#needthat

The next morning, Percy remembered first waking up around 7:15. He was torn between getting up for the sake of his discipline or staying in bed because why would he get up? He was comfortable and there was nothing of importance for him to attend to. So he slept again. 

He probably went in and out of consciousness 3 times before he just couldn't sleep anymore. Opening his eyes, Percy found himself on his back with his arms folded behind his head. He found it really hard to believe that he'd slept like that the whole night, especially when he didn't go to sleep like that, but he chalked it up to it being one of those things he did when he was half-lucid.

Oliver was still asleep. His arm was loosely wrapped around Percy and he was facing him, yet Percy still had to squint to determine whether or not Oliver's eyes were open. 

After scrubbing at his face to get himself to think coherently, he decided to reach over and grab his half-charged phone from the nightstand. Oliver's arm tightened around him as he did so, but not enough to keep him from doing anything. 

Opening his phone, he realized why he'd even woken up at 7:15 in the first place. Penelope would not stop texting him. If it were anybody but her, Percy would consider it strange because it would've been around 2:15 where she was. Sighing, he opened his messages to see what was so important now. 

It ended up being a screenshot of one of Oliver's posts, and Percy got a weird feeling of deja vu. Under it, it said "soft launch??" and "this is what you left me on read for?" An hour later she sent, "okay that's definitely you Perce" and then started spamming him to call her because he should be the one awake, not her. Percy hoped she'd fallen asleep by now. 

Taking the time to look at the screenshot, Percy realized that yes, he was in the photo, but it was just his hand. Except it was being held in Oliver's and that might've been a little more problematic. He saw that it was one photo out of an extensive slideshow, so he decided to take a look at Oliver's post himself.

When Penelope had texted him, her screenshot displayed there being 64 likes with her being one of them, but it also showed that she weirdly waited 7 hours to text him about it. Now, the post was at 87k likes and quite a few comments and Percy chose to ignore the slight panic that ignited in his chest.

Going through the slideshow, Percy had seen most of them the night before. There were less pictures because it was in the format of a photo dump rather than an entire stop motion. Like he'd requested, there weren't any photos of Percy mixed in there except for that one with his hand in it at the very end. Although, you could see their shadows in some.

Percy stared at the picture for a good minute. It was a nice picture, sure, but there was definitely a reason why Oliver didn't run it past him. Looking at the comments confirmed his suspicions. 

Almost everybody was speculating; girls were freaking out about how it should've been them, some were confused because it looked like a male hand, and others were reassuring everybody that it was a joke. Percy wondered at the audacity of those last people, because who says that without even knowing?

Several minutes had passed with Percy neurotically scrolling through comments until Oliver finally began to stir. It looked like he was going to turn over, but then he didn't, and Percy jumped at the opportunity.

"Jeez, Ollie," Percy made sure to say loud enough for Oliver to register with his sleep-addled brain. "You sure are selfish."

Oliver merely grunted.

Percy took that as a sign to continue. "I mean, this filter totally makes my skin look pure white and speckled with dirt! But wow, look at how amazing your hands are. I'm jealous."

"What the bloody hell are you even talking about..." Oliver groaned, finally opening his eyes. Percy shoved his phone in Oliver's face, and then his visage was shifting from annoyed to sheepish. "Oh, that."

"Yeah, that," Percy repeated sarcastically. "I didn't even know this picture existed and now," he paused for a moment check the view count (never let it be said that he wasn't accurate), "it's been seen 450,000 times!"

"Actually, some people could've seen the video and not that photo," Oliver argued futilely. Percy's blank stare had him quickly apologizing. "I'm really sorry. I didn't think you'd mind because it doesn't have your face in it so if the problem was privacy then that's not really an issue."

Percy could concede that point, but he still thought it was a rather sneaky thing to do. He didn't have anything to say, so he just sighed heavily to convey his frustration. After a minute of Oliver staring at the side of his face expectantly, Percy told him, "You should check your comments."

Oliver cringed. "Are they bad?"

Percy mockingly patted Oliver's hand which was easy to do because his arm was still wrapped around Percy. "You did this to yourself. You knew what would happen."

"Are you really mad at me?" Oliver asked him. It was more incredulous than guilty, so Percy knew he missed the mark on getting Oliver to see the error of his ways.

"Not... really."

They were impossibly slow to get up. Check out was at 12:00, but all they had to do was brush their teeth and get dressed because they had nothing but the clothes on their backs when they'd gotten there. Oliver reminded Percy of this fact several times when Percy started saying that they should probably get up.

"Okay," Percy began. "11:30. Maybe now?"

Oliver shook his head, which was nuzzled into Percy's side. It tickled. "No, not yet," he protested. "It's not like they'll be waiting at the door if we don't leave out at exactly 12:00. Just wait. Aren't you comfortable?"

Percy sighed and nodded his agreement before slipping out of bed. Oliver tried to tighten his hold to get him to stay still, but he was seconds too late and Percy was already halfway to the bathroom. "Sorry."

"Wow, Perce," Oliver cursed him, rolling around in the bed. Apparently he was not so comfortable anymore, as he sat up after a minute, the frustration evident on his face. "Now I have to get up."

"Yes, you do," Percy agreed. He didn't know if Oliver could understand him because at that point he had a toothbrush stuck in his foam-filled mouth, but what else could he have possibly said?

"Look, Perce," Oliver called, making his way to stand in front of the open bathroom door as he put his shirt on. "You never got to touch my bare chest. Doesn't that make you feel sad?"

Percy spat in the sink. "Shut up," he said, making room for Oliver in the bathroom. As he rinsed his mouth out, though, he was able to admit to himself that it was very regrettable. Oliver was quite fit.

They swapped places, and then they were both ready at 11:45 which made Oliver start to complain about how they could've been in bed for longer. 

"You slept for like 10 hours," Percy scoffed. "When do you tell yourself that maybe that's enough sleep?"

"You slept even more, I know it," Oliver shot back. "And there's never enough sleep. I wasn't even trying to sleep, I was just trying to be in bed."

"Right," Percy nodded, the disbelief evident in his tone.

Oliver smirked at him. "What, you didn't like being in bed with me? Is that it?"

"Don't start with me, Oliver," Percy sighed. "Is this how you want to spend our last 15 minutes together?"

"Last 15 minutes?" Oliver echoed, his voice rising in pitch. "Don't you want to go do something?"

"No, I'm all out of money," Percy told him as if that was a given.

Oliver shrugged. "Parks are free. We could go to a park."

Percy thought about it, he really did, but, "I promised my mum I'd be home in the afternoon."

"Please, Percy," Oliver begged him. "I don't want for this to end."

He looked so sad that Percy almost caved. But he couldn't. He'd already extended their meeting by getting the hotel, and he thought it would be overkill if he did anything more. "Distance makes the heart fonder, Oliver," he told him sagely. "We'll see each other again."

"Really?" Oliver deadpanned. "You can't go to the park with me for 15 minutes?"

Percy could only shrug.

"Fine," Oliver sighed. "I see how it is. How about a farewell kiss?"

"Seriously?" Percy questioned. He couldn't tell if Oliver was being genuine or if it was another one of his jokes.

Oliver took slow steps toward Percy who was sat on the bed. "Deadly."

Percy nervously took out his phone and looked at the time before showing it to Oliver. "Oh, would you look at that? 11:58... we should head out."

Oliver stared at him, gobsmacked, and Percy took the opportunity to stand up and make his way to the door. "You could've just said no," Oliver finally spoke, following Percy to the door.

"Sorry, I'm a coward," Percy replied, holding the door for an annoyed Oliver. And wasn't that the truth? He actually did want to kiss Oliver, but he was just scared of what would happen afterward. Also, what if he did it so bad that Oliver never wanted to see him again. It was thoughts like that...

They got to the lobby where Oliver went and checked them out, and Percy stood around aimlessly (for support). When Oliver was done, they kind of just lingered, both unsure of what to do or say.

"Maybe we should take this outside?"

"Agreed."

So they went outside where they proceeded to do the same thing. Percy was shocked to find that he was the first person to say something. "I think we're making this harder than it has to be."

"I think it has to be really hard. When am I going to see you again?" Oliver replied softly.

"That's a good question," Percy answered. It was. He really didn't know. "I feel like... I should kiss you now."

Oliver nodded his agreement. "This does seem like an appropriate time."

"But I don't want to..." Now, Percy had to laugh. It was actually getting ridiculous. All the flirting, dancing around each other, acting like they were dating yet Percy was too scared to kiss him. "Why are we so awkward?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Perce," Oliver began, "I think it's you." Seeing the upset protest on Percy's lips, he hastened to add, "It's okay, though! I'm really into it. The long game, how fun."

Percy's original indignation subsided into reluctant acceptance. Yeah, it probably was him. He was only so awkward because nothing like this had ever happened to him before. Like ever. He'd kissed a few people, sure, but nobody had ever expressed interest in him like Oliver had. It was the most exciting thing in his life to date, and he was so scared to fuck it up that he may just fuck it up that way. But Oliver was patient(ish) and a saint and for that Percy was grateful. To show this, he couldn't bring himself to kiss him, so he settled on pulling him into a tight hug.

"God, I think I love you," he mumbled, unthinking, into Oliver's chest.

Oliver, who'd received his hug with surprise, said nothing in response. His hold got slightly tighter, though, and Percy took that as a sign of acknowledgment. Maybe even reciprocity. Hopefully reciprocity.

The train ride home was very painful. Percy kept rethinking the moment and cringing, because god forbid Oliver knew a sliver of how he felt. Sometimes, he really hated the way he thought. He needed to think with the glass half full.

As he'd arrived back at around 16:30, his siblings had basically just gotten home and were yet to start any homework. Just lazy, that lot. Instead, they were lounging around the living room like they actually liked each other, so it was awkward when Percy walked in and they all turned to look at him. 

"Well, look here! It's the man of the hour!" Fred exclaimed, looking at Percy like he'd caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to. 

Percy shuffled awkwardly. "I guess that's me," he waved before trying to escape to his room.

"Hey! You haven't been here since yesterday! Come sit," George said, patting the open seat on the couch.

Cursing himself, Percy decided he would sit. Not there, though. He didn't trust it. Instead, he sat next to Ginny on the floor and waited for anybody to say something. It ended up being Ginny. 

"So, Perce," she began mischievously. "Mum said that you didn't come back yesterday because you were spending special time with a friend. Is that true?"

Percy frowned. "She really said that?"

"Verbatim," Ron laughed. He was yet to even look away from his phone and at Percy, but evidently he was still paying attention to the conversation. Percy wondered when he'd learned the word verbatim.

"Yes," Ginny agreed, moving the conversation along. "So, were you with Oliver? Be honest."

At least she was straight to the point. Percy could only bring himself to nod, but that was enough for Ginny to start absolutely freaking out and for the rest of them to stare at her like she was crazy.

"Did you guys actually... y'know..." She asked when she calmed down.

Percy almost got up instantly, his face flushing a terrible red. "No! Why would you ask me that?"

"I heard mum tell you to use protection," Ron chimed in plainly. Fred and George nodded, indicating they'd heard it too.

"I hate this house," Percy grumbled, getting up. His siblings just watched him go. "Can't get any privacy around here."

He went to his room, but only to get toiletries so that he could shower before his siblings suddenly decided that they wanted to. He left his phone on the charger in his room as he didn't want to be bothered with it. He hadn't checked his messages since he had left Oliver, and if he was being honest with himself, he was scared to. The thing he was scared of the most was checking his messages and there was nothing there (though to be fair it's not like Percy had texted either).

As he showered, all he could think about was the day, night, and morning he had with Oliver. He relived it in his head, wishing things had gone so much more different. He wished he hadn't been so awkward and he wished he'd kissed Oliver and he knew it would take him a while to actually appreciate that 20 hours (give or take). But the fact of the matter was that he did have fun in the moment, no matter how tarnished it was by regrets in memory. 

When he finally decided to stop wasting water by staring at the tile of the shower for long periods of time without doing anything, Percy got out and got dressed as usual. He got dressed in the bathroom; it was uncomfortable but habitual since Fred and George were prone to stealing his clothes if he laid them out on the bed. To them, that's the equivalent of sticking a 'prank me' sign on his own back.

He was happy to eventually be in his own bed, showered and clean. It would've been perfect if Oliver was there, though. He'd also have to be clean, because Percy had a thing for cleanliness. Anyway, he was surprised to see that Oliver had actually texted him an hour after they had parted ways and had since been sending him TikToks like everything was normal.

Maybe it would all be okay and Percy was thinking into it way too much. Maybe the dodged kiss didn't bother Oliver as much as it did Percy. That would make sense.

Percy dutifully watched the TikToks and replied to the ones he could formulate a reply to; a lot of them were just supposed to be funny and he didn't feel like spamming 'lol'. The last one Oliver sent, which was around 30 minutes prior when Percy was in the shower, he'd decided to caption "us" and nothing else. Percy didn't have to open it to see the text: "me w/ that one person who makes me happier like no other"

Percy's cursor blinked for a good second there, as he could really think of no way to express how that made him feel. He ultimately decided to just reply with his own. Oliver liked it when he did that. He didn't have to scroll long before finding and sending the perfect one: "me and that one boy that treats me so right even though I can be mean sometimes." For good measure, and because he didn't want to leave their exchange off and that note, he also sent one that read: "me cs I finally found a guy who I can be weird w/ and he doesn't judge me, js smiles at me." And then for even more good measure he reacted to Oliver's video with a heart, because why not. [1]

After that, Percy was spent. He felt like he just laid all his emotions bare with that one. It was so jarring that he almost opened Twitter. Luckily, an outrageous Reddit confession video caught his attention, and he was able to focus his heightened feelings on something that didn't have to do with himself and his actions. 

Oliver replied relatively quickly, and Percy's heart skipped a beat when he saw. He tried to swipe up and ignore it so that he had time to emotionally prepare, but by then he'd basically read half of it. On accident. And then Oliver did his unnecessary quadruple text thing and it was all for naught anyway.

"aww Percy that was the nicest thing you've ever said to me"

"well sent to me"

"I'm glad I make you feel that way"

"that means it's working"

Percy tried to resist asking what was working, because he knew that's what Oliver wanted him to ask and he felt like he knew what the nature of the reply would be, but he had no idea what else to say. So he asked.

"My amazing charm, that's what," Oliver replied, which was a little bit more tame than what Percy expected. He left him on read.

The cycle repeated for hours (send TikTok, have a conversation about it) until one of them wished the other good night, much like how it always did. 

Percy wondered if they'd be stuck in this place forever, and if it was really his fault. All because he was too scared to kiss Oliver just a few hours ago (which felt like weeks ago). He put his phone down with a sigh.

The next morning found Percy considering staying in the UK just to see Oliver again. But by the end of the week, he realized how naive he was to think that was an option. He really did want to stay, but then Oliver was going up to Scotland anyway which would make it harder to meet up. Not to mention how all throughout the week Penelope kept texting him about how excited her parents were to have him and all the preparations they were making. Sometimes he felt uncomfortable staying with them as it felt like he was mooching, but that just made him feel guilt for considering not showing. In all actuality, he'd much rather spend the summer with Penelope and her parents in New York than here in England with his annoying siblings who'd be even more insufferable when they were finally on summer holidays. He'd already paid for a round trip ticket anyway, which he could definitely get refunded but he could also just... leave. The nail in the coffin was his job; if he couldn't hang out with Oliver then he needed to find productivity elsewhere (also money to spend).

So, with Fred and George deciding to pull a going-away prank on him early in the morning, it was not with a heavy heart that Percy got on his plane at the end of the week. He prayed they didn't post the video on whatever platform they were favoring that day. His mum didn't want him to leave, and he'd miss her dearly, but what most excited him about being an adult was that he was able to escape her at his will. Sometimes, he felt guilty for how much he hated being around his family, but then he spent time with them and...

Arriving back in New York, he took a cab to Penelope's parents home that was technically in an unreasonably expensive city in New Jersey but was super close to Manhattan. They welcomed him as if he was their own son and they'd even given him his own room. Percy was very appreciative. Penelope always insisted that it was an act they put up and they were secretly supervillains, but Percy thought that it was a bit of an exaggeration. They were her parents, though...

Over the summer, Penelope worked the same job as him because not only was it funner that way but Percy had no way else to get to work and Penelope could use the extra cash despite having a father who would readily pay all of her expenses. He could've taken the train, really, but Penelope insisted and who was he to turn down the opportunity to not have to take public transport?

For the second year of his life, Percy spent his summer working at the library with Penelope and pretending to be a part of her wealthy family when her parents would occasionally invite them to the country club or some other outlandishly rich thing that Percy had never heard of until he met Penelope. Never let it be said that he didn't enjoy his summers. The only difference was that he spent his nights holed up in his guest room and talking to Oliver. Penelope relentlessly teased him about that. He typically had no problem telling her about his (limited) romantic endeavors, but with Oliver it felt way more personal and somehow more embarrassing at the same time, so he liked to keep it to himself. Maybe it was because he actually liked Oliver.

On one particular day in mid-July, Percy and Penelope were strolling around the golf course that her family frequented. They were lagging slightly behind her parents who were walking around 3 meters ahead of them to get the golf cart. Penelope smartly decided that then was the time to take pictures, so she made Percy drop all the clubs he was carrying and take photos for her Instagram.

"You take good pictures," she'd told him when he started complaining. 

At this point, her parents had reached the golf cart and seemed to be waiting for them, so Percy took a last few pictures before hurrying her along. They were just 5 meters away when Penelope stopped and started flipping through all of the photos to decide which ones she liked. 

"Hm... my ponytail looks lumpy here," She commented contemplatively.

"I think your parents are waiting for us," Percy pointed out awkwardly.

Penelope waved him off. "It's okay, they can wait a little longer. I'll only be..." she trailed off as she focused in on examining the pictures again. "A minute."

Apparently, that was too long for her parents who'd hopped in the golf cart and drove off to the next part of the course without a word. Percy inwardly sighed. Penelope didn't seem to care.

"Did they tell you where to find the second cart?" Percy asked her. Only then did she look up and notice that her parents had taken their cart and left.

Penelope blew a raspberry, something weird that she did when she found herself in dumb situations that she put herself in. "No, but... let's go ask. Where are the caddies, anyway?"

They ended up walking around for a bit before they were able to find where Penelope's parents went, and they continued on with their game like nothing happened. Penelope's dad, "Please Percy, call me Dave," helped Percy with his swing and said he was a natural but that practice made perfect. From the way Penelope kept giggling every time it was Percy's turn, that was just a lie to make him feel better. Even though he was apparently really bad from the way he was in last by 9, Percy was enjoying himself.

Midway through the 3rd hole, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It wasn't his turn and Dave had just hit it into the water. They were stood around waiting for somebody to bring a replacement, so he took the opportunity to check it. Of course, it was Oliver.

The message simply read, "hey need to tell you smth," but it genuinely struck anxiety and maybe a little fear into Percy's heart. He couldn't imagine what Oliver had to say to him.

Penelope, sensing his distress, peaked over his shoulder. "Talking to loverboy?" She asked understandingly.

Percy shushed her, gesturing to her parents.

She frowned, concerned. "Percy, you know they know you're gay, right?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Well, obviously. But they don't need to know every fucking detail of my romantic life. Is that okay with you?"

"Okay, geez," Penelope placated, raising her hands. "Must be some trouble in paradise."

"No," Percy protested. He continued weakly, "he just said he needed to tell me something. What does that mean?"

Penelope seemed to ponder it before replying, "Well, maybe it means that, oh, I don't know, he needs to tell you something."

Percy scoffed, but didn't react much. He'd expected it, honestly. "I'll just tell him I'm busy and ask to FaceTime later."

"Don't do that," Penelope told him automatically.

"Too late," Percy said, pressing send on his message that read, "im w penny and her family rn, ft later?" He didn't wait for a reply because as soon as he'd sent it, they'd gotten a new golf ball and resumed the game. 

By the end of it, Percy thought he might've had a slight sunburn (he was insanely red and his skin kind of burned), he had kind of gotten wrecked in the game (he lost by 20), and he was about ready to die as the sun reached its peak. Still, it was fun, and the caddies had given him a few tips when Dave couldn't. They didn't really help, but he appreciated it nonetheless. Rich people hobbies just weren't for him.

Only when they finally got back into the car with the AC on full blast did Percy finally work up the energy to pull out his phone. It was really hot to the touch, and he was surprised it hadn't been disabled to keep from exploding. 

He was also surprised to see that Oliver had tried to call him twice, especially because he hadn't felt his phone buzzing. Concerned, he checked the two texts that Oliver had sent him prior to making the calls. 

They seemed to be sent literally right after Percy sent his, so he felt bad for missing them. Upon reading them, he nearly knocked Penelope's smelly feet off of his lap. He really hated when she did that, but she was resilient and an unmovable object. 

Oliver's messages, which read, "can't wait," and "im in New York," were sent 2 hours ago.

Now Percy felt really bad.

Penelope, noticing his gobsmacked face, shifted so that she was leaning into his personal space to see what he was looking at. Before he had to hide his phone, Dave came to the rescue.

"Sit in your seat properly, Penelope. Buckle up while you're at it, unless you want to go flying through the windshield," He chastised her.

Penelope groaned, but she sat back and did what her father asked. "Text me," she told Percy.

Her mom, Claire, shook her head. "We talk in this car. Why text each other when you're a foot apart?"

Percy and Penelope exchanged a look. Usually, Percy didn't mind the rule, as it was actually enforced for his comfort so that he felt like he could talk to her parents. He just wished they didn't enforce it this particular time.

For her part, Penelope got over her annoyance with her parents and was now looking at Percy expectantly. "Well, go on then."

Percy took a deep breath before mumbling, "Oliver's in New York."

Penelope gasped. "Oliver's in New York?" She repeated, three times louder.

Dave, from his spot behind the wheel, cheered. "Yay! Oliver's in town."

"Stop it, dad," Penelope sighed, annoyed at his antics. Percy, on any other occasion, would've found it quite funny

"Who's Oliver?" Claire asked them, turning to look between them.

"Percy's b—", Penelope began to blurt her answer obnoxiously loud, and Percy's hand flew over her mouth. Claire raised an eyebrow.

Percy dropped his hand, embarrassed. "He's a new friend of ours."

"Of his," Penelope corrected. "Percy hasn't properly introduced me yet."

Percy scoffed. "When you say it like that you make it sound like you've expressed interest in meeting him."

"Of course I'd want to meet him!" Penelope exclaimed, offended.

Claire watched the exchange quietly before tentatively asking Percy, "Is he... is this someone you're seeing?"

Percy was mortified, and it was made even worse when Penelope took it upon herself to answer for him, "Yes, they've been talking for months and Percy actually saw him when he went back home that first week. Oliver plays hockey at some university in England."

"Couldn't have explained it better myself," Percy said bitterly, glaring at Penelope.

"Hockey, huh? That must translate to a nice golf swing. You should invite him out with us," Dave chimed in.

"I don't think..." Percy left his sentence unfinished. It wasn't that it was a bad idea, it was just that he'd rather not. That would be terrible. Not only was he bad at golf and Oliver would see it, but also Oliver would be around these people who he's slowly come to consider his second family. It was like mixing two different parts of his life.

"So, are you guys seeing each other or just talking? Penelope tells me those are different things," Claire clarified.

Percy clenched his jaw as if bracing himself. This was terrible. "Just... talking."

"Mom, it's so bad," Penelope chimed in. "They're basically dating but just refuse to call it that."

"I don't understand young people these days," Dave commented. "When you see someone and you like them, why don't you just ask them out? All that skirting around, for what? I just went for it, and now Claire and I have been happily married for decades."

Claire nodded in agreement.

Percy wanted to die. He didn't like the topic of conversation being his love life or dating in general, and especially not with Penelope and her parents.

"You know what, dad? I agree," Penelope spoke up. "Percy, go ask Oliver out."

"On it," Percy replied sarcastically. Because he'd definitely do that after months of avoiding it just because she asked him to. Penelope's parents didn't seem to pick up on the sarcasm. 

"Atta boy," Dave cheered. He probably felt like he just deeply moved Percy. Claire smiled in approval and finally turned back around to look at the road ahead again.

It was a long and torturous car ride back.

When they arrived back, Dave went off to his office to do some work while Claire went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Percy offered his help and it seemed like Claire was going to accept but then Penelope came and told him to fuck off and took his spot.

"Three is a crowd," she told him, her tone apologetic. She was so full of it. Percy stood there for a good minute before Claire dismissed him, reassuring him that they didn't need his help and that dinner would be ready soon.

He was going to linger, if only for something to do, but then he decided that he'd take the opportunity to finally respond to Oliver, which he'd put off until he could be alone (or at the very least not with Penelope's parents). Going to his room, he shut the door and put his phone on the charger before changing out of his outside clothes.

Laying on the bed, he decided to skip over texting Oliver and just called him before he could overthink it. Oliver picked up after the first ring.

"Hello?" Oliver's familiar voice rasped.

Percy frowned. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

He heard shuffling, then, "s'fine. My timer was just about to go off. I'm a little jet lagged."

"I bet," Percy laughed. He could understand the feeling. There was beat of silence where both waited for the other to say something. Percy spoke first, "Can I FaceTime you?"

Oliver hummed. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not really looking my best at the moment."

"Yeah, right," Percy humored him, switching the call. Oliver's forehead appeared on his screen and he seemed to be doing something, his face going in and out of the camera. "What are you doing?"

"Fixing cereal," Oliver replied, his voice distant. "I went to the store and this is all I got. Reese's Puffs. I love this stuff."

Percy held back a snicker at the awe in Oliver's voice. Reese's Puffs weren't even really the best, but they were pretty decent. He went through his phone quietly as he waited for Oliver to finish, and Oliver's voice floating through alerted him to go back to the camera.

"Look, Perce," Oliver said. Percy got back on the FaceTime app just in time to see Oliver flip his camera around. It was a window he was being shown, and outside was a skyline. He looked to be in Manhattan, which of course he was, and maybe for the first time that day it truly set in that Oliver was in New York.

"Wow, some view," Percy decided to comment.

Oliver propped his phone up on something, giving Percy a nice view of him sitting on a couch while eating his cereal. "Crazy, right?" Oliver shrugged, his mouth full with cereal.

"Yeah, it really is," Percy agreed softly, knowing that they were talking about two different things. "What are you doing in New York, anyway?"

For a moment, Oliver stopped shoveling cereal into his mouth, a shy smile blossoming on his lips. "What do you think, Perce?"

He said it as though it was obvious, and Percy felt like he'd very well known why, but just couldn't comprehend that Oliver would do that. "What? You mean to see me?"

"Yep," Oliver replied easily. "So, when can I see you?"

"Oh," Percy said dumbly, his brain malfunctioning. Getting ahold of his thoughts, he answered, "Well, I'm free most of the time. I just have work and... yeah. Anytime, really."

"Great," Oliver smiled, gazing at him so intently that Percy had to take his face out of the frame for a second. When he looked back, Oliver was back to eating his cereal and now had his phone in his hand doing lord knows what.

"Anyway," Percy cleared his throat. "Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. Penny and her family took me golfing. I'm quite rubbish."

"That's the most English I've heard you speak," Oliver commented, which offended Percy. He had picked up some American slang, but he was very noticeably English from the way he talked. Oliver interrupted his ruminations about the way he talked, continuing, "Golf sounds fun."

"It is, but in my personal opinion, it's just way too complicated. I'd rather just use one club, but there are special ones. My favorite part was riding in the golf cart but of course..." His rambling was interrupted when he heard the door swing open and then Penelope was standing in the doorway.

"Dinner's ready but mom went to go change. Come help me set the table," She told him before noticing that he was on the phone. She got closer before gasping excitedly, "Is that Oliver?"

"Hi," Oliver called, evidently having heard her.

"I heard you were in New York. You should stop by the library one day and say hi to our dearest Percy. Or you can steal him away for a few hours, I don't mind. In fact, I encourage it because..."

Percy cut her off. He could tell it was going to get embarrassing fast, and she was talking like he wasn't even there. "Bye Oliver, I've got to go," he told him before promptly hanging up the phone. He then turned to glare at Penelope, but she was already halfway out of the door.

"Make haste, Percy," she called, going down the stairs.

Percy sighed before getting up to follow her.