Shake it off

chapter eight

Percy

Two weeks later...

Leo was asleep on the couch, with his head pressed to Percys shoulder. The bright rays from the tv splashed over his relaxed face. An ash tray, about three feet away on the wooden coffee table still had Leo's half-finished cigarette inside. Percy wrinkled  His nose at the named object. He hated  the fact that Leo was so willingly tear up his lungs daily.

Honestly he was surprised his mom let Leo smoke in the house, he supposed it was probably just because mom knew Leo had it hard, and needed it. He had to deal with all this foster family bullshit, and he'd spent all night studying again. He apparently had a test this  coming week, a big test that mean thirty percent   of his grade. 

Mom walked past, putting something up, and glanced  at the two, Leo's head pressed against Percy's shoulder. Percy shifted semi-awkwardly in his seat. Mom reached over to the ashtray and crushed the bottom of the cigarette against it, so there was no more smoke emitted. "You two are so cute." His mother sighed.

Leo gave out a strange breath, and his face scrunched up slightly. "Poor thing, a nightmare." Mother-bear mode was on. She had become more and more protective over Leo over the span of a month. 

Leo mumbled something, and gripped Percy's long sleeved shirt. "I know." He muttered, resisting the urge to rub Leo's back comfortingly. "But I don't want to wake him up, he needs the sleep." 

"But it's the weekend, he can sleep  all night and all morning tonight."

Percy shrugged, but then immediately hated himself because it almost woke Leo. "Yeah, but..." He hated to admit it, but he really loved having Leo tucked onto his shoulder his curls tickling his neck. Their bodies were close, their breaths mixing. 

"Oh, it's okay, I just want you two up here in about thirty minutes. That's when I'm starting the food, and I'd like Leo nd you to help." She explained.

Percy smirked a little. "I love the fact that you emphasized his name, but mine was just there."

She sighed, looking at the Latino with interest. "I'd continue on with this conversation, but he's asleep. I don't want to wake him." She ran fingers through his curls, which Percy wasn't sure if it was creepy, or sweet.

"You're just avoiding the conversation." He rolled his eyes playfully. 

She leant down and kissed his forehead. "I promise I'm not. You know I love you more than anyone. Leo is just like another son."

I'm really glad he's not, or that'd be definitely incestual, Percy thought. His mother placed the remote in his hands before leaving the room. A sudden warmth spread throughout his body. How was Leo always so warm, yet Percys hands always felt cold. The younger guy had a phone in his hands, the one he said he got from Piper. It had a gruesome depiction of a murder on it, with a caption of:Twenty year old young lady murdered seven years after the murder of another woman in the same house.

Percy nervously picked up the object. He wasn't trying to snoop, he just wanted to see what it was that Leo was looking at. Why would he be interested in a scary scene.

It said that this woman was murdered in the exact same way another woman was seven years ago. Then it continues that the rumor was that a child murdered their mother, or at least that's what the family said. Then it showed a picture of a mother and a child. Both had curly hair, with high cheekbones and big, bright grins on their faces. Under it was an advertisement saying for the person reading this to come to Esperanzas workshop. 

It was Leo and his mother. They looked so honestly happy. "Leo." He muttered. Leo might smile now, but never like that, never so incredibly honest about what he was feeling.