Emilio
Emilio Lawrence considered himself to be a bit ambitious. He was no Slytherin, but he definitely knew what he wanted. Out of all his roommates, he felt as though he was the only one who understood that there was more to life than either reading books, or being high in the clouds to "channel creativity." He definitely wasn't the most down to earth person, but he was all there.
He considered himself to be a bit of a romantic as well. His father was a halfblood British wizard, and his mother was a muggle Italian woman. One summer, when they were teenagers, his father went to Italy and met his mother, where they instantly fell in love and lived out their own Romeo and Juliet that ended in decidedly less tragedy and death. Not to mention how his paternal and maternal families weren't in a generations-long blood feud, but rather they didn't approve of his father and mother claiming to be in love, so young and so fast.
Emilio was raised to believe in true love, love at first sight, soulmates, all those things. Hell, Romeo and Juliet was still his favorite book! He was a little skeptical, though. If all this were true, then where was his person? Admittedly, he hadn't been searching at Hogwarts, under the impression that if he was going to have forever with someone, it would be someone he met after broadening his horizons, much like his parents. But he's been traveling every summer since he could remember, and he's 15 now. He reasoned that looking within Hogwarts, since he wasn't doing it before, was considered broadening his horizons. His parents seemed to agree when he informed them of his decision.
They were encouraging, but they did remind him that what they had was special, and while they'd love for him to have it too, it just wasn't likely. Emilio knew that very well, so all he could do was stay silent as his parents stared at him pitifully.
"I was made prefect," he'd said, breaking the silence. He held up the Hogwarts letter.
"Congratulations, Lio!" Both of his parents had responded, way too cheerfully, in an attempt to lighten the moody blanket that settled over Emilio.
Now, as he made his way to the prefects meeting, stomach filled with dread, he didn't think much congratulations were in order. More like, 'we're so sorry that happened to you.' It's not as though he hadn't thought it an honor, or that he wasn't willing to do his duties. But a meeting?
He entered the designated prefects carriage and sat down near an older Ravenclaw prefect who'd unnecessarily made room for him, seeing as they were one of the few in there. Nevertheless, he'd taken the offer, and sat down to wait patiently as all of the rest of the prefects filed in for the meeting.
One of the last to make it in, just 2 minutes before they were due to start, was this lanky red-haired guy, and Emilio was immediately drawn. He held himself tall and importantly, and sat down in the seat across from Emilio with a much practiced grace. As the boy turned his head to intently listen to the head boy who began going on and on, first congratulating them all on being prefects and then starting to ramble about everything they had to do, Emilio got a good look at him.
His vivid and curled copper hair was medium in length, the sides draping just past his ears. It looked a little unkempt, and the boys harried nature became more apparent with the constant bouncing of his left leg. His eyebrows seemed chronically furrowed, though that might've been an attempt to block out the rare bit of sun that they were getting. It reflected off of his horn-rimmed glasses, blocking Emilio's view of his eyes, but he thought he could make out amber or brown. The sunshine also served to bathe him in a golden light, and his hair seemed to burn bright like fire.
Emilio knew that realistically, the person next to the boy was probably cast in the same light, but it just wasn't the same. His heart beat faster in his chest. To be frank, he found this boy quite beautiful. As such, he kept half an ear and mind to the conversation that was going on as it shifted from the Head Boy to the Head Girl talking, but most of his attention was split between glancing at the window and staring at the guy sat across from him. Despite this, he was present enough to be assigned a time where he was to patrol the train, and he caught that his partner was to be the boy Gryffindor prefect, Percy Weasley.
So that was his name. Emilio supposed it suited him, and the name echoed through his mind before it was quashed by the slamming open of the compartment door by the 6th year Slytherin girl prefect. The Hufflepuff following her looked back at his friends with raised eyebrows, but they just started snickering in turn. So it seemed that she didn't want to be first to do her rounds. As for himself, Emilio couldn't wait.
With the newfound room he had, the older Ravenclaw prefect was easy to convince to move, so Emilio was able to get the window seat. He was in no rush to leave, as he didn't really have friends to look forward to talking to. It seemed that Percy was in no rush, either. Emilio rested his head on the window, but he had to readjust multiple times until he was sure that he didn't look stupid. A quick glance at Percy before he closed his eyes showed that Emilio needn't worry what he looked like, because the other boy was leaned back, eyes lazily scanning the pages of a book sat on his lap.
Before he could even begin to dream, he was being gently shaken awake. Distantly, he heard a hushed voice say, "Um, excuse me?"
Emilio lifted his head with a sharp inhalation of breath, startled. "Yeah?" He answered, rubbing his eyes. When he dropped his hands, he held his breath as blue eyes met hazel. "Hi."
"Hi," Percy responded. "I think we've been partnered for our rounds. We should be leaving in a minute." He seemed to hesitate for a moment before sticking out his hand, "Percy Weasley," he introduced himself.
Emilio stood up, adjusting his robes. Now that he was able to see Percy's eyes without the glare of his glasses, he was entranced. They were definitely more hazel than brown, an apparent ring of green in them, but that didn't matter much to Emilio. They were gorgeous. Remembering himself, Emilio accepted Percy's hand. "Emilio Lawrence," he paused, "and I know your name."
Percy's hands were startlingly soft in comparison to his, Emilio thought. Looking into his eyes, Percy's hand in his, Emilio weirdly felt like he knew everything about him, yet there was still something more to yearn. He was infatuated. He never thought his Juliet would be a boy, but Emilio never cared for those particulars anyway. Love manifests itself in many ways, he understood.
"Oh," Percy responded, eyebrows raising in shock. As expected, they weren't furrowed now that he was out of the sun. "Well, I know yours, too." While he said this, he slipped his hand from Emilio's, who was still absently shaking it.
Immediately, Emilio felt a little embarrassed. He never had enough shame to blush, though. Never. And he wasn't going to start now. "After you," he said, with a sweeping motion toward the door.
Percy pursed his lips and exited the compartment, already 5 meters down the corridor by the time Emilio walked out. Emilio sped up to catch him, and together they walked up and down the Hogwarts Express.
"So," Percy began 5 minutes later. At this point, they'd walked down the hall once, as Percy was taking extra care to peak into his brothers' compartments. "I care to get to know you, seeing as we'll be doing this for the next 40 minutes or so. Would you mind?"
"Oh, no, not at all," Emilio responded. "Well, my name is Emilio... I like... well..." Emilio didn't know what to say.
"That's alright. I'm Percy, as you already know. I like to read. I also enjoy watching quidditch. I've got a few siblings, as you've just seen, and I quite like Sugar Quills!" Percy said, looking at Emilio as he spoke.
"Oh, well... I also like to read. Muggle poetry, that is. Shakespeare, heard of him?" At Percy's eye roll and muttered 'of course,' Emilio continued. "I'm an only child. Quidditch is fun, I suppose, but I'm more into muggle sports. I like Honeydukes dark chocolate, too. Everybody calls me Emilio, you know that, but you can call me Lio."
"Lio," Percy repeated to himself. Emilio loved the way he said it. Percy hummed before tentatively taking up his next topic, "Say, I notice you don't really talk much. I was a bit surprised when I saw you at the meeting. That's not to say you don't deserve it, it's just... you seem quite... reserved? Compared to the other Ravenclaw boys."
"Noticed that, did you?" Emilio snorted. "Let me let you in on a little secret. It's because they're all high out of their minds at all hours of the day. And I quite like the solitude."
"Oh," Percy couldn't suppress his laugh. Emilio loved the way his eyes crinkled as he laughed, a dimple appearing on his left cheek. "Do you do that?" Percy asked as his face sobered.
Emilio sighed. "Sometimes."
Percy gasped, scandalized."Bit of a rebel, are you?"
Emilio couldn't tell if he was joking, but he shrugged it off anyhow. "Only a bit."
They continued to make meaningless small talk for the next few minutes of their shift, and before they knew it, they were switching out for another pair.
"How fun has this been? I hope we can continue to talk to each other at Hogwarts, Lio. Just come and find me, yeah?" Percy smiled as he sat down, picking up his book that he'd discarded when they'd left.
"Of course," Emilio responded softly, gazing at Percy for what may have been a moment too long before hastily glancing away and watching the scenery pass by the window.
They didn't talk the rest of the way there.
Needless to say, Emilio did seek Percy out when they finally arrived at Hogwarts. Multiple times, actually. Why not?
The first time, Percy seemed a little confused, but delighted all the same. They exchanged a few pleasantries, and then parted ways as they both had duties to fulfill. The next time though, they didn't. Emilio caught him in the library on the 3rd day of classes, and he was walking up and down the row of books nearest to where Percy was sitting, sneaking anxious glances and debating whether or not to go and sit with him.
As luck would have it, the minute he turned his back on Percy, the boy snuck up on him. "Alright there, Lio?"
Emilio jumped. "Oh! Um... yeah. I'm just..." He scrambled to pick up the nearest book, tamping down the blush that threatened to rise on his cheeks. Never that. "Found it!" He exclaimed nervously, holding up the book victoriously.
"Oh, that one is quite interesting! I didn't know you were into arithmancy!" Percy commented enthusiastically.
Emilio snuck a glance at the title of the book in his hand. "Why, of course I am! Super interesting stuff," he said gravely, before asking, "Mind if I join you over there? I was going to make my way over as soon as I found my book."
"Oh, I was wondering what you were doing! You've been here quite some time," Percy replied, turning on his heel. "I was meaning to ask you to join me as well! Come on, then."
Emilio followed Percy to the little table he was sat at. He stood patiently while Percy rushed to gather all the books strewn around.
"Sorry about the mess," Percy mumbled, the tips of his ears turning red from embarrassment.
Emilio's eyes lingered on the sight before he snapped to attention. "No, it's fine," he hastened to assure, helping Percy with the rest of the books before choosing to take a seat right next to him rather than across.
They read together in silence for the next hour. Well, Percy read. Well, Percy tried to read. Emilio was still on the 2nd page of his book, as he was attempting to sneak discreet glances at Percy. Due to their proximity, however, he couldn't exactly be discreet when he did this. Percy kept noticing, and their eyes would meet before Emilio looked away, opting to pretend to read the book and then try again in 2 minutes. He was actually considering not looking away the next time, when Percy finally spoke up.
"Something the matter? Do I have anything on my face?" He sighed, frowning and putting down his book.
Emilio simply replied, "No," meeting Percy's glare head on.
"Then why do you keep staring at me?" Percy snapped.
"Am I?" Emilio challenged calmly.
"Yes," Percy hissed. "It's weird."
Emilio shrugged. "My apologies. It's just that," he deliberated his words before continuing, "I, um, quite like your face."
He delighted in the red flush that crept on Percy's freckled face. Honestly, that definitely wasn't his smoothest line, but it was gratifying all the same.
Despite the awkward start to their budding romance, Emilio got better at giving Percy compliments. Spending time with Percy only reaffirmed to him what he already knew. It was love at first sight. He'd been attracted to people before, and while Percy's silky dark red hair, gorgeous freckled face, and luminous hazel eyes did attract him, it wasn't just that. He appreciated Percy's dedication and ambition. Percy was practically a shoo-in for Head Boy in 2 years, and Emilio thought they should just skip over the 6th years and give Percy the position already. Percy, while serious, was kind when he wanted to be, witty, and intelligent. It was enamoring, really, and it always left Emilio amazed that no one had snatched him up yet. Their relationship was no Romeo and Juliet, because they definitely weren't getting married hours after meeting each other. In fact, they weren't even dating 9 months after meeting each other.
Emilio didn't know why. He understood that while he was taken with Percy as soon as they'd met, Percy didn't feel the same. That was fine. He just needed a little push. So, almost everyday since he'd realized that, he was on a mission to seduce Percy.
First, he thought that as they would get to know each other, Percy would be attracted to his confidence, his personality, or even their shared interests. Percy seemed like the type. He quickly realized, however, that there were a lot of interesting people at Hogwarts. Hell, not to imply that Percy would go after him, but Harry Potter himself was going to Hogwarts these days! Emilio knew that his personality, while in his opinion charming, would not be enough.
Moving on from that, Emilio tried to jazz up his appearance a little. He spent more time in front of the mirror in the mornings, messing with his hair while his roommates pounded on the door to use the bathroom. He also took to not wearing his robes around Percy, opting to show off his more flattering slacks and button up shirt that he'd wear underneath. In times like those, his sleeves would be rolled up and he kept his tie on. He'd bet that Percy liked the tie. On one occasion or another, he'd caught Percy's eyes roaming his figure, but there was really nothing to it. Even knowing that Percy found him physically attractive didn't mean anything, because he felt as though Percy wouldn't date someone solely off of physical attraction. And besides, he'd wager that Percy considered the admiration to be friendly.
So then, when Emilio figured out that trying to physically attract Percy was futile, he tried getting Percy to talk more. And whenever Percy was speaking, whether it was as inane as him losing his sock, or as important as what he saw in his future, Emilio always made sure to make it clear that he was listening with rapt attention, humming at appropriate times and making so much eye contact, it just had to be suggestive. Apparently not to Percy Weasley.
He even tried touching him more, leaving lingering touches on his arm, casually slinging an arm around his shoulder, placing a comforting hand on his knee. They even held hands sometimes. Granted, Percy did start blushing more around Emilio. He was more easily flustered, and also misspoke when the Ravenclaw was within a 3 meter radius. He started jumping at the lightest brush of their fingers when exchanging papers, too. Emilio did that on purpose, but Percy didn't know that. Anyway, Emilio could tell that Percy was beginning to view him more romantically, but it wasn't enough. The other boy couldn't even tell that Emilio was hitting on him the entire time they'd known each other. And just when he thought Percy got it, he was proved wrong.
So he tried being more upfront about it. He asked things like, "what would you do if I kissed you right now?" and "do you see yourself ever being in a relationship with me?" No matter how positive or negative Percy's response was, it was also jokingly said. But Emilio wasn't joking.
One time, when Emilio was waiting patiently for their meeting, Percy approached him hastily, seemingly in a huff. He sat down loudly, and once sat, crossed his arms and glared at the table, moody and contemplative.
"What's wrong?" Emilio asked, placing his hand on Percy's shoulder and squeezing. He leaned excessively into Percy's personal space.
When Percy looked at him, his glare softened and melted away, and he unfolded his arms with a resigned sigh. "My friend, Oliver, thinks you have a crush on me. Of course, I told him how silly he was being, but he just kept insisting. It made me really upset, because... because... how dare he!"
Emilio nodded sympathetically. "But I do have a crush on you."
Percy screwed up his face. It looked like his brain was malfunctioning. "But I'm... a boy." At Emilio's nod, he continued, "and you're a boy!"
"Yeah, so?" Emilio shrugged.
Percy stammered in response, "Oh, well... I guess it's nothing, really. Still, I thought you, you know, liked girls?"
"But I like you?" Emilio replied earnestly.
Percy nudged him in the ribs with a blush. "Lio, stop saying that. Someone will think you're serious!"
"I am serious!" Emilio exclaimed, causing him to get shushed by the library's other occupants. Percy hid his face in his hands due to the mortification. "In any case," Emilio continued, lowering his voice, "you do know that it's possible to like both, right?"
"Really?" Percy questioned incredulously. Emilio nodded. "I suppose that makes sense, doesn't it? Why not both?" Percy said aloud, but it was so quiet that Emilio thought that it was more to himself.
For a while, things were silent between them. Emilio was content to just sit there and let Percy ruminate, or whatever. To be quite honest, Emilio's mind was wandering a little, there and nowhere at the same time. His roommates gave him their latest strain in the form of a jellybean that he ate at dinner. He was lucky that he spat it out as soon as he did, not only because it was disgusting, but also because his roommates were on their own planets last he saw them.
Finally, Percy spoke up, "I... I think I like both."
Emilio wasn't shocked. Still, he gravely replied,"Thank you for feeling comfortable enough to tell me that," giving Percy's shoulder a final squeeze before dropping his hand.
And Percy had smiled at him after he said that, but Emilio knew better than to assume that they'd just be able to get together then. He was smart to think that, because they didn't.
By the end of the term, they were stuck in this friendship consisting of various homosexual activities, a limbo between friends and dating. Again, Emilio didn't know where he went wrong, but it was not supposed to take this long. This wasn't the end, though.
When they got to Kings Cross, Percy departed with a, "make sure to write, Lio!" before running away to his large family. And write Emilio would. He still had all summer to make Percy his before 6th year. This time, Emilio decided that he could lower his expectations of Percy professing his love to him, and that he would be willing to ask him out conventionally.
As it would turn out, there would be no need for Emilio to ask Percy out.
They'd been owling back and forth all break. Hermes had a designated spot in his room, and Emilio was already drafting his next letters by the time the other ones were halfway to Percy. His habits annoyed his mother, though.
"Voglio che tenga la finestra chiusa!" [1] He'd overheard his mom telling his dad.
"He's in love. You know what it was like for us," his dad responded, laughing fondly. His mom shook her head with a smile.
Anyway, Emilio's letters mostly consisted of non-discreet passes at Percy with the occasional Italian candy that he'd apparently accidentally gotten Percy hooked on. Percy's letters mostly consisted of complaints about his siblings, his studies, and the occasional note about his lack of correspondence with that Oliver guy. Oh, and he'd also ask for the candy at the end of every letter. Emilio was at first a little upset about Percy mentioning Oliver, but he reasoned that it's not as though Percy couldn't have friends. And whoever this guy was clearly understood what Percy failed to see, i.e. Emilio was mad for him.
The distance between them seemed to make Percy a little more bold and upfront, for he occasionally responded to Emilio's lewd comments with coy ones of his own. Emilio didn't know how to feel about that, because that could just be Percy innocently joking around for all he knew.
So it came as a little shock when a week before term was due to start, Hermes dropped in with a letter addressed to Emilio that was sealed with a wax heart stamp. He ripped it open, recognizing Percy's handwriting. It looked a bit shakier than usual, but it was neat nonetheless.
It read, "Dear Lio, I hope this letter finds you well. I've recently found myself desiring your company, but in a less friendly way. Do you know what I mean? I feel really special around you, and I don't want to treat you like all of my other friends. I've realized you've been telling me this all along. So if you're serious about this, then I'd really like for us to be more than friends..."
Emilio's heart leapt in his chest, and his hands shook as he finished reading the letter. He quickly took the nearest writing utensil, which happened to be a blue pen, and began to write his response. So excited was he that he had to continuously ball his hands into fists and squeeze to control the twitchiness.
"Are you asking me out, Percy Weasley? If so, the answer is infinite times yes," he scribbled under the little paragraph Percy sent him. He sent it out with Hermes, who seemed a little disgruntled at being sent out so soon, but she must've understood his urgency, for she didn't bite him on the neck or anything. As soon as Hermes was gone, he collapsed onto his bed and screamed in his pillow. He felt like gouging his eyes out. Honestly, just hours before, he was contemplating how he'd ask Percy out, because no way would he enter his 6th year without Percy as his boyfriend. For the decision to be made for him, now that felt euphoric.
The next few days, they sent fewer letters back and forth, because their owls needed the rest and they really didn't have anything to talk about other than how happy they were about their commencing relationship. The rest could wait until they saw each other on the train. Needless to say, when you ask someone out over owl, things get a little awkward when you see them in person next.
Emilio was the first person in the prefects compartment this time, and so snagged himself a window seat. He sat down with his back against the window side, putting his legs in the space next to him. He didn't think he'd be able to hold the seat for Percy, as long as he knew the boy was going to take, but it was worth a shot. As expected, if a little later, Percy didn't walk in until 1 or 2 minutes before the train was to depart. Obviously, Emilio couldn't save him a seat for that long, and it's not like the person across from him would be willing to give up their window seat just so they could stare at each other from across the compartment. They'd have to wait until the prefects were up and moving around before they could maneuver themselves into the proximity of each other.
Percy waved at him with a shy smile before settling into a seat next to a new Gryffindor girl prefect. When the meeting began, Emilio found himself unable to look away from Percy, much like last year. Unlike last year, though, they weren't partnered for patrolling the corridors. Percy and a seventh year Hufflepuff were the first to leave for the patrol, which disappointed Emilio but it was only 45 minutes. He'd have 3 hours with Percy before he had to go do his patrols.
By the time Percy came back, people were shuffling in and out of the compartment, going to greet their friends or use the restroom. Seating had changed drastically since the beginning of the ride, so Percy was able to take a seat next to Emilio.
"Hey, Lio!" Percy greeted him excitedly. He had a light blush creeping up his neck, and his arms were twitching at his sides, unsure whether or not to hug Emilio.
Emilio didn't know what to do either. "Hey," he chose to say. He pinched himself on the arm for his bland choice of words. "It's good to see you."
Percy smiled and replied, "yeah, you too." After that, things were silent between them, but 5 agonizing minutes of slowly inching his pinky toward Percy's later, Emilio interlocked their pinkies and eventually he had Percy's whole hand in his. He carefully watched for Percy's reaction. At first, he jumped at the contact, but he quickly relaxed. He never looked up from the book on his lap, but he was smiling to himself and shot the occasional glance at Emilio, quickly looking away when he realized that Emilio was already looking at him.
Emilio sighed in relief. It's not as though they hadn't held hands before, but it was different now. They were dating.
Their intimacy was interrupted hours later, when it was finally time for Emilio to do his rounds. He let Percy's hand go, and gently removed himself from the seat, as Percy had fallen asleep a while back. When he finally exited the compartment, he was greeted by Gemma Farley, who was to be his partner in the task.
"Are you messing around with Weasley?" She asked him, just a minute after they began walking the corridor.
"What's it to you?" Emilio said, realizing his mistake immediately. He forgot to deny it, and was a little too defensive. He shrugged it off though, because he didn't really care who knew, but he didn't know how Percy would feel if people knew.
"You're not very slick," Gemma told him with an eye roll.
After a moment's hesitation, Emilio decided to reply, "There's nothing to be slick about. Mates can't fall asleep around each other? They can't... accidentally touch hands?"
Gemma scoffed and sped off down the way. Emilio scowled and went the other way. They didn't talk for the rest of their shift, which Emilio was perfectly contented by.
Things between him and Percy were more lively when he got back, as Percy had just woken from his nap. The tension melted away as the ride progressed, and it was like nothing had changed by the time they arrived at Hogwarts.
Their relationship was going splendidly. Emilio had waited so long for this to happen, and the reward was as sweet as he could ever had imagined. His heart swelled every time he thought about how much more he wanted to have with Percy, and how now he could finally have it.
They weren't hiding their relationship, but they weren't the most public. Anybody who looked close enough could tell. After all, Percy was Emilio's only friend. Anyway, they'd study together into the wee hours of the night in their designated spot of the library. They'd go with each other on patrols even though they weren't scheduled together. They'd go to Hogsmeade together and walk around merrily, keeping an eye on the younger kids while also enjoying each other's company. All that was relatively the same about their relationship. From those activities to holding hands, it's as though they were still friends. Nothing had really changed.
Except the kissing. Oh, the kissing. It started off innocent enough. Emilio frequently dropped kisses on Percy's cheeks and forehead, nearly every time they saw each other since they started dating. And Percy would blush every time. Percy never objected to them, so Emilio assumed that they were safe. He couldn't tell Percy's feelings on going further than that, though.
One day, however, they'd been out by the lake, enjoying the color of the leaves before they'd fall off the trees in light of the incoming winter. They were sat side by side against a large tree trunk, talking about any and everything. Their proximity was half to do with their relationship, and half to do with the fact that they were trying to share their warmth. Their conversation tapered out, and Percy was silently watching as Emilio attempted to throw stones far enough to reach the lake, let alone start skipping in the water. He probably needed to move closer. He was fixing himself to ask Percy if they could get a little closer to the water, but Percy ended up speaking first.
"Why have we never kissed?" He asked, a contemplative frown gracing his face. Emilio looked at him, surprised, but Percy resolutely stared forward.
Emilio finally replied,"We do," crossing his legs and shifting ever closer to Percy.
Percy finally looked at him, annoyed. "No, like a real kiss. Hell, my little sister kisses me on the cheek! But we... we've been dating for two months. Shouldn't we have kissed by now?"
"Oh," Emilio replied, a little dumbfounded. "Well, I couldn't tell if you wanted to."
"Oh."
"But we could if you want to."
"Right now?"
"Of course."
A little reposition, and Emilio was awkwardly leaned over and pressing a kiss to Percy's lips. They were cold from the climate, and a little chapped, but they were soft. Emilio pulled away with a clearing of his throat, unsure of how much Percy wanted from him.
"That was nice," Percy commented hoarsely.
"Yeah," Emilio agreed.
"Shall we go again?"
And so they did. This time, it was Percy who was leaned so far over that he was practically sitting on Emilio's lap. Emilio had his hands cupping the side of Percy's face, and Percy's hands were on the back of his neck, and they were both pulling each other ever closer. Shockingly, it was Percy who ended up slipping some tongue, but Emilio accepted it readily and eagerly. Their kiss was cut short by their awkward positioning, as eventually Emilio lost his balance and fell on his back, Percy falling on top of him. They started giggling, and Emilio savored the moment, throwing an arm over Percy's waist and propping his head up against the tree trunk. Percy settled himself on Emilio's chest.
It was perfect. The air left his lungs when he finally got a good look at Percy. He was all red, glistening lips, wind swept copper hair with complementary colored leaves in it, and beautiful hazel eyes looking up at him through long eyelashes. The sight would be ingrained in his brain for a long time.
After that, they kissed whenever they could get some alone time. In hidden alcoves between classes, empty classrooms on patrols, behind bookshelves in the library when nobody was around, and even in spaces between shops in Hogsmeade that nobody ever ventured down. That last one was a little too risky for Percy, so they quickly cut that out. But the kisses would get longer, needier, have more tongue, and hands began to roam. Emilio's hands would slip under Percy's shirt and his fingertips would brush up and down his sides before settling at the small of his back, all while Percy kept a hand in Emilio's hair, massaging his scalp and carding his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Still, Emilio would always want more.
The chance finally presented itself when they found themselves on the fifth floor. It was late, so it was a little dark in the halls, but Percy and Emilio were out simply because they wanted to be, and they could be. For the most part, Percy led they way during their outing, and Emilio strolled lazily behind him, technically uninvited. Percy wasn't doing anything though, and if he wanted Emilio to leave, he would've said as much. Emilio was disinterestedly looking around, when his eyes landed on the statue of Boris the Bewildered. He let out a delighted gasp.
"Percy, look!" He called, waving the other boy back in his direction.
Percy sighed, already knowing what was going to be asked. "Can we not, Lio?"
"It'll be fun," Emilio responded, walking towards the entrance of the Prefects' Bathroom. "Besides, what are we doing walking around here anyway?"
Percy blushed. "Oh, I don't know... but what are we going to do?"
Emilio smirked. "Whatever you want."
They ended up going inside, and Emilio immediately began to turn on some taps on the bath.
"What, you want to get in?" Percy asked, scandalized.
"Of course!" Emilio replied. "We don't have to strip all the way down. Leave your boxers on."
Percy bit the inside of his cheek before sighing and beginning to shrug his robes off. By then, Emilio was already in the tub, wading through the water. The particular taps he'd chosen made it smell like roses and lavender, but apparently he missed the bubbles this time. What a shame.
Percy didn't get in immediately, opting to sit at the edge and put his legs in.
At Emilio's urging, he explained, "I'm not getting my boxers wet."
Emilio slowly made his way toward him, and Percy silently watched him approach, gently kicking his feet in the water.
"You look like you wanna eat me," Percy joked when Emilio finally reached him.
"Yeah," Emilio agreed, settling between Percy's legs and wrapping his arms around Percy's waist. He tilted his head up, and Percy met him halfway, first kissing him light and slow. It quickly got more feverish, though, and Emilio pressed impossibly closer to the perimeter of the pool, pulling Percy closer to him. Percy gasped in response to the sudden movement, but quickly recovered, leaning down to continue their making out. He found himself tilting his head back, though, as Emilio took the opportunity to start licking and sucking at his neck.
Percy's breathing became more labored, and the wet hand he had in Emilio's hair periodically gave a little squeeze when Emilio bit particularly hard. Percy's legs wrapped around Emilio's waist, futilely pulling him closer, causing Emilio to groan against Percy's neck at the friction of his growing erection grinding against the tile of the tub. And speaking of erections, Emilio could feel Percy's throbbing one pressing between them, Percy's hips jerking every time Emilio got a little too close. Emilio stopped devouring Percy's pale neck and moved so that one arm was holding him up from around the waist while the other placed a hand on Percy's thigh. It was painstakingly close to Percy's erection.
"Let me help you," Emilio said earnestly, looking into Percy's lust-filled eyes. In response, Percy whimpered and nodded.
Emilio wasted no time in digging into the front of Percy's underwear and pulling out his rock-hard cock, which was dripping precum. He smeared it around the tip, his wet and pruned fingers serving to intensify Percy's pleasure.
"Are you sure?" He asked finally. Percy nodded again, and Emilio squeezed but did nothing more. "Say something."
Percy covered his face with his hands, both of which were flushed red. "Yes, I'm sure. Merlin, please!" He begged, and that was enough for Emilio. His mouth descended onto the head, licking around the circumference before moving to lick a stripe on the underside. Percy's knuckles turned white with his grip on the side of the tub and in Emilio's hair. Finally, Emilio swallowed the whole length, and the effect was immediate.
"Lio!" Percy moaned out. The hold that his legs had around Emilio slackened, and he struggled to keep himself up right. Emilio continued to bob his head up and down, pausing occasionally to pump Percy's spit-covered cock or fondle his balls. A few seconds later, Percy's hips were jerking more frequently, his cock fucking into the back of Emilio's throat, and Emilio knew he was close. With a final squeeze to his balls, Percy’s cum flooded into Emilio's mouth.
"Bloody hell, Lio," he whined. The grip he had on Emilio's hair was painful at this point, but Emilio didn't care, focusing on his attempt to swallow every last drop of the semen. He finally lifted his head off with a pop, cum dripping down his chin. Percy was propped up on his elbows, breathing heavily and trying to recover. His hair was soaked to his forehead with water and sweat, and his entire body was glistening with the moonlight reflecting off of the moisture.
With this image in mind, and of memories of Percy moaning his name, Emilio reached down and pumped his own cock in a frenzy, Percy watching him through heavy-lidded eyes.
"I could've helped you with that," Percy said softly, lifting his gaze from Emilio's rigorous pumping and looking him in the eye. Embarrassingly, that was all it took for Emilio to reach his climax with a whispered "Gods, Percy." He collapsed forward onto the cool tile of the tub, and they sat there in silence, both recovering from what they'd just done.
"We need to wash up. No use in protecting your boxers now," Emilio said after his breathing returned to normal. He helped Percy into the bath, and they began to clean themselves. There really wasn't much to clean, as Emilio had basically swallowed all of Percy's load, and he himself came into the water, but still. As Percy used his discarded wand to summon towels, a grating giggle began to emerge from one of the stalls. Percy froze, a look of absolute mortification dawning his face.
Moaning Myrtle appeared in front of them, smiling mischievously. "That was quite the show, you two!" She shrieked, twirling around and doing random loops. "I saw everything. You're both quite naughty."
Percy hid his burning face in Emilio's shoulder. Emilio sighed. "Go away, you perverted girl! You're a disgrace to Ravenclaw," he told her with a scowl.
Myrtle's lips wobbled, but before she could begin wailing, her face transformed into anger. "I was here first! You two came in here and started defiling this bathroom, not me!" She yelled before disappearing into the pipes.
They quickly got out after that, getting dressed and making a hasty departure. They almost went for round 2 when they got to Gryffindor tower and it was time to leave each other. Naturally, Percy put a stop to it, because you can't do anything in front of the Fat Lady without her telling everyone that will listen.
Well, Emilio enjoyed the night all the same.
As it would turn out, that was the climax (get it) of their relationship. Now they were in their falling, action, well on their way to the denouement.
See, Emilio thought they were doing quite alright. While they never repeated what happened in the Prefects' Bathroom, they did engage in their usual routine- making out, holding hands, and spending time together. How could it get any better? Well, Emilio thought he knew the answer to that.
So he saved up, and eventually, 2 weeks before they would let out for winter vacation, he was able to present Percy with a dainty ring. It was a simple silver band with their initials on it. They were in a random empty classroom, as they decided to hang out there when Emilio was done doing his rounds that Percy accompanied him in doing. When Percy saw the ring, he opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, seemingly unsure of what to say. Emilio tried to give him an explanation.
"I've wanted to be with you since the moment I first saw you. And while it took a long time for us to get to this point, it's been worth the wait. I love the time we spend together. So... I got you this ring. It's not an engagement ring- not yet at least- but it's more of a promise of my intent to always cherish you. You're the love of my life," Emilio finally finished, taking Percy's hand to slip the ring on.
Percy hastily snatched his hand back. "I can't accept this, Lio," he said, kind yet firm.
"Yes, you can. I know it seems like a lot, but trust me, it was worth it for you..." Emilio insisted, trailing off when he saw Percy shaking his head.
"It's not even about how much it costs. It's just... you think I'm the love of your life?" Percy asked incredulously.
Emilio nodded emphatically.
Percy sighed. "I'll see you later, Lio." And then he walked away.
Needless to say, that did not go well. Their conversations were a little stilted after that, but their relationship remained in tact. Percy was obviously a little distant, but Emilio figured that that could be remedied with time. He, however, still had one more thing to bring up with Percy.
They were sat together in the library, holding hands under the table, as it seemed that Percy no longer wanted to go anywhere too private with him. It was like he was being punished.
"I've something to talk to you about," Emilio began.
Percy sighed, massaging his temples. "What is it?"
"Well, with the holidays coming up, I was wondering if you'd be able to come over during the recess sometime. Maybe meet my parents?" Emilio asked, tentative and hopeful.
Percy stared at him with wide eyes before swallowing thickly. "M-meet your parents?" Percy repeated.
Emilio nodded.
Percy's face was split between guilt and sadness, and maybe a little regret. He nodded sagely to himself, as if having made his mind up about something. About what, Emilio didn't know, but he hoped it was that Percy would come home with him and meet his parents.
"I don't think I'm quite ready for that, sorry," Percy answered quietly, fiddling with his thumbs.
"That's alright," Emilio assured him. Still, he couldn't help but level him with an expectant stare. Maybe if he begged hard enough...
Percy abruptly got up and packed his things, avoiding eye contact with Emilio.
"Where are you going?" Emilio asked, panicked and confused.
"I'm going to finish packing to go home. I'll see you later, Lio," Percy explained, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He placed a short and tender kiss on Emilio's lips, pulling away before he could try to escalate it. Emilio could only watch him leave, feeling as though he'd done something wrong. There was this weird feeling of dread in his stomach.
Later, he proved right to think that. He wasn't able to see Percy before they departed ways to go on winter vacation, as they didn't have a shift scheduled together and Percy had been invited to sit with his friend Wood for that carriage ride. Emilio didn't get a letter from him after the first two days of break, but he decided that he'd let Percy reach out first because at this point, he was hyper aware of the fact that he was being avoided. He was many things, but dim-witted wasn't one of them. And if all else failed, he'd just catch Percy after break.
He didn't have to wait that long, though, as a letter from Percy came flying through the window the next morning. Emilio gratefully accepted it from Hermes and gave her a snack before he broke open the seal of the letter. His palms were sweaty with anticipation and his stomach was doing cartwheels. As he scanned the letter though, his heart dropped from his chest and his stomach decided to escalate to backflips. He felt sick.
It read, "Dear Lio, I hope this letter finds you well. I've been thinking about this for some time now, and I don't know how to tell you this any other way, but I'm breaking up with you. I know it isn't ideal for me to do this over owl, but I've just come to the decision and needed to tell you as soon as possible, so as not to hurt you or me anymore. I've realized, after your, don't get me wrong, very sweet attempt at giving me that promise ring, we just don't see things the same way. This is my first relationship, and I know it's yours too, so I guess I'm just a little confused on how you can claim to have loved me for so long. It was flattering, though, and I thought that maybe I could learn to love you too, eventually. But then you asked me to meet your parents, and I realized you were more serious about this than I ever could be. We've been dating for 3 months, and I really, really like you. I might even love you and just don't know it. But frankly, I've definitely not been thinking about forever with you, let alone meeting your parents. And I don't think it's fair for me to hold you up in looking for that elsewhere, because I'm sorry to say that you won't find it here. I wanted to make it work, but I realized that just wasn't going to be the right thing for us in the end. I really don't want to hurt you. Hell, this hurts me. If you've really loved me as long as you claim to, then I feel especially sorry for wasting a year of your life like that. Much love."
Emilio took the small blue lighter lying on his desk and clicked the flame alive, burning the letter immediately. He got back into bed and stared at the wall, letting the tears burning his eyes flow sideways onto his pillow. He couldn't even bring himself to care. He quietly cried until his eyes were raw and puffy. Silent sobs wracked his body, and by the time he'd calmed into little sniffles, his eyes were so heavy. He didn't want to feel anymore, so he just went to sleep.
This is how he spent the rest of his summer, locked up in his bedroom and crying about the love he'd lost. He didn't even feel like himself. He'd think of curly copper hair, of beautiful hazel eyes, of horn-rimmed glasses, plentiful freckles and beautifully tinted lips-
Percy Weasley was not his Juliet. And he was not Percy Weasley's Romeo. Emilio didn't want to say he didn't believe in love anymore, but well... if Percy Weasley taught him anything, it's that his life wasn't an elaborate play. He was a real, normal person, who experienced love and heartbreak. That was the most regrettable part of it all, in his honest opinion.