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westernredcedarTitle: Starched Sheets
Author: Cedar
Written for:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
emiime, a gift from mnemosyne. Yay!
Word count: 715
Pairing: Percy/Harry
Prompt: Spoon
Rated: PG-13
No warnings or spoilers.
When he was a child, his mother had always complimented Percy on his tidy bed. He took great pride in the fact that after a night of sleep, his sheets remained tucked, flat, and folded. He practiced falling asleep flat on his back, in the exact center of the bed, arms at his side, counting silently to himself, hoping he wouldn’t roll over during the night. It became a bit of a challenge. In fact, waking in crumpled sheets made him feel a bit ashamed, as if he had failed somehow.
When he left for Hogwart’s, he took his habits with him. His hospital corners put the House Elves to shame.
After leaving school, he discovered the wonders of starch. His sheets crackled. Every morning he spent several minutes pulling and pounding and tucking until the mattress was swathed in cotton armor. He loved his bed, a sanctuary of crisp, clean precision in the imprecise world.
He had never shared his bed. His only other real relationship, with Penelope, hadn’t gone that far. He had never even considered what a second body would do to his linens, the havoc it would wreak on the order he treasured.
The first night Harry stayed over, Percy didn’t sleep a wink. Harry was like a wrecking ball, kicking out the perfect corners, knocking the quilt to the ground, sprawling and rolling and drooling on the pillow shams. Percy lay there, flat, still, and awake, each turn and flop of the warm, smelly, living body next to him creating an intense twitch of panic.
In the morning, he was exhausted.
“How do you sleep like that?” he asked Harry.
Harry looked up from his plate of eggs. “Like what, Perce? Did I do something wrong?” Harry asked, touching Percy’s hand in concern.
“You move. All the time.” Percy pushed his glasses up his nose.
“Did I keep you up?” Harry asked.
Percy nodded.
“I’m sorry.” He grinned. “What if I come back tonight, and we do all of that again? Perhaps we can work it out.”
Percy blushed. “I suppose we could do that.”
After Harry left for work, Percy returned to the bedroom and spent half an hour repairing the damage Harry had done.
***
Later that night, after dinner, and a long chat about the Ministry, and a long snog on the sofa, Percy and Harry collapsed onto the bed. They lay face to face, holding hands.
“So, tell me about how you sleep,” said Harry. “I want you to be comfortable.” He pulled off Percy's glasses and brushed a stray lock of red hair behind Percy’s ear.
“I sleep flat, in the middle of the bed, on my back,” said Percy, hoping Harry might understand how important that was to him.
Harry smiled. “Well, I sleep on my side, with one leg up, and my arms around my pillow.”
“No,” said Percy. “You sleep in about twenty different sprawling positions throughout the night.”
“And if you sleep in the middle of the bed, there will be no room for me,” said Harry.
Percy sighed. “I’m not good at this.”
Harry squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry. I have an idea.”
***
Sleeping on his side was unfamiliar, but acceptable, Percy thought, if it meant that every inch of Harry’s warm body was pressed against him. They were in center of the bed, which was quite calming. The arm draped around his rib cage was intrusive, until he realized that Harry could gently stroke his chest as he fell asleep. Harry was less sprawled because he was tucked so carefully against Percy. That was his favorite part, Percy realized, the precision fit, like a puzzle, like a perfectly taut starched sheet wrapped around a mattress.
“What did you call this?” murmured Percy in a sleepy voice.
“Spoon,” said Harry, nuzzling into the back of his neck. “It is called spooning.”
“I like it.”
“Do you think you can sleep?” asked Harry.
“Yes,” said Percy, "although I don't know that I want to yet."
The soft hand on his chest was soothing, but also arousing, and as Percy reached down to brush his hand over Harry's thigh, he realized he might not care too much if the sheets were pulled out in the morning, just a little bit.
Author: Cedar
Written for:
emiime, a gift from mnemosyne. Yay!Word count: 715
Pairing: Percy/Harry
Prompt: Spoon
Rated: PG-13
No warnings or spoilers.
When he was a child, his mother had always complimented Percy on his tidy bed. He took great pride in the fact that after a night of sleep, his sheets remained tucked, flat, and folded. He practiced falling asleep flat on his back, in the exact center of the bed, arms at his side, counting silently to himself, hoping he wouldn’t roll over during the night. It became a bit of a challenge. In fact, waking in crumpled sheets made him feel a bit ashamed, as if he had failed somehow.
When he left for Hogwart’s, he took his habits with him. His hospital corners put the House Elves to shame.
After leaving school, he discovered the wonders of starch. His sheets crackled. Every morning he spent several minutes pulling and pounding and tucking until the mattress was swathed in cotton armor. He loved his bed, a sanctuary of crisp, clean precision in the imprecise world.
He had never shared his bed. His only other real relationship, with Penelope, hadn’t gone that far. He had never even considered what a second body would do to his linens, the havoc it would wreak on the order he treasured.
The first night Harry stayed over, Percy didn’t sleep a wink. Harry was like a wrecking ball, kicking out the perfect corners, knocking the quilt to the ground, sprawling and rolling and drooling on the pillow shams. Percy lay there, flat, still, and awake, each turn and flop of the warm, smelly, living body next to him creating an intense twitch of panic.
In the morning, he was exhausted.
“How do you sleep like that?” he asked Harry.
Harry looked up from his plate of eggs. “Like what, Perce? Did I do something wrong?” Harry asked, touching Percy’s hand in concern.
“You move. All the time.” Percy pushed his glasses up his nose.
“Did I keep you up?” Harry asked.
Percy nodded.
“I’m sorry.” He grinned. “What if I come back tonight, and we do all of that again? Perhaps we can work it out.”
Percy blushed. “I suppose we could do that.”
After Harry left for work, Percy returned to the bedroom and spent half an hour repairing the damage Harry had done.
***
Later that night, after dinner, and a long chat about the Ministry, and a long snog on the sofa, Percy and Harry collapsed onto the bed. They lay face to face, holding hands.
“So, tell me about how you sleep,” said Harry. “I want you to be comfortable.” He pulled off Percy's glasses and brushed a stray lock of red hair behind Percy’s ear.
“I sleep flat, in the middle of the bed, on my back,” said Percy, hoping Harry might understand how important that was to him.
Harry smiled. “Well, I sleep on my side, with one leg up, and my arms around my pillow.”
“No,” said Percy. “You sleep in about twenty different sprawling positions throughout the night.”
“And if you sleep in the middle of the bed, there will be no room for me,” said Harry.
Percy sighed. “I’m not good at this.”
Harry squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry. I have an idea.”
***
Sleeping on his side was unfamiliar, but acceptable, Percy thought, if it meant that every inch of Harry’s warm body was pressed against him. They were in center of the bed, which was quite calming. The arm draped around his rib cage was intrusive, until he realized that Harry could gently stroke his chest as he fell asleep. Harry was less sprawled because he was tucked so carefully against Percy. That was his favorite part, Percy realized, the precision fit, like a puzzle, like a perfectly taut starched sheet wrapped around a mattress.
“What did you call this?” murmured Percy in a sleepy voice.
“Spoon,” said Harry, nuzzling into the back of his neck. “It is called spooning.”
“I like it.”
“Do you think you can sleep?” asked Harry.
“Yes,” said Percy, "although I don't know that I want to yet."
The soft hand on his chest was soothing, but also arousing, and as Percy reached down to brush his hand over Harry's thigh, he realized he might not care too much if the sheets were pulled out in the morning, just a little bit.
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Date: 9 Sep 2007 09:51 pm (UTC)