The Medic - Book One

CHAPTER TEN

Percy had been waiting for a few hours for Street, but when the clock struck eight and he still hadn't shown up, Percy put the pasta and salad in the fridge and went to go shower. He assumed that Street was either still on a mission, or had gone home, too tired to come over. Percy didn't mind. He knew their jobs made it difficult to have plans. Percy stripped off his clothes and stepped into the hot water, sighing at the feeling of his muscles slowly loosening. He really needed to get another desk chair, his wasn't nearly ergonomic enough.

He made quick work of scrubbing his body down, using a special body wash that cleaned him in addition to killing any bugs, bacteria, or viruses that made their way onto him during the day. Next, he washed his hair, spending extra time lathering because gods, it felt nice. His mom joked that he was like a puppy when it came to his hair being played with, and Percy didn't disagree. However, as he grew up, he realized it wasn't the only reaction he had when his hair was played with. He had to get good at dodging people touching his hair to avoid embarrassing himself. Eventually, he washed his hair out, conditioning it quickly before rinsing off fully. He stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist (blue, obviously), tying it up so he could have his hands free to brush his teeth.

He was brushing through knots in his hair when he heard his apartment door open. Percy stilled, listening silently for a clue as to who was in his space. He heard heavy boots being taken off, footsteps walking towards the bathroom door, and a familiar voice call his name. Percy smiled softly. It was Street.

"-I'm late, the mission went a bit sideways. Everyone's fine, but we had to sprint like three miles after these guys, no joke. I'm going to be so-" Street stopped mid sentence as he glanced into the bathroom and saw Percy, leaning against the bathroom sink in only a towel, smiling at him. Street went a bit red and averted his eyes. "Oh, uh... sorry Perce. Didn't realize you..."

Street trailed off as Percy walked up to him, hair still dripping and leaving trails of water run down his torso. Percy felt eyes on him and couldn't help but smirk. Usually, it was Street the one to fluster Percy, being the flirt he was, but this time the roles were reversed, and Percy couldn't help but enjoy it. He stopped only a foot in front of Street and delighted in the sound of his breath catching.

"Hi there," Percy said quietly, still smiling, "Didn't think you'd come."

Street gulped and looked him in the eye. "I, uh... the mission..." Percy snickered at the sudden inability to speak, and Street playfully glared at him. "Shut up, Percy. This isn't fair."

Percy's amusement was evident in his eyes, but he decided to give Street a break. He took a step back, allowing Street a moment to collect himself. "Go ahead and get comfortable. I'll get dressed and heat up dinner. Pasta sound good to you?" Percy offered, his tone light and inviting.

Street nodded, finally finding his voice again. "Yeah, pasta sounds perfect. Thanks, Percy."

~*~

"Tell me more about yourself," Street said, twirling his fork in his pasta. Percy gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you got my file. You know basically everything about me," Street explained, waving his food around, "but I don't exactly have access to yours. I know you were a SEAL, your favourite colour is blue, that your mom makes amazing cookies, I've seen your impressive surfing moves, but not much other than that. I want to know more about you."

Percy tapped his fingers on the table, studying Street intently.

"Alright, hit me. What do you want to know?" Percy asked after a few seconds of contemplative silence. Street took a bite of his salad, seemingly to give himself a moment to think. Percy tried not to squirm. He wanted to be open and honest with Street, but the godly world wasn't something he could just tell anyone. Mortal minds aren't even really supposed to handle those things. Paul took over a year to get back to being able to talk to Percy without having a nervous breakdown. Percy didn't want to... break Street, for lack of a better term. Percy just hoped Street would steer clear of difficult questions.