China
Warnings: Ummmm…. Slashing… Mild! I promise! Companion to "My Paper Heart"
Pairings: Oliver/Percy with a small dishing of Harry/Ron…
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own them… They'd all be gay if I did…
On with the fic. By the way, You guys are awesome!
Ron hadn't seen so many Weasleys under the same roof since before he had started Hogwarts. Only three were missing from the large gathering: Charlie, Percy and Harry.
Charlie was in Romania, unable to make it because one of his dragons had begun to lay eggs sooner than was expected. Percy was on his way and would arrive at the Burrow shortly, via the Knight Bus. Ever since a bad Floo accident during Halloween, he refused to use the Network and Molly had forbidden Apparation during Christmas holiday. Harry, incidentally, was trapped at Hogwarts for Christmas. Dumbledore had ordered him to remain the castle's grounds after someone, who was still at large, tried to poison him at the Three Broomsticks during, oddly enough, Halloween.
At first Ron had been furious that Harry couldn't come home to the Burrow, but after what Harry did just as he was about to leave…
Ron shook his head to clear it of such distracting thoughts. No use indulging the mind in things that couldn't be dealt with at the moment.
He didn't talk often, much less interact with anyone unless absolutely necessary. It was understandable, all things considered, with Harry's kiss still replaying itself in his brain. To him it felt like it had just happened a second ago, instead of ten hours previous. He could still taste his best friend. Sure and confident, tasting like a good and cold watermelon ice pop. Hurray for shock.
Sighing, he returned his attention to helping his mother set table placings for eight. He missed the anxious look in Molly's sea-green eyes due to the loud bang of the Bus as it arrived and the equally loud slamming of the door as Percy closed it.
"I can't believe he would rather spend Christmas getting blasted out of his socks with his team than spending it with me! I guess I'm just not as important to him as that bloody Quidditch team is. Of course I'm not; he doesn't even take into account that he is the center of my whole universe!" Ron watched his brother warily, startled at the fury and tears he saw in Percy's demeanor.
Molly pressed a cup of chamomile tea into Percy's hand and relieved him of his duffle. "Now, now dear. I'm sure Oliver has good reason for not coming…" Ron sat down abruptly at the mention of Oliver. His brother and Wood…?
"Good reason?! It doesn't excuse his actions." Percy ranted on, easing himself into the chair next to Ron and setting his tea down. "Does it also excuse the fact that he will miss our third anniversary, which is in four days? And with Christmas in eight?" He began to cry, dropping his face into his hands. "Idiotic, bull-head, bastard jock! I can't believe I fell in love with a man like him! I'm so stupid…"
"No Perce! No you're not." Ron pulled himself out of his stupor and yanked his brother into a fierce hug. "I know what Oliver is doing is downright moronic, I did something just as stupid; just this morning in fact, to a guy I care about more than anything else in the world." He quickly locked eyes with their mother, silently asking her to leave them be for a little while. She nodded with a small smile and quietly slipped out, taking Percy's duffle bag with her.
"Really?"
"Really. Believe me, if I was in Oliver's position, I'd come back here on my hands and knees once I've realized I've had my head in my arse. I bet you he'll come back here with a dozen long-stemmed roses and will kneel at your feet, because its nice guys like you who love us thick-headed blokes unconditionally. Oliver's going to get his from every Weasley if he doesn't realize what a great guy you are."
Pulling back from his younger brother, Percy sniffed and wiped his tears away on his robes. "So what happened with Harry?"
"Am I really that transparent?" Ron blushed.
"I've known you liked his since that incident with Sirius Black. Rumor has it that he'd have to kill you before you'd let him kill Harry. I don't know if anyone else knows you like him, but I still want to know what happened."
Ron shrugged. "Ok, you asked for it." He cleared his throat nervously. "I was finishing packing to come home this morning, rambling on to Harry as usual. I remember him asking me to stop, that he had to tell me something. I had no time left and I told him so. Told him I'd also owl him with his present from me. He asked me again to listen to him, but then Hermione came in and announced that we had two minutes left before we had to be in the Great Hall. Well, she left and I was about to walk out also when Harry leapt off his bed, whipped me around and kissed me hard. Like, the world was about to end hard." He grinned at the memory.
"And?" Percy was tingling with anticipation, tears forgotten.
"And then McGonagall walked in on us. I was so startled that I jumped. I think the only thing that went through me head was 'What the hell?' and it must have shown on my face because Harry ran from the room in tears." Ron threaded a hand through his hair, trying to suppress the guilt he felt.
"What did McGonagall say?"
"She said that if I wanted to catch the train than I had no time to hunt him down and that it was probably best to let him calm down anyways. I had to agree. The more time he had, the more time he could cool down. She also said something about losing a bet with Snape and owing him five Galleons." He paused, thinking over what he had told his brother. "Did that sound like a terribly hacked up and rushed version of events?"
"No. Mine and Oliver's first kiss wasn't nearly so… dramatic." Percy gave his younger brother a small smile.
"Oliver Wood, huh? That is a surprise!" Ron smirked. "Well get on with it. I want to hear this."
"There's not much to tell, really." It was Percy's turn to blush.
"So? I want to know if the almighty Wood did this any better than me."
Percy chuckled softly. "I don't know, but that's alright. Remember the first Hogsmeade visit of your third year?" Ron nodded. "Well Ollie and I were in the Broomsticks for most of it, in one of the far corners, talking over our fifth or sixth butterbeer. Somehow the conversation came around to kissing."
"Knowing Oliver, it was him grasping for a non-school topic so that you wouldn't debate him into the ground."
Both young men laughed. "Most likely. Anyways, he asked me if I had a good time during that supposed snog-fest that Ginny had caught me and Penny at. I informed him that, to a twelve year old, a peck on the cheek was equal to a full-blown make-out session."
"She only kissed you on the cheek?! Oh man! Ginny made it sound like you two were about to strip each other."
"No, we weren't. Actually, she was breaking up with me. I told this to Oliver and that I never had been kissed like that, much less how Harry kissed you today." He grinned and continued after taking a sip of his cold tea. "He said that I didn't know what I was missing. I don't have any idea what came over me, it might have been the look in his eyes or the tone of his voice, but I asked him to show me."
Ron's jaw dropped. "And he did? Right there in the Broomsticks?"
"Yes. The whole situation was madness, but damn. It wasn't a hard kiss either. It was all sweet and slow…" He took another sip from his cup, savoring the slight tremor that raced down his spine. "Then he asked me out and I told him that I would have to think about it."
The younger man winced. "How'd he take it?"
"He told me that he expected it to pan out that way. Took me almost two months, but lo and behold, fifty-one days later, he came out of the shower that night and I kissed him, sweet and slow, and said that I would love to date him."
Four days had never taken so long to pass in Percy's entire life. Than again, when people hope that something will happen, it seems to make time stretch and make life unbearable.
Despite Ron's assurances that Oliver would show up to rectify his cruel mistake, Percy lost hope by the night before their anniversary and cried himself to sleep. So it was no surprise when Percy woke up alone on their anniversary, much to his disappointment and sorrow.
That's what kept him alarmingly close to tears during breakfast, plus he had no way to vent because the Burrow was so full of people.
To get out of Percy's sight, so as not to be the immediate cause of an emotional breakdown, everyone quickly left the house under the excuse that they had last minute errands to attend to. Percy was too distraught to care.
Using the Floo Network, Ron left to Percy's apartment so he could proceed into Muggle London to window shop. His plans changed went he stepped out of the fire place and found his brother's lover on the couch.
"Percy?" A muffled sniffle.
"No, it's Ron." Oliver's head shot up and eyes narrowed to see the red-head better through his watery eyes. Ron stood stock still, not knowing how to deal with an upset Scotsman, considering he could crush Ron quite easily if he became angry.
Oliver looked a mess. His cheeks were blotchy from crying hard, eyes red and clothes disheveled. "God, Ron. I need your help." Oliver lurched to his feet and stumbled over to the still hesitant Weasley, collapsing against his chest and resumed sobbing so hard that he nearly toppled both himself and Ron.
"Shh, it's ok Oliver." He patted the man's back warmly. I know what's happened already."
"He hates me, doesn't he? I can't believe I forgot our anniversary 'til today! I'm such a fool…" Ron just held him as continued crying, but after a few minutes, Ron became fidgety.
"Hey! I've got a brilliant idea!" He said, hoping he could move Oliver off of him.
"Really?" Sure enough, Oliver straightened his body and looked Ron in the eyes, seeing as how they were now about the same height. "Hey," hey sniffed, then chuckled, "you got big."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, blame it on Dad. That's beside the point though. Go get cleaned up and grab some money." He pushed Oliver towards what he hoped was the bedroom. "I'll explain when we get moving, so hurry!"
"You sure about this?" Doubt colored Oliver's voice as they walked up the stairs to Percy and Oliver's flat carrying a large number of shopping bags.
Ron nodded his head vigorously and grinned. "Of course! Percy, despite all his harping about how stupid romance is, is a good-old-fashioned, hopeless romantic. Believe me, nothing is more romantic than a homemade, candle-lit dinner."
"So then how are when going to get him out of the Burrow long enough for me to set everything up?" The doubt showed itself again.
Ron laughed. "I have to go pick up Harry's gift in about two hours anyways, so I'll just take him with me and let you set up. Any questions?"
"Yeah, what about everybody else?"
"That was the easy part. They won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest. I made sure of that."
"How?"
"It's called magic, Oliver. You should try it sometime."
"Oh. Have no excuses then, do I?" Oliver grinned sheepishly as they entered the apartment.
"Nope, face it, you're stuck now. Be there in an hour!" Moving to the fireplace, he took a large pinch of Floo powder. He threw the powder into the flames, stepped into the fire, cried out, "The Burrow!" and was gone.
"Come on, Perce! You can't be holed up in your room all day! It's not healthy!"
Ron had been pleading with Percy, or rather Percy's door, for over half of an hour now. He was finding it quite annoying at that moment and was thinking of blowing the damn door off the hinges, when it opened. Percy stepped out of his room, dressed comfortably in jeans and a sweater acting calm… too calm.
"Fine, I'll go. But only for a little while and only because we don't need Harry's poisoner coming after you as well." He cocked his head a little to the left. "What gift did you get him anyways?"
"A pocket watch." Percy opened his mouth and Ron beat him to the answer. "A Muggle pocket watch."
"Oh. Shall we then?" Grabbing cloaks, they Apparated to Diagon Alley.
Oliver was nervous as he set the china plates and silver. Beyond nervous. Paranoid was a better term.
To make matters worse, Ron and Percy were due home any minute and he was far from ready. As if on cue, a loud double crack came from the living room and Oliver stood stock-still when the kitchen door swung open.
There was a low whistle. "Damn, nice set up Oliver. You do good work in a pinch."
Relaxing a little, he turned to Ron. "Thanks. Where is he?"
"He's playing that bloody Muggle contraption called a piano. Whatever he's playing is pretty though. Pretty, but sad. Anyways, hurry up so can get him out of this funk he's in. It's not healthy." He winked and shut the door, leaving Oliver to his fate.
"Here goes nothing." He laughed quietly at himself before making his way into the family room, where the piano resided. A couple of yours back, almost three years ago, Oliver had gone to look for his errant lover and found him in Professor Snape's office HE was learning to play with the Potions Master teaching him. Figures.
Sure enough, Percy sat on that bench, pouring his heartache into those keys. Slow and demure, back straight, his fiery hair obscuring his face.
"What's it called, Perce?" He didn't miss a note and Oliver felt strangely proud of him for it.
"China." Percy took a deep breath. "Why, Ollie? You never missed our anniversary before, how come you did this time?"
"I'm not sure, Perce. Maybe in was winning that last match or the War going on. It must have just slipped my mind." Oliver sighed. "I've come to make up for it and promise that it will not happen again."
Percy stopped playing, looking fondly at the keys. Finally, he turned and looked at his lover. "Whatever you're cooking smells good and I haven't eaten all day. So what's for supper?" Curious eyes and a straight face betrayed nothing of what was going through Percy's head.
So Oliver had to ask.
"Am I forgiven then?"
"Depends on how good dinner is, I suppose." Percy finally smiled and Oliver let out the breath he was holding.
Ron quietly listened to their dinner and during their talk afterwards, finally coming to a decision.
He would return to Hogwarts… and Harry.
That was the hardest part, as far as he was concerned. Harry, his best friend, had changed their whole relationship with one common gesture.
He had a note from his mother to Harry, forged of course, and one of the two gifts for Harry. Hopefully, that would make Harry less grouchy. The other gift he would retrieve shortly in Hogsmeade.
No matter how much he thought of other things though, he still couldn't get his brain off of Harry and that kiss. And, from that kiss, the possibilities were endless to where it would go.
And it scared the hell out of him.
End