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If he were honest about it all, Percy was not too keen on his current situation.
“They want you, Freddie,” Vax had pointed out, twirling a knife around his fingers as he spoke. “Technically we can't do anything until they do something wrong. So the plan makes sense.”
“When have we ever followed the rules before?” He grumbled, arms crossed as he eyed the half-elf.
“That's true but this time it's important we do. If we don't have proof, we don't get paid, remember?”
Percy scoffed. Vex cleared her throat. When he looked over to her, she at least had the decency to look apologetic. “Percy dear, I know it's not ideal but the rest of us will be close by. As soon as anything gets out of line, you call.”
How could he say no to her? Damn Vex and her methods of getting him to fold just like that.
“Fine,” he mumbled, “I'll do it.”
That was how he had ended here. No weapons, no nothing. Just stood outside the keep they were staying at, hoping to lure in the gang they were meant to be taking down.
He was bait. Bait. Unbelievable. Though, he supposed it made sense. Their task had been to find proof of wrongdoings from this group as they were known for being quite slippery and experts at covering their tracks. Vox Machina weren't allowed to do anything until they had proof. So, they decided they would force the others’ hand. One of the members they had been tracking had shown– let's say, an interest in Percy and then the plan was suddenly formed. Percy was now weaponless and practically alone out in the cold. In his hand was an empty glass he pretended to drink from occasionally.
The group had been known for going after the human type, for some strange reason. And usually kept their eyes out for people who might have money. Percy looked like he came from money, he dressed proudly and smartly and perhaps that wasn't in his favour today. They most probably did not like the look of Vax and Vex. Or Keyleth, for that matter. (Though Percy would never ask Vex or Keyleth to be bait) Pike was still in her armour, so that was a deterrent. Scanlan would say one overly flirty message and they'd leave him alone. Finally, there was Grog and Percy thought it was pretty self-explanatory why a group wouldn't try to take him.
The group they were trying to apprehend had shown an interest in Percy. So the plan was that he would be used to lure them out. Then hopefully they would show their true colours and the job would be over and done with. A simple plan, where the others would trail behind and make sure nothing went too out of hand.
The front door beside him opened and a set of footsteps approached. Percy quirked his head upwards, noting an elven woman with long straight blonde hair. Posture upright and a look on her face that meant she knew exactly what she wanted and knew exactly how to get it too.
This was one of the individuals that Vox Machina had been tracking.
“What's a guy as pretty as you doing out here all alone?” She smirked, voice saccharine sweet. Percy knew the games she was trying to play. If he acted correctly– nonchalantly– then this would all hopefully go smoothly.
He flashed her a fake smile, trying to sound genuine, “I just needed to get some air, is that such a bad thing?”
“Certainly not, but you don't mind some company, do you?”
Percival shrugged, “I wouldn't say no.”
The first part of the plan had gone well, then. She had spotted her ‘prey’ and had made her move. Percy was expecting to be transferred to a second location at some point, so he had to stay vigilant. If they were to make another move, he needed to be aware to put a stop to it.
“So what brings you here?” Percy pushed the conversation along. The quicker something happened, the quicker they could be done with all of this.
“Looking for some fun, I suppose,” she hummed, leaning back against the wall.
There was a sound, distant and muffled. Percy couldn’t quite place what it was. He almost wanted to glance back into the keep, pure curiosity willing him to do so.
“Fun?” He should only pay attention to the elf in front of him, not anything else that could be considered a distraction. But, man, this conversation was getting old quickly. Percy had been at his fair share of keeps and bars and events, he knew how these conversations went. He knew people were always looking for something–
Wait.
Someone was screaming– yelling– he was sure of it. Maybe he should just–
The elven woman laid a hand on his shoulder, his attention directed back to her. “Yeah, I guess–”
He didn't hear the end of her sentence, his earring bursting into life and Vax's voice rang out in his head, “Plans off, Freddie. Back out–”
A sudden, sharp prick grazed the side of his neck. Fuck, he should've been more aware. His hand instinctively shot up, feeling a bead of blood against the back of his skin.
The elf smiled at him. Vax's words rang in his head. Then his body slumped forward, eyes rolling to the back of his head.
—
Vax sat impatiently waiting for something to happen. Percy had strolled out through the front door around twenty minutes ago. The group they had been watching took note of that, eyes following the white-haired human as the door swung shut.
Just as he was about to complain, leaning over towards his sister, one of the individuals stood up. The chair scraped against wood. It was an elven woman who, in Vax’s own opinion, looked like a stuck-up bitch. She sauntered towards the door and it shut behind her.
Vax now knew that the plan was finally in motion.
At some point, Percy should give them a signal. Something to imply that he may be getting taken elsewhere or that the elf tried to do something. Unfortunately, they had had to leave him weaponless and whilst Vax would love to see Percy fight someone in hand-to-hand combat, the rest of Vox Machina would be close behind to back him up.
“Hey Keyleth? You good there?”
Vax turned. Behind him, sat at their table, Grog was currently downing pint after pint. He wasn't too worried about that. The man could fight a village whilst drunk if he had to and have no problem with winning. Keyleth, on the other hand, did not look too good. She was pale, skin layered in a sweaty sheen, eyes a little bit too distant. Pike, the person who had voiced the concern, was hovering over her, obviously worried. Keyleth was a lightweight, sure, but that was why she had insisted she wasn't going to drink until after the mission–
Wait. Fuck, her drink .
“Scanlan, her glass,” Vax nodded towards the water Keyleth had been drinking.
Scanlan leaned over and grabbed it. On the same wavelength as Vax, he smelt it, grimaced and shook the glass a little bit in his hand. “Not good. Something not very nice has been put in there.”
“Shit,” Pike muttered, “Scanlan pass me the glass. I need to find out what they put it in before I can treat her.”
Vex, who had been listening the whole time but her eyes trained on their targets, spoke up, “We need to figure out who did this.” She refused to look over, instead leaning backwards slightly so her voice could be heard by the rest of the group. “Soon enough Percy is going to–”
“Vex?” He prompted, turning to look at his sister.
“We’ve been compromised,” she hastily responded and suddenly it all made sense. It wouldnt surprise him if everyones drinks had something in them. Grog was just never seemingly affected by it. Both he and his sister had refused to get a drink. Scanlan hadn't touched his yet, too engrossed with himself and a woman he had been trying to woo before Pike dragged him over to their table. Then Pike herself had her own stash she was going through currently. She had said it was cheaper (and better tasting) than what she could get here.
Vex, in the blink of an eye, grabbed her bow and then everything happened all at once.
Something was thrown in their direction, small and circular. Vax had no time to think. One moment the keep was quiet and peaceful, the next moment a flash of light accompanied by a dull explosion rang out. Yelling then followed as the smoke cleared, Vex having already shot two arrows towards their attackers.
“I’ll take Keyleth and once I know she's fine I will be back,” Pike called over the cacophony of noise that had just broken out. Then she was scurrying off to somewhere behind the bar and out of sight, Keyleth draped clumsily over her shoulder,
“Grog, you’re up big guy,” Scanlan said, pulling out his lute, a mischievous look on his face that implied he just knew that this was going to end in a brawl.
“I get to punch people?”
“Sure do.”
“Hell yeah,” that was all the prompting Grog needed, the barbarian breaking the table clean in two as he clambered into the fight.
Vax was back to back with his sister, Vex taking down one of the thugs in one clean shot. “At least we have proof now,” she mumbled, hardly amused. “We should let Percy know– Vax, the door.”
Vax looked over, watching more people leave. Guests, bystanders most likely other people they were meant to be keeping an eye on too.
“Not good,” he muttered back, hand reaching up to press against his earring. “Plans off, Freddie. Back out, we can finish up and go.”
There was no response.
“Percival?” He tried again.
“Fucking shit,” Vex cursed, she took another shot before turning to face him. “We can handle this, make sure he’s not getting his ass beat out there, okay? You can sneak out going unnoticed.”
With a nod, Vax dodged and weaved his way to the front door, the cold evening air hitting him as he slipped outside. He looked around, thinking he would be met with Percy and the other individuals. Instead, he was met with nothing.
“Fuck.”
In his peripherals, he took note of some footprints. Too small to be Percy’s and another set that were a little too big. What intrigued him though was the mark between them both. As if something had been dragged through the dirt path.
Behind him, Vex tumbled outside too. “Grog’s going to beat them all up. I think Keyleth is fine. Scanlan can do damage control with his witty charm if needs be. Where are we going?”
Straight to the point as always. Vax nodded towards the tracks he had spotted. Vex’s mouth tightened into a thin line before nodding back. Then, silently, they started to follow the footprints.
—
When he woke, he noticed how blurry the world around him was. They must have taken his glasses when he had passed out. The second thing he noticed was the uncomfortable metal between his teeth. A thick cylindrical contraption that pushed uncomfortably at the corners of his lips, metal digging into his skin and a leather belt tying it around the back of his head. It felt like something similar to a muzzle. Something that would make sure he was quiet.
Attempting to stand, he realised he was chained to a post and forced to stay sitting on the floor. The metal rattled loudly, eliciting a laugh from someone else in the room. Or, barn, he supposed. He was certain, based on how cold he was right now, that he was most likely still outside.
“Well, well. Look who’s awake,” just coming into view was the blurred image of the elven woman from earlier. “Nice to see you again, pretty boy.”
Percy shivered involuntarily at her tone. He knew that tone well and forbade his mind from bringing up sour memories that would only make him weaker. He couldn't think about her. Not right now.
Someone else was there too but the hulking figure was too far away for Percy to make out any discernible features. So instead he focused his whole energy on tracking the elf. She shimmied closer, leaning forward so her face came perfectly into view.
“Oh, all the things I am going to get to do to you,” she licked her lips. A predator ready to feast on prey.
The others should be here any moment, right? Though Vax had tried to tell him something before he was knocked out and Percy couldn’t remember what that was exactly. He had a sinking feeling that it had to do with the whole mission and that just made his stomach coil, an anxiety clawing at his chest, telling him that no one would be able to find him.
The elf crouched down, with his hands chained behind his back, Percy could only wait for her next move. Carefully, she cupped his chin, brushing her thumb against his cheek. “Oh the things I can do,” she repeated, voice sickeningly soft.
Percy blinked.
“I can fix you, you know?” Anna had said, her words traitorously kind. She never meant what she said. Percy had learned that very early on. He was simply just a plaything to her. Some toy to prod and poke and then discarded when she was bored. Only for her to pick up and mess with again once she felt the animalistic desire to do so.
“Come on Percival, don't be so stubborn,” she cooed. Though Percy was tied down to the table, she was stood up and free to roam and do whatever she liked. He wasn't going to give her the pleasure of a response. A hand found its way under his shirt, caressing his chest, leaving scorched marks in its wake. “I can give you everything you want, wouldn't that be nice?”
The hand refused to leave his body. His marred skin taught under her fingertips. It shivered involuntarily and Anna’s grin widened at the sigh of Percy’s sorry state. It was wretched– the way she’d get off on his pain. How she would say something too soft and gentle to him only to rip him apart to examine seconds later.
“I want you dead,” he spat back, lips sealing shut as she leaned forward and used her free hand to run her fingers through his hair.
The gentle touches felt like they bruised him.
“Oh, just one more, I promise”, artificial words that had once given him so much hope. Though he supposed he had learnt his lesson.
He had thought he was going to be appreciated. His mind would be matched. Then everything came crumbling down when he found out that she had wanted him on a much deeper, more twisted level than he could ever imagine. He could still feel her chapped lips, taste his tears mixed with sweat and hear the horrendous sounds that had left her mouth. He was everything to her. She was terrifying to him.
Percy blinked.
And then he was back in the present day, chest rising and falling a little too quickly. The elven woman smirked at him, her touch too familiar and too hot and too much.
“Freddie? You near?” Percy could have cried tears of relief when he heard Vax’s voice sound through the earring.
“Percival?” Vex was with him too, thank fuck.
He now just needed a way of getting the Goddamn mouthpiece off of him and he could be free. He could be saved from this hellish woman and her twisted ideals.
“Will you be a good boy for me?” She asked, voice airy and whispered. The hand continued to stroke his hair and Percy flinched. “If I take out the mouthpiece, promise you’re not going to shout, okay?”
Vex’s voice rang out in his head again, “Percy dear? Are you there?”
“Well pretty thing, what will it be?” The elven woman repeated. Percy nodded meekly and she smiled. “Good boy.”
She removed her hands from him, Percy recoiling his body as far away from her as possible. Albeit, that didn't do much but it put his brain a little bit at ease (not really). Untying the leather, she let the handles drop. Then she slipped her fingers around the metal, intruding his mouth and rubbing against his tongue as she pulled away the rest of it, finally letting his mouth be empty.
Percy reacted instantly. With all his might he yelped, “Jenga!”
There was no time for the woman to scold him, punish him, or even question him because the elf and whoever the second figure had been were already on the floor, unresponsive by the time Percy had finished yelling.
The chains around him slackened, clanging against the floor. Then his glasses were handed to him. He took them gratefully, slipping them on and coming face to face with Vex, her features clouded with concern. Vax was somewhere off to the right, inspecting one of the corpses.
“How are you, darling?” she asked gently.
Percy huffed out a weak laugh, “I’ve been better.”
He didn't need to elaborate. Not when he was around Vex. He supposed the subtle, almost missable shaking shoulders and the way he rubbed his hands together nervously had probably given everything away. Vex just knew him that well. Percy didn’t think he minded having someone know all his little intricacies. Not if it was her.
When her hands came up to cup his cheeks, he did not shy away. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
He leant into her touch. It was warm but didn't burn. Not like the others (never like the others.)