Lean on Me ||perciver

3. Motor Mouth

Oliver's lungs, his head, his whole body burned as he was squeezed from all directions. Everything was wrong, and it hurt. He tried to scream but he couldn't move and his vision was pulsating. And it was forever.

Or so he thought, before the apparation gone wrong spat him out on to the dark alley next to his flat, and straight into the wall, scraping his whole right side along the rough bricks.

He took a moment to lay on the dirty ground, pain thrumming along his nerves as he panted through it. His stomach was still recovering from the squeeze of the apparation, and his teeth and jaw ached from clenching them so hard.

Why had this happened? He had apparated countless times before, and it had never...

Oh right...what had Lee said back at the shop? Something about his magic being useless to him? He could have splinched himself in the process and it would have been the twins' fault.

Right. He was going to kill the twins.

At least he was finally here, near his flat, where he would crawl to Percy if he had to. Yes, that was right, his mission. He had to get to their flat, and fast. He had to.

With a groan, Oliver pushed himself up off of the ground and slumped against the wall, an effort which nearly caused him to black out. He couldn't give up. Not now. Not when his whole being was pushing him to do this, to see Percy.

Shaking, Oliver dragged himself into a standing position slowly. He could feel that his right leg was badly injured, and he would have avoided putting pressure on it any other time, but now...he had no other option. He would get to Percy even if it hurt him.

Slowly, painstakingly, he limped his way to the elevator in his apartment building, using the walls closest to him as a support.

Thankfully, everyone probably at work or busy with something else, because no one stopped him on his way. He hated to think of being stopped now.

He slapped the button, opening the doors and clambering in. In his head was static and the clear intention of getting to his flat.

So he pressed the button to his floor. And waited. And waited. And waited.

Why was he doing this, anyway? The pain was making him hazy, and he just wanted to stop pushing himself. So why was he on his way to Percy and his flat when he could be getting medical help from someone?

But that someone could be Percy. He wanted it to be Percy. No, needed it to be Percy.

Resolved, Oliver pushed himself off of the wall as the elevator doors opened, and stumbled into the familiar hallway to his flat. Oh, he never thought that the grey wallpaper and the yellow lighting would make him feel so...so relieved.

Pushing through the pain, Oliver limped to his door, took his key out of his pocket and... Oh dear. How was he to slide the key into the lock when his vision was swimming just so? What was he to-

Right. He was going to knock on the door. Like a normal person.

"Yes?" The door opened to reveal Percy, making Oliver's heart jump with joy. He did it! He was finally here.

"Oh, Merlin," Percy gasped at the sight of Oliver, making his stomach twist. What had he done wrong? Did Percy detest the sight of him so?

"You- you're hurt!"

Ah, so that was it then. If he thought about it, his left arm was wet and practically radiating pain. But he didn't really want to dwell on it now that Percy was in front of him. No, what he wanted to dwell on was the new sense of purpose swelling in his chest, the ache to do...something.