Chapter 1
"What kind of candy is this?" Percy asked, flipping over one of the squishy multicolored squares, coated in sugar. He pressed it in between his fingers to see how squishy it was, but it was more sticky than anything.
Penny wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Don't play with it," she chastised, watching as Percy licked off the sugar from his fingers. "Can't you smell it? More THC than gelatin in these things."
Percy, who'd brought one of the rainbow candies to his lips, hesitated. "These are edibles?" He questioned dubiously, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Who do you think I am? Phoebe?"
"You'll never guess who I got these from," Penny snorted at the mention of their shared roommate.
Phoebe partied hard, all day every day, yet somehow managed to avoid flunking out of her classes. She was the type to sleep with her supplier solely because she could, and her sleazy boyfriend sometimes joined in. Percy was just glad there were two THC gummies in his hand rather than prescribed OxyContin.
"I don't want them," Percy declared, nudging at Penny's closed fist so that she could take them instead.
"Well, I'm not eating them either," Penny frowned, keeping her hands unavailable. "You've been touching all over it. Just eat them. That's like, four quid's worth!"
"Will you take one, then?" Percy relented, succumbing to Penny's nagging. Just 10mg of THC. What's the worst that could happen? Penny wouldn't give him anything that would majorly harm him.
"Can't," Penny shook her head at Percy's outstretched hand. "I have to tripsit you, of course! You've never taken these before, and especially in this kind of environment. I wonder what you'll be like..."
"So, you acknowledge that I've never done anything like this before, and then give me not one, but two gummies to take whilst we're in line for this... stupid concert?" Percy clarified slowly. He just wanted to make sure she knew how ridiculous she sounded.
Penny squeezed his shoulder. "Well, yes." At Percy's unimpressed stare, however, she sighed. "Just take one, drama queen. That should be enough for you anyhow."
"I'm not dramatic," Percy mumbled in protest, bringing one of the gummies to his lips again. He hesitated for a split second before blocking the worries out of his mind, hastily shoving it in his mouth. "Just being safe, is all."
Penny took the one he didn't consume and put it back in the package. Whoever ate it would just have to deal with Percy's minimal hand germs.
The line moved forward, and Percy anxiously waited for the effects to hit. He didn't know what to expect, and Penny kept giggling at him every time he tried to ask about what might be in store.
The edible itself wasn't very tasty; it stuck to the roof of his mouth for a while and made him hypersalivate. Percy could pick up on all of the questionable smells manifesting themselves on his taste buds, poorly disguised by artificial strawberry flavoring. For lack of a better word, it was disgusting, and Percy didn't know why he expected otherwise.
When he said as much, Penny frowned. "Normally, Phoebe's stuff tastes better."
"I hope these haven't been laced," Percy joked, though a slight inflection in his voice revealed his worry.
Penny gasped, his worry seeming to infect her slightly. Elbowing him in the side, she scolded, "Don't joke like that!"
Percy shrugged. He was the one that should be fearing for his life.
When they finally got in the venue, it was packed. The sea of bodies, some stationary and some wildly thrashing, was torture to get through. Penny had to hold Percy's hand like he was a child as they maneuvered their way to their 'seats.'
In all actuality, nobody was obeying the seating arrangement, jumping from one place to the next, but Percy could feel his legs hurting already as he imagined all of the standing they'd be doing. He needed that seat.
Arriving in the general area of what their tickets read, they were finally able to reach a stand still. Percy took a moment to look around while Penny got herself hyped over the openers, who'd just begun their first song. Percy wasn't familiar with them, but then again he wasn't familiar with the music of the band they'd come to see either.
It was a pretty basic setup. With the tickets they had, they wound up on the ground level amongst black, metal folding chairs that lined the floor in front of the stage, from the entrance to the security gates. Around them, however, was stadium-style built-in seating, and at the very top were some nosebleeds.
Percy knew it was a privilege to be so close to the stage, but he'd rather be up in the stands. The seating looked much, much more comfortable and the people looked more tame. He was being jostled far too much for his liking, and they weren't even in the pit!
The ceiling was made of glass, and Percy could see the setting sun if he looked up. The glass wasn't very clean, and the floors were sticky, but other than that, Percy thought he'd be okay.
Turning his attention back to the stage, Percy let Penny coax him into moving around a little, let himself enjoy the music. It was easier said than done, especially when the music wasn't really his style.
Giving up when Percy was done humoring her and had just completely stopped moving, even with her manually guiding his movement with their linked hands, Penny sighed.
"I hope you let loose before the actual performance. This whole 'bored' act just won't do," she said, frustration coloring her voice.
"It's not an act, I'm just... taking it all in," Percy folded his arms defensively, pointedly looking around his surroundings.
"Right," Penny nodded, dragging out the word to convey her disbelief. She'd already given up on him. "I'm going to go get a drink."
"What..." Percy began to ask, but Penny's back was already turned towards him, her figure getting smaller and smaller the further away she got.
He scoffed to himself. Some tripsitter.
Speaking of, Percy didn't really feel anything happening yet. It'd been around 40 minutes, around when Penny said it would begin to kick in at the earliest. She said it would hit him fast because it was his first time.
Percy dug deep, searching for any of the symptoms he'd thought he should expect from getting high, and found nothing. If he paid enough attention, however, he would've realized that the astigmatism he was experiencing was slightly intensified, and that he was having a harder time forming a cohesive string of thoughts.
In a way, he thought himself too good to get high. Maybe he was a natural weed eater with the tolerance of an addict.
As soon as Penny reappeared in his vision, he found himself saying, "I think I should have another."
"Another?" Penny echoed, leaning closer so that her voice carried. It was also to make sure she'd heard him properly. What does 'another' mean?
If he had a slightly tighter hold on his inhibitions, he wouldn't have done what he did next.
Ignoring Penny's startled yelp, Percy retrieved the package from the pocket of her oversized jean jacket and put another disgusting edible in his mouth, swallowing without any hesitation. He couldn't help but make a face, though. "Disgusting."
"What the fuck, Percy!" Penny exclaimed, snatching the package from him. This time, she tucked them into the tighter pocket of her jean shorts. "That's way too much for you!"
"I wasn't feeling anything," Percy explained with a shrug. "I figured another would do the trick."
"You should've waited longer for that one to kick in! 40 minutes at least before it begins to manifest, you arse. It could've taken double the time for it to come into full affect!" She was mad.
Percy wished she'd stop yelling. "I disagree," he said simply, if only to spite her.
She blinked at him. "I hope you're not a cryer."
"Why would I cry?" Why, indeed.
The opening set seemed to go on for ages, and yet as the lights went off and fans started to go crazy at the grand entrance of the headlining band, it was as though Percy had blinked and it was over.
His eyes jerked up toward the ceiling; he was unable to control how they leapt from one spot to the next. Where did the sun go?
Beside him, Penny was buzzing. Shaking his arm, she exclaimed, "Oh, Percy, isn't it this so exciting?"
Percy awkwardly smiled in response, though she was paying him no mind as she stared at the stage, cheering with the rest of the crowd. He decided to do the same.
Belatedly, he tugged at the collar of his shirt. He was getting kind of warm, his mouth a little dry. Choosing to abstain from asking Penny for some of her drink (she'd probably make him pay by the milliliter), Percy decided to ignore his thirst and his warmth, and just try to enjoy the music which had just started up.
It was nice, he thought. The lead singer's voice sounded angelic, soft and powerful at the same time, and he could feel the bass and drums in his bones. That was pretty much all he could think, though, as he felt his mind start to slip away from him.
Every thought was forgotten and interrupted with a new one. Percy didn't even want to think anymore, because it was frustrating. Why the hell couldn't he think straight? No amount of concentration would clear the fog from his brain.
Eventually, he wound up just standing there, merely existing and nodding along to the music on autopilot. Anxiety vaguely niggled at the back of his brain, but his mind was too depressed to concentrate on it. It was kind of miserable, and he couldn't even enjoy the music, really.
Once in a while, when Percy caught himself zoning out, his eyes would dart elsewhere in an attempt to get himself to snap out of it. He moved them and his eyes never refocused. They kept watering, and everything was becoming kind of a blur. It got hotter; he was sweating.
The lights in the venue were shining so bright that he couldn't really see anything but. The music faded into the background, his mind too slow to comprehend more than a few riffs and melodies. A chill washed over him, followed by another hot flash. Still, he nodded along.
Percy didn't register his body swaying forward and backward, side to side.
Next to him, Penny was having the time of her life. No amount of screaming could express her excitement, but she could try anyway. She definitely won't have a voice in the morning, but that didn't matter at all. She expected it. It was her favorite band, after all!
Turning to Percy, she decided to see if he was enjoying himself. She knew this kind of music wasn't really his cuppa, but...
"Woah," she breathed, taken aback by Percy's appearance. He was rather sweaty, and he was nodding along to the music rather erratically. Penny didn't know what beat he was going by, but it wasn't the one that was playing. He looked ready to fall over. "Um, Percy?"
Percy couldn't even hear her, really. Even despite the crowd drowning her out, he couldn't really make out any words as everything was loud and slightly echoing. It didn't even register that she was attempting to get his attention.
"Percy!" Penny all but shouted, shaking his arm increasingly harsh. She slapped him, for good measure, but it was really unnecessary as the shaking had worked.
"Ow," Percy frowned, eyes landing on Penny impossibly slow. "What was that for?"
"You don't look too good," Penny fretted, grabbing him by the jaw to keep him facing toward her and upright. For some reason, it looked like the nasty floor that kept rushing toward him deeply fascinated Percy.
Percy hummed. "I don't feel, well — not good? But not good."
Penny ignored him. She couldn't hear what he was saying, nor did she want to. Keeping hold of Percy's shoulder to steady him while she turned around, she grabbed her drink and shoved it in his face, demanding, "Drink." At that point, she wished she'd gotten water, but the overpriced fizzy stuff was the same price.
Percy opened his mouth and unceremoniously swallowed whatever managed to get in, seemingly unaware of the majority of it running down his face and getting on his shirt. Penelope wasn't; it pained her to see her money end up on Percy's sweat-soaked shirt.
"That's good," Percy remarked, licking around his mouth to lap up what he could.
Penny watched him with thinly veiled annoyance. He was better off sucking his shirt. "Better?"
"Well, my mouth isn't so dry. Still kinda dizzy, though," Percy responded, smacking his lips as he turned to stare in the general direction of the stage. Remembering his manners, he said sweetly, "Thank you, Penny."
Penny felt her annoyance over her drink sate itself slightly. At least he was thankful.
Tutting, she linked their arms. "Try to relax, okay? You'll be alright, and it'll be fun."
Percy nodded, grateful for the affirmation. Maybe it would get better, because he wasn't finding the appeal in being high at all.
And as the night wore on, he realized he wouldn't. It only got worse, and the only reason he didn't run out of the venue right then to get away from this nightmare of a sensory overload was because he could feel Penny jumping up and down next to him, obviously feeling like she'd gotten her time's worth with this experience. But it was so unbearable...
"I want to leave!" He found himself complaining loudly, almost whining.
"Percy," Penny began scolding him, miffed at the interruption, but stopped when she felt the eyes of everyone around them trying to figure out what was happening. Nobody was being subtle about it, either.
Sighing, she guided herself and Percy through the crowd by their linked arms, heading torward the first glowing exit sign she saw. At the door, there was lighter security posted around it because it wasn't the main exit.
"Once you leave, you won't be allowed reentry," one of the guards informed them as Penny pushed past them.
Her mood soured even more at the reminder, and she rolled her eyes. Like she didn't know that.
Instead of sassing them, she politely replied, "Have a good night," and exited the door without further acknowledging their warning.
Finally outside, Penny took a moment to stare at the door that had closed behind them after Percy had stumbled through. She should've never given him that edible.
"Are we going walking?" Percy asked lightly, partially hanging from a low tree branch a few feet away.
Penny turned to look at him and felt her anger subside a little. It wasn't his fault that he had the most whiny and boring trip that she'd ever seen, though it was his fault that he'd taken two. The worst was probably yet to come.
"I think," she spoke slowly, pulling Percy away from the tree, "that we should get you home."
"No, let's walk," Percy breezily disregarded her suggestion, slipping away from her grasp as if it were never there. Maybe he hadn't even noticed.
Watching him begin to take off with long strides in front of her, she jogged a little to catch up. Grabbing onto his arm again, she tried to convince him, "Well, Percy, I don't think this is the best idea."
Percy scoffed. "Please, Penelope, I will never be too intoxicated to do such a simple task as walking."
Penny raised her eyebrows at his gall, dropping her hold on his arm. "Fine."
And to Percy's credit, he could walk. Granted, it wasn't straight by any means, but he could keep up with Penny who was fully sober and not in the mood to slow down for his stubbornness.
They ended up walking around the venue for quite a while, but even so, they'd only made it half way around at most. It was a nice night, so Penny didn't mind trailing Percy as they did the lap around the building. The sound of passing traffic on the road and Percy's occasional voicing of every single thought filled the atmosphere, and for a moment Penny could pretend that this was how she wanted to spend her night.
So focused on keeping up with Percy's zigzagging walking patterns, Penny failed to realize he had stopped walking and stumbled into his no-longer-stationary body. "Oops."
Percy nearly fell flat on his face, mind too slow to catch himself. It was by sheer willpower that his hands flew out in front of him, and it was almost too late for them to have any effect at all. At least he hadn't smashed his forehead against the concrete.
Percy dully felt his palms stinging and his knees aching, but for the most part he didn't take the time to register it, preferring to push himself up onto his feet as quickly as his lowered coordination would allow him. "That kind of hurt."
Penny helped him stand the rest of the way up, and only when Percy was upright did she start to realize their surroundings. Somehow, somewhere, some time, Percy had led them away from the street. They were still by the venue building, but were now actually *inside* of some back gates that were probably not meant for general population. Penny's suspicions were confirmed when she caught sight of a 'do not enter' sign on the gate they'd just walked into.
"Oh, Percy, where have you taken us?" She groaned, more to herself than him. It was a rhetorical question, but Percy wasn't the sharpest right then and so couldn't understand that.
"We're at the back of the building, Penny," He explained, slow and patronizing. Easing his weight off of her, he stumbled his way to a nearby wall. "Here, let's sit."
Penny, who was at first annoyed that Percy's intoxicated arse had the audacity to mansplain their location to her, was now growing worried about being caught somewhere they were not supposed to be.
Hustling over to him, Penny tried to grab Percy by his shoulders and guide him away from the wall, but he shrugged her off. "M'tired of walking, Penny," he murmured in explanation as he leaned heavily against the wall.
"We can't be here, dear," She tried to tell him gently, resorting to pet names to sweeten it up even more.
Percy giggled, probably the highest giggle Penny had ever heard. "It's okay," Percy placated, sliding down the wall into a sitting position.
"It's not okay!" Penny snapped, nearly hitting her head on the wall in frustration. So much for the gentle approach. Here she was, trying to get them out of there and Percy was sitting his big arse down. No way she could get him up now if he didn't help her. Running her hands over her face to ground herself, her voice shook with controlled anger as she explained to him, "We are in a restricted area. There is a sign over there that says 'do not enter.' Now, Percy, I know you're high out of your mind right now, but try to understand that we shouldn't have entered!"
Percy merely stared back at her. "Well," he finally said, "who was here to stop us?"
Penny opened her mouth, ready to shout at him some more, but her voice caught in her throat at the question.
Percy was right with that one, she conceded. There was no security guarding the area, she hadn't seen a security camera since 200m back, and not a single soul was there besides them. By all means, the area mustn't have been important and well-policed, but it was better safe than sorry. What if someone did come eventually?
"We need to leave," she decided to say to him. It wasn't worth arguing; anything she said would go in and out of his drugged-up brain. They just had to go.
"Sit," Percy insisted for the second time. "Our legs need rest."
Penny folded her arms, looking around as if anybody were around. But with a sigh, she relented and sat down next to Percy. Her legs were tired. Just a few minutes, and then they'd get up and walk back to the roadside and hail a cab. Just a few minutes, and they'd be on their way home.
But a few minutes turned into fifteen, then a half hour, and then another until eventually an hour had passed and they were still sitting against this wall in a restricted part of the concert venue.
Percy was more moody and contemplative when high, which wasn't exactly the funniest but he had his moments. Penny enjoyed coaxing funny things out of him, and they'd laugh together even though she was laughing at a joke that only a sober person would get (i.e. him being high). That made her laugh even harder.
They found that Percy enjoyed testing his mind while he was high, as he maintained that no amount of marijuana would make him dumber than a tenth year. A few trivia questions later, his increasingly silly yet hilarious answers proved that while he might've been smarter than an academically challenged fifteen-year-old, he definitely did not have all of his mental facilities.
Penny was actually enjoying herself, disregarding the hard ground and cold, metal wall. This was the kind of night she'd rather have with a high Percy.
Percy, for his part, had relaxed significantly since them being in the venue. Without all the noises and the only light being a dimly lit one five meters away, he was far less overwhelmed. He trusted Penny to keep him in check from doing something stupid, and even though he couldn't remember anything he'd said a minute ago, he rambled on, assured that his words were in good hands.
So caught up in each other, they hadn't realized that the low thrumming from the music inside had subsided, and that more and more voices could be heard outside where they were, closer to the street. The concert had ended, and they remained blissfully unaware, chortling at one another and cracking an endless amount of jokes.
Wiping away a tear and catching her breath, Penny cleared her throat. She read another question from her phone, "What was the renaissance?" She thought of his reply and giggled; the more open-ended the question, the funnier the response.
For a moment, Percy didn't respond.
Penny took it in stride. She'd had to repeat herself multiple times throughout the night as the other continued to randomly zone out on her.
When she repeated herself for the third time, she finally looked up at him, annoyed and ready to snap her fingers in his face. Maybe it was time to retire for the night.
"Percy," she called, nudging at him gently. But Percy didn't look at her. His eyes were focused somewhere over her shoulder, face all scrunched up in concentration.
"I... I think I've seen that guy before," Percy stuttered slowly, blinking owlishly.
Bewildered and slightly concerned, Penny turned around to look at what Percy thought he saw. Maybe he was the type to start hallucinating when the trip got too much. She felt her heart skip a beat, however, as she realized that Percy wasn't hallucinating, and that they in fact, were not alone anymore.
In front of a door that Penny hadn't even noticed, stood a man fumbling with a lighter in one hand, phone balanced in the palm of the other with two fingers grasping a cigarette.
"Holy shit," Penny breathed with reverence, as it dawned on her who she was staring at. "It's Oliver fucking Wood."
"What?" Percy asked, a little too loudly.
Before, Penny would laugh at Percy's lack of volume control. Now, however, she wanted to strangle him as she watched Wood's attention snap to them, eyes widening as he recognized that he was not as alone as he thought.
Looking around as if expecting more people to jump from around the corner, Oliver stopped trying to get the lighter to work and tucked the cigarette behind his ear, tightening his grip on his phone.
"Um... you lot aren't supposed to be back here," he called after he realized the pair had started to stare at him. He motioned to the 'do not enter' sign, and Percy and Penny both turned to look at it, even though they were very well aware of its existence.
Penny didn't know what to do, and Percy, with as high as he was, was no help. He didn't even seem to understand how deep in shit they could've been in, repeatedly mumbling 'Oliver Wood' under his breath to try and recall the name. It wouldn't work, and was very annoying. Only after telling Percy to shut up was Penny's brain able to formulate a logical next step.
Quickly getting to her feet, she raised her hands in surrender. Yelling to cover the distance, she pleaded, "We're sorry! We just got a little lost, but we'll just... take our leave now."
Penny shuffled around, shifting her weight from one foot to another awkwardly. Oliver merely stared at her warily, wondering if he should trust the pair to see themselves out with no conflict. Maybe security was a good idea...
It took a minute for Penny to realize that Percy had made no move to get up, and had instead opted to lean his head against the wall, quietly looking in her general direction.
"Get up, dolt!" She whisper-shouted, lightly kicking him in the leg.
Percy groaned, but slowly stood up, sensing Penny's urgency. She looked very stressed, and almost equally agitated. With him.
As Oliver watched the pair go back and forth about how slow the man was to get up, he felt himself relax slightly, apprehension replaced with amusement. Something told him that he'd escape this encounter alive.
Now, less on edge, he let his curiosity get the best of him. "How did you get here?"
Penny, who was hoisting Percy up at that point, whipped her body toward Oliver fast, forgetting that she was still holding onto Percy's arm. Even as she felt the air leave her from Percy's body crashing into hers, she tanked it, too focused on hyperventilating over the fact that she was in the presence of the Oliver Wood. And he'd asked her a question!
"I — we walked here. From the venue," She would've elaborated, but she was too nervous to form complex sentences and was scared to annoy him. No way he actually cared how she and Percy wound up back there. Or maybe he would, because they technically were trespassing...
Beside her, Percy used her shoulder to catch his balance, but she wasn't even paying attention as she strained her ears to hear Oliver yell back, confused. "The concert just ended, though?"
"We left..." Penny trailed off as she saw the time displayed on her phone screen. She hadn't meant to spend so much time back here. "Must've been an hour or two ago."
"Just to loiter around the venue?" Oliver asked, bemused. Penny ran hot with embarrassment, but she wasn't given the opportunity to deny that no, they hadn't left just for that, before Oliver fired off another question with great humor. "Didn't enjoy the show?"
"No!" Penny heard Percy's voice ring out in her ear before she'd even processed Oliver's question, and was then absolutely mortified. Somehow, in his state, he'd manage to produce enough brain power to simultaneously offend one of Penny's favorite musicians while also making her want to commit murder-suicide.
Opening her mouth to protest and apologize (he didn't mean it, he's just high out of his mind right now!), she was surprised to hear Wood's laughter bounce off the walls surrounding them.
Oliver hadn't expected such a response, especially not from the uncoordinated ginger bloke who had so far not payed him any mind. He couldn't tell if he genuinely found the negative answer funny, or if it was just so startling that he wouldn't have had an answer otherwise. Either way, he found himself smiling a little more, all tension seeping from his shoulders as he realized that these people definitely weren't going to be harming him.
Despite Wood's laughter shocking her into silence, Penny still felt the need to apologize on his behalf. If this interaction could go on long enough to embarrass her, it could go on long enough to win Wood's favor. And maybe a picture. Definitely a picture.
"Well, Percy here isn't exactly a fan," she explained, glancing at her friend who was now standing on his own, arms folded. He was looking around with disinterest, perfectly proving Penny's statement. Nodding to herself at Percy's unknowing compliance with her plan, she continued, "But I am. He got a little overwhelmed, wanted to take a break. We hadn't realized that we'd stayed out here till it ended."
"Not a fan? That's a shame," Oliver said, and meant it. Scanning the man's face, Oliver couldn't help but note that he was quite cute. With the wandering eyes, pinched lips, and furrowed eyebrows, he gave the appearance of being annoyed, even though his open and relaxed demeanor said otherwise. Interesting.
Ripping his eyes away, he looked at the girl again. She was pretty, and looked the type to be a fan of the band. Obviously, running into him at this back exit meant something to her, so he decided to adopt his nicer approach. "I'm sorry you missed a great part of the show. Hope you can make it out again someday."
"Of course I will!" Penny gushed, practically buzzing with excitement. Clearing her throat, she returned to her more apologetic manner. "And, if this isn't too much to ask, could we get a photo before we leave you alone?"
"Not too much at all," Oliver assured her, watching as her hand closed around the red-haired man's wrist, pulling him behind her as she came closer excitedly. The guy looked slightly confused, but followed after the girl with no complaint. Maybe they were dating.
Percy, who'd been distantly listening to the conversation the entire time without wanting or feeling the need to interject, wondered as to why he was being dragged into taking this photo, which he knew would be a group selfie since Penny hated posing for a camera she wasn't holding. She really cared about angles.
Somewhere along the way, he'd realized that this Oliver Wood must've been one of the people in the band. Guitarist? Drummer? Maybe he was the singer with the angelic vocals. Whatever he did, he must've been really good for Penny, as obsessed as she was with music theory, to appreciate his talent. Percy wouldn't mind a photo with such a person, especially if said person was attractive as well.
Penny got all close to the man, in that awkward side hug pose that you'd see celebrities do so often when taking pictures with fans. Percy wasn't about to do that; he hardly knew of Wood and honestly didn't trust himself to get so close. What if he did something really weird and scared him away before Penny could get her photo? She would hate him forever.
So, while Penny readied her camera, Percy positioned himself slightly behind the pair, awkwardly lurking. More than anything, he was hiding behind Wood's head and Penny's hair. If he was lucky, Penny's angles would make it where he was hardly even in the frame. But he was not. (Lucky, that is.)
"Oi! Don't you want to be in the photo? Get in here!" Wood beckoned, making room for Percy between him and Penny. After a second of Percy awkwardly standing there, startled, the decision was made for him when he felt Wood's heavy arm settle on his shoulders, effectively sandwiching him between the two. Standing there awkwardly, he shared a look with Penny.
Penny, who'd been all ready to take the photo, first turned to looked at Wood curiously, then smirked at Percy, a glint in her eyes that he didn't like. "Yes, Perce. Get in here!"
"I'm... here," Percy gritted out as Penny's arm encircled his waist. She pinched him.
Wood laughed, which Penny raised an eyebrow at. She shrugged it off quickly, though. Who was she to dictate what he found funny? Maybe she was just used to Percy's... charm?
Readying her hand again, Penny took the pictures with her front camera: 1,2,3. All in quick succession, and all with the flash.
As she moved to examine them, Oliver turned to Percy who was squinting and blinking rapidly. "Are you alright?"
"Umm... y-yeah. Just problems with my vision. I — glasses, y'know?" Percy stuttered out an explanation before putting on his most dashing smile, which made it more awkward than anything. From the look on Wood's face, he in fact did not know what Percy was on about, but accepted the answer anyway.
Truth be told, Percy had forgotten all about his current sensitivity to light. With his pupils as dilated as they were, they practically drank up the flash from Penny's camera, and it was nearly blinding. But if that was bad, what came next was even worse.
Apparently, Penny had found it appropriate to take a picture with her back camera as well (maybe a 0.5x), and with the same speed as the first few (1,2,3), snapped them up. It was over within seconds, but the spots in Percy's vision wouldn't go away for quite a few minutes. Not to mention the tears...
Percy wasn't the only one caught off guard by the last three photos, Oliver left in a daze next to him. He didn't even have time to look at the camera, too busy looking at, well...
The photos told the story beautifully. Oliver caught a glimpse as the girl scrolled through them with varying expressions of glee and amusement on her face. As expected, and much to his chagrin, the camera caught him staring at the red-haired man (Percy, his mind supplied) for the last three.
Apparently, this didn't go unnoticed by the girl, who giggled to herself as she played the Live Photos. Oliver resisted the urge to curse out loud. He couldn't believe he'd been caught acting like... well, that.
"I just have one final ask, I'm sorry. We'll be on our way after, swear!" The girl gushed, having stopped giggling at the photos some time in between Oliver going on a self-deprecating rant in his head.
"Oh, sure," Oliver cleared his throat, shaking his head to get his mind right. In the humblest way, he was the celebrity. He ought to act like it. What was he doing, losing his composure and training with fan interactions when said fan was cute? And wasn't even a fan!
"Can you sign my..." She paused for a moment, thinking of what he could sign. She didn't really bring any memorabilia, preferring to travel light. "Shirt," she decided. "Can you sign my shirt?"
Oliver went to move his arm to dig around in his pocket for a sharpie he kept on hand for occasions like this, burying his shame as he realized he hadn't moved it from around Percy's shoulders. He hoped the girl hadn't noticed. "You sure? It looks like a nice shirt," he complimented, giving her the opportunity to change her mind. In his honest opinion, shirts were the worst to sign. But the girl was sure, and so he did it.
"He'll want one too," the girl said after he was done. It was quick and easy due to the texture of her top, and Oliver was glad that his sharpie looked to be functioning perfectly after the fact.
But as he turned to Percy with a grin, sharpie at the ready, he found the other to be shaking his head vehemently, a frown on his face.
"He can't sign my shirt," Percy hissed to the girl as if Oliver weren't right there.
Oliver pursed his lips, trying not to take offense and failing miserably.
"Just sign his arm, then," the girl directly addressed Oliver, waving Percy off like he'd never made the complaint.
Oliver looked at Percy, who was already looking at him. Maybe the man just didn't want an autograph, but Oliver asked anyway. "That alright with you?"
Percy offered his arm, a nod of assent coming shortly after. He didn't really care whether or not he walked away with an autograph, considering this kind especially would be gone within days, but with that in mind, what did he have to lose?
Wood wasted no time in taking Percy's wrist into his firm grasp, steadying his arm before putting the tip of the marker to his pale skin. Percy controlled a shiver, but couldn't resist a little titter. It tickled.
At the small noise, Oliver chanced a glance at Percy's face, suppressing a smile at the reaction. The man had this dopey smile on his face, and Oliver quickly averted his gaze, taking a few seconds to remember what he was supposed to be doing before starting to move the marker, gently tracing his signature onto this man’s arm.
Granted, Oliver had signed many, many limbs before but something about this time felt strangely poetic. He was being so... not normal over this not-fan with a head full of red hair and an arm full of freckles.
When he was done, he had the urge to do it again. And again, until his name was all over this stranger's body. But of course, he didn't do that. Instead, he stood there, waiting. What for, he didn't know.
"I like your bracelet," Percy finally remarked, breaking the expectant silence that had settled between them.
Oliver looked down at his hand that still held Percy's, and at his wrist to the 'bracelet' in question that he wore 24/7/365, yet couldn't for the life of him remember what it looked like in that moment. It was a simple leather cuff, decorated with pins and badges that sometimes came loose and dug into his skin. He absolutely loved it.
"Oh, this old thing?" Oliver shrugged. What was wrong with him? "I like yours, too."
"Mine?" Percy questioned, and sounded genuinely confused. He looked at both his wrists, and only after Oliver had quickly moved his hand, uncovering some plain silicone wristbands, did Percy know what he was talking about. He forgot he even had them on.
They were all pretty cheap and fading — two from an organization he volunteered at sometimes and one that Ginny had given him because they were passing them out at her school and she'd snatched an extra. She was a klepto in training at the time.
"Oh, these old things?" He mimicked Oliver's previous answer. "Yours is sooo much cooler."
Oliver stared at those bright blue eyes, those red fluttering red eyelashes that looked like a trick of the light, and found himself blurting, "Have it."
"Woah," the girl interjected from somewhere to the side of them. She had been quiet this entire time and Oliver had completely forgotten about her presence.
"I really couldn't," Percy shook his head, gaze never leaving Oliver's wrist. "I mean, it looks like it has great value."
It did, but it was clear to see that it interested Percy very much. Percy interested Oliver very much.
Slipping it off his wrist nonchalantly, Oliver assured him, "S'fine, really. We'll trade."
"Oh. I — okay," Percy blinked. At the moment, his dopamine-flooded brain was feeling even more satisfied. What a steal!
Sniffling slightly because his nose felt a bit tingly, he fumbled with all three of his wristbands before holding them out to Oliver, observing but not completely registering it when the man swapped out their accessories.
Only when, without asking, Oliver began to help put the cuff on Percy's wrist did Percy's brain catch up to him. "—to be careful with the pins because they can unstick and—"
"You're really nice," Percy said, only slightly aware that he'd cut Oliver off.
Oliver didn't mind at all, feeling his throat constrict at the compliment as he finished putting the wristband on Percy. He had to get creative, as the man's wrist was far narrower than his. "...Thank you."
"Mhm," Percy hummed in acknowledgment, twisting his arm and flipping his wrist to examine the new addition. It looked much better on Wood, he decided, but his own wristbands looked good on Wood too.
Oliver sucked in a breath as the world came rushing back to him, no longer able to immerse himself in his interaction with Percy. It was time he remembered his own name, where he was, why he was there, how there was somebody else there besides him and Percy who he'd never even gotten the name of, and how he really ought to be wrapping this up if he wanted to avoid coming off any weirder.
"Okay, well, it was nice meeting you lot..." he started, but was once more met with momentary distraction in the form of Percy.
Percy couldn't stop staring, taking in every detail of Oliver's face as he could. Especially his eyes...
They looked like they were strobing, blinking many shades of brown in rapid succession. Percy never knew eyes to strobe, and knew that if anything, it was his own vision that made Oliver's eyes look like that. But it was just so fascinating, and he was high out of his mind, and Oliver's face was close enough to just reach out and...
Oliver saw it coming, really. Percy wasn't being discreet about it, and his arm was extending relatively slowly. He couldn't even be blamed.
Oliver had ample time to stop him, but didn't. In his defense, he only thought Percy was going to touch his face. And even though he was kind of insane for entertaining the thought of letting that happen, simply because Percy was pretty, it didn't even seem that bad compared to what he'd actually done.
"Oh, Percy, don't do that!" They both heard Penny say, but both ignored her. Percy because he was already doing it and his lack of impulse control wouldn't allow him to stop unless somebody physically stopped him, and Oliver simply because he didn't think anything terrible would happen.
He didn't even realize where Percy's fingers were headed before he felt the stinging in his eye at the intrusion, flinching back at the light poke. Tears sprang to his eye, and he clutched it belatedly, more so out of shock than anything.
"Oh, fuck, Percy!" The girl exclaimed, snatching Percy away before Oliver could even blink away all the tears.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Percy apologized, sounding overly regretful.
"He's extremely high right now," the girl hastened to explain, voice fretful. "Please don't press charges."
In hindsight, that would explain a lot of Percy's erratic and whimsical behavior — his reaction to the camera flash, his slightly glassy eyes. Oliver didn't really know him, however, and so had no behavior to compare it to. The girl just treated it like business as normal, so Oliver assumed it was.
In any case, he was more embarrassed than mad, and he definitely wasn't going to press charges on something he'd kind of allowed to happen simply because...
"That's okay," Oliver assured her, wiping his eyes one final time. "It's, uh — can I get him anything? Lemon water, maybe? Ibuprofen?"
"Lemon water?" Percy echoed, confused at the specification. Does the band really like lemon water? Why not regular water?
At the same time, Penny declined Oliver's offer. "That's very nice of you, but I really couldn't ask that much of you."
"It's really no problem," Oliver shrugged. And if he was stalling their departure for his own selfish reasons? This was far more interesting than a cigarette break.
"I would hate to be a bother," the girl told him, looking between himself and Percy knowingly. Oliver grew flustered. "And I think it's best if I just get him home. It's been quite the night."
"Of course," Oliver agreed politely, watching as the girl wrapped her arm around Percy's waist. He'd completely forgotten about his idea that they might've been dating, too caught up in doing whatever that was. However, based on the girl's lack of reaction, she didn't care that Oliver had the hots for her companion.
"It was nice meeting you," Percy smiled that dopey, dopey smile, and Oliver wondered how he'd only just figured out the situation.
Oliver's responding smile was automatic, because despite it all he really couldn't help it.
Penny shook her head at the absurdity of it all, dragging Percy away. Away from the restricted area, away from the fucking famous musician who clearly had a little crush on him, and back the way they came. It would be a long walk to the [insert mode of transportation here], but nothing Percy couldn't handle, as keen to walk as he was.
They'd only gotten a few meters away before Percy was huffing, "I can walk," for the second time that night, and Penny let him go with a slight laugh about the full-circle moment.
What a night.