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He stares at her in awe, admiring every part of her. The way she walks, the way her clothes flow with the wind, along with her hair. She looks completely divine, wearing his coat. It's too big for her, covering her figure fully, but it still looks gorgeous, protecting her from the restless cold. The strong wind messes with her hair, but she could go through hell and still look straight out of a painting.
He doesn't notice he's staring until he steps on the snow, tripping over a branch hidden underneath a pile and face planting into the floor with a strangled yelp. His glasses get covered with snow, as he incorporates with a low groan. The rest of the group turns to look at him, with confusion on their faces. He blushes so hard it could melt the snow, awkwardly trying to get up. Keyleth has mercy on him, helping him up with a cheeky smile and cleaning his glasses with a bit of wind. "I—I—" he stutters, looking at the floor.
"You okay back there, Freddie?" Vax calls, unimpressed. "Need a hand?"
"No, no, I-I'm fine. I just tripped," he reassures, trying to avoid the attention. "I'm fine. I need to watch where I'm stepping."
Once the team is sure he's okay, they turn back and resume their walk. Apart from a quick 'thank you' after being held up, he doesn't address Keyleth, who's currently staring at him like he's a jester entertaining her. "So..." she begins, elbowing him, "the coat? That's so cute! Like, straight out of a romance book! Gods, you two are so adorable."
"What?" He calls, refusing to look at her. He can imagine her exact face, that stupid, shit-eating grin that matches the one he puts when she gets near Vax. "What did you say?" He repeats.
"Nothing! Nice day, ain't it?" She deflects innocently, still not taking her eyes off him.
"Keyleth, stop looking at me like that." He complains, trying as hard as he can to keep his composure, but he's clearly failing.
"Like what? I'm not looking at you in any way!" She mocks, continuing to stare at him.
"Keyleth, I'm warning you." He groans, but the way the tips of his ears are still red kills any effect.
"I'm not scared of you, Percy, I just saw you give her your coat." She teases, giggling. She reminds him of Cassandra so badly. Usually, that's not a bad thing; he loves his sister, and he loves Keyleth, but now it's horrible. Cassandra also loved to embarrass him. "You're so smitten."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not in love with her. Not at all." He denies, like a petulant child.
"Oh, then what was the coat for?" She raises her eyebrows, giggling. She loves annoying him, especially when it's related to Vex.
"It's called manners, Keyleth, and you would benefit from learning some, really. When a lady is cold, you give her your coat." He mutters, spitting each word while parroting the exact thing he got told as a kid. He still refuses to look at her.
"Oooh, manners, hm, very polite..." She coos, not taking him seriously in the slightest. "Sure, that's the reason you were blushing when she took it..." She continues teasing.
"Shut. Up." He mutters. "It's cold, that's why I'm red. And that's also why I gave her my coat. Is it really that hard to understand?"
"Well, I'm cold too, and I'm not red like you. You're even wearing more layers of clothing than I am! I'm the one who's supposed to be freezing! Also, why didn't you give me your coat?" She presses. "Am I not your best friend?" She says, feigning hurt.
"Because you're a human stove, Keyleth, make some fire. Also, she just died. Because of me. The least I can do is keep her warm." He groans, looking away. "Shut up, again. I'm not in the mood for this." There's no point in defending himself further; he's been caught, but at least he can try to get her to shut up.
She seems to relax a little after Vex's death being mentioned, but then she goes back at it. "Come on, there's no shame in admitting it. We all know, after all. Except her, for some reason..." She comments, glancing at the half-elven woman. She's keeping her voice low, trying to prevent her from hearing anything. Her sense of hearing has brought other problems before, especially when they discussed some…rather embarrassing things. "I'll shut up when you admit you want to kiss her sooo bad." She teases, elbowing him. He would normally be proud of her. She used to be so shy and awkward, and barely ever touched him unless he initiated the interaction first; now she's much braver and dares to annoy him.
Unfortunately, she's annoying him a bit too much, especially with Vex just a few steps from them. If it were even possible, he turns redder, hiding his face in his hands. "I-I-" he chokes with his own words, almost tripping again. He lets out a high-pitched yelp, being caught by Keyleth just before face-planting on the snow again. "Gods!" He complains. This time, only Vex turns.
"Are you two okay back there?" She asks, smirking as if she knew something. Percy, too stunned to talk, just mumbles something, so Keyleth takes the word.
"Oh, yes, yes, everything's fine! I was just trying to get him to admit something. And he's stubborn, you know it," she explains, pulling him up for the second time that day.
"Good luck, then." She winks at Percy, and he just nods, putting on a dumb smile.
When she turns back, Keyleth turns to Percy, with her eyebrows raised. "Did you even hear what she said?"
"No." He answers, before he can think twice. "I-I mean—Gods, drop it. Not here, I'll—I'll talk to you later. I don't want to hear a word, now." He pushes her, almost throwing her to the snow and speeding up.
She catches up with him, patting his back. "Like, I get it, I get it! It's Vex, who wouldn't be head over heels for Vex? She's…well, Vex, after all. There's no shame in admitting you like her!"
"Gods, shut it, shut it. Shut it!" He hisses, burying his face in his hands again. "I hate you so much." He drops. At her sudden quietness, he glances at her and notices how her expression has changed. He has sounded too aggressive, of course, so he quickly adds, "I'm kidding, of course. I'm rather fond of you. But gods, I currently hate you so much. Can you drop the topic, please?"
She giggles, dropping a hand over his shoulders. "Sure, when you admit you love her. You put me through hell, back then, I'm just getting it back at you!'
He sighs, defeated. She does have a point; he was insufferable a while ago, when it was Keyleth's turn to be in love with one of the twins. "Revenge isn't a good thing, speaking from my own experience." He fixes the crow skull on his handkerchief on purpose, the gift she gave him after everything with Orthax went down.
"Ugh, don't say that!" She groans, elbowing him. "Just say you like her and I'll leave you alone!"
He chuckles before taking a deep breath and turning to face her. "You know what, fine. I do like her. Happy?" He says, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
She beams, proud of herself. "I knew it."
"Are you going to leave me alone, now?" He asks, looking utterly beaten.
"Yes, yes. You're free. Though, are you planning on telling her anytime soon?"
"I…I don't know, honestly. I…I don't even know if she'll feel the same. But I'd like her to know. We're facing dragons, aren't we? We could die at any moment. I might not get many chances to tell her."
"Exactly. You do have a habit of shutting up important things, so you should take care of that too," she comments, igniting a little fire on her hand to keep them both warm. "So, sometime soon?"
"Maybe after we take down the first dragon. Maybe I'll get the courage, then. Blood and alcohol always help." He shrugs his shoulders, getting closer to the flame.
She nods in agreement. "They do help. Not like I have any problem telling people things, no…" She mutters, looking at the floor. Ah, it's his chance. Two can play her game.
"So, how are you and your half-elf doing?" He asks, smirking.
"Oh, come on!"
"What? Isn't it true? Isn't it the same thing?" He teases, raising his eyebrows.
"It isn't!" She chides.
"It is!" He shoots back.
"It isn't!"
"It is!"
Vex, a few steps, feels her ears twitch. She grabs Percy's coat, throws it over her shoulders, and pulls it tighter, covering herself. It feels nice, it feels like him.
She pulls that thought away and looks back. The pair behind her seems to be having fun, bantering about something she hasn't paid attention to. She puts on a faint smile, feeling her heart full. He looks so good like that, laughing and teasing his best friend. It's great that he's been becoming more comfortable with the group, when he previously barely spoke with them.
She remembers how he didn't hesitate to give her all his money. That was such a kind gesture...
He catches a few more words at what they're saying, including flustered mumbles and choked defenses from both of them, but she can get the general topic of the conversation. They're talking about being in love with someone. About really being in love with someone.
A faint voice in her head tells her that maybe it's her, and that she should make a move before it's too late. That maybe, Percy giving her her coat wasn't just a friendly act. She pushes that thought away and just smirks.
Looks like someone had a crush…