Aquagirl (Fem. Percy x YJ)

77

I awoke to an arm draped across my waist and a warm body pressed against my back. My muscles tensed. I was frozen in place as my heart hammered against my ribs.  It was only once a blush rose to my cheeks that I relaxed. I rolled over and looked at Garth. His eyes were closed and his breathing was soft and even. Lifting my hand and letting it hover above his cheek, I hesitated. What if this was some cruel joke? Or something merely meant to give me something to take my focus off of what had happened? Something to distract me from the fact I was tortured?

"Percy." Garth wrapped his hands around my wrists. He rubbed his thumbs against the inside of my wrists, the small strip of skin not covered by bandages. He yawned. His lithe body stretched. The hands around my wrists fell away, only to be replaced with the sensation of taut muscle against me. As soon as he finished, he replaced his hands. "Do you mind letting go of yourself?" he said. His voice was soft, edged with worry.

I loosened my fingers from my hair, staring blankly at him as he kissed the back of my hands. I could not deny the feeling of warmth that surged through me, making it all the harder to believe the thoughts in my head. But still how it would hurt if one of them turned out to be true. The fire burning in my veins was replaced with a heavy empty crater in my chest.

"There you go." He smiled. He laced his fingers with mine. "We woke rather early, so if you wish to lay here a little longer, I am sure no one would be the wiser. We-"

"Can I hug you?" I asked. I wanted to take the words back as soon as I had said them. Garth raised an eyebrow. Then he sighed. An apology was on my lips before he had even said a word. But he acted before I spoke, sitting up and pulling me with him. 

"You do not have to ask me that." And then as an afterthought he added, "Love." He leaned in and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. A gentle hand caressed the back of my neck. The pads of his fingers drew against my skin. "It is odd calling you that, but it is a welcome oddity." Garth pressed a kiss to my head. 

We sat there for a while, just with me wrapped loosely in his arms. Tension melted away as I soaked in the affection. It was not that I was lacking in the department, no, the others had made sure I was quite readily supplied with it. Three months without any physical contact, well, any positive physical contact, and I was so, so close to dying from it. I could not stop myself from wanting more. It was like a man being offered water after spending so long in a desert. If there was an opposing effect for too much affection, there was a high chance I would find it.

Garth hummed and tilted me. He dipped his head to press his lips to mine. "I am more than happy to provide you with any affection you may need."

"I know you are, but it is easier for me to ask." At least this way he is less likely to get mad. Less likely to lash out at me or to shove me away. It did not escape my notice how he tightened his arms around me or how he frowned. This was not normal for us. Asking would be for someone you just met or for a stranger when you are in desperate need. It is not something you do with those you know, those you have trained beside, those who have served beside you. Physical contact is not something odd or taboo for us, and I am acting as though it is. 

The only time I remember asking someone undersea was when I asked Lori if I could touch her fins. 

Garth said nothing. I slipped from the embrace and curled into his side. He wrapped an arm around me. Fingers brushed my shoulder and arm. A quick glance at his other hand showed the way his nails dug into his palms. That tension slowly crept into the rest of his body. He closed his eyes and breather out, tugging me closer. Still, neither of us spoke. Weight hung heavy in the air, shoving the words back down my throat. I could only imagine it was much the same for him.

Knock. I jumped and pressed myself further into Garth's side. Riptide was on the nightstand, too far for me to reach. I did not need it. The door opened and in Tula walked, balancing a tray on one arm. Her hair was styled, and her outfit was much more put together than what she had been wearing nearly every other time I had seen her. 

She looked at me and Garth. "I take it you said yes?" Tula asked. I nodded and she grinned. She placed the tray on the bed. "Good, maybe I will no longer have to hear him and Ronal bickering over who should get to ask you out." The mattress dipped as she climbed on. A sandwich was thrust into my hands. I stared at it and then at Tula. 

"Eat it, please." Garth rested a hand on my knee. "Our king informed us yesterday of the possibility of visitors. It would probably be wise for you to eat." 

If anything, that made the rest of my small appetite flee from my body. The number of visitors I would have is small, and even smaller still when he would not tell them who exactly. Still, I lifted the sandwich to my mouth and took a tentative bite. Deep inside, I knew they would never hurt me. 

The memory of Kaldur delivering poisoned food pushed into the forefront of mind. 

My hands shook as the sandwiched dropped into my lap. "I am not eating this."

"Percy-"

"I'm not eating this."

Welp, its kinda crap, but I am tired

I'm gonna get a bath and maybe work on writing some more

See yah