"I really care about you."
He knew what those words meant. He knew how to read the eyes of the man standing in front of him, a man who would be too scared to say the words themselves, but would do everything in his power to prove their worth to him.
"Mirror, Albus."
And he reciprocated the feeling as best as he could. There were no better words for him to say than the one word, born of a childish game, which implied that he reflected the words and the sentiment behind them exactly. He did love Albus Dumbledore, despite what people thought of them. But he also knew what a love such as theirs meant; stolen kisses, hidden encounters, secrets kept from every one of their friends, families and acquaintances. But none of these things, not even one, was what mattered to him. He hoped they didn't matter to Albus either.
What did matter, however, was not the moments they found themselves standing against the world, but the moments they found themselves standing against each other. That, was what drove them apart. The Greater Good, versus the love of the one man who might ever truly know him. He made his choice.
He would not give up his life's work, his life's dreams. Not even for the man he had built everything with.
"I really care about you."
He wished he could reply. Mirror, Albus, his heart screamed, wanting to run back into Albus' arms.
"Goodbye, Albus."
Notes: Grindelore is a bit hard to write for me, but it was great fun too! Hopefully it turned out okay!