swept off his feet - percy weasley x oliver wood

late confessions

A grey haze covers London as rain falls gently onto the pavement.

Pedestrians shuffle around, some with umbrellas and some holding newspaper over their heads. The only sounds are quiet murmurs of apologies and thanks and the splish of shoes stepping in puddles.

In this crowd, Oliver Wood shuffles along, a dark umbrella raised high above his head. His free hand is stuffed into his coat pocket, and his shoes are soaked. Lifting his head slightly, he spies a patch of colour among the grey: a head of auburn hair, trundling along with the rest. He pauses in his walking, and the people behind him bump into his umbrella and glare, muttering under their breaths. He looks at them sheepishly and moves to the side.

For some reason he can't explain, that hair seems familiar to him, and intrigues him. Just then, the red-headed stranger looks up, and Oliver's eyes catch a pair of pale blue ones, as well as a very familiar face.

The face of his old school crush, Percy Weasley.

At this point, Oliver considers running away. Admittedly, it might come off a little rude, having met his eye and running off, but Oliver is (and was) very gay. Perhaps he could pretend he didn't recognise him and walk away? He remembers every moment of embarrassment his younger self had caused him and turns sharply away on his heel -

Only to be grabbed by the wrist. Blast. Hopefully, it won't turn out to be who he thinks it is. Slowly, he turns, and sure enough, it's Percy, grinning at him.

"If it isn't Oliver Wood," he says, and Oliver wants to scream. He knew he should've run when he had the chance. If he thought Percy was hot before, he was wrong. That was cute. This Percy in front of his very, very gay face is hot, standing tall and slender, with a hint of muscle replacing his gangly frame. He has black-framed glasses perched on his nose, that same smattering of freckles across his face, and his hair is swept across his forehead, still a little curly.

With a start, he realises that he's been staring. A hint of red dusts his ears and he smiles back.

"Haven't seen you in ages, mate. Last time I saw you was - what, three years ago?" In his head, teenage Oliver pumps his fist in victory. He managed to string together a coherent sentence in front of Percy Weasley!

Percy chuckles, and Oliver realises that oh, maybe my feelings never went away, because he feels like a teenager again, falling hopelessly. "Yeah, it's been a while," he says, in that gorgeous voice of his, and Oliver wants to scream all over again.

They stand awkwardly in the rain, pushed close together by the crowd. Finally, Oliver decides to speak up.

"Well, I've-" he starts. At the same time, Percy begins, "Why don't we-"

They both pause and look at each other. Percy's lips quirk up, and Oliver mimics him, and both fall into laughter. As the laughter subsides, a comfortable silence settles between them. Then Percy takes a deep breath and looks him in the eye. Oliver begins to feel uncomfortable, as if Percy's eyes can see straight through him.

"You know," he says, lightly, "I used to like you, back in school."

Oliver's breath hitches, and Percy notices this. As Oliver gapes at him, he laughs forcedly, and says, "Silly, right? But I really thought you were so cool, being the captain of the football team and all. I, uh, don't really know why I said any of that." He exhales shakily and looks down at his feet.

Oliver clears his throat. "Then I guess it wasn't as one-sided as I thought," he says, quietly. Percy looks up at him with those clear blue eyes, searching his face for signs that Oliver's joking.

A beat passes, but both their hearts beat many more.

Oliver smiles, a little wobbly, and asks: "Even though I missed my chance back then, will you let me have another one?"

me? project my own gay panic onto a character? *chuckles nervously*

uhh i really didn't think i'd ever update again but this just serves to prove that i am highly impulsive and unreliable

well, i hope you enjoy this one! as always, it's unedited and written in the spur of the moment so it does go a little fast.

also, i haven't stopped writing fanfiction! i've moved to ao3 now, and my user is @/eathenflux.

admittedly i have only one chapter of an unfinished fic there, but. it's there. (also i would highly appreciate it if you commented on that and helped me out i've run out of ideas)

anyway, sorry for not updating in years. i've fallen a bit out of the hp fandom, but i've still got a foot in the door, so there is still hope! 

please do comment suggestions, because i might edit this entire thing someday. also! i'm on curiouscat @/eathenflux so uhh go go!

(question: should i move some things from here to ao3?)

cheers,

caitlin!