For Camp Potter. Event: Team Scavenger Hunts. A collaboration written basically sentence by sentence, done by Sam (MissingMommy) and Laura (Someone aka Me) posted on our joint account. Mandatory prompt: Write about running out of time.
Cabins: Lupin and Lestrange.
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He tugs on the lapels of his suit jacket, feeling uncomfortable as he always does in a Muggle suit. They've never fit him right. Not the way they do Percy.
Percy.
His mind rushes back to why he's standing here, outside the door to Percy's flat.
He remembers talking to Charlie, asking why he was in town. Remembers seeing Charlie realize that Oliver hadn't known about Percy's engagement, much less his upcoming wedding.
He remembers the sinking feeling in his gut as he realized that the man he still loves more than anything is slipping through his fingers and there is nothing he can do to stop it from happening.
He shakes the memories and raises his hand to knock. Hand still halfway to the door, he hesitates. He compares the memory of the Percy that had walked away from him all those years ago with the memory of the Percy he'd last seen in Diagon Alley — breaking, crumbling Percy as compared to the Percy who was finally rebuilding himself.
If that is what loving Oliver does, Oliver isn't so sure he could even bear to have Percy back, isn't sure he could bear watching Percy fade away all over again, watching him as he builds walls around his heart to keep others out.
As much as it hurts to watch Percy love someone else, as much as Oliver knows that he is running out of time to say what he wants to say, as much as he knows that this might be his last chance… He just can't do it. He can't risk Percy's happiness. He drops his hand and goes to turn away.
There's a click of a door and then a soft, "Oh."
Oliver quickly turns back around, meeting blue eyes that he hasn't seen in a while. Percy looks stunned.
"Oliver?"
He just nods because words are failing him now.
"What… What are you doing here?"
"I… I wanted to… talk. To you." He rubs the back of his neck somewhat awkwardly as he stumbles through the words.
Percy hasn't lost the startled expression. "Er. I was just going out to pick up a few last minute things for tomorrow. Is it a conversation that can be managed while walking, or should I put off my shopping for a bit?"
Oliver steps to the side to allow Percy to pass him.
"Go ahead. Lead the way."
But when Percy reaches the end of the street and goes to Apparate, he hesitates — he reaches for Oliver's hand almost intuitively to side-along him, but then he draws his hand back.
Oliver notices this, and grabs Percy's hand before he can withdraw it completely. Percy takes his lead and Oliver feels the familiar tug of Apparation. When he lands, he recognizes it as an Apparation point in Muggle London.
As they go about Percy's shopping, they talk about Puddlemere's recent season and Percy's new job, but the subject of marriage never comes up.
When he Apparates them back, there is less hesitation when Percy takes his hand, but as they walk back to Percy's front step, there is a heavy silence. They are both as stubborn as they have always been, but when they stop in front of the first step and stand awkwardly, Percy finally breaks it.
"Why are you really here, Ol?"
Oliver's heart skips a beat at Percy's nickname. He doesn't know how to answer that. He's not sure he wants to anymore, if he's honest with himself. But there's a look in Percy's eyes that causes him to wonder if something of what they had remains.
He feels the clock ticking away, the chances for him to say this dwindling.
He can't, though. He cannot ruin this.
"I… just— Congratulations, mate." He wraps his arms around Percy's lanky frame. "I'm just… really happy for you."
After a beat of confusion, Percy returns the embrace hesitantly. "Thank you."
Oliver turns on his heels and walks away. His time has run out completely. He can't bring himself to regret it. Percy is happy and that's all he can ask for.