ax_main | Percy, Vex, and Vax (Brotherhood Party)

Vex surprises her brother and Percy at the Brotherhood party. They also surprise her with their change in relationship status. Feelings happen.

Vex was glad for the opportunity to surprise Vax and Percy separately. Sneaking up on her brother required effort, but finding Percival unattended meant Vex was for once the stealthiest person present. It was easy slipping up behind him and sliding her hands over his eyes. To avoid any panic at being grabbed, she quickly accompanied the gesture with a murmured greeting.

"Happy belated birthday, Percival.”

Percy’s immediate reply died on his tongue when the voice registered as ‘definitely not Vax' and ‘definitely Vex’. “Vex?” he said in surprise and took her hands from his eyes so he could turn and face her in wide-eyed, happy disbelief. “What on earth are you doing here?”

She smiled and caught a closer look at him. From a distance, he was slightly taller now, and certainly more filled out than the undernourished boy they'd left in Greyskull Keep. Up close, he looked great. Really, really great. Vex couldn't help but reach up to touch his cheek. "Vax introduced me to a teleporter, and I thought I'd surprise you boys. Yana invited me.”

Percy would have to thank Illyana. She’d done a lot for them, taking Vax to visit Vex and now bringing Vex here. He smiled warmly. “I’m glad. It’s good to see you.” She looked well, better than, really. A roof over her head and regular meals had done wonders for her just as it had for Vax. “Does Vax know you’re here?”

"Not yet. You're a much easier man to sneak up on." She grinned. "Come dance with me? He won't be able to miss me then.

Percy offered Vex his arm. "Of course." His mother had taught him that when a lady asks you to dance, you dance. It was a little antiquated, somewhat sexist, and definitely heteronormative, but, in this case, it was good advice.

She took his arm and smiled warmly. If there was also a flush of color in her cheeks, it was a hot warehouse. "You clean up very well. Dressed for the occasion, or does Vax get this view regularly?"

Percy warmed at the thought of Vax admiring him dressed up. "Not quite like this, but I do like to dress nice." It was more difficult now with a lack of funds, but he'd learned to improvise. "You look lovely.”

“Thank you, Percy.” Vex slipped her arms around Percy's neck to dance close. She wanted Vax to notice after all, and anyone this close to their shy boy would catch his eye. Also, yes, it was an excuse to keep touching.

Percy's family had never really been huggers, especially in public. Intimacy had been reserved for the privacy of behind closed doors, something to be shared only with each other. Vox Machina, on the other hand, were huggers. Not only were they huggers, they were leaners and touchers and hand-holders. They were the most tactile, in-your-personal-space people he'd ever met. A hug, an arm around the shoulder, a kiss on the cheek, napping in piles like a litter of puppies... None of it within the realm of impossibility.

In truth, Percy liked it, but he was still getting used to it and sometimes it would make him not uncomfortable but something adjacent to it. So, when Vex put her arms around him to dance so closely, a flush rose up the back of his neck. “Have you met anyone else, or just Illyana?”

Vex smiled up at him. "I've met the host, Pietro. First person on the way in. Thought I'd better find you soon or there'd be no surprising my brother.”

“I’m surprised he’s not turned up yet,” Percy replied with a glance around the room. He didn’t see Vax, which wasn’t a surprise. Even without his mutation, Vax could be practically invisible when he wanted.

Vax had been across the room when he'd seen some girl dancing with Percy. Up close and personal, too, and yes, he'd felt a little jealous, just at first, until they turned, and his jaw dropped. Then, he wasn't sure whether to feel jealous or not. It was....odd, seeing Vex hugging tight to him, and he wasn't sure if his heart was hammering in his chest because Vex was there, and god, he missed her or because she was clearly flirting with the guy he was...what? Kissing when no one was looking?

He melted out of the shadows right beside them around the time Percy said what he did, and smirked lightly. "My ears are tingling. Some asshole must be talking about me.”

Vax grinned brightly and swiveled her and Percy so that she could catch Vax with one arm and pull him in. She hugged both boys tightly. "Hello, brother.”

Percy put an arm around Vax’s waist. “Hello,” he greeted as well with a smile.

Vax pulled them close and hugged them both close, then pressed his forehead to Vex's. "What the fuck are you doing here, Stumpy?”

"Illyana invited me. Surprise! And look, you have pants on." She snuggled close, smile softening at the rightness of their proximity.

Percy smiled at the sight of the twins together. He wished it could stay this way. “That sounds like a story.”

“How was I supposed to know she sleeps with no pants on now?” Vax complained at Percy even as he wrapped her in another hug.

“This is the first time I've a room to myself and a door that locks. A girl has to embrace her freedom somehow.” Vex tangled into Vax's hug. The meant nearly releasing Percy, but she managed to keep his hand. She wasn't letting him run.

Percy squeezed Vex’s hand. “I’ll get us all a drink.” He was sure Vex and Vax needed a moment to themselves.

Vax let Percy go for the moment, focusing the entirety of his attention on his sister as he hugged her again. "It's dangerous here, you know.”

Vex tried to keep Percy in her peripheral, for the exact reason Vax had just stated. "It's dangerous everywhere." She kissed Vax's temple. "I've sworn to keep my status to myself if the topic comes up. I wanted to see you both. Easier here than at your school with the mindreading headmaster.”

“I’ll be back in a few,” Percy said, and then left in the direction of the drink fountain.

Vax glanced over as Percy turned away, his gaze lingering on him. (Jesus fuck, the vest, really?) Then he looked back at Vex. "Keeping it to yourself is a good idea. From what I've heard, the others here don't care much for people without powers.”

"Bigots," Vex said with a cheerful smile. Her gaze was still half on Percy. "Should we find somewhere to sit? I would like at least ten minutes where neither of you are out of my sight. I promise not to tether you all evening, but I have lost time to make up for.”

Looking around, Vax spotted some chairs in the corner, then nodded to them. "Come on. Percy will find us. If not, I'll fetch him.”

"He is so lucky he doesn't have a leash on him right now," Vex said. She squeezed Vax's hand and went to head for the corner. "I'm guessing you also have the overwhelming urge to protect him after what he had to share the other night?”

"He told you?" Vax asked. Yeah, he'd suggested that Percy be the one to tell Vex, but he wasn't sure if he would take the advice. He side-glanced at her. Exactly how much had he told her?

“He called.” She caught Vax’s glance and raised a brow. “We can't exactly talk freely about details here. But he told me what happened to them, and what brought him to us. I made it very clear he’s not hunting anyone down alone.”

"Fuck no," Vax agreed, pulling her into a chair beside him. "Did he tell you what his power is?”

She blinked. “I didn't even think to ask.”

"Let's just say it's a manifestation of pretty much all the shit that went down. That's my take, anyway," Vax shrugged his shoulders. "He turns into this huge, fucking shadow creature. It's like something out of a horror film.”

"Oh, Percy," Vex said softly. She settled into the center chair, pulling Vax down next to her.

He lowered into the seat. "The good part is that our powers interact. So I can at least look out for him.”

Vex tilted her head at that. “Do you travel via Percy? Making origami out of him? That is so weird.”

Vax grinned. "No, he just powers me. And I can hide him.”

It had taken Percy a moment, but he’d eventually spotted Vax and Vex tucked into a corner with three chairs. They were sitting close, heads bent in towards each other as they talked. They looked so at home with one another, that, for a moment, he thought he should give them more time. But, there was only so much time he could spend pretending to get drinks, so he walked over anyway, drinks in hand, and said, “I took a guess at what you’d both would want.”

"Good," Vex said in response to Vax. She glanced up at Percy approaching and scooted away from her brother, making a space between them. Tugging Percy down was a more careful affair, since there were drinks to consider. Once he was down, Vex threw her legs across both their laps, trapping Percy between them. She snatched her drink and twisted the cap off. "Thank you, Percy. A gentleman always.”

Not always, Vax wanted to say, but coughed and kept that one to himself, taking his beer and flipping the cap off.

This was the casual kind of intimacy Percy had been referring to. Not commenting on his new position as a foot rest, he twisted the cap off his own beer and took a drink. “Giving the company you’ve been forced to keep as of late, I imagine it’s a very low bar to meet.”

“Surprising, considering how posh my school is.” Vex made a face.

"Aw, have all the fancy boys been riding your coattails, sister?" Vax grinned.

Percy didn’t doubt that anymore than he did that they treated her poorly because of where and what she came from. “Money can buy many things. Unfortunately, manners and common sense are not among them.”

Vex wasn't going to cite any examples of the shit she was putting up with at school. Suffice it to say, "It certainly can't buy my good opinion." She tipped her head back, downing a few long swallows of her drink.

Vax had been teasing, but at the look on her face, his features darkened. "Give me names.”

Percy was very interested in who they were as well. “I probably knew some of them.”

She gave them both an even look. "I'm not giving names, especially if you know them--which you likely do. I can handle a few idiots.”

"But you'll let us know if you need back-up," Vax looked across at her, meaning in his gaze. He wasn't about to let some assholes pick on his sister just because he wasn't there to provide a unified front like usual.

“We’re family,” Percy said, echoing the point Vex herself had made the night before.

She leaned and kissed Percy on the cheek, then reached around him to give her brother a loving pat on his cheek (or a broad palm on the cheek, same thing) as well. "Trust me. They won't require extra hands on deck. Let's save the stabbing for people that deserve it. Which reminds me, how's your creepy school?”

"Ask Percival. I have no fucking comparison," Vax huffed softly. School. What the fuck. And remedial classes too.

Percy smiled softly at Vax, then looked to Vex to reply, “It was fine up until the announcement that it’s basically a recruitment center. Now I’m waiting for participation to go from strictly volunteer to strictly mandatory. It’s what I would do if I were him and I were building an army. A lot of people rely on the school. How many of them could afford to say no?”

"I was thinking that as well," Vex said with a small nod. She glanced around the party, skimming to see how close other the party goers were. A comfortable smile stayed on her lips. "I've started saving what I can. Some funds from returns, or small items to trade. If we need to start over it will hopefully be easier this time. Ignoring the part where people want to know where we are now. But maybe it won't come to that." She glanced at Vax. "Velora sends her love. I told her I'd call you."

Vax frowned softly. Normally, the news would make him smile, but if they were talking about taking off again, that would leave Velora alone with Syldor. Sure, she'd been alone with him her whole fucking life, but Vax just hated the idea of her growing up to be like him. "Tell her I miss her, and I'll be home soon.”

Percy had begun squirreling away money as well. Bits of change here and there, unused gift cards that the school had provided for clothes and supplies… If it did come to running, he wanted to be prepared. That being said… “If everything does go to hell, it might be wiser for you both to lay low at Syldor’s.”

“Yes, it might be wiser,” Vex said dryly. "And where will you be? Safely upstate? No where we should worry?" Her look was a warning.

"Fuck that," Vax gave Percy a sharp look. "I'm not leaving you again, especially not to live with that ass I call my father. We'll figure something out where all of us can stay together.”

Percy looked at them both with annoyance. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t return to Greyskull Keep, but I can stay close-by, and we’ll be able to keep in touch this time. It’s absolutely unnecessary for you to put yourselves anymore at risk. Your father, ass that he may be, can offer protections you won’t be able to find on the streets.”

"Look, we're not kids anymore. If his protection doesn't extend to you, we'll move on. We'll find work. We'll make new lives." Vex reached to gently grasp Percy under the chin. She turned his head so that he had to meet her eyes. "Don't think of running to make this easier for us. We'll find you. We're in this together." She held him a second longer to make sure her point was clear and then dropped her hand across him to land on Vax.

"We don't even know if his majesty lord highness Vessar would even be tolerant of mutants living under his roof, let alone protect us," Vax pointed out. "But we're definitely not letting you wander off, Percival.”

“You two are impossible,” Percy grumbled. It wasn’t as if he liked the idea of splitting up again, but there was no denying that it was the safer option for Vax and Vex.

"Impossibly amazing. Give in, Percy. You're outnumbered." Vex squeezed Vax's wrist. As a united front, there really was no point in arguing against the twins.

"And we're not backing down on this," Vax told him seriously. "So if you run off on your own again, I swear to all the gods, I will track you down, truss you up, and drag you back.”

Percy looked mildly offended. “I’ve never—” And he stopped right there, because that wasn’t true.. He had run off on his own. He was very good at that, wasn’t he? “Alright. I won’t.”

"Good boy," Vex said softly. She leaned against him, extending a hug around them both.

Vax returned the sentiment, though with more force, squeezing Percy and his sister in his grasp. “Face it, Freddy, we’re stubborn shits, powers or not. Whatever happens, we’re safest together.”

Squished as he was between the twins, Percy could only pat their hands awkwardly. "Together," he agreed. "But don't think I won't be smug about when it turns out I was right."

"You'll be smug regardless." She made no move to free him.

Vax finally released them with a grin. "She has you there.”

Percy couldn’t argue with that so, from where he was hugged into Vex, he said, “Then, I’ll be extra smug.”

"You do that." Vex snickered.

Vax sat back in his chair, raising his beer to his lips. "Have you heard from any of the others, sister?”

Still in Vex’s surprisingly strong grasp, Percy could only sit there, just barely managing to get his beer to his lips for a drink. “Keyleth, maybe? She said she’d try to keep in touch.”

Vex sighed and leaned back. "No messages at the keep. No sign from them. I went for a walk, and the most I've gotten was some info on Grog's old crew. I'll keep my eyes out.”

"Do you think I should try and find them?" Vax asked quietly.

Percy considered it. Pike might be easy enough to find. She'd mentioned a relative she needed to check in on. Grog, presumably, was with her. Scanlan, however, would prove to be a challenge. He could be anywhere. He'd once told them a story about how he'd wound up in Madrid living under the assumed name Francois Bertrand Jean-Luc Australia. It wasn't, however, safe to go poking around. Not with all the anti-mutant nonsense going on. "Not alone you won't."

“If I conveniently manifest the ability to track people, I'll let you know,” Vex said wryly. “Scope out your school. Who knows what weird shit kids can do. We have some items of theirs, if that can be used to find them.”

Vax looked thoughtful. "That's not a bad idea," he mused. But then again, of course it wasn't. It was Vex's.

“It’s a great idea,” Percy said as an agreement, a finger tapping thoughtfully against his bottle. “Xavier found me after all, so it can’t be within the realm of impossibility.”

"Hm. I trust you to be cautious." That was clearly directed at Percy.

"We'll also look for a tracker," Vax told her.

Percy looked indignant. “I’m always cautious.”

"Yes, and Vax is either cautious or very lucky given the day." Vex stretched back and took long swallow of her drink.

“I’m always lucky,” Vax corrected, letting his gaze linger on Percy’s lips. “Damn lucky.”

Percy’s affront at having his caution compared to Vax’s recklessness came to a crashing halt when he noticed the way Vax was looking at him. He blinked, cleared his throat, and said, “I will point out that you’re advising us caution when you came to a party filled with people who hate anyone not like them.”

Vex glanced between the two of them. Without missing a beat, she shrugged and gestured at the party. “You’re here. My ride can teleport. I’m getting along very well so far.”

"And yet, he has a point about throwing caution to the wind," Vax drawled. "Not that I'm going to try and stop you.”

"I think we can all agree to be careful and use our word if things get hairy," Percy said.

“That’s the plan,” Vex agreed.

"You mean that word, right over there?" Vax nodded in the direction of a neon tower of blocks, his lips twitching.

Percy didn’t need to look. He knew exactly what Vax was talking about, unless they had a fluorescent beer pong codeword he didn’t know about. “That would be the one.”

“We’re attempting that later, right?” Vex finally slung her legs down to the floor. “Possibly after more drinks or cupcakes.”

"You're starting to sound positively American, sister," Vax grinned. "And if I'm not mistaken, this is your first time here.”

Percy fought back a grin. “Those sound like fighting words.”

“How rude.” She flipped Vax off. “Hey, if Yana gets pissed and I have to crash in her dorm, how badly will your benevolent guy react so you think?”

"Fuck him," Vax grinned. "You can stay with Percy an' me."

Vex gave them both an inquisitive look. “And do the beds happened to be pushed together by this point?” She could feign innocence as much as she wanted. It was a leading question, and she didn’t know what to do if either of them (most likely Percy) started blushing.

Percy’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. Had Vax told Vex already? No, that was impossible. Not only had they just spoken about it, but he would have mentioned if he had. Were they really that obvious? Had everyone added together what had taken them ages to do themselves? “That would be terribly uncomfortable.”

Vax, on the other hand, wasn't surprised one bit. Hiding something from his sister was like trying to hide from MI-5. He'd figured she'd start to pick up clues pretty quickly. He just hadn't known she'd be at a party with them mere days after they'd started...this. Dating? He wanted to say dating. He wasn't sure that Percy was still solid on the idea, or if he was just going along with it because Vax wanted it, but he could admit that it was what he, at least, wanted. Dating.

In any case, not quite at the stage of pushing beds together, although he didn't quite agree with Percival. He thought it might be too comfortable. So, in an attempt to build on Percy's denial, he snorted softly. "You realize, I am perfectly capable of sleeping by myself.. The night terrors are a long time past."

Vex’s heart ticked at Percy’s initial reaction. She took another swallow of her drink, approaching the need for a refill. “Frankly, I’m proud of you for sleeping on a bed, opposed to a nest of odds and ends.”

“That’s a terrible thing to call the rest of Vox Machina,” Percy quipped.

“Sleeping without an insulating layer of hoodies and limbs is rather strange,” Vex conceded. She finished the last drop of her drink. “Another for anyone else?” Vex hopped up and gave them both winning smile. She needed a moment to process. Maybe she was misreading the situation. It would be easier to see from a distance.

Vax eyed her suspiciously. Something about the smile was a little off. With a light smack to Percy's knee, he stood with her. "I'll help you carry the drinks."

Something was up. "Alright," Percy said slowly, standing as well. "I'll go lay claim to the jenga tower for us. We can't let tonight go without us playing a round.”

There was no way to shake Vax without being obvious. She could claim she needed the loo, but subconsciously she wasn’t ready to let him out of sight. Limited time was a bitch.“ Shout if you’re accosted,” Vex reminded Percy. “People will think you’re an enthusiast.”

Vax smirked after Percy, but followed his sister toward the drinks, staying quiet at first. He'd at least give her the chance to say something up front before he went about chasing down answers.

Vex wasn’t volunteering her thoughts or suspicions. She launched into an alternate topic. “The party planner is also a twin. I told him and his sister that I’d introduce you later. Twin solidarity. They’re lovely, this is the most welcoming fortress of evil I’ve ever partied in.”

Her brother frowned slightly. "So not so much a fortress of evil, then?"

“There may be some evil. I haven’t tried the cookies yet. But some of the evil is very cute.” Vex gestured at the glowing rainbow around them. “And very colorful.”

Vax looked around, nodding slightly, then looking back at her. "What's going on?”

Her expression shifted at the direct question. To an observer, Vex was still smiling and walking easily toward the drinks table. Her brother wouldn’t miss the edge of that smile or shift in her posture. This was one of those rare occasions when Vex had the impulse to lie to her brother. This was new, usually a product of hormones and avoiding embarrassing topics. Only this topic wasn’t some gross girl thing. This was feelings.

“Are you and Percy a thing now?” She asked, because bullshitting Vax wasn’t right.

Vax, in answer, had almost the same impulse to be subversive in some way. It was...very odd to admit any of this to Vex, but even worse to keep it from her. "A thing," he started, then sighed as he looked at her, "happened between us a couple days ago.

"It's new. Very fucking new. But if it makes you uncomfortable..." And he should have realized it might, of course. Hell, he probably should have confided in her a long time ago that he had those kinds of feelings. He wasn't even sure if she knew he was bisexual or not.

The confirmation buzzed like white noise. On one hand, Vex was jealous of her brother. For being here, for pursuing romance, for not being alone… And on the other hand she couldn’t blame him. Vax was sent away. It wasn’t his choice to leave. In his place, Vex would have done exactly the same thing. Apparently they shared the same taste in both boys and apparel. She felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. They both flirted shamelessly, with or without intent, and it hadn’t dawned that she wasn’t the only one with a soft spot for Percival. The look on Vax’s face twisted her mortification.

“Darling, don’t even.” She reached and squeezed the back of his neck. ”I love you both, and I want you to be happy. Don’t start making noble offers because I look uncomfortable. I just… I didn’t realize.”

For a moment, all Vax felt was pure relief, and he leaned forward, enjoying that familiar touch. "I should have told you," he murmured. "But seriously...if you're going to feel odd being around us at this party, we...earlier, the fucker actually got me to dance." Which said so much. Vax hadn't danced a step in his life, much less knew how to dance with someone like Percy.

“That is painfully sweet.” She leaned and kissed Vax’s forehead. “I’m not completely surprised that between the two of us, you’re the first to end up with a boyfriend. Can you give me a minute? I want to run to the loo.”

“Stumpy,” Vax breathed out, mostly in shock. She was more upset than he’d thought. He reached up to touch her face, his gaze suddenly dark and serious. “Hey. Forget it. It’s done. No more Percy.”

"Don't be ridiculous." Her voice finally broke at his touch. "Look, this is stupid. You like him. He likes you. Date the boy. I'm sorry I'm..." She gestured at herself. "I'm being an idiot. Things are going to happen without me. If we're both miserable and pining, that's ridiculous. One of us needs to do something exciting to offset the bullshit."

Vax pulled her into a close hug. He hadn’t even thought about the fact that Vex had been left behind - that she wanted a part of their world. He didn’t even know what she was going through, on the other side of the world.

"Find us a shadow," Vex demanded quietly. "I don't want to make a scene. Please."

Almost immediately, they disappeared from the room, darkness enveloping them, pulling them into an area of heavy darkness, then down into what amounted to a cellar beneath the lively party.

“We’re safe,” he breathed into the muffled darkness, his arms never loosening the embrace..

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against Vax's neck. Without eyes on them she finally relaxed, letting her limbs sag into the embrace. "If he gets kidnapped in the next 10 minutes I'll kill him," Vex said with a shaky laugh.

He kissed her hair. “Fuck, he’ll be fine. He’s probably chatting someone up about trebuchets and their uses in giant Jenga.”

"Quite likely," Vex agreed.. She shut her eyes. When your brother manifested shadow magic, you stopped fearing the dark.

“There are several pairs of twins that are mutants,” Vax told her after a moment of quiet. “They all have powers. They say it’s just a matter of time before you end up at the school.”

"I know. Apparently I'm overdue superspeed." She sighed. "It will be fine. It gives me time to check on the keep and corrupt Velora."

“I would never leave you behind. You know that, yeah?” Vax murmured.

She tugged his hair softly. "I know."

“What can I do?” He asked quietly.

“That I don’t know. I need to adjust, that’s all.” Her fingers trailed through the edge of his hair. “We’ve survived worse,” she said quietly. “Boys and travel and new schools aren’t the end of the world. It's just different.”

“And we’ve never been apart for this long before,” Vax pointed out.

“Pretty much,” she agreed. She kept her head pillowed in Vax’s shoulder.

"We could fake a power for you? Get you to the school? The headmaster seems open-minded," Vax suggested softly.

“Isn’t he a telepath? Or are you saying we’d ask him to lie to Syldor so I can come live with you?” It was both tempting and like admitting defeat.

"The latter," Vax agreed, shifting back just slightly to allow his dark vision to adjust, giving him a quick glimpse of her face.

She was less upset, soothed by time alone with her brother. The situation was complicated, but she wasn’t at risk of crying in public. “We could try,” Vex conceded. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll keep visiting. I will be fine. It’s just a lot at once, with everyone gone. I miss you. But change happens. As long as you’re happy and safe, at least I don’t have to worry about you as much.”

"I'll talk to the headmaster when I get back," Vax murmured softly. "Either that, or I'm hitching teleport rides to check on you once a week."

She hugged him again, squeezing until his bones creaked. “Should I stay the night? I don’t want to get Illyana in trouble. How well would the sad puppy eyes work on a telepath? I feel reasonably pathetic, but it’s creepy if he reads your true intent or something.”

"I don't know what to think about him," Vax admitted. "He's a posh fucker who tries to come off as this philanthropist, but then he goes and makes a team of vigilantes.. But should you stay the night? Fuck yes. You're not going anywhere until we have some answers."

She kissed his cheek. “I’ll find Yana at some point and let her know. We can pile tonight. Tomorrow I’ll give you a second opinion on your benefactor.”

Vax hesitated at the suggestion of piling. As much as he'd love to, he still wasn't sure where they stood on the subject of Percy. Or piling. Or even him getting physical with the other boy in front of her. "So. Percival…"

Vex hid her face behind her hands. “I’m sorry for being weird.” With her freakout passing, it was easier to compose herself. “It’s none of my business if you’re snogging. I can’t blame you, and I support your happiness.”

He reached up in the darkness, touching one of her hands. "You're not exactly convincing me here. What's the issue? It's not like you're jealous, yeah?" But even as he said it, his confused frown evened out into something of surprise as he realized that maybe that was the issue after all.

Vex groaned. She glanced up at Vax and said dryly, “We share the same taste in boots and boys. But he’s hardly the only boy out there. Or girl, for that matter. I was just blindsided.”

"Compare him to a boot in front of his face, I dare you," Vax grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

She rolled her eyes. “As if he’d complain. Quality leather only.”

"You know I'd give him up for you, right? You say the word. Whatever is between us - this weird magnetic crazy shit - it's nothing compared to what I have with you." Vax told her softly.

“Don’t be a jerk,” Vex scolded. “If he likes you, I’m not asking you to dump him on my behalf.” She reached and squeezed Vax’s hand. “No one is going to come between us. But I do care about him. I want him to be happy. He’s been alone in ways we never will be... If you break his heart I’ll be very cross with you. And if he breaks yours, I’m sure he’s already terrified of me.”

The relief Vax felt was more than he’d thought it would be, something fluttering in his stomach as he returned the squeeze of her hand. “You and me. We’ll pile so much fucking happiness on him, he won’t know what to do.”

She leaned against her brother. “You can just claim the center of any piles for now. Since he’s not actually a pair of boots, let me kill and bury this crush. Thank you for saying something before I did something truly embarrassing.”

Vax nodded slightly. “I’ll be a buffer if you like. And we’ll be gentlemen when you’re around.”

She pinched his side.. “Or as close as you get to gentleman. Ugh. I need to drink and flirt with some more rogues upstairs. Shame I think Pietro may be taken. Not sure about his sister.”

“Careful, Stumpy. Remember that these people hate those without powers,” Vax reminded her.

“Right. Reasons I wasn’t drinking hard tonight. I promised Yana I wouldn’t punch anyone.” She pressed another kiss to Vax’s forehead.

Vax hugged her close. “Ready to go back?”

She took a deep breath, holding tight a minute longer. “Okay. Alcohol and jenga.”

Vax gave a nod, a kiss to her hair, then chill and darkness surrounded them, pulling, twisting, until they suddenly appeared in a shadow next to the drink table, the veil pulling away.

Vex’s smile was back on, softer and more convincing this time. She squeezed her brothers hand and reached to pluck up a bottle. “Rescue time. Someone may be trying to socialize with the hermit.”

A minute later, they had drinks in hand and were back at Percy's side, with Vax looking over the boy's shoulder in curiosity. "You asshole, are you reading?”

Percy looked up from his phone which he had, in fact, been reading a book on. “Yes.” He saw no reason to hide it. “It’s about Victorian death customs.”

“You read the strangest things,” Vex said wryly. She raised a brow at Vax. “Jenga? Or are we holding a seance next?”

"Ask the Victorian death custom guy," Vax drawled, grinning. "Personally, I vote on Jenga."

Percy closed his book app and put his phone in his pocket. "You're both going to regret that decision after I wipe the floor with you."

“Engineering verse dexterity. It’s a challenge, I see.” Vex grinned.

"The best kind," Vax smirked.