Sparring Is Something That You Did So Casually With Grog. There Were No Hostility Between You Two. It

Sparring is something that you did so casually with Grog. There were no hostility between you two. It was all fun and banter. But you two respected the other, and because of that, you would never dare going easy on the other. It would be the biggest insult you'd throw at the other.

"Not bad, big guy !" you smiled as you dodged another attack.

It was a show combining strength and agility. Instinct and strategy. Grog and you. You were both doing your best for the other, showing your love and your respect through your movements and attacks.

"Thanks !" he grinned as he threw another attack that you also dodged. "Beer after that ?"

"Yep !"

Even though your sparring always ended with a draw, there were not one time when you weren't satisfied. And there were not one time you weren't getting scold by Pike because of your bruises. But you did not care. You both spent the quality time moment that you needed. Sharing blows and smiles, dodging and laughing... It was one of the many ways you had to show your affection. Of course, there were his bone crushing hugs, and you couldn't escape any. You didn't want to, anyway.

"Let's try the double axes, tomorrow," he murmured once Pike turned her back.

"Deal."

can you please make a percy x reader one shot where the reader is from a small village and has never seen a large city? And percy shows the reader around Whitestone?

Oh ? I think I can write something down. My brain is feeling cooperative.

Thanks for the request ! (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

Percy was busy. Busy admiring your smile as you looked at some shop windows, busy admiring your eyes sparkling as you looked around with a dreamy and fascinated expression, and busy smiling when you sighed, appreciating the sight of the Sun tree now healthy under the warm sun.

"How majestic !" he heard you gasping.

He wasn't fond of being a touristic guide, plus, Whitestone was still healing from the wounds left by the Briarwoods. But seeing the admiration and the light in your gaze as you strolled in his city, the heritage of his family, the place he grew up in, made him feel so proud. For the first time in years, he felt at peace.

"Percy !" he heard you call him.

His eyebrows raised when he felt you grabbing his hand and gently squeezing it. You looked at him with these eyes he grew so fond of, and this smile that protected him from so many nightmares.

"Yes ?" he answered.

"Show me your favourite place in all Whitestone !" you excitedly said, gently shaking his arm. "It has to be out-doors, so no library allowed."

He tilted his head slightly, thinking as some memories flew to his mind. It has been years now, and the place is probably destroyed, but he wanted to show you, to share it with you. He led you through the streets now buzzing with life again, freed from fear and uncertainty. He took care of explaining the history of each street you were walking through and answering your questions. Then finally, you arrived at a desert square. The first thing you noticed was a majestic fountain. It still stood there among the cracks on the floor and destroyed buildings, its water still flowing with strength and pride. Then, on top of the fountain, you saw statue representing the Sun tree.

"It's...still here," murmured Percival in relief.

He sat on the edge of the fountain, under the stone branches of the statue. He patted the space beside him and you immediately joined him.

"Let me guess," you hummed as you admired the shadows cast by the sculpture. "You liked to read here."

"I did," he nodded, his eyes venturing on the water before looking back at you. "What was your favourite place back in your village ?"

Your hand played with the water as his question slowly sinked in.

"A little space under a small bridge leading to the center of the village," you said, your voice heavy with nostalgia. "Not really practical when the water of the stream raised, but I liked this place."

You looked back at him and he felt himself blushing. He cleared his throat then diverted his eyes on the water again.

"How do you find Whitestone so far ?"

You hummed softly as the wind slowly rised.

"A bit overwhelming compared to my village. But oddly homey despite its size."

He nervously cleared his throat again, his eyes still avoiding yours.

"Homey. So, do you agree that it is a perfect place for two people to grow old together ?"

You blinked in surprise at his words, but quickly smiled and nodded.

"Well, yes. It is oddly cozy for a large city," your fingers are still playing in the fresh water. "Why do you ask ?"

Percival felt too flustered to answer honestly. He turned his face away to hide his blushing cheeks.

"For nothing."

"I want to be your boyfriend."

You already knew Iso was full of surprises, but nothing could have predicted the pure and raw shock painted all over your face. It took your brain ten seconds to register the information and fully comprehend his sentence, fifteen for your eyes to blink again, twenty to close your dropping jaw and thirty to finally ask:

"You what ?"

His face was as stoic as ever as his beautiful eyes bored into yours. He stood tall and right in front of you in all his casual badassery while you knew you were being ridiculous with your jaw dropping again.

"I want to be your boyfriend," he repeated.

He was so serious right now. More serious than you've ever seen him on mission. And you did not know it was possible until now. He did not move and just waited for your answer. But you could not answer, the whiplash of his words was too violent. It took a complete minutes for your voice to come back and you internally thanked him for his patience —you did not know if it was patience, just his usual and casual stoicism or a silent mix of both.

"Why ?" you finally asked, your voice sounding like a croak to your ears.

"Because I love you," he answered simply. "I love these moments we spend together after training sessions, I love talking to you and talking with you all night in the garden made me realize that I have feelings for you."

"Well shit," you thought.

You internally swore his straightforwardness would kill you one day. His feelings were not one-sided. You had fallen for him a long time ago. Who wouldn't have ? His attractive appearance and his sweetness hidden under layers of solid forbearance made you ridiculously fall for him. You would have never thought that he would love you too.

"I maybe read the signals wrong," Iso said, his shoulder slightly deflating.

"Huh ?"

"I thought you felt something for me too."

Of course he noticed. He was one of the most observant people you knew.

"I do ! I really do !" you affirmed. "But it's...it's just..." you took a deep breath then looked at him in the eyes. "It's so sudden ! I think we're skipping some steps."

You noticed the faint spark appearing in his eyes and his shoulder straightening again (seemed like you were also observant) as he took a step closer.

"Noted," he nodded. "How about a date to take things slow ?"

You blinked and felt your jaw dropping again.

"A date ?"

He nodded again and you saw a hint of a smile on the corners of his lips.

"O-Okay," you stuttered and cleared your throat. "Just tell me when and-and I'll prepare and wait for you."

Iso took another step closer.

"After tonight's training. Sounds good ?"

You only nodded and he smiled almost shyly.

"Cool. I'll pick you up in your dorm room."

And just like that, he walked away. You took a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm your racing heart. You were too focused on your own breathing to notice Iso clenching his hoodie as he turned around a corner. His breathing was quick but his heart quicker. He hadn't felt this nervous in a long time.

"哎呀 !"

"You're writing fanfictions about us ?" you asked, your eyes widening in surprise.

Clove started to giggle like the maniacal pixie that they were as their fingers played with some random dice. You sat down on their bed as your eyes traveled on the words written in their notebook.

"So, what do you think ?" they asked, leaning towards you.

"I think that your imagination is somewhat frightening," you chuckled lightly and turned a page. "You even did illustrations !?"

Their smile only widened at your words as you admired their arts. The crazyness and passion baked onto these pages resulted in a chaotic and sparkly madness that was a beautiful representation of Clove's peculiar mind. The fact that they took the time to fill a complete notebook full of scenarios where the agents of the protocol were the main characters still baffled you. You were even among the pages living crazy adventures.

"Clove, darling, my dear Scottish stardust pixie," you sighed in a very dramatic way. "I don't know if I want to expose this in a museum or hide it from everyone's eyes."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Cypher already saw it," they hummed. "His eyes are literally everywhere."

Clove leaned a bit closer to you, the mischief in their eyes sparkling like lost stars bathing in an ancient ocean.

"The reason I showed you this is because I wanted to live a scenario that I wrote about us two."

"Hm ?" your eyebrows raised slightly. "Which one ?"

They bit their lower lip to silent their laughter as they turned the pages of the notebook. Your eyes then fell on the scenario they meant. As your read the lines, your eyes widened and your face flushed. Maniacal butterflies took ownership of your stomach and time released your brain from its hold. Your voice was stolen from you as your astounded gaze fell on a very graphic illustration of Clove and you.

"Damn," you murmured after a moment of silence.

Their nose scrunched in mirth at your loudly silent flusteredness. They mentally took a picture of your face to redraw it later.

"So ? What do you say ?"

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"Thanks again for the braids."

Astra's fingers kept dancing in your hair with swift but expert movements as she stood behind you. You internally wondered how she managed to manipulate your hair so easily with her prosthetic arm. Her eyes were slightly squinted in concentration but her facial expression remained welcoming. Your gazes met through the looking glass and you shared a smile.

"No problem !" she smiled. "Told you that this hairstyle was more convenient for missions."

"True," you nodded. "Since you styled my hair for that mission a few days ago, I think I adopted that hairstyle. No more hair in my face while aiming nor any Omega bastard yanking at it."

She finally finished her arts on your head and looked at the result with a proud smile. You returned her smile and moved your head to admire your new hairstyle.

"Castor oil really did some miracle on your hair," she hummed, her hands gently squeezing your shoulders. "They seem longer and healthier."

You relished on the feeling of her touch and your smile widened slightly.

"Yep ! I didn't forget the olive oil either, don't worry."

You leaned back in your chair and nuzzled the back of your head against her torso.

"Thanks again, Efia," you murmured.

A thank for taking care of you and for this moment of bonding.

Astra looked down and directly looked at you in the eyes and you could feel her affection more intensely.

"Once again, there is no problem."