Tom and Gellert sit across from each other at the table of their rented apartment, half-eaten lunch pushed to the side and quills in hand as they edit their co-authored publication which is due next week and, so far, is shaping up to be ready for a high impact journal because of its cutting edge rune work - despite the findings being inconclusive as of yet.
Gellert is rolling the quill between his fingers, daydreaming again. Tom isn't entirely focused either, re-reading the same concluding paragraph.
"It's been a month," Gellert muses. "Surely he must have cracked by now."
Tom hums. "Depends how much of an influence the dark one is having. Perhaps we should have taken the pets though, so he has no one to hold for comfort."
Gellert leans over the table as if sharing a secret, as if he needs to lower his voice in this overabundantly warded office of Tom's. "I saw him in the Unspeakable's office, rummaging through the realm drawers. Do you think he's trying to find information on us?"
"He would ask us directly if he really wanted to know, and our apartment address is public knowledge so he wouldn't need to go through the Unspeakable's realm drawers for that," Tom dismisses, crossing out a line, then re-writing it exactly because he feels like he needs to do something, to show he isn't as interested as Gellert is, that Tom is fully functioning without Harry.
The boys didn't think Harry would be upset, is the thing.
Even when they started that heated fight (maybe trying to disfigure but they would have healed it after) they were perfectly cognizant of Harry being upstairs and that he would come down and be angry that they're hurting each other. That was well within their plans.
Gellert thought Harry would be sad that his moral teachings have been throw away - that Gellert has stopped pretending to care for delicate sensibilities. Gellert would then take Harry aside, after he had finished the 'conversation' with his brother, and explain that he really didn't mean to cut off that arm, he wasn't really trying to hurt Tom – it was more of a powerplay, Harry wouldn't understand.
Tom assumed Harry would be upset but internalise it towards himself for not leading Tom towards a better standard of ethics. After Tom finished 'explaining' to his brother, Tom would then sit down with Harry and insist that Tom's strong personality just isn't compatible with Harry's kindly way of indoctrination – not that Harry is doing a bad job but Tom is simply far too aware for it to work.
But Harry arrived and he did not take the soft route.
Tom was outraged that Harry thought he had the power to supress Tom. Gellert was irritated that Harry dared to step into the way of his plans.
Harry is not an authority figure. Harry is to be kept safe and happy and occasionally worked around if he gets stubborn. For all that they respect Harry, the man is not someone they'd listen to blindly – that's not how Gellert works, that's not how Tom can be treated.
So Tom lashed out, but it was gentle. Gellert went straight for Harry's weaknesses, because that would make it fast and not drag out the suffering. They did not mean to hurt Harry -nothing that was permanent anyway- they know the man's limits. Harry just needed to learn theirs.
"Why is he being so stubborn?" Gellert groans, flopping face-first into the manuscript. "He can just come and get us, we'll forgive him."
Tom taps a finger on the table, lips pursed. "Nothing to forgive, really. Harry can get emotional, we all know that. It's part of the charm."
Gellert props up his chin on folded arms and peers up at Tom. "Do you think the others are keeping him away from us? Harry is so easily swayed when he thinks he's doing it for someone else's benefit. Maybe the Unspeakable told Harry we're 'old enough to make our own choices'."
Which is true but Harry doesn't need to know that.
"Entirely possible." Tom grimaces. He finally just drops the useless quill and slumps back into his chair. "Actually, it's most likely. Harry would try to give us space to 'calm down' even though we were just trying to make a point of things."
Gellert waves a hand about limply. "But we've had space, he needs to give in already! I miss his cooking. I miss Mooney. I even miss the dumb snakes everywhere."
"Bite your tongue, heathen."
Gellert rolls his eyes. "Merlin, at this point, I'm starting to think Harry is doing this as a punishment." He checks the time with a spell and sighs. "There's a meeting soon," he mutters.
"Have fun," Tom muses.
Gellert stares.
"You are the older brother," Tom begins. "You have a duty of care-"
Gellert sighs heavily but starts packing his things up anyway.
The meeting is just as boring as Gellert thought it was going to be. The Unspeakable has private consultations when asked and entirely based on his whims. There's no need for updates or group parties or anything like that frilly nonsense.
Occasionally there will be demonstration days where everyone needs to bring their work and the Unspeakable will divide a small portion of his time focusing on the best project and helping with issues that have come up as a sort of half-hearted reward system.
(They all know that if your project is good enough, it shouldn't have issues that the Unspeakable needs to address in the first place.)
Unfortunately, the other competitors are a rather vicious if eclectic group that the Unspeakable has amassed. There's only five, counting Gellert and Tom, and they have somewhat mandated monthly meetings as psychological warfare – to check other people's progress, if they're having difficulties, any weaknesses that crop up. It's good to attend, even if solely to be aware of the competitors.
"Are you done moping?" the teenage girl scoffs when Gellert walks in. "You're not a real child, you don't need a babysitter."
Gellert stays silent because these people know nothing and he's certainly not kind enough to educate them.
"Anyway, that man is normal, isn't he?" the other boy says. "Not like us. Why bother with him?"
Gellert smiles, too wide. "So I got some good news today! My brother finally got his international licence to set up work overseas. He'll be using my construction model of course."
There's a sharp pause as they give him sideways glances and then the little girl pipes up with her own news, trying to drown out the panic of falling behind Gellert and Tom as always.
How dare they dig for information? They're starting to get curious and that isn't allowed.
Gellert knows the Unspeakable is almost smug when passing around Harry's information, but they're intelligent enough to keep it from people who might use it to hurt Harry. The strange being won't let Harry be physically hurt, Gellert is sure of that too. And yes, fine, the half-hearted Dark Lord Albus will keep Harry company if things take wrong turn.
But still, maybe it's time to go back.
.
A/N: I was weirdly having trouble with this chapter so I put it off in favour of my other trash gremlin children fics (of which I have too many).
lmao, go find Heroes (and happy endings) if you like baby Kakashi and his missing-nin friends mass murdering people, or Kacchan's Cult if you read bnha and want Bakugo's vigilante pyramid scheme.