Authors:lee_west and ceria Rating: R – more for subject matter Pairing: Gideon/Kingsley Summary: Written for the AWDT prompt, “It was just a kiss.” Can dreams become reality? Disclaimer: We don’t own the boys at all; if we did, their story would have a happy ending. And we wish we had a nice flat in Milan, too. Warnings: Chan-ish - but the minor in question isn't innocent at all!
Gideon Floo'ed to his brother's flat early Tuesday morning with a small rucksack slung over his left shoulder. Carrying his wand loosely, he stepped out of the Floo to find Lydia wrapped in a blanket sipping tea.
"Good morning," she said brightly, pointing to the kitchen. Fabian walked out a moment later, carrying two cups. He handed one to his brother and leaned against the side of the chair where Lydia sat.
Gideon didn't break the silence, somewhat envious of them. Fabian and Lydia, to his surprise, had found an accord that suited them well. They were spending more and more time together lately. It was a relationship Gideon didn't understand at all, for he didn't understand Fabian's attraction to her. In the end, however, all that mattered was that Fabian was happy.
Gideon believed he was.
She stood, holding her hand out for the cups as the brothers finished drinking. Fabian, smiling broadly, kissed her slowly on the mouth.
"Safe journey," she said to Gideon, who nodded his head. He raised an eyebrow at his brother, who answered, "Auror Headquarters first."
Nodding, he followed Fabian through the Floo. It wasn't until he dusted himself off in the Ministry of Magic that he realized he hadn't asked about Renee. Flinching slightly, he hid it by removing his cloak with a flourish.
Fabian indicated with a hand motion where to drop their things and motioned Gideon to follow him past Robards' cubicle. Gawain was sitting as his desk with his head between his hands as if sleeping.
"What's wrong with him?" Gideon asked.
"Emergency meeting this weekend and roundup while I was gone. Three Muggles reported some strange goings on. He's not had any sleep so he can't accompany me in this mission."
Gideon knew that had been arranged by Moody, to ensure the brothers could take this mission together. He wasn't surprised Robards was tired, because Moody had a habit of working someone to death.
Fabian knocked on Moody's door, entering without permission to find him perusing a bookshelf. Muttering to himself, he turned around, one hand clutching two pieces of parchment. Handing one to each brother, he said gruffly, "Fabian, read it then destroy it. Gideon, after you arrive open yours."
Returning to Fabian's desk, Gideon noticed a quill and a piece of parchment sitting out. It was unlike his brother to leave something lying about and Gideon pointed to it, raising an eyebrow quizzically.
Fabian frowned at him fiercely and for a moment, Gideon thought he might not answer. "We'll be gone for two weeks. I know it's sudden and I know you cleared your holiday very late with Victor."
Gideon nodded; neither his captain nor the Arrows' owner had been impressed with his immediate need to miss two weeks' worth of practice, but since Gideon rarely took holidays, they accepted it.
"Then what's this for?" he asked.
"Just in case you need to let anyone else know."
"You told Dad and Molly last night, yeah? I think that covers it."
Surprised by the look of fury on his brother's face, Gideon frowned, "Am I missing something?"
"You? Apparently not. But I am."
Your sanity, Gideon wanted to say.
"So, you're free to disappear for two weeks without notifying anyone?"
It was the strangest half conversation he'd ever had with his brother. Gideon knew Fabian had a point, but he didn't see it. At first.
"On second thought, if you don't mind, I would like to use it."
Fabian stared at him for a full minute before stepping aside and approaching Robards, leaving Gideon alone to write the note.
K-
Going out of town with F, back in two weeks.
G.
It felt very strange to address a letter; it had been a long time since he last wrote anything personal for owl post. Sealing it, he wrote Kingsley's name on the outside and placed it in the outgoing mail slot near the cubicle.
Fabian returned, his face a mask of glacial calm, and Gideon again wondered what was wrong. Unsealing his orders, Fabian said, "We Apparate to Great Hangleton." Fabian incinerated it with his wand, nodding to his brother.
"Kingsley, we need to talk," Maura said sternly, looking at her son with an uncharacteristic severe face.
Looking down at his mother, Kingsley squirmed uncomfortably. "About what, Mum?"
She sighed deeply. "About you…and Gideon."
Kingsley's heart skipped a beat, but he controlled his voice - well enough, he thought. "What about me and Gideon, Mum?" he asked innocently.
But Maura wasn't easily fooled. "Don't play games with me, Kingsley. I saw you two…snogging."
Oh, fuck! Where? When? Kingsley started sweating, but he knew that it would be useless to deny it. "Mum, that wasn't snogging. It was just a kiss," he answered with a nonchalance he didn’t quite feel.
"Just a kiss?" she asked, shaking her head. "First of all, since when do two men share just a kiss? And besides, Kingsley, that wasn't 'just a kiss.' That was very intense making out, from what I could see."
Kingsley closed his eyes, but didn't dare to move. This wasn't happening to him. This was the most embarrassing moment of his life: his own mother, analyzing his snogging session with another bloke. With Gideon.
But which time? He was about to open his mouth and ask her that, when she continued. "I daresay that was much more than just snogging," she answered matter-of-factly. "It was quite passionate, actually, like two people in love."
"MUM!" Kingsley shouted, horrified.
"Well, Kingsley, I can’t say that I'm pleased with the fact that you chose a man rather than a woman, but if you want to have a boyfriend –"
'HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Kingsley screeched. Why did everyone think that all of a sudden? First that fuckwit Edward, and now his own mother? "He's my friend!"
Maura just laughed. "You don't really believe that, do you? Or are you trying to fool me?"
Speechless, Kingsley just stared at his mother.
"Kingsley! Kingsley!" Maura called out, shaking him. Not receiving a response, she shook him a little harder. "Come on, darling, wake up. It's past noon. And you've got an owl."
Sitting up in bed and looking wildly at his mother, Kingsley opened his eyes wide. "Mum. Was…was I asleep?"
She snorted. "Of course you were. What else do you do at this time of the day? Sound asleep and whimpering a little, just like you used to do when you were a little boy and had nightmares," she added fondly.
He laid his head back on the pillow. A fucking nightmare. That was all it was. But a nightmare very close to reality. Not the stupidity about Gideon being his boyfriend, but the fact that his mother might find out about him and Gideon.
"You got an owl from Gideon," she said, handing him the roll of parchment.
Kingsley recoiled when she thrust the note into his hand. Maura looked at him quizzically. "Darling, this is for you, from your friend Gideon."
He held back a surprised gasp, then reached out and opened the note carefully. He had no clue what Gideon had written about, but he hoped it wasn't something private.
With a deep relieved sigh, he read the brief note and handed it to his mother. "He's going on a mission with Fabian."
Maura nodded. "It's nice of him to let you know. Did you have any plans?"
"Nothing in particular, just a movie or something like that."
"He's a good influence on you," she said, kissing his forehead and standing up. "I like it that you spend time with him."
Kingsley nodded, chewing the inside of his mouth furiously. You wouldn't like it at all, Mum, if you knew how we spend time together. He just wanted his birthday to be there, so he could shag Gideon and forget about him after that. It was a matter of principle now: he just had to do it to get it out of his head. And, after that, he wouldn't sleep with any other bloke. Just girls after his birthday.
Appearing near Great Hangleton a few seconds after his brother, Gideon unsealed his orders, "Travel North or East, search for any hidden activity. Specifically caves, abandoned cabins and Muggle-repelling charms." Looking around and seeing no one nearby, Gideon cast an illusion on both of them, changing his hair color to a drab dark brown and his brother's to black.
Fabian nodded, casting Incendio immediately. Gideon yelped as the flames engulfed the note while still in his hand. For whatever reason, Fabian was in a foul mood.
Removing their robes and tying them around their shoulder packs, they proceeded as Muggles into the town, since very few Wizards lived in Great Hangleton. They passed a wooden sign reading Little Hangleton in the opposite direction they traveled, and Gideon frowned. He knew of the place, but couldn’t remember why.
It was the time of the morning when most people were on their way to work, yet the village was silent. It wasn't a Wizarding village, so he expected to see people walking or taking autos, anything like he'd seen in London. The quiet set an ominous tone that Gideon couldn't shake.
One shop opened its doors as they walked past; a man in all white was carrying a small table and set it outside the door. Curious, they walked slower until he returned, carrying a tray of pastries. Glancing at him, Gideon started; the man's pale, lackluster skin shocked him until he realized the man was covered with flour. He looked like he had been in a hurry to get the table in place. They said hello to the baker, and Gideon purchased two pastries for breakfast, handing one to his brother.
The man hmphed at the Muggle money Gideon handed him, as if he hadn't seen it before.
Fabian and Gideon hardly spoke as they walked through the empty town, making Gideon more nervous with each step. It was totally unlike his brother to behave this way.
He didn't dare ask what was wrong until they left the town far behind in their walk. Unwilling to ask directly, it was very, very rare to see Fabian in such a snit, Gideon instead asked, "What do you think the hidden activity is?"
At the exact same time Fabian began to speak, "Gideon, when I Floo'ed you on Sunday…"
Gideon closed his mouth, wanting his brother to address whatever was upsetting him.
"… he was in your bedroom, wasn't he?"
Kingsley told his parents that he was going camping with some of his Hogwarts friends; Marlene told hers that she was going camping with Hestia. Carrying their rucksacks on their backs, they met at the Leaky Cauldron and Floo'ed to a pub in Windermere. From there, they walked through the Wizarding village, hidden from the outside world, and into the Muggle town. They mingled with teenagers from several parts of the world and, together with their newly-found friends, soon found a campsite where they pitched their tent.
It was a fun week. The group of teenagers soon started sharing meals and stories. Someone would bring a guitar and they would sing under the moonlight.
A young man from Ireland, all red hair and freckles, hit on Kingsley on their second day at the camp. Kingsley politely told him that he fancied girls and, as the bloke could see, was in fact with one in that trip.
The Irish boy looked at him a little disappointed, but told him he appreciated Kingsley's polite refusal.
Kingsley hoped that the boy would leave soon: his red hair made it almost impossible to stop thinking about Gideon.
Well, that was blunt, Gideon thought, swallowing hard.
It took another three tries before he could speak. Not that he wanted to.
"Yes."
"What are you going to tell Mac?"
Gideon stopped walking. "What the hell do you mean by that?"
"Bloody hell, Gideon. Don't play stupid. You know exactly what I mean."
"No, Fabian, I don't."
"You're shagging his underage son, brother mine."
"No, I’m not. Not really."
"Not really?" Fabian asked incredulously, "You know that's not an answer, correct?"
Gideon frowned at him, "It means just that: I'm not shagging him."
Fabian wasn't looking at him, eyes continually searching the left side of the narrow road. Gideon watched the right; they were trying to locate any subtle use of magic they might find.
"It's still enough to get you thrown in Azkaban."
"Merlin's balls, Fabian. I'm sick of thinking about that."
"Merlin has nothing to do with it, Gideon. I doubt he was chasing underage wizards about."
"Ya' never know, brother. Look at who surrounded him, Arthur, Lancelot, and then the rest of the Knights…."
"Gideon! Be serious."
"I am serious, about as serious as possible when you're discussing Merlin chasing boy wizards.
"I was making a point. One you need to hear."
"I. Am. Not. Shagging. Him."
"Call it what you will, I'm sure his father won't appreciate it."
"Why are we bringing Mac into his conversation?"
"Do you think he won't figure it out? Hell, Gideon, if I can figure it out, anyone can."
"No one else is close enough to me to know, Fabian."
"Meaghan?"
What did Meg know? Gideon wondered, his silence its own answer.
"I don't see how you can work for the Ministry of Magic anymore, Gideon."
"Pardon me?" he asked, shocked by his brother's calm announcement.
"You obviously have no respect for the law."
"You don't hold anything back, do you, Fabian?"
"I think you should quit."
After the red-haired boy left, Kingsley felt much more relaxed and was able to enjoy the rest of the week. Although the young man never approached him again, Kingsley thought he was too close for comfort, observing Kingsley's very movement.
Not to mention that, when the group went skinny-dipping in the lake, the damn bloke looked too much like Gideon from the back. When Marlene pulled him into their tent, Kingsley hesitated slightly, making a big effort to stifle the urge to tackle the Irish boy. With a wry laugh, closing the flap of the tent, he knew that the boy would have absolutely no issue with his age.
Incredulous, Gideon stopped walking, staring at his brother's rigid back. So far they had kept the conversation at whispered tones, neither brother looking at the other.
"I'm not quitting."
Fabian shrugged, but didn't stop walking, "If you can't uphold the laws you're no different than the men we track."
Following his brother again, Gideon said, "I've broken no law."
"Nor do you have any respect for them, Gideon."
He thought briefly about the number of times he wanted to break it, and hadn't. Gideon always knew his version of the law had much less black and white and much more gray than Fabian's version. It shouldn't be a surprise they were having this argument. "If I didn't have any respect, I wouldn’t be holding back."
"Is that what you think you're doing?"
Gideon sighed, "With all due respect, brother mine, his birthday isn't the only defining factor in this."
"Oh?"
"It's not a magical date that suddenly instills responsibility or character into a person. Coming of age is only a number; he's the same person today that he'll be in two weeks. His mentality doesn't change with a birthday, only his legality."
"That is true, but you're not considering other factors."
"Such as?"
"Respect."
"I think I've enough respect for that law; I've not broken it."
"Do you think Mac or Maura would see it that way? Gideon, it won't matter to them if their son is sixteen, eighteen or even twenty-one. All they'll see is that you're taking advantage of him."
"I don't think many people could take advantage of him," Gideon said ruefully. Fabian glanced at him, frowning, and Gideon apologized; that really was something Fabian didn't need to hear.
"How can you work for the Ministry publicly and disagree with them privately?"
"Do you want specifics, Fabian? The law states penetration, I've read it more than once."
"The law states intercourse with a minor is illegal."
"Intercourse is defined as penetration."
"Gideon, are we going to argue over semantics?"
"Yes, we are."
"Gideon, deny that you are sexually active with him."
He opened his mouth to answer, closed it and opened it again. "Legally, no, but morally? Yes, we are."
"So you admit you're twisting the law to your benefit."
"I admit I'm following my interpretation of the law."
Fabian sighed, finally looking at his brother, "If it was anyone else, I'd turn you in for it."
"But?"
"I think you're correct; he's mentally prepared for what he's doing. Probably more than you are."
Gideon nodded, carefully modulating his face to not show any emotion. Fabian had obviously come to this decision some time ago, and was testing him.
"But, Gideon? He's going to break your heart."
At the end of the week, the group of teenagers broke camp and walked back to the village. There was a moment of discomfort when the Muggles asked Kingsley and Marlene which train they would take back to London. They looked at each other briefly and Marlene answered quickly, "We haven't got tickets. My parents dropped us off here a week ago and we were supposed to let them know when they had to pick us up."
"But we can try to catch the same train as you all," Kingsley retorted. "This way your parents won't have to drive all the way here, Marlene."
She caught up immediately. "Sure. And from the station we can just hop on a cab."
It was a somewhat nostalgic trip, with hugs and kisses at the station and promises to keep in touch. Marlene and Kingsley went to the Leaky Cauldron and from there to their houses.
At home, Kingsley found an owl from Santini, asking him to come spend a few days with him in Milan. It took Kingsley one hour to unpack and pack again, and then he was off to visit his cousin.
The Muggle teenagers never heard from the interesting couple they met in Windermere. The telephone number Marlene gave as hers connected to a sweetshop; Kingsley's wasn't in service.
It saddened Fabian to tell Gideon that, but he could see the truth of it written across their faces. His brother, who never believed in love, who thought love was a myth, cared for Shacklebolt.
Fabian had never seen Gideon tolerate anything from another person. He had a short temper and no lenience for stupidity. Not that Shacklebolt was stupid, Moody spoke very well about him actually. Fabian didn't personally like him, but his dislike was entangled with worry for Gideon. Kingsley made Gideon laugh and they obviously enjoyed each other's company.
In the end, Gideon preferred men and he would choose to be with a bloke over a female every time. Fabian didn't know which gender Kingsley preferred. Kingsley, possibly impressed with a handsome Quidditch player chasing him, might only be flattered by all the attention. He still had a year left at Hogwarts, then three years of intense training to become an Auror. Four years was a long time to wait for someone.
Gideon's life was chosen for him. As a Chaser for the Arrows he had a career, he opted to spend his free time as a hit wizard, and he was part of the Order. While Fabian didn't want to say that Gideon didn't have time for relationships, it was the truth. Not to mention the importance of the Order. Very few people knew whom Dumbledore would ask to join, but it didn't seem likely that Kingsley would be asked. How would Gideon handle that?
Gideon, who hadn't had one steady relationship in years, was choosing to spend more and more time with Kingsley. Not to mention that he'd never stood up to Fabian before. Whenever Fabian had questioned Gideon's choices of relationships in the past, Gideon had shrugged and admitted it was just for fun.
Fabian was curious if Gideon realized this yet, but he doubted it.
Kingsley had clearance to enter Santini's flat, so he made himself at home while he waited for his cousin to arrive from the hospital. He played some music, picked up an Italian Quidditch magazine and lay on the sofa.
After what seemed like hours, but actually was only thirty minutes, he felt restless. He looked at the clock and it showed that Santini was still at work, with an estimated time of departure in another two hours.
Unable to sit still, Kingsley went to the market to buy the ingredients for dinner. Santini had shown him how to prepare a few Italian dishes and Kingsley decided that the activity would help him settle his thoughts.
It was the first time he'd see his cousin since the christening. They had talked at length that day. They kept no secrets from each other, and he had described to Santini his date – no, his shagging – with Gideon in detail.
***
Despite their easy camaraderie, Kingsley had been a little shy about describing what Gideon had done to him. Not that he was embarrassed about the words or the action, but he was uncomfortable describing his feelings. But he knew that Santini would be able to understand and hopefully dismiss the idea that Kingsley could ever lose control.
To his immense surprise, Santini was not understanding: he laughed. Out loud. "So the sportsman is a pro at rimming, yeah?"
"Shh. Not so loud. And I don't know if he is," Kingsley answered despondently. "That was my first time and I had nothing to compare to."
Santini elbowed him hard. "But you liked it, yeah?"
Kingsley shrugged. "'Twas fine."
"Only fine?" Santini teased. "Come on, Kingsley, don't lie. I've done it and it's very good."
"It was very good," Kingsley admitted begrudgingly.
"So good that you wanted more, yeah?"
"Santini! Stop it. You're not helping."
Santini stifled a laugh. "Sorry. Go on."
"It was…weird. I…I wanted to tell him to stop, but--"
"Kingsley," Santini interrupted, "You know that you can always say you don't want something, correct? Never do anything against you will."
"I know that, Santini. But I couldn't – I didn't want to – tell him to stop."
Santini watched Kingsley in silence. Kingsley was a big man, almost as tall as himself and as strong, but underneath that mass there was a very young mind. He wasn't sure if he liked the control that the sportsman – Gideon – had over his cousin. He'd have to meet this man soon; this little bit of fun, as Kingsley loved to refer to it, was turning into something a little more complicated. He decided to lighten the mood, saying the only thing he knew would rile Kingsley enough to make him react. "Kingsley, watch out! You'll still be a bottom for this one."
Kingsley opened his eyes wide, then noticed that Santini was teasing him. "Never! You got the wrong cousin. My name's not Chambers," he said, laughing. "And by the way, where is he? Let's pester him."
"Sure," Santini answered, promising himself to keep closer tabs on his younger cousin.
They didn't have time for further conversation, though Gideon was curious why Fabian said and thought that. He touched his brother's arm, "Faint traces through the woods here."
The sapling leaned to one side, as if too many people had braced themselves against it to climb over the brush. Gideon entered the woods first, Fabian following ten seconds later. There wasn't much of a trail through the trees, yet Gideon could see faint scuff markings on the ground, as if someone had slipped the last time they walked this path. He would have to check to find out when it rained last.
Burying the unfinished conversation in the back of his head, Gideon focused on their mission. It would be too easy to let the conversation distract them, causing one of them to get hurt. He took a deep breath and concentrated on what he knew.
Typically, they assumed they were safe during the day. Most of his underlings worked, needing some sort of cover for their nocturnal activities. It didn't make them less cautious though. If Fabian and Gideon could travel by day, then anyone could.
Walking slower, and very carefully, Gideon crept along the path, partially listening for abnormal noises and partially listening for his brother. The way was narrowing, or the trees were closing in on him.
He wasn't sure if the forest was getting thicker, or if he was tired. They started to sleep at opposite times once they began searching the forest. Gideon refused to leave them unguarded and Fabian withdrew into himself, vigilant for anything strange in the woods.
He wanted to cast Lumos; he was worried about missing the trail as the forest thickened, blotting out the sunlight, but knew better than to try it. Slowing down more, he began feeling the tree bark as he walked.
Eventually, at hip level, he felt a flat spot, as if it had been rubbed smooth. Thankful they were still on the correct path, he studied the ground for a moment before turning right.
As they traveled deeper into the woods, Gideon wanted to turn around and reassure himself that Fabian still trailed behind. He didn't, of course, but the desire to was still there. Thankful for sturdy Muggle clothing, he climbed over more brush. He had to skirt around the edge of some brambles the size of a shed, scratching himself.
Day blended into night into another day as they wandered, not quite lost, but not sure where they were either. When all they did was search for clues in woods, it was easy to lose track of how many days they actually were gone.
***
Gideon walked slowly, unwilling to be out of Fabian's line of sight for very long. In the distance, the path widened. Carefully approaching it through the trees, and not on the path, Gideon found a run-down cottage.
Santini Apparated inside his flat and was welcomed by the aroma of food. His stomach grumbled and he smiled. "Kingsley! You can come everyday to play maid, you know?" he shouted as greeting, striding into the kitchen.
Kingsley stopped stirring the sauce to shoot him the finger. "You can't afford this maid, Italiano!" Carefully placing the spoon on a rest on the counter, he opened his arms and the cousins shared a big bear hug. "Thanks for asking me over."
"Hey, you know I'll do anything for food," Santini retorted lightly, but scanning his cousin's face carefully. "Besides, Aunt Maura told me you had gone camping with friends and I wanted to know what kind of action Grandpa's tent saw this time."
"Man, I had the greatest week with Marlene."
"Marlene?" Santini asked, surprised.
"Yep. Why are you surprised?"
Santini shook his head quickly. "No, nothing. I didn't know you were still seeing her."
"Well, off and on. She's great fun."
Nodding noncommittally, Santini walked towards the door. "Let me wash this hospital grime off and we can talk while we eat."
"I'll set the table."
Under the shower spray, Santini wondered what had happened to the sportsman. When his aunt had told him that Kingsley was on a camping trip, he'd assumed that Kingsley had been with Gideon.
Better this way, Santini thought. He'd met Marlene and he felt that Kingsley was safe with her.
Suddenly more worried, Gideon stopped behind a large tree, peering around it cautiously. The dark cottage had one closed door that he could see. Maroon curtains shrouded two windows. He couldn't hear anything, or sense anything beyond the vague fact that magic had been cast here. Determining that nothing seemed abnormal from the front, he slowly crawled through the trees, making his way around the back of the cottage.
It was possible that the cottage was simply that, a hidden home for a wizard who wanted away from the village. The thick trees cleared suddenly and Gideon, focused on the cabin, stumbled into a narrow clearing.
Backpedaling as fast as possible, he crouched behind the truck, heart pounding over his blunder, while he waited to make sure he didn't trip any magical protection that might exist. The last thing they needed was to set off an alarm.
He realized immediately that it wasn't a clearing, but a narrow path. That alone made him realize this was no simple cabin hidden in the woods. Instead of crossing the path again, he skirted the edges of it, following it as it wrapped behind the cottage.
Thankful it was the middle of the day and that he wouldn't have to skulk around in the dark, Gideon calmly moved forward, tree by tree. His brother ranged further out, away from the path and deeper in the trees.
Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Gideon cleaved to the trunk of the tree, wand hanging loosely in his hand. Thankful he darkened his hair - there was nothing like its normal vibrant red to stand out against the trees - Gideon peeked around the trunk.
At least three people in robes hovered around the back of the house that he could see. One was dipping a cup into a steaming cauldron and flicking the mucus onto lumps lying on the ground; another was casting a spell at the lumps, the bright green ray of light smacking whatever lay on the ground, bouncing it high as if shocking it.
He could see a third person behind the first two, but was unable to identify what that person did. He followed the constricted path further back, as if it was a wall he couldn’t cross, in hopes of getting a better view. At some point, he needed to talk to his brother, getting a second opinion about how close they could get without being seen.
Gideon, typically the bold one, would take Fabian's advice, as always, and advance while his brother guarded his back. It was a process that worked well in the past for them. As he snuck through the trees, the hedge got thicker, driving him away from the cottage.
Sighing, Gideon held up his hand for his brother to wait, and began crawling closer to him.
"You're becoming quite a cook, Kingsley," Santini said, helping himself to seconds. This was quite a treat: he'd been expecting to arrive home after a full day at San Mungo and take Kingsley out to eat, but he much preferred eating in. "This way you'll be even more of a catch, you know?"
"Hey, you taught me how to cook," Kingsley laughed, glad that his skin coloring didn't show the heat in his face when Santini mentioned him being a good catch. He'd just been wondering if he should make dinner one day for Gideon at his flat, maybe one day after a game when he was too tired to go out. He hid his discomfort by asking Santini if he was too tired.
"No, not at all. I'm off for a few days; this is why I asked you to come and stay here with me. We can go out tonight and maybe tomorrow we can go south to the beach?" At a nod from Kingsley, Santini continued, "And where do you want to go tonight? There's a nice gay bar not too far away."
"Nah," Kingsley answered quickly. "I don't want to pick up blokes."
Santini raised his eyebrows. "Why not?"
Squirming a little, Kingsley related his dream and his uneasiness about Maura finding out that he fancied men, too.
"Yep, that's not a very good thing to face, I admit. But she won’t have to find out. You fancy birds better, don't you?"
"I do, but…"
"But what? You do like me. You go out, shag blokes because they're less demanding and then one day you find yourself a nice witch – or a Muggle girl, get married and have a lot of little Kingsleys. Aunt Maura doesn't have to know that. Unless…"
"Yeah?"
"Unless you get attached to a bloke," Santini said carefully.
"And why would I get attached to a bloke?" Kingsley furrowed his brows.
"Well, you had a dream about getting caught with Gideon."
"This doesn’t mean I'm getting attached to him," Kingsley retorted quickly. "It was just a dream, and he was the one I was kissing only because I had seen him the day before."
Santini shrugged in doubt, but Kingsley didn’t notice. "So you're forgoing blokes completely?"
"I am."
"You won’t be seeing Gideon anymore?"
"Of course I will. He's my friend. But I won’t have sex with him any more after my birthday."
"After your birthday?"
"Well, I have to shag him once; it's a matter of principle now."
Santini lowered his face and kept on eating, but almost choked when he tried to swallow and stifle his laughter at the same time. He was rewarded with a hard slap on his back. "Well, if you don't want blokes, I guess this leaves us with birds," he said after he managed to stop coughing. "Let's change and we can go to a bar near St. Mungo. There are a few nice Mediwitches there.
"What do you see?" Fabian asked quietly, concerned.
"Three adults, robed, a cauldron, and spells."
"Color?"
"Green."
"So, they're his for sure?"
"Must be. There's something on the ground - I can't make it out. But they're casting spells on it."
Fabian nodded, thinking, "Want me to go this time?"
Gideon shook his head, "I'm good. How close?"
"Under their nose," Fabian whispered.
Gideon nodded, dropping his pack on the ground by Fabian; he couldn't travel with that. For the thousandth time, he wished they had an invisibility cloak, but neither brother had bought one.
He was tired and dirty from hiding in the woods, which often made Gideon careless. The dirt itched and the illusion on his hair was annoying; it felt like he was wearing a false piece of hair. Taking a deep breath, he stopped long enough to take a drink of water and a bite of food from his pack. Experience had taught him that if he concentrated on the irritating things, he'd fail his mission.
Refreshed from the brief break, he grinned at Fabian before slinking away through the trees. Another benefit of Muggle clothing - if he wore it tight enough, it didn't catch on twigs and limbs the way robes did. His oddly matched colors blended well with the woods around them, unlike the stark black robes typically worn.
When he reached the path again, Gideon paused, considering his options. He didn't believe a detection spell was in place, but he still chucked a rock through the clearing. Nothing happened, so he crouched at the tree line and rolled through the clearing, hiding behind another tree trunk.
Safely through, he crawled closer, carefully picking his path until he was hiding a couple meters away from them. The safest choice was to wait until they left, but that wouldn't tell him what was happening – or who it was.
He could hear the thuds on the ground after the mumbled spell. Memorizing the words – it might be possible later on to figure it out – Gideon tried to look at the lumps, but they were draped with black covers.
He could see the hoods of the robes, While he waited patiently for them to look up, the wind shifted. A rank smell enveloped Gideon, choking him and leaving him gasping for fresh air.
All three of the people working stopped and looked up; clearly, they had heard him. He caught a glimpse of a strange mask covering the face of the shortest one. Unable to move, Gideon hid behind the tree, holding his breath while the one on the far right shouted directions. Using Mobilicorpus, they frantically hid the lumps inside the cottage.
They were more concerned with that than finding him. Thankful for his luck, Gideon crawled away as quickly as possible. But not before one of the shrouds fell away, revealing a pasty white hand.
Running as soon as he reached the narrow clearing, Gideon gagged, unable to control his reactions any longer. Fabian was in the lead, somewhere ahead, but Gideon couldn’t hear him through his retching.
His own heartbeat pounding, Gideon was convinced they would be cornered before they could reach an Apparition point. Racing after his brother, Gideon didn't realize he tripped until he hit his head.
Blinking, and seeing only large, fuzzy spots, he flinched as someone grabbed his shoulders and roughly rolled him over.
The woman was beautiful, and her long, pale blond hair cascaded on the pillow. The window, open to the breeze of Capri, let the morning sun in, making her head seem like it was spun of gold.
Kingsley had found her fascinating the night before, when they met at the bar on the beach. Her Nordic accent had given her a mysterious aura and he'd been enthralled to find out that she was definitely interested in him. A quick conversation, which included a white lie on both sides – he was much younger than the twenty-five years of age he had claimed, and she much older than twenty-eight – and they found out they had one desire in common. Soon they were in her hotel room.
It was a heterosexual experience like nothing he'd had before. She was ardent, experienced and sensual. She knew how to coach the best out of him and taught him how to please her the way she wanted.
And yet, when it was over, he lay next to her and thought how much better it had been with Gideon.
But he couldn't think about Gideon, he remembered, and he forced himself to sleep in the arms of the blond woman.
Two days later they said goodbye at the beach, promising to keep in touch and both knowing that they'd never see each other again. It was late afternoon and the sunset threw reddish tones at her hair. Kingsley sat morosely next to Santini on the way back to Milan and wondered if Gideon would be back by the time he arrived in England.
He could understand the sound of his brother's voice, but was unable to put it into context. He heard a cacophony of Fabians, each yelling in his ear, overlapping the last voice, leaving him awash in sound, but no sense. Eventually Gideon realized he lay on the ground, his brother standing over him, using both wands to hold off the three people from the cottage.
Dimly, Gideon thought that a stationary man should be easier to take down than that. Gideon rolled onto his side, wanting to lose the rest of his stomach but knowing that he already had done that. Twice. Unable to focus enough for a wandless spell, he grimaced, bunched his legs up beneath him, and moved out from underneath Fabian's legs. Crouching on the ground next to his brother, Gideon decided what to do next.
He grabbed his wand from Fabian's left hand, standing up to cover his back. After he immobilized one of them, Fabian felled another and said tersely, "Let's go." Grabbing Fabian's elbow, Gideon stumbled after him, trying to run on his own but his feet seemed unable to understand what direction to go.
Fabian, hissing with pain about something, yanked Gideon closer and wrapped his arm around his waist. It worked for a short time; they had played a similar game in their youth that involved tying their bodies together and running. As children, they didn't have the distraction of being hunted, or running through brush and trees.
Gideon stumbled, unable to see clearly, causing his brother to fall. Catching his breath, Gideon began to stand again. Fabian did not. Whimpering, he fell to his feet, eyes finally focusing – on the blood gushing down Fabian's neck.
Throwing himself across Fabian's chest, Gideon prayed to whatever deity who might be listening that they were far enough away to Apparate. He closed his eyes, feeling the familiar pull, and opened them to see the stark white floor of St. Mungos.
"Oh thank Merlin," he mumbled. Gideon managed to call out, "Get Alastor Moody, Auror office," before passing out.
Giving Kingsley a hug, Santini saw his cousin step into the Floo. "I'll see you soon, for your birthday," he shouted, as Kingsley disappeared in the flames.
***
Maura came quickly when she heard the Floo noise and greeted her son with a happy smile. She was happy he had fun, but she missed him a lot. They were good friends and she loved talking to him.
After they caught up on Kingsley's trip to Italy, Maura stood up and retrieved a roll of parchment from one of the drawers. She handed it to him, saying, "Here are your Floo messages. I think you need a personal secretary, Kingsley." Actually, she was glad for his large number of friends.
He unrolled the parchment quickly and scanned the list, mumbling under his breath, "Marlene, Benjy, Hestia, Caradoc, Jennifer – who the hell is Jennifer?"
Kingsley read several other names, but not the one he was looking for. Trying to look as indifferent as he could, he asked, "Hey, Mum, did Gideon Floo me? We were supposed to go somewhere when he got back."
She sighed. "No, dear, he didn't. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about him. I was at St. Mungo's this morning and ran into him –"
"What was he doing at St. Mungo's?" Kingsley interrupted, frowning. It seemed obvious that Gideon had gone there to see Renee.
"He was being treated for some minor scratches, but Fabian was seriously hurt. I saw him, too: he had a nasty gash on his throat. A little more to one side and he'd have died."
Kingsley sat up. "Is that right? What happened? Was it during their mission?"
"Yes. From what I could gather, they're very lucky to be alive. Gideon is feeling very bad emotionally. I would like to invite him for dinner, but was waiting for you to get home and check your schedule."
"I'm free tonight," Kingsley answered quickly.
"What about this list?" Maura pointed at the parchment.
"I'll Floo them after I get in touch with Gideon. Do you know if he's still at the hospital?"
"No, he told me he'd be going home. He can't stay with Fabian anyway. He's sedated." She stood up. "I'll ask Lucille to prepare tea. Why don't you check with Gideon?"
As soon as Maura left the room, Kingsley knelt in front of the fireplace and shouted, "Gideon's flat."
He knew there were things he had to take care of outside his flat, but Gideon couldn't bring himself to care. The first night they had kept him at St. Mungos for observation; he had a slight concussion from hitting his head. Fabian wasn't much better; he'd fallen on a rock and cut the side of his head and neck. The mediwitches told Gideon several times that the wounds were superficial and the amount of blood was normal, but they wouldn’t release him.
Fabian had been sedated for two days. Gideon spent several hours there waiting by his side. Meg had visited twice; she was such a comfort for him, often quietly sitting by his side. He saw Kingsley's mum once, and wanted to ask where Kingsley was, but bitterly swallowed the question. Lydia, of course, was checking regularly on Fabian, and her calm demeanor helped immensely.
Meg told him that Renee had appeared once during the afternoon, but Gideon had been sleeping on a bench, his head resting on Meg's lap. They talked briefly, Meg told him. Gideon couldn't bring himself to care. He needed to deal with her, but not today.
He'd spent a lot of time with Molly who was hovering every chance she had. Gideon knew it was unfair to say that, as she'd been a comfort to him most of the time, and his father as well. Actually, Gideon was surprised his father was around so much. It wasn't like it was the first time Fabian had been hurt.
Dismissing the worrying thoughts, Gideon finally forced himself to move and take a shower. He had to report to the Arrows in two days, no matter if Fabian woke or not. His two weeks of holiday were almost over and he didn't dare extend it as long as he was healthy . Or almost healthy, he thought, grimacing as he stood, his sore muscles protesting the movement.
They had an appointment with Dumbledore as soon as Fabian woke, Moody had told them. That wasn't the first time they had met with him to drop their memories into his pensieve. Fabian, Gideon had learned, had a standing appointment with him after each mission. Gideon had been there as well, though it wasn't often that he saw things his brother missed.
Finally cleaned and dressed, he sat on his sofa for a minute, head still spinning, at a loss about what to do when he heard a male voice in the Floo.
Walking over there, he said, "Hello, Kingsley," as he kneeled down awkwardly, "Do you want to come through?"
Kingsley looked at Gideon carefully. He seemed all right. "I can't right now – we're about to have tea. Why don't you come over and have tea with us? Mum said she wanted to invite you over for dinner tonight, so you can come right away."
Deciding instantly that the other things could wait for a little longer, he answered "Yes," and waited for Kingsley to step back.
Dusting off the Floo powder, he smiled at Kingsley who was watching him. It was strange to be back after the two weeks he had. He was glad Kingsley Floo'ed him though; it was a chance - the first he gave himself - to stop fretting and think about something else for a short time.
Kingsley smiled back tentatively. He would've liked to give Gideon a tight hug and a kiss, but he wouldn't dare while at home, especially after his dream. Instead, he shook Gideon's hand. "Great to see you're well. Mum told me that Fabian was hurt. What happened? Can you tell me or is this a big security secret?"
Without waiting for an answer, he walked toward the door, calling out, "Mum! Gideon's here. He'll have tea with us, okay?" He waved for Gideon to follow him.
He glanced around, "Not here, if you don't mind. Besides, I…"
Gideon was unsure what to say. As much as he wanted to talk to Kingsley, he wasn't sure he should.
"Lydia says Fabian will be fine, and right now, I just want…"
He didn't dare say what he really wanted. He wanted assurance he was alive, and he wanted Kingsley to prove it to him.
Taking a deep breath, he said instead, "I just need to not think about it for awhile. Can we do that? And you and I will talk about it later?"
"Of course. Let's sit down for tea and I can show you pictures from my trip to Capri with Santini." He also had pictures from the trip to Windermere, but he didn’t think Gideon would like to see those.
Maura shook Gideon's hand warmly. "Nice to see you, Gideon. I'm glad you were able to join us. Lucille has made some of her famous pumpkin scones." She knew that he had gone through some sort of trauma and wanted to distract him from the fact that his brother was still in the hospital. Therefore, she turned the conversation during tea to harmless subjects, avoiding every talk about the war.
Soon the three of them were laughing.
All the laughing left his head pealing like a bell, and Gideon, still chuckling, held it tight and moaned once dramatically. He wrapped his hands around his head and set it on the table, peeking out between his fingers and them. At Maura's worried expression, Gideon couldn't hold it back any longer and laughed harder.
"Are you all right?" she asked, shaking her head at him. "I have medicine in the other room if you need something for the pain."
"If you don't mind," Gideon said softly, "I'd appreciate it."
Nodding, she left the room to retrieve something for him. Kingsley leaned across the table, "Are you okay, really?"
"No," Gideon said mischievously, "I think I need a kiss to make it better."
All Kingsley could think about was that bloody dream! His mother was in the other room and would come in any time. But he had been dying to kiss Gideon since he saw him coming through the Floo. He stood up and lowered his head toward Gideon's, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Hope this is all right for the time being. My mum, you know?" he shrugged apologetically. "Maybe later I can really make it better."
"Later?" Gideon asked, "how much later?"
Kingsley began to answer him as Maura reappeared. Gideon hadn't expected an answer – or the kiss – but it was fun to tease him.
"Thank you," he said, taking it with the last of his tea.
"This should make you right as rain in no time," she said. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to let Lucille know about dinner and then I have some business to attend to. Why don't you two relax and catch up?"
Kingsley immediately jumped. "Want to go up to my room, Gideon? You can lie on my bed until your head is fine and we can listen to music."
"That's a good idea, Kingsley. It'll be good for you to lie down a little, Gideon." With those words, Maura left for the kitchen.
Hiding his smirk until they were alone, Gideon followed Kingsley to his room. Half way there, he moved closer, whispering, "Looks like I get that kiss after all."
"And sooner rather than later," Kingsley whispered back.
Unlike the last time he had been in Kingsley's room, Gideon had no plans beyond teasing him. He really was sore and tired. More than anything, he wanted to indulge in a few nice kisses and lie down - preferably using Kingsley's lap as a pillow.
Kingsley fiddled with the tape player for a minute while Gideon sat on the far side of the bed, facing the headboard. As soon as Queen was playing, Kingsley sat on the bed next to him, back against the headboard, facing Gideon.
Gideon eagerly leaned in for a kiss, a silly grin on his face.
Without quite knowing why, Kingsley cradled Gideon's head in his hands and kissed him softly on the mouth. Urged by Gideon's lips, which parted immediately, Kingsley deepened the kiss. He felt strangely unwilling to be more aggressive than that.
His fingers, touching Gideon's hair, recalled the softness of the blond woman's and they relished in the feeling, interlacing with the threads, the tips caressing Gideon's scalp.
After the kiss, Kingsley brought Gideon's head to his shoulder, fingers still interlaced in his hair.
He felt the tension from the last two weeks seep away, as if Kingsley's lips and fingers were the valve he needed to release pressure. Finally able to relax, he let Kingsley hold him steady against his chest. Curling his legs to the far side, he plastered his chest against Kingsley's, wrapped his arms around his torso, and closed his eyes.
"Can you tell me what happened now?" Kingsley asked.
"We were sent to look for something in Gre… I can't tell you where, but suffice to say we were searching for magical signs in an English town. We found faint traces of magic in the woods nearby and it took a couple days to follow it, but we found what looked like an abandoned cottage."
Unconsciously, Gideon tightened his grip as he remembered, hands questing beneath Kingsley's shirt to tap nervously against his back. "I… I don't know what they were doing, Kingsley, but… it involved the dead.
Kingsley opened his eyes wide at the comment, but didn't move. This was the sort of danger he would have to be facing very soon. This responsibility was what separated the men, like Gideon, from the boys, like himself. He felt very young and sheltered then, and more eager than ever to be out of school and into the fight.
"That startled me, they heard me, and while we were trying to get away, I fell."
Kingsley's hand rooted gently through his hair, "If you touch my head, yeah, right there above my ear, you can feel the knot."
Gideon sighed as Kingsley traced the bump, "I think I passed out, and when I woke, Fabian was standing over me, holding off three wizards with our wands.
"I took my wand back and we hit two of them with spells before Fabian was hit. He fell and landed on a rock, cutting the side of his head and neck." Gideon unwound one of his arms to trace the vein that ran under Kingsley's ear and down his neck.
Nervous fingers continued with feather light touches around his chin, under his jaw, then up to his lips. Gently tucking his fingers in Kingsley's mouth, who sucked them in, Gideon pulled Kingsley's face down until he was looking at him.
"You can't repeat this, any of this, to anyone. I'm sure I shouldn't be telling you, but…" Gideon shrugged helplessly.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. It's amazing you both managed to escape." It suddenly dawned on him that, if the outcome were different, Gideon would not be here with him. The thought made him shiver a little.
He traced Kingsley's lips with wet fingertips. Raising his head, he kissed him gently, this time Kingsley opening his mouth and letting Gideon deepen the kiss.
"No more of this right now, I can't bear to think of it any longer. So tell me, what did you do these last two weeks? Were you with Santini the whole time?"
Not willing to provide too much information, but hating to lie, Kingsley answered simply, "Yes, he took the week off to be with me."
"He sounds great, how old is he? Your age?"
"Santini? No, he's your age. I wish he had gone to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons, though. He'd have been there when I started. But noooo, all I had was that git Chambers. Thank Merlin he was a seventh year when I started, so I only had to put up with him for one year."
"Who's Chambers?"
"Another cousin. He's really obnoxious." Kingsley laughed. "He used to conk me on the head when I was young, but now I'm bigger than he is. Now he's trying to make peace, but I still think he's a git."
"Peace with your family is good." He thought about Fabian for a second and how close it was. That subject was too uncomfortable though.
Gideon pulled away, separating the two of them. "So, that was one week, what did you do for the other week?"
Oh, fuck! No way around it. "I went camping in the Lake District."
"I'm going to assume it wasn't with Santini."
Kingsley bit his lip and Gideon almost laughed. He'd come to know that expression by now. "Okay, which bird was it?"
"Why do you assume it was a bird?"
Gideon raised an eyebrow at him; "I've had the week from hell, Kingsley. Let's not play this game again, okay? "
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath; the comment had been rude. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Because if it was a bloke you wouldn’t hesitate to answer me. Or haven't you noticed that about yourself yet? So which one was it? The one you flaunted at the dinner party or the girl from Fortescue's?"
"Marlene. The one from Fortescue's." He started speaking rapidly. "But my parents don't know that. I told them I was going camping with friends, which was true because she's my friend, and then we met a lot of Muggle teenagers and we all went camping together, so technically I went camping with friends." He stopped to catch his breath.
Was he nervous? Gideon decided to change the subject. "What?" he asked in mock horror, "two weeks and no blokes?"
"Nope. Haven't been with any bloke since our last time." Kingsley wouldn't admit to having fancied a bloke, the Irish boy, since then. And he wouldn't mention the dream he had about his mother finding out about him and Gideon or his decision to stick to birds from now on – except for the birthday gift he was expecting from Gideon.
At Kingsley's defiant expression, all Gideon could think about was Fabian's warning.
So be it then, Gideon thought. He was having too much fun to let it end yet – as long as Kingsley didn't mind. Placing one hand on Kingsley, Gideon rubbed his chest, smiling mischievously.
"So no blokes," he said, moving his hand lower, "and only birds the last two weeks."
He cupped Kingsley's quiescent cock, rubbing his thumb across it briefly. As Kingsley jumped, obviously startled, Gideon let go and outlined its shape with his fingers.
"You're not giving up blokes totally, I hope."
Kingsley shook his head. "No, not totally." He was sure that Gideon, like himself, just wanted to have real sex once and that would be it, but somehow he felt it was not something he should bring up. In order to diffuse the seriousness of the situation, he laughed. "After all, I remember one of my birthday gifts is a bloke.
Gideon's hand on his cock was having the natural effect of making him hard, but the presence of Maura in the house was deterrent enough. Begrudgingly he moved Gideon's hand, saying simply, "My mum." He slid away from Gideon and stood up to change the tape.
Gideon understood that well enough; he wasn't interested in the idea of Maura discovering them either. They'd been up there for some time already and dinner would be ready soon enough.
He shifted away from where Kingsley had been sitting to the far end of the bed, leaving most of the bed between them if Kingsley sat back down in the same place. Letting his legs hang over the side, he sat there listening to the music.
"Whatever your mum gave me helped," he said, shaking his head for emphasis. "It doesn't hurt at all anymore."
"She was a great Healer," Kingsley beamed, his pride in his mother evident. He sat on the other side of the bed; it was a good idea to leave as much space as possible between the two of them. "Hey, this Sunday's my birthday. You'll meet Santini and the rest of my cousins, including the Big Git Chambers."
For whatever reason, the thought of meeting Santini made him nervous, "That ought to be interesting." Maybe it was because Kingsley and Santini were so close. "So, will I need to bring my wand?"
At Kingsley's odd face, Gideon laughed, "How much does Santini know, and will I need to defend myself?"
"About us? He knows everything – we don’t keep secrets from each other. But why do you think you have to defend yourself?"
Everything? Gideon wasn't sure what to say about that. He wanted to ask Kingsley to define everything, but he already knew the imp's answer. It would embarrass him. "He doesn't think I'm either too old or taking advantage of you? I would, you know, if I was anyone else."
Kingsley laughed. "No, he knows nobody can take advantage of me. And he never mentioned anything about you being too old – you are the same age as he and he's not old." He thought for a minute. "Why would you think that?"
Gideon was not going to mention his brother. Instead, he said, "As long as you're comfortable. I don't want you regretting any of this. I like being friends with you."
He shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe I'm being paranoid. Maybe it's due to the last two weeks I've had. I don't know."
Kingsley opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Lucille, announcing that dinner would be served soon. Kingsley jumped out of bed. "Let's go, Gideon. My dad must've arrived and you'll probably want to have a drink with him."
As they were standing at the door, ready to go out, Kingsley pulled Gideon into his arms and kissed him lightly. He was about to let go when he had an idea. It wouldn't hurt to try. "Gideon?"
"Yeah?"
"You're off tomorrow?"
Gideon nodded. "Why? What do you have in mind?"
"Take me home with you tonight. I want to spend the night with you," Kingsley whispered in Gideon's ear.
A thousand reasons to say no flitted through his brain, from the uncertain look on Kingsley's face, to his white, white teeth barely showing as he bit his lip. Instead, Gideon thought about his last two weeks, his empty flat, and his obsessive desire to get Kingsley alone all afternoon.
Putting one hand on the door to hold it shut, he wrapped his other arm around Kingsley, wiggling fingers inside the top of his trousers and pulled him against him.
Leaning close, he stopped a hair's breadth away from Kingsley's mouth, waiting for Kingsley to open his eyes and look at him.