I've decided I want Percival to be happy. At least for two chapters or something. Then I'll probably ruin his life again.
Thank you for the reviews and hello to my new followers, I welcome you.
Disclaimer: I own nothing... not a bit... but hey, if the directors want to hit me up to borrow the idea... I'd be cool with it.
Chapter 11:
It was early March when Percival noticed a change in the garden. Some of the plants started to sprout and they'd bloom soon. His roses were nowhere near ready to sprout. He'd put out a set of blue chairs and a nice table. This was his comfort environment. The fresh air was soothing. Life was getting easier. Or at least, it felt less suffocating than before. Percival still had the nightmares. The tremors. The shakes. The need to sometimes be alone. Or to be right next to someone. The flinches. It hadn't gone away. But it had lessened. If only a little. Adriana helped a lot. They didn't talk about what plagued him. But she would be right by his side when some nights were worse than others. Or she'd tell him a silly story that she'd heard from work. The gossip made him smile inside a little. There were times when the roles were reversed. She would come home and she'd be upset. Something bad had happened on the job. Or something in the news had upset her. She wore her emotions. Adriana could hide them, pretend they weren't there when she needed to but in her own home, she liked to let them loose. And Percival was there. He'd wrap his arms around her. They'd have a drink of cinnamon cocoa and enjoy the silent company. It was ideal. But he was restless. He wasn't earning money. He wasn't actually doing anything. Honestly, he didn't know what he could do. The Ministry would hardly let him work there. He had known no other life. And slowly, the guilt of running away from MACUSA was being swallowed by the guilt of freeloading.
"Percival?" Adriana called from inside the house. He turned around and saw her at the door. She was holding a piece of parchment and frowning at it.
"Have you got to work tonight?" He asked, following her back inside. She shook her head.
"My father's coming up for a visit." She said. Percival's eyes darted to the picture on the wall. He'd become accustomed to seeing a dozen or so people staring at him. He also knew who most of them were. Adriana's father was a kindly looking man with a slight pot-belly and large nose.
"When?" He asked.
"In a week." Adriana said. Percival didn't see the issue... until he remembered that Adriana's house had two bedrooms.
"So, you want me to find a hotel?" He asked. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stay there forever. He'd just been expecting a little more notice.
"What?" Adriana asked distractedly. Her eyes were still glued to the letter. Then she processed what he'd said. "What no, that's not it at all. Relax Percival. I'm not turfing you out of the house. I'll just sleep in the living room." Percival felt himself relax. He wasn't going to leave the house. Which he was very grateful for.
"I'll sleep in the living room." He said. He didn't want to remove Adriana from her own room. That wouldn't be fair. She was providing for him and the sofa wouldn't be the worst bed he'd slept on.
"I can't ask you to do that." She said, scandalised.
"It'll be fine." Percival insisted. He really didn't mind.
"But that would mean that my dad would be sleeping in your room." She said pointedly. She knew that Percival hated it when someone touched his things. Last time that had happened it had been an evil dark wizard using them.
"But I'll know he's there." Percival insisted. "I can just move things downstairs. It'll be fine." Adriana looked like she still wanted to argue with him. "But you aren't worried about sleeping arrangements. What's the real issue?"
"I don't exactly know how I'm going to introduce you." She said slowly. "I mean, we can't go with the real story." Percival privately agreed. Introducing your father to an escaped convict who you'd broken out probably wasn't the best of moves.
"I'll be your friend from across the pond." Percival said with a roll of his shoulders.
"That I met?" She asked. "How did we meet?"
"On duty." He said.
"Right and you just retired at 34 to come across to Britain." Adriana said sarcastically.
"Early retirement." Percival pointed out.
"He won't buy that." Adriana huffed. Then her eyes lit up. "But he would if there was a good reason."
"There was." Percival said bitterly. Adriana looked at him in confusion. Then it dawned on her.
"Oh no, that isn't what I meant." She said quickly. Percival knew that there was no malice in what she'd said. But he'd effectively been retired. Or fired really. And he still felt pretty bitter about it. "I was thinking that maybe you decided you'd had enough and wanted to do something else." Percival decided it was best to just go along.
"And I came to Britain because?"
"You wanted to write a book?" Adriana suggested. "Or you wanted to see the world?"
"Or we could tell him I'm on extended leave?" He suggested. Adriana pulled a face.
"Fine, take the fun out of it." She muttered.
"Sorry to disappoint you." Percival said sarcastically. She smiled at him and he gave a half-smile back.
Adriana's father arrived with a loud knock on the front door. As he stepped inside, he gave Adriana a bear hug.
"How is my little angel?" He asked. Adriana flushed and Percival had to hide his snicker.
"I'm good Dad." She said warmly. Percival shuffled back into view.
"Hello." He greeted. Marcus Arkin looked at Percival with a strange expression. They shook hands. "I'll take your bags upstairs." Percival offered.
"Thank you." Marcus said. Percival waved his hand and the bags moved on their own. Marcus turned back to his daughter. "Well I approve." They both stared at him.
"What?" Adriana asked.
"He seems like a decent young man." Marcus said as they moved to the living room. "And here I was thinking you'd never get married." Adriana and Percival blushed.
"Um, no Dad, he's just a friend." Adriana said.
"Pity." Marcus said with a sigh. "And I thought I might finally get grandchildren."
"Dad." Adriana whined. "I'm only thirty."
"You'll be thirty-one this year." Marcus reminded her. "And I'd like grandchildren." He turned to Percival. "Honestly, she spends half her life telling me she wants children and a nice little house. But now it's as if she's changed completely."
"I was eleven when I said that." Adriana retorted. Percival felt his lips twitching.
"Oh, your garden looks nice." Marcus said, not at all bothered by the annoyed look his daughter was giving him. "Much better than that jungle."
"Percival does the gardening." Adriana said, flashing a warm smile at Percival.
"Does he now?" Marcus pondered. He was walking around the house. "Well I'd best unpack." He disappeared upstairs.
"Your father is... interesting." Percival said.
"Don't." Adriana warned. "Don't tease."
"I wasn't going to." Percival assured her. He was a little hurt she thought he would. "He seems nice."
"He is." Adriana said fondly. "But he has a habit of trying to be over involved in my life. He wants me to be happy I guess."
"And he wants you to be happy by... getting married?" Percival asked. He didn't realise you needed to be married to be happy.
"He thinks I'm lonely." Adriana admitted. "I don't really do the dating thing. I do the friend thing but the job."
"The job is more important." Percival said. That, he could understand.
Dinner was a wonderful affair. Percival laughed properly for the first time in ages. Marcus and Adriana seemed to share a mildly bubbly disposition. They wanted people around them to be happy. Every time Percival laughed, Adriana would smile at him brilliantly, making him feel warm inside. She didn't seem to mind that most of the laughter was at her expense. Marcus had told Percival at least a million embarrassing stories.
"I'm telling you Percival, my daughter is the strangest child I ever met." Marcus said, smiling fondly at his daughter. "See, I was a healer. I worked in the Spell Damage ward at St. Mungo's. And I had a little garden out back full of herbs." He chuckled. "Which little madam would wander through when bored. Anyway, when she was three she ate this plant. See the berries looked like cookies, really it was a nasty little bugger. And Ana, oh she goes right up to her mother, Florence, and asks why Daddy's growing a cookie plant in the garden. I swear, Florence nearly had a heart attack. She had to summon me home to treat Ana."
"It really looked like a cookie though." Adriana defended.
"Of course it did dear." Marcus placated. He smiled warmly at Percival. "I'm surprised you've managed to stay here so long."
"Why?" Percival asked, trying to regulate his breathing.
"The last time Adriana had someone staying over, well, she threw them out of the window on the second day." Marcus said. Percival choked on his wine.
"What? Why?" He asked Adriana. Adriana, however, was looking at her father through narrowed eyes.
"How do you know about that?" She asked suspiciously. Marcus suddenly seemed very interested in his meal. "Have you been talking to Mabel?" Marcus played with the table cloth. Adriana gasped dramatically. "You have been talking to Mabel!"
"Mabel and I are good friends." Marcus said as if that was an answer.
"I can't believe she told you about that." Adriana seethed.
"Who's Mabel?" Percival asked.
"She's my boss's secretary." Adriana said.
"And why did you throw a man out a window?" Marcus asked. "Mabel didn't tell me."
"He pinched my butt." Adriana said calmly.
"What did you say his name was again?" Marcus asked. Adriana snorted.
"I don't want you to get done for assaulting a wizard." Adriana said.
"I'd only maim him a little." Marcus said.
"No maiming." Adriana said sternly. Percival, however, agreed with Marcus. Disgusting behaviour. He felt the familiar protective urges rising up and quickly squashed them. It wasn't appropriate.
"That aside, I was thinking of taking you to dinner." Marcus said. He smiled at Percival. "And I'd be delighted if you'd join us."
"I'd love to." Percival said automatically.
"Where were you thinking of taking us?" Adriana asked.
"A nice little hole in the wall, quite literally." Marcus explained. "You know, that one off Harley street?" Judging by Adriana's gasp, it was a well-established place.
"Oh yes." She said.
"Wonderful, I'll make the arrangements." Marcus said happily.