Sexual orientation
*
Disclaimer: I don't own any HP characters
Warning: Mild slash themes… sorta…
Characters: Lucius, Severus
Set: Sometime during Severus' 6th or 7th year I imagine, as Lucius is a few years older than he.
*
The room was large and decorated in light pastel colours, cream and soft gold creating the perfect harmony of subtle luxury. Outside the window the sun was shining, and birds were chirping joyfully in the summer air. It was a beautiful day, a prefect day in fact, which was mostly due to the fact that the Maloy family had gained authorisation from the Ministry to assure that this day would be just that; a perfect day. Weather wize at least. It was a very important day after all.
Preparing himself for the important day Lucius was standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom, whilst his young friend was sprawled out on the sofa behind him.
"Lucius."
"Hm?" he mumbled absentmindedly, eyeing himself in the mirror. In the reflection of the mirror he saw Severus reach out a long, slender arm, and snatching up another cookie from the plate. He felt a tug off annoyed jealousy at that. Damn that Snape-metabolism, the man could eat anything and never gain so much as a pound, while Lucius was doomed to walk a very fine line unless he wanted to resemble Molly Weasley. Sans the red hair of course.
"Have you ever found another man attractive?" his friend asked, holding the cookie up between long fingers and regarding it carefully. He looked at it the same way he'd regard an, to him, unknown plant; as if breaking down its components and considering its possible uses.
"Hm…" Lucius mumbled again, then blinked and turned his head to look at the man rather than his reflection. "What?"
Severus looked at him with black eyes, and not for the first time did he wish he could read whatever emotions lurked in them. They really were to dark to read properly.
A wicked smile tugged on Severus' lips, and he raised an eyebrow. "Have I thrown the great Mr. Malfoy for a loop with my innocent question?"
Lucius sniffed indignantly and turned his back on Severus. "Certainly not."
In the reflection he saw the wicked grin on his friend's lips grow. "You do seem a tad uncomfortable, Lucius."
"I was merely thinking it to be a rather random question considering the source."
"Most things we speak of are rather random, Lucius."
"Not often sexually oriented though, Severus," Lucius replied, straightening his robes again. "You usually avoid such subjects like the plague. Why the sudden change of heart?"
"Call it an epiphany."
Lucius snorted. "Since when did you believe in such things? Have you been taking Divination classes lately?"
"Don't be absurd." Severus drawled with a tone of voice that clearly stated that he thought Lucius must have gone mad. In the reflection of the mirror he again saw Severus reach for the plate of cookies, where he put down the one he had in his hand and took up a new one for thorough inspection. "Are you going to answer my question?"
Lucius pursed his lips slightly, considering it while he brushed his long hair back over his shoulder. "Whether I've ever felt attraction towards another man, or whether I'd ever admit that another man is attractive? There's a difference between the two, Severus. Which one did you refer to?"
"Either. Both." Came the answer, and he could see his friend lowering the cookie and taking a bite. Evidently the cookie had been deemed worthy to eat.
"I see many men who I can admit to be attractive; My father, the Dark lord, Monticore Zabini, you, when you don't try to hex me through a wall for some trumped up offence, even that bloodtraitor Black." he replied and fastened his hair in a low ponytail, feigning ignorance as to why his friend would sneer at the mere mention of Black. "But I've never found myself sexually attracted to a man."
"Ah."
In the mirror's reflection he watched Severus munch on the cookie with a thoughtful look on his face. Lucius fought down the urge to prompt his friend to explain why he'd asked the question to begin with, feeling curiosity growling in his gut. It was not a Malfoy's way to grovel for information though, so he bit his tongue. Literally. Lucius grimaced at the pain that shot up through his tongue and nearly missed Severus' low response.
"I believe I have."
Lucius blinked, and slowly turned away from the mirror to look at Severus who was still lazily sprawled out on his couch, his long fingers now neatly entwined and resting on his stomach. The thoughtful look on his pale face lingered.
Lucius knew he probably should say something to that, but couldn't seem to find an adequate response in his arsenal for the situation. It wasn't surprising he supposed, as he had never been in this particular situation before. 'A Malfoy must be a master of every situation' his father's voice whispered sternly in his mind, but he ignored it. He doubted that his father had ever found himself in a similar situation.
If he had the man had never thought of including it in the countless hours he had set aside to teach his son proper etiquette.
Feeling a bit forlorn Lucius walked closer and sat down next to his friend on the couch, his own posture much more precise and lord like than Severus' as he did so. Looking at Severus he found those black, unreadable eyes peering up at him.
"It's you, in case you wanted to know," Severus clarified, and against his better judgement Lucius felt his eyes widen before he could scold his features.
Suddenly he felt warmer than he had before, and he could practically feel the blush rising on his cheeks.
"Oh," he heard himself reply. It was probably the most un-Malfoy like thing that had ever before passed his lips, but his brain felt like fudge at that moment. All thoughts had either gone flying off into some far away distance or gotten stuck in some grinding wheel somewhere in the back of his mind.
"Why, Lucius, you look positively flabbergasted," Severus smirked ruefully. "It was certainly not the response I was expecting."
"What were you expecting?" he muttered, and dreaded a lovesick drabble of how Severus had expected him to jump in joy at the confession, and proceed to snog his best friend right on the couch.
"You to hex me to kingdom come."
Lucius felt himself relax, and he smirked. Of course Severus would never expect him to turn into some sex deprived ninny, the twerp was a realist from top to toe and his clinical mind had probably considered every possible outcome numerous times. "I suppose I could. I wouldn't want to disappoint you after all, dear Severus."
"I don't mind this minor disappointment actually, as it saves me the trouble of poisoning you quite horribly."
Lucius laughed, and reached for a cookie that he promptly shoved into his mouth with little Malfoy decorum. Severus raised a dark eyebrow at him.
"You eating cookies, Lucius?" he mocked. "Did my little confession cause hell to freeze over?"
Lucius snorted, and munched away rather happily. "Your little confession, I must admit, did catch me off guard. As the instigator of your lusts I believe I'm entitled to a cookie."
"Whatever would happen if I ever told you I loved you then, I wonder?" Severus pondered evilly, making Lucius choke on his cookie. "Perhaps poor Flourish and Blotts would find themselves out of business after a sudden raid of their entire stock."
Coughing Lucius tried to glare at his friend, but it only made Severus laugh at him in mirth.
"You'll get horribly fat, you know," Severus continued, still smirking.
"I will not." Lucius ground out between the coughing.
"Oh, I do believe you will, Lucius. I think I can already see a bit of flab around the edges."
"I am not fat," Lucius protested, standing up from his seat so he could glower down at his still seated friend.
"Of course not, Lucius." Severus agreed and rolled his eyes. "I merely stated that you would get fa…"
His sentence ended with a yelp that he was unable to restrain, when Lucius whipped out his wand and promptly made the plate of cookies explode.
In the silence that followed Lucius straightened himself, and felt rather pleased.
"Why that's very mature of you, Lucius," Severus drawled as he settled back down on the couch and looked down at the pieces that were left of the plate and the cookies. "One would almost think you to be at least five."
Lucius never had the chance to respond to that for in that moment the door to the room opened, and Abraxas stepped inside. There was a very slight frown on his face, one that would not have been noticeable unless you could read the elder Malfoy the way Lucius could. When Abraxas' eyes settled on the demolished plate and splattered cookies, he raised his gaze slowly and looked at his son. Slowly one fine eyebrow was raised, silently demanding an explanation.
Lucius tilted his head: "Severus and I merely had a bit of a spat, father."
"Obviously." His father responded generically, evidently not impressed.
"It was just a minor disagreement," Lucius continued, ignoring the amused grin on Severus' face. "We have settled the matter now."
"By blowing up you grandmother's best dinner set?"
Lucius looked down at the pieces of fine china lying on the floor. "Well only one plate…" Looking up he saw that his father didn't seem the least bit appeased, and feeling like a naughty child again, he muttered. "I'm sorry, father."
"Yes. Do try to keep in mind that you're no common gutter rat, son. You're a Malfoy, and I'd appreciate it if you at the very least tried to behave like one. "
"Yes, father."
"Very well. Now clean yourself up, boy, your bride awaits you." Abraxas finished and swept out of the room, leaving the two younger men alone again.
Turning to glare at his still lounging friend Lucius bitterly sneered; "Well you were a lot of help. "
"I'm not a Gryffindor, Lucius," Severus responded sweetly. "I don't help the helpless."
Sniffing indignantly Lucius turned his back on him, and returned to his mirror. Really, in the last few minutes his appearance had dwindles rapidly from pristine perfection to… he didn't know what, but he did not appreciate it. Picking a piece of cookie crumb from his hair he resigned himself to have to comb his hair out again, and straightening his robes all over. Certainly what would people say if the groom came to the wedding looking like some dishevelled mudblood halfwit?
He was so consumed by his task that he didn't even notice that Severus had moved until he felt the other's arms slide around his neck loosely, and looking up his gaze locked with those impossibly black eyes in the mirror.
"I didn't lie, Lucius," Severus said softly, and slowly he turned his head slightly and gave Lucius a light peck on the cheek. "You're beautiful."
Then he stepped back and walked towards the door, leaving Lucius to straighten himself out in peace. Before opening the door though he looked back at Lucius. "One could almost say you're as pretty as your future wife."
Snatching his wand up with a growl, Lucius viciously whirled around to hex his friend, but Severus had already run outside and slammed the door behind him. For a second the blond considered going after him, hunting the bastard down and hex him to oblivion for practically calling him a woman, but he was roughly snapped to his senses when he remembered his father. Abraxas would surely murder him if he made a scene now, in the Malfoy manor, crowded with guests, on his own wedding day.
Glaring at the shut door, he vowed to hunt Severus down at another time. As it was now he did have a wedding to attend.
*
Author's notes: Ok, silly idea that came to me, but I had a blast writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed it as well. XD