'Percy-' Cass paused, letting his fingers busy themselves with stroking the skin of Percy's hand. 'I never thought I'd make the choice I did, but I did, and I didn't tire of you. I couldn't tire of you, though you weren't the only one who didn't expect it to last. I always somehow expected you to come to the conclusion I wasn't enough, that I was too much of a fake.'
He smiled, though there was no mirth in his smile. 'Not that I wouldn't have fought it. I never was very good at taking no for an answer and I was happy with you. I wouldn't have tired of you, I know that.'
He did understand what Percy was saying, and he could see the point of it. Not about Bones, because that he knew would never ever work out. But he knew Percy was right about them working together, about giving Umbridge a chance to use it against them, though he wondered about what he meant by that question about living together with another man. He didn't think too much of that though, because the one thing he knew most of all, was that Percy was right about Lestrange. He would have power over them, a power he was as unwilling to give him as Percy was.
Unlike Percy though, he saw another solution to the problem. Either, like Percy said, they couldn't be together, at least until after the war, or...or one of them had to leave the office - that one of them being him because Percy was, by far, more important to the office than he was. He could fight in the order if needed, and possibly take that job Morag had offered him though he still didn't quite understand what that would entail or why she'd want a past Auror working for her. As much as he hated the thought of leaving his work, he hated the thought of not being with Percy more. Besides, he couldn't deny that the risk of him losing his job was there anyway. He'd failed them, he'd become a risk, a liability.
That didn't make the decision any easier, the words easier to speak. Yet maybe this was the sacrifice he could make to show Percy that he meant what he said. That it wasn't just words?
'Maybe I just shouldn't work for you then,' he said, his voice quiet and soft as he searched Percy's face for his reaction.