THE DEVIL… Write about someone giving in to temptation
He really shouldn't do it. It was a bad idea. A very bad idea. It was always a bad idea. Nothing good would come from it and he'd regret his actions soon after.
But it was just there begging for him. Taunting him. He needed it. It wouldn't hurt that much would it? His fingers twitched, wanting to obey his longing.
Eric shook his head firmly, trying to rid himself of the tempting thoughts, and clenched his hands into fists.
Of course, it would hurt. Hadn't he learned from every other time? Apparently, not as there was more than one 'other time'. More than a dozen actually but he'd never admit to more than half that if pressed. He drummed his feet on the floor, his computer chair for once not in its proper ergonomic position. It was easier to fly across the room in it this way. He'd been doing that a lot today, it was fun. Why hadn't he thought doing it before?
Eric spun his chair around and pushed himself over to the table. Well, in the vague direction of it. These chairs were hard to steer. Almost immediately, his stomach collided with the corner.
"Oww," he whined out loud, rubbing the afflicted area.
He pouted at the culprit. This was why he didn't travel by chair. Too many opportunities for him to injure himself. It was surprising that Hetty hadn't made a rule about it already. Probably because he wasn't idiotic enough to do it in front of her.
It hadn't moved even with him making the whole desk shake. Eric frowned at it. Who even brought it in anyway? It certainly wasn't him; he knew the rules and he'd certainly never ever break them. Not while Hetty was in the building, which she was. He wasn't stupid.
He'd already gotten disapproving looks for his behaviour this morning from her, he didn't need them to turn into glares.
He shuddered visibly at the thought. He definitely had to calm down some. It was sort of out of his control though.
That third pancake slathered in syrup and sprinkles was definitely a bad idea in hindsight. Especially since the pancakes had been previewed by half an Easter egg and followed by one of those chocolate energy bars, he inexplicably had in his car.
Yeah, he really didn't need the energy bar. That had definitely been a mistake. He hadn't even had the chance to balance all that sugar out with something more vitamin heavy and it showed. His extremely brief run through of their case had gone completely over everyone's heads because of the speed he had been talking at. Nell embarrassingly had to repeat the whole thing as he practically vibrated next to her. Deeks had cracked a joke about him 'mainlining sugar" and having 'plenty of energy to burn - did Nell not tire you out?" Eric had even blushed in record time at that comment.
The open bag of jelly babies taunted him from the end of the table. He could practically smell their sugary goodness. Saliva was heavily coating his tongue. He swallowed audibly.
"Think of the crash, think if the crash," he chanted to himself.
The drop from this sugar high was already going to be awful if the buzzing in the back of his head was anything to go by. More sugar would definitely not help matters. Eric glared at the packet suspiciously.
It just wasn't fair. Eric mentally stomped his foot. They were his absolute favourites too. Their little gummy hands were reaching for him. They wanted him to eat them.
They were calling to him in their little squeaky voices, "Eric, Eric, please eat us."
He glanced quickly around Ops, all the other techs had headphones on or were deeply involved in something on their screen. No one was paying any attention whatsoever to him. None at all.
He side-eyed the bag. It was even ripped open on the side closest to him. It was obviously in his favour. All the signs were there. Who was he to deny fate anything?
Another look around, this time carefully taking in the door. Eric really wished that he could see out into the corridor if anyone was coming in here. It was bad enough that he couldn't hear anyone come up the stairs because of the hum from all the computers. He would get no warning unless the all came in talking. Everyone's footsteps were practically silent anyway. Far too well trained in the sneaky.
Maybe he could prop open the door somehow? Nope, couldn't do that. The recognition software behind the opening mechanism would complain and send an alert to Hetty or Granger and he definitely didn't want that.
He'd just have to risk it. It was just candy, right? It's not like they were a liquid that could spill and destroy a lot of very specialised, very expensive pieces of equipment. The worst that would happen that he'd literally have sticky fingers.
Eric shuddered. The one thing that came in close second to Hetty's distaste for wasting money was sticky marks.
"I am not working with toddlers," she would say and make him clean the entire room out of spite if she found one solitary sticky fingerprint.
Definitely a risk.
The headache that had been lurking at the back of his head intensified as his body burned through the excess sugar, he had provided it with. Damn him and his excessive fidgeting.
Eric needed that sugar. Now.
He made a decisive nod, glasses slipping down his nose.
Ok, just one itty bitty handful wouldn't hurt.
Right?
It wouldn't even be a handful. He would control himself. He could do that, easy peasy.
His hand was quick as it dipped into the bag. His fingers grasped at the ones on top, removing the precious candy from the bag. He winced at the overly loud rustling noise the bag made.
Why was it always when you were trying to be sneaky that things became unbearably loud?
Triumphantly, he held his closed fist aloft. No one even gave a look in his direction. He'd done it!
Eric was too busy savouring the moment and trying to place the entire handful in his mouth to hear the doors open behind him.
"Mr Beale, what, pray tell, are you eating?"