Charming

Basil was alarmed, to say the least, at Lissington’s reaction even after the boggart had gone. Raising his hands just slightly in defense, the brunette watched as Lissing pointed his own wand - half in a daze - and then slowly came back to reality. Whatever that was, it had certainly taken him for a loop! For a moment, the brunette didn’t know what to say. What had that thing been, that apparition? What did it mean? Did Lissington have scars raking up and down his forearms like that? Had someone actually emblazoned something upon him maliciously in his travels? The very cruel thought made Basil’s stomach turn again. He could see the fear still scrawled so plainly across the other’s face and he ached to reach out…

“Of course,” he said instead, taking a small step towards the red-head. Lissington fumbled to put his wand away again and Basil let out a deliberate breath. “Lissing…” he intoned, ever so gently as if he were handling a fragile child. “What… what was that? Are you, alright?” He gave the other a meaningful look, one he hoped Lissing wouldn’t ignore in avoidance. Did something happen you want to tell me?

Of course, very likely, the other could shut that door with a slam in his face. Lissington very well might not want to share his deepest darkest secrets with Basil anymore, and he had every right. But… Basil hoped he might. Even if just so that he could be there… if Gus ever needed him.

“Y-you know you can tell me, if you ever need to.” Basil shifted a little uncomfortably. “Despite… the history we’ve decided to bury, I am in your corner.” He tried to be reassuring, but wasn’t sure if it was apt. There was something just so intimate about talking through one's boggart that made Basil both want to hold back and dig in deeper. I would never let anything happen to you that was within my power to control, he thought desperately. The words were on the tip of his tongue too (and Basil had just about released them) when he decided, instead, to see what Lissington had to offer. There was no need to be dramatic, preemptively.

---

Foxwood took a step toward him, and let out a breath before speaking so quietly, he must have thought Gus would break if he spoke any louder. He shook his head before he caught on to the look - the other was curious, protective in a way he hadn’t been in a decade. He didn’t need to be protected, but perhaps it would feel good to release a secret he’d kept under wraps for a while. It surprised him that it was his boggart - Gus had always figured his would be losing his family members, death in general, not sitting behind some bars in prison for simply being himself. It made him feel selfish, that his boggart was focused around his well-being.

He sighed, shakily, as he raked his fingers through his hair. Foxwood was shifting uncomfortably, and Gus shook his head again. Was he ready to truly admit what it was? It would scare the other away for good, and Gus was terrified of losing him again. They’d just started to reconnect and he was ready for that level of friendship again. Still, after witnessing that, he knew he owed him some kind of explanation, lest his own mind start to fill in the blanks - whatever Foxwood would conjure might be far worse than what had actually happened.

Finally, Gus met Basil’s eyes. He smiled sadly, the memories fleeting as they filtered through his head. It felt odd, telling him of his travels and his life after him when he’d tried so hard to keep them separate. Basil didn’t want to know what he’d been up to during his travels, and Gus couldn’t blame him. After another moment, he started to speak slowly, picking his words rather carefully. “I trusted someone with a secret. We met when I first went over and wound up taking most of the same assignments, so it was only natural we became friends.” William Ash. They’d connected around the fires while camping, in the tombs where they had to have each other’s back, in flats over tea and jokes and owls. He’d become one of his best friends over the course of a decade. He trusted him with his life. Look where that got him.

Gus wasn’t sure where he’d gone wrong. What signs he’d read incorrectly, or if William let him blur the lines between friendship and relationship because he had a suspicion Gus was gay. He’d never taken a girl home to his flat, even in the times he’d been able to. Of course someone who knew him so well would eventually put two and two together. He tried to understand the betrayal, no matter how much it hurt. He was unnatural and it was only fair to warn others of it, lest Gus try to take advantage of someone else. He was disgusting. He was a criminal and a sinner. Who in their right mind would want to befriend and trust someone like that?

But Gus was still Gus, and while terrified of what people would think, wasn’t ready to be outed. Or ostracized. He loved people, the wrong people, but surely that didn’t make him a monster. He didn’t need a warning - no one would ever see that side of him again, as long as he lived. William had crossed a line, and then more Gus mulled over it, the angrier he became. He understood the man not wanting to be his friend… but to make him seem like a monster who needed to be put down? He hadn’t hurt anyone. Hadn’t killed anyone. Gus just wanted to fall and in love and live happily every after like most people. He just wanted to be… happy.

This time when he spoke, he snarled, allowing some of the anger to bubble out. “And a year ago he branded me like some kind of animal when he’d learned it.” Gus could feel the words tearing into his skin. Absent-mindedly,  he scratched at the scar through his robe. His eyebrows knitted together as he lowered his gaze to glare at the ground. “It’s not something I could have had a healer look at. It would...” Ruin me. Kill me. Destroy me.

“I did the best I could to cover it.” He choked the words out. He’d managed to at least cover the part people would see. “And when he learned I was trying to keep it a secret again, he blackmailed me. I couldn’t… I wanted to come home.” It had been a terrible few months. Gus sighed and shook his head, not wanting to offer anything more. He couldn’t look at Basil, and instead took a few steps away from him to give them some space.

If someone else finds out, Azkaban will be my life. Gus swallowed the words.

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The restraint in Lissington’s eyes did not go by unnoticed. Whatever this boggart was, it must have been something that stuck with him. Something painful and dark; Basil felt a sudden pang, wondering who or what could have hurt Lissing so badly. He prayed, deep down it hadn’t been him in some way. Shoving the thought aside to deal with at a later date, Basil carefully watched as the red-head beside him struggled to form words. He ached desperately to reach out and… touch him, in some way, to provide comfort. They were still so awkwardly stiff though that Basil didn’t feel it was appropriate. (Not that they hadn’t just snogged in a final exam, but yanno.)

Instead, the brunette listened attentively, trying to piece together what the other was saying. He had a billion questions, each more pressing than the last, but Basil swallowed them as best he could. It was evident this was difficult for Lissington and he didn’t want to make it worse. He’d… trusted someone with a secret. Did that mean, the secret? The… secret Basil still wasn’t even sure how to define? The feeling? Basil hesitated on this thought. It was a feeling, he supposed. It was a sentiment, an attachment, an innate desire that - for better or worse, right or wrong - was real to Lissington. And, potentially, to him too. He couldn’t imagine unraveling that however, and letting someone - anyone - in on it save for maybe a close friend. A friend, it sounded like, similar to the one Gus had trusted.

The next words to fall out of the red-head’s mouth shocked Basil, and the brunette couldn’t help the look of surprise that flew across his features. He listened, raptly, and forced his mouth to shut from the initial impact, saliva running dry. What a wretched experience Gus had been forced to live through! It was no wonder his boggart had manifested as some bizarre would-be-scenario lest… lest the truth come out. Basil shifted in place, heart aching for his once closest friend. How could it be that this villain was still out there, torturing him? Threatening to expose something that frankly was Gus’ business and nobody else’s! Was this the reason he’d taken up a position at Hogwarts? Was this why he’d come back?

Basil swallowed a thick lump in his throat and ran a hand through his hair anxiously. He didn’t know what to do or say with the information that had just been delivered. He was still trying to process it as Lissing went silent. The words he didn’t say echoed loud and clear around them.

“Oh, Gus…” Basil said gently, quietly. He hadn’t known… he hadn’t ever imagined the red-head could be living with something so terrible. It made Basil feel incredibly selfish and disgusted with himself for not knowing, for not being there to help him. Propriety be damned. He lifted a hand to pat the other on the back but instead Basil found himself just pulling the other close. He buried his nose in the red-head’s collar in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. He didn’t have the right words, or any words, really, so he didn’t try. He just… held onto him, hoping Gus would understand that he was grateful for the information but also terribly, terribly guilty…

After a moment, he pulled away and tugged at his coattails awkwardly. The shock had turned to anger somewhere in there, anger towards the bastard that thought he could blackmail Lissington, and Basil had a deep frown on his face. “If he ever dares to come to Britain,” the brunette said quietly, in a menacing, protective voice unusual for Basil Foxwood, “I will be sure to set him straight.” A few decades as a toad in a jar getting poked and stabbed by first years ought to do it.

---

He could see the shock that spread across Basil’s face as Gus recounted his tale. He hadn’t told anyone what had happened, but what was he going to say that wouldn’t out himself and put him in a cell in Azkaban? Instead he’d spent the rest of his  time as a curse breaker looking over his shoulder - it felt like an entire lifetime of holding his breath waiting for the other shoe to drop.  When Fig had joked with him that he should apply for the Defense Against the Darks Arts position at Hogwarts over Thanksgiving he’d jumped at opportunity. Gus had run because he was scared; some days he still looked for William, still waited for the dreaded letters telling him to do something or else he’d ruin him. And Gus would do every single thing because he was selfish, wanting to live a life of sin and disgust without repercussions. His supervisor had been shocked when he'd turned in his resignation effective immediately.

He hadn’t realized Basil had stepped forward, the thoughts swirling in his head, and he jumped a bit when he felt the other’s hand against his back; it was a moment later that he was sinking into the embrace, his own arms wrapping around him. He buried his nose into his shoulder. It was nice to not be peppered with questions despite knowing he must have a lot - Gus had only offered the bare bones of what had transpired, but there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he’d figured out the secret meant the secret. The one that wasn’t real. The one that marked him as a beast instead of a man. He also knew Basil was feeling terribly sorry for him; perhaps thinking if things had gone differently between them none of this would have happened. But it had, and the redhead had dealt with it in his own way. It wasn't Basil's fault - it was his own for having these unnatural feelings and acting on them.

Basil stepped back and Gus let him as he shuffled backward himself. His lips curled into a slight smile, almost guilty for making the man show that protective side of him he reserved for people very special to him. Quite frankly, he would have been pleased to still be on that list had his head been in a better place. Gus raked his fingers through his hair. “Thank you, Basil. I don’t know where he is, nor do I care.” He sighed and dropped his fingers to his side. That was a lie. He thought about where he was at a lot; Hogwarts provided its own protection because people couldn't waltz onto the campus without a reason. Look at how selfish he’d been for taking this position - the students deserved better than him. He cleared his throat. “I well… Thank you. For your help. This wasn’t exactly how I imagined it going… but I… I appreciate you.” He wanted to apologize for forcing him to witness that but decided against it - Basil would only frown at him for apologizing. Again.

---

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When Lissington melted into the contact, Basil felt like he’d never move again. He detected, not for the first time that day, the sweet and spicy scent of the red-head and huddled into it, relishing every moment as best he could whilst attempting to provide whatever semblance of comfort he dared. It wasn’t his place to be there for Lissington anymore, it wasn’t his right to feel protective… yet Basil did. He always would, too. Nodding as Lissington dismissed the matter, evidently not wanting to talk about this anymore, Basil let him. He knew it would be sensitive and if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t ready to touch it really - not verbally. He didn’t trust himself to not say something that frankly made it worse. Instead, he offered the other a gentle smile.

“Of course,” he replied quietly. “I think you’ve done a rather splendid job here,” Basil added, grinning his lopsided little smile and hoping to lighten the mood as he gestured to the maze around them. “The students will benefit greatly from the whole of the experience.” Save for, maybe, the snogging part, he thought to himself abstractly. Fending off a small blush, Basil cleared his throat. “Well, shall we exit?” He asked looking about. There didn’t seem to be much of anywhere to go; he’d follow Lissington’s lead on this one.

---

Everything Gus scratched nervously at his cheek at Basil’s comment as he met his gaze with a shy smile. There was doubt, a lot of doubt that plagued his mind about the job, but that wasn’t a here or now matter. Instead he flashed him a bright smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you.” He owed Foxwood a lot more words than that, but he knew if he said more the man would wave him off.

Blue hues flicked toward the door, and Gus nodded. Without saying much else, he wrenched the door open hidden behind the boggart’s cabinets, his eyes lingering in it for a moment longer. Then he was squinting as he stepped into the sunlight. He turned toward the other and tilted his head. “I guess I’ll see you at dinner?” He hummed. He had work to do to fix his maze.

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