vax'ildan (deathwalker) wrote in noexits, @ 2022-08-19 17:03:00 |
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On the first day of Derleth’s new and hopefully less exciting week, Vax woke up around mid-morning. It turned out to be exactly the right time if he wanted absolutely no responsibility except eating breakfast: by the time he showed up at the cafeteria it seemed the vast majority of the cooking was already either finished or well underway, but he was early enough to know he wasn’t going to want to stick around solely for there to be enough dishes to start washing. Which meant he felt a little bit guilty while he was finishing his second stack of pancakes, but there was always tomorrow. He could be more helpful to everyone tomorrow. He hadn’t checked in with anyone this morning, figuring everyone deserved to celebrate what was looking to be a calm week in their own way this first day… which meant he hadn’t spoken to Percy yet, either. Even before arriving here, Vax and the rest of Vox Machina had abandoned the concept of having any down time - it was one adventure to the next whether they liked it or not, so Vax wasn’t certain how any of the three of them here now would do if the quiet really did hold and they had a solid week of it. Time to find out, he supposed. He grabbed an orange on his way toward the door and tossed it in the air, showing off for absolutely no one when he caught it with a flourish that had it rolling over the backs of his knuckles before landing solidly in his palm. Still, he smiled faintly to himself at his own success before veering off his path to the door toward where Percy was still seated eating his breakfast. Vax dropped his free hand onto Percy’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze on his way past, slowing but not stopping his movement. “Thought I’d go outside, Percival,” he breezed with a glance over his shoulder. “Pretend the sky actually means it’s a nice day. I’ll share,” he held the orange up just above shoulder height to demonstrate what was on offer, “if you’d like to find me once you’re finished with the rest of your breakfast?” Now that the choice was firmly Percy’s to make, Vax picked up his stride again and disappeared out the doors to the Green. Percy was up earlier than he cared to be, even if he wasn't exactly accustomed to getting to sleep in. Ever. Even now, with no immediate, pending threat, his mind wouldn't settle enough to let him drift back to sleep. He reached for his earring to see if Vax was awake, but stopped himself. Just because he couldn't sleep anymore, it doesn't mean he had to disturb Vax's well-earned slumber (if he was indeed still sleeping). So Percy unrolled his tinkering tools and grabbed Diplomacy. He pulled down the smaller lenses of his glasses to further magnify his vision as he proceeded to fuss with the glove in an attempt to improve its usefulness. Even though he had Cabal's Ruin. But the cloak used magic to do what Percy was determined to achieve with pure engineering. An undetermined amount of time past before an embarrassingly audible grumble in his stomach pulled Percy from his tinkering. He stashed away his tools and the gauntlet before finally leaving his room in search of food. There were pancakes in the cafeteria and Percy was excited as a small child on Winter's Crest morning. He loaded his plate with a stake higher than he would normally consume, but he was feeling gleefully indulgent and he was going to enjoy having good food that he could actually trust wasn't dusted with some chaotic fairy magic. He had it in his mind to search the cafeteria for Vax, but the pancakes were alluring and he settled down in the first empty seat he could find to dig in. Luckily, Vax found him, just as he was finishing the last pancake in his stack. He expected Vax to sit beside him, but instead he informed Percy he was going outside and tempted him with an orange. But it wasn't food now that Percy found alluring. He scarfed down the rest of his pancakes (with little elegency or dignity) and got up to follow the same path Vax went down, out into the Green. "Hey," he said, simply. He was unaware of or uncaring about a small trace of sticky syrup smeared against the corner of his mouth. "It's been-" he notices the stickiness when he speaks more and brushes at it with the pad of his thumb. "These last few weeks have been…something else." A huge understatement. There wasn’t much of a doubt in Vax’s mind that Percy would follow him, the real question was when. It wouldn’t be entirely unlike Percy to keep Vax waiting simply because he could, or because Vax’s invitation had been flippant enough that Percy felt it didn’t deserve immediacy… but it also had been a couple of weeks since they’d known any sort of real peace and could spend time together without threat of some kind of attack, so it could also be that Percy was feeling that as keenly as Vax himself was. Resigned to his unknown wait time, Vax posted himself up against one of the trees nearest Dexter, standing with his shoulders pressed back into the trunk and one foot kicked back to brace against it as well. In an effort to make it seem less like he was staring at the doors to the building, he freed one of his daggers from its sheath and started peeling his orange that way; wholly unnecessary when his own hands would do just fine, but he managed to make a personal game of it in trying to peel the fruit in one continuous spiral. He was getting to the end of it with good success when Percy finally found him - for all the times his gaze had darted up toward the doors when he thought he thought he heard them open, he’d missed the most important one. “Hey,” he answered, warm and just breathless enough to give away the sudden jolt of nerves that kicked up in his stomach. Ridiculous, but no less present. He smiled faintly at Percy smearing at the syrup, ducking his head to finish stripping the last of the peel from the orange to make it seem like he might not have noticed it himself. Once he’d tossed the long spiral of orange peel to the side, he split the fruit in half and looked up to offer Percy one of them. “Something else is one way to put it. I never thought I’d be absolutely thrilled to wake up in that cramped little room, but it turns out it’s not so bad if the world isn’t crumbling around it.” He looked down again, focused on splitting a wedge of orange away from the others while he continued to speak. Quieter and a little more slowly now, like he was beginning to choose his words as they came. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your breakfast, you know. I only - ah, I wanted to make sure I had a chance at finding you today, that’s all.” The fact that Vax was posed all cool against the tree and peeling the orange with a dagger was not lost on Percy. He had to fight to keep a smirk at bay as he watched the last of the peel come away from the fruit. "You know," he began as he pulled apart his half of the orange, "you could've had breakfast with me." He was already full from the pancakes he'd gorged himself on, already had enough sweetness for the morning with the syrup, but indulging in the orange was indulging in a shared, quiet moment with Vax. "We haven't spent any time together really since- uhhhh, well-" Just the slightest bit of pink brightened his cheeks as he ate another small wedge of orange. "If this week is actually a calm one, we should spend as much of it together as possible. Without you getting sick of me anyway." Flirtation, courting, relationship–none of it had ever been Percy's strong suit. He didn't have a lot of practice and it seemed, more often than not, that his usual eloquence went out the window during conversations like this. He hoped that being earnest, at least, would make up for it. “I could have,” Vax allowed with a smirk, pausing with the orange wedge halfway to his mouth to make sure Percy could see his face. “But I’d already eaten and this way we have a little privacy, so I think it’s better, don’t you?” He winked, taking a page out of his sister’s book before he popped the orange into his mouth and took his time chewing so he could watch the pink start to filter into Percy’s cheeks. Chewing also helped to keep the smirk from making a widened return; it was sweet that Percy was shy about this whole thing, but sweet wouldn’t normally make Vax keep from teasing him about it. And Percy wasn’t wrong. Really, the only thing keeping Vax from giving in to the flutter of nerves in his stomach about this whole situation was the very fact that Percy was so flustered about it. It had to mean that Percy hadn’t changed his mind, so there wasn’t anything to be nervous about. But with weeks gone by since Thor’s party and next to no time spent together since then - except the ball, which hadn’t even been a nice time after they realized what was going on - it had been easy to start wondering if there was some deeper reason they hadn’t made a point to spend more time together. Vax forced himself to stop second guessing and stepped away from the tree, suddenly a little annoyed by the rest of the orange in his hand because it meant he only had one hand free and it was sticky with juice from the orange. Even without touching Percy it felt like his next statement was best made up close, however, so he moved a little closer and bent just slightly at the knees so he could be sure to catch Percy’s gaze even if he looked down. “You know I’m not going to get sick of you, don’t you? I’m happy to prove it to you.” He gave Percy a crooked grin and nudged the toe of one of his boots against Percy’s, then straightened his posture again and popped another piece of orange into his mouth. “As much of this week together as possible, and we’ll see who’s tired of who at the end of it. Deal?” That damn wink only served to make Percy's cheeks even more pink. The twins certainly did have a way about them. It was more polished on Vex, but just as affective coming from Vax. The half of orange in his hand was all but forgotten as he listened to Vax. He didn't avert his gaze, at least never for long, because he wanted to read Vax's face. His eyes, the curve of his smirk let Percy know that the half-elf meant what he was saying. And then he mirrored Vax's expression with a smirk of his own. "Now I'll have to do my best not to take that as a challenge." Percy's competitive nature new very few bounds. Even when they were trying to have a romantic moment. But a hint of mischievousness always had to run through their interactions or Percy would truly think something was wrong. And as that thought occurred to him, Percy's smirk broadened and he lifted a hand, sticky and damp from the orange, and patted it against the side of Vax's face. "You've got yourself a deal, darling." While it hadn’t necessarily been Vax’s explicit intention to turn the offer into a challenge, he still felt a little spark of pride in his chest when Percy took it as one because it meant he truly did know the other man well enough to have touched on a way to ease the nerves that had been growing steadily more apparent. It wouldn’t do for him to look too smug in the face of success, though (especially as accidental as it had been), so he contented himself with a laugh and a skyward roll of his eyes like Percy turning it into a bet was the most frustratingly typical thing he could’ve done. It was, but Vax liked it. So it wasn’t so much frustrating as it was simply typical. “It’s alright if you - “ The half-elf found himself caught off guard with that sticky pat to his cheek, the words dying in his throat as he closed his eyes - this time in true exasperation - and paired it with a long-suffering sigh that was tainted only a little bit by the fact that he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from twitching up in a faint smile afterwards. “Thank you, Percival. So much.” Eyes still closed, he lifted a hand to touch a fingertip to his cheek and found it still tacky, but already starting to dry to plain sticky. “I didn’t expect you’d try to win this early in the week.” He barely cracked one eye open to orient himself before he reached out with his free hand and got his fingers tangled into a handful of Percy’s shirt to tug him forward a step closer. Once the two of them were practically chest to chest, Vax loosed his hold on Percy’s shirt and reached up to steady himself on Percy’s shoulder again as he leaned in to speak quietly next to Percy’s ear. “I wasn’t actually going to try to win this one, you know. Personally, I’d rather you not be tired of me by the end of the week.” He lingered a moment more, head turning just slightly like he might ease back and sideways enough for a kiss… but rather than that, he pulled away with a cheeky grin and slapped the backs of his fingers playfully against Percy’s chest as he danced back a step. “But if that’s how you want to play it, Freddie, then that’s how it’ll be.” "I believe I said I'd try not to turn it into a challenge." Percy had half a mind to run his sticky fingers through Vax's hair, but Vax stepped closer, eliminating any space between them and as Vax turned his head so that their lips might meet, Percy was distracted by what he thought was going to be a kiss. Until Vax pulled away from him. A mock look of offense fell over Percy's face, but didn't last long before his lips curled up into a smile that reached his eyes. "I may have my work cut out for me with you." Percy extended a hand to grasp at Vax's, not wanting the other man to go any further from him. "I do think we can spend some of our time more productively than this. If you're interested." The smile lingered and he briefly raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Or I suppose I could just spend all this downtime tinkering. Diplomacy sure could use a lot of work." Vax did nothing at all to try making his pride at making Percy smile the way he was. Given the severity of events before their - well, Vax’s - arrival at Derleth and everything that had happened since, the opportunities to see Percy genuinely relaxed and happy felt as though they had been few and very far between. Coaxing more out of him seemed like an admirable goal for the week, Vax decided, even if he knew the both of them would remain preoccupied with trying to drive the other mad simply because it was what they did. “I hope that’s the case,” he countered with a laugh, holding his hand out so he was more easily caught. Once Percy had Vax’s hand in his grasp, he eased forward the step he’d opened up between them with what he hoped wasn’t misguided trust at the truce that seemed to have cropped up between them for now. “I know you, Percival, and I think you’d be awfully bored if I made things too easy for you. If you’re going to be bored this week, it isn’t going to be because of me.” The idea of Percy spending all of his spare time tinkering triggered one of Vax’s more overtly dramatic reactions: with a groan, his knees buckled enough that he took a comically staggering step back and his free hand rose to his chest like the mere suggestion of that being Percy’s activity of choice had absolutely broken his heart. Once he’d righted himself, he couldn’t help his crooked grin as he draped an arm over Percy’s shoulder and stepped in closer again. “I’m interested, you ass, you didn’t even give me a chance to say I was interested!” This time, Vax made good on the promise of a kiss, barely lingering longer than a peck before he drew back to study Percy again. “I’m not going to stop you from your work, of course, but might I suggest you do it while I’m off working at trying not to disappoint an entire cast of people? You tinker, I’ll channel my very best inner Scanlan, and all the time in between can be for us. What do you think, darling?” Percy rolled his eyes at Vax's theatrics, but he also let out a chuckle. He swatted at Vax's chest before pulling him closer once more. The kiss was far too short and Percy sighed in protest the second it ended. "Darling, after that display, I don't think you need to channel Scanlan." He leaned in and stole another quick, chaste kiss. "But maybe you could channel him for…other things." Percy wanted to waggle his eyebrows but he furrowed them instead and scrunched his nose. "Nope, never mind. Forget I even said that. I don't- no. Just…no." He cover his face with his hand and laughed again. "Gods. Suddenly I'm very thankful he isn't here." No sooner had Vax opened his mouth to give Percy grief about the path he was leading them both down than Percy made a face and retracted the statement. He wasn’t entirely willing to let it go completely, but he did bite down on his bottom lip to keep it from escaping him immediately - watching Percy admonish himself was enough for the moment. And Percy laughing was still enough of a novelty that he wasn’t going to deprive himself - or Percy - of it. Grinning, Vax wrapped an arm around Percy’s waist and used his other hand to circle his fingers around Percy’s wrist, drawing his hand away from his face enough that Vax could close the distance between them for another kiss. Those were a nice start to making up for lost time, the kisses. Tame in the grand scheme of things, perhaps, but while even the idea that he might be allowed them was still new in Vax’s mind they felt like taking something precious. “Can you imagine if he was? You’d have to learn not to blush half so much, you know. He’d never give you a moment of peace about it.” With a quiet laugh, Vax turned Percy’s wrist loose so he could instead bring that hand up to his cheek, tracing the pad of his thumb over Percy’s cheekbone. “And he’d have pointers. Specifically designed to make you look like you’d prefer to sink into the ground than be standing where you were. I couldn’t blame him for it, though. It’s terribly endearing.” He smirked and leaned in to peck a kiss to the tip of Percy’s nose, then stepped back and held out a hand with another wink. “What he’d fail to take into account is that you seem the type to learn better when you’re more hands on about it. So what do you say, Percival? Care to find some empty classroom somewhere while we’ve got the whole afternoon free?” Percy faux-shuddered at the mention of Scanlan having pointers for them. "No, thank you. I don't even want to let my mind wander down that perverted road." He smiled and took Vax's hand in his. "I learn pretty well from reading, actually. But nothing beats hands-on experience." The smile lingered as they began to walk together. "A classroom, though? That's a bit on the nose and I think we deserve a bed. I deserve a bed at the very least." He gave Vax's hand a firm squeeze as they walked along. "Surely one of our roommates is off to breakfast. We can put a sock on the doorknob. Or is it a tie? Now this Scanlan would know." “You deserve a bed,” Vax reiterated with a laugh, the pointed emphasis punctuated even more by a gentle elbow to Percy’s side as they began walking. “I suppose it would be a shame to deny you that, especially given how beds haven’t exactly been a sure thing in the last few weeks. All right, we’ll live dangerously.” Which, really, was more in keeping with the way they tended to do things in their lives anyhow. He glanced back over his shoulder at Dexter like that look might help him remember if he’d spotted Robin eating breakfast or not. It only took a moment for him to decide that it both didn’t help and he couldn’t remember, so he returned his attention to the path ahead of them and veered a step closer to bump his shoulder against Percy’s. “I think it’s a sock? That’s what we’ll say it is. This place also has little stacks of paper that stick to things when you peel one apart from the others, so that’s always an option.” Vax turned his head to give Percy a grin, then raised his free hand to mime writing in the air. “‘Please don’t come in, it’s for your own good.’ And we stick it to the door. Just in case we find out the sock signal isn’t quite as universal as we thought.” He dropped his hand back to his side and chuckled quietly. “Couldn’t hurt to do both, I’d hate to be interrupted.” As they got nearer to Butler, Vax lifted their joined hands so he could press a kiss to Percy’s knuckles, then let them drop between them once more. “Let’s check to see which room is mpty, hmm? If one of them has a roommate in then our decision is made, and if not then we’ve got a choice. And a note to write.” "I suppose a 'do not disturb' sign is a lot clearer than a sock," Percy replied with a chuckle. "At least one of us is still thinking clearly for the time being." Regrettably, Percy didn't necessarily pay much attention to the comings and goings of his own roommate. He spent more time in his own head, or tinkering, than he did with the world around him when left to his own devices. But popping his head in to check wouldn't hurt. "You know, this would be so much easier if we had Scanlan's mansion. Or a place of our own. I didn't even have to share a room when I was a child, you know." The privilege of growing up in a castle. “If only one of us could cast a spell worth a damn,” Vax answered with a laugh and a shake of his head. “Not to say your few aren’t useful in general, just… less so at this exact moment. And I didn’t know you didn’t share a room as a child,” he added with an amused smile, “Not in so many words. But Percival, darling? Absolutely no offense meant, but I definitely could have guessed as much without knowing for certain.” He nudged an elbow into Percy’s side, then leapt up the steps into the building ahead of Percy so he could block the entrance. Not for long, though; he only stood in the way for as much time as it took him to stop Percy a step down from him so he could curl his fingers into a handful of Percy’s shirt to tug him forward into another kiss. Ninety percent because he wanted to, but ten percent to keep Percy from retaliating from being teased for his oh so noble upbringing. Once the kiss was over, Vax smoothed a hand down Percy’s chest as if to divest him of any wrinkles, then turned to lead the way into the building. “All right. You check your room, I’ll check mine, one of us writes the ‘do not disturb’. While we’ve still got so much as a chance at the both of us thinking clearly. Best hurry, though. I don’t know about you, but I’m running out of time for much clarity here.” "I assumed you could. You've seen Castle Whitestone. Plenty of room for eight children and then some." Percy followed Vax up the steps eagerly, although he didn't anticipate the stop. He had no complaints though once Vax kissed him. Percy reached a hand up to rest against the side of Vax's face as they kissed. He sighed as Vax pulled back, but a small smile lingered along his lips as Vax smoothed his shirt and rehashed their plan. Percy tugged Vax's hand, pulled him back for another quick kiss, then patted him on the ass before heading off to check his own room. He turned back to Vax with a canary-eating grin, delighted with himself for stealing Vax's ass-smacking move. He winks at Vax and then turns back around to disappear down the hall to his room. After the blushing and stammering, Vax was surprised at Percy’s sudden boldness but he certainly wasn’t disappointed by it. The delight in Percy’s grin was mirrored in Vax’s own face even as he attempted to look scandalized - jaw dropped, hand to his chest. A poor attempt, sure… but it was a try, and he clearly knew he wasn’t doing a very good job of it because he dropped it a moment later with a laugh. “It’s almost like you’ve been paying attention, Freddie,” he called after Percy as the other man moved away down the hall. Vax himself was still, content to watch Percy walk for a while before he smiled to himself and shook his head, ducking his chin to look down at the floor before he turned on a heel to move in the other direction. “And isn’t that something?” The final question was for his own ears only, spoken aloud but barely so. With an equally quiet, disbelieving laugh, Vax made his way through the hall to his own room to see whether Robin was in or at breakfast. |