thirty-six degrees

Blissful warmth.

The two lay entangled in each other's arms, breathing calming as heartbeats slowed, sweat cooling heated and flushed skin.

One reached down and yanked the blankets over them. He wrapped his slender arms around his lover, pulling the more muscled boy close to him.

This is so nice, Oliver thought dreamily, snuggling closer to Percy. I love the way his arms go around me . . . the way my head fits just there on his shoulder . . . and he's so warm . . . his hands are always warm. He rubbed his head against the bare skin of Percy's shoulder, eliciting a soft groan from the redhead.

"Ol " he said quietly, running a lazy hand up the arch of the Quidditch captain's back. The brunette mewled quietly and arched his back just enough to get more of the touch.

Percy chuckled to himself and continued rubbing Oliver's back gently. Oliver rested his head on Percy's shoulder and sighed contentedly.

Suddenly, a thought broadsided the brunette like a Cruciatus curse. It was so stupid and so petty, but the desire to know was there and it wouldn't be quenched until he knew.

"Perce?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Percy responded drowsily.

"Do you ever hold Penny like this?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I guess I do. She likes cuddling." Percy looked down at the other boy with sleepy but curious blue eyes. "Why?"

"I was just thinking that you know it was just an 'us' thing."

Percy's eyes snapped into focus, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop about forty degrees.

"There is no 'us,'" he bit off angrily. "There never has been an 'us,' and there never will be an 'us.' We are both straight and we are only doing this to relieve our frustrations." He pushed Oliver away and rolled out of the bed. He grabbed his clothes off of the floor, and, his back stiff and straight with silent fury, quickly redressed and left the room.

Oliver lay alone in his bed, and slowly wrapped his arms around himself to try and ward off the room's sudden freezing temperature.

"I know there's no 'us,'" he said quietly to the red velvet canopy. "But is it too much to ask for?"

~la fin~

Oliver and Percy belong to JKR. The story title is from "36 Degrees" by Placebo, and the part that partially inspired this goes a little something like:

4 7 2 3 9 8 5 - I gotta breathe to stay alive,
and 1 4 2 9 7 8 - feels like I'm gonna suffocate.
14 16 22 - this skin that turns to blister blue.
Shoulders toes and knees, I'm 36 degrees,
shoulders toes and knees,I'm 36 degrees,
shoulder toes and knees, I'm 36 degrees,
shoulders toes and knees, I'm 36 degrees

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