Title: For Propriety's Sake
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Percy Weasley, Marcus Flint, etc
Prompt: #25 – Strangers
Chapter Word Count: 639
Rating: M (FFN)/E (AO3)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Angst

Summary: When one thing changes and throws your whole life off course and breaks you apart, you make a mosaic out of the pieces and hope no one wonders what it could have once been. Or, the one where Percy and Marcus make the best of a bad situation.

Warning(s): Rape, Slash, MPreg, Angst, Romance

Author's Note 1: I've been going through my old fics and found this idea that's been sitting on my computer since 2010.
Author's Note 2: I've lately grown tired of using "Merlin" as a fallback replacement for the "God" in exclamations or emphasis (e.g.: "Oh God"/"Oh Merlin") so I have decided to utilize more of the names of Ancient Greek deities and other individuals from Arthurian Legends. I'm still going to use "Merlin" but not for everything/by everyone. I've tried to place a summary of each deity/figure in the footnotes, apologies if I've missed one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing …

Prologue

After Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, despite Peter Pettigrew (aka: Wormtail) escaping, Sirius decided against going on the run. Instead, he convinced Dumbledore that the Order of the Phoenix (which they both know was going to need reforming) was in need a safe house and a base of operations. However, Sirius also pointed out that his ancestral home of Grimmauld Place was so decrepit after all these years of disuse that it was better off condemned. After holding a secret meeting of the remaining Order from the last war against You-Know-Who, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley generously offered up use of their family home, the Burrow.

The plus side to this was that the Burrow got a magical overhaul. It was heavily warded and put under the Fidelius Charm, and everyone pitched in their magic to ensure the home was structurally sound and secure. Most of the rooms were turned into a sort of barracks, equipped with bunk beds. Everyone was quite happy with the arrangements.

Well, almost everyone.

Percy was less than thrilled with the whole thing. For one, he was forced to give up his bedroom. Well, not exactly forced, but he deemed it preferable as the lower bedrooms were to be used by temporary guests and being in an upper room would ensure he wasn't as frequently disturbed by the people who would be going in and out at all hours due to various missions. It was to be a safe house and a headquarters after all, so he planned accordingly. And so it was that he was now situated in Ron's old room and had been for the past two years (He'd steadfastly refused to bunk in the twins' old room. There was no telling what they'd hidden away in there.). Along with three bunk beds and, since the return of the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named the previous year, four semi-permanent roommates and the odd interloper who didn't fit in the den.

He didn't mind that Oliver Wood had claimed the top bunk of his bed, they'd roomed together for seven years at school so Percy was used to the other young man's habits. He also didn't mind that his two older brothers called another of the three bunk beds their own when they'd arrived. They'd never picked on him like their younger siblings so often did. It was his fifth sometimes-roommate that caused some problems.

Everyone was convinced that Marcus Flint sometimes sharing his room bothered him because the man was a former Slytherin and from a Dark family. This was untrue. He had nothing against Slytherins in general, and Marcus had defected from the Dark Side and cut all ties with his family last July.

Everyone was also convinced the man just plain bothered him. This was partially true. What no one realized was that "bothered" was actually accompanied by "hot". He never voiced this. Ever. No one was ever to know how he felt for the former Slytherin Quidditch Captain.

But, even in the beginning, Percy had never complained about the entire arrangement. He didn't really mind giving up his room. For over a year he'd actually had the topmost room all to himself, with the exception of the few times Oliver had stayed over before becoming a more permanent fixture, and wasn't even bothered by being so close to the attic where the ghoul still banged on the pipes when it got too quiet (that's what silencing spells were for). He wasn't about to start complaining now. The man might leave and choose not to come back. So Percy chose to ignore him and stay away from him as much as possible during the day, and pretended he wasn't listening to the sound of him breathing during the nights the older man stayed. … Maybe he was a masochist.

– 30 –

End Prologue

Chapter Posted: February 20, 2016