Abstruse

Gale tapped his fingers nervously against his lip, occasionally slipping his fingers in his mouth to bite on the nail. Resting his elbow on the other arm wrapped around himself. It was approaching the end of his morning class, usually at the last half an hour he would do a mini review session on today’s lesson and he had a hard time making sense of what his students were saying, mindlessly nodding at some of the words he recognized.

He only catches the end of the sentence before pulling himself up straight, letting out a barely audible huff. Hopefully none of the students caught that as a sign of boredom. 

“Thank you, Mark. That was a good take on how to repel pixies.”  He smiled at him and the student nodded, pleased at the compliment before sitting back down. Gale looks at the class, slowly scanning the room, wanting to pick another student to present their review to distract his mind, but unable to resist darting at the huge clock to the left of him. 

Gale was not expecting to be this nervous about meeting John again. Last night they had promised to continue the tour with John wanting to explore the south building, it's a meager request, and still considered fitting to their relationship. But why was Gale overthinking it? 

“Alright, who wants to go next? Or shall I call out a name?” Gale managed to regain himself, trying to sound neutral. 

A few students raised their hand but before Gale could pick one of the bunch there was a knock on his classroom door. Almost all of the students whipped their heads towards it, curious on who might it be, but Gale had an idea on who it might be. 

John’s head popped into the room, not waiting a single second for an answer, and some students let out an excited sound. The class began to break into soft whispers. “Is that the Auror? From last night’s dinner?”, “Wow, an actual Auror!”, “He looks so cool!” , “What is he here?” 

John pushed the door open and entered the room, straightening his coat and black scarf. John isn't wearing the formal three piece suit today. He instead settled on a simple white shirt and navy slacks that matched his coat. 

“Hi everyone, afternoon.” He greets the class, instantly owning their attention with his deep voice echoing the quiet chamber. Gale notices some of the girls swooning at the action and he couldn’t help but relate. A small, ‘afternoon’ could be heard thrown around the room and John smiled, sheepishly. He darted his attention towards Gale, a silent signal for help. 

“Everyone, I’m sure you are all acquainted with Mr. John Egan, lead Auror assigned at Hogwarts for the week.” Gale started and one student immediately raised their hand. Gale gestured for him to go at it. He understood having such a respectable individual would draw curiosity, especially for second year students.  

“Mr. Egan, how many wizards have you killed?” Mark asked, casual as ever, erupting a fuss amongst his peers. John blinks, unsure whether he should answer that or not. Gale covers his mouth trying to contain his smile.

“I would like to believe that's considered classified information.” John replied and Mark huffed, disappointed written all over his face. Another boy raises his hand and John mouthed a silent ‘yes’

“Do you have any scars from fighting dark wizards?” John pressed his lips and nodded, Gale could tell he was proud and had a few cool ones to show off. 

“Of Course I do.” 

“Show us.” The student dares and John looks at Gale for permission. Honestly, it’s already out of Gale’s control at this point. “Please, professor” one student begged, pulling out her puppy eyes and Gale shook his head, chuckling. 

“Only if Mr. Egan is willing,” 

“Meh, why not.” John shrugged and the class cheered, excited. He places down his brown paper bag that Gale just noticed that had been in his possession. He slid his coat off and hung it at the rack by the door. Gale lets out a breath as John is stripped to his all too tight white shirt, two of its buttons undone. His shoulder and bicep were fighting against the fabric with all their might with every move John made. He proceeds to unbutton the left sleeve of shirt, folding the material up to his elbow. 

The student watches as it reveals a contracture scar just above the forearm heading towards his elbow and disappearing to his tricep. Their eyes widened at it, unsure on how to respond seeing such injury. 

“Rather nasty spell, it rots your flesh from the inside out. I almost lost my whole arm because of where it hit. Thankfully, I got it tended on the spot, so they don't have to amputate it.” John explains as he runs his fingers through the healed skin. Gale’s eyebrow furrowed in concern, his gaze softened as John explained how it felt when a student had the courage to ask. John was careful in picking out his words in front of his students, knowing they were on the young side. Gale liked that, a lot. 

“...and that is why you all should pay good attention to professor Cleven in class.” John finishes. 

As the last student bid their goodbye towards the two adults in the room, John lets out a breath and relaxes. He gave Gale an apologetic look whilst pulling down his sleeve to cover up his forearm again. Gale internally bid the exposed skin goodbye too. 

“Sorry to barge in like that, I wasn’t sure what time you finished. Thought it was empty.” 

“It’s fine. It’s a nice change of pace for them, thank you.” John bowed mockingly like the old loyal greeting, complete with his leg crossed and little bend, earning a chuckle and a little slap on the arm from Gale. To which Gale immediately pulled back, that was way too friendly. 

John brought the brown paper bag towards him waving it in front of the blonde.

“I got us lunch. I hope you don’t mind the bulgogi sub.” 

“I never had bulgogi.” Gale said as he went to his desk and gathered up the paper in a neat stack before putting them in his drawer. John fakes a shock face and earns another chuckle from the shorter. 

“You’ll like it, I promise,” he said as he put on his coat. 

They shared a light conversation on the way to the clock tower. The hallway was littered with students all heading for lunch. John talked about the details on the origins of the scar. Turns out it was one of those he got when he just started working as an Auror. ‘Made me the man I am today’ he proudly said, whatever came out of his mouth never fails to amuse Gale. 

It turns out John was younger than Gale, only by four years, which doesn’t make that much difference when you actually get to know the guy. He was knowledgeable due to his career demands, well traveled and also smart. 

The two head up the stairs directly leading to the clock tower. Gale made sure to point out important rooms in the south building such as the hospital wing and the medical supply storage. As they reached the clock tower, the sun was shining through the magnificent clear glass dial creating a surreal streak of sunshine entering the room. John followed Gale as he headed towards the balcony. Through there, they could see the courtyard below where students are enjoying their break. 

“Nice,” John whispered out, impressed.

“Great view, yeah?” Gale said as he looked beyond, towards the mountains and hills that surrounded the castle. The land was beginning to transform as the season changed, no longer covered in white but instead a lustrous shade of green. 

Gale could feel John’s eyes shifted from the horizon towards him and he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. He gathered the courage to stare back at John, the other was smiling, his eyes turning into a little crescent moon. 

“Definitely a great view,” John said, after a few seconds not breaking eye contact. Gale’s cheek was heating up, he was turning red for sure and his hand went to it a bit too late. He hides his face and John laughs. 

“S-shut up,” 

“I’m just being honest.” John threw his hands up, he knew he earned a victory and took a seat on one of the steps leading towards the door, “Let’s eat!” 

Gale shuts the classroom door behind him and swings his wand to lock the room. He sighs as he walks down the familiar corridor towards his chamber. As usual the long corridor was dimly lit by the golden glow of amber. Gale’s steps echo the hall, it was late, he had had too much fun grading papers tonight. Turning around the corner he heads for the toilet to take a quick leak. 

He washes his hands as he observes his reflection in the mirror. His blonde hair was messy and he noticed dark circles forming under his eyes. He touched his tired swollen eyelid and frowns. Gale hadn’t told anyone, not even Marge that he has trouble sleeping as of late. He is exhausted but when he flopped down on his bed, sleep just doesn’t come.

He tries reading a book and sometimes practicing harmless spells but that doesn’t do him justice. Now adding to the problem is a certain Auror that had managed to memorize his class schedule, otherwise how else would he be on time for lunch. They shared three lunches in a row now and John wasn’t exactly subtle on his interest with the blonde. 

Gale shook his head, smiled to himself before closing the tap and dried his hand. However, a shadow passed by behind him. He quickly turns his body around, scanning the room and towards the door where the shadow went. He squinted his eyes to try and get a better look. Resulting in nothing he calls out,

“Hello?” He waited a second or two before continuing, “You are not supposed to be out this late”. Gale walks towards the exit to the corridor, looking left and right, debating whether he should look into it or was it just his imagination. 

Curiosity got the best of him as he caught footsteps echoing hurriedly from the direction of the staircase. He doesn’t know what possessed him to follow said sound but he did. It led him to a wild goose chase ending up in the dungeon. He huffed, feeling rather silly as he recalls the Slytherin dorm is located on the very same floor, must be one of those boys or girls doing up to no good. 

Gale shakes his head as he turns back towards the stair where he came from and there he sees a dark figure covered completely with a cloak. The figure stood on the fourth step, having a height advantage compared to the professor. 

He gasped as his hand automatically reached for his wand. The figure then brought his closed fist towards what should be his face and opened it. Before the blonde could cast a defensive charm, the stranger blew the powder on his palm. 

“Gale! Run honey, run!”

He heard his mother’s voice echo from god knows where. He saw the figure slowly approaching him, his vision began to double. He pulled out his wand and he noticed his hand trembling, failing to grasp at the only defense he had. He took a step back as the other kept on, before he felt his body giving up on him and fell backwards. His head started spinning, his blue eyes fluttering, failing to stay open,

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll come looking for you” 

“Mom…” he mumbled, the figure was standing above him but his body felt like an elephant had sat on him, he took a deep breath and everything went black.

Gale felt his world was shaking, he felt a warm grip on his shoulder and tried to open his heavy lids. He was greeted immediately with John’s concerned eyes. The other was holding him in his lap, his shoulder propped up by the Auror’s strong forearm. He saw Curt by his feet, sharing the same concerned look. He was struggling to open his eyes as the room was still somehow spinning, despite it being in the dungeon. Gale closes his eyes, hoping it could ease the pounding on his head. 

“Shit, let’s get him to the hospital wing,” he heard John growls, and felt an arm hooked behind his knees, lifting him up and carrying him up bridal style. 

“John...” he manages to croak out, as he feels less stuffy leaving the dungeon towards the hospital wing. The outdoor air felt good for a split second entering his system, whatever that powder was crawling inside his chest, he could still feel it. 

“I got you, don’t worry.”  “Don’t worry about me, I’ll come looking for you”

“Powder…there was…” he mumbled, trying to find John’s eyes. The other was too focused on navigating the corridor and trying to not drop the Gale in the middle of the school. In front of John he notices a Slytherin prefect, escorting the Auror to the hospital wing. He assumed it was him who discovered Gale’s unconscious body, then alarming the Auror. 

“Curt can handle that, he is a big boy.” John replied almost immediately adding a reassuring chuckle. Gale could feel the other is losing his grip as they head up the stairs and he feels really bad, but John readjust his arms, throwing his head closer to his chest. It was a nice warmth, his heartbeat was quick though due to the adrenaline. 

He heard the door slammed open and was followed by a familiar shout from Lemmons, the resident healer. 

“Hey! Not so loud! Oh– goodness Gale! What happened?!” panic comes as soon as the tall healer notices the limp body on the Auror’s arm. 

“Found him unconscious in the dungeon sir Lemmons” the Slytherin prefect explains as John carefully places the professor on one of the beds, taking a pillow from another to propped his head a bit. 

“Damn it. I’ll get a common antidote potion to suspend whatever is in his system right now to stop its spread, yeah, should be good in no time,” he heard Lemmons blurts out and unconsciously nods

Gale could see flashes of light despite shutting his eyes close, it’s like his brain is forced to reenact the horrible memories of his childhood. 

He hears his mother and father arguing in the small corner they called the kitchen. His father held a beer bottle and his wand in another, as the women in front of him quiver in fear on her knees. He knows where this is going, 

Gale fights the tear threatening to fall as he sees his mother tend to her own wound. The medical kit they have wasn’t much help either since it was almost empty, only messy bundles of bandages and torn up cotton sits in the box. 

She looked at him and gave him a small smile, “It’s alright, don’t cry Gale sweetie,” her voice quivered, unsure on how long she can keep the act. Gale knew she was giving up and it pains him.

“When you go to Hogwarts, focus on your studies alright?”

Gale could only nod back then, but he wished he should have said more.

“Promise me to do your best?” his mother held out her pinky and Gale closed his eyes when he failed to control the tear building up, interlocking his pinky. 

“I’ll study to become an Auror, so I could protect you from bad wizards, like dad” he manages to say between sobs. He felt his mother’s warm embrace, her soft hands coming up to caress his messy blonde hair. 

When Gale finally came around, he could feel his chest again and his head wasn’t trying to crack open. He slowly opened his eyes, the sun was harsh, coming from all directions due to the hospital wing having significantly large windows. 

He registered three figures at the foot of his bed, they were standing in a circle, back towards the professor. He could make out Curt, Rosie and Frank there. Of course, they were going to have to interview him, he was vaguely familiar with protocol. Gale grunts as he tries to sit up, immediately gaining the attention of the three men.

“Professor Cleven, you’re awake! Frank, get Lemmons please, hurry!” Curt was the one that went to his side as on cue. Rosie grabbed a glass of water and handed it to the blonde as Curt finished helping him up to a sitting position. 

Gale nodded as a silent thank you. He didn't realize he was parched until he drowns the tall glass in one single go. It was a tad bit embarrassing as he could hear Rosie mumble a small ‘easy there’ 

“What time is it?” Gale cleared his throat after hearing his own voice, all rough

“It’s almost 10 in the morning…” Curt answered, sounding a bit unsure as he sat on the edge of the empty bed next to Gale’s. 

“That’s not so bad, I could still make it to class-”

“...the next day.” Curt finishes. 

“Pardon?”

“You were out for more than a few hours, professor.” Rosie explains.  

Gale opens his mouth and closes it, unsure how to react to that. How is that even possible? All the dreams he experienced seemed short too. Gale scans around the space, finally registering that he is in fact in the hospital wing 

“Bucky is at the ministry of magic. He’ll be back soon.” Rosie being ever so helpful had managed to answer the unspoken question, but Gale kept a confused look until Curt added,

“It’s what we call Egan,” Curt shrugged.

Gale wasn't exactly ungrateful, more towards the doesn’t want to be an inconvenience towards others. Apparently it’s not a well kept secret that Gale had gotten admitted into the hospital, the wall literally speaks here in Hogwarts. He had multiple visitors towards the day, both from his students and co-workers. The second year kids were the loudest, they kept pestering him with curious and rather absurd questions regarding that night. 

The fourth year girls got him flowers and fifth year boys gave him a bunch of sweets to keep him company. Crosby also brought him his own mix of health potion, presumably ‘organically-grown from his dear greenhouse’ as he always likes to say. 

Marge got him flowers too, it was too large to be kept in the vase on the end table, but nothing a little spell can't fix. She also got him food for dinner, requested to be made fresh by the elves.

She fixes her seat before opening the container by the side of his bed. The crowd had dispersed as the sun began to call it a day, it was only the two of them in the empty hospital wing. Marge grabbed the spoon and handed him the container 

“Here ya go, eat up alright?” Gale mumbled a small thank you as he mixed the steaming hot rice with the crispy salmon filet. Marge smiled as she watched him take a bite, humming as the food hit his taste bud. 

They sat in silence, Gale quietly enjoying his dinner and Marge had pulled out her papers from earlier class for grading. The room was filled with only sounds of pencil scraping softly on paper and his soft chewing. 

However, after half an hour Gale senses that Marge’s scribbles have lost their tempo, indicating she might be distracted with other thoughts. Gale debates for a second whether to ask her about it or leave it unspoken. He bites his lips, before saying,

“What is it, Marge?” She looked up a bit taken back

“Huh?” She replied, dumbly, but she knew Gale knew as the other only tilted his head and crossed his arm in front of his chest. 

“You haven’t talked to me about what happened. Lemmons said it could be some hallucinate or brain alternating powder that is supposed to give you visions. I don’t know, I was too panicking to understand,” 

She was beyond worried, her mask fell as she began to blurted out the sentence. Marge grabbed Gale’s hand between her own, 

“Did you see her?” she asked softly, almost like a whisper. Gale looked away from Marge’s eyes and down towards their joined hands. Her thumb stroked the skin on the back of his hand ever so softly, trying to keep Gale from losing his focus.

Gale struggled to give her an answer, all the memories from the previous night came back flooding into him, those and the ones before and after said event. Marge had been his friend since the first day he stepped into Hogwarts. She was raised in the magical world all her childhood and Gale was the opposite, they just fill each other's curiosity. 

It was impossible to hide the micro expression when there was little distance between the two. Gale felt Marge already knew the answer to that with the way her eyes soften. Gale didn’t even realize his lips were trembling until Marge placed her soft thumb on his chin, caressing it. 

She stood up and pulled Gale in for a hug. His messy blonde hair being gently combed as he silently sobbed to her chest. The tears were barely there, but it hurts. 

Marge left not long after that. She decided to not push Gale about the details and he was forever grateful for it. The book he was trying to read failed to keep him relaxed. Truth be told, he doesn’t understand what this all means. Could it be just a freak incident, wrong place at the wrong time or was he really a target? 

One person immediately came to his mind and suddenly he was overcome with anger and annoyance. He breathes out, huffing in frustration as he eyes the scar his father left him. It was always hidden under his sleeve. 

He hastily pulls the fabric forward, covering his arms as he hears the door to the hospital wing creeks open.

“Evening!” It was John, he was dressed rather nice tonight, had a baby blue shirt complete with a navy stripe tie, his usual navy checkered vest and pants to match. He had his coat draped on his forearm as he hung in on the foot of Gale’s bed. 

“Hello John, rather late for a visit, no?” his other hand was behind his back and Gale might just have a clue on what he had hiding behind his broad back

“Sorry, the ministry kept me busy. How are you feeling?” John said as he settled on the side of his bed, observing the abundance of ‘get-well-soon’ gift from the blonde’s students

“Better,” Gale answered softly, nodding slowly. John mirrors his nod before pulling out a small bouquet of flowers. It was a small bundle, containing sunflowers and roses. He brought it in front of his face before peaking through it and said, 

“Because I’m here?” Gale ducked his head down avoiding eye contact, he huffed a smile, closing the book but not before delicately folding the top right of the paper. John is going to be the death of him. 

The Auror raised both of his eyebrows with his smile, his lips opening to mouth a small ‘ta-da’ before handing Gale the flowers in which the other took gladly. He chuckled and accepted it, made a gesture of sniffing it then gaze at John through his golden lashes. 

“They are lovely, thank you.”

“You’re most welcome” 

“So, Bucky, huh?” Gale started when the other was shamelessly putting in his hand in a box of Bertie’s from the table. John was taken aback at the name coming from Gale, remembering clearly he hadn’t mentioned that to the professor. 

“Yeah, it’s what my folks call me back in the days. It just sticks” 

“Bucky sounds fitting”

“Nah, John is fine. Bucky is so work coded, that's why I never told you.” He pops a jelly bean in his mouth, grimacing when he realizes its ear wax-flavored. 

“Really? Too bad, I kind of like Bucky” Gale faked a disappointed frown, but his eyes were glinting with glee. 

“Well, it’s Bucky forever then!” John threw both of his hands in the air, cheering like they were watching quidditch a complete switch from to mere seconds ago. 

John, now Bucky, sat on the bed as he picked up another sweet from the abundance of choices Gale had. They shared their day whilst snacking, like back in their younger days. Bucky told him he hadn’t had candy in ages, there was an incident where his friends pranked him. Charmed the little delights to expose his intrusive thoughts every time he speaks, it was a very unlucky year for him. The most slap he earned from girls in ages. 

Gale was laughing his head off, the disbelieving look on Bucky’s face as he recalled the memory of having his cheek abused. 

“Glad it didn’t leave any permanent damage to my face,” Bucky added as Gale’s laughter died out a bit.  

“Oh we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Gale teases, eyes locked together as he takes another bite of his chocolate waffler. Bucky’s eyes darted from the other’s to his lips and watched with a smile as Gale chewed. 

The room fell to a comfortable silence as the two kept their eye contact. Bucky opened his mouth but closed it, shaking his head and Gale choked out a laugh at the expression. 

“What was that?” he asked, trying to prevent his teeth from showing, as his tongue quietly worked out the choco bits in the sides of his mouth. Bucky shrugged, the corner of his lips stretching ever so widely as he scoot closer to the patient. 

“A sudden thought just crossed my mind,” Gale hummed, wiping a bit of chocolate on the corner of his lips with his thumb. He leans to grab a tissue from the small metal table to his side. To his surprise when he diverted his attention back to the Auror, there was barely any space between them. 

His nose almost touched Bucky’s, as his breath hitched. Gale doesn’t dare look up to make eye contact with the taller man. His chest was pounding, the back of his shoulder was burning yet at the same time it felt cold. It was hard to ignore the heat that Bucky gave out as he placed both of his hands on Gale’s side, effectively locking him in place. Gale’s hand came up to Bucky’s biceps, unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer. 

Bucky tilted his head and made the leap, locking their lips together. For a moment they remained connected at the lips. Gale responds softly and Bucky starts to pick up the positive feedback. They spend quite some time just feeling each other's lips. That is until Gale decided to open his plump lips and John immediately deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue inside. His grip on John’s sleeve tightened, he almost felt bad for wrinkling the fine wool blend suit. 

Gale felt his body shift, as he realized John had a warm and strong grip on his waist. His large palm burns against the thin fabric of his pajamas, instantly making him breathless. Gale pulled away for a split second, his head was starting to spin, all in the best way of course. 

Bucky was reluctant to lose any form of contact with Gale, as he quickly latched onto his jaw, then moved down to his jaw. Gale lets out a soft moan when he feels Bucky sucking on the sensitive skin. Dainty fingers coming up to tangle themself in John’s wavy locks, refusing to pull away. 

Gale’s vision was hazy, he hadn’t felt this desired in months, years even. He tilted his head and gave Bucky’s locks a soft kiss, just above his adorable ears. Gale darted his gaze away from the arc ceiling, looking over John’s shoulder he unexpectedly witnessed a traumatized Rosie, halfway entering the room. 

Bucky was placing open mouth kisses on the base of Gale’s neck alternating between his collar bone, engaged in his work, until he felt a hardy slap on his shoulder blade. 

The younger looked up at Gale and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before letting out a hoarse ‘Hmmm’ 

Gale didn’t say anything, instead pointed towards the door with his chin, then Bucky shot up suddenly remembering they were in a goddamn school’s medic bay. 

“R-Rosie!” Bucky stood up fixing his hair, clearing his throat. Gale fixing his pajama to appear more presentable regardless Rosie already saw everything at this point. 

Rosie chose to remain by the door when he realized he clearly interrupted his boss in the middle of something important. 

“Uh– I was just about to let you know… I’ll take a quick round to the greenhouses tonight.” He made eye contact with Gale and nodded in acknowledgement. Gale made a tight smile and busied himself with cleaning the wrapping paper and boxes of the sweets scattered on his white sheet. 

“Fantastic Rosie, uh, carry on.” Bucky places his hand on his hips, trying to cover for his discomposure. Thankfully Rosie left as quickly as he came, excusing himself with a barely audible ‘good night’. 

When the door clicked shut and Rosie’s black figure vanished through the tinted glass, Bucky let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Gale eyes the man standing next to his bed, the blonde’s smile finally returning to his face as he watches Bucky massaging his temple. 

“Fuck,” Bucky finally said, as he seemed to have move passed on the moment, emitting a low bashful chuckle.

The two looked at each other and they shared a knowing look. Like the kind of rebellious teenager caught by their parents but never intent on complying to staying away. 

“I think I have to go. Me and Rosie were supposed to patrol together tonight,” Gale nods, understanding the Auror’s duty. Bucky grabbed his coat and went to sit down on his previous spot. He took Gale’s right hand and placed a chaste kiss right above the knuckle.

“I’ll come and see you again in the morning,” 

“Be careful.” Gale bid him goodbye with a soft caress to his cheek.

“I will.”