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Albus saw the green light flare up, its intensity directed towards Aurelius. Instinct took over and he felt his blocking charm collide with Aberforth's when they both intercepted Gellert's killing curse. The brothers' eyes met for a split second and Albus felt like it was 1899 once again.
Gellert, ever present in his mind and magic, now demanded his attention. Albus' silver eyes locked in with Gellert's heterochromic ones. Seeing them in person was so much more captivating than the poor excuse of them visible through their blood pact.
But when Albus thought this, he could feel said blood pact deteriorate. His eyes flicked towards his wrist where he felt the metal loosen and snap. The weight of it all blinded him. And suddendly there was no-one else but Gellert in the world.
Their fight was fast-paced, aggressive and yet so familiar. It felt like all the violence they traded verbally during their many falling-outs had effortlessly translated into physical violence too. The two moved in tandem, as they had always done, and got closer and closer to one another. Simultaneously, they grabbed the others jacket, turning them towards themselves to ready for the final blow....
...which never came. Looking into Gellert's face, he saw the boy he fell in love with. Hurt and betrayal flashed through the two very different eyes. Albus remembered looking into them like looking for answers in a book, Gellert's fierce determination always leading the way. He remembered seeing them flutter shut when they kissed and he remembered the tears in them when they first fought. This was too familiar to be real.
Albus' hand was splayed over Gellert's heart. He could feel it persistingly beat on. He had once treasured that sound, always resting his head upon his lover's chest, as if to assure himself Gellert was alive and breathing. And Albus didn't need any blood pact to know that Gellert was thinking the same thing. The quiver in his lip betrayed him. Albus' gaze flickered to those lips, as he was wont to do. He closed his eyes, letting his hand fall from Gellert's chest.
Albus started to turn around but Gellert was holding him back, his hand now moving from his chest to the back of Albus' neck, pulling him closer. Albus opened his eyes but swiftly closed them again when he felt the familiar press of Gellert's lips on his.
He was stunned for a few seconds. It had been years since he'd gotten a taste of this. His hands moved automatically, always pulling Gellert in, begging him to stay. He was fisting one hand into Gellert's greyening hair, while the other, still holding his wand, tugged on Gellert's back, trying to bring him closer to Albus.
Meanwhile, Gellert's hand splayed in the small of Albus' back, the wood of the elder wand pressing into his skin through all the layers of clothing. Gellert was tilting his head and licking into Albus' mouth and Albus thought he could have died like this, nothing apart from this had made him feel alive anyways.
Their kiss lasted for what felt like a lifetime, but was eventually broken apart by the reminder that they were not in fact alone. Many of Grindelwald's followers, who had formerly cheered him on, were now yelling at the two.
And many other wizards, who would have been content to see Dumbledore as their leader only minutes prior, were protesting too. Even the other presidential candidates looked shocked, Liu in disgust and Saldo in betrayal. She had after all just gotten her post from someone now in kahoots with the wizarding world's worst enemy.
Albus saw Vinda roll her eyes, disappointed that Gellert hadn't let go of his terminal weakness. And while Aberforth was angry, Aurelius just seemed plain confused. He even briefly caught Newt's gaze. It seemed sympathetic. As if he'd somehow expected this. Hufflepuffs and their understanding of emotions were a secret Albus had yet to discover.
And lastly, he turned back to Gellert. For someone who had just lost an election and the trust of all of his followers, he looked oddly calm. His left eye twitched. Gellert seemed unsure. But for Albus, it was suddendly the easiest thing in the world. He offered him a small smile.
"Are you with me?"
Gellert hesitated, looking to the ground.
"We can escape all of this madness. Just the two of us. Like it always should have been."
When Gellert looked back up, it was the same fragile look he had only seen from him after particularly nasty fights or nightmares. He was defeated, done fighting. He wordlessly offered his hand. Albus took it and they disapparated.
~
They were in a meadow.
"My family used to go here, many many years ago", Gellert explained.
Albus nodded. "It's beautiful."
Gellert agreed and let himself fall to the ground. Albus cautiously sat down next to him. His hand, used to the motion, moved to Gellert's hair to comfort him.
Gellert's head had sunken down, in between his knees. He was hugging his legs, his body shaking with sobs. Albus' arms laid themselves over his shoulders, pulling him closer and Gellert latched onto him like a lifeline.
"We can't keep on fighting. I just want to be with you, away from this war", Albus confessed.
Gellert snorted. "What do you propose, eloping? Living off the grid in a remote hut in the woods?"
"I was thinking more of a house on a hill but that would work too, I suppose."
His tone was honest.
Gellert couldn't respond, so he only listened. To Albus' words and to his heartbeat.
"We could have a small garden, change our appearance when we go in public. Or maybe enchant them to not remember our faces. If anyone could do that it's us."
Albus paused to wipe one of Gellert's strands of hair from his face.
"And we'd have a library filled with books. A fireplace with armchairs. Perhaps a bath connected to the bedroom."
Gellert's breath hitched at the bedroom. So Albus did still want that.
"And Gringotts wouldn't keep our savings from us. The goblins don't care about wizarding politics."
Gellert smiled at that.
"I know I don't have much, I've only been working for so long, but maybe I could find more discreet work elsewhere."
Gellert wanted to open his mouth, to interject that he didn't mind, but Albus continued on: "But if you're amenable, we could travel the world first. See some of the places we've only read about. You might have seen some already, during your... time away, but seeing them together could be nice."
Albus avoided Gellert's face.
"Just ideas of course. I'm not even sure you'd still want that."
"Albus", Gellert croaked.
He was still teary eyed.
"Yes?", Albus replied, breathless.
Gellert sat up straight, facing him. He took Albus' hands into his own.
"Do you promise to stay with me?"
"Do you promise not to try and take over humanity again?", Albus retorted.
"I thought the plan was to stay away from the rest of the wizarding world."
"And the muggle world."
Gellert sighed. "You do realise that wasn't only my idea."
Albus' hands tensed in his, as of they were about to move away. But Gellert didn't let go.
"I do. But I couldn't go through with it."
"You left me."
"And you betrayed me", Albus replied.
"We've been through this", Gellert stated.
"Gets old, doesn't it?"
And like two schoolboys, they started giggling. And somehow Gellert knew it would turn out alright. Because as long as he could have this, what else could he need?
"We don't have to be on opposite sides. We could be on our own side. Away from the battle", he told Albus.
Albus smiled at him, satisfied. "Then I won't leave you. I promise."
"I promise I won't leave you either. Ever."
And he leant forwards and caught Albus in a kiss once more. His taste was sweet and his lips were warm from the evening sun shining on the meadow.
"I love you", he whispered when their lips allowed him to.
"I love you too", Albus gasped after a longer kiss didn't allow him to take a breath for too long.
They eventually laid down in the meadow, heads towards the sky, watching the sun set. Their hands were intertwined, much like their souls seemed to be.
"I think I know where to get one of those travel tents. We can visit Italy first, I'll show you Florence. I already know you're going to love it. And then you can pick a place."
"Somewhere warm. I imagine you're sick of Nurmengard's climate."
Ever the considerate Albus.
"And you'd be correct. Remind me to build our house somewhere with a temperature average above freezing points."
Albus laughed at that.
"Will do."
They shimmied a little closer and Albus' thumb kept stroking Gellert's hand and Gellert kept looking at the clouds moving over the colourful sky and had the insane thought that maybe, just maybe they would get their happy ending after all.