"Mm, I was," Gabe said distractedly, his gaze tracking Andrew's mouth. "Earlier today. Not since I came out here. I've been too busy daydreaming about walking in those hills." He motioned toward the mountains on the far sides of the lake, though his eyes never left Andy's face. "Doing some research. Or trying to. So far I've not found a damn thing that seems to relate to this virus or anything like it." Gabe shook his head. He was much more interested in other things at the moment, so the frustration didn't cut quite as deeply as it might have. There were more days than not since he'd come to Hogwarts that he felt useless. With another person around, it was easier to distract himself. He teased up the hem of Andy's shirt until his fingers found skin, in no hurry to move so long as no one happened upon them. The forest was absolutely a bad idea. A walk by the water, together, maybe not.
The problem was that Gabe was reluctant to go anywhere. He had Andy close and could pull him closer with very little effort. Their few moments in the alcove more than a week past had kindled something in him; a need to touch and be touched, though it wasn't so overwhelming as it had been when he was a teenager. He couldn't say he missed those days, exactly.
"Staying here might be a bad idea too," he mused, a little grin teasing at his lips. He itched to hook his calf behind one of Andrew's, effectively trapping him.