A quirk of his lips was the only indication of the humour that danced around his mind at the sight that welcomed him. Despite the fact that they were dressed in finery, not that such a thing was out of the ordinary for Lucius, they were going to remain in the Manor; Marvolo, as he preferred to be called, was certain that this was because Lucius trusted his own elves' food more than any other.

It may have also been partly due to the slight possibility of him being recognised, but Marvolo doubted that. A minor compulsion charm or glamour would have easily taken care of that problem if they were to go out.

"Marvolo," Lucius smiled. Marvolo got the feeling that Lucius was nervous about this, that he had worried about him not turning up, or something equally frivolous. Lucius truly worried about unnecessary things.

"Lucius," Marvolo greeted in return, watching Lucius relax ever so slightly as they took their seats.

Marvolo knew that Narcissa had a hand in the decorating and planning of this. Lucius had never been the best at that, Marvolo still remembered one of their first nights where Lucius had tried to do everything himself – it had been both hilarious and disastrous, and the Malfoy house elves hadn't allowed Lucius to even set foot in the kitchens for months.

Lucius carefully looked him over, and Marvolo allowed him to. It was the first time they had been alone together since Marvolo had managed to get his body back – his right body, and not the snake-like visage he had garnered after the ritual that had gone wrong that had been paired with a blinding insanity fired by fury. Marvolo still couldn't explain the reason behind that but he was trying his best.

"You look much better," Lucius offered at last, "not that you didn't-"

"I looked awful before," Marvolo interrupted, eyes dancing in amusement. "I know I did. There's no reason to appease me, dear Lucius. Besides, I'm glad you approve of the changes."

Marvolo got treated by Lucius's eyes wandering over his body, lingering for too long, before a light blush dusted his cheeks as he looked away sharply. Their meals appeared then, and Marvolo knew that Lucius simply wanted to have the attention off him – or make it seem so.

It didn't work. Something as trivial as food wasn't about to distract him from the man who sat in front of him. There was little that could distract him from Lucius Malfoy, anyway. Despite people often commenting that the Malfoy men were always the same, Marvolo could see a distinct difference between his Lucius and the Abraxas he had been to Hogwarts with, even though Lucius tried hard to be like his father while with company.

Their plates were taken away once they were cleared, Lucius having eaten much slower than he usually did but Marvolo didn't mention it as he was certain that Lucius had something on his mind. While he could easily find out what it was, Lucius trusted him not to and Marvolo wasn't about to break that trust to sate his own curiosity. Lucius would tell him when he was ready, after all.

Their light conversation slowly drifted to a close when music began playing around them, and Lucius visibly steeled his back.

Marvolo truly regretted his loss of sanity for his relationship with Lucius to take such a step back. Lucius hadn't been this hesitant around him before. He absolutely hated this uncertainty he saw in Lucius, and wished there was a way to go back and change what had happened. It was too late for that now, but he would do what he could to heal the damage.

He was out of his chair before Lucius managed to steel his confidence, and his hand was offered to Lucius, the same way Marvolo was certain that Lucius had intended to offer him.

There wasn't even a moment of hesitation before his hand was taken. Marvolo smiled at how Lucius relaxed. Both allowed themselves to relax with their bodies flowing with each other and the music.

Written for Ultimate Battle Competition 2: Torn Jeans