Word Count: 407
"Was… Was my tie crooked the entire time?" Percy asks, frantically adjusting the knot.
It isn't a big deal. He tells himself that over and over. These things happen, and he shouldn't stress over it. The Minister probably didn't even notice…
He can't help it. The thought of it makes his heart race uncomfortably. He's supposed to be better than this, but he can't even dress himself properly.
"You should have said something," he groans, smoothing his fingers over the striped silk. "I must have looked like an idiot."
Penelope sighs and shakes her head, a hint of an amused smile on her lips. She reaches out, affectionately caressing Percy's cheek. "What's done is done. Besides, I didn't even notice it, dear," she says with a shrug.
Of course she didn't. Percy supposes that most people wouldn't. Not everyone is as meticulous as he is. Not everyone craves logic and order the way he does; such things, to him, are almost like air and water, things that he needs to survive.
"You think this is funny," he says, noticing the say she still grins.
"Moderately." She takes his hand and steps closer to him, their shoulders touching. Percy glances behind them, so worried that someone might see, that they might be breaking some code of conduct. "Perce, I love you. Please just… relax."
It's easier said than done. Relax. His family has told him the same thing as long as he can remember. Truthfully, he doesn't know how.
Percy exhales heavily, dropping her hand and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes I wonder what you could possibly see in me. I'm a mess."
"You're literally the opposite of mess."
He rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean."
"I know." She nudges him gently. "Love doesn't have to make sense, Perce. I love you, and that's the only thing I know without a shadow of a doubt. I love you, flaws and quirks, perfections… Everything."
He's glad she does. Sometimes he thinks he must be impossible to love. After all, hasn't he always been a little bit difficult? Too this, not enough that?
But Penelope has never seemed to mind. She has always greeted him with a bright smile and warm words, like his quirks don't matter.
"I love you too."
And when he kisses her on the cheek, right there in the hallways of the Ministry, he doesn't check to see if anyone is looking.