It was becoming increasingly apparent to Gellert that frequent drinking was not exactly a habit in Albus's repertoire. He could tell from the way Albus drank -- small sips, yes, but frequently enough that it hardly made a difference. Raising his glass at every extended silence, or to punctuate a sentence. And it was difficult not to laugh when Albus spoke, because tradition or not, it certainly seemed to be a goal toward which Albus was heading at a quicker pace than he probably would have liked.
"Perhaps not," Gellert said, "but you forget that I am German, and it's a tradition that we hold rather dear." He tilted his own glass in Albus's direction, smiling. "So drink up."
Gellert had been drinking at a rate similar to Albus's, but he had no doubt that his head would remain clear. He had grown up with alcohol, after all; his tolerance of it was much higher than a French or Englishman's. Especially an Englishman as slender as Albus was. Gellert very rarely allowed himself to become intoxicated in any manner, by drugs or by alcohol. He preferred a clear head, and the objectivity provided by sobriety. That did not mean that he did not sometimes indulge in a bit of opium, and there had been that rather memorable time that he had injected himself with cocaine and feared his heart might beat right out of his chest.
Gellert took another sip of his own drink, watching Albus above the rim of his glass. After they had slept together here on the island, the almost absurd level of physical desire Gellert had been enduring had metered off to its steady, typical level. Which was still, he thought, probably higher than most people's, but at least he did not crave sex with every half-attractive man who stepped into a room.
And it seemed that Gellert had gotten what he wanted from Albus--which was, surprisingly enough, not achieved through sex. Sex had been entertaining, of course, but it had made Gellert realise that he had probably never needed to sleep with him to get what he needed. Oh, maybe in Godric's Hollow that had been true, but here.... Here, Albus had complex enough feelings for Gellert, to begin with. Gellert had control over him from the very start, without even being aware of it.