All That Glitters Is Not Gold

“Where did you hide it, Melissa Hayes?”

“Do not call me Melissa!”

“I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want to call you, love, because in this moment I am terrified of going home and finding my family dead so you fucking tell me right this second where you hid what you took from him.”

“I took plenty. What does he want specifically?”

“Specifically?! You want specifics?! Sorry! Shall I go and pull Cassias out of the dumpster I left him in and ask? Sorry mate, the lass wants specifics because she took far more than first thought! Do me a favour, Mills!”

“It’s been years!”

“Yes. It has been years. So what did you take that is worthwhile getting irate about now?!”

“What is it that’s so worthwhile that you’re getting this irate to me?!”

“Are you deaf, Melissa Adriana Hayes? Answer me. Did you not hear me when I said I’m scared of going home because I’m scared of opening the door and finding Ben, Eva and Tim dead before I’ve even had a chance of having a life with them? I have never been so scared in all my life. Dementors in Azkaban seemed nicer! They threated my family. Mine. You’ve had yours to mess up plenty. I’ve not had this five minutes and someone already wants to take them away. So that’s what’s worthwhile about getting irate about you empathy-wanton bitch.”

“I don’t think this is as serious as you’re saying, Baldric.”

“Listen to me, Melissa! They said they’d kill Ben. They said they’d kill Eva. My daughter. Her life has barely begun. Tim. My son, Millie. They’re going to kill my husband and my children. I’ll be damned … they’ll probably make me watch, too. Then they’ll kill me. I am the last thing between them and you. They’ve got more to play with, too. How long, I wonder, will it take before they find Keiran? Before they catch up with Liam one day in the park and never let him go again? Are they going to have to prize Kelly from your arms?”

The slap had been searing, enough to split his cheek and nigh spin his head right round. Her nails had caught him right across the cheekbone. After all he’d done, he was coming home with a cut and a rapidly forming bruise, both of which were going to be healed with a dollop of salve that was sat waiting for him in the bathroom medicine cabinet. It was amazing to think he’d gone out earlier that afternoon looking for ingredients for dinner, a recipe he’d eagerly suggested he and Ben cook stuck under his nose as he tried to sort out whether he wanted to settle for white onions or buy some purple ones, too.

His stomach was now churning with guilt. His knuckles were bloodied, his clothing rumpled, and blood, steadily drying, was trickling down his cheek. He let himself into Baker Street, his hand trembling the keys into the lock. Mrs Hudson came out to greet him but turned ashen at the sight of the blonde-haired former Gryffindor and hurried back into her living room. A sick feeling was settling itself in his gut and Baldric wasn’t sure if he’d keep down whatever he’d eaten that morning or not, now he came to think about it. He decided to focus on getting up to the flat, to the relative safety of home, and consider emptying the contents of his stomach once there.

Thankfully, he didn’t. The door didn’t gripe with him as usual either and as soon as he entered the flat he abandoned his keys and went in search of his family, kicking the door behind him. As soon as he clocked Ben, Baldric didn’t hang around and he seized the elder man’s face, crashing their lips together without any preamble. He refused to waste words when he needed Ben to know in that moment just how much he loved him.

“You have no idea how glad I am to see you,” Baldric breathed when he finally pulled away, his hands lingering on Ben’s neck.

"Your da's been gone an awful long time, hasn't he?" Ben asked almost offhandedly as he tucked a blanket around Eva. He still didn't have that accent down- the one Baldric used when he called himself their da. There was just something to it that his surprisingly posh accent couldn't grasp. It sounded almost silly when Bentley said it, but he hardly cared in the end, because they seemed to know what he meant. Or, well. Tim did, anyway.

It was strange, Ben mused silently as he looked down at their daughter, that some families had issues. Not like, 'whose turn is it to wash dishes? Not mine,' but real, life-halting issues. Keiran was so strange about the twins being closer to Millie, but that was his own fault. And he could practically hear the little complaints from the blonde lion that Darcie clung to Keiran sometimes, even though there was no proof as of yet. But Ben has always been rather good at people watching and figuring out things like that.

The thud of little feet came down the hall, followed by a shock of lightly colored hair. "When's supper, papa?" Tim asked curiously, the last word almost cautious. He hadn't quite gotten to the point where it came out without thinking on it, but Ben didn't mind so much. He understood the reasoning, after all, as few others could. He would never have said as much to Baldric, but he probably had a slightly better understanding of the little boy because of his background. Even if Tim didn't know it yet.

"I'm sorry, little man, I don't know. Da," he tried a bit harder that time and nearly got it, "went to pick some things up but isn't back yet. How about a snack, instead? Then you can play while we cook the actual meal."

Tim seemed pleased enough with that, his head bouncing fervently as he nodded and felt after his stomach as though to show just how excited he was about having a bite to eat. Ben chuckled and lifted Eva's little carrier, leading the way to the kitchen were he latched it onto her chair near Tim's spot at the table. Without having to ask it of the boy, Tim had immediately taken a surprisingly protective stance when it came to Eva, and Ben had sort of chalked it up to his being there when she came into the orphanage. Whatever the boy had felt there had obviously carried over. Not for the first time, Ben mused that they might have a Hufflepuff in their midst.

Cutting up some carrots which, thankfully, Tim was actually find of, Ben watched the blond pull himself up into his chair. For someone quite young, Tim had learned house rules (which Ben and Baldric had made up as they went) quite quickly, and probably knew them better than either parent. Even if he couldn't say them all out loud or correctly.

"Tim?" Ben started, looking over at him as he poured up a drink to go with the carrots. "Did you know I was adopted, too? But I was much, much older than you when my folks found me."

Tim blinked in surprise, half watching his snack and half attentive to what Ben was saying. The dark-haired man crossed the room and set the plate and cup on his smaller table, crouching beside him. "Remind me how old you are," he requested, a smile on his face. It had always helped to let the young ones think they were smarter than him in some areas, as a sort of confidence boost. Tim held up the number three and Ben nodded. "Right, of course. Well, I was twenty-two when I was finally taken in by a family. That's a whole lot more than three, hmm? I was very lucky to find my parents, even after such a long time."

"Lucky," Tim repeated, pointing to himself with one of the carrot pieces.

Ben blinked, wishing desperately that Baldric was there to see. "I'm happy you think so," Ben replied quietly, smiling down at Tim. "But guess what. I lived in the same exact orphanage that you did. Cool, huh?"

Tim nodded brightly, wiggling a bit as he reached out for his glass.

"I've got pictures of my parents. Would you like to see them?" He offered, standing and putting the cutting knife in the dishwasher. Tim replied that he would, yes, so Ben gave a nod and asked him to watch Eva while he went to get them from the master bedroom.

But he didn't make it to the bedroom, because the door finally opened and he looked up as he crossed the living area, shocked to find Baldric headed right towards him. A muffled little "mm!" of surprise escaped on accident and his fingers reached for the fabric at Baldric's sides, curling around sections of it.

"You were gone for ag-"

Ben froze, catching the hurt that marred his husband's skin and just staring. He didn't notice when his fingers gripped more tightly, because he was too confused to control it.

"Where have you been?" He asked finally, his voice lowered and practically dripping with worry. He glanced towards the kitchen, wanting to deal with Baldric's injury but wanting to avoid frightening Tim. Eva, thankfully, probably wouldn't have understood. "Come with me," he demanded just as quietly, taking Baldric's hand and pulling him towards their bathroom.

Spontaneously snogging the man you love should have really been the preserve for end of the week homecomings or Thursday afternoon early departures from work. It was an action that, in Baldric’s mind certainly, should have precipitated a series of events that would ultimately leave them sweaty and out of breath with their limbs tangled and the sheets sticking to their skin. Certainly to Bae, the most amusing thing about having children was the fact that something like that couldn’t happen so organically while they were still awake and what haunted him just a little bit was the fear of either Tim or Eva walking in on them which he supposed meant that he’d become a proper father.

In truth, Baldric wasn’t very interested in abandoning his duties and flouncing off to bed with Ben in that moment. He didn’t think he had enough left in the tank to do that. Really what he wanted was an enormous plate of pasta and then to drink two beers before falling asleep on the sofa after the Muggle news finished. He then wanted to be shaken awake to help with bedtime, be teased for falling asleep and then crawl back onto the sofa to lay with Ben for as long as they could both keep their eyes open. Then he would have been quite happy to repeat the day over and over because there was nothing else in the world he wanted. There were no other people he so desperately needed. His family was all he’d ever need. They were precious and he’d fight for them, always.

“I … it’s … it’s a crazy story,” Baldric admitted, letting go of the breath he’d been holding onto as soon as he felt Ben seize up underneath his hands.

Bae was happy to be led into the bathroom. He would have gone anywhere in that moment as long as it was with Ben. He was also grateful for the opportunity to get washed up and healed. Tim and Eva certainly wouldn’t want to consort with him when he was all bloodied and messy and rather deranged looking. He had a pair of freshly washed sweatpants with his name on them kicking around and his Quidditch hoodie was waiting at the foot of the bed for him to pull on over his head. He’d be back to being Da soon enough instead of the frazzled boy that stood in the alleyway over Cassias, looking around desperately for some sort of guidance.  With Ben, he’d get his equilibrium back. In fact, it was already on its way.

“I got jumped in an alley off of the market,” Baldric admitted, running his fingers through his hair, glad the blood had long since dried. “I thought I was being followed but I didn’t know if I was just being mad or not so I went down there to check and sure enough …” Baldric winced a little as his knuckles were stuck under the hot tap.

“Best of it was,” he continued, gritting his teeth, “I knew him. Felt like a lifetime ago since I’d seen him. Mills and I … used to frequent these bars in Knockturn Alley – fake IDs, the works. Knew the owner of one called ‘The Charcoal Den’ pretty well too. Round the bend, the bloke is. Sells … Merlin … hindsight makes me wonder why on earth we ever got mixed up in that rubbish but … Merlin knows it was all her, looking for a fix. Narcotics, arms, antiques … whatever you like, he’ll find it.”

Bae scoffed, exchanging the clean hand for the other bloodied one as he went on in an undertone that matched Ben’s from the other room.

“When we stopped going there we stopped for good. She took something before we left, though. I went before so I don’t have the foggiest what it was she took but they’re looking for it now. They know it was her, though she bloody denies it. I went to see her after … after …” Baldric took a shaky breath and inclined his head a little so that Ben could reach the cut on his cheek.

“They threatened you,” Bae whispered, as though he couldn’t even believe it now in the quiet of the flat. “And Tim and Eva. I just … I couldn’t … I snapped and I …” he looked down at the sink, ashamed to be admitting it. He wasn’t violent. It wasn’t his nature, really. Yet something had been triggered by Cassias’ warnings. Something had switched on something raw and animalistic. The desire to protect what was his own, like a lion defending his pride, had overwhelmed rationality. He had no idea if Cassias was still alive.

“I don’t …” Bae inhaled shakily and sniffed a little as he tried to find the words. “I’m not … I don’t … I really hurt him, Ben, and I didn’t mean to I just … I panicked and I reacted and it wasn’t … I just … I couldn’t let him hurt any of you and I c-called Theo. I asked him … I didn’t know who else to ring. I didn’t … I wasn’t going to keep it from you but I … I just didn’t want to phone you and for it to ring and ring and ring and for you to never …” Bae brought his lips together and shook his head.

He gestured to the cut on his cheek. “Cassias… the guy who jumped me … didn’t land a punch. Five minutes of being with Millie, however…” He clucked his tongue disapprovingly to the roof of his mouth. “She’s going to get us all killed and that selfish cow won’t even recognise it until it’s too late. I know I don’t meant it but I … I suppose a really evil part of me hopes that they’ll get to her first and hurt her or someone she cares about instead of us as collateral for what she's done. I can't lose you or the kids for her. I won't. I ... I,” he hung his head ashamedly.

“Ben she lied to my face,” he murmured, unable to really believe it himself. “She’s my oldest friend and she couldn’t even be straight with me about the most important thing I’ve ever asked her. If she’d only told me … maybe we could have all done something about it and sorted it out altogether as a family and maybe it would have gone away but she didn’t. She knows and she’d rather put her head in the sand instead of facing this. I don’t even think she’s going to tell Keiran.” Bae reached up to open the cabinet for his husband and sighed testily, closing it once the salve was off the shelf. “Ben what are we going to do?”

Ben set the tap running, but the motion he made towards one of the wash cloths was halted halfway as Baldric began explaining. He looked up sharply, the urge to harm whoever had done such a thing making itself plain just in the glint of his eyes. He knew better than to interrupt, though, so he held his tongue and went back to the task at hand. He was carefully dabbing at Baldric's cheek, knowing full well that he could just use a spell to heal them, but something in him wanted to let the story finish before he moved on to that. It felt more personal and attentive this way.

But the word 'threatened' met his ears, and Ben stopped, his gaze unconsciously looking towards where he knew the kitchen was. The Slytherin graduate himself wasn't worried about his own safety so much as that of their kids - after all, he had experienced well enough danger to be a bit more desensitized to it when someone else was potentially in trouble. Especially when it was someone he loved. Multiple someones.

He should have kept helping, but it was all sinking in, and he found himself just leaning against the counter and gripping the edge as tightly as he could to keep himself grounded. Or, more likely, to make sure he wouldn't sink right on down to the floor. When Baldric reached out to draw out the jar they needed, Ben was grateful that he didn't have to, himself.

"Bae," he began, rubbing his jaw and shaking his head. "This doesn't help, but my brain isn't working, so.. I should probably tell you that I've never really taken to Millie anyway." He paused, glancing up with a fairly inappropriately timed smile. "Only partly true, by the way. I was just... wary. Now, however," he corrected, lifting his hands in an apologetic gesture, "I'm so pissed I can't properly express it, apparently."

For a moment, Ben forced himself to hold his tongue and just think about everything that he had just been told. His first instinct was to find whoever had done it and... take care of it so that Baldric wouldn't have to. But that wouldn't make his Gryffindor feel any better, and Bentley knew it. Another idea did come to mind, though.

"We could just leave..." he pointed out quietly. "Take the kids, find some place quiet, and keep an ear open about Melissa."

“I’m not married to you just because I’m good looking you know,” Baldric quipped, managing to sound teasing and chiding in the same voice. “I do like to think I know enough about you to tell when you’re not sure about someone.”

He raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, moving so that his hands were either side of Ben, resting against the counter. Leaning down, Baldric stole a chaste kiss and smiled a little at the irony of his best friend disliking his oldest friend. There was something fairly poetic in that, especially now given how apt it was. Ben must have had a sixth sense.

“It’s okay, though,” Baldric sighed, continuing to smile. “You can’t like everyone, can you? And I feel the same way about her right now.” It was putting it mildly but it hurt to even say that much. He hated that this is what it had come to.

And now, running away from it all? Was this the best choice for them? If Millie wasn’t going to do anything about Urien then surely it was their only choice? Baldric didn’t like the idea of running away, of disappearing into nothing. They had lives. They couldn’t just leave like that, could they? How long would it take? Weeks? Months? Years?

“Where do you want to go?” Bae asked.

[ooc: Just realized they should be at Hogwarts given their timeline. Just gonna pretend they were at the flat for the weekend because Ben had work or something XD ]

"You meaner because I'm good looking, right, love?" Ben chuckled in return, glad to have found his ability to breathe again. He did feel badly that Baldric had seemingly lost someone who meant so much to him. She always had. So of course he had never taken an active stance against her. He loved Baldric more than he disliked Millie. Much more.

He regretted suggesting it when he saw the wheels start spinning in Baldric's head. "I know you've got your students, Bae, but I can't just not go to work if we stay in England. My employees would notice when we never used company funds to travel somewhere. Paid vacations and all that. So... Either we go somewhere, or I'll still go to work and the kids can stay at Hogwarts with you."

His hands found Baldric's sides, and he learned forward to press his forehead against the little corner where Baldric's shoulder met his chest. "It isn't like I can take them and go without you, even if you'll be safe at Hogwarts. It's all the Piersons or none."