Shake it off

epilogue

"Here we are." Percy mumbled.

Leo stared at the stone before him. His breath was an unsteady rise and fall as his eyes reached it.

Esperanza Valdez: 1976-1999

Loving daughter, mother, and sister

RIP

Leo is in texas, with his hometown's grass beneath his feet, and seeing his mother's grave for the first time in thirteen years. He can barely feel the touch of his boyfriends hand on his shoulder, or Percy's gaze on his face. He knows he's crying but he doesn't feel it.

He feels a soft hand takes his own, and squeeze. Ari. She decided to go with them. Thank god, even after all these years and everything he was glad to call her his sister. Unfortunately enough he feels too empty and hollow to squeeze back.

Looking down at his mother's grave, he was painfully aware of the coffin that lay six feet under him. He had flowers in the hand that was untouched. Yet now they lay on the ground. He remembered her. Her kind words and loving songs. Her way of making ends meet. The way she didn't give a fuck about anything besides Leo and her shop. She was strong. She was his mother.

He remembered the lack of her. He remembered the foster homes. Sally, Percy's mom in places where she should have been. He could barely remember his own mother face, and that scared him. He still loved her. Very dearly. She was the most important person in the world. She was everything.

So he took a deep breath and dropped to his knees. "I found the man who put you here." he croaked. "You're finally going to get justice, mom."

--

Percy let his head fall back as Leo snaked his arms around his neck and smirked. He felt thin fingers trail up his chest. Then Leo's mouth on his. Over their four years of a relationship Leo had definitely progressively gotten better at this sort of thing.

He loved this. He loved Leo's lips against his, before moving to his neck. He loved feeling his lover's bare body against his own, making Percy delve his face into Leo's neck. He loved the feeling of his boyfriend clawing at him. He loved the feeling of Leo's hips on top of him, and his legs straddling his waist. He loved Leo's gasps against his neck. Even if the headboard dug into his back. Even he could feel sweat trail down his back.

"You love me." Leo whispered against the cusp of his ear breathlessly. "You love me." he felt Leo rake his nails against Percy's shoulders, he felt him mouth against the hollow of his neck, shivering.

Percy shivered. "You love me." Leo's voice rose an octave as he said this. "Fuck, you love me so much. Not that waitress at the coffee shop, not that asshole at work." Percy remembered the people. The waitress that flirted with Percy earlier today, and that guy that tried to get his number when he picked Leo up from work earlier. He could barely think. Leo elicited a sound from his throat. He loved when he could make him jealous. He never did it intentionally, but Leo was hotheaded and he got so jealous so quick. "Just me." Leo breathed, moving his hips faster. "You love me."

Percy lost his mind. "I love you." he gripped the thighs that lay at either side of him. "I love you so fucking much." he loves him. He would love him til it ruined him. Ruins them both.

--

Ari sat on the sofa, her legs crossed, and her headband pushing against her curls. Nico sat at the end, his head resting against Will's shoulder, and his hand tracing the inside of her arm, where the two of them resembled similar scars. In the past four years of living with her brother and her brothers lover, Nico had become a constant. Although steadily temperamental, and depressing he had always been there for her whenever the need arose. In the first year he told her about his one-sided love towards Leo. She helped him get over it, and watched him as he moved on to another boy.