“I just need a little while. A few hours. It’s people, Percival, there are too many people around me.” She couldn’t help the way her voice started to crack toward the end of the sentence.
Percival stepped back, taking her hands. “How about a picnic?”
Summer had to concentrate to keep from clinging to his hands. “Yes. Good. A picnic.” She pulled one hand away to smear at her face again.
He gently kneels down and shakes her arm. “Summer? You’re gonna get cold out here.” He speaks softly.
Her laugh came again, even more warped, like her lungs were full of broken glass. “I should stay away, until we figure this out. Do you not even hear what you say?” Summer backed Arthur up against the wall, shattering under the conflict of desire and honour. “If you wish me to stay, you must order it, my lord. You must order it right now.”
Arthur tensed as he was backed up into the wall and tensed against it. He didn’t like it when someone was this close to him, friend or for, it wasn’t something that Arthur was used to. “I order you to your room. Stay there, until we can stop this enchantment over you.” He spoke, quickly moving to the side and back to his desk, wanting distance.
The blazing intensity in Summer’s eyes went out abruptly, shuttered behind her eyelids. When she opened them again, something blank and broken filled her face. She failed to meet his eyes at all, only curtseyed with mute grace and left the room obediently.
Muscles under her skin twitch at his touches, half-ticklish and half-pleasant shock. She runs her hands down his arms, abruptly grateful for whatever quirk makes him prefer to be sleeveless, and traces the subtle outlines of muscle with her fingertips. She doesn’t know how to urge him on, except with more kisses, so she presses forward into his kiss. Into the slow sweetness of it, taking the time to explore the way their mouths fit together.
Percival can feel how her muscles reflexively tense, and release, and react wherever his hands go, and finds himself reacting the same way to hers. Whether it’s chickening out or distraction, he gives up on her skirt, instead reaching around and pulling her closer by the arse. Leaving a hand there, he pushes one up her back under her shirt.
Summer tries to stop the faint whimper that escapes her throat, too late, when he moves his hands to her rear and back. Fingertips dig into his arms, and she forces herself to loosen her grip — not of fear for bruising him, but simply to shift her grip to something else. One hand tangles in the laces of his shirt, pulling at them.
“Nobody agrees with you.” Her voice was muffled by his shirt. “Take me out of here. Please. For a little while. I need to be away from Camelot.”
Percival sighed. “Anywhere you want. Pack some things, we’ll go anywhere you want. The castle Gawant, the forest, even Avalon.”
“I just need a little while. A few hours. It’s people, Percival, there are too many people around me.” She couldn’t help the way her voice started to crack toward the end of the sentence.
“I’m — ” She cut off, voice choked again. He didn’t know everything, and he /couldn’t/ know everything. She couldn’t even explain to him what was wrong. “Percival, you’re biased.”
“Hmm, even so. A lot of smart people agree with me. I know I can’t just zap everything better.” He held her closer and buried his face in her hair, “But I’ll do my best, because everything I do know about you tells me I should.”
“Nobody agrees with you.” Her voice was muffled by his shirt. “Take me out of here. Please. For a little while. I need to be away from Camelot.”
Summer’s voice was choked with tears, and she rubbed a hand over her swollen, red eyes. “Percival, please. I just need — I need some time. I don’t — ” Her voice fell. “I don’t like you to see me like this.”
“Summer, you don’t need to hide anything from me.” Percival stepped closer, taking her hand in his. “There’s not anything you could do to make me think less of you.”
“That isn’t what I said,” she protested, feebly. She didn’t try to take her hand back, though; his warm grip was oddly comforting.
“I just…” Percival frowned, looking downward. “I don’t want you to be alone when you’re feeling this way, it’s not good for a person, and I need you to know that I’m always here for you and I’m not going to make those mistakes I made before again and-” He trailed off, sighing, before looking back up into her eyes. “I don’t want to leave you, Summer.”
She put her face against his shoulder and just breathed, in and out, trying to swallow down more tears. She wanted to find some way to send him away, but she couldn’t think of anything he’d actually listen to. And it was completely useless to try to move him physically — he was twice her size. “Damnit, Percival,” Summer muttered helplessly.
Percival kissed the top of her head. “You’re grand. You deserve the best.”
“I’m — ” She cut off, voice choked again. He didn’t know everything, and he /couldn’t/ know everything. She couldn’t even explain to him what was wrong. “Percival, you’re biased.”
Summer’s voice was choked with tears, and she rubbed a hand over her swollen, red eyes. “Percival, please. I just need — I need some time. I don’t — ” Her voice fell. “I don’t like you to see me like this.”
“Summer, you don’t need to hide anything from me.” Percival stepped closer, taking her hand in his. “There’s not anything you could do to make me think less of you.”
“That isn’t what I said,” she protested, feebly. She didn’t try to take her hand back, though; his warm grip was oddly comforting.
“I just…” Percival frowned, looking downward. “I don’t want you to be alone when you’re feeling this way, it’s not good for a person, and I need you to know that I’m always here for you and I’m not going to make those mistakes I made before again and-” He trailed off, sighing, before looking back up into her eyes. “I don’t want to leave you, Summer.”
She put her face against his shoulder and just breathed, in and out, trying to swallow down more tears. She wanted to find some way to send him away, but she couldn’t think of anything he’d actually listen to. And it was completely useless to try to move him physically — he was twice her size. “Damnit, Percival,” Summer muttered helplessly.
Summer’s voice was choked with tears, and she rubbed a hand over her swollen, red eyes. “Percival, please. I just need — I need some time. I don’t — ” Her voice fell. “I don’t like you to see me like this.”
“Summer, you don’t need to hide anything from me.” Percival stepped closer, taking her hand in his. “There’s not anything you could do to make me think less of you.”
“That isn’t what I said,” she protested, feebly. She didn’t try to take her hand back, though; his warm grip was oddly comforting.
Summer’s voice was choked with tears, and she rubbed a hand over her swollen, red eyes. “Percival, please. I just need — I need some time. I don’t — ” Her voice fell. “I don’t like you to see me like this.”
Summer rolled over on her side, coughing weakly, and swiped a smear of blood off her cheek. “Just some children … I’m fine, I’m fine.”
