Once the school's population had left Peter's home, it left only the friend group behind.

They all spread out in the living room, none of them tired-too high on the energy of the party and happiness of being able to hang out. The tradition was long standing, the resident group of cousins had started it actually.

Percy, Nikki, Thalen, the original trio.

Jacy and Thalen had been split when they were very young, Thalen going with her mom and Jacy staying with their dad. So,Thalen had lived in New York, and met his cousins-no matter how much his mom hadn't wanted him to. It was a chance meeting, they somehow wound up in the same school and hit it off.

That was the year the Halloween Sleepover had it's first meeting.

When Nikki got moved in with her mom and gained a half-brother, Hank was added to the group. Then Grace, one of Percy's closest friends to this day, next Andrew, then Richard, finally Jacy moved in with Thalen and their mom and that led to Piper and Leah joining in. The newest to join were Ren, Caleb, Julian, Winnona, and Francesca.

That's why they were all draped over each other in the living room, talking with no real aim for conversation.

"Let's play games!" Leah chanted, Caleb trying, and failing, to stop her shouting. "Come on guys!"

"Fine." Peter sighed, though the shit-eating grin he wore showed he was anything but put-off to the idea. "What's first in the line up?"

On this night they played all the classics, teasing each other in truth or dare-or being as quiet as possible to play hide-and-seek. When it came to those games and trying to get people together they had some set, unsaid, rules.

No first kisses.

No forcing, everyone had a chance to back out.

The younger kids were not given anything too risky, they were a very protective family always.

And, for the love of all things holy, stop trying with Andrew and Percy.

The group of friends had tried everything they could, trust them. Once Peter had been planning on daring Percy to spend the whole night in Andrew's lap . . . Let's just say that plan was foiled by Percy starting off the night by draping herself over Andrew and not really ever moving.

Leah had dared Andrew to kiss Percy a few years back . . . Percy had laid one on him after the blonde was reduced to a blushing and stuttering mess and couldn't really complete the dare. It hadn't even managed to make things the slightest awkward for the besties. As if that was just completely normal for people to do.

If the others were being honest, they were sure that the bestfriends had no idea just how un-normal their relationship really was.

They had given up on that front.

Andrew grunted faintly as he collapsed back onto the end of the black, leather couch. His sleeves were rolled up, shirt undone three buttons, and hair a mess. He seemed tired physically, but the glint to his grey eyes showed he was wide awake. He sat with his legs apart, feet flat on the floor in the dress shoes. Andrew propped his head up with his hand, elbow on the arm of the couch.

He didn't even flinch as Percy slung her arms around his shoulders and slipped into his lap. She sat on his left leg, her legs tucked together and up so her feet dangled beside his right knee. She had taken off her shoes, chucking them off to the side of the couch. Percy's black curtain of hair was brushed to one shoulder, her head tucked into the crook between Andrew's neck and shoulder.

"Why don't we do that?" Peter fake pouted, sticking his lip out as he looked up at his girlfriend. Jacy was sat in an armchair to match the couch, her boyfriend at her feet.

"Don't even, Beauty King." Jacy scolded, kicking his shoulder blade with her socked foot. "If we clung to each other the way they do, we'd drive each other insane in a day." Her face was serious but her blue eyes gleamed with amusement. "Plus you know that's just how Perce is, she is one of the clingiest people on the earth."

"This is true. I used to give her piggy-back rides just because she wanted to hang out with me but couldn't keep up." Thalen teased, sprawled out on the floor, Ren's head resting on his stomach. Ren let Thalen run fingers through his hair, eyes closed but not asleep.

"Hey," Percy cried out, mock hurt filling her voice as she covered her heart. "stop calling me out like this!" Andrew chuckled, wrapping his hand around her waist so his palm fit into the dip of her hip. "How dare you, you're supposed to defend my honor!" Percy lightly smacked Andrew's chest.

"What honor?" Andrew teased, smirk in place as he met Percy's green eyes.

Percy squawked in false betrayal and hit him some more.

That night was spent laughing and smiling, telling stories and playing games, friends catching up and a family becoming even closer. 

Towards the end of the night, Leah spoke up with an idea. "Hey! Andrew!" She called out, from where she sprawled over her boyfriend. Caleb had his hands lost in the abundance of his girlfriend's curls to scratch at her scalp. "You should show us some of your dance moves!"

The blonde boy went red, shaking his head. "Nope, did enough dancing tonight to be used as blackmail for two years at least."

"Come on!" Leah whined.

"I'll have him dance for you later." Percy murmured, curled up on Andrew's chest. "Sleep now."

"You heard the woman," Peter sighed. "bedtime. I'll grab the stuff, you guys get changed and things."

Andrew smiled down at Percy. "I brought us both pajamas, I knew you'd forget yours. So just give me a second and I'll get them." Percy nodded faintly, letting herself be shifted off her bestfriend's lap to lay down while he went and got clothes from his trunk.

Percy spent the night in one of Andrew's shirts and a pair of his sweats she had to tie tighter so they wouldn't slip off her waist. None of the others even bothered to try and tease them, it had happened too often for that.

They didn't say anything, even as the bestfriends spent the night spooning on the couch.