Work Text:
Seth had never seen Luke take his break. The guy had been working there the longest of anyone working there currently, heck probably held the record without trying, of anyone who worked there, and he just didn't take his break.
He clocked in that he did, he stood behind the counter and people watched, but he didn't get off his feet, didn't leave the counter, just stood there and smiled at people while they picked up their to go orders, for fifteen minutes everyday that he worked.
So the day that some punk college kid walked into the shop, he noted out of the corner of his eye that Luke tensed up, tensed up, and Seth didn't think that the thing he was gonna do was take his break after taking the guys order to go sit with him.
He thought the guy was gonna get kicked out, though he didn't know what he had done to piss Luke off so much.
He didn't hear what the guy ordered, but he watched Luke stiffly nod, and then he shoved into the coffee station to make the drink himself, quietly telling Seth he was going on break as he took the drink, a pistachio blender, the thing Luke hated making the most; and walked away without taking his apron off to go to the booth in the corner.
He was too busy to get a good look at the guy while Luke was over there, and by the time Luke's watch went off, the line was almost out the door and he was just grateful that Luke was coming back to help him.
Luke was a quiet guy, so he knew asking wouldn't get him any answers, even as the line dispersed and they had a relatively quiet evening after that. The guy stayed in his booth, not even getting up to go to the bathroom despite his giant fucking water bottle he kept taking drinks from the whole time.
He watched Luke watch the new guy from the corner of his eye until his shift ended, the way he would tense up and relax, only noticeable because they had been working together for years, since Seth's second year at the University, heck he'd even come to Seth's graduation last year.
He sighed, as he clocked out in the backroom, wondering why this new guy intrigued Luke so much. He hung his apron up, taking a moment to run the fingers of his left hand through his hair, grimacing at the sticky greasy feeling a long day left behind, and for a second he was distracted by the fact that he needed to decide if he was shaving the sides back down, or letting it grow out again.
When he turned back to the entrance of the backroom, the door propped open by a stack of creates like it always was, he was greeted to the sight of Luke leaned against the counter, his hand on the back of his head, fingers twisted in the hair at the base of his neck, obviously watching the guy in the booth across the store.
There was a slight frown on his face, he was furrowing his brow in a way that let him know he was getting a slight headache, and while Seth walked out of the back room, he took the Tylenol from beside the doorway to the backroom, handing him the bottle on his way out from behind the counter. Luke mumbled something that Seth knew was a bitter thanks, the man would never be used to the fact that he was known by the two people he worked with the most, and Seth didn't hide the way he watched the new guy as he walked out of the building.
He shook his head after getting out the door, pulling his phone from his pocket to text Marina while he walked to his car, even though she should be studying, it was Friday night. And even if she was studying, he couldn't keep what had happened to himself.
They had new costumer, and Luke took a break to go sit with the guy.
She was going to be so mad she took this week off.
Luke's new regular was there. He knew cause he watched the guy come up and get his drink after Marina took his order.
'So his names Percy,' he thought to himself, as he got back to making drinks.
He got busy, and before he knew it Marina was clocking off. She was looking at Luke's regular as well, openly because the guy was so deep working on his laptop that even he could tell the guy was hyperfocused.
She turned to him, a slightly rise to her brow, and he nodded, knowing she was asking if the guy was who she thought he was.
They both watched him openly, since people stopped coming in often at this time of night.
He had shaggy black hair, his nose was pierced, he had a tattoo on one arm that he couldn't quite make out, but his arms were also covered in all kinds of scars, thin silver lines that looked more like something from fights then what Seth saw on his sister when she felt good enough to ware short sleeves. He still frowned, wondering what kinda life this guy had had, but it might make sense with what they knew about Luke, and the scars their friend had.
It wasn't like Luke would talk about it, but it was pretty obvious once you got to really know him that he had grown up on the street, maybe even in something worse. Maybe that's how they knew each other?
Over the last week or so, it became obvious to both him and Marina that Luke knew this guy, and wasn't just taken with him enough to go sit with him randomly. Not that they thought he would ever do that anyway. They both knew he had a tendency to hold himself back from people, even people who he flirted back to.
Marina sighed, and the guy slightly twitched but didn't move away from his work otherwise, and she told him goodnight, walked out into the warm late August air.
He started working on cleaning up then, and didn't notice until they where almost ready to close that Luke's Regular, Percy, was still there.
"Hey," he called gently, but the guy didn't even twitch,
"Dude," he called, making him jump, and he felt slightly bad but was too tired to really feel guilty, "we close in like, twenty minutes."
The guy looked up, and around noting how empty the place was, and nodded before packing up all his stuff. He checked his phone last and his brow furrowed as he looked at it. He put his empty up in the trash on the way out, and then he was off into the night.
Seth sighed, before grabbing his phone and sending a text off to Luke to let him know he missed his regular (and if he included a wink face in the text, well Luke wasn't there to shoot him a glare and the glaring emoji didn't ever have the same effect on him).
Him and Marina honestly got pretty used to the guy, he came in, Luke took his break following the guy over to wherever he was sitting that day like an old dog who just got adopted resting his head on his folded arms to look at the guy with the softest expression he had ever seen on Luke's face, not that Percy seemed to notice, just for him to come right back after his break was over like nothing happened. Percy would stay long after Seth left, and after some needling he finally got Luke to admit that he let Percy stay while he was locking up.
It still weirded him out if he thought about it long enough, and while he tired not to think about it, because he didn't think about work if he could help it on his time off; Luke was a friend, a friend who might have been one of three reasons he actually made it through college. And while he didn't get any bad vibes from the guy, it was a little weird how well they clicked.
On his night off, roughly two months after Luke's regular started showing up, Marina calls him.
He was up, scrolling different websites, half tempted to get a new skateboard, when the call came in. He frowned at it, but answered immediately because if she was calling it usually meant something serious, like the time someone robbed the shop,
"What happened," he said, sitting up in his bed, the sheet pooling around his hips,
"Something exciting so calm down," she said, knowing him very well, taking a deep breath she started speaking rather fast and quietly,
"I found out how Luke and Percy met."
His mouth opened, but only a shocked sound came out, one he would deny for life,
"Mhm mhm, I know, it wasn't much," she cut off abruptly to yell at someone and he knew she was walking home,
"When are you going to buy a car?" He asked her as she finished cussing the driver out for driving on the sidewalk,
"When it becomes absolutely necessary," she said in a sing-song voice like she didn't know it already was at this point, "As I was saying, before we got so rudely interpreted, I asked Percy when he met Luke, and he told me they met when Percy was twelve and he just turned nineteen a few months ago."
Seth opened his mouth and then shut it before opening it again,
"They met seven years ago?"
"I know right!" Marina cut him off, "he said they met back up randomly a couple months ago, so probably when he started coming to the shop!"
The wind died down on her end, and he knew she made it home safely,
"How did-"
"I asked," she said with something mischievous in her voice, "And apparently they met at a summer camp, where Luke was a counselor."
Seth dropped back down onto the bed, his head hitting the pillow.
"Well." She trailed off, "Percy said they hadn't spent much time together in the past seven years. Almost like he was implying they had met up occasionally."
"Huh," Seth said, when he didn't have anything better to come up with.
He heard Marina call out to her roommate that she was back,
"Anyway, I found out a little bit more, apparently Luke was fired from the camp job, didn't say anything else about that though, and I pushed a little, followed to their table," Seth scoffed a sound, pissed on Luke's behalf, but Marina carried on, "And asked how Luke was with kids. According to Percy, he was having a really bad time that year and Luke was like his guardian angel or something."
Seth hummed. And then ran a hand down his face,
"So, now we know why he's like that around Luke."
Marina made a noise of agreement, "Like Luke is Apollo or something I don't know Greek Myths that well."
Seth laughed, "what?"
"Oh, "she said with a giggle in her voice, "I've stood behind him when he's working and Percy's studying Greek Mythology."
"What in the world?"
"I know right! So random, but he does have a bunch of patches on that one jacket that have things to do with Greek Myth, and his tattoo I think."
Seth rolled his eyes, and looked at the clock. He sighed, which turned to a yawn, which turned to Marina asking him if he wanted to sleep.
He didn't know what had happened, Luke realized Percy was there so he went back to sit with him, but then it was almost like the shop got colder, real cold, and then after a few seconds it went away. And then Luke came back off his break, looking mildly upset.
His regular walked out a few moments later, and Luke ran to catch up to him, so he turned and tried too look busy, but he only heard Luke speak, something about seeing him the next time Luke would be working but he didn't hear Percy reply, and then the bell rang.
He knew it wasn't his place, but when Luke got back he still asked,
"Everything ok?"
Luke just shrugged his back to the shop as he cleaned the coffee station counter and in extension he was blocking Seth out as well. He let him get away with it for ten minutes.
Seth sighed, rolling up his sleeves, Luke had been there for a lot of his shit, so he said,
"I know he means something to you, I won't pry, but I'm here if you need me man."
Luke sighed, a deep rattling sound, and finally turned to him,
"I asked him what he was doing out here finally. I guess I just didn't get the answer I wanted and it still seemed like a lot for him to say."
Seth nodded, and then said in as fake a sage voice he could manage,
"You must let him open up to you, like a lotus."
Luke scoffed but laughed,
"Yeah yeah I know, I just never know how to be around him."
Seth's brow furrowed,
"Well, I think you've been fine these last couple months."
Luck shrugged one shoulder, and turned to get started on a pot of black coffee as they where out of anything brewed,
"Yeah, but it was strained before this time, for awhile we weren't on the best of terms. He was on the other-" He cut himself off, and sighed, his shoulders drooping in that way that they did when he said any little thing about this time before this town.
Seth didn't think before he spoke,
"Your making it sound like you where in opposing gangs or something."
He cringed as soon as he said it, taking half step back though he didn't think Luke would ever get violent with him, but Luke just huffed a laughed and said,
"Or something."
Seth blinked a couple times, and then muttered,
"I thought you met at a summer camp."
Luke was smiling as he turned around, back to the machine as he leaned against the counter and rolled his eyes,
"Marina told you."
Seth nodded once.
Luke threw the towel in his hand on the counter, and looked to the door longingly, but no one was outside to save him,
"We did. I got fired because I was recruiting kids for something."
He frowned, but Seth stayed quiet as Luke started speaking softly,
"I thought I was doing something good, a lot of them didn't have homes to go back too, and at least Kr-" He grimaced, "The man who was manipulating me, he fed us. Made sure the kids were clothed and I could deal with what he wanted from me, or so I thought." He trailed off again. And then cleared his throat as Seth just stared at him with his mouth open.
"Well, Percy was on the other side of it. The camp was more like a home for troubled kids, in some ways, a rival in some others. I stayed there year round from the time I was fourteen to around the time I was nineteen, and I tried to get Percy to run away with the rest of us."
He was being vague, but Seth didn't want the details at this point.
"I guess you could say it was like two rival gangs. We fought a few times, these different sides. But I never." He trailed off again, and then looked Seth in the eye with a sigh,
"It's all in the past, and I can't talk about it legally any way. But Percy is a good guy, better then I'll ever be." He said it with a grin, but Seth could see the pain in his eyes.
Neither of them talked for the rest of their shift, even though he took too long clocking out and getting ready to leave, hesitating in the back room, wondering if he should stick around so Luke wouldn't be alone for the last hour, but he couldn't bring himself to stay there.
He made sure to give Luke a fist bump on his way out of the store after his shift, and Luke gave him a half smile as he returned it.
After he was out of the shop and into his car, he backed out of his spot, and drove right to Marina's apartment in silence.
He didn't bother knocking, just used his key to get in; she refused when he had offered it back to her at the beginning of the semester, and she looked up at him from the couch. He kicked his shoes off, not saying anything while she asked him what was going on.
He walked over and did something he hadn't done since they temperately broke things off, and they had yet to talk about getting back together; he dropped his face to her lap, her hand automatically went to his hair, fingers curling in the long part but dragging against the freshly buzzed bits, she sat aside her laptop.
"What's wrong," she whispered, he shook his head for a moment and then said,
"What I say, you can't let Luke know I told you."
Her hand paused, but she agreed, a soft hesitant 'okay' from above him.
"Luke was in a gang as teen, and that's what got him fired from the camp job."
She made a soft sound above him, but he continued before she could ask anything,
"And apparently the camp was also a gang? Cause him and Percy like, actually fought. Like I think that's how they got all those scars."
She was silent, but her hand continued playing with his hair.
"But he can't talk about it legally." He mumbled, and she whispered a soft 'fuck' under her breath. He couldn't agree more.
"He's going to know you told me," she said softly. He just nodded, because she was right. Neither of them where good at keeping their emotions off their faces.
"Just don't bring it up." He said.
They didn't say anything else for the rest of the night, and she didn't even try to kick him out, just pulled him along to her room, where they fell into bed and slept an awful nights sleep.
They fell back into each other after that. It was a silent agreement that neither of them told anyone else. But if they spent more time at each others apartments, then only Marina's roommate had to know. And Luke by the looks he was giving them, but they ignored it like they ignored everything going on between him and Percy.
He was sitting on his couch, beer in hand, game on TV when she came through the door like something was chasing her.
He almost spilled his beer when she did, but she was happy jumping instead of anything serious as she turned and locked the door, so he sighed, and moved his arm holding his drink away as she sat next to him, pressing close,
"I think they are going to move in together."
It had been a week since Luke had told him they where in opposite child gangs, so he just stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
She shook her head, and grinned,
"No, for real, he told me at the start of our shift that he had to start looking for a new place, and I followed him on his way to his break because I knew I wouldn't get a chance to talk to him today,"
Seth rolled his eyes, and took a sip of this beer, his eyes flickering to the TV for a moment but they where on a commercial break,
"And I think Percy over heard us, but because there was no one in there cause of the snow," Seth's eyes flickered to the window and sure enough there was snow, "I got to overhear them, and Percy immediately offered to let Luke stay with him when Luke admitted to apartment hunting because his heats broke."
Seth's hand paused where his beer was half way to his mouth, and he put it it back down against his leg gently. He hummed, letting his head hit the back of the couch as Marina brought her cold face to his neck,
"If he doesn't want to stay with Percy, he's welcome here."
She smiled, he could feel it against his skin as she spoke, "he's going to want to stay with Percy babe."