#and percy soaks up everything like a damn sponge

[soldrawss]

Rising out of the pjo grave to redo this AU picture because the feelings for big brother Luke are STRONG tonight

Everythings the same except Luke stays a good kid and basically adopts Percy as his honorary younger brother.

Please do not repost my art, thank you!!!

[kohaive]

their expression when he fell is scarred into his memory.

percy stopped a gang fight, but he pays the price for it. it's real bad this time. there's a huge gash on his back where he can't reach, another in his chest, superficial ones on his limbs. he's a bleeding mess by the time he stumbles back to the house on the edge of town, leaves a blood trail as he crawls into the window and limps to the bathroom. he's tired, he's in so much pain he can barely think, the sun is just starting to rise and he doesn't quite register rhodes is going to wake up soon. all he can think about is stopping the bleeding.

but this time, it's too much. his mind shuts down before he can get anything done. he barely pulls out the bandages before sinking onto the floor. everything goes dark. he hates the dark now. hopefully when he wakes up it won't be in the afterlife, or wherever he's going after this. he doesn't anticipate he'll be going anywhere nice considering his track record of destruction.

when consciousness finally takes hold, there's something touching him, probing his wounds, wiping it clean with soft wetness. he stirs, and the movement's noticed. a rumbled "y'awake there?" overhead. he squints.

he sees the face that dropped him into narrative contradiction overhead, jagged and emotionless as he fell into the screams of a world he damned, a world he ruined, a world he was supposed to save and they're screaming for him again to help, help us, help us please spiderman. save us—

PER-!

he hates the fear that seizes his core, but he lets it take control. boots the figure in the stomach, winces at how it tears at wounds already there. the figure stumbles back with a "hey—perce, y'shouldn't—" but he's already aiming his web, and he fires, and it misses. of course it misses. he's lost so much blood he can't see straight. but it doesn't matter, he can always try again. he's always been able to try again. that's the problem.

thwip.

unfortunately, rhodes doesn't have the same issues with aiming as percy does. one shot and percy's glued to the sink, unable to do anything but thrash in a panic as rhodes approaches. don't touch him. don't come near him. don't do anything to him you did this to me you made me like this don't fuckin' touch me—

"i jus' wanna dress yer wounds, alright?" rhodes' voice is soothing, like he's talking to a skittish horse. he might as well be. "look—gotta sponge. gonna wipe up the blood." and he reaches again, and percy flinches, and the sponge touches and he wipes up the blood. nothing else happens. percy doesn't detense.

"gonna disinfect 'em now. might sting a little, but ain't hurt near as much as it did when y'got those." they don't ask where percy got the wounds. they know better than anyone. they're spiderman, too. percy hisses as the peroxide-soaked cotton ball touches him, because it stings, but that's all that happens. nothing else. he doesn't detense.

"jus' bandages left. then i'll let ya go." rhodes doesn't meet his eyes as they bandage him. percy watches him warily. the hands that dropped him into hell are wrapping up his hurt, soothing his pain. he doesn't know which side he's able to believe. he doesn't know why rhodes is doing this for him after he tried to kill them, after they threw him into the void. rhodes finishes wrapping the last of it. the web on percy's wrists dry up and fall. he's free. he doesn't detense.

rhodes knows better than to think percy would trust him with his back, so he raises his hands and backs out of the bathroom. "all done," he says. "i'll bring ya breakfast." then he's gone, down the hall, and a few minutes later percy hears eggs cracking into a sizzling pan. he tests his legs. he can walk, barely. he limps back to the spare bedroom and locks the door.

eggs and toast are left outside a while later. there's no fanfare, just a quick knock on the door to let him know they're there. percy waits until he hears rhodes' bedroom door close before he retrieves it.

...

...it's good.

he detenses.