Domestic Bliss
a fandom story
by vignette
There was a clanking noise from within the fireplace but Percy Weasley did not raise his head. He had been working on this report for three hours straight and the figures were making as little sense as they had done when he had started. It looked like he would be working through the night to get it finished, meaning that he didn'thave time to worry about who was arriving via the Floo Network. Besides, the familiar sound of a broomstick being leant against the wall soon let him know who it was.
A decidedly damp and bedraggled Oliver Wood entered the small room that Percy used as an Office in the flat they shared. He had changed from his Puddlemere United team kit, but his wet hair and coat betrayed the state of the weather further north. Sighing, Oliver sat himself down on a large box filled with papers.
"Still at it?" he asked Percy, sniffling slightly.
"Mmm-hmm," Percy replied, quill between his teeth. Removing it, he added, "How was training?"
"Terrible. It rained for the whole three hours we were outside."
"Really?" said Percy, sounding distracted.
"And if that wasn't bad enough, a Bludger caught me off guard and sent me spiralling into a puddle..."
"Is that right...?"
"Percy, are you even listening to me?"
"That sounds lovely," Percy said, oblivious to Oliver's questioning. Oliver sniffed again, this time with a hint of exasperation.
Finally, Percy looked up. "I'm sorry, Oliver," he said. "I am listening, really I am. But the Minister wants this on his desk first thing tomorrow and I have to get it done. You can still tell me about your training, though."
"I really don't know how we're going to be ready for the match against the Loxley Foxes next Friday," Oliver continued. "And they're on a winning streak at the moment. Then there's the problem of..." Oliver paused and sniffed hard twice, before scrubbing at his nose. "Percy, can you hand me a tissue?" It was too late, however. "Heh-rushoo!" Oliver sat upright again and found Percy,still writing, holding out the tissue box in his left hand. "I think I'm coming down with something," said Oliver thickly, takingthe box. The tickle in his nose was still there, so Oliver drew out a couple of tissues and held them to his nose expectantly. The sneezes weren't long in coming. "Heh-shhh! Hehkutchh!"
Sniffling, Oliver wiped his nose and looked at Percy, expecting some kind of response to this display. Instead, Percy was still pouring over columns of numbers. Shaking his head in resignation, Oliver headed to their bedroom, taking the tissues with him. Once in the bedroom that he and Percy shared, Oliver began to get out of his clothes. It was only as he pulled off his t-shirt and trousers that he realised how much his body ached from the combination of a long Quidditch practise and the onset of a cold. His muscles felt sore and tight, whilst the pressure between his eyes was rapidly developing into a headache. Climbing into bed, Oliver reached for another handful of tissues and blew his nose, then shuddered.
The blankets of the bed were still cool and Oliver felt too exhausted to get out and fetch his wand to warm them. He briefly considered calling for Percy to do that, but then decided against it. Percy was obviously busy with his work and didn't need Oliver distracting him for something trivial like that.
"Ackushhoo! Ehrushoo! Hehrushuh!"
Alone, Oliver had not bothered to cover his forceful sneezes and now he found himself having to grasp at tissues to wipe his streaming nose. Screwing the tissues up into a ball and half-heartedly throwing them down the bed, Oliver pulled the blankets tighter around himself. Despite having just blown his nose, he found himself sniffling again. Attempting to fight his cold was clearly going to be hopeless.
"Ehkushuhh! Heh-rushhoo! Heh... eh... Ehhkushoo!"
"Bless you," murmured Percy absent-mindedly, hearing muffled sneezes from the next room. He stared at the now meaningless numbers and chewed on his quill. He contemplated simply making up the report, hoping that the minister wouldn't read it anyway. Why anyone needed to know about the percentage profits on pewter versus silver cauldrons, Percy had no idea. He set his quill to the page again: `From the above data it appears obvious that the benefits of recent production modifications had lead to substantial reductions in...' Percy stopped writing. Reading back over his last few lines, he realised how little he had managed to say in so many words. A Quick Quotes Quill would have made a better job of it. It was time to take a break, Percy decided looking at the clock which read a little after six. Definitely time to make a cup of teas and...
The sound of more muffled sneezes interrupted Percy's train of thought. Suddenly he wondered where Oliver was and for the first time that day things began to add up. The miserable mood Oliver had been in, his hasty retreat from the study and the frequent sneezing he had been hearing. And all the while Percy himself had been worrying about his stupid report. Percy groaned and mentally kicked himself for being such an idiot, before getting up to put the kettle on.
Holding a steaming mug of tea in each hand, Percy crept up to the bedroom door in case Oliver was asleep. Something soon told him he had nothing to worry about.
"Eh-kushhoo!"
"Bless you," said Percy kindly, closing the door behind him.
"Percy?" Oliver said, sounding stuffy and dazed.
"I come bearing tea," Percy explained. "And apologies."
"What about your report?" Oliver asked, rolling over towards Percy. Even in the dim light Percy could see how pale his face looked. After setting the mugs down on the beside table, he placed on hand gently on Oliver's forehead.
"You're running a temperature," Percy said. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible," Oliver admitted. "Can't seem to get warm."
"Poor Oliver," Percy said, sitting down on the bed next to him. "You should have called me sooner."
"I didn't want to disturb you," Oliver replied. "You were working so hard."
"I'm sorry I didn't notice before," Percy told him."I should have looked after you from the moment you came in."
"It doesn't matter, you're here now."
"Anything you want?" Percy asked, sympathetically. Oliver was about to answer when another round of sneezes over came him.
"Ehkutschhh! Hehtchh! Uhktschh!" he sneezed, burying his nose in the blankets.
"Tissues?" Percy suggested. Oliver nodded gratefully and Percy handed him a wad of them. Oliver blew his nose wetly into them and groaned.
"Sorry," he mumbled hoarsely.
"No problems," said Percy. "Now sit up and drink this," he instructed, handing Oliver a mug of tea. "It'll warm you up." Obediently, Oliver sipped at the hot, sweet liquid. "That feel better?" Percy asked, smiling.
"Much better," Oliver told him, sniffling lightly. "Thank you."
"Now is there anything else you want?"
"Could you..." Oliver began and then stopped himself. "Percy, you said that report had to be for tomorrow..."
"Well, yes," Percy conceded. "But it's nowhere near as important as you."
"Won't you get in trouble?"
"No," Percy mused. "Not much trouble, anyway. I'm sure the wizarding world can live without my thrilling expose on cauldron prices." Oliver let out a hoarse laugh that quickly turned into a harsh cough.
"In that case, could you lie here with me for a while?" he replied, after catching his breath.
"Of course," said Percy kindly. He settled himself on top of the covers, so as not to disturb Oliver, who shuffled over accommodatingly before laying his head on Percy's chest. Percy wrapped one of his arms around Oliver, allowing his fingers to tease his boyfriend's hair.
"Percy," Said Oliver, breaking the stillness. "I think I'm g-going to... heh..." Oliver closed his eyes as his breath hitched again. "Heh... Hekutschh!" As his head snapped forward, Oliver felt his nose being softly covered with a tissue. Before he could thank Percy, more powerful sneezes forced their way out. "Uhhshuhh! Ehkutchschh! Ehtchuhh!" Oliver stayed still for a moment, nose buried in the tissues, and then relaxed with a groan. "Urgh..."
"All done?" Percy asked, throwing away the tissues. Oliver nodded slowly.
"Bud dow I deed..." he began stuffily.
"To blow your nose," Percy finished for him, holding out more tissues. Oliver took them gratefully. "I hope you're not thinking about going to training tomorrow," Percy continued.
"I don't think I could even if I wanted to," Oliver replied, snuggling closer to Percy.
"Good, because if I'm going to take the day off work to look after you, the least you could do is be around," Percy joked. "And calling in sick tomorrow gives me an excuse not to hand in my report."
"Not like you to shirk work, Percy," Oliver said sleepily, as he closed his eyes. "Sure you're not coming down with something?"
Not mine and no harm intended.
This is the first thing I've dared post on here, so I'm very nervous! Written for Weekly Hatchling 61 - sorry it's taken me so long to finish and type it up. Hope you enjoy it!