Chapter 2.10 - In which Percy gifts secretly

Percy

Month 12, Day 19, Saturday 9:00 p.m.

Percy flopped onto his bed, feeling as if the weight of life were pressing him deep into the soft material. Any more, and he might suffocate, unable to extricate himself.

Why had he made that stupid promise in front of everyone at the station? While he wished otherwise, keeping out of trouble wasn’t something he could control. And though the tattoo did help, it obviously could not entirely fix him.

The door behind him creaked open, and Gideon tiptoed in. “Percy?” the boy whispered.

Percy forced himself upright and tried to put on a smile. “Hi, Gideon.”

His brother stepped forward and patted Percy on the arm, then stuffed his plush, felt dragon into Percy’s arms. “Fiery said he would sleep with you tonight. He’s really good at making people not feel sad. Take good care of him, okay?” Gideon nodded with a firm seriousness that didn’t match his age and turned toward the ladder leading to the top bunk, but paused. “Fiery needs to pee during the night or maybe he will wet the bed,” he added. “And if he does, he will pretend it wasn’t him and maybe blame it on you. So be careful.”

Percy’s smile grew more genuine, and he let out a soft, watery laugh. “Thank you for the warning. I will be careful.” He was actually the one who had come up with the story that it was Fiery who needed to pee at night, after waking once to drops of pee falling from the soaked upper bunk’s mattress onto his head. Gideon couldn’t be woken for his own sake, but he cared enough about his dragon toy to force himself up and into the bathroom, where he would “incidentally” pee, too.

He helped Gideon climb up safely, listening as the girl’s bedroom door on the other side of the hallway slammed shut.

“Lysander’s mad,” Gideon whispered.

“She’ll be okay,” Percy said, tucking the blanket in around Gideon. He’d always had a somewhat bickersome relationship with Lysander, who was only two and a half years younger than him, but the resentment she’d displayed tonight had surprised Percy.

Did Mom feel the same? How could she not? His parents had been putting up with his bad luck for over fifteen years now. Surely, they were just getting tired and fed up.

Percy climbed back down and rubbed the tattoo on his wrist. “Please, keep working. Don’t run out of power. I need your help,” he told it fervently.

Some time later, a gentle knock on his door pulled him from his brooding. “Come in,” he called softly, though he knew Gideon wouldn’t wake unless they started screaming.

Dad entered, the wrinkles beside his eyes deepened with concern. He sat down next to Percy on the bed, the old springs creaking under their combined weight. “How are you holding up, son?”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I screwed up,” Percy admitted, his throat tight.

Dad hummed inscrutably “Your heart’s always been in the right place.”

“But it’s not enough, is it?” Percy’s voice cracked. “No matter what I do, I end up causing more problems for everyone.”

Dad was quiet for a moment, seeming to consider his words carefully.

The silence stretching between them like a taut wire. Percy fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, unable to meet his father’s gaze.

Finally, Dad spoke, his voice gentle but firm. “Percy, it’s true that your actions have consequences. But that doesn’t mean you should stop trying to do what’s right.”

Percy laughed bitterly. “But how can I know what’s right when everything I do seems to go wrong?”

Dad placed one large, warm hand on Percy’s shoulder. “Life has no answer sheet, son. Sometimes we have to make difficult choices, and we can’t know the outcome. But hiding from the world isn’t the answer either. Your mother and I, we worry about you, but we’re also proud of the person you’re becoming.”

Percy looked up, surprised. “You are?” His eyes narrowed. “Mom too?” He almost cringed as the words left his mouth, but it was too late to take them back.

Dad nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Of course we are. Both of us. You have a good heart, Percy. You care about others, and you’re not afraid to stand up for what’s right. Those are qualities to be proud of. I know your mom can be a little tough, but you have to know that she would do anything for you, Percy. Anything.”

Percy felt a warmth spread through his chest at his father’s words. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear that. “But what about…”

Dad seemed to guess what he meant. “Your mother regrets how she handled things tonight, even if she won’t say it. She was just trying to keep you safe. She’s a lot more like you than either of you realize, you know. You’re both prone to acting without thinking things through.”

Privately, Percy felt he was nothing like Mom. And if he could choose, he would much prefer to emulate Dad. The man was always steady and firm, seeming to face any obstacle with a plan and the dedication to overcome it. “Lysander is so angry with me,” Percy added.

Dad sighed, scratching the top of his head where his hair was beginning to thin. “Lysander’s at a difficult age. She’s dealing with her own issues, Percy. Sometimes we take out our frustrations on those closest to us, those we love most.”

Percy let Dad tuck him in as if he were Gideon’s age, but it took him a long while to fall asleep.

The next few days were rather miserable, and Mom remained quieter than normal, but prone to snapping angrily if provoked, so Percy and his siblings tiptoed around her and spent more time outside, at friends’ houses, or in their bedrooms.

Midweek, Percy woke early to the sound of Lysander’s voice drifting through the thin walls. He lay in bed, listening to his sister practice lines from a play he didn’t recognize. Her voice rose and fell with emotion, and something in Percy’s chest twisted painfully as he remembered her accusation at the station.

It’s always about you, isn’t it? Lysander’s words echoed in his mind.

Percy rolled onto his side, staring at the peeling wallpaper. Had he really been taking attention away from his siblings? He thought about all the times his parents had to rush him to healers or deal with the aftermath of his accidents. How much time and energy had they spent worrying about him instead of focusing on Lysander’s dreams?

With a heavy sigh, Percy got dressed and headed to work at the Kaiseki Ryori. By the time he arrived, he’d come to a decision. “I need some extra shifts,” he announced as he passed the harried manager. The man almost bowed down to thank Percy, in full support of this idea.

A week later, Percy found Mom at the kitchen table writing in the household notebook. “Mom,” he said hesitantly, “I want to give you this.” He held out a small pouch, which held a large a portion of his wages.

Mom frowned in confusion and a spark of ire. “What’s this for, Percy?” Before he could answer, she continued in a firm tone. “You’re a child. I don’t need you contributing to the household bills.”

Percy took a deep breath. “It’s for Lysander’s acting lessons. I know she’s been wanting them, and I thought…well, I thought this might help.”

Mom’s eyes widened, then she pressed her lips together and opened the purse to look inside. Her frown grew deeper. “Percy, that’s very thoughtful, but—”

“Please,” Percy interrupted, “just take it. But…can we not tell Lysander it’s from me? I don’t want her to feel awkward. Or refuse to accept it, or something.”

Mom’s face softened, looking almost sad as she stared at him, her gaze roaming over his features as if she were actually seeing him for the first time in a long while. “Are you sure? Even if you don’t spend it on yourself now, you could use this to save up for your future.”

“I’m sure.”

After a moment of consideration, Mom nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Alright.” After a moment she added, “You’re a good boy.”

After dinner, when Lysander got the good news, Percy hid his smile while she danced through the house, squealing with excitement. She ran over to hug Dad, blurting, “Thank you thank you thank you!”

Dad gave Percy a nod and a smile over her head, and Percy’s heart squeezed with a small pang of warmth and, for some reason, sadness.

Weekly discussion thread on the Alcove: https://alcove.azaleaellis.com/t/chapter-2-10-weekly-discussion-in-which-percy-gifts-secretly/876