Sea Green Eyes

5

Bruce gestured deftly to the Wayne boys face, "the bloody nose and bruise."

Damien sighed, "Percy has PTSD, unknown as to how and where it was caused. He was freaking out on the way here and when I tried to comfort him, the first reflex was a rather powerful punch."

Bruce nodded at the admission, "we have our fair share of violent reflexes in the manor, so it's understandable. What's he like?"

Damien's eyes softened at the question, which was not missed by Bruce, "he's incredibly shy and nervous natured. He also detests the idea of soulmates for reasons unknown. He ran away when he first heard my name in a coffee shop, so it was a miracle he came to me first."

Bruce nodded, "anything we should be aware of?" And Damien knew that meant terroristic activities.

"If you think him writing stories about demigods is evil then yes, otherwise he hasn't rang any alarm bells, father."

Bruce nodded, "I made your brothers aware of your return but wanted to speak with you before mentioning him. If he's shy and scared about soulmates then we'll wait for them to visit to drop that bomb."

Damien nodded, "thank you, father."

Bruce only nodded, handing Damien an ice pack that Alfred had most definitely dropped off before he made it to the office. And that was the last of the exchange, Damien rushing out to see Percy again, to be able to soak up anymore alone time with his shared soulmate before his brothers decided to ruin the tentative peace.

He gave a light knock on the door and let himself in when he heard a grunt that was apparently mistaken as a come in because his soulmate was shirtless and Damien froze at the entryway. Once again, Damien noticed three things with the intrusion.

One, his soulmate was positively stunning, and no one would ever have the right to argue.

Two, Percy was absolutely covered in scars, ones that put Jason's to shame as they wrapped around his torso.

Three, it makes a lot of sense why the seemingly skinny man was able to pack such a strong punch, as every divot of muscle was sharp and obviously trained to gain.

Damien couldn't bring himself to move, instead staying put as Percy ever so slowly brought his long sleeve shirt the rest of the way down his torso. Damien also now understood why his soulmate didn't seem to own anything other than long sleeve shirts.

"Are you okay?" Damien wasn't ashamed to admit he whispered the words, eyes wide with the horror he would've hidden if it was anyone else he stepped in on.

Percy looked around with a panicked expression, "I'm fine. Please don't ask about them."

"I won't." Damien agreed, closing the door behind him, "but tell me, are you safe?"

Percy nodded, "these scars are two years old now, well beyond healed and nothing has given me more."

Damien noted the use of 'nothing' and not 'no one' but didn't comment. "Are you hungry?"

Percy shook his head, "no, I'm actually eager to look around. I don't really like not knowing how to navigate the area I'm in."

Damien smiled, "let's make our way back to the foyer and start there."

Percy was in awe at the complexity of the mansion. It was rather easy to memorize the route to everything, especially after the labyrinth. But he still relished in the hand settled on the small of his back — a place that usually made his skin crawl in even his shirt brushed it too much — leading him through the manor. (Never mind that he felt comfortable with a full hand pressed firmly against his own personal Achilles heel.)