Work Text:
Vex did not know what she had been expecting.
Percy was bound to have had scars. She knew he had scars. Vex had bandaged enough of his scrapes over the years to know some of them were going to leave a mark. So, when Vex asked Percy to her room, she had prepared herself for what she knew was going to see- scars on her boyfriend’s body. They weren’t such prudes that Vex had never seen any of Percy’s body before. What she had seen revealed scratches and wounds that left craters in his skin. But that was of course in certain circumstances, few and far between. Vex figured it would just be more of what those few glances had shown her. What she saw in front of her was a different matter entirely. Percy was shredded.
Knife-like fingers had to have raked themselves over his chest and shoulders and even down to his sides; there was no other reason for those kinds of marks. There were scars on his hands, his forearms, and his neck, but the crowning glory was on the center of his chest. The jagged scar on his chest cut from under his collarbone down across to under the opposite pectoral muscle. The scars on Percy’s body were old and healing, yet the big one on his chest was still stretched taut and painfully pink.
Percy always seemed to be awake- tinkering or reading or doing any of his other Percival things. Percy was a night owl, but Vex had not seen him as tired as he was before her in a long time. His eyes were sunken in purple sockets that stood out stark against his grey skin.
Vex felt stupid standing in the middle of the room in her nice sleeping clothes. Percy still had his pants and socks on; there were more scars under that, there had to be. He sat on her bed, working the fabric of his shirt between his fingers, fully engrossed in finding a fluff that was not there. Vex wiped her palms on her shorts and stood tall. She fidgeted with her braid. Percy did not look up. Here I am trying to be seductive.
Vex cleared her throat and reached for the flickering lamp. “Let me just-“
“No.” Percy said. Vex stayed her hand and looked up. “It’s just a little cut. I don’t mind it.”
“I think that’s more than a little cut,” Vex said. She slipped down next to Percy and kept her eyes on him. “You don’t have to keep up the bravado, darling.” She had wanted the words to sound confident, instead they sounded tired.
Percy sighed. “I just…I just want you to know what you’re getting yourself into. You don’t have to…” but he trailed off.
“I’d have you if you were cut into ribbons.” Vex stated.
“Vex…”
“Percy.”
Percy shot her a look and Vex shrugged. “I figured we were saying each other’s names.”
Percy’s lips cracked into a grin. He let out a breath and reached for the button on his pants. “There’s more,” he said.
“I figured,” Vex said. “You’re sure you don't want me to turn out the light?”
Percy nodded. “Yes. I’m sure. But if you’d rather- if this is too much-“
Vex pressed a kiss to Percy’s temple. Percy sank against her touch. “They’re just scars, darling.”
“Scars. Right.” Percy said. “Just scars.”
Percy took off his remaining clothes and placed them on the bed next to him. He kept his hand wrapped in the fabric as if it were a tether to a safer place. There indeed were more scars on Percy’s thighs and even his feet. Percy’s chest rose and fell with deep breaths. Vex bit her lip and forced herself to keep her face steady.
How could anyone have done this to you?
Vex reached out and waited for Percy to give her the go ahead. He looked between her eyes and her hand, and then he gave her the barest hint of a nod. Vex took the hand that had been holding his clothes in her own. She brought it close to her. Without his gloves for once, Vex could see Percy’s hand clearly. It was like any human hand. There was a heart line and a life line, but they were intersected with many others.
“Who did this to you?” Vex asked. Her vision blurred.
Percy laughed a little, despite himself. “What? You want to seek revenge against me?”
“This was you?” Vex asked. She turned his hand over. The palms of his hands had been sliced more than once. His fingertips were pockmarked by old punctures and warped burns.
“Making my weapon was dangerous work…and a lot of trial and error.” Percy said.
Vex hated that Percy had scars. Any of the scars. Yet, here were the ones from making his guns. He had tried over and over again, and not given up once. That’s my Percy. Vex kissed his fingertips. Percy stiffened, but did not draw away. Vex kissed down his hand, she felt every groove and raised bump against her lips. My brave, stubborn, foolish Percy. She kissed his palm.
“What, are you trying to kiss them better?” Percy asked. He had meant it as a joke, but there was no humor in his voice only weariness.
“I know that won’t work,” Vex said, “But I can at least try.”
Percy was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Carry on.”
Vex took his other hand in hers and without thinking pressed a kiss to the cavity in the center of it. It had never fully healed from when Percy had shot himself to drive out the demon, the flesh was still warped and raw and caved in. She kissed it all the same as fierce as she could, daring his skin to cause him any more suffering.
When Vex pulled away, Percy’s mouth was set in a tight line and he was blinking his eyes as fast as he could. “Where else are you going to do that?” he asked.
“Where else do you have scars?” she answered.
Percy huffed in laughter. “Well, if you want to start with the bottom of my foot-“
Before he could finish the sentence, Vex had shifted to the end of the bed and picked up one of Percy’s feet. There was a perfectly round brown spot on the ball of his foot. Vex kissed it quickly.
Percy raised his eyebrows. “I was joking, dear.”
“And I was serious.” Vex said. “What happened here?”
“I stepped on a rusty nail,” Percy said, “There was awhile when I didn’t have shoes.”
“Right,”
Vex lowered herself and kissed the wicked line on Percy’s calf, the old gash on the muscle of his thigh. When Vex had kissed his hands, Hell when she had been looking at Percy a moment ago, he had been wound tight like a line about to snap. As Vex pressed her lips to his abdomen, she felt the sigh leave his body and with it his tension.
Vex tailed her lips up and had to sit up along with Percy the higher she went. She kissed every one of those shredded pieces of skin where once had been a knife or something else so horrible she didn’t want to think about. I love you. Vex hoped she conveyed. I love you so much, and that’ll never happen again. She even kissed the huge one on his chest and Percy drew in a sharp breath. And if it does, those responsible will meet a far worse fate.
Vex knelt beside Percy and leaned close to his neck, there were bound to be some there. When she got close enough to press her mouth against a smattering of pin-pricks, the realization of what they were came the same time Percy grasped her by the shoulder.
“Not there. Please.” he said, his gaze cast down.
“Sorry,” Vex said as she fell back, she felt like all the air had been punched out of her.
“No. No it’s fine, you were trying your best.” Percy said, and he turned away.
Vex sat, her knees curled into her chest. Her side of the bed was much colder alone. The lamp flickered and the little flame crackled. The timbers in the floor groaned. Somewhere far in the night their other friends were busy playing games or drinking. Owls hooted for each other in the dark.
Percy let out a breath and grazed his knuckles against Vex’s bare knee. An apology. Vex accepted it and wove her fingers through his.
“What about you?” Percy finally asked.
“Excuse me?”
Percy gestured to Vex’s body. “You have your fair share don’t you?”
Vex blinked. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Percy gestured to the spot beside him on the bed. “Lie down. Please.”
Vex leaned back, aware of every creak the bed made below her. She stared up at her bed’s canopy as Percy shifted onto his side. He traced over the scar on her shoulder. “How did you get this?” He asked.
“When my brother was being mind controlled by the Briarwoods,” Vex said, “He had the nerve to stab me.”
Percy kissed her shoulder, quick and precise. He took her arm in both hands and pressed kisses down to her wrist. Vex lay as still as a statue, she dared not even draw a breath and disturb Percy. He stilled over her palm, his lips barely grazing her skin. His eyes darted between her and the marks on her hands.
“Archery and hunting, every one of them,” Vex said. “I can’t even begin to remember each one.”
Percy nodded solemnly and pressed a kiss to the side of her pointer finger where there was a criss-cross of faded lines. He rotated her hand, kissing every scar his marksman eyes could find, ones Vex had long forgotten- scars from knives, snares, sharp sticks, snapping jaws, and well, maybe a few too many fights.
He traveled the small distance from where Vex’s hands lay to the top of her thigh. Four parallel lines ran across. They were old and thin. “A cougar?” he asked.
“A lynx, close enough.” Vex said.
He kissed them all the same. One after the other, the length of them from the top to the side of her leg. When Percy was done, he looked up at Vex’s face and his eyes widened. He moved upwards, his chest pressed against Vex’s, his eyes level with hers. Percy cupped the back of Vex’s head and kissed her temple, right where her hair met her skin. He was warm against her- a strong and solid presence. Vex wrapped her arms around Percy’s neck and savored the feel of him; he was alive and with her, only her.
Percy had long stopped kissing only the scar on her hairline. Instead his lips were on her forehead, her cheek; he did it fervently, worshipfully.
“I fell out of a tree as a girl,” Vex said, not that it mattered anymore.
Percy only hummed in response. “I love you so much, Vex’ahlia.” he whispered.
“I love you, too.” Vex said back. “Now, do you want to help me take off my clothes?”