This is a random idea that popped into my head. I would love to know if readers are interested in seeing this particular story continue. Let me know in the comments :-D
A week after the incident:
Fuck, they've cornered Ethan.
"Where's your boyfriend," Alex sneers at him. Benny can only just make out the words, but it spurs him into a half trot, elbowing indignant students out of his way.
"You want to kiss your boyfriend, fag?" The other boy taunts. To Benny's horror, Ethan's frame wilts under the harassment.
On a normal day, this torment would be water off Ethan's back. On a normal day, he would care so little that he might not even notice that the harsh words were directed at him. On a normal day, Ethan isn't cursed.
The bullies are laughing at what they assume is their victim's discomfort, when Benny snakes an arm around Ethan's chest. He pulls Ethan against into himself, Ethan's head resting on his shoulder. With a hand on his cheek, Benny's nose to nose with his best friend.
The effect is instantaneous. He watches the grey cloudy murk clear from the seer's eyes as they focus on Benny's face..
"So are you?" Benny asks, consciously stamping down a reflexive instinct to lash out at Alex and his fiend. Consciously ignoring them.
"Wha?" Ethan asks, still dazed from the fading effects of the curse.
"You gonna kiss your boyfriend?" Benny contorts Ethan into a light kiss before he can respond.
"Oh shit, man. You're actually gay? I didn't mean that stuff I said before," Alex says in what he may consider an apology.
"Et incarnatus est de validis ventis aetatem tuam velabis rapitur ante relinquit," Benny incants with a cold fury.
Alex starts to respond, but when he discovers his voice is gone, he claws at his throat.
"What the hell!" His friend's balled fists drop when he meets the spell caster's gaze.
Benny realizes that Ethan is struggling for his balance. He releases his boyfriend with a small chest bump to get him back upright. Get Ethan on his feet again because that's what really important.
The spell caster shakes the anger out of his hands. The silence spell is permanent until a magic-user lifts it, and is perhaps too strong a punishment for schoolyard bullying. They didn't know the consequences of the curse.
Ethan could die.
Any negative emotions will cloud his soul, eroding the bonds between soul and body. A curse they were lucky to catch before anything bad happened to Ethan.
Benny tugs Ethan away from the bullies, towards the exit they take to walk home. Fortunately Ethan still seems a bit hazy from his near miss. He hasn't said anything about Benny casting an offensive spell on a civilian in public.
Benny will cure Alex tomorrow.
If he seems contrite.
His messenger bag is sitting on his right hip, so Benny directs Ethan to walk on his left side so they can hold hands. Affection is especially effective at cheering up Ethan. Benny will hold Ethan's hand all the way home. Just to be sure.
This curse. Grandma had to induct the Morgans into the secret world of magic so that they would play along with keeping Ethan happy. They all had to play along.
So what else was Benny supposed to say when the second day of the curse, Ethan asked him out.