#dyn ; pending royce tag.

[spiritdreamt]

[ fingertips ] sender places light kisses to each of reciever's fingertips @princetorn

there isn't much space in her room for anything other than her bed, her dresser, and her bookshelves, so she and royce have nowhere to sit but atop her covers. percy has spent most of her youth tucked away in here, a fragile bubble of security in the face of her stepmother's tempests. safe, or as safe as she could get... but awfully, horribly lonely. in her idle musings, she's conceived of herself as a tragic figure, the princess in the tower, a girl keeping quiet for so long that her tongue forgets its speech. flights of fancy, desperate attempts to cope with both her illogical upbringing and the sharp edge of solitude.

but she's not alone anymore, not since royce slipped into her life, let her lean against him while she reads her book, take quiet comfort in his presence. he's not some knight come to save her—she stopped waiting for one long ago—but he wants her. she doesn't understand it, worries in her lowest moments that his desire for her is borne of a lack of other options (it wouldn't be the first time someone's pursued her because she was convenient). a part of her can recognize the ridiculousness of her thoughts; his appearance would frighten and repulse most people, so it hardly matters that in life he would have glanced past her as if she were a ghost. he's here now; he wants her now; he's never going to leave her. it should be something out of a horror movie, out of a nightmare—that dark, sweet promise of forever actually a curse, the poor heroine never free.

percy wants to be free, but she doesn't want to be free of him. who else could look at her, see every rotten inch of her insides, and want her still? who else could see her rage and wail like a spoiled child and not leave? he's not the monster lurking over her shoulder. no, the monster is her stepmother, hiding in plain sight, painting percy as the villain.

the slam of a cupboard downstairs makes her flinch, and she closes her book with an irritated sigh. she'll never be able to focus on the pages if janice is about to start screaming about... who knows what. did i forget to take out the trash? did i leave a dish in the sink? did i eat something i shouldn't have? she thinks the answer to each question is no, but she can't be sure. percy sighs again, leaning her head to rest against royce's shoulder. he's cold in the stifling heat of her room, but she'd seek comfort in him even if she was shivering. he's all she has.

she's thinking about his offer—the one he presented on the swingset, want me to kill her for you? in the moment she'd smiled and shrugged, unable or unwilling to voice any real answer. no would have been a lie. yes is closer to the ugly truth of percy's heart, the vindictive creature in her chest that wants janice to hurt as much as she's hurt percy. she thinks royce would do it, if she brought it up again, but she's frightened. of what, she doesn't know, but the fear is a tangible thing. in the midst of her wondering, her lips half-parted about to say remember the playground?—skeletal fingers close around her wrist.

it's a touch as gentle as a prayer. her breath catches. his fingers slide up and close around her hand, thumb pressed into her palm. dark brows furrow as she lets him guide her hand to his mouth. their eyes meet. he presses a tender kiss to the pad of her index finger, and she shivers, and her mind goes spinning, but he's not done. his lips brush against her middle finger—ring finger—pinky. each kiss is more reverent than the last. percy blinks. through the floor, she can hear janice beginning to yell, but she just slides her hand to cup his ruined cheek and turns his face towards her. she manages to grant him a chaste kiss before the tenderness overwhelms her and tears begin to slide down her cheeks.

"sorry," she whispers. her parents can't hear royce, but if she talks too loudly they'll definitely hear her—though maybe not, with janice's raging. "i just... i love you."

#princetorn #oh my god this got SO LONG oops #dyn ; pending royce tag. #ic. #answered. #i HAVE to finish their playlist so i can pick a tag for them!! screams