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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