Vax and Percy | Monday Afternoon
Sep. 25th, 2017 04:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainVax finally winds up in his new room, only to discover that his new roommate...is an old one.
Vax hated the school the minute he saw it. And, okay, maybe some of the people there didn't seem to suck, but just one look at the place? And the lecture by the professor about curfews and testing his learning level and all that shit? Yeah no. He hated it. He was even stuck with a roommate; a roommate that wasn't Vex.
But when he walked into the room he was assigned to, it was empty, and he found himself throwing his black duffel bag onto the nearest bed and sitting. He was tired as fuck. The flight to the States had been a long one, and he'd been wide-eyed the whole time, it being his first plane trip and all. He started to lay down on the bed, but a sketchbook nearby caught his eye. Frowning, he pushed up and opened the first page, only to find himself staring down at a crazy, crammed-in-a-photo-booth picture of Vox Machina.
The minute he saw it, he lost the ability to breathe. It was suddenly all too clear who his roommate was. Another mutant. Another crazy, asshole mutant he'd left in a warehouse in London.
He looked around, turning in a circle as he looked for more evidence of his friend, throwing the covers back on his bed as if he might find Percival hiding there.
The library at the school was rather impressive. It was not the library at Whitestone, but it did the trick and Percy found himself spending more and more time in it. Today, he'd found a rather fascinating text on obscure Mongolian battle strategies. He'd spent about an hour scrunched in an uncomfortable chair before finally deciding to relocate to his room. He'd been told he'd be getting a roommate sometime within the next few days, so he might as well enjoy the privacy and quiet for as long as he could..
Nose buried in the book, Percy opened the door to his room and went inside. He crossed over to his bed and sat down on it, all without looking up.
On the other side of the room, Vax just stared at him - that tight-laced little bugger with his nose in a book. Almost a whisper, he called, "Hey. Shithead."
Percy lowered his book and a smart remark about originality died on his tongue when he saw who had spoken. He was fairly certain he was hallucinating. "I do believe I've finally gone mad."
"That ship's sailed, Freddy," Vax murmured, his eyes bright with emotion.
"Fair," Percy said distantly, still staring at Vax. He closed his book and set it down beside him on the bed. "Forgive me, I--Honestly, I'd convinced myself I'd never see you again. Any of you."
"Hey, I always keep my promises," Vax answered, though he was well aware that him being at the boarding school had never been his idea to begin with. Had Vex set this up? There was no such thing as fate, anyway.
Beginning to recover from his surprise, Percy asked, "How did you know I was here? I didn't mention it when I wrote. I wasn't sure it was safe to."
A crinkle appeared in Vax's brow and he sat heavily on the bed that was apparently his. "You actually wrote?"
Percy's brow knit too. "Of course. Three times. My word may not be as good as some, but I do try to keep my promises. Did you not get them?"
The crinkle became a darkened scowl as Vax realized what had to have happened. "Of course. My asshole of a dad must've intercepted. Because god forbid some street kid write to his horrible half-breed children."
Percy felt a sudden upwelling of anger. He'd never much cared for anyone who thought breeding or money put them above others, but he especially wasn't fond of how the way Vax said 'half-breed' suggested he hadn't come up with the term himself. "What an utter, and please excuse my language, fuck face." He sighed. "Well, that explains why I never heard from either of you."
"That, and he had us locked down tight in that place," Vax agreed quietly. "And when he found out I had powers, he shipped me here. I...didn't know you were here, Perce. If I had, I probably woulda been here sooner.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Percy had thought… But, that didn’t matter now. He had been wrong and he should never have doubted Vax or Vex. “Despite the circumstances, I’m glad you’re here now, though I’m sorry it came at the cost of leaving Vex behind. How is she?”
"Royally pissed as all fuck," Vax gave Percy a knowing look. They both knew how Vex could get. "But it turns out we've got a little sister. She's...she's kind of amazing, actually. So Vex's taken her under her wing.”
Percy’s expression softened. “A sister? That’s wonderful, Vax. That…” He thought of his own sister, of learning that she was alive and well and safe in Whitestone. “That’s the sort of thing that makes wading through the shit worth it.”
Vax just looked across at him, grinning at Percy's speech. "I've missed you, you know.”
Percy didn’t know why the statement surprised him; Vax had always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He supposed he just…hadn’t expected to be missed. “I missed you too. Greyskull Keep wasn’t the same without you.”
The grin faltered, and Vax found himself staring at Percy in surprise. Percy hadn't left the warehouse, then. Of course he hadn't left. Percival had been lying through his fucking teeth about having somewhere else to go. Which meant that Percy had been all alone in that warehouse for...who knew how long. “Percival."
Ah, wonderful. Percy had put his foot in it now, hadn’t he? “I chose to stay. I had somewhere to go, but I decided not to go there.”
"How long?" Vax asked.
Vax had an unrivaled talent for making Percy feel suitably guilty. “I arrived here two weeks ago.”
"You gorgeous moron," Vax sighed, rubbing at his face. "And there you were, thinking we were ignoring your fancy letters."
Percy wasn’t going to say what he did or didn’t think. “They weren’t that fancy. I wrote one of them on the back of a flyer.”
Vax gave him a knowing look. "But was it a fancy flyer?”
“It may have used a cursive font,” Percy replied like there wasn’t a blush crawling up the back of his neck.
Vax's face split into another grin. "Yeah, this is going to be a fucking blast, making you look like that every day. Wait until I tell Vex who I'm rooming with.”
Percy had the childish urge to stick his tongue out at Vax. “Yes, well, just don’t forget that two can play at that game,” he teased back, then said, “You’ll tell Vex I said hello?” It occurred to him that he had a reliable cellphone now and he could text her.
Vax fished his new, fancy, flashy phone from his pocket and shook his head as he tried to find her number. "You can tell her yourself. She's new digits now though - dad insisted.”
“Of course, he did.” Percy dug out his new cellphone as well, this one courtesy of the school, and recited off his number for Vax. “Text me both your numbers?”
"On it," Vax told him, sending a text off to Percy, then sending one to Vex with the news. "So what do you think of this place anyhow?”
“It’s exactly as advertised, so, naturally, I’m skeptical,” Percy said as he added Vax and Vex into his contacts.
"Well fuck, I'm skeptical if you're skeptical," Vax answered, glancing warily at the door to the room.
Percy pocketed his cell. "Everyone loves it here. The teachers are supportive and understanding. The students are mostly friendly. Those who need it are giving financial aid. It's too good to be true. Anything that's too good to be true usually turns out not to be true."
"And then there's you and me, here, and rooming together," Vax frowned. The place was run by a telepath, right? A mind reader. "So what if this is a set up?"
"I wouldn't completely disregard the possibility just yet." The strangeness of he and Vax being roommates hadn't escaped Percy's notice either. It was either a hell of a coincidence, or Professor Xavier had been well aware they knew one another. Given that Xavier was a telepath, the latter wasn't that unlikely. It brought to his attention a few other things Xavier might be aware of and keeping mum on--Like who Percy was and where he came from. "There are locked rooms we're not allowed in..."
Vax's eyes started to twinkle. "Wait until after dark, and that'll be no problem for me."
Now it was Percy who gave Vax a knowing look. "Don't do anything rash, and certainly don't do it without back-up.” He’d prefer it if it were him, but just about anyone was better than Vax going in alone.
"Together then?" Vax smirked.
“Always,” Percy replied. “We’re Vox Machina.”
"So," Vax hopped off the bed and started pulling clothes out of his duffel. "What can you shapeshift into, anyway?”
Oh, right. Percy had never said. “A monster made out of shadow.”
Vax's hairbrush fell out of his hand, bouncing off of the bed to the floor. He glanced over his shoulder at Percy, then turned fully to face him. "Are you fucking with me?”
“I wouldn’t joke about that,” Percy replied as he stood and picked up the hairbrush, offering it back out to Vax.
Vax took the hairbrush, but kept frowning. "What kind of monster?" And what did it mean that both of their powers involved shadows?
“The large and frightening kind.” Percy hesitated a moment before admitting, “I don’t know what it looks like. I’ve never actually looked.”
"Not even in a mirror?" Vax asked curiously.
To give himself something to do, Percy walked over to his desk and closed his sketchbook. “Not even.”
Vax watched him quietly. "Would you do it for me?”
Percy looked over his shoulder at Vax. “Do you want to see it?”
"Fuck yeah, I want to see it," Vax told him, tossing the hairbrush on his bed. "You say you're a monster, but you've got no proof.”
The corner of Percy’s mouth turned up for a moment. “Alright.” He turned to face Vax fully. “Don’t panic, alright?” He concentrated, reaching down for this dark, cold bit of space that he equated with the shadow beast and took hold of it.
Shadow licked out like flames from beneath Percy’s collar. It was slow at first, then quicker as the shadows weaved around him. He’d been told that, with practice, this would become nearly instantaneous. The shadows curled around his arms and legs and hands, it wrapped around his torso, and encircled his throat. Soon, not an inch of him was left, and the shadows stretched and twisted until he stood nine-feet-tall with the head of a raven and curving claws. The shadows were black as pitch and swirled like smoke.
Okay. So. Pretty fucking terrifying. Less so for Vax, since he controlled shadow himself, but still, he had to agree that to the average man - or mutant - that could scare the balls off of someone. He hummed, carefully circling the monster. It was so tall that it almost touched the ceiling. "Can you still talk?"
Percy crouched down so Vax could get a better look and shook his head. He could manage guttural sounds, shrieks, and growls, but, without lips and a more flexible tongue, words were beyond him. An irony considering words were what he'd always been best at.
"Right. Not big on the talking, then," Vax figured. He reached out, running his hands through the shadowy feathers, so like his wings, but not. Why were their powers so similar? Impulsively, he reached within the darkness of Percy's chest, forming a shadow dagger in his fingers and pulling it free, his eyes alighting in wonder.
Percy felt a tug at his chest and he watched awe-struck as Vax pulled shadow from him and shaped it into a dagger. How…? He looked down at his chest as the small space Vax’s trick had left there closed up in a swirl of darkness.
Huffing a rumble of sound, Percy crouched closer to Vax to get a better look. His shadow was cold enough that he could feel the warmth radiating off of Vax.
Vax showed the dagger off with a little grin. "That's just the least I can do. You should see my wings.”
The shadow receded like fog parting until Percy stood there again, looking no different than he had the moment before his first transformation. That cold feeling inside remained, but even now it was slowly dissipating as well. “I believe the saying is I’ve shown you mine now you show me yours?” he said with a bit of a smirk.
Vax looked around. "I need pretty deep shadow to make the wings. How dark are the closets?"
"They're dark, but I don't know if they are dark enough." Percy moved about the room closing window shades and curtains and turning off the lights, then opened the closet door. "Let's find out, shall we?”
Vax's lips twitched. "Hey genius, usually we come out of these things together - not go in," he laughed, grabbing the first of Percy's shirt and pulling him inside.
A blush bloomed on Percy’s neck as he stumbled into the closet, bumping up against Vax in the cramped space. “You have to go in before you come out.”
And then they were in the dark, in each other's space, and the joke was sort of lost as Vax licked his lips as he patted his friend's shirt down. "You uh, actually didn't need to come in," he admitted. "I just needed the darkness to make them.”
“Oh.” Percy felt a bit silly now. He reached for the doorknob in the darkness, intensely aware suddenly of just how small the closet was and how close together that brought them. He could feel Vax’s breath tickling his chin, their chests just barely bumping together whenever either one of them drew in a breath.
Shit. Vax realized as his darkvision adjusted. He could see everything. All of Percy just there, unable to see him, quiet and warm and close. He found himself staring at his lips, wondering not for the first time what they would taste like. Perfect Percival and his Perfect Lips. He saw Percy reaching for the doorknob and thought about stopping him...then stepped back, letting him out of the closet unimpeded. Whatever he wanted from Percy, he knew it was not the kind of thing Percival would find comfortable. Not yet, at least.
Percy opened the door and was greeted by a rush of cool air and a sinking feeling like regret. He turned back to face Vax, hands in his pockets, and lifted his eyebrows questioningly. “Is that enough shadow or…?”
For a second, Vaxildan almost seemed to disappear into the closet - like he'd never been there at all. But when he reappeared, it was as though the shadow was melting off of him - and a pair of large, black feathered wings folded against his back.
Percy’s eyebrows lifted, disappearing beneath the snow-white fringe of his hair, and he stared wide-eyed at Vax. “My God…” How could their mutations be so similar yet so, so different? The shadows made him terrifying, but, here, on Vax, they were beautiful. He started to move in closer, but then stopped himself. “May I?”
"Better I come out there," Vax motioned, though he was a bit unsure about the look on Percy's face. "Bit cramped in here. I can stretch them out in the room. They should last about an hour unless I dismiss ‘em."
Percy took a step back to give Vax more room. “An hour? And you need shadow to make them? You can’t store it somehow?”
Vax shook his head as he stepped out, then ruffled the wings as he spread them out a little more once he had a bit more space. "No storing. I run off of it, I guess."
Percy came around to get a better look at Vax's wings. He lightly ran his fingers over the feathers, marveling at the detail. "They're beautiful." He touched along the top of the wings.
Vax sucked a breath at that, eyes widening as he glanced over his shoulder. It was like Percy was touching his power itself, looming at the back of his mind like a cloak of darkness waiting to envelop him.. "Fuck. That's new."
Percy immediately drew his hand away, concerned. "What did I do?"
"I don't know," Vax admitted, pulling the wings in. "No one's ever touched them before. Except me."
Percy realized he probably should have asked before touching. "I'm sorry. I'll keep my hands to myself."
"Asshole," Vax sighed. "That's not what I meant. I just mean - it's like you're touching my power - not my skin. And it's fucking weird."
"I still should have asked." Percy eyed the wings a moment longer, then came back around to stand in front of Vax. "They really are incredible."
"Best part is: they work," Vax waggled his eyebrows at Percy. "I mean, it took about fifty tries, and I still have the bruises to prove it. That's how I kind of got caught a couple months ago.”
“So, that’s what you meant.” Percy thought of brilliant, impulsive Vax testing out his newly found wings and went cold. “Jesus, Vax, you could have gotten yourself killed.”
Vax flashed him a wide grin, then reached out to ruffle Percy's hair. "But I didn't! And I can fucking fly!"
The petulant scowl left by the hair ruffle broke at the sight of Vax's grin. Vax lit up as bright as the sun when he smiled and it was impossible not to return it. Percy wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to be the cause for that smile. "I'd love to see it sometime."
Vax glanced at the door, but in the end, the wings sort of melted away, a blackness fading off of his back and fleeing to all corners of the room.. "Sometime....when I'm now so fucking knackered." It had been a long trip, and he felt that exhaustion weighing on him.
"Of course, you must be exhausted. Would you like some help unpacking, or would you like to get some rest first? I can make myself scarce if you'd like the room to yourself."
"Don't leave," Vax told him, throwing his bag on the floor near the dresser. "I'll probably sleep better with you in here than I ever did at fecking Kensington Palace.”
Honestly, Percy would probably sleep better with Vax here as well. For someone who’d always had a room to himself, he’d quickly grown accustomed to sharing cramped, close quarters with all of Vox Machina. Being alone was just too quiet now.
“What was that like?” Percy wondered if he’d ever met the French Ambassador. It was likely, but he’d always paid terrible attention when it came to politics, and he couldn’t remember the man for the life of him.
"About like this, but even more fancy," Vax sighed heavily. "Like, little pieces of china everywhere.”
Percy laughed and teased, “And all of it is yours, which means you can’t pilfer it. That must be torture.”
He started to return to his bed and his book, but paused when he noticed the linen-less bed Vax was about to take a nap in. That wouldn’t do. Percy sighed and said, “Well, come on then, if you’re going to rest, you might as well do it in my bed. The linens need to be washed once you get them and I don’t think you’re in any place to deal with that now.” He lied to himself that this was entirely altruistic and it had nothing to do with the fact that he’d missed Vax and the closeness they’d shared amongst Vox Machina.
Vax hesitated. Percy's bed looked comfortable as fuck. And, added bonus, it had Percy. "You're sure?"
Percy was already settling onto his bed, propped up against a pillow with his legs pulled up and his book in hand. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.” Yes. This was completely altruistic.
After another moment of hesitation, Vax grinned, then kicked off his boots before crossing to him. It wasn't the biggest bed in the world - definitely a tight fit for both of them, but they'd shared cozier situations before. Without bothering to ask anymore questions, Vax tucked his knees up under Percy's legs, then settled in to lay his head on a pillow against his side, one arm draping around the other boy. And fuck if it wasn't the most comfortable he'd been in weeks.
He sighed out, happy, then slipped his eyes closed, breathing in the smell of his friend. It was definitely a new smell. Clean, even. Some kind of soap or something mixed in there with the laundry detergent and...shampoo? It was nice. So yeah, not living on the streets had its perks, he supposed. Clean Percy was definitely one of them.
A restlessness that had squirmed inside of Percy every since Vox Machina had parted ways stilled. He looked down at Vax and smiled at the sight of him happy and comfortable. It was selfish to be so grateful that Vax was here when here meant Vax had been torn from Vex’s side, but then Percy had always been terribly selfish.
After a moment, Percy forced himself to look away and turned his attention to his book, opening it to the page he’d left off on. It took him a moment to find his place, but, when he did, he lapsed into the rhythm of reading and, without even realizing it, put his free hand on Vax’s arm, his thumb absently stroking over it back and forth.
Vax hated the school the minute he saw it. And, okay, maybe some of the people there didn't seem to suck, but just one look at the place? And the lecture by the professor about curfews and testing his learning level and all that shit? Yeah no. He hated it. He was even stuck with a roommate; a roommate that wasn't Vex.
But when he walked into the room he was assigned to, it was empty, and he found himself throwing his black duffel bag onto the nearest bed and sitting. He was tired as fuck. The flight to the States had been a long one, and he'd been wide-eyed the whole time, it being his first plane trip and all. He started to lay down on the bed, but a sketchbook nearby caught his eye. Frowning, he pushed up and opened the first page, only to find himself staring down at a crazy, crammed-in-a-photo-booth picture of Vox Machina.
The minute he saw it, he lost the ability to breathe. It was suddenly all too clear who his roommate was. Another mutant. Another crazy, asshole mutant he'd left in a warehouse in London.
He looked around, turning in a circle as he looked for more evidence of his friend, throwing the covers back on his bed as if he might find Percival hiding there.
The library at the school was rather impressive. It was not the library at Whitestone, but it did the trick and Percy found himself spending more and more time in it. Today, he'd found a rather fascinating text on obscure Mongolian battle strategies. He'd spent about an hour scrunched in an uncomfortable chair before finally deciding to relocate to his room. He'd been told he'd be getting a roommate sometime within the next few days, so he might as well enjoy the privacy and quiet for as long as he could..
Nose buried in the book, Percy opened the door to his room and went inside. He crossed over to his bed and sat down on it, all without looking up.
On the other side of the room, Vax just stared at him - that tight-laced little bugger with his nose in a book. Almost a whisper, he called, "Hey. Shithead."
Percy lowered his book and a smart remark about originality died on his tongue when he saw who had spoken. He was fairly certain he was hallucinating. "I do believe I've finally gone mad."
"That ship's sailed, Freddy," Vax murmured, his eyes bright with emotion.
"Fair," Percy said distantly, still staring at Vax. He closed his book and set it down beside him on the bed. "Forgive me, I--Honestly, I'd convinced myself I'd never see you again. Any of you."
"Hey, I always keep my promises," Vax answered, though he was well aware that him being at the boarding school had never been his idea to begin with. Had Vex set this up? There was no such thing as fate, anyway.
Beginning to recover from his surprise, Percy asked, "How did you know I was here? I didn't mention it when I wrote. I wasn't sure it was safe to."
A crinkle appeared in Vax's brow and he sat heavily on the bed that was apparently his. "You actually wrote?"
Percy's brow knit too. "Of course. Three times. My word may not be as good as some, but I do try to keep my promises. Did you not get them?"
The crinkle became a darkened scowl as Vax realized what had to have happened. "Of course. My asshole of a dad must've intercepted. Because god forbid some street kid write to his horrible half-breed children."
Percy felt a sudden upwelling of anger. He'd never much cared for anyone who thought breeding or money put them above others, but he especially wasn't fond of how the way Vax said 'half-breed' suggested he hadn't come up with the term himself. "What an utter, and please excuse my language, fuck face." He sighed. "Well, that explains why I never heard from either of you."
"That, and he had us locked down tight in that place," Vax agreed quietly. "And when he found out I had powers, he shipped me here. I...didn't know you were here, Perce. If I had, I probably woulda been here sooner.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Percy had thought… But, that didn’t matter now. He had been wrong and he should never have doubted Vax or Vex. “Despite the circumstances, I’m glad you’re here now, though I’m sorry it came at the cost of leaving Vex behind. How is she?”
"Royally pissed as all fuck," Vax gave Percy a knowing look. They both knew how Vex could get. "But it turns out we've got a little sister. She's...she's kind of amazing, actually. So Vex's taken her under her wing.”
Percy’s expression softened. “A sister? That’s wonderful, Vax. That…” He thought of his own sister, of learning that she was alive and well and safe in Whitestone. “That’s the sort of thing that makes wading through the shit worth it.”
Vax just looked across at him, grinning at Percy's speech. "I've missed you, you know.”
Percy didn’t know why the statement surprised him; Vax had always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve. He supposed he just…hadn’t expected to be missed. “I missed you too. Greyskull Keep wasn’t the same without you.”
The grin faltered, and Vax found himself staring at Percy in surprise. Percy hadn't left the warehouse, then. Of course he hadn't left. Percival had been lying through his fucking teeth about having somewhere else to go. Which meant that Percy had been all alone in that warehouse for...who knew how long. “Percival."
Ah, wonderful. Percy had put his foot in it now, hadn’t he? “I chose to stay. I had somewhere to go, but I decided not to go there.”
"How long?" Vax asked.
Vax had an unrivaled talent for making Percy feel suitably guilty. “I arrived here two weeks ago.”
"You gorgeous moron," Vax sighed, rubbing at his face. "And there you were, thinking we were ignoring your fancy letters."
Percy wasn’t going to say what he did or didn’t think. “They weren’t that fancy. I wrote one of them on the back of a flyer.”
Vax gave him a knowing look. "But was it a fancy flyer?”
“It may have used a cursive font,” Percy replied like there wasn’t a blush crawling up the back of his neck.
Vax's face split into another grin. "Yeah, this is going to be a fucking blast, making you look like that every day. Wait until I tell Vex who I'm rooming with.”
Percy had the childish urge to stick his tongue out at Vax. “Yes, well, just don’t forget that two can play at that game,” he teased back, then said, “You’ll tell Vex I said hello?” It occurred to him that he had a reliable cellphone now and he could text her.
Vax fished his new, fancy, flashy phone from his pocket and shook his head as he tried to find her number. "You can tell her yourself. She's new digits now though - dad insisted.”
“Of course, he did.” Percy dug out his new cellphone as well, this one courtesy of the school, and recited off his number for Vax. “Text me both your numbers?”
"On it," Vax told him, sending a text off to Percy, then sending one to Vex with the news. "So what do you think of this place anyhow?”
“It’s exactly as advertised, so, naturally, I’m skeptical,” Percy said as he added Vax and Vex into his contacts.
"Well fuck, I'm skeptical if you're skeptical," Vax answered, glancing warily at the door to the room.
Percy pocketed his cell. "Everyone loves it here. The teachers are supportive and understanding. The students are mostly friendly. Those who need it are giving financial aid. It's too good to be true. Anything that's too good to be true usually turns out not to be true."
"And then there's you and me, here, and rooming together," Vax frowned. The place was run by a telepath, right? A mind reader. "So what if this is a set up?"
"I wouldn't completely disregard the possibility just yet." The strangeness of he and Vax being roommates hadn't escaped Percy's notice either. It was either a hell of a coincidence, or Professor Xavier had been well aware they knew one another. Given that Xavier was a telepath, the latter wasn't that unlikely. It brought to his attention a few other things Xavier might be aware of and keeping mum on--Like who Percy was and where he came from. "There are locked rooms we're not allowed in..."
Vax's eyes started to twinkle. "Wait until after dark, and that'll be no problem for me."
Now it was Percy who gave Vax a knowing look. "Don't do anything rash, and certainly don't do it without back-up.” He’d prefer it if it were him, but just about anyone was better than Vax going in alone.
"Together then?" Vax smirked.
“Always,” Percy replied. “We’re Vox Machina.”
"So," Vax hopped off the bed and started pulling clothes out of his duffel. "What can you shapeshift into, anyway?”
Oh, right. Percy had never said. “A monster made out of shadow.”
Vax's hairbrush fell out of his hand, bouncing off of the bed to the floor. He glanced over his shoulder at Percy, then turned fully to face him. "Are you fucking with me?”
“I wouldn’t joke about that,” Percy replied as he stood and picked up the hairbrush, offering it back out to Vax.
Vax took the hairbrush, but kept frowning. "What kind of monster?" And what did it mean that both of their powers involved shadows?
“The large and frightening kind.” Percy hesitated a moment before admitting, “I don’t know what it looks like. I’ve never actually looked.”
"Not even in a mirror?" Vax asked curiously.
To give himself something to do, Percy walked over to his desk and closed his sketchbook. “Not even.”
Vax watched him quietly. "Would you do it for me?”
Percy looked over his shoulder at Vax. “Do you want to see it?”
"Fuck yeah, I want to see it," Vax told him, tossing the hairbrush on his bed. "You say you're a monster, but you've got no proof.”
The corner of Percy’s mouth turned up for a moment. “Alright.” He turned to face Vax fully. “Don’t panic, alright?” He concentrated, reaching down for this dark, cold bit of space that he equated with the shadow beast and took hold of it.
Shadow licked out like flames from beneath Percy’s collar. It was slow at first, then quicker as the shadows weaved around him. He’d been told that, with practice, this would become nearly instantaneous. The shadows curled around his arms and legs and hands, it wrapped around his torso, and encircled his throat. Soon, not an inch of him was left, and the shadows stretched and twisted until he stood nine-feet-tall with the head of a raven and curving claws. The shadows were black as pitch and swirled like smoke.
Okay. So. Pretty fucking terrifying. Less so for Vax, since he controlled shadow himself, but still, he had to agree that to the average man - or mutant - that could scare the balls off of someone. He hummed, carefully circling the monster. It was so tall that it almost touched the ceiling. "Can you still talk?"
Percy crouched down so Vax could get a better look and shook his head. He could manage guttural sounds, shrieks, and growls, but, without lips and a more flexible tongue, words were beyond him. An irony considering words were what he'd always been best at.
"Right. Not big on the talking, then," Vax figured. He reached out, running his hands through the shadowy feathers, so like his wings, but not. Why were their powers so similar? Impulsively, he reached within the darkness of Percy's chest, forming a shadow dagger in his fingers and pulling it free, his eyes alighting in wonder.
Percy felt a tug at his chest and he watched awe-struck as Vax pulled shadow from him and shaped it into a dagger. How…? He looked down at his chest as the small space Vax’s trick had left there closed up in a swirl of darkness.
Huffing a rumble of sound, Percy crouched closer to Vax to get a better look. His shadow was cold enough that he could feel the warmth radiating off of Vax.
Vax showed the dagger off with a little grin. "That's just the least I can do. You should see my wings.”
The shadow receded like fog parting until Percy stood there again, looking no different than he had the moment before his first transformation. That cold feeling inside remained, but even now it was slowly dissipating as well. “I believe the saying is I’ve shown you mine now you show me yours?” he said with a bit of a smirk.
Vax looked around. "I need pretty deep shadow to make the wings. How dark are the closets?"
"They're dark, but I don't know if they are dark enough." Percy moved about the room closing window shades and curtains and turning off the lights, then opened the closet door. "Let's find out, shall we?”
Vax's lips twitched. "Hey genius, usually we come out of these things together - not go in," he laughed, grabbing the first of Percy's shirt and pulling him inside.
A blush bloomed on Percy’s neck as he stumbled into the closet, bumping up against Vax in the cramped space. “You have to go in before you come out.”
And then they were in the dark, in each other's space, and the joke was sort of lost as Vax licked his lips as he patted his friend's shirt down. "You uh, actually didn't need to come in," he admitted. "I just needed the darkness to make them.”
“Oh.” Percy felt a bit silly now. He reached for the doorknob in the darkness, intensely aware suddenly of just how small the closet was and how close together that brought them. He could feel Vax’s breath tickling his chin, their chests just barely bumping together whenever either one of them drew in a breath.
Shit. Vax realized as his darkvision adjusted. He could see everything. All of Percy just there, unable to see him, quiet and warm and close. He found himself staring at his lips, wondering not for the first time what they would taste like. Perfect Percival and his Perfect Lips. He saw Percy reaching for the doorknob and thought about stopping him...then stepped back, letting him out of the closet unimpeded. Whatever he wanted from Percy, he knew it was not the kind of thing Percival would find comfortable. Not yet, at least.
Percy opened the door and was greeted by a rush of cool air and a sinking feeling like regret. He turned back to face Vax, hands in his pockets, and lifted his eyebrows questioningly. “Is that enough shadow or…?”
For a second, Vaxildan almost seemed to disappear into the closet - like he'd never been there at all. But when he reappeared, it was as though the shadow was melting off of him - and a pair of large, black feathered wings folded against his back.
Percy’s eyebrows lifted, disappearing beneath the snow-white fringe of his hair, and he stared wide-eyed at Vax. “My God…” How could their mutations be so similar yet so, so different? The shadows made him terrifying, but, here, on Vax, they were beautiful. He started to move in closer, but then stopped himself. “May I?”
"Better I come out there," Vax motioned, though he was a bit unsure about the look on Percy's face. "Bit cramped in here. I can stretch them out in the room. They should last about an hour unless I dismiss ‘em."
Percy took a step back to give Vax more room. “An hour? And you need shadow to make them? You can’t store it somehow?”
Vax shook his head as he stepped out, then ruffled the wings as he spread them out a little more once he had a bit more space. "No storing. I run off of it, I guess."
Percy came around to get a better look at Vax's wings. He lightly ran his fingers over the feathers, marveling at the detail. "They're beautiful." He touched along the top of the wings.
Vax sucked a breath at that, eyes widening as he glanced over his shoulder. It was like Percy was touching his power itself, looming at the back of his mind like a cloak of darkness waiting to envelop him.. "Fuck. That's new."
Percy immediately drew his hand away, concerned. "What did I do?"
"I don't know," Vax admitted, pulling the wings in. "No one's ever touched them before. Except me."
Percy realized he probably should have asked before touching. "I'm sorry. I'll keep my hands to myself."
"Asshole," Vax sighed. "That's not what I meant. I just mean - it's like you're touching my power - not my skin. And it's fucking weird."
"I still should have asked." Percy eyed the wings a moment longer, then came back around to stand in front of Vax. "They really are incredible."
"Best part is: they work," Vax waggled his eyebrows at Percy. "I mean, it took about fifty tries, and I still have the bruises to prove it. That's how I kind of got caught a couple months ago.”
“So, that’s what you meant.” Percy thought of brilliant, impulsive Vax testing out his newly found wings and went cold. “Jesus, Vax, you could have gotten yourself killed.”
Vax flashed him a wide grin, then reached out to ruffle Percy's hair. "But I didn't! And I can fucking fly!"
The petulant scowl left by the hair ruffle broke at the sight of Vax's grin. Vax lit up as bright as the sun when he smiled and it was impossible not to return it. Percy wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to be the cause for that smile. "I'd love to see it sometime."
Vax glanced at the door, but in the end, the wings sort of melted away, a blackness fading off of his back and fleeing to all corners of the room.. "Sometime....when I'm now so fucking knackered." It had been a long trip, and he felt that exhaustion weighing on him.
"Of course, you must be exhausted. Would you like some help unpacking, or would you like to get some rest first? I can make myself scarce if you'd like the room to yourself."
"Don't leave," Vax told him, throwing his bag on the floor near the dresser. "I'll probably sleep better with you in here than I ever did at fecking Kensington Palace.”
Honestly, Percy would probably sleep better with Vax here as well. For someone who’d always had a room to himself, he’d quickly grown accustomed to sharing cramped, close quarters with all of Vox Machina. Being alone was just too quiet now.
“What was that like?” Percy wondered if he’d ever met the French Ambassador. It was likely, but he’d always paid terrible attention when it came to politics, and he couldn’t remember the man for the life of him.
"About like this, but even more fancy," Vax sighed heavily. "Like, little pieces of china everywhere.”
Percy laughed and teased, “And all of it is yours, which means you can’t pilfer it. That must be torture.”
He started to return to his bed and his book, but paused when he noticed the linen-less bed Vax was about to take a nap in. That wouldn’t do. Percy sighed and said, “Well, come on then, if you’re going to rest, you might as well do it in my bed. The linens need to be washed once you get them and I don’t think you’re in any place to deal with that now.” He lied to himself that this was entirely altruistic and it had nothing to do with the fact that he’d missed Vax and the closeness they’d shared amongst Vox Machina.
Vax hesitated. Percy's bed looked comfortable as fuck. And, added bonus, it had Percy. "You're sure?"
Percy was already settling onto his bed, propped up against a pillow with his legs pulled up and his book in hand. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.” Yes. This was completely altruistic.
After another moment of hesitation, Vax grinned, then kicked off his boots before crossing to him. It wasn't the biggest bed in the world - definitely a tight fit for both of them, but they'd shared cozier situations before. Without bothering to ask anymore questions, Vax tucked his knees up under Percy's legs, then settled in to lay his head on a pillow against his side, one arm draping around the other boy. And fuck if it wasn't the most comfortable he'd been in weeks.
He sighed out, happy, then slipped his eyes closed, breathing in the smell of his friend. It was definitely a new smell. Clean, even. Some kind of soap or something mixed in there with the laundry detergent and...shampoo? It was nice. So yeah, not living on the streets had its perks, he supposed. Clean Percy was definitely one of them.
A restlessness that had squirmed inside of Percy every since Vox Machina had parted ways stilled. He looked down at Vax and smiled at the sight of him happy and comfortable. It was selfish to be so grateful that Vax was here when here meant Vax had been torn from Vex’s side, but then Percy had always been terribly selfish.
After a moment, Percy forced himself to look away and turned his attention to his book, opening it to the page he’d left off on. It took him a moment to find his place, but, when he did, he lapsed into the rhythm of reading and, without even realizing it, put his free hand on Vax’s arm, his thumb absently stroking over it back and forth.
