Aberforth came back home at the time he had agreed on. Around ten in the morning, he was walking inside through the door and smiling when he saw Ariana reading one of the many books Chris had left for her to study.

"Morning sis" he called, pulling out his jacket and placing it on the hanger. She hummed, finishing the line before looking up at him and smirking.

"Hey Abe. How was your date?"

"Fine. The usual" he shrugged, smiling at her and walking closer to the couch where she was doing her little reading section. "Slept over, had some good sex, stuff like that."

"Spare me the details Aberforth" she huffed, pulling her legs so he could sit down, and placing them back over his thighs as he sat down. "Did you use protection like Albus told you to?"

"Yikes" he huffed and picked up his phone, checking his messages. As he opened the one with the unknown number, he smiled, seeing Chris' name and a little eggplant following a meme that said 'it me' with a picture of a bird quacking in the distance. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle that made Ariana look at him weird. "Friends. From school."

"Sure" she mumbled and looked back at her book. "So. Who did you meet last night?"

"I was meant to see Diana" he said, without thinking, checking his other social medias. Ariana looked at him again and he stared back at her, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"You were meant to meet her? Then who did you meet?" she asked, confused, and Aberforth felt his heart trying to scape through his throat.

"I was meant to meet her but... like... um, a friend of hers showed up. Alice! Alice. Alice showed up and I decided to go out with her instead."

"... I don't remember you mentioning any Alice" Ariana said, confused and suspicious, and Aberforth chuckled nervously, waving his hand at her.

"That's because I don't tell you about everyone little sis" he said, shrugging it off. "Alice is super cool. And great in bed."

"Again Aberforth, I don't want the details" she huffed and slowly sat up. "But isn't what you did mean to Diana? She was expecting you to show up."

"Diana is fine to deal with" he said, trying to keep this conversation out of topic. "SO tell me what you and Albus did when I wasn't here yesterday. Did you have fun?"

"Yeah" Ariana nodded and put her book away. "I mean we watched movies and talked and ate some soup... but... like... Abe" she said, louder, and he looked at her worriedly. "I'm worried about Alb."

"You... why?" he asked, confused, and she took a deep breath.

"Because Aberforth... I think he is in love and he doesn't realize it" she said, frowning, and Aberforth felt his heart stop in fear. His eyes widened, his hands turned cold and he shook his head.

"No..."

"Aberforth?" she asked, confused, and he shook his head, dramatically.

"No way... you mean..."

"Gellert, yes."

"Oh no no no" Aberforth said, firmly, crossing his arms as Ariana furrowed her eyebrows. "No way. Albus is not in love with that idiot!"

"… Abe I am one hundred percent sure he is into Gellert and Gellert is into him" she said, slowly, and Aberforth groaned loudly, falling back against the couch.

"nooooooo… not him" he whined quietly. "Ari, that guy is… he is awful!"

"Give me one concrete reason as to why you think he is awful" she said, crossing her arms and looking at him with a stern expression on her face. He looked at her and saw the way she was facing him, biting back what he was going to say and then frowning.

"He does not have good vibrations around him."

They looked at each other for a long time, eye to eye, before Ariana snorted and Aberforth frowned, offended.

"What… the hell does that mean Abe?" she giggled, tilting her head and shaking it slowly. "Gosh, you must have drunk something very strong last night, you are not thinking straight."

"Wha- Ari! I am dead serious!" he complained, frowning to her. "Ari, that guy is evil! He reeks meanness! I don't want Albus close to him, it will corrupt him!"

"Oh so now you're defending Albus?" Ariana asked, smirking at him. "You're defending your lovely older brother who is too pure to make decisions on his own?"

"He's not- that's not- not all decisions!" Abe said frustrated and shook his head. "Just not stupid decisions! Like falling in love with that Grindelwald lunatic! Ari, no one just appears out of nowhere and just… enters in your life like that! That guy has something to him, I know it!"

"So Albus should be alone all his life?" Ariana asked, tilting her head, and Aberforth felt a little tug in his heart strings.

"N-no! Of course not" he said, firmly, and frowned. "Didn't he had a crush on Elphias? Why can't he be with Elphias? Or even Minerva? Or someone from his retail work? Why does it have to be the creepy guy that showed up three days ago?"

"Elphias is straight Aberforth" Ariana huffed and looked at her older brother again, frowning. "I feel like he is so lonely Abe… he needs someone. If that someone has to be the creepy guy that showed up three days ago, then be it. I feel so bad, I don't think he even knows what he is feeling. I think he is just… in constant denial, pushing himself to be this perfect guardian… don't you think so? Am I going crazy?"

"Honestly Ari… I think you are projecting" Aberforth said, softly, and she frowned before looking away. "Hey listen, it's fine… I know how hard it is for you. I think you are imagining that he feels like you feel… and that's okay. But you can't confound your feelings with his. Albus is fine. Sure, he gets a little overwhelmed sometimes but… he is okay. He works, he studies, he has us… what else he needs?"

"So you can go and fuck every girl you want and Albus can't love someone? I can't project myself wanting to be with someone?"

Aberforth furrowed his eyebrows, before they raised in surprise as eh saw Ariana's eyes tearing up. Aberforth shook his head, taking her hands on his.

"No Ari, I promise! That was not what I meant, I… I want you and Albus to be happy, to find someone! I just-"

"You just think you know everything we should do" she said, smirking sarcastically at him. "You just think you can control us to do what you think its better for us. No wonder why Albus gets so tired of you."

Aberforth didn't even know how to react. Ariana looked at him with straight up disgust, and stood up, shaking her head. Aberforth stood still, without knowing what to say or how to respond. She turned to the stairs, but before walking away, she looked back at him.

"You can control my life, Abe, but if you think you can control his, you are only going to lose his love" she said, coldly, and turned back to the stairs. "If he likes Gellert, don't interfere. It's not your life."

Then, she left, leaving Aberforth with a heavy heart and a hurt conscience.

"Dumbledore. Lunch break."

Albus looked up from the cashier and nodded to his manager, before turning back and smiling at the old lady that was finishing her groceries. She was having some difficulty getting the products out of the cart, so he offered to help, reaching over the cashier and picking up the products. Then, he passed everything, told her her total and assisted her on how to use the credit card machine.

When they were done, she smiled at him and tapped his cheek.

"You are a great young man! Your family must be proud of having such a gentleman at home!"

Albus looked at her and his expression turned a bit sad, but he smiled and nodded.

"They sure do. Have a good day."

She clearly wasn't from the village.

"Dumbledore. Lunch break" he was called again, turning to his manager and frowning. Nodding, he closed the cashier and removed his apron, before walking to the break room. Inside there were both his and the manager's food, heated up over the table.

He found it weirdly strange, but didn't mind it, sitting down on one of the sides and taking the silverware next to his plate. A salad, fish and chips. Typical English food.

Not much later, his manager (Lukas was his name) sat down in front of him, taking his own silverware and beginning to eat. The silence was a bit awkward at first, but eventually Albus grew used to it.

"So. Dumbledore" Lukas called out, and Albus looked up, continuing to eat but slower now. Lukas never talked to anyone. "You know how in these big companies, your competence doesn't matter much, right? You usually get up in the food chain by knowing people, doing favours, things like that. You get me?"

"… yes, I suppose" Albus answered, confused, but didn't mind the subject of the conversation very much.

"I heard your home is a bit of a mess… you are the only provider… surely you need some extra money."

"… I get what I need" Albus said, even slower now, before slowly placing a piece of fish inside his mouth. Lukas stared at him, his eyes drifted down, and Albus felt his heart beginning to fasten its speed.

"But wouldn't you want some more? Maybe become a manager? You would get more money, less time to be here… you could pursue what you love" he said, eyes drifting back to Albus' as he swallowed down the piece of fish. "I am the manager here, I could use a helping hand, and I'm sure if I told the bosses about your… good work… they would promote you."

"I… Lukas, I am unsure as to what you mean. I have done nothing special, I did not ask for the job, I am not a different co-worker… I'm just a normal guy, why would you want me for the job of manager?" he asked, suspicious and nervous, his stomach somewhat rejecting the food because of the tension in his muscles.

Lukas simply shrugged and leaned forward, reaching out to take Albus' hand on his own.

Albus almost vomited his heart out at that.

"I just think you deserve it" he said, his voice weirdly soft, and Albus' eyes widened, shifting from one side of the store to another, trying to find the nearest exit. He wasn't sure about what was happening, but he knew he was feeling sick and weird and he wanted to go home.

"I… really don't need it, I'm fine being just an employee, I can make it with the money I get-" Albus said, his voice a little shaken, but Lukas simply stood up, his hands wrapping around Albus' wrist.

"I can help you…"

"Albus! Mr. Finnick!"

Lukas stopped his advances at the voice outside, and Albus felt a wave of relief coming over him as he stepped back, got himself fixed and walked towards the door. Albus was right behind, getting ready to go right back to business.

"What?!" he asked angrily as he opened the door, and Cam was outside, finding the whole situation strange.

"I need Albus to tell me what he sold to that old lady, she said one of the products were checked wrong" she said, confused, and nodded for Albus to follow her. Reluctantly, Lukas got away from his path and Albus rushed out, taking her hand and following her to his cashier.

He was about to fake a call from his sister and get his ass back home.

He had no stomach to stare at Lukas for the rest of that day.