Lucius walked into the room and closed the door behind him. His eyes widened as he saw Regulus standing in front of him, shirtless.

"Hello, Lucius," he said seductively.

"Regulus," he replied cautiously.

"Come here," Regulus said, beckoning Luc closer.

Lucius walked over to him slowly. Regulus walked forward to meet him. Reg slowly snaked his arms around Lucius' waist and pulled him closer. He slipped his hands under the back of Luc's top and pulled it off. He threw the shirt across the room and placed a soft kiss on Lucius' neck. Lucius shuddered at the touch and Regulus bit down, wanting more of a reaction. Lucius moaned softly and arched his neck. Regulus pulled back.

"You like that do you?"

"Yes…yes…"

Regulus laughed softly and brought his lips to Luc's. He kissed him passionately and Luc returned the kiss with equal passion. Lucius ran his hands down Reg's arms and along his chest, admiring the muscles that lay there. Regulus pressed his hands against Luc's stomach and moved his thumbs in small circles on the sensitive skin. Lucius pulled back from the kiss to catch his breath.

"Giving up so soon?" Regulus asked.

Lucius replied by leaning back in and kissing Regulus passionately. Regulus took the opportunity and slowly slipped his hands into Luc's pants. Lucius moaned loudly and Regulus grinned wickedly, glad to be having such an effect.

A slamming door pulled Lucius from his dream. He had a slight headache, but could still remember what had happened the previous night. His cheeks flushed as the dream filled his mind. He looked over at Regulus' bed and saw that the hangings were open and that it was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the shower started and Lucius realised that the slamming door must have been their bathroom. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. He stretched and reached over to the drawer of his bedside table to apply the cream to his bruises. He sat in the bed, trying to work out what the dream meant. It was just a dream, wasn't it? He felt so confused. He loved Abbey. But he had a dream about Reg. He had no idea what to do. He couldn't tell Regulus, he hated him enough already. And Abbey…well Abbey would break up with him and hate him forever. Should he tell her what had happened with Regulus and why he was so angry? Would that ruin everything? Lucius put his head in his hands, his head pounding as the headache grew worse. He heard the shower turn off and looked up, wondering if he had enough time to get out of the room before Regulus appeared. He looked around the room, trying to calculate how long it would take him to get dressed and head to class. Before he had a chance, Regulus walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. The scene was so similar to his dream and Lucius flushed darkly. Regulus glared at him.

"Were you dreaming about your slut?"

"What?"

"Well surely only she would get that reaction from you."

Lucius looked down and blushed at what he saw. Regulus shook his head.

"Deal with that. Clean the sheets."

Lucius blushed darker. "Right. Yeah." He got out of the bed, grabbed his wand and cleaned the sheets with a quick wave. He grabbed his robes and walked to the bathroom to shower. He dumped his clothes on the floor, pulled off his pyjamas and climbed into the shower, turning it on quickly due to the cold. He loved this time of year, the snow, the colours, the atmosphere. The grounds were always their most beautiful in autumn and winter and usually there weren't many other students prepared to brave the cold. But sometimes the rooms were a little too cold in the morning for his liking. He showered quickly, wanting to get away from Regulus as soon as he could. He stood under the hot water, letting it stream down his body. Thoughts raced around his mind. He had never been more confused. He wasn't supposed to be having these thoughts about Regulus. He turned off the shower. "I need to tell Abbey," he whispered, grabbing his towel. He knew he couldn't hide it for much longer. He sighed and quickly dried himself. He hung the towel on the wall again and pulled on his robes. He looked into the mirror and sighed. After the previous night, he looked quite tired, but the bruising had faded quite a lot. He sighed again and grabbed the door handle, hoping that Reg had left for classes. He stared at the wood for a moment, before opening the door and returning to the room. He froze as he took in the scene. Regulus was slumped against the edge of his bed, eyes closed. Fear gripped Lucius as he slowly walked closer. He knelt down to Reg's height.

"Regulus?" he said, shaking his friend.

Regulus didn't move and his breath was short, almost as though he was gasping for air. Lucius didn't have time to consider what had happened. His main concern was getting Regulus to the Hospital Wing. He wrapped his arms around Regulus' limp body and heaved him off the floor. Regulus was fairly heavy, due to his build, but lighter than Lucius had expected him to be. Still, he would have liked some assistance. He supported as much of Regulus' weight as he could and began to half carry, half drag him out of the room. He stopped when he reached the common room, to catch his breath and attempt to wake Reg again. Regulus breathing seemed even more laboured than it had been only minutes earlier. Lucius checked his watch and saw that classes would have already started. He was grateful that he and Regulus would not get much attention, but knew that he wouldn't be able to get assistance from another student. He changed his hold on Reg slightly as to support him more and then continued through and out of the common room. He turned left as he exited the common room and began to make his way slowly towards the Hospital Wing. He stopped often to reposition his arms and to catch his breath. He silently cursed have a common room in the dungeons, it meant so many stairs. He finally turned the last corner to the Hospital Wing and picked up his pace a little. Lucius reached the door and elbowed it open. He dragged Regulus over to one of the beds and heaved him onto it. Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office and her eyes widened when she saw Regulus.

"Oh my. What happened, Mr Malfoy?"

"I don't know. I was having a shower and when I came out he was lying unconscious on the floor."

"Oh dear," she replied. She placed one hand on his forehead and bustled away to retrieve potions from her shelves. She grabbed a few and brought them over, placing them on the table beside Regulus' bed.

"Will he be alright?"

"I think you got to him in time. But I can't be sure until I've seen how he reacts to these potions."

Lucius sat down beside Regulus' bed as Madam Pomfrey administered the potions.
"You may stay with him, Mr Malfoy. I will check on him later."

"Thank you," Lucius replied, looking up from his hands.

She smiled, slightly sadly, and returned to her office. Lucius watched Regulus carefully, trying to see if there were any signs of discomfort, but Regulus looked entirely peaceful, besides the fact that he was lying in a hospital bed. Regulus murmured something softly and Lucius leaned closer, trying to work out what he was saying.

"Lu…"

Lucius froze.

"Lu…Lu…Luc…Lucius…"

"Regulus ?"

Regulus stirred, his head rolling slightly to one side. "Lucius…" he mumbled softly again. Lucius blinked, willing the tears away. He looked down at his hands again.

"Lucius?"

His head snapped up. "Reg. You're awake."

"Where am I?"

"You're…you're in the Hospital Wing."

"What happened?"

"Well I was hoping you could tell me that. You don't remember?"

"No…the last thing I remember is getting out of the shower."

"Oh. Right."

"You were having an interesting dream before I had my shower."

Lucius blushed. "I was hoping you would have forgotten about that. Do you want me to leave?"

"Stay. Please."

Lucius nodded. "Of course I will."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. Despite everything, you're still my best friend."

Regulus didn't reply. He attempted to sit up but Lucius grabbed his hand.

"You're still weak. What do you want?"

"Water," Regulus whispered.

Lucius nodded and stood up. He grabbed the jug from the table beside the bed and poured some into a glass. He placed it on the table, helped Reg sit up and handed it to him. Regulus drained the glass in one go and handed the glass back to Luc, coughing.

"Not so fast," Lucius said. "More?"

Regulus nodded. "Please."

Lucius poured Regulus another glass of water and handed it to Reg. Regulus took it and smiled slightly. He took a small sip of the water and handed it back to Luc.

"You don't want anymore?"

"Not right now…" Regulus replied weakly, his eyes slowly fluttering closed. "You'll stay with me?"

"Yes. Of course I will."

Regulus smiled weakly. "Thank you."

Once he knew Regulus was asleep, Lucius grabbed his hand and softly pressed his lips to it. "I love you," he whispered.