"Huh," Bellatrix mutters, tapping her spoon thoughtfully against her chin, leaving a bit of yogurt on her skin.
"What is it?" Rudolphus asks, leaning in and licking the dot of yogurt up with a grin. Bellatrix bites at him and he laughs, pulling away. "Come now, my love. What's on your mind? You look distracted."
Bellatrix scowls, her eyes focused furthered down the table. "Cissa's smiling," she says with a deep frown.
"Is there a problem with Cissa smiling?" Rodolphus asks nonchalantly. After his conversation with Lucius that morning, he was certain he knew the cause of the little blonde girl's smile, but he had promised his friend that he would keep their secret. It was quite the ask, however. Bellatrix had a way of sussing out the truth and Rodolphus had taken it as policy to always be honest with her rather than risk her catching him being deceitful. He understood Lucius's intentions in keeping his relationship with Narcissa a secret, however. His girlfriend had a tendency to act irrationally when it came to her younger sister.
"Narcissa doesn't smile," Bellatrix says plainly. "It's not her demeanor."
"Well," Rodolphus says languidly. "Shouldn't you want her to be happy?"
Her scowl deepens. "It's suspicious," she says firmly. "There's something going on, I'm sure of it." She moves to stand, but Rodolphus takes her hand, pulling her back down and into his lap.
"Oh leave her be," he complains. "So she smiled. That means nothing. Look again, you'll see she's back to her guarded ways. It's Sunday. Spend time with me. Let me take you on a tour, show you some sights." He licks her chin again, despite there not being a drop of yogurt left, slower this time and ending in a grin.
A flicker of a smirk crosses Bellatrix's face. "Does that tour involve your bedroom, Roddy boy?" she asks, kissing him and biting his bottom lip roughly in return for his lick.
"It's the only stop," Rodolphus promises, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"And do you have any more of that Firewhisky left?" she asks, biting his chin.
"I do," he grins. "But it's still breakfast, Bella."
"Mmm, and that's my favorite kind of breakfast."
He catches her mouth with his, kissing her deeply. "Care for some desert with that breakfast?"
"Lead the way, boy," she says. "But this time, stop being a weak little bore about it. You practically put me to sleep last time. I want to actually feel something."
Rodolphus laughs, biting her bottom lip and letting it slide through his teeth slowly. "Only you would think I'm a bore, Bella. If I send you out with a collection of scars and bruises like you'd want, people will think all kinds of wild things."
"I don't care what other people think," Bellatrix says, giving him one of her rare pouts. "If you're going to use up my precious Sunday hours, I want to actually enjoy myself. I'm no delicate flower, Rods. You're not going to wilt me by being the tiniest bit rough."
"I'm more than the tiniest bit rough already," he says with a laugh, "but I suppose I can humor you today. Since you've been such a good little girl."
Bellatrix grins at him wickedly, kissing him and sliding off his lap. She was in a playful mood today. It was good that she was so easily distracted. Best she keeps her mind off of Narcissa and Lucius. As risky as Rodolphus thought Lucius was for going after the youngest Black girl, he had to support his best friend. And besides, he had been worried about Lucius for the past couple of months. Especially when he had been dating Circe. He had been moody all the time. Unlikable. They went to parties every weekend and even during some weekdays, too, to the point where Lucius looked like a pale strung-out version of himself. Rodolphus was one who liked partying himself, but even he had to admit it was too much. Rodolphus had a suspicion that Lucius didn't even like the lifestyle but was too lost to even admit it to himself. For all the confidence that Lucius Malfoy expelled into the world, Rodolphus knew that it was mainly bravado. Well, perhaps not quite bravado, but more that Lucius was lost and unmotivated and going through the motions. Rodolphus was certain that Lucius was just putting on a show until he could convince everyone, including himself, that he was the uncaring perfect pureblood heir.
He didn't expect Narcissa to magically change Lucius, nor would he ask that of her, but the girl did often remind him of Lucius. They shared that same guarded demeanor, cloaking a complicated inner personal life. Perhaps they could be the best thing for each other. Lucius had, afterall, made Narcissa smile. And Bellatrix was right, that wasn't Narcissa's usual demeanor. And Lucius seemed shaken loose as well. Perhaps this little tryst could be the thing these two chilly blondes needed. Rodolphus smiles to himself as he walks with Bellatrix up to his room, picturing the two together. Perhaps ice needed ice in order to melt. Perhaps when two fronts collided, it could warm the chill from the air. It was a dangerous game, especially if the wild card of Bellatrix Black were introduced into it, but Rodolphus was excited to see it all play out.