Pick'n'mix stall: Percy Weasley and Blaise Zabini

Word Count: 537

The Assistant.

Percy needed an assistant. Juggling his children and work was hard. Since Audrey had left, work had become difficult—much more difficult than it was when she was there to keep their daughters under control. So he needed someone to help him.

He found the right person about a week after putting an ad in the Prophet; someone who was in a similar position to him. Their wife had recently up and left to America with some Pureblood, leaving them alone with three young children, one not even one year old yet. They were Blaise Zabini, an Italian Pureblood who had a passion for looking after his children and working small jobs.

The working relationship soon developed into one that had them meeting outside of working hours so that their children could play together. Molly and Lucy loved the Zabini trio—Antonio, Amata and Adrian—all three of which were absolute terrors, as the youngest screamed all the time and the older two ran around with Molly and Lucy and just drove him mad. Conversely, Percy found himself enjoying Blaise's company. The younger man had some interesting tales to tell, whether they were of what the Slytherin's got up to whilst they were in school or the train wreck his relationship with Daphne Greengrass was. Percy felt like he had connected to the dark Slytherin man who had a tendency to swear too much. He felt like Blaise was his best friend.

Well, he felt that way until the accidental kiss.

Percy never meant to do it. He was drunk and horny (he was that kind of drunk, and that was why he never went near drinks), and Blaise was the closest person to him. It was the six-month anniversary of Audrey leaving and — and he really had a lot of excuses. He could rattle more off, but he didn't feel that sorry for the kiss.

After the kiss, Blaise took a week off of work. Percy was a bit saddened by that, as it meant he had less time to be with his kids. And, he supposed, he missed Blaise. A lot. More than he was meant to, anyway.

But Blaise came back, looking happier than ever to see him, both of which were more than Audrey had ever done (for she never was happy to see him and she never came back from her holiday, preferring to stay with the hot Spanish man she had met, but whatever).

"I'm sorry that I had to take a break off of work at such a short notice," Blaise said, sounding politer than was strictly necessary. "Amata had wanted a holiday, and who am I to deny a six-year-old kid of their wishes?"

"It's fine, Blaise," Percy replied, smiling softly at the younger man, feeling stiff with formality. "Although Molly and Lucy were not as fine with the arrangement, as they had missed their new friends."

"And you? Had you ki—missed your own new friend?"

Percy raised his eyebrows at Blaise's slip. "I could kiss them, if you liked?"

Blaise's reply was kissing him lightly on the lips.

'I'm glad I decided to get an assistant,' Percy thought, before losing himself in the kiss.

And it went on and on.

Disgusting. This is so bad just line everything else. At least I'm consistent, amirite?

~Buttercat