The words Gus uttered then broke what little of Basil’s heart the Ravenclaw figured he had. It hurt to think that Gus had simply moved on with life after their fall-out; that they both had. From his perspective, as the infatuated seventeen year old he’d once been before the crisis, it hurt more than Basil was willing to admit. He couldn’t currently imagine a single second of his life without Gus, his oxygen, his other half. To think they parted ways and Gus just… let go? Something inside of Basil couldn’t stomach it. Turning away from his companion, Basil imagined the types of letters he might have penned. They probably read very similarly to what his thoughts were now, if a bit more apologetic or angry. He had a sharp wit. Basil could only imagine how scathing some of those letters might have been. Grey eyes closed as he tried to rid himself of the vulgar thought. Then Gus offered to show them to him and Basil couldn’t help the small flicker of hope that shone through his desperation. Gus might not have answered him, but he’d kept the letters - even after all this time.
Turning back to the redhead, Basil appraised him with a look that could only convey how miserably he was bleeding out. He’d never been the best at schooling his emotions from Gus, and this time he didn’t even try. Basil didn’t know if he wanted to see those letters. They were like something a him from the future was going to write, in an alternate universe long since past. They were ghosts of what he, presently, would never see or hear or feel but that this other Basil would return to. His current reality was finite. It would end as soon as the older, Professor Foxwood regained his memories.
On the one hand, Basil wanted to just curl up with Gus and pet his hair and pretend nothing over the past few minutes had transpired. Pretend that everything was fine and that their past was still present. He wanted more than anything to be blissfully unaware of their reality. On the other however, his curiosity was stronger than his will to make things terribly, terribly awkward and hold Gus again. He nodded, feebly, and decided on a whim that these letters were probably the best step forward for them both.