Raised in Tartarus (AvengersxPercy) (PeterxPercy)

Taut Abs

Percy's POV:

Like every morning, I lurch awake, straight into a sitting position, my eyes snapping open and assessing my surroundings.

My legs are completely buried underneath a mountain of thick, fuzzy blankets and I hear Peter's steady breathing from on top of the bed directly to my left. The faint sound of crickets leaks into my ears, despite there being no windows.

Upper Earth is so quiet...

I sigh and scratch my arm. The lack of people screaming in agony makes me miss home a little.

Everything is shrouded in a thick sheet of darkness, but I had no trouble seeing every detail in it as that was exactly what I grew up with in Tartarus. My nerves calm slightly at the more homey feeling. Sensing no immediate threats, I carefully pick the blankets off of me and silently rise to my feet. The cold air slices through my thin clothing immediately and I shiver.

These dam Upper-Earthians always keeping everything so frickin cold.

Careful not to disturb Peter, I snatch up one of the duffle bags from last night and glide out the door, shutting it behind me.

The second the door clicks into place, I let out a breath of air and dart down the hall in search of a gym of some sort, my feet quietly padding against the floor.

After opening almost every door in the hallway, I finally slip into what looks like a giant training area. One wall is lined with punching bags, another with workout equipment, and in the center of the room, a massive, blue martial arts mat spreads across most of the floor.

Perfect.

I close the door behind me and, ignoring the light switch, drop the duffel bag onto the mat and start ripping my clothes off.

Then I slide into a pair of dark grey sweatpants and a black hoodie from the bag Tony gave me and peer at myself in the mirror on the wall.

Surprisingly, the pants fit perfectly, but the hoodie is a tad too small, the hem ending at my belly button. When I lift my arms, my entire torso is exposed.

Whatever, I don't give a shit.

Pushing my hair out of my eyes, I turn my attention to the punching bags at the other end of the room, grinning.

Come to daddy.

~~A Smol Lonely Time Skip~~

Steve's POV:

Yawning, I stroll down the hall towards the gym, hoping to get a quick workout in before the others wake up.

Just as I'm about to turn the doorknob, I stop.

The sounds of heavy breathing and aggressive slapping seeps under the door, though the lights appear to be off in the room.

My eyes widen.

What in heavens is going on in there? Should I stay out here?

A grunt follows every smack.

Tony did say he thought Peter and Damarion were hitting it off.

I back away from the door, glancing around the hall.

Just then, the slapping sound stops, but I just continue to stand there, too confused to move.

The door abruptly swings open, revealing a particularly wet Percy (😏) (I've decided I can't stop). He stares at me through thick locks of hair, bare chest heaving up and down, sweat sliding down his forehead and into his eye.

He's wearing my sweatpants.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Steve." A grin forms on the boy's face as he practically jams his hand through his skull getting the sweat out of his eye.

I blink. "Uh, hi."

I glance down at his torso, his abdominal muscles are taut with exertion and covered in beads of sweat.

What kind of exertion?

He clears his throat and my gaze shoots back up to his eyes.

"I was just working out a bit while I waited for everyone to start waking up." He swipes his forearm across his face.

"Oh!" I smile. "Really? Okay, that's nice. Very nice. That's exactly what I came down to do."

Damarion's eyes widen a little. "Oh, sorry, sir. I'll get out of your way." He scurries away from the doorway, back into the room.

I step inside. "No, no, you're fine, kid. I just- Were you working out in the dark?"

The light from the hallway shines through the doorway and onto Damarion's startled face.

"What? No, no, I was- I-," he faltered. "Yeah, I was." A sheepish grin surfaces.

I wrinkle my eyebrows. Does he not want to see himself in the mirror or something?

He offers no further explanation as he shoves a hoodie in a duffel bag and darts over to the door, flicking on the light switch next to it.

Still grinning, he wrinkles his nose and squints at me through the bright lights. "I'll just go find something to eat. Have fun!"

He slams the door closed and I turn to face the room, blinking in confusion.

What a strange kid.

I jump when the door is thrown back open suddenly and the boy's head pops through.

"Sir!" he adds to his last statement, before disappearing again.