I Never Give In (Percival Graves x Reader)

The confrontation

You knocked lightly to Percival's office and straightened up your tight royal blue dress as you waited for him to answer. Before getting a response, you hid your wand inside a long sleeve of the shirt that you wore underneath the dress.

"Enter" you heard a rough voice and the doors have opened in front of you, revealing a black and elegant room. Energetic and confident, you stepped inside and with a wave of a hand, he closed the door behind you. The time has come to see if you were right or not, to see if it truly was the Percy you have known for so long.

He was sitting right behind the table, the only lamp in the room that was above him made his dark as night hair shine and the bruises that marked his face visible as ever. Graves truly was the most mysterious but at the same time most wanted by women man in the whole MACUSA. The moment he looked up at you with these deep dark eyes you felt a spark in your heart, your body heating up when he smirked at you and stood up to go around his desk and stand in front of you.

"What is it, (Y/N)?" Graves asked you softly while leaning against the table, his hands in pockets of his trousers. His eyes were piercing you, but you knew this sight so well it wasn't working on you anymore. The pure fact that he was behaving so casually annoyed you. You took up a defensive position, switching your weight to one leg, crossing your arms and tilting your head, returning the suspicious glare.

"The hell is wrong, Graves? You're avoiding me. We were partners for so long and if it wasn't for that stupid mission in Georgia we still would be! Why so cold all of a sudden?!" you accused him while getting more and more overtaken by emotions.

It annoyed you that he acted like he just accepted your presence and involvement. You hated that he treated you the way he did everyone else, despite being so close before and being able to rely on each other, in life or death. You glared at him bellicosely, waiting for an answer and ready for an eventual argument.

"Something wrong? With me? Nothing, but if I were you, I would control my anger." his voice was so calm but with a hidden warning, it stumped you. You raised your eyebrows in a surprise, ignoring his last remark.

"So you call changing habits nothing? Forgetting the past nothing? Hell, pretending like you don't even know me: nothing?!" you could not tell what he was thinking as his face expressed no emotions, as always. He just watched you attentively. Stepping closer, you were now standing face to face with him, having to raise your chin a bit to still look him in the eyes as he was significantly taller than you. "What happened in Europe, with Grindelwald? You are not the same ever since..." your voice lowered down as you were saying this, reaching merely a whisper at the last sentence.

"You asked this of me a dozen times and the answer remains the same: I do not remember. I was knocked out like the others and awoke only after a few hours." He massaged his temple, visibly frustrated, then looked back at you." And I am not pretending I don't know you, (Y/N), do you really feel this way?"

"Every. Single. Day. We're supposed to work together on this and all you do is take half of the job and close yourself in this office, doing god knows what." You waved your hand in anger and looked to the side for a moment. Letting out a sigh and cooling down a bit, you turned your gaze back at Graves. "We used to rely on each other in life and death, like no one else. Why is it gone?" you were not only angry but also upset with him. He was the only person you opened up to, and you were one of the only ones that he let into his life as more than just an acquaintance. You needed him more than you were able to admit. Percival was your stable ground in this world full of dangers and being able to rely on him, to confide in him made you feel somewhat better, safer. Now this feeling of safety was at risk and you had no idea why that was happening.

"I can assure you, this was not my aim. I have harder time focusing after Europe and I can't have anyone with me, not even you. I'm sorry." He brushed a lose strand of hair away from your face, his hand cupping your cheek and staying there as he's done it. You looked him in the eyes. There was something out of order in the way he looked at you. There were no emotions, not even now at this gentle touch. The emptiness of these eyes when he was looking at you was scaring you. You frowned and took a step back, his hand that was reaching to your cheek a second ago now hanging in the air.