.

It was just Annabeth. His sister. He was allowed to be protective. He was supposed to be. That was normal.

That was all this was.

Still, as he reached the end of the hallway, the thought lingered, unwelcome and persistent.

He had never cared this much before.

And that was the problem.

Chapter Text

Luke told himself it was the right call. Keep things professional. Keep distance. No gray areas. It was easier that way. Cleaner. Less room for mistakes.

So that was what he did.

By Monday morning, the shift was intentional. Measured. Every interaction filtered through the same lens. Answer the question. Don’t linger. Don’t engage more than necessary. He stuck to it.

When Percy stopped him in the hallway, Luke kept it brief. “Hey, quick question-”

“Can you ask someone els?,” Luke said before Percy could finish. Not rude. Just efficient. Percy blinked slightly, like he hadn’t expected that. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.” Luke nodded once and kept walking.

It happened again that afternoon in the common room. Percy dropped into the chair across from him like it was nothing. “You busy?” “A little,” Luke said, even though he wasn’t. Percy lingered anyway. “It’ll be quick.” Luke looked up just long enough to say, “What do you need?” Percy hesitated, like that phrasing threw him off. “Uh. Nothing. Never mind.” Luke nodded and went back to what he was doing.

It was working.

That was the problem.

Because it wasn’t supposed to feel like this.

Luke told himself it was about boundaries. About being an RA. About not letting things blur. He’d seen what happened when they did. It complicated everything. Made it harder to enforce rules. Harder to keep control.

That was all this was.

It had nothing to do with the way his chest tightened every time Percy walked into a room and then didn’t come over anymore.

He noticed it anyway. The hesitation. The way Percy would start to say something and then stop. The way he hovered for half a second longer than necessary before turning away. Luke saw it. He ignored it.

By Wednesday, it was obvious enough that even other people picked up on it. One of the guys on the floor made a comment about Luke being “strict this year.” Luke let it slide. It was easier than explaining.

The hardest part was that Percy didn’t push. Not really. He noticed, clearly. But instead of calling it out, he just…adjusted. Less casual conversation. Fewer drop-ins. More distance.

Luke should have preferred that.

He didn’t.

Thursday night, Percy caught him in the hallway again. “Hey.” Luke stopped. “Yeah?” Percy hesitated, like he was deciding something. “Did I do something?” Luke frowned slightly. “What?”

“You’ve just been…different,” Percy said. He said it lightly, like it didn’t matter, but Luke heard the edge under it. “If I crossed a line or something with having Annabeth come over I-”

“You didn’t,” Luke cut in.

Percy studied him for a second. “Then why are you acting like I did?”

Luke forced his expression neutral. “I’m not.”

“You are,” Percy said. Not accusing. Just certain.

Luke exhaled slowly. “I’m just doing my job.” Percy held his gaze. “You weren’t like this before.”

“Before I had to enforce a rule with you,” Luke said. It was a deflection, and they both knew it.

Percy nodded once, like he was accepting that answer even though it didn’t sit right. “Okay,” he said. “Got it.” And then he stepped back. “See you around, Castellan.”

The last name again.

Luke didn’t respond before Percy walked away.

He stood there for a second longer than necessary, jaw tight, before forcing himself to move again. It was working. This was what he wanted. Clear lines. No confusion.

So why did it feel like something was slipping out of reach anyway?

Chapter Text

Percy told himself he wasn’t thinking about it. That was the plan. Go to class, do the bare minimum, don’t replay any interaction with Luke. It had been a minor rule break. Luke had overreacted. End of story. Except it didn’t feel like the end of the story.

He sat on his bed, notebook open, staring at the same paragraph for too long. Jason glanced over from his desk. “You’ve read that line like four times.”

Percy didn’t look up. “I’m processing.”

“You’re not,” Jason said.

Percy exhaled and dropped his pen. “Okay, but like, hypothetically…”

Jason didn’t even turn this time. “It’s not hypothetical.”

Percy hesitated. “Luke’s been acting weird.”

That got Jason’s attention. He leaned back slightly. “Weird how?”

Percy shrugged, trying to make it sound casual. “I don’t know. Just…different. Since last week.”

Jason watched him for a second. “Because he caught you breaking a rule?”

“It wasn’t that big of a rule.”

“It was big enough.” Percy ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, but he didn’t have to make it a whole thing. He was acting like—” He stopped. Jason waited. “Like what?” Percy frowned. “Like it was personal or something.” Jason tilted his head. “You think it was?” “No,” Percy said quickly, then slower, “I mean…no. That wouldn’t make sense.”

There was a pause. Jason turned back to his desk, but he was still listening. “What’s he doing now?”

“Nothing,” Percy said.

“That’s the thing.” Jason glanced back again.

“Nothing?”

“Yeah. Like, he’s being all…professional.” Percy made a face. “Short answers. Doesn’t hang around. Doesn’t joke as much.”

Jason considered that. “That sounds like an RA.”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t like that before.”

“Before what?” Percy hesitated again. “Before last night.”

Jason nodded once, like he was filing that away instead of reacting to it. “Maybe he’s just setting boundaries.” Percy leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah. Maybe.” It didn’t feel like that, though. It felt…targeted.

Jason spun his chair slightly. “Why do you care?”

Percy blinked. “I don’t.” Jason raised an eyebrow. Percy rolled his eyes. “It’s just weird. He’s never been like that with me.”

Jason shrugged. “People change how they act depending on the situation.”

“Yeah, but it’s me,” Percy said, like that explained it.

Jason gave him a look. “That doesn’t mean anything.” Percy frowned slightly.

“It used to.” That slipped out before he could stop it.

Jason didn’t push. He just said, “Maybe it still does. Just not in the way you expect.”

Percy sat with that for a second, then shook his head. “You’re being cryptic.”

“I’m being observant.”

“Same thing.”

Jason huffed. “What do you want me to say?” Percy shrugged again. “I don’t know. That he’s being weird.”

Jason considered him, then said evenly, “He might be.”

Percy looked up. “Okay, thank you.”

“But that doesn’t mean what you think it means.” Percy frowned.

“I didn’t say it meant anything.” Jason gave him a look that said sure.

Percy looked away first. “Whatever. I’m overthinking it.” “Probably,” Jason said.

Percy nodded, like that settled it. It didn’t. Because even after the conversation moved on, even after he went back to pretending to study, he kept catching himself thinking about it anyway. The way Luke had looked at him last night. The way he’d cut things off today, quick and distant like he didn’t want to be there longer than necessary. Percy told himself it didn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. Still, when he glanced at the door like he expected someone to knock, he didn’t question it.

Not yet.

Chapter Text

Percy lasted exactly one hour trying to study in his own room before giving up. It wasn’t even a dramatic failure, just a slow unraveling. He’d started strong, notebook open, pen in hand, actually reading for the first ten minutes. Then his brain had drifted. Then he’d checked his phone. Then he’d reread the same paragraph twice. Then he’d stared at the wall for a full minute without realizing it.

Jason, somehow, was being productive. Headphones in, laptop open, typing steadily like he belonged here. Like this was normal.

Percy hated that.

“Go somewhere else,” Jason said without looking up.

“I’m not doing anything,” Percy replied.

“Exactly.”

Percy made a face, but he knew Jason was right. He shoved his notebook into his bag, grabbed a pen, and stood up. “I’m leaving.”

“Shocking,” Jason muttered.

Percy flipped him off on the way out, then let the door fall shut behind him.

The hallway was quieter than earlier, but not empty. A couple doors were still open, music faintly leaking out from one room, someone laughing down the hall. Percy lingered for a second, unsure where he was actually going. The common room was an option, but it was usually loud at this hour. Still, he headed that way first.

It took about five minutes for him to realize that had been a mistake.

Too many people. Too many conversations. Someone had turned on a movie. A group was arguing over something near the couches. Percy tried sitting at one of the tables anyway, opening his notebook, forcing himself to look at the page.

He lasted maybe ten minutes.

“Yeah, no,” he muttered, closing it again.

He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and stepped back into the hallway.

For a second, he just stood there.

Then, without fully deciding to, he turned toward Luke’s room.

It wasn’t a big deal. Luke had said he could come by if he needed help. This counted. Probably. And even if it didn’t, it was still quieter than everywhere else.

Percy stopped outside the door anyway.

He hesitated for half a second.

Then knocked.

There was a pause, a soft shuffle of movement inside, and then the door opened.

Luke looked surprised.

Not dramatically. Just enough that Percy noticed.

“Oh,” Luke said. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Percy replied, lifting his notebook slightly. “Jason kicked me out and the common room’s loud. Can I sit in here for a bit?”

There was that brief pause again. Quick, but there.

Then Luke stepped back. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

Percy nodded, stepping inside. The room was the same as the last time he’d been there. Clean. Organized. Quiet in a way that felt intentional. Luke closed the door behind him and moved back to his desk.

Percy dropped into the chair, pulling his notebook out and flipping it open.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

Just the sound of pages turning, pens moving, the faint hum of someone’s music through the wall. It was quiet, but not awkward. Percy found himself actually focusing for a bit, reading through his notes, filling in a few gaps. Not perfectly, but better than before.

After a while, Luke spoke without looking up. “You figure out that reading?”

“Mostly,” Percy said. “Your notes helped.”

Luke nodded once. “Good.”

Another stretch of quiet settled. Percy tapped his pen against the page, then glanced up. Luke was focused, head slightly tilted down, brow faintly furrowed as he read. It was a different version of him than Percy was used to. Quieter. More contained.

“You always this good at explaining stuff?” Percy asked.

Luke shrugged slightly. “I’ve had practice.”

“With what?”

Luke hesitated. Just a fraction of a second. “Stuff like this.”

Percy leaned back in the chair a little. “At camp?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah,” Percy repeated, like he was confirming it for himself. “You were there longer than me, right?”

“A few years.”

Percy nodded slowly. “You liked it?”

Luke’s pen paused briefly. “It was…better than the alternative.”

Percy frowned slightly. “What was the alternative?”

Luke didn’t answer right away.

That pause stretched just a little too long.

Percy shifted in his seat. “Sorry, you don’t have to-”

“It’s fine,” Luke said, cutting in, but his tone had changed slightly. Not sharp. Just…flatter. “It was just foster care. Before that.”

Percy stilled a little. “Oh.”

He knew that, technically. Annabeth had talked about it before, in passing. But hearing Luke say it like that, so casually, made it feel different.

“Same as Annabeth?” Percy asked.

“Yeah,” Luke said.

"And Thalia?"

Luke clenches his jaw and sighs. "Yes."

"How did that work?"

“Same system. Different places.”

Percy stiffens, watching him more closely now. Luke hadn't really answered his question so he asked a new one. “Was it bad?”

Luke let out a quiet breath through his nose, like he wasn’t sure how to answer that. “It wasn’t great.”

“That’s not really an answer.”

“It’s enough of one.”

Percy hesitated, then leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. “You don’t talk about it much.”

Luke’s shoulders tightened just slightly. “There’s not much to say.”

“There has to be something.”

Luke didn’t look up. “Why?”

Percy blinked. “I don’t know. Because it’s your life?”

“That doesn’t mean it’s interesting.”

“I didn’t say interesting,” Percy said. “I said-” He stopped, trying to find the right word. “Relevant.”

That got Luke to look up.

Not for long. Just long enough that Percy caught the shift in his expression. Something guarded.

“It’s not relevant to this,” Luke said.

“This is just studying,” Percy pointed out.

“Exactly.”

The conversation stalled there for a second.

Percy leaned back again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay. Sorry.”

Luke nodded once, already looking back down at his notes. “It’s fine.”

It didn’t feel fine.

The room went quiet again, but it wasn’t the same kind of quiet as before. Something had shifted. Closed off.

Percy tried to go back to his work, but his focus was gone again. His eyes kept drifting, catching on small things. The way Luke’s pen moved a little faster now. The way he didn’t look up again. The tension in his shoulders that hadn’t been there earlier.

Percy frowned slightly.

He hadn’t meant to push.

It hadn’t even felt like pushing.

“Hey,” Percy said after a minute.

Luke didn’t look up. “Yeah?”

“I didn’t mean to-” Percy stopped, unsure how to finish that sentence. Push? Ask too much? Make it weird?

Luke shook his head slightly. “You’re fine.”

Percy nodded, even though that didn’t really answer anything.

Another stretch of quiet.

This time, it didn’t settle as easily.

Percy flipped a page in his notebook, staring at it without really reading. His foot bounced lightly against the floor. He glanced up again, like he was expecting Luke to say something. He didn’t.

It wasn’t awkward exactly.

Just…off.

Like something had almost happened and then didn’t.

Percy closed his notebook slowly. “I’m gonna take a break,” he said.

Luke nodded. “Okay.”

Percy didn’t stand right away. He stayed there for a second, watching him. “You always shut things down like that?”

Luke’s pen paused again. “Like what?”

“Like…when people ask about you.”

Luke finally looked up, expression unreadable. “Depends on the question.”

“That wasn’t a bad question.”

“I didn’t say it was.”

“Then why-”

“Percy,” Luke said, cutting him off. Not harsh. Just final.

Percy stopped.

There it was.

A line.

Clear.

He leaned back in the chair again, exhaling quietly. “Right. Okay.”

Luke looked back down at his work.

Conversation over.

Percy sat there for another minute, then pushed himself up. “I’m gonna head out.”

Luke glanced up briefly this time. “Yeah. Good luck with your work.”

“Thanks,” Percy said.

He hesitated for a second, like he might say something else. He didn’t.

“Night.”

“Night.”

Percy stepped out into the hallway, the door closing softly behind him.

He didn’t move right away.

Just stood there, notebook still in his hand, staring at nothing in particular.

Something about that had felt off.

Not wrong.

Just…cut short.

Like he’d stepped too close to something without realizing it. Percy exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair as he started back down the hall. He told himself it didn’t matter. That Luke was just like that sometimes. Closed off. Private. That it wasn’t personal. Still, the way it had shut down so fast sat weird in his chest.

And the worst part was, he couldn’t even explain why it bothered him so much.

Chapter Text

Percy didn’t notice it all at once.

If you asked him, he wouldn’t have been able to point to a specific moment where something changed. It wasn’t like flipping a switch. It was slower than that. Quieter. The kind of thing that slipped in around the edges of everything else until it was just…there.

At first, it was just awareness.

Luke was in the common room more than usual that week, or maybe Percy was just there at the same times now. It was hard to tell. Either way, Percy found himself clocking it without meaning to. The way Luke sat when he was working, leaning forward slightly, elbows on his knees, completely focused. The way he’d run a hand through his hair when he was tired, pushing it back without thinking.

Percy noticed that.

He didn’t question why.

It was the same kind of noticing he did with everyone. Probably. He just paid attention to people. That was normal.

Except this felt…more specific.

Like details stuck longer than they should have.

Luke’s voice, for example.

Percy had heard it a thousand times before. At camp. Around Annabeth. In passing conversations. It wasn’t new. But now he was noticing the differences. The way it dropped a little lower when Luke was tired. The way it went flat and controlled when he was in RA mode. The way it shifted when he was joking, softer, easier.

Percy caught himself listening for it once.

That was new.

He was in the hallway, half-listening to a conversation happening down the way, not even really paying attention to what was being said, just waiting for Luke’s voice to cut through it. When it did, Percy’s head turned before he thought about it.

Luke was talking to someone else. One of the guys from the floor. Something about a noise complaint. Calm. Controlled. Professional.

Percy watched for a second, then looked away.

That was normal.

Probably.

It wasn’t like he was staring.

He just…noticed.

It kept happening.

Small things. Stupid things. The way Luke rolled his shoulders back like he was trying to shake off tension. The faint shadows under his eyes when he hadn’t been sleeping enough. The way his sleeves were always pushed up just enough to show his wrists, like he never fully rolled them down.

Percy didn’t know why that stuck.

It just did.

It wasn’t constant. It wasn’t overwhelming. It was just there, in the background, like something slightly out of place that he couldn’t quite identify.

Even conversations felt different now.

Shorter, mostly. Because Luke was still doing that thing where he kept things brief, professional. But Percy noticed that too. The way Luke would cut himself off before saying more than necessary. The way his answers felt edited, like he was choosing them carefully.

It bothered Percy more than it should have.

Not in a big way. Just enough that he kept thinking about it after the fact.

Like earlier that day.

Percy had run into him outside the building. Nothing important. Just a quick “hey,” a question about a class, a short answer back. It lasted maybe thirty seconds. And Percy had still thought about it ten minutes later. The way Luke had looked a little tired. The way his voice had been rougher than usual. The way he’d nodded once and then walked off like he had somewhere else to be. It shouldn’t have mattered.

It did anyway.

Percy sat on his bed that night, staring at his phone without really seeing it. Annabeth had texted him earlier, something about a class project, a complaint about a professor. He smiled at it, typed back, easy. That part of his life still made sense. Still felt solid.

This didn’t.

This felt like something slightly off-balance. Percy scrubbed a hand over his face, exhaling slowly. He didn’t have a name for it. He didn’t try to give it one. He just knew that something had shifted.

And whatever it was, it wasn’t going away.

Chapter Text

Percy did not plan to bring it up. He wasn’t sitting there thinking "I need advice." He wasn’t even convinced there was anything to get advice about. It was just a weird feeling, something low-level and persistent that wouldn’t settle. Jason was there, though, and Jason noticed things, and eventually Percy got tired of trying to outthink his own brain.

So he said, “Is it normal to feel weird around someone?”

Jason didn’t look up from his laptop. “Define weird.”

Percy lay on his bed, one arm thrown over his face. “I don’t know. Just…weird.”

“That’s not a definition.”

Percy exhaled. “Like you notice them more than you used to.”

Jason paused, then glanced over. “Annabeth?”

Percy’s stomach dropped, sharp and immediate. “No,” he said too fast. “Not-no.”

Jason blinked. “Okay.”

Percy pushed himself up slightly, suddenly aware of how that sounded. “Not like that. I mean, obviously I notice Annabeth. That’s normal.”

Jason turned in his chair now, actually watching him. “You’re acting like I accused you of something.”

“You didn’t,” Percy said quickly. “She’s just not who I’m talking about.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Then who are you talking about?”

Percy opened his mouth and immediately realized he had no answer that wouldn’t make this worse. “No one,” he said.

Jason stared at him. “That’s not how this works.”

Percy scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s not a specific-okay, it is a specific person, but that’s not the point.”

“It feels like the point.”

Percy ignored that. “It’s just…you’re around them and something feels different.”

Jason tilted his head. “Different how?”

“I don’t know,” Percy said, frustration creeping in. “That’s the problem. It’s not a big thing. It’s just there.”

Jason was quiet for a second. “Do you like being around them?”

“Yeah.”

Jason waited.

Percy frowned. “What?”

“You answered that too fast.”

“It’s not a hard question.”

Jason shrugged. “Okay. Do you want them to stop talking to you?”

Percy didn’t hesitate. “No.”

“Do you care if they do?”

Percy hesitated this time. “…yeah.”

That answer sat heavier than it should have.

Jason leaned back slightly, studying him. “How long has this been going on?”

Percy made a face. “A few days? A week? I don’t know.”

“Since school started?”

“…yeah.”

Jason nodded slowly. “Did something happen?”

Percy hesitated. Luke in the doorway. Luke’s voice, sharp. Luke pulling away after.

“…kind of.”

“With Annabeth?” Jason asked again.

Percy sat up straighter. “No. Why do you keep bringing her up?”

Jason blinked. “Because she’s your girlfriend.”

“That doesn’t mean everything is about her.”

“It kind of does when you’re describing feelings about ‘someone,’” Jason said evenly.

Percy opened his mouth, then stopped, because that was annoyingly fair. He exhaled hard. “I know what it feels like with Annabeth. This isn’t that.”

Jason’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Okay.”

Percy immediately regretted saying that. Because now it sounded like something. And Percy’s brain did not like where that something was pointing.

He pushed forward anyway. “It’s not like I like them.”

Jason didn’t react right away. “I didn’t say you did.”

“Yeah, well. I don’t.”

Jason nodded once. “Okay.”

That should have settled it. It didn’t. Because Percy could still feel it, that weird awareness, the way his brain kept circling back to the same person, the same voice, the same stupid details. The way Luke looked when he was tired. The way his tone changed depending on who he was talking to. The way-

Percy cut that thought off hard.

Nope.

Not doing that.

“Then why does it feel like this?” Percy muttered.

Jason shrugged slightly. “Feel like what?”

“Like I don’t want them to…go away, I guess.”

Jason’s expression softened just a fraction. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“It’s not a normal thing,” Percy said.

“It is,” Jason replied. “Especially if you care about someone.”

Percy frowned. “I care about a lot of people. It doesn’t feel like this with them.”

Jason nodded. “Okay.”

Percy stared at him. “You’re not helping.”

“I’m trying not to jump ahead of you,” Jason said.

“Jump ahead to what?”

Jason didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “Are you thinking about them right now?”

Percy hesitated. “…maybe.”

Jason huffed quietly. “Percy.”

“What?”

“You are.”

Percy looked away. “Okay, yeah. A little.”

Jason leaned back, watching him more carefully now. “And you don’t know why.”

“No.”

“And that bothers you.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re sure this isn’t about Annabeth.”

“Yes.”

Jason was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, more carefully this time, “Alright.”

Percy narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m not going to tell you what I think.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not there yet.”

“That’s not fair.”

“It’s not supposed to be,” Jason said. “It’s supposed to be useful.”

Percy dropped back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. “This is stupid.”

“Probably,” Jason agreed.

Silence stretched. Percy’s thoughts didn’t. They kept moving, faster now, louder. This isn’t like Annabeth. Okay, fine. Then what was it like? Because there were only so many options, and Percy did not like where that logic ended. He had never…this had never been a thing before. Not like this. Not with-

He shut it down again, harder this time.

“Is it normal,” Percy said slowly, “to feel like you don’t want someone to stop talking to you?”

Jason didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“That was too fast.”

“It’s a normal feeling,” Jason said. “The question is why you’re feeling it.”

Percy groaned, dragging a pillow over his face. “I don’t know.”

“I know.”

Percy peeked out. “You do?”

“I know that you don’t know,” Jason clarified.

“Wow. Thanks.”

Jason smirked faintly. “You’re welcome.”

Percy dropped the pillow again. “This is not helpful.”

Jason’s voice softened slightly. “Look, you don’t have to figure it out tonight.”

“It feels like I do.”

“You don’t,” Jason said firmly. “And you definitely don’t need to act on it.”

Percy turned his head. “Act on what?”

Jason held his gaze for a second, then said, “Whatever this turns out to be.”

Percy went still.

Jason continued, more serious now. “You’re in a relationship. A good one. Don’t mess that up because you’re confused about something you haven’t even figured out yet.”

That landed.

Percy sat up slowly. “I wouldn’t.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” Jason said. “That’s why I’m saying it now.”

Percy exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not going to do anything.”

“Good,” Jason said. “Then don’t. Just figure out what you actually want first.”

Percy frowned. “And then what?”

Jason shrugged. “Then you decide what to do about it.”

Percy leaned back again, quieter now, staring at the ceiling like it might give him answers it definitely didn’t have.

“…okay.”

It wasn’t an answer.

But it felt like one he was going to have to sit with whether he liked it or not.

Chapter Text

Luke knew something was off the second Annabeth texted him "Are you busy?"

Not "hey." Not "can I stop by later". Just that.

He stared at the message for a second longer than necessary before replying "No, come by."

She showed up ten minutes later, knocking once before pushing the door open like she always did. That hadn’t changed. She stepped inside, a tote bag slung over her shoulder, braids pulled back into a low bun that was already starting to loosen. She looked tired, but not in a bad way. Just…worn down from the week.

“Hey,” Luke said, leaning back slightly in his chair.

“Hey,” she replied, closing the door behind her.

She didn’t sit right away. She hovered for a second, like she was deciding how to start. That was new. Luke noticed that immediately.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Annabeth exhaled through her nose, then dropped her bag onto the floor and sat on the edge of his bed. “Nothing big,” she said. “I just…needed to talk to someone who’s not involved.” Luke’s chest tightened slightly at that phrasing, but he kept his expression neutral. “Okay.”

She picked at a loose thread on her shorts for a second before continuing. “It’s Percy.”

Of course it was.

Luke forced himself to nod like that didn’t land anywhere deeper than it should have. “What about him?”

Annabeth shrugged, but it wasn’t dismissive. It was thoughtful. “He’s just been a little…off, I guess.” Luke’s stomach dropped, sharp and immediate, but he kept his voice even. “Off how?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “That’s the problem. It’s not like he did anything wrong. He’s just…distracted, maybe? Or like he’s somewhere else when we’re talking.” Luke looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers once before stilling them. “Could just be adjusting. First month of classes, new place.”

“Yeah,” she said, “that’s what I thought too.” She paused, then added, quieter, “But it feels like more than that.”

Luke didn’t answer right away. Annabeth glanced up at him, studying his face like she always did, like she was trying to solve something. “You’ve been around him more than I have this week. Have you noticed anything?”

There it was. Luke forced himself to meet her eyes. “Not really,” he said. The lie came easier than he expected. Annabeth frowned slightly. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Luke said, keeping his tone steady. “He seems fine. Just busy.”

She didn’t look fully convinced, but she nodded anyway. “Okay.”
There was a brief silence.

Luke could feel it pressing in around him, heavier than it should have been. Annabeth leaned back on her hands, staring up at the ceiling now. “I don’t think it’s about me,” she said after a second. Luke’s throat tightened. “What do you mean?” “I mean…he’s not pulling away, exactly,” she said slowly. “He still shows up. He still texts. It’s just…different. Like something’s on his mind that he’s not telling me.”

Luke swallowed. "Did you ask him?” he said. Annabeth huffed a quiet laugh. “Of course I did. He said he’s fine.” Luke nodded. “Sounds like Percy.”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling faintly. “It does.”

Another pause.

Then Annabeth’s expression softened slightly, something more vulnerable slipping through. “I just don’t want to push him if he’s not ready to talk about it, you know?” Luke looked at her. Really looked at her. The way her shoulders had relaxed now that she was saying it out loud. The way she trusted that this space, this conversation, was safe. The way she wasn’t guarded here the way she was with everyone else. She trusted him. Completely.

“I get that,” Luke said quietly. She glanced over at him, offering a small smile. “Yeah. You always do.” Something in his chest twisted. Annabeth shifted slightly, tucking one leg under herself. “Do you think I’m overthinking it?” Luke should have said yes. It would have been the right answer. The safe one. The one that kept everything where it was supposed to be. Instead, he hesitated. Just for a second.

“I think,” he said carefully, “that it’s early. Everything’s kind of…messy right now. New routines, new stress. People take a minute to settle.”

Annabeth considered that, then nodded slowly. “That makes sense.” Luke nodded back, even though his chest felt tight. She trusted him. She trusted him to be objective. To look out for her. To tell her the truth when something mattered. And he was standing here, holding onto something he couldn’t even name properly yet, something that was already pushing against the edges of that trust. Annabeth leaned forward, grabbing her bag. “Thanks,” she said. “I just needed to talk it out.” “Anytime,” Luke replied automatically. She smiled at him, softer now, more relaxed. “I mean it. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The words landed harder than anything else she’d said. Luke forced a small smile back. “You’d figure it out.” “Maybe,” she said. “But it’d be way more annoying.” He huffed out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh. Annabeth stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “I should get back. I have an early class tomorrow.” “Yeah,” Luke said. “Get some sleep.” She moved toward the door, then paused, turning back to him. “Hey.” Luke looked up. “Thanks for always being on my side.”

Luke’s chest tightened, sharp and immediate.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Always.”

Annabeth smiled once more, then slipped out into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind her. The room felt too quiet after that. Luke sat there for a long moment, staring at nothing.

Always.

The word echoed in his head, heavier now. Because the truth was, he didn’t know if that was still true. Or worse, he didn’t know if it had stopped being true before he even realized it. Luke dragged a hand over his face, exhaling slowly. This wasn’t just about him anymore. It hadn’t been for a while. And now, whether he liked it or not, there were stakes. Real ones. Because Annabeth trusted him. And Luke was starting to realize, with a clarity that made his stomach twist, that he was already betraying that trust in ways she couldn’t even see.

And that was worse than anything else.