Rabastan slept that night curled against his brother as he had slept so many times in the past. It was a perverse reworking of the way they had slept for so long – he had his head on Rodolphus's shoulder and Rodolphus's arms around his waist, but they slept with the sheets knotted around them and no clothing between them. Before he dozed off, Rabastan could feel perspiration on his brother's skin, feel his quick heartbeat and heavy breathing long after they had finished. Neither of them dared say a word, but Rabastan nuzzled against Rodolphus's neck and shoulder, and Rodolphus hugged him closer and stroked his back, and Rabastan fell asleep with his leg nestled between Rodolphus's and his seed splattered on his stomach.

When Rabastan woke up, Rodolphus had moved away.

For a brief second when Rabastan first became aware that his brother was no longer entangled with him, he felt a sudden and intense fear that he had been abandoned, but Rodolphus was lying stiffly on his back on the other side of the bed.

"Rod?" he murmured, lifting himself up slightly and moving closer to his brother. "Rod?"

He turned to Rabastan, and there were tears streaking his pale face.

"Oh… Rabastan."

"What's wrong?" Rabastan reached out for him quickly, his heartbeat accelerating.

"Funny that you should only ask now," Rodolphus said coldly. He sat up, turning away from his brother. "If you had any sense, Rab, you'd have realized that something was wrong before we even got started."

"Did I hurt you?" It was the only thing Rabastan could think to say, recalling the pain he had experienced with the Dark Lord, the first time. But Rodolphus had not seemed in pain at the time – he had groaned and winced a little at first, but encouraged Rabastan to keep going, and hadn't said that he had hurt him…

"No- no." Rodolphus's voice cracked and he wiped his eyes quickly. "No, you didn't."

"Well, then…"

Rodolphus let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "Are you an idiot, Rabastan?" he demanded. "Or just sick? Has someone been putting ideas into your head about incest not being wrong?"

Rabastan's hands began to shake. "I'm not sick," he told him. "I'm not an idiot, and I'm not sick. You know that, Rod."

"Well, what am I supposed to think when you were so eager to jump into bed with your own brother?"

"Pardon me," Rabastan said. His stomach was twisting terribly, cold sweat was breaking across his brow, and it was all he could do to keep words coming out of his mouth instead of stopping and breaking down completely, "but I wasn't the only eager one last night."

"For God's sake, Rab, don't try to pin this on me!"

"I'm not trying to pin it on you…" Rabastan reached out to wipe his brother's tears, but Rodolphus pushed his hand away. "I just don't think it's as wrong as you're saying it is," he added, a bit meekly.

Rodolphus looked at him with abject shock.

"Not wrong, Rabastan?" he repeated incredulously. "Are you out of your mind? We just- you just- we fucked, Rab." He said the word fuck in a whisper, as if someone might hear the secret if he said it too loud. "We're brothers, and we fucked."

"I know that."

Rodolphus wiped away his tears and stared at Rabastan incredulously. "Well, you don't exactly seem bothered by it!"

"I don't see why I should be," Rabastan said, and he tried not to sound too terribly petulant. "You wanted it, didn't you? And I wanted it, so–"

"My god, Rabastan!" Rodolphus sounded hysterical. "How can you talk like that? I know you're not really stupid enough not to see what's wrong! My God, why did you let this happen?"

"Why did I let this happen?" Rabastan's voice rose and he sat up as well. "And you said I was pinning it on you! I didn't let anything happen! You kissed me! You said you thought about me! I don't see how I let anything happen!"

"You're the one who fancies men! You- you fancy me!" Rodolphus was on the verge of sounding hysterical now. "You kissed me before!"

"You never stopped me!"

"Only because you shocked me! And last night, I- I'd just found out that my wife was having an affair- and you- took advantage!"

Rabastan's throat tightened. He swallowed hard, trying not to let his lip wobble while his brother glared at him. It was all he could do to choke out, barely holding back tears, "Did- didn't you like it?"

Rodolphus seemed to deflate. He slumped against the headboard and put his hands over his face, and after a second, his shoulders began to shudder and heave.

"Whether I liked it- that isn't the point."

"If you did …"

"I like a lot of things that are wrong."

"So you did?"

Rodolphus gulped audibly. "A- a little."

Rabastan moved closer to him, almost holding his breath, and tentatively laid one hand on Rodolphus's leg. He twitched a little, but didn't move away, and Rabastan dared to move his hand up higher, until it was nearly resting on his brother's hip. Rodolphus shuddered.

"It doesn't mean I think it was right, what we did. I told you- I like a lot of things that are wrong."

"What?" Rabastan murmured, and when he stroked Rodolphus's leg very gently, Rodolphus didn't push him away.

"Like…" He laughed mirthlessly. "Like being pinned down to the bed and having Bellatrix on top of me. Like having her throw the Cruciatus curse on me. Or like- like going to bed with Mother."

"If you think all that's wrong, but you still do it, what makes this so different?" Rabastan edged closer to his brother, tentatively resting his chin on his shoulder.

"I don't know." Rodolphus's voice cracked. "I just- oh, Rab."

And the next thing Rabastan knew, his brother's powerful arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, and his mouth came down hard over his, and they were locked in the same tight embrace that they had shared in the very most impassioned moments last night. Rabastan dug his fingers into Rodolphus's back, enjoying the feeling of his powerful muscles beneath his hands, and Rodolphus groaned wordlessly against his mouth.

"Don't… ever… tell anyone," Rodolphus mumbled, knotting his fingers in Rabastan's hair and pulling his head back just enough so their lips parted and he could get the words out.

"I won't- I won't." Rabastan managed to push his brother over onto his back, and then he was in between his legs, and the blankets were knotted so tightly around them that they were all but crushed together, and Rabastan whimpered in pleasure at the feeling of Rodolphus's whole body rubbing and arching against his.

"Just- this once more." Rodolphus sounded a little desperate. "N- no more- not after this…"

Rabastan didn't answer. He certainly didn't want to promise that they'd never do this again, but he was afraid of saying so and making Rodolphus angry, so he just let out a non-committal little moan and continued kissing him. If Rodolphus wanted to believe that that little moan meant of course, we'll never do this again, then he could. And if – as Rabastan thought more likely, judging from the way Rodolphus was touching him, and where he was touching him – Rodolphus wanted him to mean no, we're going to do this again and again and again, well, he could believe that too.

Rabastan took care to drag things out as long as he could, and when they had both finished, he clung to Rodolphus for a long time afterwards, but at last, Rodolphus sat up.

"I should go," he said quietly. "Bellatrix will wonder where I am."

"As if she matters, after what she did." Rabastan sat up as well, still breathing heavily. "Why do you care what she thinks?"

"I just do." Rodolphus was gathering his clothes, and he turned away from Rabastan to dress himself. "I don't know what I'm going to tell her…"

"Tell her it's not her business." Rabastan pulled on his own trousers a little more forcefully than necessary. "She's unfaithful. She doesn't deserve to know where you were."

"She's my wife."

"I know that."

Rodolphus stood up and went to the door without giving Rabastan a backwards glance, and Rabastan followed him quickly, fresh frustration in his stomach. Rodolphus wrenched the door open and stepped out of the room, and Rabastan stepped out after him and almost bumped into him. Rodolphus had stopped dead in the doorway.

"What?" Rabastan asked, but then he peered around him and could see out into the corridor.

Bellatrix was leaning against the wall opposite them, Andromeda next to her, and both women were looking at Rodolphus and Rabastan. Andromeda's cheeks were pink and she looked slightly anxious, but Bellatrix just smirked.

"Well, now," she said smoothly, her eyes travelling from Rodolphus's face to Rabastan's, and then down to Rabastan's trousers, which weren't fastened quite right, and to Rodolphus's shirt, still un-tucked with not all the buttons done up. "I see that someone spent the night."