Bellatrix stared down the street, mesmerized by the havoc that she could create if she chose to do so. These people... How could they live like this? Bellatrix wanted grungy, and it seemed that her new husband would deliver that, in his own fashion.

Their first stop in Thailand was the capital city, in which Rodolphus had found them a relatively reclusive hotel suite catering specifically to pureblood families. Apparently there were so few of them that chose to reside in Bangkok - the location of the hotel frightened the snobs away - that the Lestranges were offered any room that they desired. Naturally, her husband would pick the largest room, apparently, but aside from that it seemed as though they would be all alone in the hotel.

The outdoors suited Bella's mood. Sex hovels were abundant, there were Muggle drug dealers around every alleyway, and the bars that eagerly catered to foreigners were ever-so-inviting. It took everything she had in her to follow Rodolphus through the crowded street, rather than slip off and enjoy a cool drink. The weather was deathly; the moment she arrived it felt as though she had been hit with a wall of sheer humidity. Rodolphus too was bothered by it, though he had chosen to wear a pair of slacks that clearly ensured that his legs wouldn't breathe in, whereas Bellatrix was now proud that her thin dress acted as a cooling source.

Her new husband hadn't said much to her since they were married. Sure, there were the constant innuendos of a horny man, but that was to be expected. They had shared a joint apparition into Bangkok at the Ministry of Magic for Thailand, and were given maps to the locations that they desired there, as well as some apparition checkpoints and hot spots to watch out for. Apparently there were some Muggles that were ready to kill anyone showing any sign of magic... They weren't as oblivious here as they were in England. Bella merely grinned at the thought; it would be nice to kill someone who knew exactly what kind of powerful force they were dealing with. Rodolphus had caught the glint in her eye at the Ministry, and a stern glance made her behave herself, momentarily anyway. The officials had no idea they were welcoming in two notorious, though unknown, Death Eaters into their country.

Rodolphus marched ahead of Bellatrix in the street, brushing off merchants who wandered out of their shop to try and sell them keepsakes, while Bellatrix followed behind, quite happy to let him lead the way, so long as he carried their pair of rather heavy bags. She really didn't need to bring all that much, but it irritated him that she packed a lot, and that was probably the only reason she did it. The woman had pushed her lengthy hair up on top of her head, and mimicked the way a local woman had used a brightly decorated stick to keep her own hair up in a bun, though Bellatrix used her wand instead. A little bulkier, yes, but at least it would be easy to pull out should they need it.

The hotel was not terribly impressive from the outside. In fact, it looked like every other rundown building that they had passed in this quarter of the capital. However, Rodolphus seemed insistent that they had arrived at the correct place, and as they marched up the narrow staircase to the upper-level, Bellatrix began to wonder whether or not he had done as she asked and found them a cheap place to stay. She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to live below the poverty line for a week with Rodolphus... Perhaps it was because she wanted to be different than Narcissa and the other women in her family. Their new husbands escorted them off to gorgeous resorts and hotels in the cities of their dreams, and wined them to bits of expensive champagnes and other liquors until they had completely forgotten themselves. Narcissa returned from her honeymoon desperately in love with Lucius, and she couldn't wait to show Bella the photographs of the expensive luxuries he treated her to while they were there. The dark-haired Death Eater wouldn't stand for that. She didn't want to be spoiled or bought; Rodolphus should have realized that by now.

"Well, this is impressive," she sniped as Rodolphus navigated the bags up the narrow stairwell, grunting when one of them got stuck for a moment or two. "I'm afraid to see where you would have taken me if I had asked for something decent."

"Shut up, Bellatrix," the man groaned, giving the bag a final shove with his knee and stumbling up the final steps. She glared at the back of his head, then followed up quickly, feeling a sudden wave of coolness overtaking her body. After pausing at the top of the staircase, her bare toes rubbing against the tile, a distinct change from the harsh stone steps, Bella noted that magic ran everywhere. The hotel was magically placed into the grungy building, and it looked every bit the expensive hostel that she had wanted to avoid every since she contemplated the honeymoon. There were ivory pillars, fountains, and hotel staff eagerly taking their luggage from her husband. She didn't want this. She wanted to feel dirty. The streets comforted her more than the entrance hall to the hotel did, which was a strange notion.

A small woman appeared at her side, tray in hand, and offered her an array of fruity looking drinks. Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at her, then felt her lip sneer upward, irritated at the brightly coloured umbrellas sticking out of the glasses. She murmured a harsh, "No." and sent the woman scuttling away from a quick bow. Her dark eyes drifted over to Rodolphus, watching with annoyance as he checked them in, smiling occasionally at the pretty Thai girl behind the desk. It didn't bother her that the girl smiled back; let her flirt. Let him flirt. Bella could have cared less. She took a few steps into the pristine wizard's resort, her scuffed feet leaving black marks on the white floor.

"I don't like this," she hissed in his ear as she closed in on her new husband, the girl in front of them hastily getting a key ready. He turned his head to the side, only a fraction of an inch, then smirked, "I didn't think you would."

"Then why are we here?"

"Because it's where we belong."

"I thought we were scum, Rodolphus."

He paused, his mouth opening for a brief second, then closing with another grin, "We are, Bellatrix. That's why I picked the district. We're only going to be here to sleep and fuck."

The receptionist cleared her throat awkwardly, no doubt embarrassed for intruding on the private conversation, and Bellatrix gazed up at him, slightly amused. So there was that damn compromise again. She still didn't like it, but she supposed that she would have to make due. Sucking in her cheeks, she fell silent beside him, and he seemed smug that his comment had subdued her complaining... for now.

In all honesty, Bellatrix was ridiculously tired. She had been woken up by her mother at eight that morning, which was early for her, to get ready for a wedding that lasted late into the wee hours of the next morning. She had been emotionally drained since the Dark Lord banished her from his home, and taking an international apparition really took a hell of a lot out of you. The only reason she was awake was because she wanted to absorb everything that Rodolphus had done for her so far, and then see where she was sleeping. As soon as she saw the bed, she'd be ready to crash in it.

Rodolphus snatched up the key as soon as it was presented to him, and Bella followed him lazily as he marched off toward a dimly lit hallway. Their room, apparently, was at the end of it. Halfway down, however, he stopped. She released an irritated grumble when she nearly walked into him, then planted her hands on her hips, "Can you please not just stop while I'm walking behind you?"

"Stop being so irritable, Bellatrix," he chuckled, stepping around her and suddenly swooping down to hoist her up, bridal fashion and all. The woman squealed, much to her discontent, and tried to squirm out of his strong arms, "Rodolphus! This is barbaric! Put me down this instant, or I swear-"

"It is tradition for the man to carry his bride over a threshold on their wedding night," he mused contently, holding her against him, despite the fact that she was digging her lengthy nails into his skin. "Now stop struggling and just let me do it."

"No," she snapped, glancing behind them to see if anyone was watching. He jostled her around suddenly, almost as though he would drop her, then let out a sigh as she glared at him, "Bellatrix, you can let go for one night. For just one night you can be a normal woman and accept that her husband wants to dote on her."

"That's a load of bullocks," Bellatrix sneered, watching him roll his eyes as they approached the door. "You should know I'm not one for tradition. You should know, by now, what type of woman I am."

"I know perfectly well what you are," he stated, slipping the key into the lock and turning it roughly, "and that's why I married you. It's why I love you, you sadistic shrew."

She sucked in her cheeks once again, her eyes on his proud face as he carried her into their suite, shutting the door loudly behind them. He tossed the key off somewhere in the room, the only light was emitted from a pair of candles around the bed. It was a small room, smaller than she had expected, with a double bed and a dresser, and that was it. Plain. Simple. An ensuite bathroom was at the side, though she couldn't see into the darkness just yet.

He strode hastily to the bed, dumping her in it with little dignity and crawling up her body, his hands slipping under the dress to drag it up with him.

"Fuck off, Lestrange," she murmured, her body enjoying the small comfort that the rather hard mattress provided, "I'm exhausted."

"So am I," he agreed, one hand under her back to lift her body as he pushed her thin dress up and over her shoulders, then her head, "but it's our wedding night."

"So?"

"So?" he echoed, tossing the dress back into the shadows, "So that means I get to enjoy you, at least once."

"You've done that already," she argued, her small hands pushing at his shoulders. "It can wait."

"No, no it can't," he hissed. "You owe this to me."

"Do I?" she snorted, finally taking matters into her own hands as she wrapped her legs around his waist and used her full body to push him over. Straddling him quickly, she brought a hand down to his neck and pushed against him, wanting him to feel the pressure, "Why do I owe you?"

"Because..." he started, reaching up and ripping her wand free from the make-shift bun at the back of her head. Her dark hair tumbled loose around her shoulders as he unclasped the strapless bra, removing it just as quickly as he had gotten rid of her dress, "Because you weren't sobbing with joy at our wedding. You owe me this for your tears, Bella."

Her eyes narrowed considerably and she felt her cheeks burn at the exposed weakness, "How dare you-"

"What was it, Bella?" he inquired as he unbuckled his belt, adopting the pet name again that she hated hearing from his lips. "Were you upset he wasn't there?"

Her hand tightened around his throat, and she reached down, angrily pulling off the belt in one swift motion, "Don't."

"Don't what?" he teased as she lifted her hips, giving him a moment to remove himself of some articles of clothing, "Don't bring him up in the bedroom? Too many memories, my dearest, of him in a bedroom? It's all right, Bella, I know how you miss him-"

"If you value any of your appendages, I would stop right now, Rodolphus!" she snarled, her hand continuing to tighten on his throat. He grasped at her lacy knickers and tore them down her thighs, sitting up suddenly to get them all the way down her legs and off. In that moment, she hated him, and the grin on his stupid lips only intensified her loathing. Before she could stop herself, she slapped him as hard as she physically could, hoping to make the grin go away, but it didn't. In that moment, it simply turned into a leer.

She hated him. Yes, she had a tolerance for the man, but little stunts like this really ate at her. He knew just how to hurt her, how to make her feel empty all over again, and for that she would never love him. She continued to push on his throat, until he rolled her over swiftly, his head buried in the nape of her neck as he thrust into her. It was painfully unexpected and she let out a sharp cry, her arm crushed between them. That was supposed to be her weapon, that hand on his throat, but in order to keep it from being smooshed into nothingness, she had to quickly remove it from the space between their bodies. Instead, it went to his back, her nails raking against the skin through his thin white shirt, hopefully hard enough to draw blood.

He bit at her neck between feverish kisses, ignoring the way she cursed him venomously, her lips close to his ear. Their breathing increased with the rhythm of his hips and she tugged sharply at his hair, once again loathing the way he could make her hate him but writhe beneath him in pleasure at the same time.

"I know you have a hunger for him, Bellatrix," he seethed, stopping suddenly when he was deeply buried in her, "I know just how much you want him."

She groaned at the halt of movement, wishing that he could just hurry the fuck up and give her the gratification she desired.

"I want you to be a man and get this over with," she forced out, her hands tightening in his hair. He propped himself up so that they could meet each other's gaze, and from there she could tell just how much he too wanted to keep going. The man tilted his hips into hers again, causing a sharp twang of pleasure to be released, and he stared at her, "But humour me, Bellatrix... Humour me, and pretend that for tonight, you could ache for me."

It would be a downright lie to say that she didn't ache for him right now. Just because she didn't love him didn't mean she couldn't enjoy him... She knew just how much he loved her. He loved her in the way that Lucius loved Narcissa, though he was just as private about it. Bellatrix was not her sister. She wouldn't return the feelings, but she could let him know that she enjoyed him. Rolling her eyes briskly, she dragged him down so that his lips met hers heatedly, and she emitted a loud moan as he finally carried on with his earlier movements. Their bodies molded together nicely, she noted as his pace quickened, his hip bones digging into her legs painfully with each thrust. Yes, nicely they fit, but not perfectly.

But maybe Bella would never have perfect. She didn't want romance. Pretty flowers. Delicate words. She wanted to be satisfied, mind body and soul, and there were two men in her life that were capable of that, though each to their own. As she contemplated her situation, she heard Rodolphus groan her name loudly, then cursing silently in her ear, dark words that she would never think to hear from him. Somehow, the darkness triggered something in her, and she sucked in a large gust of air, her own pleasure numbing her mind for a few moments.

When she refocused, Rodolphus had rolled off her and was removing his shirt. Her body was still exhausted, though she was no longer uncomfortable. The mattress almost seemed worn in under her, and she stretched lazily, something of a satisfied grin on her lips.

"You're good at pretending," Rodolphus commented suddenly, tossing his white shirt on the ground and easing himself up the bed, pushing back the thin covers as he went. Bellatrix propped herself up on her elbows, watching his movements with a cocked head, then rolled over and onto her knees, crawling after him slowly, "I... You know how I feel about you, Rodolphus."

"I cannot say I do, to be honest," he remarked thoughtfully while Bella slipped under the covers and snuggled into the pillow. "Sometimes I'm quire sure you loathe me-"

"I do."

"And sometimes I think that you fancy me a little."

There was a longer pause, "Sometimes I do."

"I suppose that's all I can look for now, isn't it?"

She was silent for a long while, simply staring at her hands as they lay bare on the side of her white pillow. Her husband sighed, and then made himself comfortable, his eyes closing as soon as his head hit the pillow. Finally, no doubt just before he slipped into dreams, she leaned in close and whispered, "You know how to make me scream, Rodolphus, in a good and bad way. Not many men can do that."

"I'll be happy with that then," he murmured back. She noted the content smile spread across his thin lips, and she settled back into her original spot, allowing for sleep to finally take her.