Those two words made his heart sink - I can’t. He didn’t need an explanation behind it; he couldn’t because society said he couldn’t, and neither of them were rebellious enough to go against it. Gus felt his heart begin to crack yet he managed to keep himself steady as he turned to look at him. He knew Basil wasn’t as adventurous as him, but he was okay with that. He could find exciting things to do around London, even with an occupation that wouldn’t take him around the world. He could work at Gringotts itself, down in the vaults with his father. So Gus waited for Basil to ask him to stay; deep down, that was all he wanted.
Instead the other offered to write to him; writing had never been his strong suit and he wasn’t sure how often he’d have for correspondence, or how often he’d move without a moment’s notice. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. His heart dropped into his stomach. This couldn’t be it. That was more frightening than anything he would face in the next phase of his life. Gus turned sharply toward the other, his fingers shakily coming to cup his cheeks. Sliding closer to him, he leaned into Basil to rest their foreheads together. “I don’t want to write to you. I want to be with you.”
At seventeen, he wasn’t sure what he knew about love - he’d been infatuated a time or two before, but never had his heart hurt so much at the idea of losing someone. It would be like losing Fig if she suddenly decided she was done being in his life; he loved his sister, but what he felt for Basil was deeper than that. Less familiar. It felt like he was losing a part of himself he hadn’t realized was missing until Basil Foxwood had entered his life.
He knew Basil. He’d become wrapped up in his studies, in his friends and life that thoughts of Gus would lessen until he was just a ghost of his past. Hopefully though, never a regret. That thought frightened him. He sighed softly, before meekly saying, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”