He'd missed this moment the last time—hadn't seen the two Blacks become one. But now... Their arms touched, a dark fog billowed around their bodies, and then immediately evaporated in rays of bright light. For a split second they were almost transparent, glowing, like ghosts. In the blink of an eye their two shapes flowed into one, and took on the flesh and form of Sirius Black. He rushed towards Death, but it evaporated instantly. Black looked around and turned to Lucius.

"Malfoy, are you okay?"

"Was that Death?"

He nodded.

"Yes, and no. That was my fear of Death. As you can see, I overcame it, and it disappeared. Forever, I hope."

Lucius smiled.

"And are you okay, Black?"

The other tilted his head, as if listening to something inside himself.

"I'm fine. Only..."

"What?"

"Still no heartbeat."

The dog ran up to Lucius and pressed his head into his knees. He patted the shaggy head. So, not all the puzzle pieces have been put together. The heart remained. The first time Black merged into one was when he needed his memories. The second time—when he needed courage. That meant that to regain his heart, he needed feelings. Feelings... which should have turned to ashes a long time ago. Although Black's behavior hinted at the opposite, and, if he was being honest, it seemed that his own feelings hadn't burned out completely, either.

Black held out a hand, and Lucius grabbed on to it and pulled himself up. He was in no hurry to let go of the dry palm. If I'm right, why waste time?

"Take off your clothes, you'll catch cold." He realized he could have hardly come up with a more idiotic excuse in that whole dream-world to get a potential lover to undress.

He expected the other to snarl at him, to begin protesting, but as usual, he guessed wrong. He always guessed wrong when it came to Black's reaction, the first time as much as the last. And so his entire life. Black's gray coat hit the ground, and he wiped his face dry and threw his damp shirt after it.

"You should get undressed, too." He smirked and untied the string that held up his trousers. "So you don't catch cold. And we both know what a delicate princess you are, Malfoy."

There were mischievous sparks dancing in his eyes. Did Black catch on? Did he understand what needed to be done to regain himself?

He looked over Black's lean figure. As slim as he used to be—only now far from boyish—solid chest covered with hair, tight stomach, ribs crisscrossed by scars. Face still handsome, still free of wrinkles, even, but the body clearly showing traces of hardship and time. Lucius pulled his own clinging shirt off over his head, shook out his hair and glanced sideways at Black. The man was standing, still holding up his pants, and staring at him with his mouth slightly open and his tongue touching his upper lip.

His eyes were... burning. Yes, burning, just like they did when he was young, when he could barely wait for Narcissa to leave to visit her friends, and would burst into the Manor, throw Lucius down unto the grass and fuck him right there in the park...

The memories were arousing. Lucius licked his suddenly-dry lips. Why am I flustered?

Black took a couple steps towards him and carefully ran his hand over his chest, in the region of his heart.

"It's beating," he whispered hoarsely.

Lucius smiled and repeated the gesture. The skin under his hand was hot, but he could feel no heart beat. It was strange. Black interpreted the gesture correctly, and smiled slightly.

"No, I really don't have it. But that won't get in our way, believe me."

"But Black, without a heart, how can you...?"

"I don't know. But we'll try. We are going to try, aren't we?" It was not a question.

Black's hand hovered over his chest, and his thumb touched a nipple, which hardened immediately. Lucius inhaled with a hiss—the sensation was unexpectedly sharp, as if he'd touched a bare nerve. Lucius ran his hand over the other man's chest as well, and Black's smile widened. In another moment they were kissing frantically, almost gnawing into each other, trying to communicate the things that had never been said out loud. Black's hand tightened in Lucius's hair, and pulled his head back slightly, dominating him, and he realized he was submitting. He wanted to submit.

Their bodies clung to each other, seeking to become one inseparable whole. There was only one heart, but it was beating hard enough for two.

Bruises, scratches, abrasions... Black slid his hands over them, then his lips, and the wounds healed from his touch right in front of their eyes. Lucius felt his strength return. Lips to lips, hand to hand, eye to eye, soul to soul. Black's skin tasted like ashes, it burned under his hands, as if he was on fire inside. Lucius licked off that ashy taste, kissed it off, and Black's unhealthy gray pallor was disappearing. Black seemed to come alive under his touches, and pressed into him tighter. Lucius lifted his head and looked into his eyes—a sly smile, a devilish look in his blue eyes—all just like before. Suddenly Black twisted out of his embrace and came up from behind him. His hands touched his hair, then flipped it forward, his lips pressed into his neck.

"You missed me, Malfoy, didn't you?" His hard cock pressed into the cleft of his arse.

A shiver ran down his back, then turned into coiling heat low in his belly.

"And what about you, Black?" He turned his head, and Black pulled him closer by the waist and started kissing him again.

He needed no other answer. His whole body clung to Black, craving to feel him with every cell, to take everything that he could give, and to give him anything that he demanded. Hot hands were sliding over his arms, shoulder-blades, waist, running over his arse cheeks.

"I want..." Black whispered right in his ear, and ran his tongue over his earlobe.

Lucius wanted it, too. He closed his eyes tightly, squeezed his erection through his clothes, and then reached for the clasp and opened his trousers. He stepped out of them, took a couple of steps to a large boulder lying nearby, rested his arms on it, and leaned over. That open, defenseless, candid pose... his whole nature protested against turning his back to an enemy. Except Black was not an enemy now.

Tender hands ran down his back, making his blood run faster, then dropped to his buttocks, caressing them, spreading them apart. Lucius arched his back and spread his legs wider. He couldn't wait to feel Black inside him. The other bent down, kissing one arse cheek, then the other, then biting down on it. Lucius cried out, but not from pain—the bite echoed through him with a sharp pleasure. Waves of arousal rolled through his body, his hands shook.

"Black..." he moaned.

"Stop fussing, Malfoy. It's all going to happen." Black's voice was breaking.

He parted his arse cheeks and licked him a couple of times from his scrotum all the way up to his tail bone. Lucius howled and almost collapsed with his chest on the stone. No one could ever turn him on the way Black could.

"Enough..." he whispered with effort.

"Do you want it?"

Black squeezed his balls lightly and ran his hand over his cock.

"Yes! God, Black..."

"Been a long time, has it? Yeah, Malfoy?"

Insolent bastard! Black bit him again lightly and stood up. The head of his cock touched his anus. Almost no lube... no! His muscles tightened reflexively, but Lucius made an effort to relax. He shut his eyes tightly in anticipation of pain. Black yanked his hips back, pushing almost halfway in with one thrust, but there was no pain. Black slipped into him too easily, as if he hadn't noticed any resistance. It seemed that in this world, as in a dream, sex had none of the usual discomforts, and the pleasure came right away. He just wanted Black deeper inside, to press against him tighter, with his whole body. Lucius thrust his hips back, impaling himself on the cock inside him.

"Yes..."

They both moaned at the same time, and Black latched onto his shoulder with his teeth. Their souls seemed to merge. Lucius could feel not just Black's movements, but his thoughts and emotions as well. The purely physical pleasure was becoming something more—something truly important, as if it wasn't their bodies touching, but their souls.

At first they moved slowly—they needed to, in order to fully feel each other. But slowly lust took over and Black couldn't hold out any more. He growled and drove in faster, more ferociously. And Lucius, almost mindless from this unnatural closeness, forgetting himself, moved with him. His arms and legs no longer held him up. He collapsed onto the boulder, and Black covered him so that he was almost lying on top of him, not stopping for a moment.

A burst of pleasure flared down his spine, his back and arse were scorched with heat. Suddenly he felt incredibly light, as if he'd flown out of his own body.

"Black..."

"Lucius!"

They grew still, shuddering with ecstasy. The sky above them blazed with emerald colors, and for a moment their vision darkened.