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Gus noticed Matt's tanked mood when he saw him outside of Hexside.
He decided not to bring it up because Matt didn't seem to want to. Matt held a sour face and kicked rocks along the way to the graveyard. But his mood really started to spill over the top when the graveyard keeper was late, again.
"I swear, sometimes it's like we care more about this dump than that stupid ghost does," Matt muttered angrily as he sat himself down on the ground. Sure Gus agreed, out of the weeks of helping the graveyard the ghost showed up late at least half of the time, but Matt never was this upset over it.
Gus bit his lip slightly as he sat next to Matt on the ground, "I know it's kinda annoying but, what are you going to do." Matt shrugged in response before rolling his eyes. His face was just stuck in a grimace.
Gus hummed to himself for a moment, swaying back and forth slightly trying to come up with a way to lighten the mood. Ah! That was it.
"Hey, Matty wants to see a fun illusion thing to pass the time?" Gus asked a smile on his face.
Matt sighed and turned to Gus, he muttered a sure. Gus nodded in response before closing his eyes. He took a breath for a moment before drawing his casting circle. Soon a small blue figure appeared in front of them. It was a man in his suit talking gibberish into a microphone, his hands moving with him as he spoke.
Matt's dull mood slightly cracked as he began to smile, "Psst. Isn't that the reporter guy??"
Gus rose his eyebrow as he looked at Matt, "Yeah- that's my dad."
Matt gave Gus a confused look before peering down at the miniature newsman.
"Huh, I guess you do look alike… Does that mean you're going to wear some tacky suit like that someday?" Matt teased as he pushed Gus's shoulder.
It was Gus's turn to roll his eyes, "just because he dresses nicer than you doesn't mean it's tacky." He shoved Matt back.
And just like usual, they go to this back and forth bickering, something Gus had missed today. Matt was always able to draw out that teasing nature within him. It was fun; he never really realized how fun it was.
"Why'd you want to show me your lame illusion magic anyway? How's your old man supposed to be fun? " Matt cut through.
"Hey!" Gus playfully gasped, "my dad is a real fun guy! And I can't believe you when you say 'illusion magic is lame' when you're the one who wanted to help an illusionist's graveyard." Matt's smiling eyes rolled as Gus continued, "and… honestly, you've seemed kind of down today. Whenever I'm upset, I usually do an illusion of my dad." Gus confessed sincerely as Perry Porter poofed. "Something about his methodical speaking pattern calms me down. Ever since his real big break with reporting, we haven't had much time together. Like he's pushing me away." Gus paused for a moment before awkwardly smiling and adding on. "But it's not all that bad because of illusions." Gus did some dazzle hands, trying to lighten up his sudden confession.
Gus's awkward attempt at lightening the mood seemed to end with a quiet Matt in an even deader graveyard. Ugh, did he really just talk about his daddy issues to some person in a graveyard?? Gus could feel his cheeks start to flare up in embarrassment as he got stuck overanalyzing what he said in his head.
Luckily, his cheeks didn't have time to fully color because Matt mustered the courage to ask a question– one that made Gus audibly gasp.
"Could… Could you teach me how to do it.." Matt dryly muttered, the tips of his ears turning red.
Gus's smile returned, and a soft feeling in his chest began to flutter as he shuffled to fully face Matt. "Yeah of course. Well, you did take some starter illusion classes, right? This spell is pretty easy, it's mainly about recollection, the better you remember it the easier you'll be able to cast it. Here let me show you."
Gus couldn't help but smile a bit wider when he saw how focused Matt was on him. "Okay well, first you have to relax. Loosen up your shoulders, steady your breathing and have a clear mind." Gus rolled his shoulders and stretched out his back before he took a breath in, held it for a few moments, and breathed out. Matt had tried to mirror some of the movements plus added in a neck crack for good measure.
"Then in your mind, picture the person you want to recall. Take in all their details." Gus's eyes closed imagining his dad. "Take in every loose hair, glasses, freckles or moles and even the folds of their clothes. Think as if the persons in front of you." Matt's silence was all the answer Gus needed to move on. "Next you have to recall an action. Or even a moment in time, imagine that moment happening in front of you all over again- " Gus opened his eyes to see a tear-stained face. Matt's eyes were a bit puffy and unfocused. "Hey, are you okay Matty?"
Matt quickly looked to Gus, he wiped his face, nodding once more, "Yeah- sorry." Matt quickly mumbled, Gus just stared silently at the sudden change in Matt's demeanor. He could see the witchling slightly tense up as he asked defensively, "Could you just finish telling me how to do the dumb spell?"
Gus sat for a moment with his mouth agape, before taking his eyes off Matt and finishing up his explanation, "Um yeah. Well, you recall the memory you just brought up, draw your circle, and cast the spell as if you were there watching them for the first time."
Gus looked back at Matt who seemed to have calmed down. His eyes were still a bit puffy and red but his breathing was even. He watched as Matt shakily made a circle which made a small static man appearHe had a smile and was lagging as he waved. It needed some work but Gus kept the comment to himself as something in the illusion caught his eyes. "Woah Woah Woah- who's that??? And Is that a horn?!" Gus gasped in amazement.
Matt opened his eyes and smirked, "I know right? His horn is so cool." Matt mused as the illusion of the witch turned into a giant horn. Matt gasped "Ah! What happened to Steve?!"
Gus blinked, "Wait- Steve as in coven scout Steve?" Matt looked up to Gus with an eyebrow raised, and the illusion of the horn popped.
"Yeah- have you seen him around?" Matt asked. Despite trying to play it cool, Gus could see a small hope spark in his eyes. Gus was still. Should he really tell Matt that yeah he met Steve in the flesh the other day when he put the flyer derby team in a cell and that Skara also gave a nice welcoming punch. Gus started to sweat a bit and decided to look away from Matt.
"No, I haven't." Gus quickly said. Before immediately adding on, " And it probably changed to a horn cause that's what you were focusing on. Maybe try to keep your eyes closes and do it again, really focus on steve and him as a whole." Matt looked at him skeptically but reluctantly shut his eyes to try and refocus.
Gus let out a silent breath as his shoulders slumped. Guilt resided in him as he watched Matt, maybe he should really tell him how he knows Steve. But Gus can tell Matt cares about Steve, he doesn't want to put Steve in a bad light.
Matt drew his circle, this time Steve appeared making a face and sticking his tongue out in a teasing way. Gus's eyebrows contorted as he finally had a face to put to the name Steve. He looked like a normal witch, maybe even a bit kind and playful. Looking closer at the illusion Gus's eyes became wide. Besides the horn and a few moles, the hair and eyebrows looked uncanny.
Matt's voice broke Gus out of his thoughts "That's my brother."
Gus was quiet for a moment looking at Matt, "I- a that explains the galderstone map..." he awkwardly was able to get out.
"Yeah" Matt commented quietly. Looking longingly at the squinting and smiling Steve. It was silent again, maybe even more awkward than the silence before.
Gus asked, " So- does that mean you'll get a horn?" Trying to change the subject. Matt stared blankly at Steve before he shrugged in response.
"Hopefully but-" Gus could see Matt's face contort into a grimace, "we're only half brothers." Matt's grimace soon contorted his whole face as he stared at Steve. Gus sat wordlessly as he watched Matt internally fight with himself. Matt soon started slightly laughing, Gus raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet. He didn't want to pry verbally but he's sure his eyes were easy to read. "It's just- he's the reason I cut my hair like this. I want to be like him so badly. I want to be as cool as him, as strong as him." His voice got smaller, " I've always hated how scrawny I was, how piggish my nose looked. How compared to Steve I looked- I still seem like nothing." Matt finished flatly as the illusion dissipates.
Matts looked absently at the empty spot that the illusion of Steve once was. Gus frowned at his friend's words, Matt had never opened up like this before. He didn't like what he heard, Gus spoke up," You shouldn't let ur brother say those things to you." His heart felt heavy when he spoke but it weighed 10 times more when he saw the look of anger across Matt's face.
Matt retorted hotly, "You should keep your mouth shut. I never said he said those things. You're jumping to conclusions, you don't know squat!" Once more it seemed like his walls were built up.
Gus shut his mouth and grimaced, he overstepped. He always seemed to do that. Gus felt his shoulders slump as he looked away from Matt. He ruined the weeks of building up trust, didn't he. Gus sat in the silence for minutes as his heavy heart weighed him down, he wasn't expecting Matt to continue.
"I'm sorry," Matt squeezed out. Gus turned to Matt in shock, only to find him in tears once more. "You're probably right. He probably would say that about me," a tight thin smile stretched onto his face. " I couldn't even handle Glandus. Steve had to take me out of there, take me out of a school he easily graduated from. He saw how pathetic I was in that school, he had to patch me up when- I. When Bria-" Matt's breath shuttered as he shut his eyes not being about to continue with that train of thought. Matt muttered at the end, "He barely visits anymore since then anyway. How could he even be proud of me…"
Gus shuffled closer to Matt his eyebrows pinched in concern, "Don't be sorry, I didn't mean to assume. I should be sorry." Matt looked at him through his glazed eyes. " it's just." Gus grimaced once more, boring his eyes into Matt's before slowly reaching his hand to Matt's face "can I.." Gus questioned. Matt stared at the hand for a moment, before solemnly nodding. Gus cupped Matt's face trying to wipe the wetness from his cheeks. "It's just- I don't like hearing those things about you, Matty." Gus leaned a bit closer his cheeks slightly redden, "I think you're actually really cool. Sure we started off on the wrong foot, but you're so persistent. So you. And I really like that." Matt was a tomato at that point, his tears stopped flowing but Gus realized how close he had gotten and moved back. He took his hand off of Matt's cheek and rubbed his neck. A nervous smile sets on Gus's features, "But- like you said I know squat."
Matt flushed harder at that and soon nudged Gus as a response "Shut it, twerp." He muttered a soft smile on his face.
Their little moment was soon ruined by a gust of cold air and the figure of an old man, "Sorry I was late-" he quickly looked at the witchlings who seemed to both be red and strangely close. The Keeper smirked, " Ohhhhh am I interrupting."
Both boys grew even redder as they spouted, "NOOO!" in unison. The keeper chuckled and kept his comments to himself as both boys stood up and dusted themselves off.
The boys silently worked at different edges of the graveyard, testing out different contraptions that they previously set. Neither one spoke to the other as the light faded into a dark sky. The keeper called it a night and thanked the two witchlings before dissipating into the air.
The two boys waved him off. Before they started walking back Matt looked to Gus, a soft smile on his face, "Thank you though Augustus, really.." Matt looked away as he continued, " I think you're kind of cool too."
"Anytime Mattholomule." Gus responded with a smile.
Both boys walked off into the woods making their way home. Both with hearts feeling lighter and lighter as they joked and fluttered more than they ever did before.