Chapter Text
Theseus smiled as Percival handed him his cup of coffee. It was the day after the disastrous ball and Theseus couldn’t wipe the smile off his face if he tried. He and Percival weren’t anywhere close to being in a stable state but they loved each other and for now, that was enough.
“So how do you want to do this?” Percival asked as he sipped his coffee. Theseus frowned. He knew Percy couldn’t possibly be referring to their relationship, there was an unspoken agreement that they would continue as they were with the bonus of being able to kiss and do all the things they'd secretly wished they could do with each other. “The office, Thes.” Percival clarified, noting his boyfriend's? Lover's? Partner's? expression.
Theseus’ eyes widened in realization. They were probably going to have to do something about that, he wasn’t exactly subtle with his looks the night before. Not that it matters, apparently we’ve been going at it for a while now in everyone’s eyes. “I’m not going to deny it if anyone asks but I don’t want to make it obvious, you know?” He replied. “Nothing against you, Percy, if I could tell every person who got too friendly while dancing with you, I would. It’s just-”
“Your job is separate from your personal life, I understand.” Percival finished and Theseus nodded.
“Head Auror Scamander is not the same as Theseus Scamander and I’m most likely going to piss you off with some of the decisions I make.” He said with a hint of regret and Percival snorted.
“You mean more than you already piss me off now? I doubt it.” He shot back and Theseus gave him a look. “Besides-” Percival continued, taking a bite of his toast. “-you’re not exactly the only one with a level of authority in the Ministry. There are going to be certain things I’d have to do that you won’t be fond of either.” Theseus couldn’t argue with that, Percival was as stubborn as him when it came to carrying out his duty.
“Alright then.” Theseus said in agreement. “Speaking of our positions, we both need to have a sit down with Maggie and apologize to her.” Percival frowned.
“I’m sure you’ve done something warranting an apology but what do I have to do with it?” He asked as he gulped down the last of his coffee.
“If you must know-” Theseus began with a glare at Percival for his comment. “-she overheard us the other day when I was giving your feeble back a massage and assumed we were fucking.”
“Wasn’t a feeble back last night when you were pressed up against me.” Percival muttered before realizing what Theseus said. “Hang on, how did she get that idea?” He asked in surprise and Theseus raised a brow.
“You have to ask, Percy?”
2 weeks earlier
“ Get on.” Theseus instructed, gesturing to the slightly enlarged couch in his office.
“ Theseus, I really have to finish these reports.” Percival said half - heartedly and Theseus gave him a look.
“ You haven’t been home in 2 days, Percy. I know it’s not comfortable being in here.” He replied and Percival gave a sigh of resignation.
“ Fine, just be quick.” He replied, padding over to the couch and Theseus smiled triumphantly. Percival laid face down and Theseus straddled him. “No funny business, Mr. Scamander. Don’t think cause you’re on top of me , I’m easy.” Percival said in a muffled voice and Theseus snorted.
He waved his hand over Percival and his shirt disappeared. Ignoring, his words of protest, Theseus dug his thumbs into Percival’s back and began to knead. His hand strayed to Percival’s shoulder blades and Percy let out a small moan of content.
“ There?” Theseus asked and Percival nodded. Theseus focused on that spot and Percival let out a pleased whine.
“ Harder?” He asked and Percival nodded. Theseus dug in harder and Percival moaned in delight. Theseus moved to his other shoulder blade and Percival gasped.
“ Fuck, how are you so good at this?” He said, his sentence ending in a groan as Theseus kneaded through a particularly tight knot.
“ These fingers weren’t made for just handling wands.” Theseus responded cheekily and Percival huffed in amusement. There was a crash from outside and the duo tensed up before relaxing after they recognized Maggie’s footsteps.
Theseus moved to the nape of Percival’s neck and Percival purred in satisfaction. “If I knew this was all it took for you to melt in my hands, I’d have done so sooner.” Theseus said smugly.
Percival opened his mouth to retort but Theseus did something with his hands and he let out another moan. Theseus continued to work him over till he was a limp and boneless heap on the couch . Lying down had made him realize just how exhausted he was and he could feel his eyelids getting heavier.
“ I really should get back to work.” He mumbled sleepily, his eyelids drooping and Theseus chuckled.
“ I’ll wake you in half an hour.” He said and Percival gave a sleepy hum of assent. Theseus smiled at him and put his shirt back on. He cast a muffling charm on his office and went outside to speak to Maggie.
She was sitting by her desk and she gave a small squeak when she noticed him. “I. ..Mr. Scamander. D-Do you need something?” She asked, her cheeks coloring and Theseus frowned. It was unusual for Maggie to be this skittish around him.
“ Are you feeling alright?” He asked and she nodded nervously.
“ Is there something else I can get you?” She asked and that’s when he noticed the silencing charm on his office. “I-I thought you would prefer some privacy.” She stammered and Theseus gave her a small smile.
“ Thank you, Maggie.” He said gratefully. “I don’t want to be disturbed for the next hour, Mr. Graves has a fond habit of biting off more than he can chew and it seems we’ll have our hands tied for a while.” Maggie’s face went red and Theseus frowned.
“ Are you sure you’re well?” He asked and Maggie nodded frantically.
“ I’ll just, um, I’ll-I’ll-”
Maggie hurried off and Theseus was left wondering what exactly just happened.
“The way I see it, the blame lies on you and your oddly talented fingers.” Percival said and Theseus scoffed.
“I suppose your whorish moans had nothing to do with it then?” He snapped back.
“You’ve never minded my whorish moans before.” Percival retorted and Theseus struggled to find a comeback. “I’ll apologize to her although I doubt what good it would do, I didn’t exactly look put together when I came back to the ball after you left.”
The memory of Percival’s lips against his, the sounds he made and how good he felt came back to Theseus and he could feel himself getting warmer. He’d been with a good amount of people in his lifetime, Newt was right about him not being the most innocent of them all, but the few seconds he’d had with Percival last night had been some of the hottest moments of his life.
“You keep looking at me like that and we’re not going to get anything done today.” Percival said in a gruff tone and to be honest, Theseus didn’t see any problem with that, his body was pretty eager to find out just how much experience Percival had gotten in past years. He’d seen the man duel and holy fuck, if he could work a wand like that, what would he do with his body?
“Theseus.” Percival growled and fuck it, Theseus wasn’t going to keep his hands to himself with Percival sounding like that. He crashed into Percival and pulled him in for a kiss. He was not expecting the enthusiastic moan that came out of Percival’s mouth or the way his hands gripped on to his waist, pulling him flush against him.
“God, Pierce.” Theseus gasped out, his hands diving underneath the flimsy cotton of Percival’s nightshirt to his strong chiseled chest and it was Percival’s turn to let out a gasp of pleasure.
“Fuck, Thes, wait.” Percival rasped out and despite how much he wanted to make their clothes disappear and plant himself in Percival’s lap, Theseus relented. He pulled his hands away but kept his mouth on Percival’s neck, planting soft kisses and sucking gently on his pulse point because yes, he didn’t want to make a big deal of things but Percival Gaves was his and everyone was going to know it.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to?” Theseus asked, humming in pleasure as he felt Percival brush through his hair.
“Merlin, of course, I do.” Percival said, his voice wavering slightly as Theseus sucked a little too hard on his neck. “I just...I want to take this slow.” Theseus pulled back with a slightly offended look on his face.
“I’m not a child, Percy. You don’t have to treat me with kid gloves.” He replied and Percival sighed.
“Theseus, we’re still in the house you lived with Leta and I don’t...particularly want to make those kinds of new memories here with you.” Percival said gently and Theseus froze. It wasn’t like he’d forgotten, it was always in the back of his mind but for a couple of hours, he’d not thought about it. He and Percival had had breakfast, talked about their relationship and had nearly debased the kitchen counter and Leta hadn’t even crossed his mind.
He supposed this was a good thing, that he could have some semblance of normalcy without descending into grief but all he felt was sheer panic. Having this with Percy meant leaving Leta behind and he couldn’t-he couldn’t-
“Breathe, Thes. In, out. In, out.”
Percival’s soothing voice helped pull him out of it and he slowly began to come back.
“That’s it, darling. Just breathe with me.” Percival said gently, calming Theseus down.
“S-Sorry-”
“Don’t you dare.” Percival said, cutting off his apology. “It’s alright, love. It’s okay.” Theseus closed his eyes and tried to fight back the building tears. When will this end?
Theseus surveyed the modest house they were viewing. It was three blocks away from Newt’s place and weirdly enough, he didn’t mind that. Maybe it was odd but ever since Paris, he felt the urge to stay close to his brother, to protect him like he couldn’t before. His parents were safe within their wards at the manor but his brother and friends weren’t.
If Percival realized, he’d said nothing. Ever since his near panic attack, Percival had been a silent but sturdy rock for him to lean on through the long day of viewing possible homes. They were going through the rooms, hand in hand with Percival’s magic welling out to seek any hidden curses or spells. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a lovely spacious living room. Theseus could already see himself lounging on the sofa next to the fireplace while Percival read to him.
The kitchen was equally spacious although Theseus wasn’t sure what they’d do with it, they were still both shit when it came to cooking but it was nice to have one there all the same. There was a garden for Percy and Theseus supposed they could do up one of the bedrooms as a study but that still left a lot of space.
“What do you think?” Percival asked as they stood in the biggest bedroom.
“It’s a lot of space don’t you think?” Theseus replied even as he envisioned their bed and belongings in the room. Percival remained silent and he looked up at his partner.
“Pierce?” He questioned and Percival colored.
“I...well I was thinking, just a thought, but maybe the space could come in handy.” Percival stuttered shyly.
“Are you planning on inviting your other lovers along then?” Theseus teased and Percival rolled his eyes.
“No, you ass. I meant children.” He clarified and again, Theseus froze. “Just a thought, no one’s saying so right now but if it did happen, it would be nice to not have to move.” Percival hurriedly clarified.
“You want children?” He blurted out. It wasn’t something he’d even considered since Leta and he’d definitely never thought Percival would be interested in that. Percival nodded.
“I mean, someone’s got to carry the Graves name forward.” He said brusquely and Theseus gave him a look. Percival sighed and tugged Theseus into his arms.
“I’m not sure about myself but you would be an amazing father and maybe it’s asking for too much, considering everything you’ve given me but I wouldn’t mind building a family with you, Thes.” Percival said gently and Theseus felt his heart swell with love for the man in front of him.
“Is that so, Director Graves?” Theseus said softly as he wrapped his arms around him, the duo slowly swaying from side to side. “You, Mr. ‘Constant Vigilance’ would entertain the thought of tiny feet pitter-pattering across these floors and ruining your beloved peace and concentration?”
Percival chuckled softly. “I admit, it’ll be a bit of an adjustment but we’ve both handled Grindelwald. What’s a couple of kids compared to a dark lord?” He replied and Theseus snorted in amusement.
“My mother would disagree with your train of thought.” He said and the duo chuckled. “I love you, Percival Graves and I would love to build a family with you.” He whispered, a hand reaching forward to cup Percival’s face. Percival turned to place a kiss on his palm and Theseus flushed.
“How are you finding it?”
The duo turned in surprise at the sound of the realtor’s voice. They’d nearly forgotten they had company. Percival turned back to him with a raised brow and Theseus’ face split into a large grin as he gave a nod.
“We’ll take it.”
Theseus wrapped his arms around Percival as they laid in bed. They had work the next day but were planning on going in a little late. They’d earned it after all. It was wild to think that just a night ago, Theseus was drunk and bleeding on Jacob’s couch after throwing himself at the man in his arms. He’d been scared and worried that he’d ruined his friendship with Percival but here they were, arm in arm, having recently purchased a house and tentatively planning a life together.
“You don’t think we’re moving too fast, do you?” Percival asked softly, his voice breaking the comfortable silence of the night. Theseus looked up at him in surprise. “I know, no kid gloves but I don’t want to rush this. We have the rest of our lives together, given one of us doesn’t end up dead before the end of this bloody war.”
“Don’t.” Theseus replied sharply, his hands clutching on to Percival’s shirt. “I know it’s true but just...I can’t handle the thought of you dying, so don’t.” Percival held him closer, readjusting them so Theseus’s head was above his heart.
“Hey, I’m right here, Thes.” Percival said gently, his hand brushing through his wavy hair and Theseus let his fears be washed away by the steady sound of Percival’s heart. His words registered to him and Theseus sat up in surprise.
“The rest of our lives together?” He asked incredulously, not quite believing what he was hearing. Percival flushed but held Theseus' gaze.
“Thes, when I said I never fell out of you, it was with the expectation that I am probably never going to.” Percival said lowly. “I’ve had years to get over you and at some point, I convinced myself that I did, until we were back in your office drinking and teasing each other and I realized I was only fooling myself. If you can’t-”
Theseus held up a hand to stop him and Percival halted, his eyes hardening and his expression going blank. “No, don’t...don’t shut me out, love.” Theseus hurriedly continued, inching closer to him. “The thought of getting married right now still....” Theseus took in a deep breath and tried to pull himself together. “I want this and I want you. I do. More than anything. But we’d have to work our way up to weddings, love. You’ve known for years but I’m still getting used to the idea of letting someone love me again after her so just...slowly.”
Percival nodded before smirking. “Giving off some pretty confusing vibes, Mr. Scamander. You buy a house with me but don’t want to marry me? What’s a fella to think?” He said, teasingly and Theseus smiled.
“I have to keep you on your toes somehow. Just because you got the milk for free doesn’t mean you get the whole cow to boot as well.” He shot back and Percival snorted.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Percival replied and Theseus slid back into his arms, wrapping himself around the older man.
Theseus and Percival strode into the Ministry, their hands barely touching. He could catch the subtle looks being thrown their way but he ignored it. Let people talk, they both knew where their affections lay.
“Uh...Sir, there’s-” Maggie’s voice came but the duo stopped short at the sight of Madame Picquery and members of her cabinet in the halls. Percival went still next to him and Theseus immediately inched closer to him.
“There’s been a change in schedule, MACUSA’s here to consider teaming up with the Hit Wizards.” Maggie whispered in his ear, holding several files in her hands. Over my dead body. He could practically feel Percival descending into panic next to him and Theseus immediately threw his nonchalant attitude out the window. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Theseus turned Percival to face him, giving him ample time to decline before pulling him into a kiss.
He could hear several gasps behind him but none of that mattered when Percival was melting into him, the tension in his body seeping away as their mouth melded together. It was soft and gentle, nothing resembling their desperate kisses from the day before and Theseus let out a soft sigh as they pulled apart.
“What happened to keeping things separate?” Percival murmured, their faces inches apart and Theseus shrugged.
“Everyone already thinks so. Plus-” He replied, looking over at the MACUSA officials who were all agape at their public display of affection. “-I want to make sure MACUSA fully understands that there will be no tolerating their nonsense in this office.”
Percival’s mouth quirked upwards in a barely suppressed grin and despite the backlash that was sure to come from his actions, Theseus couldn’t think of a moment when he’d been happier.