Ever since Percival came back, it’s been… different. Distant. His colleagues respect his boundaries so well, and the only trouble is he doesn’t remember making them. He thinks, sometimes, that it’s more for their benefit than his. He doesn’t even know what he was hoping for. Closeness maybe, or affection. Trust.
He listens to the sounds of Newt and Tina on the other side of the door, and their intimacy burns right through him. He tips his head back, trying to tell himself it’s enough, trying not to let it cut him to the bone.