Author/ff.net: Azrael
Paring: Percy W./Oliver W.
Rating: Definitely PG for words used.
Disclaimer: Percy? Not mine. Oliver? Not mine. But I'm still
dreaming.
Warning: **slash alert**
Notes: Oliver and Percy goes on a road trip that didn't go without a
hitch. Will there be chaos? will tempers flare? read on. I spent most of
my Friday writing this, so I probably won't be posting anytime soon. I'll
try to post before the New Year. Wish me luck!!! I love feedback,
e-mail me or review. Flames? just put it in a nice way okay? I'm
sensitive, sometimes far too much.
Thank You Sarah (the Green Witch) for being my Beta. I hope that I'm not much trouble.
Chapter 4 : Driving Mr. Percy
***************
"I don't understand." Oliver eased the car on the left side of the road minutes after they left the city limits.
"I'm quite certain that Thane said that the tank was full he asked about it, a few weeks ago when he asked to borrow it. They said that the tank was recently filled up." Percy looked on with horror at Oliver.
"How long did your friend asked about the gas in the car?"
Oliver thought for a moment, scrunched his forehead as he replied. "You called me last week on a Tuesday, I talked to him the day after, so Thursday, he called them Thursday."
"Thursday. As in Thursday last week?" Percy asked slowly. Oliver nodded his assent. "Didn't you check the gauge when you picked it up this morning?"
"What gauge?" Oliver asked wonderingly.
"That gauge." Percy pointed to the part where the gauge was found to be on the empty spot.
"Should I have?"
Inwardly Percy cringed, but he was definitely boiling so he can't help but cry out. "I just knew it. I knew it. I shouldn't have tempted the fates when we left. Why? Why does this keep happening to me? I'm a good person. I give to the less fortunate, I even offer my Saturdays at the shelter. What ever did I do to deserve this? WHAT?" The last part was delivered half shouting and half cursing.
"Hey, don't worry, I can walk back if you want. There's a filling station a few minutes back that we just passed." Oliver soothed Percy, as the latter put his head on the dashboard. "Now, now, everything will be alright. "
"Alright? Alright???" Percy shouted, "This thing that's happening to me is far from alright, in fact it's too far from being alright. Nowhere near the vicinity of being alright. So far, in fact that I know that it's way passed being wrong. No. No. This is not even wrong, things aren't going wrong, you know what this is, huh? You want to know what this is?" Percy came out of the side door and Oliver followed. "This is hell, that's what this is HELL!!! In fact, you know what this is even worst than hell. You know why? Because I've experienced Hell and this is much worse." Percy was breathing heavily now, as though his tirade has taken all air from his lungs, which it probably did. "This is the worst week of my life. I would rather be standing in front of Death Eaters again than go through this kind of week ever again."
"Hey now, I'm really sorry. I didn't know. You know I'm not keen on Muggle inventions. If I had known that, I would have checked it before I left. I'm sorry, cross my heart, I would have." Oliver's tone was very apologetic, he was really sorry. Looking at the face of Percy, he was filled with guilt and remorse If ever there was a man as close to tears without actually crying, the man standing right in front of him would be it. Looking down at his feet, he wondered how he could ever make it up to Percy, then he heard it. Laughter, the man was laughing, after the tantrum that he had just shown, Percy was now actually shaking with laughter.
"I apologize…." Now Percy was apologizing, Oliver scratched his head in puzzlement. Percy was really close to being admitted to St. Mungo's ward for the insane. "I'm sorry." Percy repeated. "It's just that I've had the worst week of my life and I'm taking it out on you. So I'm sorry. It's just that I've never had a week like this before and things probably won't be getting any better. I don't think it can get much worse than this." Silence ensued as Percy realized. "On second thought, let me scratch that remark, I really don't want to temp the fates again." Percy then smiled.
"No, it's my fault I didn't check." Oliver said yet again.
"Don't worry, sometimes I just forget that not every wizard is like my father, so amazed at Muggle technology that he just has to know how it works." Percy looked at Oliver. "Let's just get to our place in one piece, okay?"
"Okay." Oliver promised as both men started their trek to the gasoline station.
After a few minutes of walking with both men lost in thought, Oliver cleared his throat and decided to break the silence.
"Uh, I was wondering…"
Percy turned to him and said, "You changed your mind and want to turn back?" with a note of wistfulness and hope in his voice.
"No, of course not."
"Pity." Percy murmured.
Oliver observed Percy… why was he so anxious to be rid of him? Here he was, Oliver thought, all primed for an adventure and he'd hooked with someone who seemed determined to avoid such encounters at all costs. "Maybe you should explain something to me." Oliver asked. "I'm curious to know why you bought me at the auction for the wedding, when apparently you don't even want to go with me."
Percy continued walking, though he didn't deny it. "I didn't exactly mean to bid on you." Percy finally said. They were so isolated that his voice seemed to echo down the road.
"I don't understand."
"Well," Percy began a little hesitantly, removing his glasses and wiping the lens clean with the hem of his shirt. "Uh, as you might remember, the people who were bidding didn't exactly know who they were actually bidding on until they bought them. In fact I didn't even know you were there to begin with."
"So what you're exactly saying is that you're – you're saying that you were uhmm…disappointed with me."
"I really wouldn't put it that way."
"How would you put it then?" When Percy didn't answer, he added another query. "Who do you think your were bidding on, when you bought me?"
"The man in the simple black robe, he was in front of you."
"You're kidding. The man looked pretty boring to me."
"I was looking for someone boring."
"I could be boring." Oliver said softly,
Percy shot a glance over him, at his black shirt and denim jeans with his brown hair encased in a purple cap. "You can't be boring, not even on your best day."
"I don't know whether I should take that as a complement or an insult."
"It's a complement… I suppose."
"You suppose?"
Percy stopped and looked at Oliver. "Look, it's part of who you are. When we were still in school you tackled things head on, without even thinking. Quidditch, for example. You're just the type of person that's constantly looking for excitement and fun." He stood silent for a moment before adding. "That's a good trait to have, but sometimes that isn't what people want. At this point, it isn't what I want."
Oliver was pensive. He cocked his head and said, "Okay…so what's wrong with having a bit of fun and excitement? It is a wedding after all. Don't you want to attend you're sister's wedding?"
"Of course I want to go to Ginny's wedding." Percy defended himself.
"You didn't want to show up alone then. Why? Is there an old boyfriend or girlfriend that's going to be there?"
Percy shook his head no. "You'd never understand."
"Try me." Oliver offered.
"Okay, if you insist." Percy acquiesced. "It's just that growing up, with all my brothers being someone important… I had a lot to live up to." When Oliver was about to comment, Percy silenced him with his hands. "Yes, I was Prefect, I was head boy, but you see, Bill was head boy, Charlie was Quidditch captain, so even if I did become all those things, it just didn't seem to be enough because they did it before I did."
"And then…?" Oliver gestured for Percy to continue.
"This might sound ridiculous, but the only thing that I ever did first was to have a relationship when I was in school."
"Penelope." Oliver said.
Percy smiled. "No, not Penelope, I had a boyfriend before I had a girlfriend."
"You did?" Oliver was genuinely surprised by this statement coming from Percy. "What? When? Who?"
Percy shook his head. "It doesn't matter, the whole point of the story is… They encouraged me to do that. Though Fred and George wouldn't stop their teasing. And when I broke up with Penelope after Hogwarts, they pushed one person after another trying to match me up with someone, anyone. They even asked someone on the street at random to ask if they wanted to date their available son. " Percy blushed remembering the embarrassment that it caused for him at the ministry. "So you can imagine what I meant when I said that I've been to hell."
"Uh-huh." Oliver understood that quite well, even his parent's wanted him to settle down and he wasn't even twenty-six yet.
"So the first thing that I did when it got too bad was move out of our house and into a flat of my own."
"I understand, but why do you need to bring a date to the wedding? You could have come alone. I mean it is just for two days."
Percy gave a nod and said. "I guess I could have. In fact, that was my first choice."
"Then why didn't you?"
"My mother kind of told me that there's someone in the wedding party that would be just perfect for me. In fact she even went so far as to say that she arranged some quality time that we'd spend with one another."
Realization dawned on Oliver as he gave a nod. "So that made you say that you were in a committed relationship."
"Not exactly. But I did tell her that I was seriously dating."
"Uh…I see." Oliver's remark got a smile from Percy. "So we're lovers?" that one got a frown. "I mean what exactly are you planning to tell people about me? I have to know how to play my part."
"Play my part. This isn't Quidditch. I just know that this one is going to bite me in the –"
"Calm down. I'm only trying to help here. Don't you want to get our stories straight? I mean, do you really want the twins to find out that you bought a date to bring you to the wedding?"
"NO!!!" Percy's voice was adamant.
"My point exactly. Not that I think that there's anything wrong with it. I think that it's a great opportunity to have some fun. Or at least that's what Thane would think. He's a teammate of mine and my best mate. You met him at the auction." Percy nodded. "He was the one who insisted that I should be auctioned."
"That's another thing." Percy interrupted. "What is it that was written about you. Sports and music I can probably understand, but Literature and Arts, come on. You didn't have any interests in that when we were at school, I doubt that you have developed them in eight years,"
Oliver boyishly grinned. "You might not know this but I've read Quidditch through the Ages more times that I can remember and last time I checked that's considered literature."
Percy returned the smile. "Okay, I'd give you that. Literature. So what about the Arts part?"
Oliver bit his lips as he responded. "Does collecting wizard cards from chocolate frogs, and looking at them be considered as appreciating art." Percy shook his head. "No? Okay then, Thane might have taken a bit of artistic license in writing my description. You know, making it interesting so people would bid higher."
Percy laughed. "I just bet he did."
Oliver looked at Percy's relaxed posture and smile. "See what I mean. We can make this work."
"We can?" Percy's tone was doubtful.
"Absolutely!" In contrast Oliver's tone was filled with confidence. "Just tell me how I can help."
Percy started walking again and gestured for Oliver to follow. "Okay. I came to the auction because I've been so busy with my career that I really haven't had the time to date. I don't want to come home and face a lot of inquiry why I haven't settled down. If I show up with a date, they'd be inclined to think that I was involved."
"But you told me that Hermione was your roommate, wouldn't she tell them?"
Percy nodded. "She knows, but she wouldn't tell them. In fact we talked about it, and it was her idea that I bring a date to the wedding."
"Okay, but you're career, what is it that you exactly do? I mean I know you worked at the Ministry but that's the most of my knowledge. I don't know anything else."
"Actually I'm the director of the Department of International Cooperation."
Oliver whistled. "I'm impressed."
"Well, you shouldn't be." Percy was quick to point out. "It's not as exciting as you might think."
"I'll just bet you're proud of yourself, being a director at your age."
Percy glowed from the complement. "Thank you."
Oliver marveled at the way Percy went from being shy and insecure from school to being very controlled and certain at this point in his career. One thing was certain though. He was more attractive this way, not that he wasn't attractive enough during school – not that he gave it that much thought mind you.
When Percy glowed from the inside, his inner joy surfacing, made Oliver want to touch him that much more. His full lips were the kind that made men and women alike think what they would feel like running across his body. Kissing those particular lips had crossed his mind a lot when they were in school and even when they hadn't seen each other for a long time, those lips hadn't been far from his mind, his dreams even. Suddenly, he increased his pace to hide the fact that he was seriously getting aroused. He tried to start the conversation again. "So what kind of relationship do you have in mind?"
"What?"
"For your family, what should we tell them?"
"Oh." Apparently Percy's thoughts were elsewhere. Probably trying to think how to lose him, Oliver thought.
"Something short of a serious commitment. I don't want them throwing me an engagement party. Just that we've been dating exclusively for awhile and we're you know…friends."
"**Good** friends"
"Okay, good friends. But I don't want you getting any ideas. This is solely for the benefit of my family. When it's over, it's over." Oliver cringed. Ouch, that smarts.
"But you might change your mind. I've been known to be very persuasive." Oliver's voice was cocky.
"I'm sure that you can be. But I have my plate full now with work and I don't have time-"
"For romance. I know." Oliver finished for him.
They drifted into silence again, absorbing the changing scenery. The two decided to keep the rest of the walk to the gas station quiet. Both lost in their own thoughts, both contemplating.
*************
Next time : You want to know who Percy's first boyfriend is. next you'll meet him (ps. guess who?) We'll finally be arriving at the Burrow and the Weaslys.
