It Works for Us

Chapter Eleven: Decisions One

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

The café was nearly deserted because of the rain and Maddie, the University of London second year with a crush on Perce, had treated the table to a tray of the sweets they weren't able to sell from the morning.

Harry checked his watch. Percy was late.

They'd arranged this meeting through intermediaries. As in Harry had invited Ginny to play Quidditch with him and had asked her to pass the message to Percy, she'd apparently passed the task on to George, since the two lived fairly close to each other in Diagon Alley. Knowing this Harry thought it wasn't all that surprising that Percy was late.

Or it could be that he was getting stood up. He would deserve it. No, Harry shook his head in silent rueful denial, Percy would definitely want to refuse to listen to his apology in person and glare pompously down his nose at him.

A smile twitched briefly at the corner of Harry's lips at the thought and with a sigh he took another long swig of coffee.

At quarter past Percy staggered in. His eyes were underlined with dark purple bags and he'd forgone his usual glasses for the spare set he kept on the table in the entrance way. Under a raincoat that was drenched and without even a hint of a water repelling charm about it he was dressed in a wrinkled blue striped shirt and a pair of slacks with a tear in the knee.

"Percy you look terrible," said Harry rising and moving to help his, possibly ex, lover remove his coat out of habit.

"I'm fine, and I can get my own coat off thank you."

"Are you hungover?" Harry asked incredulously dropping back down into his seat.

"Unfortunately yes," growled Percy, sliding into the chair opposite Harry without ceremony.

"What happened?"

Percy fixed him with a pointed look. It was a look that all but screamed: what do you think happened you pathetic lack-wit?

"Ah, yes, I guess I deserved that."

Percy heaved a sigh and slumped further into his seat taking off his glasses and setting them carelessly on the table and rubbing at his temples.

"No, I'm sorry, it's your damn fault but it's also my own damn fault so…"

"Yeah, I guess we should talk about that."

"We should, starting with who the hell confesses to cheating on and being in love with a person in the same note?"

"Er—I'm sorry that wasn't terribly tactful of me."

"No it bloody well was not!" said Percy stabbing a finger in Harry's direction, "You and I by extension are the most ridiculous pair of fools, because I love you too, or at least I thought I did, and I feel like if we'd just said something instead of—we wouldn't be in this mess!"

A tiny bit of hope fluttered in Harry's chest. Percy loved him back. Maybe everything could work out.

"Perce—"

"I think we should stop seeing each other," said Percy suddenly in a calmer voice.

"Perce—"

"I slept with Theo while you were in Siberia," the redhead said bluntly.

The hope died an ugly death overwhelmed by the sudden surge of bitterness, sadness, and jealously that rushed to curl up in a thorny knot in his gut.

"How did you two—"

Harry wasn't even sure what he was asking at this point but that didn't seem to matter to Percy who had his eyes fixed on the ugly floral print wallpaper behind his head and was soldiering on in a would-be-calm sort of voice.

"I happened to run into him when I came to talk to you and we got to talking, I'm not quite sure how the talking led to kissing but I'd imagine you know all too well how Theo can be."

Harry did know, Theo could seduce rocks by doing nothing more strenuous than being himself.

"I wanted you to feel what I felt when I found out you'd slept with him. I thought, at the time that there would be some sense of vindication, but all I feel is sick to my stomach. We're supposed to love each other but, people who love each other don't hurt each other like this."

"Actually I'm pretty sure they do," laughed Harry bitterly, "I'm pretty sure they do it all the time. It broke me and Gin, after all, loving each other. But this is different, with you is different. We can make this work, somehow. I can accept that you and Theo fucked, I fucked up first so I have no right to throw stones. Perce, just—"

Percy just shook his head.

"I can't," he said, "I can't even look at myself in the mirror, I need time. We, need time."

"Alright," Harry said, "If that's what you want."

"It is."

Harry nodded.

"There's a ring of fairy dust smugglers in Lithuania that is upsetting the local vampires. They've asked me to infiltrate the ring and bring it down from the inside. I'll be firmly out of contact for at least a month."

Percy ignored the bubbling of worry and just nodded.

"That will be acceptable."

"I'll let Molly know when I'm back in town and you can decide then if you want to get in touch with me, or not."

"What about Theo?" asked Percy, forcing the words out.

"I think we've toyed with his feelings enough, don't you?"

"You said you were falling for him."

Harry shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. I just want you both to be happy and I think the best way to do that is to get as far away from you as humanly possible for the moment."

To that end Harry stood and shrugged into his jacket, dropping enough money on the table from his coffee, the sweets, a generous tip and whatever Percy wanted to eat or drink.

"Goodbye Perce."

"Goodbye," Percy echoed hollowly long after Harry had gone.

AN: Okay so, welcome to the extension! This is part one of the two part explanation on how the threesome came to be! Please excuse the angsting. After I finish writing Decisions Two, I will be officially out of my ideas but will keep the story listed as incomplete in order to comply with any requests from readers and/or to serve as a dumping ground for any future H/P/T blurbs.