Chapter Text
Vax could tell exactly when Percy entered the room; everything shifted with the first fall of his measured footsteps through the door. The shift was quiet and subtle - like the man himself - but it was the type of change you felt in your bones. Or your groin. Conversations faltered as heads turned his way, staring in awe and something like ache. Vax could feel it in the air; the familiar sensation he'd begun to associate with him: a quiet before a storm. And when the man's cold eyes swept the room - the atmosphere sharpened around him, something static, looking for a source to strike.
As he began to scan the room, people quickly averted their gazes in order to escape the man's scrutiny - as if his sharp eyes could turn them to ice with a single glance, as if he could disintegrate their armor with a flick of his gloved fingers. When the man's eyes moved on, they sighed in relief at being left unscathed.
But Vax couldn't look away, as if an unyielding gravity pulled him towards the man. The fire reflected in the lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses and warm light caught on the features of his stoic, pale face. Percy's face had no right to be that beautiful, either. There were enough reasons for people to look at him - to want him - already. He looked like something crafted instead of born, and there was something unnatural to his face - lines too sharp, edges too smooth, nose too straight, and lips too full. Everything was too symmetrical to be real. It was unnerving and thrilling - the way he resembled the marble sculptures and portraits of old that adorned his castle. A prince from the stories of old.
Percy moved like the world belonged to him, and it was his to command. He moved like he held a sovereignty. You could see it in the tilt of his shoulders, the way he kept his back straight and his chin up. He could give an instruction, command an army, or condemn a man to a life of grating cheese - and meet no objection. Without ever having to raise his voice. And that was what unsettled Vax the most - not the man's power and grace, but his calm. He was so damn difficult to read, but Vax? He was an open book, and Percy liked reading.
"Oh god, help me."
Percy's gaze fell upon him, sharp enough to direct all that electrical current straight towards him. Shivers ran down Vax's spine as those blue-green eyes looked right at him - pinning him to his seat. Vax's muscles pulled taut as every instinct told him to run, but it would've been useless - he'd already been caught. Vax tried to squirm, he tried to breathe, god, he tried to think. He'd do anything to break free of that hold. Or so he tried to convince himself.
Percy observed him with the same casual calm and interest of a man who took things apart just to see how they worked - and he'd happily let Percy take him part. Vax whimpered at the attention on him - not angry, not happy - just... curious, and it made Vax gulp.
A simple nod of his head in Vax's direction convinced Vax that he hadn't been mistaken, and Percy had been looking at him. Percy began to walk towards the bar, and the crowd parted for as if he willed them too. His steps were a calculated precision, allowing him to avoid even the slightest physical interaction.
Percy utilized his clothes like a weapon, and it clung to him like tailored armor. Every dark piece of it was cut to precision, polished, and perfect - like his face. Every pale piece was sharp, crisp, and exact - like his mind. He looked regal with his high collar and polished buttons and lethal with the glint of steel at his waist. The gloved hands took the two glasses handed to him by the barkeeper hid strong fingers that could build a clock and a canon with the same ease.
Vax thought it suited him well, maybe too well.
"Oh gods... I'm doomed." Vax grumbled lowly, anticipating a night full of his inability to behave like a half-elf and not a smitten idiot. He made a fool of himself in front of Percy a lot.
Percy turned towards him, eyes fixed on his, and Vax wanted to melt into the floor before he melted at the idea of Percy joining him for a drink.
"Ah... I see you have your eye on somebody else," a woman who Vax had not been paying attention to said from his side. She rose, her lips twitching in amusement - and slight resentment - as she looked between the two men. Then, she dipped her finger into his drink, and stirred it. If Vax weren't so focused on Percy, he'd have noticed the faint, magical discoloration that tainted his drink.
"Good evening," Percy said warmly when he reached the table, "may I?"
Vax stared at his dumbly, blindsided by his smile, and then the amused twinkle in Percy's eyes that followed it. "Uh, may evening - I mean good evening, and yes you may."
He bit his tongue in frustration at fumbling on the very first sentence and tried to concentrate on anything other than Percy's curious gaze, the one immaculate eyebrow raised at him, or the way Percy slid a drink clearly intended for him across the table casually - as if they bought each other drinks all the time.
"Something the matter, Vax'ildan?" Percy asked, the slightest tilt of his head indicator enough that Percy was trying to read him - or his mind. Gods Vax hoped not.
Vax shifted uncomfortably in his chair, sinking deeper into it as he tried to remember how to form words. Any other man who dared to use that name would meet a premature end, but there was something in the way Percy said it - in that low baritone - that made Vax's knees go weak.
He could say: "Oh, I'm perfectly fine, Percy, how are you?"
He could say: "Thanks for the drink, bud, what's up?"
He could say---, well, anything, except maybe the words that came out of his mouth next.
"I want you to fuck me."
Percy blinked. Then blinked again, slower this time. He leaned in, studying Vax — who somehow looked perfectly casual, as if his words had been weightless. Percy tried to read him, assessing him like a misfiring invention — because that was precisely what he resembled.
Then, suddenly, Vax’s expression changed. He froze. His eyes went wide, his face drained of color, and he looked like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water over his head.
“Uh— I meant—” Vax mumbled, and Percy waited, patient and silent. It seemed the rest of Vax’s sentence had fled with the color on his face. "I don't know why I just said that. I'm horny. Wait - shut up, Vax!"
“Vax’ildan?” Percy asked at last, voice calm as ever. He noted the way Vax shuddered at the sound of his name. “Are you drunk?”
Instantly, Vax’s expression changed. A too-bright smile spread across his face, his lashes fluttered, and Percy caught him looking down to his lips. Curious.
“Gods, I love your voice,” Vax sighed, the words coming out dreamlike — in the same tone Percy had heard Grog use when talking about ale.
“Wait—what? I didn’t mean to say that! No, I did. I do like it! I could listen to you explain blueprints just to hear you speak. Vax—shut up, gods, shut up!”
Percy looked from Vax's lips - which he was forcing into a straight line - to his eyes. Percy leaned in a little closer, squinting at him, looking for any reason or rhyme. Vax's eyes went dark, and his breath caught.
"Blueprints, really?" Percy asked, with a twitch of his lips that Vax immediately focused on. Percy felt as shocked as Vax looked about this revelation. He'd only known him for a few months - and Vax had always behaved like a boy with a crush around him, all bright-eyed and blushing - but this was out of character even for him. Percy had tried flirting, but Vax had always deflected it. So he stopped.
When Vax simply nodded, heat rising up to his ears, Percy chuckled. "I suppose that's a compliment. I like your voice too, Vax, especially when you're a blabbering mess."
Percy took a few sips of his wine, keeping an eye on Vax as he picked up an abandoned mug of... something... and took a few sips. His face contorted in disgust, and he quickly put the mug down.
With Vax's confession out of the way, and Percy clueless on how to react let his attention drift. In an attempt to get more comfortable, he removed his gloves, placing them neatly next to him, and reached for the cravat at his throat. He rolled his neck, sighing out at the warm air tickling his skin.
But the peace was short-lived.
"You have nice hands, nice fingers," Vax said flatly, taking a sip of his fresh drink to try and get rid of the taste of the old one - which he was sure didn't taste as bitter when he'd ordered it. He nearly choked when long, slender fingers reached for the silk fabric that hid Percy's skin from him. His skin tingled in anticipation, and heat crawled up his spine. He shifted uncomfortably, his body reacting in ways he would rather wished it didn't. Not in front of Percy - unobtainable, off limits Percy.
The way Percy wrapped his fingers around the side his neck, tilted it to one side, closed his eyes, and sighed out as he worked at a muscle made Vax weak. Every part of him was unreal: the curve of his neck, the shape of his sharp jaw, and the long fingers pressing into strong muscle. Vax wondered what it would feel like to have those strong fingers on him - gentle or something firmer.
The sight of his exposed throat was mesmerizing, and as Percy tugged at the collar of his white shirt, Vax's fingers twitched in a desire to touch - to get a feel or get a peek at the forbidden planes he wanted to trespass on. "I bet you're really good at using your fingers."
Percy's eyes opened slowly, a flicker of light sharpening their predatory brightness, and Vax groaned loudly at yet another outburst. Percy chuckled, and he removed his glasses - slowly, delicately - to wipe them clean with a cloth he pulled from his pocket. It magnified the sharpness of his cheekbones, the light catching on his skin in a manner that made his skin resemble porcelain - flawless, crafted. He looked up at Vax through long, dark lashes for a second - and Vax's spine tingled at the sight of his exposed face, and the extra layer of sharpness to his eyes.
"Oh come on now, Percy. Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Doing all these... things! These things that make you even hotter.
"I'm not doing anything."
"You are! Who cleans their glasses like that? Im so fucking horny right now. Ah fuck."
At this rate, Percy would excuse himself and casually walk away as if he didn't just pull a grenade on Vax's heart. His lips twitched, an almost-smile, and Vax keened at the sight. Percy reserved his smiles for special occasions, as if he had a limited supply of them.
"My, you're handing out compliments like candy at a fair," Percy said, "and making interesting assumptions." Percy had lowered his voice, and it had taken on a velvety, deep tone. It was a tone Vax had never heard him use before, and suddenly he wanted to claim it for himself and forbid Percy from using it on anybody else.
"It's not my fault. I can't help it," Vax bit sharply, and for a second, he convinced himself that this was perfectly normal. He knew he'd be a mess if he saw Percy - but not enough to confess his deepest secrets. He looked down, scowling at his drink. Percy went quiet - too quiet, too calm.
Vax had always been an open book, as easy to read as a clock. Except, tonight he was acting like something had come loose. He was... talkative, more than usual. Percy's ears went pink at the idea of Vax truly feeling this way - but refused to take it to heart. It was unusual behavior, and he was not going to even consider the idea that Vax was finally expressing his feelings and hoping to do something about it.
Eventually, Percy broke the silence. "The barmaid is constantly glancing at you, I think she fancies you. Perhaps you could---."
"Death smells better than her breath," Vax interrupted. He jolted, and Percy jolted. He was no noble, but even he was more tactful than this. "Oh gods, Vax! Shut up! Gods make it stop."
When he looked up again, Percy's face was inches away from his, and Vax's breath caught in his throat. His eyes dropped to Percy's lips - and gods, what nice lips they were. He licked his own lips absentmindedly, sighing longingly.
He could still feel Percy's eyes on him, and when another twitch of those perfect lips indicated that he'd been caught staring - he recoiled. But a hand reached out quickly, grabbing him by the chin - a firm grip holding him in place.
"Look at me, into my eyes - preferably," Percy said, his gentle humor enough to make Vax feel slightly at ease. Still, he leaned into the touch eagerly, eyes fluttering - and moaned. Percy's hand was not what he had been expecting: the skin was rough, calloused, and it was much warmer than he thought possible. He preferred them this way, really. It felt so nice that his eyes fell shut as he moaned.
"Eyes, Vax, look into my eyes."
Vax obeyed instantly, eyes popping open. He blushed at the amused twinkle in Percy's bright eyes. Percy was studying him like an intricate piece of clockwork that wasn't working - and needed taking apart. He'd love to have Percy take him apart... but not like this. The search was thorough, and he was getting nervous that Percy could read his mind. Vax couldn't look away. He couldn't. He didn't want to.
"You're so handsome, Percy," Vax sighed out breathlessly. Percy was so close to him - closer than the man would ever be under normal circumstances - and it was hypnotizing. He could feel the warmth of his hand on his skin, his breath against his lips, and smell the soap he used to wash his clothes. "Pretty, Percy."
This earned him a laugh, not a snort or a smirk - a laugh. It was a beautiful sound: low, deep, and absolutely divine. Percy's composure slipped, revealing the highly animated and curious tinkerer underneath - and then he blinked it away.
"I want you to fuck me," Vax said flatly. "Oh, what the fuck! I don't - well, no, I do want that..." He bit his tongue to force himself to stay quiet. "You're really fucking handsome."
Percy raised an eyebrow at him, a soft smile still ghosting his features, and a fondness in his eyes. "So you meant that, did you?"
Vax tried to keep his mouth shut, uselessly: "Yes, you are handsome. Oh! I did. I dream about it a lot. I get off fantasizing about it. Fuck!"
"Ah..." Percy said, sounding so sure about what he was thinking about - whatever that was. He'd let go of Vax's chin and was running his fingers through his hair, observing the way Vax's eyes followed every move of his hand.
"I want to do that. I want to touch you and run my fingers through your hair as I straddle you and kiss you." Vax clenched his fists at yet another confession. "Fuck..."
Percy did have nice hair. It was always perfectly styled, not a single hair out of place - and Vax wanted to see what it would look like all messed up. Vax got lost in the moment, silently - greedily looking at Percy, since Percy was looking at him, so it was allowed. His features were as sharp as a blade, and he could spot three freckles on his perfectly straight nose. He had no other blemishes - just perfection. Percy was smiling, so he smiled back.
"Goodness, you're far gone."
Vax heard him and hummed a response before jolting as Percy wiggled his fingers at him. He had his hand palm up on the table, and Vax realised he'd followed Percy's hand all the way to the table and wasn't even aware of it.
He looked up to glare at Percy, whose expression had... softened... most unusual.
"I'm so horny right now," Vax confessed. It came easily, without the slightest hint of subtlety or shyness. His body was alight with tingles and trembles from being so close to Percy. "Stop, Vax, stop!"
Percy shook his head with a soft chuckle - still watching, still dissecting. Then, Vax watched Percy's eyes pop, and his stomach dropped as the man reached out and grabbed the abandoned mug from next to him.
"Yeah, I wouldn't drink that. It tastes like---."
Percy squinted into the mug, then sniffed it, then cussed enough that Scanlan would feel proud.
"That was hot, do it again."
Percy looked back at him - amused and worried alike, and Vax gulped. "What? Was the drink bad? Oh gods... am I going to get sick? I don't want to get sick - cause then you won't want to have sex with me---."
"Slow down. You've been drugged, Vax. I'm going to take a calculated guess and say it's most likely truth serum," Percy said, sounding so certain and calm. But his mask slipped for a moment when Vax whined, and it showed a deep curiosity. Vax panicked instantly. "Oh gods, not if front of you. Fuck."
Percy understood Vax's panic, and genuinely wanted to keep calm for him - to show that he'd be okay - that he wouldn't let anything bad happen. This had been quite an informative conversation, and perhaps Vax feared what he'd say to somebody else as well. "Is it just me? Do you have more confessions?"
Vax dropped his head to his chest, running his hands through his hair, and nodded his head. His mind was a ringing bell stuck in a steel drum. This... this what never supposed to happen - he couldn't have him. "You... just you... except maybe Vex. Her perfume smells like urine. I'm so fucked."
"Stay here, I'll be back," Percy ordered, using that sovereignty that made Vax weak. The moment Percy was out of earshot Vax tried to shift in his chair, hoping to alleviate some of the discomfort the bulge between his legs was causing. He got aroused in Percy's presence easily, but this time he could get into serious trouble.
A loud thump drew Vax's attention and he looked up, scanning the room to find Percy, who - oh god - had a woman pinned to the wall. Percy had a hand around her neck, and the other against the wall next to her. He was making his presence known; lethal, angry, not to be messed with. Angry Percy was fucking hot.
He was speaking to her in a low, demanding growl, and she was whimpering. Vax watched him lean closer, tilting his head down - using his height as a weapon - and it worked. Vax watched Percy release the woman, say something that made her pale, look at Vax, and then bolt out of the pub.
Percy swung on his heels, coat flapping behind him, crowd parting as he began to walk back to Vax. He'd felt murderous when he realized Vax had been drugged - he'd never been sent into a panic so easily before - and it had cost him more restraint than he could afford to lose. He needed to use the rest to prevent himself from coaxing more secrets out of Vax - especially ones that involved him, since Vax seemed convinced that no other confession would matter - except ones Vax told him. But he also needed to be calm, or at least look it, for Vax's sake.
"It is a truth serum, yes, and it'll wear off on it's own," Percy said reassuringly, but he wavered: "it's not in full effect yet."
Vax jolted, his stomach dropping, blood running cold. He didn't think it could get worse. He sniffled quite loudly, his bottom lip trembling. He had already made such a fool of himself already. He had to see this man on a daily basis - he'd been hiding his feelings from him from the very beginning. To him - Percy was a deity he'd offer his soul to.
"Oh gods... I am so doomed.... " he mumbled, "I'm little a mixed breed bitch in heat - and you're like a prize winning pure bred---. Fuck! Vax! Shut up!"
Percy wasn't helping the situation. At all. He was sitting across from him again, leaning in closer as he observed his every move. His eyes were no longer piercing or cold or sharp ice, they looked clear blue sky and summer grass all at once.
Although he scowled deeply at him for his confession, before resuming his inspection. He had a frown line between his brows, and Vax realised that this was as a crack in Percy's calm composure. He wondered what was happening beneath that mask - was he angry, amused, or... worried? Was he going to mock him about this later?
Percy's calm had always unnerved him, but this - he hated it. He'd rather have Percy laugh in his face, snarl angrily or... something. Just not this. Vax's own eyes were filling with tears that he tried to blink away. Percy's eyes widened, and Vax worried that he now had access to his mind or he'd said something somehow worse than earlier and fuck--."
Percy watched Vax carefully, looking for any signs of discomfort or heightened symptoms, and then - Vax started crying. And Percy's last few drop of restraint bled away.
Vax jolted as Percy stood and began to walk towards him, and he closed his eyes - bracing for the worst. He'd seen Percy angry before, and while Percy had every right to be angry with him - he had hoped to avoid it. Then - then, the unreadable man sat down and wrapped an arm around his shoulder and he didn't know how to react. Well, he had many things that he'd like to do - but Percy was off limits.
He felt his whole body shiver, his skin warmed, and he moaned - loudly. He couldn't help but lean into the embrace. Percy's arm was rock solid, strong, and his embrace felt like a favorite blanket.
"I'd love to feel you hold me down with these things. They're like steel," Vax said flatly, before dropping his head. "Oh for fucks sake."
"Oh dear, you're a lost cause aren't you?" Percy chuckled from Vax's side, and began to move his arm - but Vax took siege of it, clinging to him regardless of how embarrassed he looked and how much he was blushing. He wondered whether Vax's interest in touching him was genuine - or an effect of the serum. But according to the witch, he'd been talking the truth the entire time. So...
"I - I should leave, I can't afford to be around you right now. I---." Vax rambled quickly, but he made no attempt to break free. As if he couldn't.
"Do you want me to hug you, Vax?"
"Gods I'm probably come in my pants."
Percy laughed. Vax sobbed. And then Vax had both Percy's arms wrapped around him - a steel cage, warm and strong. It felt unreal, much like everything else about Percy. Percy drew Vax flush against his chest, and pressed his chin to the side of Vax's head, chuckling.
"It's okay. It'll be okay," Percy soothed, closing his eyes as he embraced Vax's presence and the warmth of him. He was stronger than he looked, and Vax's constant confessions and insinuations were affecting him more than he'd allowed himself to accept. His hair smelled incredible, and Vax mostly definitely would feel good pinned underneath him.
"No it won't! You're going to mock me or tease me and I can never take back what I said," Vax grumbled lowly, "I won't be able to look at you again and that's really sad because you're really handsome."
Vax leaned into Percy's hug, resting his head against Percy's shoulder - something that resembled chiseled rock. Vax caught his hands between his knees, pinning them there like they were the enemy. He'd happily take what he was given - even if it was pity.
"I'll do no such thing, Vax. This isn't your fault - although I'll admit I am intrigued. There's... a lot to unpack."
"Like what? Like how I'm a fucking idiot in love with a man I could never have - off limits. You're off limits. Like if I don't leave right now... I'll---."
Percy waited for Vax fo finish talking - to finish that sentence, to explain his assumptions - to tell him why on earth Vax would think he couldn't have him. He wondered whether this was why Vax had never made a move. Percy had made a few moves of his own, but Vax would just always deflect them.
"Is that... true? Are you in love with me?" Percy asked gently, biting his lips as he waited. Vax stiffened in his arms, and the silence made Percy nervous. So far the truths have come easy to him.
Eventually, Vax cringed at the taste of blood in his mouth and he stopped biting his cheek. "Yes. Yes - Ive been since the beginning and I wanted to act on it but you're off limits and---."
Percy silenced the man in his arms, who was trying to break his hold - while holding onto him for dear life all at the same time. "And why am I off limits?"
Vax snorted at this, as if it were obvious, as if the smartest man he knew suddenly became an idiot. "Cause... cause you're a prince and kissing a frog won't make me a prince too it'll give you herpes."
Percy jolted, his hold slipping, and then - he laughed. "What? Where the fuck did you hear that?"
Vax raised his head from Percy's shoulder to glare at him, thinking that Percy was mocking him - but his expression was genuine, readable, and he looked slightly frustrated.
"Scanlan said so, he said I shouldn't hope for a kiss."
"And.... you just believed him?"
"...yeah..."
"And do you have herpes, Vax?"
"No... do you?"
"You're insufferable, an idiot, Vax." Percy laughed fondly, shifting Vax in his arms and cupping his cheeks with both hands. Of all the reasons for Vax to think he couldn't have him - comparing himself to a frog was not one of them. He couldn't believe it, but he was just as much at fault.
"Gods..." Vax groaned miserably, looking deep into the dark eyes of the vulnerable, suffering man in his arms. He wouldn't abuse the situation - these were truths Vax were not telling him freely. But he could risk just a little, right?
"Im not a prince, Vax, and you're not a frog. But perhaps we ourselves could see what happens if we kiss?" Percy asked, smirking as Vax's eyes widened and he looked down at his lips. Heat rushed to Vax's cheeks, and Percy wiped a tear away. "May I kiss you?"
"I might die." Vax said quickly. His body was uncomfortably hot, his pulse beating in his ears, hands sweaty, and he was struggling to focus. He chalked it up to being in Percy's presence, by being overwhelmed and overstimulated.
Percy laughed softly, noting - again - how the sound made Vax swoon at him, and leaned closer. Vax's eyes were dark, he was breathing heavily, and his eyes were fluttering as if he were anticipating the greatest kiss on earth. He kissed him - a gentle kiss at first, and then a kiss that made Vax hum in surprise at the ferocity of it. It was as if this physical interaction was forcing the icebergs in Percy's cold mind to thaw, revealing feelings that he'd tried to suppress. Vax didn't think he could have him, and he didn't think he could have Vax. He thought that Vax would get over his crush - since it never led anywhere. And now Vax was in his arms, hands digging into his shoulders as they fought desperately to claim each other's mouths.
But then suddenly, Vax pulled away and dropped his head - and Percy's stomach dropped. Had Vax come to his senses? Did the kiss break the spell? Did he fuck everything up?
"I - Percy I don't feel so good."
Percy took hold of Vax's chin to look into his eyes, and what he found there set his skin ablaze. Something was wrong - very, very wrong. He tried to find his calm, his composure, his bravery - and was left empty handed. Vax's skin had turned bright red - darker than a blush could possibly cause, his brow was covered in soft sweet, his eyes were hazy. And then he started going limp.
"We need to leave, right now." Percy said sternly, and met no resistance. Instead, he had to help Vax to his feet and support his weight.
"I---."
The truth hit Vax like a bullet - he'd experienced this before, and it did not end well. He tried to stand, to support himself, to fight it, and then he fought to keep hold of Percy.
Percy shrieked in horror as Vax slipped from his arms; limp and quiet, and hit the floor.