Chapter Text
“You’re pronunciation is still too harsh.” Keyleth smiled at the answering groan she received, patiently watching as Percy’s eyebrows furrowed in frustration. “You’re thinking too hard, Percy,” she continued, watching as the gunslinger removed his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose.
Since their return to Emon, Percy had expressed an interest in relearning elvish using the shaky foundations formed from the tutorings of his childhood. When prompted for why he would shrug, simply saying he wanted to be able to speak and understand the language again, finishing by expressing a need for Keyleth to keep their lessons secret. They began practice after dinner, using the rarely used library of the keep as their classroom.
“Try again.” Keyleth, despite her lack of confidence, proved to be an excellent teacher. She was patient, and always was enthusiastic when Percy succeeded in overcoming some language barrier. “You’re really close to getting this, I know it!”
Percy nodded. “Once more,” he agreed, placing his glasses back on his nose before clearing his throat. He turned back to the novel in his hand, reading the marked passage he had read for the past half hour. His brow furrowed as he read, focusing on softening the consonants and trying to add the fluidity to the vowels that seemed to come so easily to native speakers.
Grinning brightly and clapping her hands together, Keyleth made a delighted noise and nodded her obvious approval. “That was perfect! Should we call that a stopping point? I could teach you a few helpful phrases if you want? Oh! Maybe we should start having conversations in elvish! That way you can get some practice outside of lessons, like homework! I think it would be really-”
“Keyleth.” Percy held up a hand, smiling softly as the half-elf blinked owlishly at him. “Thank you, I do believe that some practice of the language will help, but maybe starting tomorrow? It’s gotten late.” Late was more to describe the time according to Keyleth’s sleep schedule, as Percy still had intentions to work for a few hours on Diplomacy before he called it a night.
Keyleth looked over to the window, as if now noticing how dark it had become since the start of their lesson. “Oh! I completely lost track of time. We can wait until tomorrow, sure!” Hopping up from her seat, the druid grinned and faced her student. “ Great job today, Percy, good night!”
“Good night, Keyleth. ”
They had mutually agreed to begin and end their lessons with elvish, deciding that greetings were some of the more essential phrases that Percy would need to memorize and perfect. It was definitely working, as Percy said the farewell with a more confident tone and with a smoother accent.
As Percy turned to the door, Keyleth having already left for her own room, he was surprised to see Vax standing in the doorway. A roguish “I know something you don’t want me to know” smirk was on the man’s face, and he leaned against the doorway as if him stalking around the keep in the late hours of the night was a regular occurrence.
“ So that’s what you two have been sneaking off to do.”
Percy felt his heart leap into his throat. He was reminded why he never told Keyleth why he so suddenly wanted to learn elvish. His mind traveled back to the Underdark, remembering the feeling of adrenaline and relief and Vax’s lips on his cheek--hot and chapped and pressed just a little too close to the corner of his own lips. He remembered following behind the twins and recognizing the elvish language as they whispered to each other. He remembered a pointed glance at him over Vex’s shoulder before she arched a thin brow at her brother. He remembered Vax blushing, and remembered wondering what had been said.
“Elvish lessons?” Vax’s voice brought him back to the present.
“Oh, uh..” Percy cleared his throat. “ Yes. I used to be fluent as a child. I… I thought relearning the language would prove helpful in our journeys.” His accent was still rough, but he was proud of himself for stringing together a coherent sentence.
It might have been a noise from outside, or the fact that he had only slept a few hours, but Percy could swear he heard Vax’s breath hitch. When he focused more on the rogue, Vax was holding himself as casually as always, and Percy dismissed the noise as the night breeze.
“And you didn’t ask myself or my sister to help? Percival, you wound me.” Hearing his proper name in the almost musical rhythm of elvish--or maybe just the voice it was spoken in--sent a small shiver down Percy’s spine.
“I…” this time, he saw the barely perceptible movement of Vax biting down on his lip, and filed that observation for later. “Keyleth is expected to be a leader and a teacher, I thought maybe both of us could benefit from my learning.” He paused, shifting his weight before adding. “My accent is atrocious, I’m sure Vex’ahlia would have no patience for it.”
“You’re accent is…” Vax tilted his head in thought. “Endearing. ” He seemed to decide on. The rogue watched Percy with some strange expression, mostly thoughtful, but the gunslinger couldn’t quite read it completely.
Feeling heat rise to his face as Vax continued to watch him, Percy rubbed his neck. “Oh, well, I…” He licked his lips nervously, averting his gaze and failing to notice how the other watched the action intently. “T-Thank you, Vax. I really should be going to bed, now.” He stepped forward, moving to slide past Vax and into the hall.
“Percy.”
The switch back to Common sounded harsh, compared to hearing the softness of elvish for the past few hours. Percy found himself blocked by Vax’s hand on his chest, firm enough to get his attention but not unyielding. He was sure that his face was now bright red, and Vax could surely feel his heart racing under his hand. He licked his lips again, and this time he didn’t miss how the rogue’s eyes flicked down to follow the motion.
“I-I.. you..” Percy cleared his throat, wishing more than anything that he could go to the kitchen and get a tea. The memories from the Underdark came back, and the words were out of his mouth before he could even process his thoughts.
“W-When you kissed me, in the Underdark. Did that mean anything to you?” He began to ramble, pointedly looking over the half-elf’s head as he flushed. “I just mean… B-Because if it didn’t that’s okay of course, but I haven’t exactly stopped thinking about it since we escaped--maybe more than I should think about it and… and I, just I think that maybe--”
“Percival.”
Percy’s mouth snapped closed, and he sheepishly met Vax’s gaze, embarrassment burning his face as his brain caught up to his mouth. He scolded himself internally, yelling that he could be in the safety of his workshop right now and not practically chest to chest with the man who had been occupying his thoughts as of late.
His scolding didn’t get far before the same lips he remembered, chapped and warm and perfect, pressed against his own. Percy made a small noise in his throat, closing his eyes and memorizing every part of this moment he could. The feel of Vax straining against him and pulling him down a bit, probably standing on his toes to kiss Percy properly. The softness of Vax’s hair as he raised his hand to cup the back of his head and tangle his fingers there. Dagger-calloused fingertips trailing along his jaw and neck, prompting a whine from Percy as a sensitive spot was brushed.
The kiss was, by far, more proper than the one shared on the back of a flying carpet miles underground. But it felt like it was just as quick as the first one, leaving Percy gasping for breath with the feel of Vax’s grinning lips against his cheek.
“That answer your question?”
Percy nodded dumbly, opening his eyes slowly and feeling his heart flutter at the sight of the flush of Vax’s cheek and the adoring look on his face. The same shiver traveled down his spine at the sound of his name in elvish, more intense now that the elvish was coming from a slightly breathless rogue.
“Good . ” Vax pressed another brief kiss to Percy’s lips, humming low in pleasure as he pulled away. “Now do you regret not asking me to teach you?” Percy felt more than saw the return of Vax’s classic cocky smirk against his skin.
At the reminder of lessons, Percy shook his head sheepishly. “My accent is embarrassing.”
“Your accent is quite nice actually.” At this, Vax tugged Percy to lean down using his grip on the gunslinger’s ascot, whispering in his ear. “I like hearing you speak in elvish, it’s rather hot.”
Percy made a strange choking noise, his face now bright as fire at this point and nearly as warm. “I…”
“If you ever want to learn the words the Keyleth won’t teach you, I’d be happy to help.”
At that, Vax pulled away with a parting kiss to Percy’s cheek, letting the hand tangled in his ascot linger and trail along Percy’s chest as he turned and walked down the hall. “Goodnight, Percy.”
Percy managed to choke out a goodnight, watching as Vax walked away with what had to be an intentional sway to his hips, before stumbling to the kitchen for well deserved tea and back to his room for a cold bath.