'Mightier than the Sword' ficlet
Title: Diversion
Show: Mightier than the Sword
Characters: Percy/Hwan (if you squint)
Rating: PG for language
Word count: 521
"Don't look down."
Percy's first instinct, of course, is to look down, but he encounters surprise resistance in the form of a hand which is forcing his chin up so Percy is nose to nose with The Scarlet Rake and the titular rake's stunningly painted naked chest on the cover.
"Dude, what the f--" he tries to jerk his head down but Hwan - why is it always Hwan? - is unexpectedly strong. Percy relaxes with a disgusted sigh. They've all learned the hard way that the trickster only gets even more annoyingly persistent if you refuse to play. "Why is it always you?"
"I'll bet you," Hwan says evenly and calmly, "that the next book on the cart is gonna be a Cabot, as in Meg."
"Man, you've got some serious balls to come back, after last time."
"It's 3 in the afternoon, so school's out. And that's when all the little girls are returning their books to the library like the good girls they are. And good girls like to read, what is it, The Princess Diaries? Something like that? So, Meg Cabot. And--"
Hwan's hand disappears from Percy's chin, so he can look down to see Hwan pluck the next book off the reshelving cart with its glittery pink cover.
"--looky here, we have 'All-American Girl.' Written by a Meg…" Hwan raises his eyes to meet Percy's, and Percy is honestly disturbed to see how much the guy is relishing this stupid bet, "...Cabot."
Hwan smiles a little, a faint crinkle around the eyes, and swear to God, he's looking at Percy from under his eyelashes. Percy has no words. Just no words.
Hwan drawls, "I win."
At this point, Percy now has about eight different possible responses jostling around in his head. They vary from plain speechlessness to punching Hwan in the face, to the one he winds up choosing after a few useless seconds, which is, "Fuck this. Why are you here and what do you want?"
The kumiho shrugs, something elaborate and casual that ends with him slouched against the shelves and suddenly way, way in Percy's personal space. Percy almost wolfs out then and there, except it's daylight hours and good little girls probably wouldn't take too kindly to a giant furry beast coming out of the stacks. As it is, the hair on the back of his neck is practically electrified and he's having trouble keeping his ears from sprouting fur and getting pointy.
Completely unlike last time Percy wolfed out, Hwan's eyes brighten and he actually gets closer, which is, okay, weird times ten and very disconcerting. "Watch it," Percy hisses, letting a little snarl through.
"And I always do," Hwan shoots back with a frankly challenging smirk on his face. "Especially you."
Percy tries again, "What. Do you want."
"I told you last time." Hwan tilts his head to the side, leaving it resting lightly against The Passion of MacPherson and DragonKin. His eyes glint, and Percy catches himself leaning forward, damn the trickster.
Hwan, of course, doesn't miss it.
"I'm looking for a Book. Maybe you'd have some recommendations, hmm?"
Show: Mightier than the Sword
Characters: Percy/Hwan (if you squint)
Rating: PG for language
Word count: 521
"Don't look down."
Percy's first instinct, of course, is to look down, but he encounters surprise resistance in the form of a hand which is forcing his chin up so Percy is nose to nose with The Scarlet Rake and the titular rake's stunningly painted naked chest on the cover.
"Dude, what the f--" he tries to jerk his head down but Hwan - why is it always Hwan? - is unexpectedly strong. Percy relaxes with a disgusted sigh. They've all learned the hard way that the trickster only gets even more annoyingly persistent if you refuse to play. "Why is it always you?"
"I'll bet you," Hwan says evenly and calmly, "that the next book on the cart is gonna be a Cabot, as in Meg."
"Man, you've got some serious balls to come back, after last time."
"It's 3 in the afternoon, so school's out. And that's when all the little girls are returning their books to the library like the good girls they are. And good girls like to read, what is it, The Princess Diaries? Something like that? So, Meg Cabot. And--"
Hwan's hand disappears from Percy's chin, so he can look down to see Hwan pluck the next book off the reshelving cart with its glittery pink cover.
"--looky here, we have 'All-American Girl.' Written by a Meg…" Hwan raises his eyes to meet Percy's, and Percy is honestly disturbed to see how much the guy is relishing this stupid bet, "...Cabot."
Hwan smiles a little, a faint crinkle around the eyes, and swear to God, he's looking at Percy from under his eyelashes. Percy has no words. Just no words.
Hwan drawls, "I win."
At this point, Percy now has about eight different possible responses jostling around in his head. They vary from plain speechlessness to punching Hwan in the face, to the one he winds up choosing after a few useless seconds, which is, "Fuck this. Why are you here and what do you want?"
The kumiho shrugs, something elaborate and casual that ends with him slouched against the shelves and suddenly way, way in Percy's personal space. Percy almost wolfs out then and there, except it's daylight hours and good little girls probably wouldn't take too kindly to a giant furry beast coming out of the stacks. As it is, the hair on the back of his neck is practically electrified and he's having trouble keeping his ears from sprouting fur and getting pointy.
Completely unlike last time Percy wolfed out, Hwan's eyes brighten and he actually gets closer, which is, okay, weird times ten and very disconcerting. "Watch it," Percy hisses, letting a little snarl through.
"And I always do," Hwan shoots back with a frankly challenging smirk on his face. "Especially you."
Percy tries again, "What. Do you want."
"I told you last time." Hwan tilts his head to the side, leaving it resting lightly against The Passion of MacPherson and DragonKin. His eyes glint, and Percy catches himself leaning forward, damn the trickster.
Hwan, of course, doesn't miss it.
"I'm looking for a Book. Maybe you'd have some recommendations, hmm?"