“McKinnon,” Gus huffed as the other pinched his nose like he couldn’t believe Gus did something as stupid as touch an object, “Live a little!” He shifted on the bench, running a hand over the back of his neck before looking at Derek again with that crooked sort of smile that belonged more to a man who knew better than one who learned his lesson. Of course Gus never would, because a cautious curse breaker didn’t get anything done.

“Besides, how else am I meant to determine if it’s cursed, ask it politely?” Gus rolled his eyes. Of course he knew the real ways to determine it, he had been trained to do just that, but observing, recording, and proceeding with caution took too long in his book. The redhead tipped his head as he turned toward Derek. “You should come out with me sometime. See what it’s like in the field. You’ll see that rule number one is bullshit.”

He leaned forward then, elbows to knees. “You’ll either understand why I do it...” his smile tilted sharper, “...or you’ll finally get to say ‘I told you so’ over my hospital bed. Either way, you win.”

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