Author's Note: This takes place after Chapter Sixteen of my fic 'The Other Woman'. You don't need to have read that but it might make more sense if you have. Otherwise, enjoy.


Chapter One

The door to the dinning room slammed open in the first indication that Pollux' parents must have returned from picking his brothers up from King's Cross, the sound making both Pollux and Louis startle. In the doorway stood a rather incensed Scorpius, one hand fisted in his hair as he glared daggers at his eldest brother.

"Hello?" Pollux muttered uncertainly, raising a questioning eyebrow at the new arrival.

"Are you alright, mate?" Louis frowned – it was not often he had seen Scorpius loose his cool after all.

"You've been sending her letters!" was all that came out of the younger boy's mouth, face contorted in barely supressed fury. "You know how I feel about her and you have been sending her letters?" he repeated, finally lowering his hand from his hair that was now sticking up messily as he stalked towards where the two older boys were sitting. Louis just raised an eyebrow but Pollux actually stood up, a little concerned with just how angry his little brother seemed to be.

"Uh… yes?" Pollux frowned, not entirely sure why it was apparently such a big deal. "She asked for some samples of my writing, that's all," he shrugged, holding out his hands in an attempt to placate Scorpius who was still stalking purposely towards him.

"Damnit Pollux! You know how I feel about her!" the younger boy finally snapped, waving his arms around. "You should never have sent her any letters! You should have respected me enough to stay away from her! You know how I feel you bastard!" he yelled in fury, looking like he was about to grab the first thing that his hands landed on – which did not bode well seeing as nothing in this house was particularly light – and launch it at his brother.

"I swear nothing is going on between us!" Pollux sighed, now scanning the room for places to hide. "We're just friends… Like she was friends with Castor… That never bothered you did it!"

"That was different! She was friends with Castor since her First Year… Besides, he had a thing with Molly Weasley most of the time!" Scorpius raged. "He didn't just meet her in a fucking wood and decide that it would be a good idea to suddenly become a part of her life!" Scorpius looked ready to explode and Pollux was half afraid his brother was going to injure himself if he didn't calm down.

"Scorpius, relax," Louis tried to attracted Scorpius attention to no avail. "I know there is nothing going on between Rose and your brother; do you really think he would not have told me if there was?" Scorpius glanced suspiciously at Louis, still searching for something to throw at his brother.

"I don't fucking know! All I know is that this bastard has been putting moves on my girl!" Scorpius practically screamed, giving up on his attempt to find something decent to throw and instead launching himself at his brother. Pollux stepped away just in time, deciding it was probably best not to point out that she was not, in fact, his girl. Scorpius only renewed his attack however, practically chasing Pollux around the ornate dinning table.

"Scorpius-" Louis tried to stop the boy as he finally managed to grab a hold of his older brother's robes.

"For Merlin's sake Scorpius! I would never go after Rose because-" Pollux cut himself off, eyes widening at what he had been about to confess.

"Because what?" Scorpius spat. Pollux sucked in a deep breath. Just say it, he though. What harm could it really do?

"Because I'm gay, okay," he snapped. Scorpius froze as Pollux' words registered in his mind and it was easy for the older Malfoy to shove him off. Pollux steadied himself before turning around to his best friend. Louis was staring at him as if he had never seen him before and it terrified him to the core. He really hoped this was all worth jeopardising his friendship with Louis because if it wasn't there was going to be hell to pay.

And then Louis was moving. Not towards the door as Pollux had expected him to… but straight towards him. If he was going to be attacked for a second time in one day then so help him Merlin he was going to lose it. Louis did not break his friend's gaze as he walked straight towards him, as he reached out and grabbed the back of his neck, as he pulled him forward… only when he crushed their lips together did he close his eyes.

Of the three men in the room, it was hard to determine who was the most shocked. Scorpius was still reeling from his brother's confession. Pollux' mind had ceased to function the moment Louis' lips had connected to his and he could do nothing more than hold onto his friend's robes to keep himself standing. Louis on the other hand was just trying to figure out what the hell had possessed him to kiss his best friend. He wasn't gay was he? He had given it very little thought before. He had always assumed that he had just never found the right woman but… Oh Merlin, what if Pollux had only said he was gay to get Scorpius off his back. Oh if he fucked up his friendship with Pollux because of this he was going to kick himself. What was he doing?

Suddenly, Pollux escaped his shock enough to bring his hands to Louis neck and cup his face, pulling him closer and entwining his long fingers in Louis shoulder length hair. All reasonable thought had fled his mind. He briefly wondered if Louis was only doing this to help him prove a point to Scorpius but by the time the thought processed, he didn't really care. Louis' lips felt so soft, so perfect. Sweet Merlin this was better than a dream.

Louis found himself sinking into Pollux. Being several inches shorter than his friend, he had to tilt his head up to reach Pollux' lips but dear God was it worth it. He could not remember feeling more turned on in his life and just from a simple kiss. His heart was hammering in his chest and suddenly things were making sense… The way he would always choose Pollux over his girlfriends; the way even when his girlfriends were sitting on his lap, trying to lure him in for a kiss, he would always be more interested in what Pollux was saying; the peculiar ache he felt every time he had to say goodbye to Pollux at the end of term or when leaving after a visit; the tightening in his chest every time Pollux smiled at him… Oh he had it bad.

Suddenly Pollux pulled away and Louis opened his eyes, his expression immediately fearful. Pollux had said he was gay – he didn't even know if that was even the case or just an excuse to get Scorpius off his back but even so – he had never said he fancied him.

"Scorpius," the older Malfoy said calmly, his eyes never leaving Louis'. Scorpius didn't need to be told twice as he scampered from the room, still reeling from shock and barely even remembering what had caused the whole thing to come about. Once he had gone, Pollux ran his thumb over Louis' cheek bone. "Louis," he murmured and his voice was so husky with lust that Louis whimpered at the sound.

"Lux," he gasped, grabbing for the other boy's collar to steady himself. Pollux lowered his face to Louis' so their foreheads and noses were touching.

"Louis, why did you do that?" he demanded.

"I… I don't know… I just… Dammit Lux! I just… I want you. I want you Pollux Malfoy and it is scaring me shitless," he breathed out quietly, still gripping Pollux' robes.

"So you didn't just do that to help me prove my point to Scorpius?"

"No… I just did it… I didn't think, I'm sorry…"

"Why are you sorry?"

"I don't know Lux! You probably just said that to get Scorpius off your back or something, besides, even if you were gay it wouldn't mean you fancied me! I'm sorry because I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have just presumed, I shouldn't-" but Louis was cut off as Pollux crushed their lips together again and Louis' mind went blank. All too soon, Pollux pulled away again.

"Don't ever apologise for that again, do you understand? I would never just say something like that to get rid of Scorpius and as for fancying you… You've tormented my dreams for years Lou. I want you and only you. I have done for as long as I can remember." Pollux' eyes were dark with desire and Louis was losing the ability to stand with every word Pollux uttered.

"Lux… please," he begged. Pollux smiled before lowered his lips ever so slowly back down to Louis'. The shorter man thought he might pass out from want, his limb had turned to jelly and if Pollux had not been supporting him, he would have fallen to the floor. Pollux kept the kiss light, barely touching Louis' lips and pulling back slightly whenever Louis tried to pull him in. The feather light touches were making Louis dizzy with desire. "Lux," he growled as Pollux pulled away again.

"Relax Louis," he murmured, his own heart hammering in his chest and his mind not entirely convinced this was actually happening and was not just a painfully vivid dream. "I just think we should take a walk, clear your head…" Pollux suggested, a suggestion Louis was not altogether fond of. "Besides, we can't… not here…" he gestured to the dining room in which they were standing. Louis nodded and allowed Pollux to step away from him and open the door Scorpius had slammed behind him.

Without a word, the two of them slipped from the room; Pollux' eyes darted to every crevice to see if there was anyone about while Louis could look nowhere but at him. Louis' mind was reeling, now that he was no longer touching his friend, his brain could function once again. He had just kissed Pollux Malfoy, his best friend since the age of eleven. A few minutes ago he had had no idea that he was even gay. But somehow it all just seemed to fit. Somehow, it just made sense.

The route they took was familiar to them both but this time as every turn and every corridor and every step took them closer to their destination, their hearts beat harder in the chests. When at last Pollux opened the door to his suit to allow Louis through, both had sweaty hands and were breathing faster than usual. Louis strode in confidently, hiding the uncertainties he was harbouring inside, and stood in the middle of the room, looking about absentmindedly. Pollux on the other hand just stepped through the door, closed it behind him and leaned against it.

"So…" Louis began but Pollux swiftly cut him off.

"Louis, you need to think about this. I've known for a while how I feel and who I am but you haven't and I don't want you to rush into anything you might regret. I will not risk sacrificing our friendship for this unless I am absolutely sure that it is what we both want. Completely. I will tell you plainly that there is no one else in the world I can see myself being with other than you but I do not expect you to feel the same way. I know I should have told you sooner but-"

"How long?" Louis interrupted.

"How long what?"

"How long have you known?"

"Have I known I was gay or how I felt about you?"

"Both."

"I couldn't put an exact date on it Louis. A part of my always knew I wanted you but it wasn't until the end of Fourth Year that I realised what I felt for you was not strictly platonic. That's when I realised that I was gay. As I said before: it has only ever been you," Pollux sighed, his hand still on the doorknob.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Louis frowned.

"Tell you?" his friend's eyes went wide. "Louis we were fifteen! I could barely admit it to myself, let alone to anyone else. Besides, you were my best friend and it didn't matter to me that you didn't feel the same way as me so long as I could always be near you. I did not want to lose you Louis; I couldn't have coped if I had."

"But what about after that, what about the past few years….?" Louis demanded. "You could have at least told me you were gay, you didn't have to tell me how you felt about me."

"I was afraid," Pollux replied bluntly. "I come from a very traditional family Louis, you should know that. I have no idea how they'll react and there didn't seem to be any point in going through the hassle when I would have gotten nothing out of it because the only person I wanted appeared to be exceptionally straight."

"So why did you tell your brother today?"

"Because he has a nasty left hook," Pollux muttered.

"Don't be ridiculous, you would have gladly taken his swings if you really wanted to protect your secret. I don't see why today was any different to the last few years so why did you choose today? Why did you tell him?" Louis asked, his grey eyes alight. Pollux just shrugged, not really having a valid answer. Why had he chosen today to tell his brother his best kept secret? Louis was right, he could have taken Scorpius' punches.

"I suppose I just got tired of pretending I was something I am not," he sighed at last. "I don't know Louis."

"Lux," Louis sighed, stepping closer to his friend. "Promise me something?"

"Depends on what that something is Louis," Pollux tried to smile but there was a weight on his chest that could not be shifted. He had finally told Louis everything (well sort of) and now he just had to wait for the consequences to pan out.

"Promise me you will never keep anything like this a secret from me again," Louis murmured. He was barely half a meter away from Pollux now and had reached up to cup his chin and force their eyes to meet. "Promise me you will tell me everything, even the trivial things," he murmured again. "Because I know what I want. I am a Slytherin after all, I would never rush into something irrational," he smirked and Pollux smiled slightly. "I want you Pollux."

"You don't know that Louis," Pollux sighed. "You've barely realised that men might also be your type, you haven't even looked at other possibilities," he reasoned.

"Why would I look at other possibilities when I have all that I will ever need in the one person that is standing in front of me right now?" Louis murmured, running his thumb over Pollux' jawline.

"Louis, you are far too calm for someone who has just realised that their entire life is not what they thought. You've just realised you might be gay, or bi, or whatever. The repercussions are endless; you need to just think about it for a while. You have to have time to really freak out and then allow yourself to process and accept it. You can't just be okay with it, just like that," Pollux sighed again, hating that the simple stoke of Louis' thumb on his jaw was making him weak with lust.

"Is that really what you want? You want me to go away and think about it?" Louis frowned, forcing Pollux to look him in the eye.

No, Pollux thought to himself, I want to throw you onto my bed and ravish you for the rest of my life. Aloud though, he only said: "Yes."