First Fall
PERCE: yo emery
PERCE: didnt see you in the science building between classes this morning
PERCE: dont tell me your studious self is playing HOOKY
SCOOTER HAZARD: 😤 never
SCOOTER HAZARD: I actually think i’m dying
PERCE: WHAT
SCOOTER HAZARD: Yea havent been out of bed all day
PERCE: its 3 pm??
PERCE: dont u usually get up at.. idk 7 am??
SCOOTER HAZARD: I can barely stay awake more than an hour. And my entire body hurts
PERCE: have you at least eaten something?
SCOOTER HAZARD: Um. Crackers?
SCOOTER HAZARD: Idk just havent ben hungry
PERCE: ok but you need food to get better
Frowning, Percy set his phone aside to rummage through the refrigerator. Ah, perfect! The leftover soup he made the other day was still there. Maybe Emery would eat some if he offered…? Pulling it out, he set the container on the counter and checked his phone. No reply from Emery.
That was fine. He’d pour out a couple portions in microwavable bowls while he waited. Deja might like some too.
When he had finished that task, he opened his message history with Emery. Maybe she was just taking a while to answer.
[Message sent, unread]
Percy tapped his knuckles on the counter, thinking. He didn’t want to show up uninvited, but Emery’s lack of reply after telling him she hadn’t eaten made him worry. It wasn’t like her to ignore messages, especially concerned ones.
Finally deciding on a plan of action, Percy swiped to a different contact.
PERCE: hey deja im gonna stop by in a bit
QUEEN DEE: Oh? I’m sorry, usually we would be happy to have you but Emery’s been under the weather the past couple days
PERCE: yea that’s what im stopping for
PERCE: i have soup
QUEEN DEE: For both of us? 👀
PERCE: wow deja steals food from sick ppl smh
PERCE: i mean yeah sure its leftovers but it is vegetarian
QUEEN DEE: 😎
QUEEN DEE: Still that’s kind of you to think of Emery, Percy
PERCE: hey what are friends for
PERCE: at ur door in 5
Tacit permission secured, Percy bagged up the containers of soup and headed for the door. At the last second he paused, thought for a moment, then ran back to grab one more thing before leaving.
True to his word, nearly five minutes later Percy was knocking on the door to Emery and Deja’s apartment. Two bags dangled from his arm as he waited for an answer.
He didn’t have to wait long. Deja opened the door with a smile and a greeting, ushering him into the kitchen.
“Thanks for stopping by, Percy. I haven’t been able to get her to eat all day. But I know she won’t refuse your cooking.”
Percy chuckled a bit as he handed over the bag with the soup. “She better not! It’s got a pretty light broth, so it should be good for her even if she’s not that hungry.”
As Deja made room in their fridge, Percy glanced toward the hallway that led to Emery and Deja’s bedrooms. He had visited several times before, so he knew which was Emery’s door. It was open slightly. Emery only closed the door completely when she didn’t want to be disturbed.
“I’ve got something else to give her, though. I’ll be right back.”
A minute later, Percy was crouching in front of a bed so he was eye level with its occupant. Barely visible from under a mountain of blankets, Emery lay with eyes screwed shut. A slight flush betrayed her elevated temperature.
“Psst. Hey, sleepyhead!” Percy whispered loudly.
Emery’s facial features twitched and contorted as she was dragged into wakefulness. Her bleary eyes blinked open and after a moment, settled on Percy in confusion.
“…. Percy? What…?” A yawn. “Why’re you here?”
With a flourish, Percy plopped the ugly fish plush in front of Emery’s sleep-hazy eyes. Her reaction was slow, but her mouth soon widened into a grin.
“Hmm…? You brought me Blubs?”
“Yup.” Percy stated proudly. “And soup for when you’re feeling up to eating something.” Emery reached out and pulled the plush close to squeeze against her chest.
“Mm… ありがとう…”
Percy raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I didn’t know you spoke Japanese.”
Another mumble. “Solo un poco…”
“Haha. Nice try, but that’s Spanish.”
Emery grumbled incoherently, already slipping back into dreamland. Before she drifted off completely though, she raised a hand and gently poked Percy between his eyebrows. She giggled as he gave a dramatic squawk, then yawned again.
“‘m gonna go back to sleep now.”
Percy smiled fondly. “Okay. Feel better.”
As Emery’s breathing evened out, Percy rose to his feet and quietly left the room. As he reemerged into the kitchen, Deja gave him a smile that seemed to edge on a smirk.
“How’s the patient?”
“Stable and adorable,” he joked. Deja’s eyes crinkled at that, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she held his gaze thoughtfully. The extra attention made Percy curious.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Percy blinked in confusion. “She didn’t sneeze on me or anything…”
Deja sighed, finally breaking eye contact to shake her head with a chuckle. “Not that kind of something. I was just wondering if those kinds of comments are always jokes.”
Put on the spot, Percy fell silent. Deja couldn’t have figured it out already, could she? Percy had only recently noticed himself how different he felt around Emery now. Self-conscious, he rubbed his neck and laughed.
“Nah, I always mean my compliments.”
“Hmm… Alright. I know Emery likes joking with you, but she’s also a very sincere person. I worry about her. If she starts to think words you say in jest are hinting at something else when they’re not…” Deja trailed off. Percy tried to stifle his rising alarm. Was she giving him a shovel talk right now?
Before he could reply, Deja continued. “I’m just saying I remember how she was after you first met. Fuming and hurt because the stranger she had been worried over didn’t seem to take that worry seriously.”
Percy averted his eyes. “Yeah… I really do regret that.”
Deja stepped forward to place a hand on his arm. “Hey, I know. Obviously Emery knows too. It’s water under the bridge. But,” and here she waited for Percy to look up at her again. “I know Emery. And I know how much she appreciates honesty. It doesn’t hurt to break up the jokes with genuine affirmations or clarifications. Cam and I do that for her all the time. It really helps.”
“I’ll… keep that in mind.”
“Hm, good.”
“While we’re on the topic though…” Damn, how was he supposed to word this? “Does Emery ever… I don’t know, say anything about me?” He winced. Super obvious, way to go, Percy. “I mean, I’ve tried not to put my foot in my mouth lately. But she’s such a nice person, I don’t know if she would tell me if I fucked up, you know? Not the way she’d tell her favorite roommate that I fucked up.”
Deja’s eyes glinted and a grin slowly spread across her face. Percy wasn’t sure he liked how smug she looked.
“Oh, don’t worry. Emery only ever says good things about you. The best, in fact.”
And damn his heart, Percy felt it speed up just hearing that. Deja didn’t even say what kind of good things Emery said about him! This was dangerous. If he wasn’t careful, his feelings were going to be obvious. Not just to Deja, but heaven forbid, to Emery too. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let himself mess everything up again.
Percy cleared his throat. “Oh. Well, that’s good. I’ll just, uh… get out of your hair then. Make sure Emery finds the soup.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she knows where it is as soon as she wakes up.”
With an indulgent smile and a tiny wave, Deja saw him out the door. After it closed behind him, Percy let out the deep breath he’d been holding. It did nothing to slow the frantic beating of his heart.
Yeah, this was going to be trouble.














