To Build a Home

“We probably make the same amount of money, idiot,” he said with a smile. He didn’t mean it as an insult, how could he. He laughed as Amos described their hypothetical future together, but the longer he talked the more it seemed less like a joke and more like something he was hoping for. Gideon wasn’t sure how much he would want Amos to be a house husband - he knew how much his boyfriend loved his job - but the idea of more kids didn’t seem like the worst idea to him. “I know you did,” Gideon said with a wink. “Percy was just one of my best.”

Gideon and Amos had joked about getting married before, but it still felt like a distant future for the two of them. He really believed Amos when he said they were on a date to spend time together, not that Amos had something grand planned. And he certainly didn’t think Amos was thinking of proposing to him. Gideon had thought about it before, about how he would do it and where, but it seemed like Amos had beat him to it. He felt like he was barely moving as Amos led them down to the ground and he knelt in front of him. It felt like a dream, getting proposed to by the love his life on a Quidditch pitch no less.

Even if it felt like a dream, it didn’t stop him from lunging forward, taking Amos’s face and kissing him. He looked at Amos’s face after he pulled away, feeling close to tears. “Of course,” he said. “Godric, of course I’ll marry you.”

“Then you should start working on getting promoted soon so I can retire,” he teased. Gideon only laughed and didn’t make any further comments on what he said. Was it because Gideon was already starting to get a suspicion of what Amos was planning to ask? Or was it because he didn’t want to explore the subject more? Amos would hate it if it were the latter. He squinted his eyes playfully. “Was it one of your best because I made you have a little fun too?”

Amos thought about making a speech. He has a couple rehearsed in fact. But with one knee on the ground, his hands holding up a ring, offering not just his hand but everything he is, was, and ever will be, nothing he could say seemed to matter as much as the question. 

Will you marry me?

Gideon didn’t think he could love his boyfriend even more than when he woke up that morning, but here he was making him fall even harder. A day for just the two of them, just because they loved each other. He couldn’t believe it sometimes.

He could see Amos trying to object, but just as Gideon was with Amos, it was quite hard for the pair to be actually angry with each other with something as silly as this. “House husband?” he asked, feeling like he needed to comment even though it was likely just for the expression. “Planning on marrying me already?” He wondered if they’d ever stop making the joke. He couldn’t wait for that day because he knew what that would mean for their relationship if they were lucky. “You love it and you know it. Me and my trouble making ways got you in bed with Perseus Pembroke.” He brought it up quite often because he still couldn’t believe it himself.

He didn’t play Quidditch much anymore, but nothing could beat the feeling of flying. It was especially nostalgic with Amos at his side, reminiscent of their days together as beaters. He broke into a grin. He could never turn down a competition and he was glad his boyfriend knew that. “I’ll never say no to a prize,” he said, leaning forward on his broom to ready himself. He waited for Amos’s signal and then locked his sights on the hoop. He paid attention to nothing else, not even Amos at his side. He didn’t notice Amos slip behind him. Not until he got to the hoop and was about to turn around to gloat. But a glint in the middle of the hoop caught his eye. He thought his eyes had to have deceived him. There was no way that was what he thought it was. He turned around to look at Amos, completely speechless.

Amos shrugged as if his passing comment was no big deal. He can’t reveal it right away. That was just going to ruin the surprise. “Yeah. You know. You’ll bring home the galleons working hard as a brilliant Curse Breaker. While I stay home taking care of Cedric and our other kids. That way, I still get time to work on this body. I’m losing my shape, didn’t you know? And if I lose my shape, how are you going to love me then?” Maybe Amos was laying it too thick, but he had to change the subject since Gideon seemed to be on the right sent. “Shouldn’t I? Maybe I shouldn’t have bought that dress already as well,” he teased. “Oh, you’re not gonna let that go for a while, are you?” His laughter filled the empty pitch. “Just to be clear, I loved your trouble-making ways even before you got us in bed with Perseus Pembroke.”

He stared at his boyfriend quite selfishly as he responded to the challenge. Amos loved seeing Gideon like this, all fired up and ready to go. Even if there’s nothing at the end of it that he truly wants other than the opportunity to prove his skills and the right to gloat. Little did Gideon know that Amos wasn’t intending to win. At least, it wasn’t the race he was planning on winning tonight. He kept close by, pretending to be struggling to keep up, but really Amos was just focused on keeping his eyes on Gideon the entire time. He wanted to see the price moment that Gideon sees the beautiful red ring box floating right at the center. A smile fixed itself upon Amos’s lips. He didn’t think he could remove it even if he tried. Amos forced himself to nod. He didn’t want to speak now only for Gideon to miss his words given their current altitude. So he offered his hand towards his boyfriend and guided him down to the ground where Amos finally got off his broom and knelt.

While she knew that Amos was probably warring with himself to disagree, she was glad when he took the compliment. Truth be told, Marlowe worried that Amos didn’t know how important he was, both to her and to their family. The way he’d made Gideon light up like a sun. She was certain she couldn’t thank him enough for the sunshine. Lowe snorted at the mention of Molly and pointed a finger at Amos as he spoke of her. “No, she’s always known she’s wanted to be a mum,” she said, shaking her head. “She’s been our mum’s from the time we were born. I dunno. Molly’s just always had that… parental instinct, I s’pose.” And while Marlowe wasn’t bad at it, she always felt like she was floundering around the kids. She was the fun aunt, and for now she’d like to leave it that way.

At Amos’s next words, she blew out a raspberry, nodding at his words. “I would love that, actually,” she said, biting her lip. “I worry they wouldn’t… I don’t know. I’m worried they won’t handle it well, I s’pose. And it could make it worse. Someone needs to be there to… temper them.” Her boss, for example, would go in spells firing, and she wasn’t quite of that same mindset. The situation wasn’t out of control. Not yet. It depended on how they handled it. “It would make me feel a lot better if it were you and me handling it, to be completely honest But, I think my boss will insist on coming.” 

.

Amos found himself smiling while Marlowe complimented her sister. He wholeheartedly agreed with everything that she said. “I don’t think you know this but... I actually asked Molly and Arthur for advice when I first found out that I was having Cedric.” Amos’ smile turned sheepish as his hand scratched the back of his head. “And of course, they were nice. Didn’t judge me at all. Didn’t once question whether I could handle it all by my lonesome either.”  The Prewetts have always been a huge part of his life. Even before he and Gideon got together.

A deep frown formed on his lips when she mentioned that her boss would insist on coming. Amos has never had the chance to work with them directly, but given how Marlowe just described the situation, he could infer that it wouldn’t be the best idea. “Well, if your boss would insist on coming, then we can at least make it clear that your department wouldn’t be in charge of the visit. Mine will. Surely, your boss can respect that right?”

Even if he had been suspicious at first, Gideon loved that he was getting to spend the day at the Quidditch pitch with his boyfriend. He couldn’t think of anything more perfect.

He nodded. It was hard to completely believe him, but he decided to let it pass. If Amos was hiding something, he probably had good reason to. “None at all,” he said with a sly smile. “All you have to do is be you. That’s all I need.” He snorted at the next comment. “She always scared me a bit. I don’t know if you’d be saying that if she were here.” He laughed again. “Details. Details. But if you say so, love.”

Gideon was a bit disappointed that they weren’t playing catch, but flying was okay too. He drank about half of his class before getting up and following Amos. “Ready.”

Oh, Gideon, Amos thought quite fondly, you trusting and lovable buffoon. If he expected any of Amos’s tactics, he didn’t say. It only made Amos even more excited to pop the question later on.

He wanted to roll his eyes at Gideon’s saccharine sentiment, but he found that his eyes wouldn’t obey him. How could they when this exact quality of Gideon was what endeared him to Amos quite so? “If you say so dear. I guess I’ll just quit my job and become a house husband.” A hint of Amos’s plans but he didn’t mind dropping it. It’s not like it would be the first time they joked about such matters. “Oh, you and your thing with figures of authority. No wonder you’re such a trouble maker.”

Noah knew that he should dial it back a few notches before he started to sound suspicious of the two of them. He trusted Mia, so there was no need to think anything more of the fact that the two of them had a conversation. There was nothing odd about knowing other witches and wizards, of course, especially since it wasn’t like there were thousands of them around England. The chances of knowing the same people and being a closer knit group was perfectly reasonable. “Of course. I’m glad to hear that, then.”

Wondering if it was worth mentioning to Mia that he ran into Amos, Noah suddenly had a thought. “Well, why don’t we all have dinner sometime? We can all catch up a bit. Of course, you’re more than welcome to invite your partner. It could be like a double date.” Would it make things a bit awkward that the men themselves had a history? Probably. He had to admit there was also a curiosity in the man’s affiliation with Mia. But really, he thought it might be a polite offer. “No pressure to answer straight away, of course.”

.

Amos wasn’t picking up any signs that Noah might be jealous but he couldn’t help but keep his guard up nevertheless. It was always up when it comes to the topic of Mia. Amos would never forget how dire she made her situation seem. And from the looks of it, it seems that the situation remains dire. So Amos wasn’t about to take any chances, especially with her life and his son’s on the line. “Yeah, we just caught up. She wanted to know about my boyfriend and this little one right here.” As if on cue, Cedric tossed his head back. Clearly, he was getting impatient that daddy was taking too long.

Noah’s offer caught Amos completely off guard. “Uhhh...” There were a million reasons why Amos should say no, but none of them might not sound good enough for the man. “If you think that’s a good idea and if Mia thinks so too... I can ask Gideon.” That way the crux of the decision won’t fall on him. Cedric tugged on his arm. His son was ready to go. “I should probably go. How do I uhm... contact you?”

Amos was so good sometimes, that it hurt. His words caused a small smile to play on her lips, although a part of her felt guilty that she was glad he didn’t notice her sadness. “And you, Amos Diggory, are one of the best people I know,” she teased. “I don’t think I’ve told you that yet today, so there’s your daily reminder.” It was nice to know someone like Amos was raising a child in this world; it was nice to know Cedric had a dad with a good heart. Maybe, one day, he would have two dad’s with good hearts. Maybe, if Marlowe was right about how she saw their relationship going, her brother would be a dad too. “I s’pose no one is really ready to be a parent, are they?” she asked. “I mean, you think you might be but…” Lowe trailed off with a shrug. “You’re doing a good job of it, anyway.”

 A nod followed his words, and Marlowe couldn’t help but perk up when he mentioned that he could have her chat with him. “Oh, that would be perfect!” she said, practically leaping forward. “I mean, if we could keep my higher ups out of it all together, that would be even better. I think I can sort this whole thing out if I could just… see the situation myself.” Marlowe hated that the rest of their team felt the need to fight fire with fire. Hopefully, her being there would change some of that mentality. 

.

Amos shook his head. He disagreed but he didn’t voice it out. If he did, Marlowe might just try to hammer her point more. “Thank you,” he offered instead. “That means a lot.” Amos didn’t think that he is one of the best people around. But he does want his son to become one. Amos was just trying his best so that people would call his son the same thing when he grows up. He laughed at her statement. “Try telling that to your own sister. Seems to me that as soon as she and Arthur got together, she was immediately ready to become a mother.” Many times over, in fact, but Amos didn’t add that part. “Thank you though... I’m just trying my best.”

He leaned back, glad that he could settle something with Marlowe. Amos himself didn’t have any higher-ups that would benefit from the situation, but he understood with Marlowe meant. Initially, Amos meant that he was just going to send someone whom he trusted. But given Marlowe’s reaction, he was wondering if he should be the one to meet with this fellow instead. “Would you like to come with then? See it for yourself? It might be dangerous.”

Gideon smiled when Amos kissed him. He could kiss him a million times a day and never tire of it. “Hi, beautiful,” he greeted, feeling his cheeks get hot. He was glad no one else was around. He was so dumb and in love that it was probably infuriating to anyone else. 

He wasn’t used to going on dates, not even with Amos really. They had kind of passed any sort of honeymoon dating phase and went right to the couple who lounged on the couch and cooked together. “As long as I’m not missing anything,” Gideon said. He couldn’t help but feel suspicious, but he didn’t want to ruin the day. A Quidditch date was wonderful, no matter what Amos could be hiding. “You could keep me just by feeding me and getting naked at night,” he said with a wink. He felt a bit bad that Amos was trying to be romantic and he was ruining it, but he meant it as a consolation. “Madam Hooch would be yelling at us,” Gideon said. “No drunk flying. Or Moody maybe. I would love to see him try to catch us on a broom. He doesn’t seem like he’d be very aerodynamic.”

Gideon took a sip of his wine and smiled. It was only one glass and he was confident enough in his flying abilities that they wouldn’t need a trip to St. Mungo’s that night. “Of course, love. Are we throwing a quaffle around or are we just flying?”

Amos smiled when Gideon called him beautiful. He didn’t need to hear the compliment but it was always nice to hear it come from his boyfriend. Truth be told, he’ll accept anything from him. Every word Gideon uttered could be the melody of Amos’ favorite song most of the time. 

“Trust me, you’re not missing anything,” he reassured him. If anything, Amos was making something not to miss in the future. But all of that still seems so far away. Amos can only comprehend what’s happening right now because now was all that mattered. “Oh really? You’re telling me that I don’t have to put in an effort? None at all?” Amos was teasing but the prospect was very tempting. To just grow fat and lazy with Gideon. Someday... That’s absolutely what Amos wants. “The hell with Madam Hooch.” Although Amos wouldn’t dare to be so bold if she were around. “We’re not drunk flying. Just tipsy flying. And as for Moody, he’s not here, isn’t he? Why don’t we just focus on us this evening? And what we want to do?”

While Marlowe didn’t mind kids, in fact she loved them, the thought of her own caused a slight look of panic to find its way into her eyes. Gideon had slid into the roll so easily with Cedric, probably from years of helping out with Molly’s little ones, but she always felt as though she would be utter rubbish at handling a child that was hers. While she wasn’t a worrier, Marlowe reckoned she might become one with a child of her own. “I don’t think that’s going to happen for a while,” she said with a small laugh. She wondered if Amos would catch the sadness of it.

The fact that she’d only been on the job for a few weeks now and had already encountered the very thing she feared terrified Marlowe. She knew the Ministry was corrupt, but she hadn’t expected its prejudice so soon. “Yes,” she said with a sigh. “They’re pretending as if they know but they wouldn’t be asking me to check if they were positive. It’s absolutely ridiculous, but I’m more worried for him than the dragons anyways. If they’ve made some kind of home in his backyard and he didn’t want them there…” Marlowe rubbed her eyes wiping away the remaining sleep. “It’s a right mess. At this point all we know is that his family owns the land the dragons are currently occupying.”

.

Amos took her words as they were and thought nothing more about the sadness behind it. He nodded respectfully. “Of course. You should feel no pressure whatsoever to have kids when you’re still not ready.” He paused before continuing in a much softer tone, almost as if what he was about to say was only meant for him. “Then again... even I wasn’t ready...” Amos turned almost wistful before shaking himself out of it. “As much as I don’t regret having Cedric, sometimes, I do regret how he was brought into this world.”

Slowly, Amos was finally starting to form the picture for himself. Some dragons fancied themselves having a nest on the dwellings of this unlucky bloke. And now people were finding motives where there aren’t just because he happens to be a suspected werewolf as well. “It does sound like quite a mess, yeah. Well, we have no reason to suspect that he’s a danger to society so far. Hence, the registry’s lack of investigation regarding him so far. The full moon is still a couple of weeks away too. Maybe the best way to deal with this is simply to have a chat with Mr. Ingleson. I could arrange it immediately.”

Gideon rolled his eyes. He was used to the banter at this point and he loved it. He loved Amos. He just waved his hand to show he wasn’t going to pay that subject any more mind. He nodded. “Yeah, or you liking me I guess. I’m not sure what would have come first if we didn’t work it out that night.” It didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. They were together and in love and that was all that really mattered, but it was interesting to think about. “Neither was I,” he said. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t have confessed if he hadn’t been drunk.

He nodded and reached across the table. “I’m comfortable with you.” He would let his imagination run wild with all they could do together later that night. It didn’t matter where. He grinned. “Probably not. I mean I doubt he’s gonna figure out it was me. Can’t see how he’d work that out.”

.

Amos laughed. Gideon loved to bring up that possibility. Maybe Amos was in fact fated to fall for Gideon eventually. Or maybe Amos would have continued his habit of inviting strangers to his bed only for them to accompany him for the night. None of it no longer mattered. For Amos, there was only one version of their timeline that mattered. It’s the one where Amos gets to hold Gideon’s hand and call him his. “I suppose I’m not sure either,” Amos resigned to admit it rather than continuing to tease his boyfriend. “I can’t believe you were scared about it too. As if there was a way your siblings could ever not love you.”

He found Gideon’s hand across the table as if it was a magnet that pulled him in. “I’m comfortable with you too.” Amos gave Gideon’s hand a brief squeeze before returning to the food he was eating. “Don’t Aurors... you know? Investigate?” Amos joked. “What would he do if he found out it was you?”

Gideon didn’t talk about Amos a lot because he didn’t want to be too sappy or obnoxious. Hr talked about him as he always had: Amos his best friend. Amos one of his friends from school and beyond. Amos from Quidditch. Amos who worked at the Ministry. Now there were new things sprinkled in there, like Amos my boyfriend. Amos who makes me laugh like I’d never laughed. Amos who holds me. Amos who makes me feel safe. Amos the love of my life. He kept some of those to himself. Even though he knew how much his family loved Amos - especially Marlowe - he felt like saying all that out loud would jinx it.

Gideon had never been in a serious relationship, but suddenly there was a point when Gideon started to realize that this was it. He couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. He wasn’t sure how he had let it go on this long without realizing. But they knew now. Gideon could feel it too when he looked at Amos. He loved him too.

He felt a nervous flutter in his gut as he met Amos at the pitch. An early anniversary present. This is what it had to be. Why else would there be such an ordeal happening? They were romantic, sure, but he didn’t think they were quite “outside picnic for no reason” level.

He rolled his eyes at Amos’s greeting. He was glad he had cleaned up. He was proud Amos noticed. “What is all this?” he asked. He was genuinely curious and slightly nervous he had missed something important. “Our anniversary isn’t up yet right? I didn’t forget did I?”

Amos playfully pouted when Gideon didn’t compliment him back. He wasn’t wearing anything too formal. But with a turtleneck and some khaki slacks, he figured he at least earned a few compliments as well. Gideon ignored his teasing too. Maybe Amos needs to come up with better material. That’s fine. He wasn’t in a rush. If he had anything to say about it, he’s going to have a lot of time to come up with new material.

“Why, it’s a date,” Amos casually as he could muster. He stepped towards his boyfriend to greet him with a kiss. “And our anniversary isn’t for another few weeks yet, babe. Don’t worry. Am I not allowed to surprise you every now and then? How can I possibly dream of keeping you if I don’t do shite like this?” Amos gestured behind him, showing everything he prepared on display. “I even packed us some wine.” Amos stepped back to bring it out of the boxes. “I figured we could at most have a glass before we go flying.” 

Closed for @diggorydock​ Where: Amos and Gideon’s flat When: March 28, 1983

Gideon wasn’t used to coming home to a quiet house. Cedric was usually playing in the sitting room with Bethesda or Amos was cooking something in the kitchen and the radio was almost always on. But today, he came home after lunch with Molly and the kids and the house was completely empty.

He racked his brain to figure out if he was forgetting something before he saw the note on the counter: Meet me at the Quidditch pitch at 5. Gideon smiled at first, smiled at the excitement that came from meeting his boyfriend for a surprise. But then he was hit with confusion. He had some time, so he made himself look nice, got out of his sweaty clothes. He wanted to bring alcohol with him, but Amos really hadn’t given him much to go off of.

He decided against the alcohol and just took a deep breath before disapparating to the pitch. He had a tugging feeling in his stomach. Maybe Amos was just messing with him as Gideon did for his birthday. But Amos didn’t pull pranks. It wasn’t their anniversary, not yet, but close to it. Maybe an early present. He decided not to think about it too much. He just arrived at the pitch and kept an eye out for Amos.

Gideon and Amos. Amos and Gideon.

For the longest time, that meant two friends who grew up together in Hogwarts, bonding over their shared love of Quidditch, helping each other out as players who shared the same position. It meant two Beaters who helped each other train before turning into fierce competitors once they faced head to head as their respective houses battled each other. It eventually meant two friends who would meet during some weekends to share a drink with each

Gideon and Amos. Amos and Gideon.

Now it meant something different. Its new meaning makes just as much sense as the others. If not more. Amos was convinced that this is how it’s supposed to be. And now, Amos was sure that he wants it to be this way for as long as he lived.

Waiting patiently in the dead center of the practice pitch in London, Amos stood over a picnic blanket. A basket was neatly placed by the side. Both of their brooms also laid parallel to each other on the grass. He was ready an hour before he asked Gideon to meet him there. During that entire time, he couldn’t pace the beating of his heart, almost threatening to jump out of his chest. But as soon as Gideon appeared. It all went away. 

This was it.

Gideon rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. “Oh, leave me be,” he said, smiling at him. He was glad he didn’t seem mad. Gideon didn’t want to make him mad. “Maybe,” he said. “But I was pretty oblivious wasn’t I? I don’t know how long it would have taken for me to figure it out.”

“I guess,” he said with a slight pout. “I kind of like saving it for home,” he said. “For us.” He almost felt a bit of protectiveness. No one else could see what they did behind closed doors. “But I guess we could be a little more forward for one night.” He nodded. “That’s the one,” he said. He laughed at his description of Moody. “Some of my best work really. He’s going to be so mad.”

.

Gideon was just using a form of expression, but Amos couldn’t help himself. He smiled; his eyes twinkled with guile. “Never.” He made a habit of bold declarations like this. Even if they were well past their honeymoon stage. Seeing Gideon’s reaction always made it worth it. “Take what to figure out?” Amos asked. “That I don’t only sleep with women. I wasn’t actually pretty forthcoming about that myself, didn’t I?” The two didn’t start off as a pair who liked each other. Not in that way, at least. But after their drunk confessions about their sexualities and spending the night together, Amos liking Gideon simply made sense.

Amos shrugged. That would mean Gideon was delaying his acts of affection for Amos until they were alone together but Amos didn’t particularly mind. What was there to complain about. A sly idea formed in Amos’ head. He placed his hand on Gideon’s inner thigh, almost to comfort him. But Amos meant to entice something else from his boyfriend. “Do whatever you’re comfortable with, babe.” He shook his head at his boyfriend’s shenanigans. “You think he’s gonna want revenge or something?”

“Cold brew it is,” she said, smiling softly, glad to have someone at work to hold onto. Even if they weren’t in the same department, Marlowe had never felt right in a workplace without a friend to rely on. And, besides all that, she wanted to be closer to Amos. He was Gideon’s boyfriend, after all, and while she didn’t know everything, it was looking serious. “Ah, it wouldn’t be the same,” she said sighing. “There’s just something nice about paying way too much for a teeny tiny cup of joe.”

A nod followed his words and she sighed, pushing over another file. “Yes,” she said. “Well, I’m trying to talk them out of it, because I think it’s ridiculous. We don’t even know if  he’s harboring dragons, they’re just assuming due to the nature of his… being. And even if he is, an ambush is never helpful. If he’s made friends with these dragons they could cause a lot of destruction trying to protect him.” She rubbed her eyes slowly, shaking her head. “I didn’t think the first week back in an office could be so… well exciting isn’t the right word really.”

.

Amos smiled as he shook his head. He has always valued the bounties of his hard work and he only learned to cherish money even more so now that he has Cedric to care for. “You say that now. Wait until you have a little one that you have to start caring and paying for,” he joked. “Tell me, what does your sister tell you about that kind of attitude?”

He was about to reach for the document that he’ll need to set the investigation in motion when Marlowe continued to explain the man’s situation. Amos thought that she sounded a little vexed by the people asking for an investigation. If she was, she had every right to be. “Wait. Hang on for a second. You’re telling me that the accusation of him harboring dragons only came about because there’s suspicions of him being a werewolf?” If so, then no wonder they wanted the Werewolf Registry to figure out if he was a werewolf first. “Please tell me you guys at least have something that links him to dragons.”

Gideon felt his cheeks get hot, but he was also relieved that Amos wasn’t mad. “Maybe,” he said sheepishly as he looked down at the table. He looked up as Amos called him incorrigible. “Hey, babe, I take that as a compliment.” He winked for good measure. 

He laughed. “I’m just joking. I think we had enough pda at the Halloween Ball and even that was pretty tame,” he said, remembering how they snuck off to an empty bedroom. “I used to roll my eyes at those people, so I should watch what I say.” He smiled mischievously. “Edgar Bones. I don’t know if you him. And then…” He paused for dramatic effect. “Alastor Moody. Quite proud of myself for that really.”

.

“Of course you do,” Amos replied as he playfully rolled his eyes. “So tell me. Why don’t you finish your thought? What would you have done if I didn’t put a bun in somebody’s oven, so to speak? You think I would have swept you off your feet sooner?”

As Gideon retreated, Amos felt the need to be the one who suddenly pushes back. “You sure about that? Seems to me that out of all the events, this would be the time for public displays of affection.” He shrugged at Gideon’s hesitation. “Why not be a hypocrite?” His boyfriend then began to list the names of the people he signed up for the auction which amused Amos. “I think I know bones. Related to the head of the DMLE right?” Mentioning Alastor Moody did earn Gideon an impressed expression on Amos’ face. “You mean that surly auror?”

Gideon watched Amos’s face expectantly. He was getting better at being able to catch on to his boyfriend’s facial expressions, but these were all fairly new. It seemed like the wheels were turning in his own head and he was trying to make sense of what he had seen.

He nodded as Amos pieced his plan together. He took the other man’s hands, feeling a bit more relieved at how he was reacting. So maybe he didn’t hate it. “It took a bit of coordination,” he admitted. “But he was actually pretty on board.” He felt his cheeks get hot. It was all so hard to believe still, he could only imagine how Amos was feeling. He nodded. “That was the plan, but we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to of course.” He looked at Amos to see if he could piece together any new emotions. “What would you expect from me, eh? Just wait until we’re together for years, who knows what I’ll think of.” He didn’t fully realize what he was saying until he said it. He’d thought about a future with Amos, but he didn’t think he’d ever said it out loud. “He said he’d sleep with you for your birthday. I planned to go to Molly’s or something and you can tell me when you’re done and then we’ll have dinner.”

Brenton just laughed and shrugged. This guy didn’t need to know about Brenton’s history with Walden or the fact that one of the people he was competing against was his ex-boyfriend. It didn’t matter to him what he thought about it and if he didn’t want to bid without an explanation… well, one failed attempt at getting someone to bid on him would hopefully not make too big an impact compared to the suggestions he had dropped to Rodolphus or the fact that he felt pretty confident he had secured the Lockhart girl’s bid. “It’s not important.”

While he did love a good threesome, sometimes even a rejection was worth it when it meant he got to see their face when they worked out what he was suggesting. This was one of those times and he gave a quiet laugh to himself at how wide the other man’s eyes had gone. “Your loss.” But he wouldn’t push. Not because he knew how he had felt when Walden had suggested he invite Rabastan over that time, because he didn’t much care for the feelings of the stranger, but because Brenton had never seen the appeal of sleeping with someone who wasn’t a hundred percent into it. What was the point in that? “I’ll let you think on what you want and you can send me an owl. If you bid, that is.”

The stranger just shrugged Amos’ question off. Perhaps it was for the best. Amos wasn’t sure he wanted to know the details of the other person’s life. Especially if they bordered being intimate. Maybe it was in his laughter. Or maybe in his swagger. But something told Amos that the man has a penchant for mischief. Yes... It was definitely for the best. “Suit yourself.”

Gideon wished he could fast forward to when it was all better, but he knew he couldn’t take the easy way out. As much as it hurt to have this conversation, they needed to have it. He settled onto the sofa and hoped that Amos would at least follow him. Maybe they wouldn’t assume their typical comfortable positions, but at least they could be more comfortable than standing.

He nodded. He would do anything. Well, almost anything. It made him feel selfish that he wasn’t willing to throw everything away for Amos. That he was holding onto an organisation about his boyfriend and his son’s safety. But Gideon was his own person too and he didn’t want to throw away what he loved and what he felt was right. “I trust Alastor Moody and Dumbledore. We’re not perfect and there are some things we can’t control but…” He looked at Amos. “A lot of the members have families, Amos. And I know that a lot of them would leave as soon as they were worried they were putting their children in danger. If that happens… I’ll leave.” He swallowed. It was hard to think of him leaving the Order, but if they were worried about the safety of their children, he’d have to think of Molly too. “Babe,” he said softly as he put a hand gently to Amos’s face. “I don’t want to lose you. And last night, I thought I was going to.”

Amos’ legs felt like they were stuck in place, but somehow he managed to follow Gideon to the couch where he sat right beside Gideon. His boyfriend. Still his boyfriend. Amos settled close enough that their knees touched. Gideon’s hand remained in his. It was almost as if he’s afraid to let him go.  

Dumbledore. Of course. Amos knew just how much the old headmaster could inspire such hope and courage from people who believed in what was right. Mia decided to follow him and sacrificed the chance to raise her own son. Now, Amos can’t help but be afraid that Gideon might be doing the same thing.