InsaneJournal

Going (Together) (Percy/Neville, G)
Title: Going (Together)
Pairing: Percy/Neville
Rating: G
Word Count: 448
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: Not mine. JKR's.
Summary: Percy wishes Neville would tell him when he's going.
Notes: This is a teenyfic gift for juniperus from celandineb with the prompt "time after time" to which I only loosely adhered. Originally posted 8/1/07 at LJ.

Neville never remembers to tell Percy when he goes—or maybe he does remember but just can't bear the thought of saying his destination out loud. Percy thinks the second scenario is much more likely.

And time after time, Neville comes home spent and silent, content to curl up against Percy and let sleep overtake him. No matter what time of day it is when he returns—Neville always sleeps afterwards.

Percy never sleeps, though, no matter the hour, not until he feels Neville's breathing even out and his tense body relax completely. Even then, Percy sleeps more lightly than he usually does, for after the excursions Neville is prone to upsetting dreams, and Percy won't stand for those.

He never tells Neville how he watches over him. He thinks Neville might resent that.

He never tells Neville that it's been long enough now.

Percy knows it'll never have been long enough.

***

"I wish you'd tell me when you're going," Percy says at breakfast one morning, not for the first time and probably not for the last.

Neville doesn't meet Percy's eyes. "I know. I know you do. I just—you'd want to come, if I told you, and I don't—you don't need to see it. It's not pretty, Perce."

"Neville." Percy takes a breath. Stares.

There is a silent moment that probably lasts too long. Percy blinks rapidly and breathes again.

"Neville, if you don't want me there, then—well, I can't say I understand it completely, but I can respect that decision. I suppose. But please—don't put yourself through that alone if you're only doing it to spare me! You come home exhausted and you whimper in your sleep. Let me go with you. Please." Percy leans across the table and taps his index finger on the scrubbed wood.

"But—" says Neville, "I—I never really—I didn't think you'd want to. I thought—"

"I want to."

Neville looks up at Percy through his thick eyelashes.

"Okay."

Percy nods, and they eat their eggs in silence.

***

Four days later, Neville comes up behind Percy where he's reading the paper at the kitchen table and digs his chin into the top of Percy's head.

"I'm going out."

Percy can feel Neville's jaw working as he speaks.

"Okay," says Percy, and he turns the page.

"I thought I'd let you know." Neville puts his arms around Percy's neck.

"Okay," says Percy again, and he scans the headlines.

"I'm going to visit my parents."

Percy stops reading, pauses, and folds the paper over. He sets it on the table and turns around in the embrace.

Neville waits.

Percy stands.

"I'll get my cloak."