acidpop25: "A Good Place To Start," PG
Title: A Good Place To Start
Author: acidpop25
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 50.4
Prompt: #31, "Confusion"
Word Count: 545
Summary: "Why," he choked, "why can't it just be easy?!"
Warnings: none
Notes: none
The door burst open, and Percy ran out of the Burrow, slamming the door behind him and running, running, running as fast as he could with no heed to direction until at last he stopped in the huge empty field north of the house and fell to his knees in the grass, the tears streaking down his cheeks and blurring his sight. Percy tugged his glasses off and swiped furiously at his eyes, refusing, unable to just ride it out.
"Why," he choked, "why can't it just be easy?! It doesn't make sense, I just... I do so much, so fucking much, and it's never, ever enough!" Percy fisted his hands in the grass, tearing up big clumps by the roots. "Why don't you understand?!?" he screamed to the night. "What's so bloody confusing about it, huh?! I love you, I need you, and why can't you love me back?!? WHY?!" The word sounded torn from his throat, as much question and plea as primal, desperate cry of pain. Heedless of the full-fledged sobs that now wracked his body, Percy slumped down on the grass, closed one hand around his glasses, and wished and wished and wished, until sheer exhaustion finally turned wishes into dreams.
~*~*~*~
Percy woke as the first rays of sun crept over the horizon, and wated no time in sitting up, polishing his glasses, and putting them back on before hurrying back to the house and slipping silently inside by way of the tree outside his bedroom window.
There was a knock on the door. "Percy?"
Harry's voice. Percy froze, hoping against hope he would go away.
"Percy, I know you're in there. Please, can I come in?"
Percy hesitated. Harry had not been part of last night's fight, but he was hardly a neutral third party, either. With a sigh, he sank down on his bed and replied, "Come in."
The door opened just enough for Harry to slip inside before the other boy shut it with a soft click and padded over in sock-feet to sit down next to Percy on the edge of the bed.
"You alright?"
"Fine," Percy replied crisply.
"Mmhm. Being honest about how you feel might help, you know."
Percy blinked at him. "Pardon me?"
"Last night..." Harry hesitated, chewing on his lower lip. "I saw... most of that. I went after you."
"I... you... what?"
Harry nodded. "Ron's right furious with me. But that's not the point."
"Then... what is, precisely?"
"That was the most honest thing I've ever seen," Harry says slowly, his eyes focused not on Percy, but on a memory of Percy only hours before. "It was... it was real. I think... if they had heard that, they would understand."
"But they didn't."
"No," Harry agrees quietly, "but telling them all those things might be a good place to start."
Percy looked at him a bit helplessly and raked his fingers through his hair, further mussing the soft red-auburn curls. "How am I supposed to..."
"Hey." Harry caught Percy's hand by the wrist. "I'll help you."
"Why?"
"Because you deserve those things. Everyone does." Harry looked at him. "And if your family has enough love for me, then they'd better have enough for you, too. Alright?"
Percy smiled, just a little. "Alright."
Author: acidpop25
Rating: PG
Prompt Set: 50.4
Prompt: #31, "Confusion"
Word Count: 545
Summary: "Why," he choked, "why can't it just be easy?!"
Warnings: none
Notes: none
The door burst open, and Percy ran out of the Burrow, slamming the door behind him and running, running, running as fast as he could with no heed to direction until at last he stopped in the huge empty field north of the house and fell to his knees in the grass, the tears streaking down his cheeks and blurring his sight. Percy tugged his glasses off and swiped furiously at his eyes, refusing, unable to just ride it out.
"Why," he choked, "why can't it just be easy?! It doesn't make sense, I just... I do so much, so fucking much, and it's never, ever enough!" Percy fisted his hands in the grass, tearing up big clumps by the roots. "Why don't you understand?!?" he screamed to the night. "What's so bloody confusing about it, huh?! I love you, I need you, and why can't you love me back?!? WHY?!" The word sounded torn from his throat, as much question and plea as primal, desperate cry of pain. Heedless of the full-fledged sobs that now wracked his body, Percy slumped down on the grass, closed one hand around his glasses, and wished and wished and wished, until sheer exhaustion finally turned wishes into dreams.
~*~*~*~
Percy woke as the first rays of sun crept over the horizon, and wated no time in sitting up, polishing his glasses, and putting them back on before hurrying back to the house and slipping silently inside by way of the tree outside his bedroom window.
There was a knock on the door. "Percy?"
Harry's voice. Percy froze, hoping against hope he would go away.
"Percy, I know you're in there. Please, can I come in?"
Percy hesitated. Harry had not been part of last night's fight, but he was hardly a neutral third party, either. With a sigh, he sank down on his bed and replied, "Come in."
The door opened just enough for Harry to slip inside before the other boy shut it with a soft click and padded over in sock-feet to sit down next to Percy on the edge of the bed.
"You alright?"
"Fine," Percy replied crisply.
"Mmhm. Being honest about how you feel might help, you know."
Percy blinked at him. "Pardon me?"
"Last night..." Harry hesitated, chewing on his lower lip. "I saw... most of that. I went after you."
"I... you... what?"
Harry nodded. "Ron's right furious with me. But that's not the point."
"Then... what is, precisely?"
"That was the most honest thing I've ever seen," Harry says slowly, his eyes focused not on Percy, but on a memory of Percy only hours before. "It was... it was real. I think... if they had heard that, they would understand."
"But they didn't."
"No," Harry agrees quietly, "but telling them all those things might be a good place to start."
Percy looked at him a bit helplessly and raked his fingers through his hair, further mussing the soft red-auburn curls. "How am I supposed to..."
"Hey." Harry caught Percy's hand by the wrist. "I'll help you."
"Why?"
"Because you deserve those things. Everyone does." Harry looked at him. "And if your family has enough love for me, then they'd better have enough for you, too. Alright?"
Percy smiled, just a little. "Alright."