A/N: For Kat (roseusvortex). Happy birthday!
(Prompts are at the bottom.)
"Hey." Audrey touched her boyfriend's arm. "Perce. What's wrong?"
Percy Weasley turned to his official girlfriend of five months. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him from the side, squeezing him in a hug so tight it rivaled his mother's.
"Percy," she said softly, heart breaking at seeing him in pain. They'd only been dating for a few months, but she already knew he loved her — even if he hadn't said so. He didn't need to.
He looked down at her, his turquoise eyes so full of sadness and anger and pain. So much pain. "Why?" he asked. And that single word was filled with longing and heartache. "Why, why, why?" He jumped up, shaking her arms off, and circled around the coffee table to face her. "It should've been me!" He didn't say what he was on about, but Audrey knew. She knew it all too well.
Audrey had had enough. "Percy!" Her tone made his head snap to her, eyes still mad and a scowl on his lips. She stood up and faced him, even though he was still nearly five inches taller than she. "It wasn't your fault! If someone else had been there instead of Fred, they would have died instead! And Merlin, Percy, I know how much you're hurting, but I'd much rather have you alive."
His eyes held no anger anymore. Instead, he looked at her reproachfully. "Audrey…how can you say such a thing? Fred's dead and it's all my fault! If only I had paid more attention. If only I'd not resigned right then — it might not have distracted him."
She glared at him fiercely and stalked around the coffee table, putting herself a mere half foot away from him. She poked his chest and said in a voice filled with venom, "If onlies won't bring Fred back. If onlies won't do anything except bring you more pain and make you even more depressed. Get over the if onlies! Fred's dead! And I'm sorry for your loss, I really am, but you cannot let your guilt live your life for you. I don't want that — Fred wouldn't want that. He'd want you to live instead of moping around like a PMSing teenage girl."
He frowned. "What's PMS?"
She scowled and rolled her eyes. "Honestly? Out of that entire speech, that's all you caught?" She shook her head. "Tell me something: was Fred ever sad?"
Percy's eyebrows drew together. "If he was, he didn't show it. He was always pranking and laughing and having fun living his life."
Audrey nodded knowingly. "And what do you think he'd want you to do?" She didn't wait for an answer, instead barreling onward: "He'd want you to live for him, not sulk and never do anything fun. He'd want you to fulfill your life like he never got to do. He'd want you to be happy and learn to live without him."
The wind seemed to be knocked out of him then, and his shoulders slumped. He stepped forward and hugged Audrey tightly, taking in her comforting scent. "He'd want me to get over his death," he stated, voice low and sad, but understanding.
She nodded against his chest. "He'd want you to remember him with fondness and love, not with sadness and anger and guilt over his death."
He pulled away and grasped her by the shoulders. "When did you get so wise?"
She smiled sadly. "You're not the only one to lose family to war. But where you have to come to terms with Fred's death, I've already done so."
He lifted her chin and stared into her deep brown eyes, so kind and warm. He could see it in them — see the sadness from a death that had happened at some point in her life. He sighed and said, "I'll try."
She leaned her head back against his chest. "That's all I ask."
Together they swayed, heads close and just drawing comfort from one another.
Death was a mighty force indeed.
But so was love.
A/N: Kat, I hope this measures up to expectations! I really look forward to seeing what you think of it. It's my first time writing this ship, but I think it actually turned out okay.
Written for The Room of Requirement — Anniversaries of Members' Births.
Prompts used:
• (pairing) Percy/Audrey
• (genre) Angst
• (genre) Sorta fluffy (?)
• (genre) Hurt/Comfort