Choices and Chance Meetings Percy/Penelope
Title: Choices and Chance Meetings
author: phil_urich
Pairing:Percy/Penelope
Word count: 900ish
Rating: G
Prompt: "You'll still find your love outside the public library."
The Shout Out Louds - Impossible
Author's Note: written for my lyrics as prompts fest chimbomba requested Percy and Penelope. I know I said 600, but the story sort of got away with me.
He saw her sitting on the steps of the library as he was getting ready to walk out of the door. Her back was to him, but he could always tell her apart. It was the way she sat, back straight, legs stretched out with the right crossed neatly over the left and her head tilted just to the right. Her brown curls rest against the back of her tan neck in a way that made him think of dryads and for one second he is reminded of empty classrooms and kissing that neck while his hands played with her hair.
He considers sneaking past her. He's gotten quite good at this sort of thing these last few weeks. Before he can make a decision though she's gotten up and walked around the corner. Fortescue's is around the corner and she'd always had a taste for his chocolate and
peppermint ice cream.
Unsure whether or not to be relieved, he walks out of the library, half intent on following his former girlfriend and half intent on getting home before anyone gets close enough to seeing him. Both intents are equal in passion for his following their way and yet he
cannot come to an actual decision as he walks down the steps slowly, pondering the possible wins and losses associated with each choice. Letting your mind get away with you was the first sign of weakness and yet that's all he'd been doing lately.
"Percy," she says from behind him.
He'd been so lost in thought that he had seen her approaching him from the side. Her posture tells him everything he needs to know about their meeting. It reminds him of his mother's just before she laid into him for being unkind to his younger brothers or or when he'd been in a fight at the small school he'd attended with his siblings before Hogwart's.
"Penelope," he says, his voice lacking that edge of pride he'd once had.
"I saw you in the library earlier and thought I'd wait for you outside. I almost gave up on you."
"Yes well, that might not have been the worst thing."
"Really?"
"No," he answers honestly and then, before he can even think to stop himself, more words come tumbling out. "I'm not really certain what I'm supposed to be doing anymore."
A look of concern crosses Penelope's face at the sudden confession. It's two full minutes before she can think of a response. Two more before she can put it into words. "That's quite a load to drop on someone you haven't spoken to in a year, Percy."
"I know, but I just felt that I should tell someone. I couldn't tell Mum or my family because they're worried about Fred and George. I couldn't tell-"
"You had someone else you couldn't tell?" Percy had never been one for close friendships in school and what friends he’d had were either off in another country or had moved on, leaving Percy behind.
"Yes, I have a pet rat actually. A new one named Dewey."
Penelope waits to see if he might be joking, but then remembered that Percy rarely, if ever, joked. "Percy, are you alright? You're acting rather strange."
"I've never had to make a tough decision in my life, Penny. Never," he said slowly, making sure she knows that he means it. "It's always been quick, simple, logical choices, but these last few months have left me feeling like I'm being torn in two. I try to make the logical choice, but then a heart matter comes up. My family's forgiven me or at least stated they have. I should have been at Fred's funeral instead of skulking to his grave at night and crying over it, but I couldn't because I didn't want to worry my Mum. Ron and George hate me for Fred's death. I didn't want to make things worse for them by being there."
"Yesterday I went to apply for a new job because I'm running low on money. It's the logical choice, correct? I couldn't decide on one. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself of the importance of getting a job I just couldn't choose. I need to work, but I need a job that will give me something more than a sense of accomplishment. I want to know I've made a permanent change and I want to be able to make a decision that's 100% correct. I don't want to have a single regret. Does that make any sense?"
He hopes it does. He loves his family, but Penelope was always the one who really understood what he meant and what was important to him.
Penelope scratches her nose and simultaneously pushes her glasses back up the way she'd always done when thinking about a problem. "Alright, let's do it the old way then. Start small and work our way to the larger problem."
"We?
"Don't you want me to?"
"I was sort of a prat to you, Penelope. I didn‘t end things well at all."
"True," Penelope said with a curt nod of her head, "but I believe you were in what your brothers called a phase of 'big headedness'. Besides, I'm doing a research project on ways in which the battle changed people. You'll be my first live subject," she responded with almost devilish glee.
"Will I be paid for my services as an interviewee?"
"Of course, would you like a scoop of vanilla ice cream or butter pecan?" Penelope asked as she took his hand and began to lead them toward Fortescue's.
"Butter pecan," Percy said as he allowed him to be led without a second thought.
"Now look at that, Percy. You just made a decision that will change the next half hour of your life. Next thing you know you'll be making hourly decisions, daily and one day you may even make a decision that will affect a few months at a time," she said teasingly.
"I hardly see how my choice of ice cream is a step in the right direction."
"It's a baby step, Percy. Enjoy it," Penelope said.
author: phil_urich
Pairing:Percy/Penelope
Word count: 900ish
Rating: G
Prompt: "You'll still find your love outside the public library."
The Shout Out Louds - Impossible
Author's Note: written for my lyrics as prompts fest chimbomba requested Percy and Penelope. I know I said 600, but the story sort of got away with me.
He saw her sitting on the steps of the library as he was getting ready to walk out of the door. Her back was to him, but he could always tell her apart. It was the way she sat, back straight, legs stretched out with the right crossed neatly over the left and her head tilted just to the right. Her brown curls rest against the back of her tan neck in a way that made him think of dryads and for one second he is reminded of empty classrooms and kissing that neck while his hands played with her hair.
He considers sneaking past her. He's gotten quite good at this sort of thing these last few weeks. Before he can make a decision though she's gotten up and walked around the corner. Fortescue's is around the corner and she'd always had a taste for his chocolate and
peppermint ice cream.
Unsure whether or not to be relieved, he walks out of the library, half intent on following his former girlfriend and half intent on getting home before anyone gets close enough to seeing him. Both intents are equal in passion for his following their way and yet he
cannot come to an actual decision as he walks down the steps slowly, pondering the possible wins and losses associated with each choice. Letting your mind get away with you was the first sign of weakness and yet that's all he'd been doing lately.
"Percy," she says from behind him.
He'd been so lost in thought that he had seen her approaching him from the side. Her posture tells him everything he needs to know about their meeting. It reminds him of his mother's just before she laid into him for being unkind to his younger brothers or or when he'd been in a fight at the small school he'd attended with his siblings before Hogwart's.
"Penelope," he says, his voice lacking that edge of pride he'd once had.
"I saw you in the library earlier and thought I'd wait for you outside. I almost gave up on you."
"Yes well, that might not have been the worst thing."
"Really?"
"No," he answers honestly and then, before he can even think to stop himself, more words come tumbling out. "I'm not really certain what I'm supposed to be doing anymore."
A look of concern crosses Penelope's face at the sudden confession. It's two full minutes before she can think of a response. Two more before she can put it into words. "That's quite a load to drop on someone you haven't spoken to in a year, Percy."
"I know, but I just felt that I should tell someone. I couldn't tell Mum or my family because they're worried about Fred and George. I couldn't tell-"
"You had someone else you couldn't tell?" Percy had never been one for close friendships in school and what friends he’d had were either off in another country or had moved on, leaving Percy behind.
"Yes, I have a pet rat actually. A new one named Dewey."
Penelope waits to see if he might be joking, but then remembered that Percy rarely, if ever, joked. "Percy, are you alright? You're acting rather strange."
"I've never had to make a tough decision in my life, Penny. Never," he said slowly, making sure she knows that he means it. "It's always been quick, simple, logical choices, but these last few months have left me feeling like I'm being torn in two. I try to make the logical choice, but then a heart matter comes up. My family's forgiven me or at least stated they have. I should have been at Fred's funeral instead of skulking to his grave at night and crying over it, but I couldn't because I didn't want to worry my Mum. Ron and George hate me for Fred's death. I didn't want to make things worse for them by being there."
"Yesterday I went to apply for a new job because I'm running low on money. It's the logical choice, correct? I couldn't decide on one. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself of the importance of getting a job I just couldn't choose. I need to work, but I need a job that will give me something more than a sense of accomplishment. I want to know I've made a permanent change and I want to be able to make a decision that's 100% correct. I don't want to have a single regret. Does that make any sense?"
He hopes it does. He loves his family, but Penelope was always the one who really understood what he meant and what was important to him.
Penelope scratches her nose and simultaneously pushes her glasses back up the way she'd always done when thinking about a problem. "Alright, let's do it the old way then. Start small and work our way to the larger problem."
"We?
"Don't you want me to?"
"I was sort of a prat to you, Penelope. I didn‘t end things well at all."
"True," Penelope said with a curt nod of her head, "but I believe you were in what your brothers called a phase of 'big headedness'. Besides, I'm doing a research project on ways in which the battle changed people. You'll be my first live subject," she responded with almost devilish glee.
"Will I be paid for my services as an interviewee?"
"Of course, would you like a scoop of vanilla ice cream or butter pecan?" Penelope asked as she took his hand and began to lead them toward Fortescue's.
"Butter pecan," Percy said as he allowed him to be led without a second thought.
"Now look at that, Percy. You just made a decision that will change the next half hour of your life. Next thing you know you'll be making hourly decisions, daily and one day you may even make a decision that will affect a few months at a time," she said teasingly.
"I hardly see how my choice of ice cream is a step in the right direction."
"It's a baby step, Percy. Enjoy it," Penelope said.