Crown
First in the Drabble Series "Crown". Also first time posting any sort of drabble on any platform - please be gentle! TW for vague description of blood. Uh... Enjoy?
Despite the usual turmoil of a high-ranking family that did not show affection through touch, Lady Johanna was affectionate toward her children on rare occasions. She had a special, loving action for each one.
Julius received a gentle scritch between the shoulder blades - discreet, but strongly present after he'd done a good job standing his ground before the council. Relaxing his muscles to bear the burden of his future.
Vesper got gentle strokes on her cheek - a silent, heart-felt compliment to her beauty.
Oliver and Whitney rarely behaved; Johanna's sign of affection was often trying to hide her grin while she still tweaked their ears for whatever prank they'd just pulled.
Ludwig was a demanding little prick. He got full-on hugs; it wasn't fair.
Cassandra would sometimes receive a lingering kiss to her forehead. Percy had witnessed it a few times. She would swear it was much too sappy for her taste, but he'd seen how the corners of her mouth turned up, how she'd leaned into the affection ever so slightly.
Percy... Well. He and his mother shared a love for books; their heads were always close when they were reading from the same tome. On the most relaxed of nights, after dinner and while all the others were busy winding down from the day, Johanna would sneak a stroke or two of her fingers through is hair and kiss his crown. Then they would go back to reading with everyone pretending to be none the wiser.
He had always felt loved. Safe.
Johanna had been combing her fingers through his hair, just leaning in to kiss his head, when the killers had stormed into the room.
Sometimes, when Percy missed his brown hair, he thought of her. And every time, he remembered with an awful, hollow pain in his chest.
He'd never gotten that last kiss on his crown. He'd gotten a spray of blood across his face instead.