Work Text:
As soon as Percy woke up he knew something was wrong. He couldn’t quite place it, but he just felt off. The world around him was slightly fuzzy, but he did his best to ignore that as he pushed off his blanket and swung his legs over the side of his bed.
He stood slowly, pushing himself to his feet, and felt the world grow a little darker around him. Still, he brushed it off and went to get ready for school. He was sure it would get better by the time he got there.
It didn’t get better.
In fact, it did the opposite. By the time he made it to his second block, his eyesight was going in and out every time he stood up and his stomach felt like it was trying to climb out of his throat. But, he did his best to power through it.
He knew that he couldn’t miss any more school, after his ‘abrupt disappearance’ junior year and the amount of time he had to take off from being sick already. He was on track to graduate, but any more time out could definitely make it harder.
He and Annabeth had been talking about it and it seemed like all of the stress of this last quest had caught up to him, especially his little trip through Tartarus. His body was finally done putting up with all the strain it had his entire life and decided to take that out on his immune system. Lovely.
He had been sick for what felt like the entire time he had been back home, between stomach bugs, colds, and even pneumonia that one time. He couldn’t catch a break. Apparently, based on some wisdom from the Apollo cabin, his lungs had weakened along with his immune system in general. That, among the other various problems he had because of years of unrelenting strain on his body, was causing him to get sick incredibly easily.
He would have to talk to his mom about it, because it was becoming a real problem. Being in public school he couldn’t really avoid all the germs, and his body continued to be unable to fight them. Luckily it had only developed into something serious a few times, but he couldn’t keep going like that.
He was already struggling to regain the weight he had lost from Tartarus, not that he had much to lose before that, and was continuing to lose more because of his constant illness. Maybe he could wear a mask or something, he figured, at least that would protect him at school a little more.
“Percy?” His thoughts were interrupted by his teacher tapping on his desk lightly. “The bell just rang, are you okay?” He really liked Mrs. Fowler, usually, but she just was speaking so loudly at the moment.
“Oh, sorry.” He mumbled, after quickly squeezing his eyes shut against the bright school lights. “I’m fine, just didn’t hear.” She gave him a concerned look as he wobbled to his feet, grabbing his bag from off the floor.
“Here, let me write you a note so you won’t be late.” She walked over to her desk, watching him as he stood there awkwardly. She quickly scribbled out a note and hurried back over to him, handing it over.
He nodded quickly in thanks before almost immediately regretting the decision. The world around him spun slightly as he ran over to the nearest trash can he could find, vomiting the small breakfast he had into it.
He heard Mrs. Fowler shout behind him, pretty sure that it was some sort of curse word, but he was more concerned with other things. He wasn’t able to move for a while, the vomiting lasting longer than it should have considering the amount of food he had eaten that day, but he heard her calling someone from the phone on her desk.
After another five minutes he heard someone rush into the classroom, yelling something to keep the kids trying to come in from entering. He was still leaned over the trash can, panting heavily, but the puke had stopped for the time being.
“Hey, bud, how are you doing?” He felt a hand on his shoulder and recognized Paul’s voice immediately, slumping slightly. He was crouched beside him, rubbing his back softly as Percy regained his awareness of the area around him.
“Not great,” He rasped out, getting a soft chuckle from Paul in response. “Another stomach bug I think, should have seen it coming.” He leaned back to rest on his heels, looking up at the people around him. He recognized the school nurse first, along with Paul and Mrs. Fowler. She must have called them from the phone.
He still felt like his stomach was trying to destroy itself, but he was pretty sure he was done throwing up for now. Paul seemed to realize that too, helping him stand from the floor gently. “I’m gonna take him home,” he said to the nurse, already picking up his things. “Sally’s out of town until tomorrow.” The nurse frowned at that, but Paul was already leading him out of the classroom. He halfheartedly waved to Mrs. Fowler, letting himself be guided through the doorway.
Paul stopped by the principal's office before they left, informing her that they were leaving. He waited in the empty hallway until Paul came out, flashing him a smile before grabbing Percy’s bag again.
The walk to the car was completely exhausting, and he collapsed into the seat once he got to the beat up Prius. He let his eyes close immediately, not noticing Paul’s concerned look as he got in the driver's seat next to him.
He let the silence and soft music surround him drown out his discomfort for as long as he could, closing his eyes to the spinning world and bright lights. “We’re almost there, bud.” Paul muttered when he let out a small groan as they went over a bump in the road, curling in on himself slightly.
He was right, apparently, because Percy felt the car stop a few minutes later, cracking his eyes open and slowly uncurling himself. Paul smiled wryly at him before taking his bag and getting out of the car, walking around to open Percy’s door. He leaned heavily on the older man as he got out and worked his way up the stairs, but found renewed energy as they got through the door, sprinting to the bathroom before he threw up for the second time.
Nowhere near as much came out the second time, and he did feel a lot better after, but when he was done his frustration grew. He slammed his fist on the ground a few times, trying to do anything to release some of the anger he was feeling. He heard Paul come in behind him, and dropped his head onto his curled up knees, hiding his face in his lap. “I just want to stop being in pain.” He whispered softly, not looking up as Paul sat next to him.
Percy heard him suck in a sharp breath, before sighing deeply. “I know you do, I want that too.” The words didn’t really do anything to help, but he let himself fall into Paul slightly anyway, leaning against him as he put his arm around his shoulder.
“I’ve been in pain my whole life, from Gabe, to my quests, to the pit. I thought it would finally be over, but it never ends.” His voice came out raspy and broken, and he squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that were threatening to leak out of his eyes. “Why will it never end?”
Paul didn't know what he could say to that, didn’t know if it ever would end, so he just tightened his arm around Percy, rubbed a hand up and down his back. They sat there together for a while longer, a man doing his best to comfort a boy who knew nothing but pain.
Eventually, Percy opened his eyes and raised his head, turning into Paul a little more. After breathing in deeply, Paul’s scent of cleanliness and aftershave filling his senses, he leaned away. If he saw tear streaks lining Paul’s face he didn’t mention it, and neither did Paul.
They stood together, Paul helping him out to the living room and placing him on the couch, getting him a glass of water from the kitchen quickly. The water helped a lot, but he was still completely exhausted.
He suddenly felt a blanket draped over him, and looked over to see Paul settling in the armchair next to him, his computer in one hand. Laying back down, he did his best to relax and let down his guard. Before he knew it, his eyes were closing and his mind faded into the quiet of sleep.
When he woke next he was feeling ten times better than he had before. He still had a bit of remaining fatigue and a headache, but his stomach felt much better. He took a second to fully wake up, but sat up slowly when the world around him came into focus.
Paul was still sitting with him, typing softly on his laptop. He was suddenly flushed with a flood of guilt, realizing Paul had left work just to take care of him and had to stay with him. As if sensing him, Paul looked over, smiling brightly at him and shutting his laptop. “Great, you’re awake.” His smile was infectious, and Percy couldn’t help but return it. “Are you feeling better, do you need anything?”
His guilt immediately returned at the question and he did his best to cover up the drop in his mood. “Yeah, I’m feeling much better now, I’m sorry you had to leave work.” Paul waved a hand at him, dismissing the apology and still smiling.
“Of course, I’m glad you’re doing better now, it seemed like a pretty nasty stomach bug.” Paul shook his head slightly, his smile dropping a little at the reminder. “Do you think you could eat something, or no?” Percy nodded once and began to get up, before being gently pushed back down by the older man.
“Don’t worry I’ll get it, you just sit back down and rest, it’s no problem.” Percy frowned at that, but Paul’s tone left no room for argument so he sank back onto the couch. When Paul came back he had a sleeve of crackers and another glass of water, holding them out to Percy before sitting on the couch next to him.
Before he could speak again, after taking the food and water, Paul interrupted him, seeming to anticipate his protest of being taken care of. “What do you want to watch?” He grabbed the TV remote, already flipping through the movies. Seeing that he wasn’t going to win the argument, Percy sighed, leaning back against the couch.
“Iron Man.” He said softly, nibbling on one of the crackers. Paul just nodded, grabbing another blanket from the basket and placing it on his lap. As the movie started Percy smiled softly, letting himself relax again.
They watched the movie in mostly silence, chuckling at some of the jokes. By the time it was over his headache was almost gone and the entire sleeve of crackers was gone. As the end credits rolled across the screen he looked over at Paul to find him frowning at his phone screen. He typed something out quickly then put it away again, turning back to Percy. He smiled at him, another one of his beaming grins, but Percy just frowned back.
“You know you can leave if you have to, I’m fine now.” He didn’t say it with any anger, just concern, not wanting to be an inconvenience. Paul shook his head, but he plowed on anyway. “You already did a lot and I don’t want to cause any trouble, I’m honestly fine.” Paul frowned again at his words, putting a hand on his knee briefly.
“Percy, I want to be here, it’s not a problem.” Now Percy was the one to frown, not understanding. Paul seemed to see his confusion, his eyes growing sad briefly.
“Oh, okay.” Percy whispered it softly, still sounding confused, but leaned back against the couch again. He suddenly felt incredibly exhausted again and let out a long puff of air, before letting his head fall on Paul’s shoulder. He felt Paul stiffen slightly, before relaxing, but let himself just lean against him. “Thanks.” Paul moved his arm to wrap it around Percy, leaving his head resting against his chest. He heard Paul shakily exhale, but let his eyes close as they fell back into silence.
After a few moments of sitting like that together, Percy’s head resting against Paul’s chest and Paul’s arm around Percy’s shoulders, Paul broke the silence. “Sometimes I think there is nothing I can do to actually help you.” He spoke softly, his voice slightly wavering. Percy stayed silent, not knowing where the conversion was going.
“You have done so much in your life, more than I can ever dream of doing, but you’re in so much pain all the time. So much pain. And there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t help you at all.” Percy could hear him crying then, but still didn’t interrupt him.
“It is a parents job to protect their child. But, me and your mother have no way to do that. You’re still hurt, and still in pain, and we just have to watch. It is one of the hardest things I have ever done to watch you face the things you have and be able to do nothing. And that’s the worst part. I have no power to stop the things hurting you, so I just have to watch as they continue to do so.” Percy squeezed his eyes shut tighter, leaning more into Paul.
“I keep waiting for you to finally get what you deserve, the life you deserve. But, you keep giving and getting taken from, and it's not fair. I’ve never met a person more deserving of a happy life than you, but all you get for it is pain. I’ve only known you for a few years, but you have done more good and suffered more during them than I have in my entire life.” His voice breaks on the last two words, and his arm around Percy tightens.
“I hope no one ever has to know what it is like to watch your son constantly beaten down and in pain without being able to do anything about it, because no one deserves that anguish.” At the last sentence Percy felt his own tears leak from his eyes.
“So, instead of protecting you from the pain, all I can do is be here for you during it. Getting the chance to provide you any comfort, to do my job as a parent, is all I can ask for. I don’t know if it really helps at all, but it's all that I can do, so I will take every chance that I get.”
It fell silent, the only sound sniffling that echoes around the room. As if a dam was broken, Percy’s sniffles turned to full blown sobs and he buried his face in Paul's chest, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. He sobbed harder, holding on with everything he had, Paul holding him with the same ferocity.
“I’m so sorry, you deserve better.” He heard Paul whisper from above him, only making his sobs grow harder. He cried for a long time, just letting himself be held, before his heaving sobs softened into sniffles once again.
Without moving from Paul’s hold he muttered softly into his chest, “This helps. You help.” Paul made a broken sound, somewhere between a cry and a gasp, pulling Percy even closer to him.
“That makes me so much happier than you could possibly know.” He whispered it, his voice hoarse from crying. Percy didn’t respond, instead closing his eyes against Paul’s chest. There were so many things he could’ve said, so many things he probably should’ve, but the more he thought about it the more he realized that was enough.
Neither of them could take away the other's pain, but being with each other, holding each other, was enough to soothe it temporarily.
Percy didn’t know how to let himself be taken care of, hadn’t really had someone to do it for most of his life. Still, the longer he sat there, breathing in Paul’s scent and being held by someone who loved him unconditionally, the more he felt the ache in his bones soften.
It hurt in a different way, knowing he could have had this his whole life if he was someone else, but in that moment it meant everything. He wasn’t a kid anymore, but he thought vaguely to himself that maybe everyone needed someone to protect them sometimes.
So, yes, he could have said to Paul that he was closer to a father than his own ever would be, that he did more for Percy than he thought he could ever deserve, that he protected him and loved him more than anyone other than his mom ever had, but he didn’t. Paul knew all of those things, would be told those things the rest of his life, but for now just holding each other was enough.
They didn’t need to say that to each other, because they both already knew it. He sank further into Paul, letting himself relax completely, and felt his consciousness slipping away slowly. Before falling asleep completely he weakly squeezed Paul, trying to convey his words through one small gesture. Paul seemed to understand squeezing back softly.
“Sleep, bud, I’ve got you.” He smiled slightly, letting out a final sigh before giving into slumber. He hadn’t been protected in a long time, maybe he never would be completely. But, he trusted Paul to protect him for now, to protect him from the world around him, if only for a little while.