Fine China

The months that followed Valentine's day were peaceful. Percy seemed to float through life with some sort of newly discovered clarity. He took the time to smell the roses, sometimes literally. It was common for him to go on long walks around Rose Garden, admiring the flowers he was supposedly allergic to in the park and sampling vendors and restaurants he'd never tried before. It was as if the creature of habit had simultaneously broken every single habit he'd been known for. His words were happy, almost bubbly, and silky smooth. He could laugh and charm the cashiers of places just to make them smile. It seemed like it came so easily as it did for his brother. In the evenings he wanted to go out to find somewhere playing music, when before he'd shown little to no interest in it. Even as Leon finally took his therapist's advice and went home to River Village, Percy went with him as he said he would with no complaints, despite his previous aversion to the rural town. He stayed with Leon while he acclimated back to normalcy. He made nice with Robin and helped the dog acclimate to Cat, and was pleased when it appeared the two would be friends. In fact, despite how disconnected to his world it was, the town his lover had chosen to live in grew on him. It came with many benefits to balance out the increased presence of insects, such as no one knowing who he was and a level of privacy he'd never encountered. In River Village, they could just be Percy and Leon with little worry about someone seeing them. That was the biggest draw, though he had to admit that a change of scenery made it seem like a vacation.

Even on in the days that Percy had to leave Leon on his own and return home, the Dagger would wander out on his own, preferring calm walks to jogging and sparring these days. He was more than happy to leave the lab to collect dust, only tinkering in there enough every day to say they worked for his meetings. He pushed deadlines back, which had been unheard of, but after justifying it to his father (who was proud to learn about his involvement in Bellum), it was all approved and seemed okay. One large, important main task continued to loom, but it was as if he'd forgotten about it. Project D.E.E.P. was imminent, and he'd already extended the deadline as long as he could. Still, it was about half finished and he worked on anything but it.

Speaking of working, on the days that the pair were actually in the lab trying to return to their pre-war lives, Leon hadn't had to pop Percy's focus bubble to eat since they'd gotten back. The inventor stopped on his own often for snacks and meals and general breaks. He also finally took all Leon's nagging to heart and was way tidier as he worked. Everything was organized and labeled. Hopefully, his lover was proud of him.

It was as if nothing bothered him anymore. It was impossible to make him angry, not even when playing videogames. He took losses with graceful laughs and wins with quiet acceptance when he didn't insist that Leon had been robbed of the win by the game itself being unfair. Even in their rare spars, he'd allow Leon to get some hits in and took them without so much as a puckered brow. It was only compliments and encouragement. Other than the brief flash of anger when Leon had broken his arm, Percy had displayed none of his short temper. It was all smiles and laughter and support for Leon's wellbeing. Percy seemed happy, for once.

This particular morning, one that had yet to see the sun peek over the curve of the world, Percy felt like meeting Leon for a breakfast picnic and a walk by the river. This year's Spring had just been born, so it was just starting to warm and things were beginning to turn green again. When he'd visited River Village last, he'd noted a flyer about a seasonal festival, which he also intended to check out with Leon later. It was a day of fun he had planned, which apparently was starting at 4 AM.

His sleek, black car rolled carefully through the town as the only car on the road at this hour. Everyone was still asleep, and though the roads were deserted and he could have been driving as fast as he wished, he was driving under the speed limit and with purpose. Though his navigational system could lose signal out here in the country, it was pretty reliable so far to get him into Leon's driveway with no problems at all. Percy glanced at the time on the dashboard. It was earlier than he'd intended, but there was no reason to wait. He'd been unable to go back to sleep after a fleeting dream woke him, so the only thing he could think of to do was go ahead and make the drive. At least this way, they'd be sure to catch the sunrise.

Getting out of his car and grabbing the basked and quilt, a very perky and awake Percy made his way to Leon's front door. He knocked as if he expected Leon to be asleep, though that thought hadn't fully crossed his mind yet. All that filled his mind was excitement over the day he had planned for himself and Leon. Even though they still saw each other nearly every day, he missed Leon being around all the time and the comfort that brought him. Maybe he was being a little needy today, in his own subtle way. Or maybe he was just the type to do sunrise breakfast picnics now. "Leon! Open up," he called, grinning to himself. There was no way this surprise could go wrong, right?

[wc: 992]

"Everything's fine. I was afraid we'd miss the sunrise," Percy answered innocently, despite the oddness of it all. Of course, everything was fine. He just couldn't sleep anymore tonight. It wasn't the relief he felt just seeing the dark-haired man, so much so that he released a soft breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It wasn't because of the brief but alarming dream that he'd already forced himself to forget. He just didn't want to wait to see Leon today, so he came early. Even if the sun would sleep for about three more hours, it was better to be too early than too late. "Did you have a nightmare? You should have called me," Percy asked as if he didn't already know, seeming oblivious to the strangeness of his presence at this time of morning or night, depending on your life choices. Since the door was open, he slipped inside and sat down the things in his arms, turning toward his lover with a bright, energetic smile.

He hadn't brought Cat along this time, since he didn't intend to stay more than a day or maybe two. If those plans changed, he'd contact one of the Dagger staff to care for him, though he hadn't had too much use for the hired help these days. Everything, even his car, was spotless. It seemed like he was already cleaning and organizing, more than he did any other type of work. There was an almost frantic, nervous energy constantly coursing through the young man as if holding still would kill him or something. If it wasn't for his smiling face and very even temperament, he would have seemed panicked. Given how long he'd been like this now, it was becoming his new normal. "If you want to lay back down, you can. I'll keep an eye on the time. Oh, and don't worry. I didn't cook any of the things in the basket. It's all bought fresh from that little cafe in the center of town. They weren't open yet, but since they were already in there baking they opened up for me. That was nice, wasn't it?" chattered his hyperactive lover, now standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. No amount of 'personal growth' could rid the inventor of his more awkward traits, such as not knowing what to do with himself.

Actually, now that he was thinking about it, he was a bit cold. The forecast for the day was warm, but perhaps the green hoodie over a white teeshirt wasn't exactly enough to fight off the chill of sunless hours chilled by leftover winter. The ripped black jeans hung a little loose on his hips, and the holes at the knees showed the same pink flush that his fingers, ears, and nose currently had from the nippy air. It wasn't until he felt the warmth of Leon's rustic home that his body recognized it was cold and started to shiver... or maybe he'd just noticed it. He searched for some sort of blanket, which was actually the quilt he'd brought to sit on. Picking it back up, he unfolded it and wrapped it around himself.

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"Isn't it? I just haven't seen one in a long time. I'm usually too wrapped up in work or asleep," Percy said dismissively, seating himself at the table and cocooning himself more properly in his quilt. He murmured thanks as Leon provided him with morning caffeine, something he hadn't taken the time for yet and, given his energy level, didn't need to function anymore. His chilly hands reached for the coffee-warmed mug and simply held it for warmth for several moments before he took a small sip. "I thought it'd be a nice memory. River Village isn't so cluttered that you can't watch it peek up over the misty mountains. The colors are...pretty," he said, his eyes shifting from his lover's face to the jumping flames in the woodstove, where they remained as if entranced. Leon's place wasn't his style, but he'd be lying if he said it hadn't grown on him. He was actually really fond of it. It had a homey warmth that his place had never had. It felt more like home than the main estate. How was it that everything Leon did, said, and touched was just bathed in this... comfort? It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Percy was vaguely aware of the changes in his behavior, but he'd deluded himself into thinking it was just the reality of war shocking him out of bad behaviors, and all the rest was just because he'd never had anyone like Leon in his life before. That was actually a good point. "I've never had anyone to watch one with," he added, finally turning his eyes back to Leon with a smile. "I was really lonely before, remember?"

Truthfully, he wasn't really sure why he'd wanted to see the sunrise all of the sudden. All the things he'd just said weren't lies, but they didn't explain why he thought of it this morning and couldn't shake it. It was just like every other impulse he'd had for the past few months. Why suddenly green wasn't as horrible as he remembered. Why he suddenly redecorated his home. Why he'd packed all the things he'd liked before away. Why work seemed like a chore and cleaning kept his mind from feeling cluttered. Why he'd suddenly wanted a pet. The impulses just kept coming, taking him out of his distant existence and into the world as if he suddenly desperately needed to fit into it somewhere. Maybe at the core of it all was Percy had always overthought and worried about things until he talked himself out of them. Now, he was just doing whatever came to mind with little to no thought at all.

"If you don't want to go to the meadow with me, you don't have to. I can go on my own," Percy said suddenly, giving Leon an out. He hadn't considered whether Leon wanted to partake and he had no intentions of forcing him. However, 'i can go on my own' was an unintentional, extremely optimistic lie. It was highly likely he'd get completely lost trying to get to the spot he'd envisioned for this romantic idea.

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That was a good point. What were they supposed to do while it was still dark? Percy's easy-going smile shifted into a more perplexed and embarrassed expression. For someone who was usually always prepared if not overprepared, he was woefully under planning this whole sunrise thing, though the festival part would surely go more smoothly. Even though he was a bit too energetic, he wasn't in the mood to jog or anything like that. Taking a walk in the dark was probably not the best idea. He didn't know if River Village had any ghosts, and the mere thought of it made him uneasy, but not as terrified as he'd normally be. It seemed there was only one option, which wasn't a terrible one.

"I guess we have no choice but to snuggle under your covers," Percy sighed as if disappointed, but it was put on. If there was anything Percy loved more than he used to love work, it was being cuddled, especially when he wasn't feeling well. And even though he wasn't necessarily feeling bad, his stomach was always cycling between gnawing hunger and intense nausea. After just the sip of coffee, he was plenty ready for some Leon snuggling. He'd already started losing weight, but it wasn't really enough to have to explain other than he was eating better and trimming some excess as if he'd had much excess to worry about. Percy knew that if the issue didn't correct itself soon, then he'd have a harder time hiding it. He didn't want to keep his distance from Leon, but... he may have no choice in the future.

Standing up, he slipped off his shoes and moved toward Leon's bed to flop down, still wrapped in his quilt. After setting an alarm on his phone to about a half-hour before the sun should be peaking around the curve of the planet, he patted the mattress invitingly. There was something about being surrounded by Leon's scent that made his heart flutter as he smooshed his face into the pillow. If he hadn't been in the mental state he was in, he probably would have either fallen asleep with him or maybe hoped they'd mess around for the next three hours. But as he was, he was content to cuddle and watch Leon relax or just watch the flame reflect on the walls until it was time to go.

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Of course, Leon's last words before Percy felt every single one of his muscles relax into sleep would be a nag. He smiled to himself, happy that the man could get a few more hours, even if that meant Percy would be left with the silence. One way or another, he would have been left to think in the quiet darkness of denied slumber, so at least he got to feel his lover's rhythmic breaths against his back. There were even a couple of times where he almost nodded off himself, comforted by the arms around him and the warmth of his quilt and the fire not too far away. Every time he did, though, he'd see a flash of red, and then his body would jar awake as if he'd had that really annoying falling dream that always woke everyone up. He used most of the time to wonder what the festival was going to look like, or imagine what their breakfast was going to taste like. He even scrolled through articles and various apps on his phone while he waited for the time to whittle down until, at last, his alarm went off.

Immediately silencing the beeping, Percy excitedly wiggled out of Leon's loose grip and sat up. Turning, he very gently but rather insistently shook the man's shoulder. "Hey, Leon...it's time to wake up," he whispered initially, not wanting to scare the traumatized man out of what seemed like a peaceful sleep. Perhaps he should have just left him asleep, but he had said he wanted to go. "We should have just enough time to find a good spot to see the sunrise if you get up now," he said a little louder, hoping to speed up the process. Leon would still have to get dressed, after all. According to the map on his phone, the prime spot in the meadow should be near enough to reach, but he'd let his lover nap as long as he could. Shrugging out of the quilt and folding it, Percy crawled around until he reached the edge of the bed and got up. With one last pat on Leon's shoulder, he padded over to a window to peek out. "Oh, the sky is already starting to lighten. We better hurry!"

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There was a moment of silence as Percy stood in the middle of the floor staring at him, digesting the irritable snap. It stretched on, then there was a sniffle. It wasn't the dry, sharp inhale of someone readying an argument or some sort of retort. It was the wet kind that accompanied glossy eyes lined with tears. As he usually did when upset, he half turned so the side of his face that couldn't cry was the only one visible, while the other started leaking like nobody's business. The understandably testy reaction had crushed Percy's happy bounce. Perhaps more than it reasonably should, and definitely more than it normally would have. "But you said..." he quietly warbled, failing to keep the cry out of his throat. Reiterating that Leon had said he wanted to go earlier would be pointless now. Silence filled in the gap as he awkwardly considered what to do.

Trying to be romantic was harder than he thought. It hadn't been the whole reason for this, since there hadn't been more than impulse initially, but after he thought about the whole thing, it really was like he was attempting a romantic date for his boyfriend. Maybe he'd gotten a little overly excited and confident that he was doing a good thing. The fresh bakery breakfast and jams, the quilt, watching a new day dawn in a private meadow, just the two of them. Making happy memories together to look back on, how could that be anything but good? But all he'd done is barge in embarrassingly early with a half-baked plan and made Leon angry. He was used to messing up social interactions and essentially getting his outstretched hand smacked away, but it hit way differently when it was someone he cared deeply for. Biting the inside of his lip to keep it from quivering, Percy turned with his quilt and hurried to put his shoes back on, then went for the door to grab the basket he'd come in with. "Sorry. Go back to sleep. I'll go on my own," he said in a low voice, devoid of its former liveliness. The two-toned man didn't hesitate one more second before slipping out of Leon's house, leaving it untouched as if he'd never been there other than the now-cold coffee at the table and his lover's ruined mood.

In his rush out of the house, Percy dropped his car keys and cell phone that had been haphazardly stuck into his hoodie pocket and didn't notice. He made a beeline for his car, intending to hop in and drive home to forget the whole mess, but then he abruptly turned and jogged into the trees in what he thought was the direction of the meadow. It was at least in the direction of the brightening sky, which was good enough for him. He'd come to see a sunrise in the rural beauty, so that's what he was going to do, even if he had to do it alone. Then he'd just forget the festival and go home.

As he walked through the thick forest, the solitude allowed him to work through the sadness from earlier. No one was around to hear, so his quiet sobs and sniffles would remain a secret between him and the birds just starting their morning songs. He should be used to this by now, yet it stung so strongly that it consumed all of his thoughts. Percy had zero sense of direction when he was paying attention. When he was distracted, he somehow paid even less attention to things the at might have kept him going in the right direction. This forest stretched seemingly endlessly in all directions with trees that didn't lose their leaves in the winter, so the sky, his only beacon, was blocked from view. By the time he realized he'd been walking a while and had yet to reach the clearing, all he could see were shadows and dim pinpoints of light from a sun not yet cresting but on its way. "Crap," he muttered to himself, then reached for his phone in hopes of using his trusty map app to point him in the right direction... but it was gone! After frantically searching all of his pockets for the device, fresh tears for a different reason brimmed and fell from his undamaged eye. He was lost!

"...Crap!"

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After realizing he was really and truly lost in a forest in an unfamiliar area, he started frantically running in random directions, which didn't help matters at all. He still never broke into a clearing, and he wasn't aware that he'd basically wandered in a circle. Everything was just going downhill, he wished he'd never come here, and now the stress had his stomach hurting so much that he had to stop walking to sit beneath a tree. He bent forward with his arms wrapped around his middle to try and soothe it, though it didn't work. Yes, it was stupid to want to see the sunrise. He knew that now. And it was even more stupid to get so upset by Leon's snapping at him that he ran into the forest, knowing full well that he had no sense of direction but still believing he could just follow the light. It had just hurt so badly to hear Leon's harsh words that he couldn't think clearly, and he'd already not been thinking super clearly since he woke up. What was wrong with him?

It was quite a long time until Percy heard his name being called into the woods. It echoed confusingly, enough that he couldn't tell which way it was coming from. His good eye was a bit puffy and his cheek was splotchy from his panicked crying, and as much as he wanted to stay away from Leon right now, he also desperately didn't want to be lost anymore. He hated being lost. There weren't very many things that would put him in this much misery and terror. "Leon?" he called in a trembling voice, jumping to his feet and spinning around as he looked for the source. He used the back of his sleeve to wipe away the tears, even though the relief of being found almost caused a whole new wave of them. "Leon!" he called again, grabbing his basket and quilt and rushing off to try and locate the man belonging to the voice.

It was still a few more minutes of wandering on both their parts, seeming to narrowly miss each other a couple of times before Percy caught sight of the dark-haired man about twenty feet to the left through a gap in all the trees. "Leon," he called once more, turning to make a beeline for his boyfriend and his dog. By the time he reached him, he was panting and watery-eyed once more, relieved and sorry and guilty and nearly sick. Even so, either because he was afraid Leon was still mad or because he was mad at Leon for snapping, Percy resisted throwing himself into the man's arms and instead stood a small distance from him, the basket held between them like a shield. Mismatched eyes lingered on him for a moment before they dropped to the ground. He was uncertain what to do. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, looking as if he wanted to shrink in on himself until he didn't exist anymore. What a disaster this had all been!

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Percy had nothing to say to the comment about dropping his phone and keys. He only stared at the ground more intensely. He wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed, other than he was just too emotional to get out of his own head and hear them drop. Not having his phone had really been the kicker with being lost and had sent him spiraling, and even as he was pulled into Leon's embrace, he hadn't fully recovered from it. The sparkle he'd had when he arrived had disappeared into a vague gloom. His interest in the sunrise had completely vanished. Even now, it was hard to keep the lump out of his throat as sobs threatened to tear out of him, and he wasn't even sure if it was about Leon's reaction or the disappointment about the sunrise. It just seemed to have a life of its own, clawing at him from within like a beast too big for its cage growing more agitated simply by remaining restrained. It was as if there was a dam inside of him was holding back dark, raging waters, but it had started to crack under the pressure and was leaking through his right eye. Percy had no idea why he felt so intensely upset, but he was pretty sure it wasn't the ruined morning.

After a moment's hesitation, he dropped his head into Leon's shoulder and returned the hug with his unoccupied arm, fingers knotting into the man's jacket. He used this opportunity to breathe a bit like he had when his arm had been broken. Deep breaths, in and out, waiting for whatever this feeling was to pass. It was nice to get Leon's sandalwood scent with each inhale. He could focus on that. After a few moments of the gentle swaying, the tense muscles in his shoulders and neck relaxed and he sighed. His mind slapped some duct tape on those cracks in the dam and everything was better. He managed a smile down at Robin as well when she crammed her way between their legs in an attempt to be involved in whatever affection was happening, then he turned his face up toward Leon. Though the tears had finally stopped, his cheek was still damp when the dark-haired man kissed his cheek and asked if they were ok. "Yeah, we're cool," Percy replied, releasing the man to fish for his phone in this pockets. With his prosthetic sense of direction back in his hand, he located Leon's house on the map and now knew which way it was back. With his basket and quilt held in the crook of his stronger arm and his phone in that hand, he gently pinched the hem of Leon's jacked in his other hand as if he'd disappear. "Let's go back. We can sleep more," Percy added, ready to get out of the forest and forget the early hour mess.

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Percy took a moment to decide, rather on the fence about whether he wanted to forget the whole thing or try to salvage what he could of it. After shifting his weight back and forth between his legs in a rhythmic, contemplative motion, his thumb tapped around on his screen to bring the meadow he'd intended to run to into view. Getting lost had thrown him way off course. It was embarrassing to see how far in the wrong direction he'd gone, but it still wasn't too far of a walk as long as they kept going the right way. He carefully turned his body beneath Leon's arm until his phone was pointing in the right direction, and only then did he seem to give into Leon's suggestion. "Yeah, we can," he said passively, leading Leon in the correct direction now. The shadowy woods were a lot less scary when he knew where he was going.

After a decent but comparatively short walk, Percy found the gentle meadow he sought. He wasn't sure what had cleared it out this way, but the tall grasses made it seem like they were walking on cushions. Wildflowers were already blooming, and as it sloped gently downward, it kissed one of the eponymous babbling rivers which would provide the rhythm for the waking bird songs. On the other side of the river was more thick forest, crowned in a hazy pink and orange glow as the sun made its way up. Slipping from under Leon's arm, Percy laid out the quilt on the lush leafy rug and plopped down, putting the basket toward the front of the blanket. What he brought out were the most delicious-looking baked goods like muffins, bagels, croissants, scones, coffee cakes, and biscuits. Then out came some homemade jams, cream cheese, cured meats, and bacon. Lastly, thermoses of orange juice and coffee emerged with two cups, and the breakfast feast was complete. He looked over at Leon and smiled, seeming back to his 'normal' self. However, as hungry as he'd been earlier for the offerings in his basket, now he only grabbed half a bagel with a little butter on it, which he picked at as he watched the sky.

"It's pretty," he said quietly, a little sad they'd missed the beginning of it, but it was still rewarding to see the colors and the sun as it poked up above the treeline. If he'd been an artist he might have captured a picture on his phone to paint later, but that wasn't Percy's thing. He could only enjoy something for what it was in the moment. He turned to look at Leon. "There's a festival in town today," he told him, deciding that surprises weren't the way to go today. It was probably best to plan it out and get Leon's opinion before he tried any more things. "Do you want to go?"

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Leon seemed pleased with the contents of the basket, which further polished his dimmed mood back to nearly sparkling. Not enough for him to enjoy much of the spread himself yet, but as long as the buttered bagel soothed his irritated stomach, maybe he could try a biscuit with some tart jam. He really was a fan of tart and sour things. "It's starting around noon and lasting until dark. I saw a flyer last time I was here. You said everyone here was really nice and all, so maybe spending time at their local festival would be fun?" Leon's boyfriend explained.

With the shift from night to day happening rapidly, the banishment of darkness seemed to quiet the tumultuous waters viciously battering against the hastily patched emotional dam. With a deep sigh, one of contentment and almost relief, the frenetic energy he'd been brimming with since he arrived disappeared and brought back the very even-tempered man he'd been since they returned from the war. His tense, coiled posture he'd held on his folded legs relaxed into a more reclined position. In fact, he flopped entirely over onto his side, his legs vaguely bent and his arm elevating his head. He was angled toward Leon, offering him the perfect view of both his lover's chiseled jawline and the orange juice sky.

"It said something about music, crafts, games, and local treats. I think I even saw something about dancing to celebrate the beginning of spring being a long-running tradition here. It might be some sort of demonstration, but I kinda hope they open it up for everyone to dance in the evening. I like dancing," Percy said casually as if it was some sort of well-known fact that the otherwise artless Dagger liked and was quite good at moving his feet to a beat. It was quite possible that only his brother and the very few of his brother's friends who had paid attention knew this about him, but it didn't occur to him at the moment. Percy just knew it'd been a long time since he'd flexed that muscle, and if Leon was up for it, today seemed like the perfect time to do so. No one knew him here. He could bask in the privacy of a small town and let loose. "So...are you interested, Leon? It's okay to say no," he added, once more giving him an out. Leon had been the one dealing with the most, after all. If he didn't feel up to it, Percy would understand. He might go alone, though. It was another one of those itches he felt like he needed to scratch, much like the sudden idea to see the sunrise.

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Leon would apparently receive more surprises this day, whether Percy meant to give them or not. As his lover returned to him with news of the dancing, the shorter man's face lit up with interest. The whole festival had been surprisingly well done and entertaining so far, which he hadn't been expecting since it wasn't in a city or large town, but it was arguably better planned than those in Rose Garden or Era. In fact, maybe it was the laid-back atmosphere coupled with passionate locals who actually cared that made it something special. The couple had been having a lighthearted blast so far, and maybe it was that high combined with Percy's changes in personality that urged him to do something unexpected with little fear.

Normally he shied away from crowds as much as he could, with the exception of business meetings for Dagger Corp. And even with those, it was because he couldn't get out of it, so he just accepted it and made the best of it. However, knowing he only had ten minutes to sign up, his strawberry vanilla head turned and he rushed off into the crowd in the indicated direction. "Get a seat!" he called back as he jogged out of sight without much more explanation. This whole 'living life in the moment' way of life was certainly changing things up.

He arrived just in time to put his name in the ring for the competition, then he was faced with coming up with a routine. Thankfully he still remembered one from his days in dancing class which had always been a crowd-pleaser at parties. Practicing it a little out of sight reinforced his muscle memory for it, so he was secure he could do a decent job. The other competitors were diverse enough that he would have a little direct competition from the younger contenders, but allow the more traditional dances from the older locals and the contemporary crowd. It was a contest to be sure, and while he was normally very competitive, today he was just doing it for fun. Because he liked to dance.

While he could do many other styles of dance, Wallard had made sure of that, Percy opted for the more athletic, street styles like hip-hop and breaking. His music choices were largely lyricless and had the perfect bass and percussion for him to keep rhythm. When it was his turn, he walked out onto the makeshift stage, looking as awkward as he normally did just existing with his head empty.

But then the music started.

Percy burst into action with dynamic, precision-controlled movements. It was as if his body was one of his finely tuned machines from the lab. He did exciting flips and twirls, some complicated pop and lock, then some more intricate movements that seemed like an integration of ballroom or swing before he dropped into some breaking and handstands. It was masterfully done and obviously inspired by his martial arts training, but it was also oddly emotive for the normally restrained man. Percy was more the type to have bursts of emotion when his cup overflowed, but this felt like he was speaking a language that conveyed his thoughts and feelings way more clearly than his words ever could. Too bad he didn't speak it more often.

The crowd seemed receptive of his display, but he hardly seemed to notice. His routine was short and sweet, and once he was done, an out-of-breath Percy bowed his thanks for the crowd with a grin, then walked off stage to join Leon in the stands to watch the rest of the contenders. "How'd I do?" he asked as he plopped down, still a little sweaty and winded, but seeming vibrant as ever.

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The expression on Leon's face as he approached was surprising but amusing. Now that he thought about it, this was probably quite the surprise. They'd never been in a situation for him to have displayed this skill, and maybe it did seem random. He'd always been good at the physical aspect of the art, but it had taken a lot of tutoring by Wallard to get to where he was today. It had felt really nice to flex that muscle after so long, even if it was in a rather uncharacteristically showy way. It was as if everyday post war brought him more into the shoes of who he could have and should have been. Someone more like Artemis. "What's with the face--" he started to say but was interrupted by Leon's exclamation. His brows raised and he looked a little stunned.

As usual, the compliments and ego-boosting embarrassed him, but in the best way possible. The man at his side knew just want to say to make him feel good, just as much as he knew just the right way to tick him off. He took everything his boyfriend said to heart. Enamored as always with the rare glimpses of Leon's passion, the dark-haired man's tinted cheeks were contagious, spreading across Percy's as well and even over his ears, but he didn't shy away. Instead, he wrinkled his nose but still smiled. "I think you're exaggerating," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. Even if he didn't know how to accept such praise, the glowing softness in his eyes reflected his lover's amorous gaze. It was probably clear to anyone watching them that the two were crazy about each other.

"It just never really came up. We weren't anywhere where there was dancing, you know?" he responded sheepishly, meeting that wide-eyed gaze of his with his own awkward one. There was a glimmer of cockiness lurking beneath the embarrassment, a ghost of the Percy that appeared in training, spars, and boxing matches. Maybe in a different life, he could have been just as comfortable on a stage expressing himself as he was dodging and punching. The lurking, pleased cockiness seemed to manifest in a less annoying way than usual, though. "Will you reward me?" he asked his fanboy in a quietly flirty tone, his smirk suggestive. He leaned a little closer, wordlessly asking for what he wanted as usual. A kiss would be a nice reward. That and... "I can show you some moves later," he said, this time sounding unintentionally suggestive, which he seemed to realize too late. Not that it was wrong, but he figured, after it hung there for a moment, that maybe he should clarify that he wanted to normal dance, not the other more X-rated kind. "There's a block party dance after this. We could dance together," he said quickly, but then seemed to reconsider the more perverted connotation from seconds earlier and smiled mischievously. "And then... maybe tonight...too." Even this more lively, seize the day Percy was struggling to get accustomed to flirting or romantically teasing his lover, but he was certainly trying when it seemed right. Trying was what was important. He'd get the hang of it someday, much like he'd got the hang of dancing. Practice, practice.

[wc: 547 || total: 11331]

Percy was pleased with his kiss and idly brushed his thumb against the thumb of the metal hand he held, despite knowing that Leon couldn't feel it. The tech enthusiast was actually rather intrigued with experiencing his own invention in this way. It was one of those weird things he'd never considered--why would he?-- that he'd be giving one of his projects to someone close enough to him to touch in this way. The circumstances were still the most awful thing he could remember and something they both still struggled with, but Leon slowly using the appendage in his daily life was enough to make him feel better about it. There for a while, he'd thought he really messed up. The human element to these types of procedures was something the clinically minded Dagger had a tendency to overlook.

Snorting at Leon's almost shyness about dancing, he waved it off with his free hand. As his eyes turned toward the remaining dancers with interest, he tried to put his handsome cheerleader at ease. "I don't expect you to move like me. A waltz is fine. We can waltz, then. That's where I started too," he said with an easy smile, though there was a deviousness that really wanted to see just how bad Leon was out of morbid curiosity. Imagining it was....cute. "Anyway, most dancing in social settings is grinding and swaying. It's not meant to look good, just feel good, right? Or, if you want, I can teach you a couple of easy things. I don't really care as long as I can dance with you." Percy was being surprisingly candid for once, despite being unable to flirt or ask for a kiss just moments before. Perhaps it was because he looked at dancing, though it could be intimate, as less affectionate? He still had a lot to learn about giving and receiving affection, but his desire to dance with his boyfriend fell outside of that category. On the off chance Leon refused to dance, he still planned to dance by himself for at least a little while. It'd felt nice to do it again.

In the end, Percy didn't win the competition. He got a respectable third place and a nice red ribbon brought to him and pinned to his green hoodie, making him look even more Christmassy than he already did. He didn't mind, nor was he a sore loser about it. Normally he might have been a bit miffed, but he hadn't felt properly competitive in a while. He was just happy to have watched all the interesting dances and that they'd allowed him to participate.

Just as they'd watched the sun come up hours ago, it was starting to sink below the treeline on the opposite side. Decorative paper lanterns with paper mache flowers started to light up, as did the crisscrossed strung lights over the walkways. Behind where the seats and stage were set for the contest, everything had been cleared out for people to gather and dance. The music consisted of more contemporary music common in clubs, inviting the younger crowd to participate with something familiar and easy to bob to. Percy stood, eyeballing the flashing lights that accompanied the music. "So, what do you say? Wanna dance until the fireworks start?"

[wc: 549 || total: 12233]