Work Text:
As soon as Sally put the car into park, Percy’s seatbelt was unbuckled and he ran up to the large plantation style house. He rang the doorbell, then twisted around and frantically waved for Sally to hurry up.
Sally smiled to herself as she grabbed her purse and joined Percy at the front door just as it opened.
The boy who stood in the doorway was tall and handsome for fourteen years old. He had sandy blond hair and remarkably blue eyes. Those blue eyes glanced at Sally before locking onto Percy. A grin split his face. “Percy!” He held his arms out to Percy.
Percy didn’t hesitate to run into those open arms. “Luke!”
The boys embraced and Luke turned, half dragging Percy as he walked deeper into the house. “Mama’s in the kitchen,” he called over his shoulder to Sally.
Sally smiled at the boys. Despite the seven years between them, they got along so well. “Thank you, Luke,” she said, though May’s son was too engrossed in hers to pay attention. Sally made her way into the kitchen, having been here enough times to get herself there without a guide.
May Castellan wore a creamy white sweater over her baby blue sundress. She had thick fluffy socks on to keep her feet warm. Her hair was mostly white despite her only being forty-four years old and she had it pinned up in a bun. “Hello, Sally,” she said without turning around.
May was beautiful enough to take Sally’s breath away. “Hi, May,” Sally said. She could hear her voice gone soft and warm. A touch of warmth came to her cheeks. She was twenty-nine and hopelessly in love with this woman. Sally joined her in the kitchen and looked over the spread of snacks and treats.
There were sugar cookies decorated with red, green, and blue sugar on top. There were three bowls of popcorn, each with a different flavor; caramel, cheese, and butter. Peppermint fudge was cut into squares. There were meatballs with a brown sugar glaze, cheesy onion bread that looked like a pinecone spread out, deviled eggs decorated to look like Santa Clause, and spiced nuts. Beside the trays of food were two mason jars full of eggnog topped with cinnamon and two mason jars full of hot buttered rum.
“This looks delicious,” Sally said. She wrapped her arms around May’s waist and kissed her cheek.
May turned her face to kiss Sally’s cheek back. Then she beamed at her. Her eyes were a soft, faded green. It was clear that Luke got his eyes from his father; just like Percy got his eyes from his father. “Will you help me carry it all to the family room?”
“Of course.” Sally picked up a tray and headed into the living room.
Luke had set up the VCR and had the movie paused on the screen. He looked up when Sally entered. Then he jumped to his feet and dashed out of the living room.
“We’re going to watch Home Alone,” Percy announced. He sat on the floor by the coffee table, his coat and shoes discarded in a corner. His hair already had that cowlick he got whenever he was around Luke, because the older boy couldn’t keep his hands out of Percy’s hair and pet him so much that it stood up. “Have you seen this movie, mom?”
Sally set the tray on the coffee table. “I haven’t seen it since it came out and I took your Uncle Rich to the theatre.”
Percy was drawn to the snacks. He wasn’t an overly picky child when it came to eating and normally went by his nose. If it smelled good to him, then he would most likely like it. But he didn’t touch the food. He would wait for May and Luke before eating their food. “These cookies are so cool. Look, there’s blue ones!”
Luke returned with the eggnogs in his hand. “These are for us,” he told Percy. He set them down on coasters then left again.
May came in shortly after Luke left, carrying the other tray. She made room for it then sat down on the loveseat. “Luke is getting our drinks,” she said to Sally.
Sally sat down too. She made herself comfortable beside May, drawing her legs up and sitting close to the older woman.
A minute later, Luke came back. He handed them their drinks. “Are you sure we can’t have some, mama? It smells so good.”
May smiled at her son. She gestured for him to start the movie. “I’m sure, Luke. You can have some when you’re older. And you’d better not share with Percy until he’s of age.”
The sheepish look on Luke’s face told them that he’d been planning on sharing with his younger friend. He ducked his head, shooting a shy look at Sally, then turned the movie on. He sat down so that the coffee table was between him and Percy, then scooped up a handful of popcorn.
Percy took that as his cue to begin eating. He immediately went for the cookies.
Sally and May snacked as they watched the movie. It was as funny as Sally remembered it being but she’s watching the boys as much as she is the movie. This was Percy’s first time seeing it.
The boys worked through the snack trays steadily. By the end of the movie, there was no longer a coffee table between them. Luke sat with his back against the coffee table, with Percy between his legs, back to his chest. The two were very close and they laughed together at the same parts. Luke whispered jokes to Percy that made Percy cackle.
May sat with her socked feet up and tangled with Sally’s stocking feet, tucked against her half of the loveseat. Her love for Luke and by extension Percy, was so obvious that it shone in her eyes. She laughed at the joke that Luke told and then gently scolded the boys for being so loud.
Sally found herself looking at May, Luke, and Percy with wonder and a feeling of love. After the death of her parents and uncle, after Poseidon left her, Sally felt like maybe she wouldn’t ever find family again. But May and Luke were perfect for her and Percy. She reached over to hold May’s hand.
May turned her attention to Sally. That look of love was given to her full force. She gave a small jerk of her head, indicating that Sally should join her over there.
Without letting go of May’s hand, Sally shifted so that she could tuck herself against May’s side. She rested her head in the crook of May’s shoulder and smiled. They held hands as they watched the movie.
When the movie was over, they put on another one. Sally and Percy had nowhere else to be; they were planning to spend the next few nights here. After a few more movies, Luke and Percy fell asleep on the floor in a pile. May turned to Sally, tipped her head up, and kissed her sweetly. “They’ll be fine on the floor but we should go to bed,” May whispered.
Sally nodded agreement. May’s kiss filled her with warmth. They got up together and while May cleared away the dishes, Sally took a blanket off the couch and draped it over their sons. Then, Sally and May went upstairs and slipped between the cool sheets, holding each other for warmth.