Amber's Attic: Devil, Write about someone unable to resist temptation

Count Your Buttons: paperclip, "What difference does it make?"

Restriction of the Month: no dialogue tag (prompt: questionable)

A Year in Entertainment: NCIS, rules

Jingle Bells: "Baby It's Cold Outside", write about temptation

Love in Motion: PercyBarty Sr

Word Count: 385

"Weasley?"

Percy shivers at his name. His proper name. Barty has called him everything else under the sun, but getting his name right now…

"Mr. Crouch, I was wondering something…"

The older man looks up from his paperwork, lips drawn into a thin line. He offers Percy an impatient wave of his hand. "Get on with it. I'm a busy man, you know."

"Right, sir. I know, sir."

Percy's hands tremble as he fidgets with a paperclip. What is he even doing here? This whole thing is so questionable. He shouldn't feel this way about his boss; it isn't right. But his sense of right and wrong does not help him now. He's tried to resist the temptation for so long, but he's never been the strongest person.

"I… Well, you see, sir, I wanted to…" His thumb continues brushing over the bit of metal in his hand. Words have never failed him before, but his voice shakes, and he feels so weak.

"What do you want?"

"You."

There it is. There's the bold Gryffindor coming into play. He's always felt that he'd been Sorted into the wrong House, but he feels a rush of adrenaline heat his veins. Is it bravery or stupidity? Maybe there's a fine line between the two, and Percy is toeing it now.

"Me?"

Percy forces himself not to think about it. Thinking lets logic take over, and he does not want to be logical right now. He wants to give in to desire and be bold and daring.

His legs carry him closer. The paperclip falls to the floor with a soft, metallic thud.

Don't think, don't think.

"I'm old enough to be your father."

"What difference does it make? You're all I can think about, Barty."

The older man considers for a moment. Percy can see it in his eyes. He's felt this way too, despite how very wrong, how very taboo their desires are. He reaches out, fingers tangling in Percy's curls. "We'll have to be discreet, Weasley."

"Of course, sir."

And as their lips meet, Percy feels a fire inside him like nothing he's ever felt before. He's spent so long playing by the rules and being good, but now, as he melts against the other man, he knows what it feels like to be free.