A/n: I know this has been a long time coming, and I'm really sorry about that. For those of you who read my other fics, I'm trying to pump out the next chapter of I Wish I Danced Like You next. I'm trying to get the gears moving again after a really long hiatus, and I hope you can forgive me for being so slow, and that I haven't lost you all. Anyway, I'm trying, that's all I can give you for now.
This chapter marks the appearance of an original character. She's a bit important, but I promise she's not SI, and even if she was that, or a Mary-Sue, she's only around for this chapter and the first two hundred or so words of the next. A brief appearance, that's all. I figure a guy like Oliver must have made friends since leaving Hogwarts, and wouldn't it be weird, him never having any of them over? Plus, she brings about some important confessions and revelations. You'll see. Anyway, for those of you who hate O/Cs, don't worry, she'll be out of the way faster than I can say I told you so.
No letters in this chapter, either… it's Saturday and Sunday, they're both home, so… a bit of interaction instead. Relationship (and maybe some relations, if you're lucky!) coming slowly but surely, I promise you that!
Enjoy!
-N
Chapter 2
Percy stepped through the door to his and Oliver's apartment that night fully expecting to be greeted by a dark room and a note on the kitchen counter. Which was why it came as a surprise to him to hear the sound of the shower running when he stepped through the door. He frowned slightly; Oliver was never home by eight. He stepped lightly down the hall, setting down his briefcase and hanging up his jacket without making a sound. The bathroom door was slightly ajar.
"Oliver?" He called cautiously. There was no response. "Oliver?" He said, louder this time, yelling right through the crack in the door. Still nothing. A million thoughts passed through Percy's head. What if Oliver had accidentally left the water running that morning? Or, even worse, what if he'd fallen, and was laying there comatose… Percy's eyes widened and he pushed the door open, just in time to be greeted by the sound of the water shutting off and the sight of a very wet, very naked young woman stepping out of the tub. The girl looked up, seeing him for the first time, and then screamed loudly, slipping on the wet floor and falling on her behind. Percy froze for a moment, and then turned around as quickly as he could, shielding his eyes.
"I'm sorry!" He cried, feeling his face flushing. "I didn't know you were… I called out, but…" He groped around, eyes squeezed shut, grabbed a towel and threw it in her direction. "Here…" He turned back around, and realized for the first time that the strange girl was sprawled out on the floor. "Let me help you," He began, reaching for her arm.
"Get off!" the girl cried, scrambling to her feet as she pulled the towel around her. "And get out, for fuck's sake!" She started swatting at Percy, and the flustered young man practically bolted from the room, closing the door and standing on the other side of it.
"I'm sorry," He repeated plaintively through the door. "I really didn't know…" He stopped mid-sentence. "Wait a minute… who are you?"
"Nadya," Came the faint reply, "Nadya Pearlmutter. Who the hell are you?"
Percy felt a small measure of indignance at this. The girl hadn't really helped him figure out what she was doing in his shower by stating her name, and now she was acting like he was the one who had no place being there. "I'm Percy," He said coarsely. "I live here."
"Ohh…" the door opened, and the girl stepped out, now wearing a lively purple sundress. She eyed him appraisingly as she pulled her dripping wet red curls into a low ponytail. "You're Oliver's roommate." Percy rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I suppose I am." The girl stuck her hand out enthusiastically.
"Sorry about the confusion," She said, shaking vigorously. "Oliver said you might be a little weird about my being here. But don't worry, I'm virtually harmless." Percy did his best to smile as she released his hand, trying to surreptitiously crack his knuckles back into place.
"If you'd answered when I called out, I wouldn't have burst in like that," Percy admonished. The young woman smiled back at him.
"I couldn't hear you… I wear earplugs in the water. I'm prone to ear infections, and any odd thing can irritate it. Sorry to cause such a commotion."
Percy shrugged. "It's all right… it's nice to meet you despite the awkward circumstances, Miss…"
"Nadya is fine," She cut in, grinning. Percy fought the urge to grimace.
"Okay, Nadya."
"Where have you been?" Oliver's eyes shot up to meet those of a very irate Percy. He smiled a little sheepishly.
"I gather by that less-than-thrilled greeting that you've met Nadya?"
"How very astute of you." Percy uncrossed his arms and picked up Oliver's carelessly discarded jacket, hanging it on the hook next to his. "She's been here all evening, Oliver… I couldn't leave her alone, I was afraid… well, I don't know what I was afraid of, exactly, but it was something bad. She finally went to sleep about forty minutes ago. Where were you?" Oliver seemed to be finding the entire situation extremely funny.
"She's something, isn't she?" The adoration with which Oliver said the words rubbed Percy in entirely the wrong way, and he crossed his arms again, glowering at his roommate.
"That's one way of putting it." Oliver gave Percy a confused look. "I'm not here to baby-sit your girlfriends while you go off doing whatever it is you do."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, whoa… first of all, I wouldn't have left Nadya here if Lindsay and I hadn't had plans for weeks, and second of all--"
"Hold on… you were out with another girl?" Percy's eyes were narrowed dangerously. "Well, I have to tell you, I think that's—"
"Percy…"
"Despicable, leaving your girlfriend with me while you—"
"She's not my…"
"Go out on the town with some other woman and just—"
"Percy…"
"Act like she doesn't exist! Well, let me tell you, it's somewhat harder to forget about this Nadya woman when she's—"
"I don't like girls!"
"Yelling in your ear all… What?"
Oliver drew a long breath. "Nadya is not my girlfriend, and Lindsay isn't either. Nobody is my girlfriend… in fact, I don't even like girls. I like men, get it, Men? Like you?"
"M-me?" Percy stuttered, looking overwhelmed. Oliver had to laugh.
"Not you… it was just the most convenient example. I thought from the look on your face that you might need some sort of explanation."
"Oh." Percy couldn't explain why he didn't feel more relieved. "Wait, What?" It had just hit him what Oliver had said. His roommate rolled his eyes.
"Percy, you know what I said." Percy just stared dumbly at Oliver.
"You?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes, Me."
"You."
"Yes, Percy." Oliver sighed. "Feel free to start speaking in full sentences again any time you like." Percy shook his head rapidly, as if to clear it.
"Sorry," He muttered sheepishly. "I'm just… wow." He squinted at Oliver from behind his glasses. "Do you, I mean… are you sure?"
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Come on, Perce. I've been out since we graduated. Of course I'm sure."
"Oh, you've been 'out', have you?" Percy, seemingly recovering from the shock, crossed his arms and eyed his roommate. "If that's so, than why haven't I read about it in the papers? And furthermore, why haven't you mentioned it to me? You'd think it would have come up at least once in casual conversation."
Oliver looked at his feet. "Okay, so I'm not really out, per se, just sort of…"
"Sitting with your legs in the closet?" Oliver did his best to glare, but couldn't stop his mouth from twitching up at the corners, especially when he caught the quick half-smile that flashed across Percy's face.
"Did you just make a joke? You know, you're taking this awfully well, considering."
Percy furrowed his brow. "Considering what?"
"Well, considering that I've been keeping this from you for… how long have we been living together?"
"Five months."
"Thank you… for five months." Oliver looked searchingly at his friend. "Are you upset?"
Percy sighed. "I'm kind of disappointed that you felt you had to keep it a secret from me… but I can't blame you, I wouldn't tell me either." The redhead gave a short, self-deprecating laugh, but stopped when he caught Oliver's pointed look. "Alright, alright… I was just joking. But really, I'm not upset with you. How could I be? It's not like you did anything wrong."
Oliver smiled slightly. "You know, there are people who would tell you differently."
"Well fortunately for you, I'm not that stupid," Percy remarked lightly. "I hope that's not the reason you kept this from me."
Oliver shrugged. "Not really, it's just… sometimes you get scared, you know?"
"I know." Percy yawned. "Sorry," He muttered.
"Hey, you're exhausted. It's understandable… Nadya can be a handful." He smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that, by the way. She needed somewhere to stay for a couple days… her roommate's sister is in town, so there isn't much room in their apartment. I really hope you don't mind." Percy looked morosely at the wall. "I promise not to make you baby-sit again," Oliver said sincerely. Percy couldn't help smiling.
"Oh, fine. Just make sure I never have to walk in on her showering again."
"What?"
"Never mind… another time." Percy yawned again, and Oliver chuckled to himself.
"Okay, it's late and we're both dead tired. Let's go to bed." Percy's head snapped up suddenly, a shocked expression on his face. "No, I… I didn't mean it like that." Percy started to laugh quietly, and Oliver realized he'd been had.
"Two jokes in one night, Percy… what are we doing here, setting a record?" Percy merely shrugged and started off down the hall.
"Goodnight, Oliver," He said cheerfully. "Oh, and by the way, you're girlfriend is asleep in your bed. Have fun on the couch."
"Thanks," Oliver replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And don't call her that!"
He could hear Percy laughing all the way down the hall. A slow grin spread over his face. Finally.
Percy woke mid-morning on Sunday and walked into the living room to find Oliver still fast asleep, curled beneath one of his mother's quilts on their sofa. The Quidditch player had a faint smile on his lips, and as Percy stepped across the room towards him, he muttered something in his sleep. Percy strained to hear, but couldn't make out the words. On the coffee table near Oliver's head lay a folder containing some ministry documents Percy wanted to go over while drinking his coffee, but he couldn't reach them without leaning over his sleeping roommate. He stood on tiptoe, bending over the back of the sofa and reaching for the folder, his face centimeters from Oliver's. As he grabbed the folder and began to straighten up, he heard the other man breath a soft, contented sigh. Percy watched as his roommate's mouth twitched up at one corner, his smile growing almost imperceptibly. Then he shook his head and started for the kitchen.
A few seconds later, a sleepy, night-robed Oliver appeared in the doorway of the kitchenette, stretching widely.
"Good Morning," Percy said, somewhat amused by his sleepy-eyed roommate. Oliver was awkwardly massaging the small of his back. "How did you fare on the couch?" Oliver just grumbled and blinked blearily at the redhead. Percy sighed and rolled his eyes, setting down the whisk he was holding beside the bowl full of would-be omelette, and started towards his roommate. "Here. Turn…" Oliver obligingly turned around, and Percy began to knead at his back.
"Ow! That's where it's stiff, careful, I don't want tooooo-ooh…" Oliver groaned. "That's better." Percy rolled his eyes again.
"Okay, see, this is why you shouldn't invite crazy lunatics into our apartment… You pampered athletes need to take care of your backs."
"Well now, isn't that just the picture of domesticity." Percy jumped guiltily and turned around, clasping his hands behind his back. "Don't worry, it's only the crazy lunatic." Percy blushed up to the roots of his hair. Nadya crossed the kitchen and poured herself a cup of fresh-brewed coffee, grinning. "Morning, all."
Oliver glared pointedly at Nadya behind his roommate's back. "Do you mind?" He mouthed silently. Nadya flashed him a knowing grin, causing Percy to turn around and look at the other man.
"What?" He asked, confused. "Did I miss something?"
"No more than the usual," Nadya muttered under her breath. "Ow! Oliver…"
"Nothing, Percy, Nadya's just being a git. Aren't you, darling?"
Nadya grinned again, this time at Percy. "When am I not?"
Percy, still slightly lost by the conversation, went back to his eggs. "Will you be having eggs?" He asked Nadya. "There's enough for three."
"Brilliant!" She replied, crossing the tiny room to look over Percy's shoulder. "Is that fresh basil in there?"
"Yes."
"Ooh, Percy, I could get used to living with you!" Oliver grimaced to hid his involuntary smile.
"Please don't." Nadya turned to glare at her friend crossly.
"Spoil-sport. You always ruin my fun, Olly."
"Yes, but without me, you wouldn't have any in the first place!" He grinned winningly, and the young woman pretended to swoon.
"Damn you, Wood, if only you weren't so dashing!" she grabbed hold of his arm and turned him towards Percy. "Isn't he just too dashing, Percy? It's just plain unfair."
"I hadn't noticed," Percy said flatly, turning back to his eggs. He grinned down at the frying pan, willing himself not to laugh. Nadya, for her part, was cracking up.
"You two are simply the best! I'm going to go run myself through the shower before breakfast… no peeking now, Percy!" and with that, she was off down the hall again.
"Well, I think I'll get cleaned up too, seeing as you're already dressed… How do you do that, getting ready so early in the morning?" Percy shrugged.
"Force of habit, I suppose." He cast a look over his shoulder at Oliver. "Well, you'd better go if you're going to, or breakfast will be ready." Oliver nodded and took off down the hall.
Nadya was just about to step into the bathroom when Oliver ran into her at top speed and pushed her through the door, closing and locking it behind them. He then cast a silencing spell on the room and stepped away from his friend.
"WHAT do you think you're doing?" He bellowed loudly, throwing his arms in the air.
"Well, you queers certainly have a way of cornering a girl in the bathroom and letting her have it," Nadya replied, unworried.
"One, you deserve it, and Two, I'm the only queer in this apartment. Percy is not gay."
Nadya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'Not'," she replied.
"He isn't, okay? If he was…" Oliver broke the sentence off. The redheaded girl raised an eyebrow.
"If he was, what, Oliver?"
"Nothing. You know what." The Quidditch player sat down on the edge of the tub, holding his head in his hands. "You know, you're not helping things, Nadya, with your little hints and your innuendo."
"Well that's funny, because I rather thought it WAS helping things. Besides, you didn't seem to like my flirting, so I decided I'd help you instead of me. What else are friends for?"
"You're not a friend, Nadya, you're a fag hag."
"Yes, well, I love you too, dearest." Then she dropped the sarcasm and crossed the bathroom to sit beside Oliver, putting a bathrobe-clad arm around him. "I do, you know. And I promise you it'll be fine."
"Oh yeah? How would you know?" Oliver asked, pouting.
"Because I just do, you sulky child! No get up and get out so's I can have my shower before you and the luscious geek out there decide to get it on all over the breakfast table."
"He's not a geek," Oliver said defensively, "and it's not going to happen."
"Yeah," Nadya replied as he made for the door, "'Not'!"
Oliver's response was to slam the bathroom door as hard as he could, and even so he could still hear her laughing over the noise of the water.
"What was that about?" Percy asked from the stove when Oliver reappeared, in clean clothes and feeling refreshed from a cleaning spell.
"Oh, nothing," he replied a little too quickly, realizing ith a great deal of chagrin that Percy must have heard the door slamming. "Nadya and I have always fought like little kids… my maturity level drops by about five years whenever she's around." Oliver smiled sheepishly at his friend. "Sorry."
Percy shook his head and slid the eggs onto three separate plates. "that must put you in the negatives," He deadpanned. It took a moment for Oliver to realize that Percy was joking.
"Another joke," he said, sounding impressed. "Don't go making it a habit, now."
"My entire life is habit, Oliver. That might be a little difficult." Just then, Nadya appeared, pulling her wet curls into a large clip at the back of her head. Percy squinted through his glasses at the bright lime green of her sundress.
"Better," she said, grabbing a plate that Percy had just added a few melon slices to. "Mm, I'm famished. Percy, you're a doll!" Percy screwed up his nose.
"There's something I've never been called before," he muttered as He followed Oliver into the dining area.
"Well, it's can't do any harm if it's true," the girl replied, already digging into her eggs. "Wow… these are good."
Oliver nodded, his mouth full of food. "Percy's a regular chef, not that he'd admit it. He does the cooking, I do the cleaning."
Percy snorted. "When do you ever clean?"
"I clean," Oliver said defensively. "Just 'cause you aren't around to see me do it doesn't mean I never do!"
"Yeah, well I haven't seen the results of it, either."
"Ooh," Nadya said excitedly, waving a slice of melon in the air, "Cat fight!"
"Shut UP!" Oliver said, tossing a corner of his piece of toast at her head.
"Oh, come on…" Percy frowned and leapt up to pick up the toast. "Oliver, you'll get crumbs everywhere!"
"You can't make crumbs from melon!" Nadya said deviously, hurling her melon slice at Oliver, who caught it millimeters from his forehead and tossed it back, hitting her square on the temple.
"Keeper," He said pointedly. Nadya stuck out her tongue, and turned away sulkily. Oliver turned back to his plate of food, only to have a forkful of eggs hit him right between the eyes.
"I was a pitcher in a Muggle baseball league for six years," Nadya said triumphantly. "Put that in your Cannon and fir it, 'Keeper'!"
Oliver set his jaw and chucked another melon slice at his friend, who saw it coming and ducked swiftly. The melon flew over her head and hit Percy. Who was just standing up, hands full of what was once Oliver's toast. For a moment, all three were silent as Percy picked the melon out of his hair, and then there were two gasps as the redheaded boy glared steadily at his roommate and, without warning, threw the melon back in his face. Oliver was too stunned to let his reflexes work to his advantage, and the melon had been thrown so evenly that it hit the bridge of his nose with a wet smack and stayed there, a mushy, bruised pile of pale orange on the handsome Quidditch player's face. Percy, for his part, threw the toast crumbs on his plate, brushed his hands off on his napkin, and began to clear the table.
"If you play with it, you lose it," He called from the kitchen, scraping the plates. "Those are the rules." Oliver and Nadya sat watching him through the door, identical expressions of awe on their faces.
Hey, guess what? It's the end of the chapter! You know what to do.