Location: Dorm
Skills: N/A
Sun. Oct. 10
Dorian fidgeted alone in his room, staring at the full length mirror as he messed with his hair a bit. He didn't think he'd ever felt anxious before when it came to studying. Even in his time at Strange’s he hadn't ever felt anxious, so why did he now? He took one last look at himself before making his way over to his nightstand and opening up the first drawer. Pulling out a Teddy bear shaped cologne bottle before spritzing a bit on his neck and wrist. It wasn't a date by any means, but it didn't mean that he couldn't look presentable. He grabbed his copy of the Iliad, as well as a moleskin notebook and some writing utensils to take notes with. He clutched them in his hands, feeling the leather of his pencil pouch wring against his now sweaty palms before he finally headed out and went one door over. He knocked gently against the door before speaking.
"Uh, Perce?"Almost a month ago, Percy wouldn’t have entertained the idea of studying with Dorian. But the forced repeated exposure to him had…
helped. They saw each other almost every day - whether it was in class, in the hallways of the dorm, in the cafeteria, or training with Ser Nemo. Dorian Gray was an unavoidable part of Percy’s life. He could practically feel Agatha Harkness laughing at him from the shadows.
He heard the knock at the door and he sighed. His roommate wasn’t around much these days - something about an internship of sorts, studying under Hank McCoy aka the Beast. Percy certainly liked the privacy of more or less having his room to himself, as Teddy was only on campus one or two nights a week now. But right now, it felt… well, it felt almost intimate - certainly strange - the idea of being alone in a room with Dorian Gray.
Percy unlocked and opened up the door. He was dressed in his academy uniform, like he almost always was. The only real difference was that there was a slight sparkle on his skin. He had tried a new body bar from Lush, and now, he felt a little bit like a Twilight vampire. But he liked it.
”Yes?” Percy said, feeling the tension rise inside of him.
But he knew why Dorian was here. He stepped aside, letting the older boy into his room.
”Teddy isn’t here - you can use his chair,” he explained. He had his copy of the Iliad out, covered in sticky notes - well, the copy assigned for class in English. The Greek version he had on his bed.
Dorian swallowed as the door opened. He couldn't help but notice the new sheen on Percy's skin. Had he freshened up for him too? No, it couldn't be. The knot in his stomach grew as the interaction went on. Teddy was gone, it would just be them two, but they were just studying, so why did he feel this way?
"Uh, t'anks." he muttered out lamely as he walked past Percy. He saw Percy's copy of the book and paused, making his way over towards it as he dropped his own supplies off atop of the chair offered to him.
"Wow, you've got a lot of notes on t'is t'ing. I don't even know where to begin." He tried to sound at ease, speaking in a joking tone to offset the tension he now felt inside of this room. It had been almost a month since the kiss, and not once had they ever spoken about it. And as Dorian watched Percy in his school uniform, he began to wonder if perhaps he was a little bit overdressed for their study session. He'd worn a white cotton shirt with light blue pinstripes, though just seeing Percy in uniform had caused his to instinctively button up the two buttons he'd had purposely had undone, covering up the view of his chest once more.
”It’s my ninth time reading it,” Percy admitted, his face flushing.
”Well. Not my ninth time for this translation. I’ve read this one - Emily Wilson’s translation - twice, George Chapman’s three times, and the rest in the original Greek. You get a slightly different story each time, it’s funny that way…” His voice trailed off, as he reached into the mini-fridge and pulled out two bottles of sparkling water. He put one down on the desk, before offering the other to Dorian.
”Have you tried beginning with, well, the beginning?” Percy asked, quirking an eyebrow in amusement. He grabbed the book from his bed, and opened it, and began to read:
”μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί᾽ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε᾽ ἔθηκε,
πολλὰς δ᾽ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν
ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι, Διὸς δ᾽ ἐτελείετο βουλή,
ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε
Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.”
Dorian's eyes lit up in amazement. Nine times. He hadn't imagined that all those notes had come from that many times of reading. He was about to ask when Percy had listed off all the authors if there was any difference between them but Percy quickly answered that thought with his explanation. His face lit up red as he was asked if he'd started at the beginning, and to be frank he'd tried it a few times but never seemed to get the ball rolling.
As Percy began to read, Dorian simply gave up and fell back onto his bed. Groaning in protest at the gibberish that was being spoken to him.
"It's 'opeless. It all sounds Greek to me."Percy shook his head.
”Correct. It is Greek,” Percy deadpanned. There was a hint of a smile on his lips.
”Sing, Goddess, sing of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus—
that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans
to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls
deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies
carrion food for dogs and birds—
all in fulfillment of the will of Zeus.”He then paused for a moment. Maybe just reciting the words wouldn’t be enough to help Dorian - maybe there was something more that he could do here.
”You know, the Iliad is a love story,” Percy offered.
”One of the first queer love stories, too. Achilles and Patroclus. They made a book about the two of them a decade or two back, you might’ve heard of it - the Song of Achilles?”There was something about the way that Percy recited the tale, the lighting, the new sheen, the way his lips curled with the hint of a smile at every word. Dorian couldn't help but be entranced as he spoke. Watching his mouth as he spoke only to snap out of it with a blush stricken face when Percy stopped to mention it was a love story. A queen love story. He cleared his throat, sitting up and snapping his fingers at the mention of the other book that may as well have been as old as the Illiad.
"Right, I've 'eard of t'at one! My fat'er was obsessed wit' it back t'en. Took us to some museum to see it all. Did you know 'e was double cheeked up? 'e could've opened a bakery wit' 'ow much buns t'at man was carrying." Percy had been taking a sip of his sparkling water, and very nearly choked at what Dorian had said. He was young - not so young that he was clueless about his sexuality - but young enough that he had never really talked about these things to someone. He grew up in a sapphic household, after all. And he hadn’t had any queer friends at his previous school, and even if he had, Percy didn’t think he would’ve talked about ass cheeks with them.
”I, er… I’d never looked at his ass,” Percy lied.
He might’ve never talked about it with anyone else, but he had access to Google.
”You went to a lot of museums as a kid,” Percy observed - it wasn’t really much of a question.
"Tons. With the ability of free and instantaneous travel it was easy to see the sights." Dorian sat up from Percy's bed, making his way over towards where his sparkling water was and cracking it open. Twisting the cap slowly to let some of the carbonation out with a soft hiss before fully twisting it off.
"I've got tons of pictures if you ever want to see t'em. Lots of statues and landscaping mostly. Well, me too." As Dorian took a sip, he made his way over towards Percy, attempting to peer over his shoulder to see what it was that was so important on Percy's phone as to distract him from this study session. As if Dorian wasn't enough of a distraction himself.
"Lots of pictures of his ass too."Percy quickly turned his phone off, and threw it into the drawer of the desk. He felt like he had been caught doing something nefarious - rather than just searching for pictures of Patroclus. His heart was pounding excessively. Maybe from how close Dorian was. Maybe from Dorian offering to show him pictures of himself. He swallowed another swig of the sparkling water.
”I think I’m beginning to see why you’re having trouble with starting the Iliad,” Percy observed. He didn’t turn around. For whatever reason, the thought of meeting Dorian’s eyes was too much.
Dorian couldn't help but snicker at Percy's reaction to it all. He hadn't noticed just how close he'd gotten to Percy, that is until he was able to smell the body soap off of Percy.
"And what would that be? Also…do you shop at lush?" He noted, his question was more a statement than anything. He hadn't meant to, but he ended up getting closer to him, the scent drawing him for a moment.
”You can’t focus on anything,” Percy suggested. He had wanted to say that Dorian was the living embodiment of ADHD, but he had decided against it. For now, at least. His face flushed as Dorian mentioned the scent.
”I went last weekend… It’s a new body bar, figured I’d give it a try.” The scent was citrusy, with a spicy, cinnamon hint.
"It's nice. Explains t'e luster on your skin too." Being this close to Percy was a mistake. He didn't know why, but something inside of him was urging him to kiss him on the cheek. He leaned in a half an inch more before pulling away and making his way towards Percy's bed once more.
"I 'ave a 'ard time focusing sometimes. It's like I 'it a wall and if I try to push past it not'in else will get t'rough." Dorian took a large drink from his bottle, his mouth feeling like it was drying up as he began to feel a bit warm, instinctively undoing two buttons once more.
A strange feeling of disappointment swept through Percy. He rotated his swivel chair, finally facing Dorian now. He looked at the way Dorian Gray was sitting on his bed, as if he were meant to be there. A bit self consciously, Percy tugged at the sleeves of his coat. He wanted to ask Dorian why he was able to focus on Percy’s skin, and not the reading.
”So what can you focus on now, then?” Percy asked.
Asking Dorian what he could focus on was like begging him to switch focuses. His eyes darted away from Percy and onto the dorm floor before slowly making their way back towards him.
"Well…I'm not sure. But maybe I could focus on…you?" His face flushed red as he cleared his throat.
"I mean Beanie said we should all get along more and I t'ink t'e best way to do t'at is to get to know each ot'er more t'an just our powers." Dorian wrestled with the bottle in his hands as he spoke, wondering how Percy would take it.
"So you mentioned t'is was a queer love story…'ave you ever had one?"The younger boy felt like running away - and for a moment, little sparks of blue lit off by his hands. But he remained, trying to ground himself in the moment. He did his best to keep his face neutral and calm, to fight off the blush that was slowly crawling up his features, until his entire visage was the same shade as a tomato. He was fairly certain that Dorian was flirting with him… but he didn’t dare be wrong about it.
”N-no, I haven’t,” Percy admitted.
”I’ve, er, I’ve never even kissed a boy before. Or anyone. I’m only fourteen. I bet… I bet you’ve kissed loads of people though. On your travels.” He felt so flustered. He didn’t understand what he was feeling.
Dorian watched the familiar blue sparks dance around Percy's hands. Clearly he'd touched a nerve…again…why did he always do this? When Percy mentioned he'd never kissed a boy before, it broke his heart. He knew the boy was barely conscious that day, but a part of him hoped he'd remembered.
"Actually…my first kiss was this year believe it or not. But we don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." He said as he nodded towards Percy's balled fists where the sparks used to be.
”Who was it?” Percy asked, before his rational mind caught up to him. He felt like he was possessed - something that he had some unfortunate first hand experience with. He tried to ignore Dorian pointing towards his hands. It was just another part of himself betraying him - no different from the heat on his face.
”Was it Teddy?” Teddy was always weird around Dorian and Danni, Percy had noticed.
Dorian wasn't sure if he should answer. It felt awkward now that he knew Percy had no recollection of the events.
"I was helping a student out. They'd collapsed outside of my dorm a few nights into being here. No idea why. I took them to the Nurses office and was put in charge of watching over them. Though it wasn't like they could stop me. I was so worried that night…" There was a smile on his face as he recalled the night, the kiss. Dorian got up from the bed, making his way over towards Percy as he attempted to shoot a shot he'd never make. Regardless of what Agatha had said. He got close enough to Percy that he could smell the citrus off of him again.
"He was about your height, well done hair, and even in their state he had a beautiful smile. Though his skin wasn't as nice as yours is now. That night he'd kissed me, though I don't think he remembers it at all. Regardless, that was my first one."Percy tried to think through who the student could’ve been - he knew most of the people on their floor, and there weren’t any boys who came to mind. They must’ve been so out of it that they ended up on the wrong floor. A sharp feeling filled him - something unkind and twisted. It was easier to feel than the flustered nerves, so Percy leaned into it.
”Well, congratulations. I’m sure you’ll make a beautiful couple,” he snapped, coming off a bit more harshly than he had intended.
”If he needs help with a better skincare routine, send him my way.”Dorian tried not to groan in frustration. Was he truly this dense? Or was he attempting to signal to him that he wasn't interested. But then again why mention being a good couple if he wasn't. Dorian didn't know what came over him, something outside his usual demeanor tugged at his need for answers and he stepped closer towards Percy, barely a hands width of room between them and certainly not enough space for Jesus. He placed his forefinger underneath Percy's chin and his thumb right beneath his mouth and tilted his head up so their gaze met.
"It was you, ass." He said before letting go and making his way back towards the bed.
"Maybe this is why I can't understand any of this stuff. Because when I try to read it I think of you. But you clearly aren't interested so I just wonder how any of this could even be remotely true. Suppose that's why it's fiction, because love doesn't work out this way."Percy leaned forward slightly, as if chasing the contact when Dorian removed his hand. His stomach had twisted himself into more knots, with more of that strange sharp pain. But there was a sense of relief as well. And a sense of…
need.
”Shut up,” Percy growled. He wasn’t thinking. If he had been thinking, he wouldn’t be doing this. He wouldn’t be closing the distance between the two of them, grabbing Dorian’s hands and pinning him down, and kissing him furiously.
Dorian braced for a hit, or something. But as his hands got pinned all he could feel was his heart racing. The last thing he'd expected was a kiss from Percy. His eyes went wide for a moment before closing and allowing it to happen. He went to go pull Percy in closer, but instantly felt the restraint from Percy's grip. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he didn't want this moment to stop yet.
Percy kept his grip on Dorian’s hands, having them pinned down on either side of Dorian’s head. He was practically on top of Dorian, the bed underneath the both of them. He was feeling something like rage and love, all wrapped into one confusing feeling, as he pulled away from the kiss. He stared at Dorian, studying his face. Maybe he was trapped in Agatha’s prophecy.
”You infuriate me.”"You arouse me. I-i mean annoy me." Dorian could hardly think. As if all his blood had left his brain and put him in a stupor.
"That was…much better than the first one." He said almost breathless, his hands still pinned near his head. He went to move, though he quickly realized that squirming underneath Percy as he sat atop of him wasn't the brightest idea. The movement caused another button to come undone and Dorian just let out a sigh.
Percy’s eyes widened, and he almost choked after what Dorian said.
”I-what?” he stammered. It was one thing to kiss a guy. Other things… He was only fourteen. He wasn’t ready for that sort of stuff yet. Not for a while. His eyes then narrowed though.
”Probably better because I can remember it - that I’m in control now.” It was spiteful. He was still angry at Dorian for the numerous possessions. And maybe it wasn’t healthy, but he channeled some of that anger as he kissed Dorian again. He felt
complicated. He was attracted to this person, just as much as he made Percy’s blood boil. He pushed Dorian’s lips open with his tongue, like he was trying to devour him.
"I kinda like you being in control" Dorian cooed just before his mouth became occupied once again by Percy's. It killed him that he couldn't run his hands through his hair, or pull him closer. A part of him wanted to just phase right through it all so that he could, but he didn't think Percy would be too happy about that. After all, he'd already possessed him so many times, it would be weird to do anything akin to it during this moment. After a moment Dorian turned his head, breaking off from the kiss long enough to speak as he looked towards the door.
"Care to let a guy breathe?" he joked.
”...Sorry,” Percy said, coming somewhat to his senses. He let go of his grip on Dorian and stood back up. He smoothed down his coat and shorts, before removing the coat entirely, and hanging it up neatly. He was just now in the grey shorts and the white collared shirt, as he sat down on the chair at his desk, his eyes sweeping around the room and settling on Dorian, before looking at something else entirely all over again.
Dorian sat up, watching as Percy began to walk away. His hand was outstretched as if to say don't go, but he quickly let it fall to his side.
"You don't 'ave to be sorry about anyt'in." He said as he stood up and made his way towards Percy, planting a soft kiss onto his lips before going to grab his book.
"Well t'at is unless I fail t'is test on t'e Iliad. T'en I'll totally blame you for it. You're so distractin' bein' all cute."He shrank away, almost shyly, as Dorian called him cute. Percy then cleared his throat, trying to clear his mind as well. Instead, he reached out and took Dorian’s hand - much more gently than a few moments ago, when he had pinned him down.
”I don’t think it’s hard for you to find distractions,” Percy countered.
”And you’re not going to fail. I won’t speak to you again if you do.” He was joking. Of course. Maybe.
Dorian blushed at the contact. He hadn't expected the pair of them to ever be on good speaking terms, neutral maybe, but not good. Yet here they were well past anything he'd ever thought was possible with Percy. Clearly Agatha was right, it was in the cards and fate was working double time to make this happen.
"T'en I guess I'm goin' to need more studyin'. Good t'ing you're a door away so I can bot'er you as much as I want." He retorted with a cheeky grin.
Percy rolled his eyes at him.
”I’m so excited,” he said dryly. He did actually intend on studying - in fact, most nights he could be found studying something, whether it was for one of his classes or not. Lately, he had been going to the library and reading up on a certain teacher, trying to determine what
exactly was wrong with that man.
”You’ll bring coffee, of course.”"Obviously. Though at this rate you might drink my supply dry. Might need to see if I can get more imported." Dorian paused, placing a finger on his lip.
"Is it still considered importing if it's illegally teleported straight from the farm?" Sure they paid for it, but the portals helped bypass customs and keep the coffee beans fresh as the transport was instantaneous. He went to lean on Percy, the same way he'd lay on Danni or April, but found himself stopping. It was hard to tell where Percy's boundaries lay. He'd never even thought that Percy was capable of holding hands.
”I’m not a lawyer,” Percy said with a shrug. He noticed that Dorian had decreased the distance between them briefly, but he didn’t comment on it. He wasn’t a person who did very much physical touch. His mothers had joked growing up that he would have been ideally suited to a mutation like Rogue’s.
”But also, I somehow don’t think that you’re too concerned about what’s legal and what’s illegal anyways.” Dorian grinned at the last comment, with an odd pleased sound coming from him.
"Not wrong. I do have to care to some degree if I want to be a hero. But the customs stuff can be swept under the rug." His smile faded for a second when he realized he'd never asked Percy one of the most important questions he asked just about anyone at AA.
"What made you decide to join? Zelda wants to do fashion. Danni, April and I are all going to be the best trio known to heroism. What about you? What's your dream?"Percy snorted slightly, before the conversation topic changed slightly. He wasn’t surprised to hear that Dorian was obsessed with becoming part of a famous heroic trio - he just wondered whether Dorian was assigning himself as Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman in that lineup.
”I’m not here to be a hero - not in the modern sense, anyways,” Percy admitted.
”I want to be like a Greek hero of old - an adventurer, you know. Traveling through space and time, seeing incredible places, doing incredible things.”Dorian slipped his hand out of Percy's, folding them in between his legs as he looked down. It felt silly to think, and even more to say, but he couldn't look at Percy as he spoke.
"I don't know a lot about Greek 'eroes but…aren't t'ey all tragedies? I don't want you to…I mean…" He felt like he was finally getting to know him, and then suddenly the rug was ripped right from under him. Percy wanted to be something that practically called for death. Today's modern heroes had the chance of it, sure, but even then it wasn't always final. But this, a Greek tragedy, that was something much more painful to endure.
”... Yes, a lot of them do end in tragedies,” Percy admitted.
”But I’m not planning on dying,” he said confidently. He was prideful. He always had been. Not every Greek hero died - and the ones who did, well, they really should have seen it coming. Percy was confident he could live that lifestyle without tempting fate. That was part of why he was here, learning about himself and his abilities.
”A lot of heroes nowadays die as well - even though death seems to be a bit of a revolving door when it comes to the Avengers and all.”"Tell me about it. You're talkin' to t'e child of t'e mutant trio who could perform resurrections. T'ough nowadays t'ey aren't allowed to anymore." He paused for a moment, thinking. Something Percy said reminded him of one of the few lessons he'd learned in his museum tours.
"Don't talk like t'at t'ough. Real close to 'ubris. Which is like t'e classic downfall of man. Read a book, why don't you?" Dorian teased trying to lighten the mood.
Percy rolled his eyes. He was interested, however, in the first thing that Dorian had said. It was partially for selfish reasons, of course. He had family that had been resurrected by the Genoshan circuit.
”Do you think they’ll ever do it again anyways?” Percy asked. He ignored the bit about the classic downfall of man - he didn’t need to be a Greek tragic hero for that to happen to him.
”Maybe your inability to focus will be your Achilles’ heel,” he shot back, instead.
Dorian's voice was very far off. Like he was somewhere else as he looked toward a corner of the room.
"I don't know. I'm not even allowed to know why t'ey stopped. Said I can know more when I'm older but…t'e way t'ey spoke of it…must've been somet'ing serious." It didn't feel like the usual avoidance parents gave their children. And it was enough to have Dorian never have brought up the question again.
"Besides, I don't 'ave an Achilles 'eel. I can't die. I'm already in between the realms." He said, his usual Jovial tone back in his voice. Of Course he had no idea if he was truly immortal, but his uncle was and so maybe he was too.
”Are you actually?” Percy asked quite seriously. There were plenty of superheroes who were functionally immortal. The notion that Dorian Gray could be one of them wasn’t completely outlandish. However, he had a hard time imagining Dorian at the end of time, filled with wise, sage advice. If anything, he figured Dorian might have trouble with all of it - losing everyone you knew and loved, forced to carry on after the world has forgotten them.
”Are you going to stop aging - or are you going to be like Captain Jack in Doctor Who, just a head in a jar one day?”"Pretty sure my names sake is immortal as well…was immortal…is immortal? Never read t'e book, 'eard 'es pretty t'ough. Eit'er way I'm not exactly eager to test it out. Already 'ad enough close calls and t'e t'ought of spending eternity in t'e Astral Realm…" Dorian thought about the vision he'd seen. The mass of Graves before him with April and Dannis at the forefront.
"Not t'e best place to be if I'm 'onest. Buuut if I 'ad to guess I'd go wit' t'e classic age till you're a silver fox t'en stop and look impeccable for years to come. I could become an eclectic old man wit' a mansion t'at 'olds treasures t'rought time!" That is if he survived past next year.
Percy hadn’t read
the Picture of Dorian Gray - not that he didn’t want to, of course. He knew enough of Oscar Wilde’s reputation to be at least moderately intrigued. But from what he had heard, the central character of the book wasn’t someone to name a kid after. He smiled ever so slightly at Dorian’s ideal ending - becoming a classically handsome man with a mansion, filled with artifacts from across time. Percy always imagined that he would end up retiring on a boat, breathing his last as he gazed up at the blue sky, the sound of waves echoing around him.
”I think I have the better literature namesake,” Percy argued.
”My mothers named me after Percy Jackson - the demigod from the Riordan books. If you hadn’t caught on, that’s also partially why my sister is named Diana - after the Roman goddess of the hunt. It’s funny that your dad named you after Dorian Gray - doesn’t he become a bit of a vile monster?”Dorian shrugged. He doubted his father even read the book. Half the time he had his nose in a mystic tome, when not there it was in some dusty Latin book full of Greek tales. He figured Percy would enjoy the collection of books they'd held back home.
"Honestly I t'ink 'e just saw 'is last name and went wit' it." He relaxed more as the conversation moved away from the inevitable death, laying backwards onto the bed as he stared up at the ceiling. It was a habit he'd developed, as if he could look past the plastered texture above and gaze right up into the stars themselves. It was when he found himself most at ease, most in thought.
Dorian gently tapped Percy's leg with his hand, wanting him to join him in the metaphorical star gazing. He had half a mind just to tug on his shirt and pull him backwards into it, but something told him that Percy wouldn't be fond of both being manipulated as well as getting his shirt wrinkled.
"Percy's a cool name. Sounds kind of like an action star. Diana's too…formal? It's like namin' your kid Gertrude. T'ey won't match it till t'ey're old and gray."The other boy hesitated for a moment. He glanced around the room, as if someone else would be there - someone to object, to remind them to keep a safe distance and leave room for some heavenly entity. But there was no one - just them. He sighed slightly, before sitting down on the bed, and then lying back. He was perfectly still and straight, almost resembling a corpse in a casket more than a living boy.
”Don’t tell that to Princess Diana,” Percy told Dorian with a chuckle.
”She might be offended.”Dorian quirked his eyebrow.
"Who?" He didn't keep track of any royalty in general, only knowing the ones that had animated movies made out of them. He watched Percy as he laid there still as the dead. He seemed vastly uncomfortable at the whole situation, which of course made Dorian feel more uncomfortable. He scooted a little closer, just enough to feel body warmth but not enough to touch.
"You don't 'ave to lay 'ere if you don't want to…"”I know that,” Percy said simply, before raising an eyebrow at Dorian.
”Did you not want me to lay here? It is my bed,” he argued. He was comfortable, even though he seemed stiff. Percy was somewhat of a stiff person by nature. He was controlled and collected, wearing his academy uniform even after classes had finished for the day, polishing his shoes religiously, ironing out every shirt. Everything was put away properly in his place - the tiniest amount of mess was enough to stress him out.
”Princess Diana was a famous member of British royalty - she was killed in a car crash due to some overzealous paparazzi, although some people think Queen Elizabeth ordered a hit on her.”"T'ats wild. Sounds like a big rabbit 'ole to fall down to at t'ree am." Dorian noted, his eyes still affixed to the ceiling. He lay still for a moment (which was a lot for him) before finally turning onto his side and facing towards Percy.
"I just meant…well you're a bit stiff. Seems like you don't want to be 'ere you know? If we were on a roof I'd get it. T'e fear of fallin' alone is enough to keep me from squirming too much up t'ere when I'm Stat gazin' . But we're in a bed, so unless you're scared of fallin' for me I don't see t'e reason for all t'e stiffness."He turned his head slightly, looking at Dorian.
”If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be,” he promised.
”This is… This is just how I am,” he said. He felt awkward for a moment. He didn’t like to worry about other people’s feelings - he tended to not think about them much at all. But the notion that Dorian might not like the way he was naturally made him feel a little bit sick. The suggested reason though did smart slightly - mostly because Agatha Harkness had told him that he was destined to love Dorian Gray. It seemed like the universe agreed.
Dorian simply smiled at Percy's response. There was only one real way to get to know a person at first, and he was finally getting the chance to see Percy beyond the classes and training. His walls were down, even if they still appeared up.
"Oh." was all he could muster out in response. He turned back onto his back, the sounds of crinkling sheets feeling much louder than they were in the awkward silence as he shifted.
"I mean if t'ats 'ow you are t'ats cool. I can't sit still to save my life, couldn't imagine bein' able to just…lay still."”I can’t imagine fidgeting constantly without wanting to kill myself,” Percy quipped. He then paused for a moment, thinking.
”I like to feel in control,” he admitted quietly. Everything in his life was all an exercise in control - control over his body, over his thoughts, over how he was perceived. He prided himself on it. And without that sense of control, he felt adrift, lost in chaos, spiraling out of control. He needed to feel the ground beneath his feet. It was part of why he had been so upset with Dorian’s possessions - why he had grabbed Dorian’s arms and pinned him during the kiss.
As soon as Percy spoke the words, Dorian felt that familiar pit in his stomach. Percy liked to feel in control, and he had wrestled that from him multiple times now. He felt horrible, and for the moment unable to even face Percy. He fought inside himself, the urge to leave, to walk out, but he didn't. Dorian sat up, not quite a jolt yet not in a relaxed manner either. Clearly something was bothering him now as he leg began to shake up and down.
"You'd do well wit' someone like Strange t'en. 'e was all about control. T'e amount of readin' I 'ad to do just to use my powers…'avin' to learn a whole other language…I never was t'e most behaved student. But I was bright enough to learn what I needed so t'ere's t'at I guess."Percy raised an eyebrow, before shaking his head.
”I think it’d be somewhat cheating, but I digress. I can read any language.” He hadn’t found one yet that he couldn’t translate - except for the inscription on the watch that Agatha Harkness had given to him. It still bothered him, but he had to assume that it was just from insufficient data. His power couldn’t activate as a cypher without enough to go off of. Or maybe there was no meaning behind it at all, and it was just gibberish.
”What was it like, studying under Doctor Strange?” Percy then asked.
”Why aren’t you at Strange Academy?”Dorian let out a small laugh.
"It was…interestin'. Learnin' alongside my fat'er and Strange. 'e's a bit strict, very cryptic, and was able to make even my dad fall in line." He gave Percy a tight lipped smile.
"As to why I'm not t'ere, well…I was schooled at Xaviers and it was agreed t'at when my powers came in…if t'ey came in, I'd be able to choose whatever school I wanted. Danni got 'is powers first and I don't t'ink 'e'd want to go to Strange’s School for Magic. We wanted to be 'eroes, toget'er. T'at dream grew 'ere at AA when we met April and so we've stayed 'ere ever since."Percy nodded. That matched what he had heard about Doctor Strange - he seemed to be an aloof asshole, someone that Percy might’ve even seen as somewhat of a role model behaviorally. It was interesting to him though to learn that not only had Dorian studied some with Strange, but that he had been at the X-Men’s school as well. He didn’t know very many people who had transferred between that school and the Margaret Carter Institute.
”And Danni didn’t want to stay at Xavier’s?” Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t actually called Xavier’s anymore - he was fairly certain it was the Jean Grey School now, but people still called it that from time to time.
”You’re both mutants, right?”Dorian made an X with his arms as Percy asked.
"Danni never went. I was t'ere before my mutation kicked in. It's a good enough school for advanced learnin'. 'owever none of our family really cares for t'e place. Well mostly none of t'em I should say. My gramps is technically Charles Xavier, not t'e best guy I've been told, so Danni’s parents didn't let 'im join me. It was…lonely t'ere."Percy tilted his head. He didn’t know much about the varying superhero family trees, at least not for the X-Men affiliated ones. He knew more when it came to the Avengers ones, mostly because his parents were Avengers. But even then, he knew he wouldn’t be able to name everyone related to Hank Pym if someone
pressed him to. He wouldn’t get super far.
”Technically Professor X?” Percy raised an eyebrow.
”I’m not shocked to learn that he isn’t a saint. From what I’ve read about him, he seems… well, like he would be disappointing at best.”"Technically because I'm adopted." Dorian said with a laugh.
"And 'e's far from a Saint. Especially when it came to bein' a fat'er. I'd say never meet your 'ero's but…'e was never one of mine." He let the silence cling to the air for a moment as he thought. He'd never given it much, but the idea that he was best friends to one of Magento's Grandkids while he himself was one of Xaviers…it felt ironic yet as if perhaps the bridge between the pair was healing.
He hadn’t known that the other boy had been adopted. Percy knew a few people who had been adopted, mostly people his moms worked with, and they tended to have been secretly adopted, finding out later in life. As for the subject of heroes… Percy’s heroes were fictional - or at the very least, mythological. He knew gods and whatnot had turned out to be real, but people like Odysseus and all, the jury was still out on.
”He’s a bald old white man who preaches that mutants should just accept their status and kiss the ass of humans,” Percy said pointedly.
”I don’t think he’s anyone’s hero - not anymore. Maybe Fox News likes him.”"I get t'at." Dorian said. He fell silent, feeling awkward as if he was saying too much about himself and that Percy didn't care.
"Sorry. I feel like I'm talkin' too much." He said with a nervous laughter. He threw himself backwards onto the bed with a loud sigh and groan. Wondering why he was like this.
”You aren’t - you just have managed to find a way to talk about something other than the Iliad. Again,” Percy commented with a smirk.
”You’re welcome to stay there, but I am going to get back to studying. One of us has to pass this class.”Dorian's face turned bright red. He'd completely forgotten that he was here to study in the first place.
"Right. T'e Illiad. T'e t'ing we are most definitely studyin'." He said as he shot back your from the bed and grabbed his book again. He was so flustered he didn't think he'd be able to pay attention now.
"Well, if one of us 'as to pass it it 'as to be me. Ot'erwise you'll never speak to me again." He paused for a moment, looking back at Percy's book.
"Maybe I can borrow your copy. It already 'as so many notes in it…"Percy raised an eyebrow. Ordinarily, he would’ve been enraged and a bit insulted at someone wanting to borrow his copy. But he knew this story front and back. He had been hyperfixating on it since he could read.
”…Fine. If you get anything on it or even bend a page back awkwardly, I’ll kill you and your family,” Percy said seriously, before handing over his copy to Dorian.
Dorian took the copy in his hands, jumping off the edge of the bed with glee.
"T'ank you so much!" He squeezed as he wrapped his arms around Percy and gave him a kiss.
"I won't damage it one bit! Promise. I'll keep it somewhere safe and everyt'in'."The other boy rolled his eyes, but his face was a delicate shade of pink after Dorian kissed him.
”Mhmm. Now come on, Patroclus, we have a lot to cover.”
