Summer of '93 [PERCIVER]

5 - SEASIDE CONVERSATION

The ocean reflected the colour of the sky with beauty, though its colour may have been slightly subdued a shade or two. Percy watched the large waves overhead of various surfers, each dominating it in their own way. Some with grace, and others with swagger. He thought of it to be lovely, something peaceful amongst the chaos of the crowded beach and the sand in between his toes.

Percy held the umbrella against his left shoulder as he and Oliver began to walk. Luckily for him, he couldn't see the goofy grin on Oliver's face. Nor could he see how the red and white of his umbrella reflected in his eyes. If he had been able to, he might have had a heart attack.

"What's the umbrella for?" Oliver asked cheekily, waggling his eyebrows.

Percy shook his head and rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. Were there any other reasons as to why he would be holding an umbrella that seems like it came out of Zonko's joke shop? Other reasons as to why he would be masochistic enough to have the colours clash with his hair and skin?

"So I don't get a sunburn, obviously." He stated bluntly.

Oliver chuckled warmly, a low laugh, clear of any ridicule or malicious intent. Percy supressed his smile from coming forward, biting on his bottom lip, and tugging on the skin there. His ears felt as though they were on fire, burning away cheerfully as if they wanted to torment him.

"The curse of being a ginger, huh?" He replied, a teasing glint in his eye.

Percy huffed and finally turned his head to make eye contact with Oliver. He tilted his head further up and exhaled sharply.

"Not all of us can be lucky enough to have a tan." He retorted, his voice a pitch higher than usual with exasperation.

Oliver shook his head and sighed gently. He seemed to be internally debating something, though Percy didn't know what about.

"The beach is beautiful." Oliver spoke softly.

Percy nodded in agreement. Though the ocean would never compare to the puddles made by heavy rain in the city streets and sand would never be as pure as the soil back home, he did have to agree. It was pretty, at the very least.

"Mm, it is."

Slowly, as they walked forward, they edged closer and closer to the water on Percy's right. Eventually, when the water was pushed onto the sand next to it, it managed to reach Percy's feet. He yelped; his gaze shot down to his feet then forward.

"My feet are wet." He murmured softly, the beginnings of a pout starting to form on his lips.

"That's what happens with water." Oliver replied, mouth pulled into a cheeky smirk and eyebrows raised.

Percy rolled his eyes at him and clicked his tongue. His cheeks were dusted with a rosy pink, whilst it would look graceful on anyone else, it clashed horribly with Percy's hair. Therefore, it looked overemotional and slightly amusing on him. He began to bite his lip once more as thoughts dashed through his mind. He battled with himself, internally monologuing each and every little detail.

'Being this close to him is surreal, I'm right here, he's right there. This would have never happened at Hogwarts; it was fate that we met at this moment. I don't know where we're headed, but I trust him. Why do I trust someone I barely know? No, I do know him, I've known him for years now. I know things that most don't through observation alone.' When this dawned upon him, his eyes widened and his breathing sharpened as though it were being cut with a knife.

"Let's go up to the rocks over there, according to Bella and Amanda, it's quite a sight." Oliver quipped, pointing in the direction he wanted them to go in.