Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and all the situations said characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy.

Sorry to end it where I did, ran out of time.

Making A Move

Having anticipated the possibility that the other Teddy's sister would want to come to see the painting that day, Teddy had made the effort to clean up his study beforehand, the rest of the house in pretty good shape overall, if he did say so himself. His grandmother would not be pleased if it got around London that her grandson's home had been found dirty or messy, and he'd rather she not make her wrath known in his direction. His life was pretty fucked up at the moment already, thank you very much. But thankfully the gods were feeling kind for once, and his place was judged to be quite neat and tidy for a bachelor, especially one without house elf. And glad he'd passed the grandmothers' test, Teddy thanked Eleanor for the compliment as they walked down the hallway leading to his study, opening the door for all of them as he ushered them ahead of him as the painting was hard to miss and he didn't want to ruin the moment, so to speak.

Walking up to the painting first Eleanor had eyes only for the portrait, everyone else keeping quiet as the let her study every inch of it with sad eyes that missed nothing.

"It's definitely one of my brother's. I'd know his style anywhere." A small smile crossed her lips then, her head turning to briefly meet Teddy's gaze. "I'm glad he had the chance to see someone look at him that way. That he had someone who loved him that much. Even for such a short time."

"From what I know of your brother, I'd say Regulus was the lucky one."

"Not really lucky, given how he died." Sev muttered mostly under his breath, Rosie's elbow connecting solidly with his gut in response. "Ow."

"I swear you don't have a single romantic or empathic bone in your body, do you?"

"And yet you date him." Alexei snarked, smirking at his cousin, Sev silently answering with a death glare aimed in the younger boy's direction.

"At least I can get a date."

"And how often do you two break up on any given month?" Was Alexei's silky response to that one, before adding that he could get a date if he wanted to. He'd never been turned down, which is more than Sev could say since everyone knew that his older cousin had had to wear Rosie Weasley down before she'd agree to date Sev in the first place.

"Since you brought it up, what is your type, exactly?" Hugo asked Alexei, the other Slytherin looking stunned by the question, to the point where the boy's usually pale cheeks went a little pink as he demanded to know why the Gryffindor would want to know that.

Coming to his cousin and Hugo's rescue completely by accident, Sev stated that Alexei's type was a snitch.

"Weasley, shut your boyfriend up before I shove a snitch down his throat, will you?"

Rolling her eyes instead Rosie let the two take jabs at each other, knowing that there was no point in interfering. Plus Alexei would probably bring her into the fighting if she tried to help Sev, and she'd hate to have to jinx or punch out Sev's cousin in front of her boyfriend's grandmother. It would not be a way to leave a good impression with the woman.

Ignoring both her grandchildren for the moment, something she'd learned to do quite well thanks to their often quarrelsome relationship with each other, Eleanor's gaze remained with the painting as she asked Teddy again if he wouldn't consider selling it to her. It was the best her brother had ever done, which was only fitting since her brother would have put his heart and soul into it, given who he'd been painting at the time.

"I'm sorry, Madam, but for the time being I can't part with it either. It calls to me for lack of a better word. In ways I can't quite put into words. Which probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's how I feel about it."

Because he could put them into words, Teddy mused as she gave him a disappointed look, but he wasn't about to tell her that ever since he'd bought the painting he'd had dreams where he inhabited the life of her late brother during his last year at Hogwarts. Not to mention the fact that if she did become the painting's new owner, there was a chance Eleanor would find herself in her brother's shoes instead, and wouldn't that be traumatizing as hell?

"Name your price, Lupin." Alexei could see how much his grandmother wanted the painting, and he liked her more than the majority of the world's population, and preferred her happy whenever possible. Unless it was at his expense, which wasn't the case presently.

"I'm not selling." Teddy reminded the younger man while wearing the patent Black 'don't argue with me under penalty of death' stare, before he reached over to give the boy's grandmother's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "But I will offer you the same promise given to you by everyone else who owns his other paintings. If I ever decide that I no longer want it, it will be yours, Eleanor, for free. You have my word. And you can come and visit it if you'd like."

"Thank you for that."

Turning back to the painting Eleanor gazed up at it for a few more minutes before announcing that they'd get out of his hair so that he could enjoy the rest of his afternoon off. From the look of the paperwork he had neatly stacked everywhere he was quite the busy man usually.

His assurances that they didn't have to run off on his account were overruled, mostly because Sev and Alexei weren't all that eager to stick around and added their voices to their grandmother's. And Rosie and Hugo were more than willing to see the Slytherins out, plus they both had promised their mother that they'd drop in on their grandparents after this visit and should be going anyway.

So Teddy saw them all out to his door, waving them off until they were out of sight before closing the door to the outside world, his feet seeming to naturally take him back up the stairs and to his study again. And standing in front of the portrait they'd all come to see Teddy knew that there was no way in hell he was ever giving this portrait away or selling it. It would remain his until the day he died, no matter how much it fucked with his head. He could no more part with it then make his unconscious mind accept the fact that he shouldn't be able to fall in love with one of his ancestors through the eyes of a man who'd died before he was even born.

"Amor ex oculius in pectus cadit." Teddy said softly to himself, mentally translating the Latin in his head.

'Love is borne of the eyes and sinks into the heart'

)

In the dream Teddy sat up in bed, his back resting against the headboard as he moved the piece of charcoal he held across the piece of parchment he was sketching on. Though he was under the covers his bedspread was covered with similar pieces of paper, all bearing drawings of the same person, or aspects of the Slytherin's form or face. It was Regulus he drew, like he could exercise his demons and what he felt for the other Slytherin by committing every expression, every aspect of the teenager's person onto paper for his keeping. But it wasn't enough, couldn't be enough because there were so many expressions and things he didn't know, hadn't seen and experienced. He didn't know what the Slytherin looked like completely bare of clothes, didn't know what Regulus looked like when he smiled with his whole face or gave into laughter completely. Teddy had no idea how the other teenager looked when he was relaxed or content, without his guards up and his masks firmly in place so that his thoughts and emotions were laid bare. He had gotten to see so many new expressions before, when he'd lost his temper and had brought Regulus to his room, but even then…those brief glimpses of Regulus that he bet no one else ever got to see had only whet his need to see more. To make Regulus give him what he had given no one else.

And thinking that only reminded him that for all he knew there was someone out there who knew all the faces and passion Regulus hid from the rest of the world. The other boy hadn't been shy or uncertain in his bedroom, had already known how to snog him and take control of the kissing. Someone else must have taught him that, been given that privilege, and Teddy honestly couldn't say if he wanted to know who had had that honor or not. He wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't try to permanently maim the individual in question.

The idea that Bart Crouch Jr might be the one was a horrific thought, not the least because that boy had always struck Teddy as emotionally and mentally unstable. Not to mention sadistic and twisted in a way that had icy shivers running up and down Teddy's spine when he paid the little shite attention. But the other teenager had attached himself to Regulus recently, and Regulus was allowing it, so what if…

Tossing aside the charcoal and the clipboard he'd been using with a growl of frustration, Teddy yanked out and then crumbled up the now ruined parchment, having unconsciously slashed at the drawing in a show of the jealousy and anger currently consuming his thoughts.

With practiced ease Teddy threw the crumbled bit of paper across the room to his trash bin, which was already piled high that the newest addition tumbled off the top to the floor. Not that Teddy was in any mood to care or really notice.

Like a goblin with his gold, Teddy knew that he wanted to horde all that made Regulus unique, wanted to keep the true beauty of Regulus Black to himself so that no one else got to see it. Which was selfish and wrong of him, he knew that, but it was how he felt since he was being deprived of his love. That Regulus was choosing to keep the most beautiful parts of himself from him. And he couldn't even hate the other boy for it, because in his rational mind Teddy understood why the other Slytherin refused to give in to the need they had for one another. The stolen moments they had…haunted him. That was the only word for it.

But how Regulus felt about him, that was another unknown that wreaked havoc on Teddy's thoughts as well. Because while the idea that Regulus desired him made him happy, what if there was nothing more than that? What if he was the only one who loved? He wasn't so selfless that he welcomed the idea that at least he was the only one doomed to suffer the loss of the other forever, even though he should want to spare the other boy that pain and heartache. Loving someone was about putting their happiness before your own, wasn't it? Yet still he yearned and wished for Regulus's heart with every beat of his own. To know that they both loved, however wrong and ill-fated that love was.

And shit, he really needed to get ahold of himself before he turned into some lovelorn idiot who should be put down for the sake of mankind. He was a Slytherin, for Merlin's sake. He needed to get over himself and man up. Heck, no wonder Regulus was ignoring him for the most part.

The sound of his room's doorknob being turned, without whoever was on the other side knocking first to ask his permission, caught Teddy's attention immediately, especially as it was a welcome reprieve in a horrible way. Because it could only mean the person coming in was either in a rush to gain his help or someone meant him harm. And okay, he was a little slow reaching under his pillow to wrap his fingers around his wand, but Teddy's focus on the doorway as he brought the wand out just as a form he would know anywhere slipped without a sound into his bedroom. And as he watched Regulus closed the door behind him, Teddy automatically shoving his wand back under its former resting place.

The sound of Regulus locking his door was shockingly loud in the silence of the room, Teddy's heart tripling in beats as the situation the were now in really registered, even as his artist's mind frantically catalogued the form before him in its latest incantation.

Regulus's hair was down and unstyled, yet perfect despite the late hour and the fact that the more hair you had, the worse your bedhead should be in comparison. But no, the younger boy looked as perfect as always, wearing a black silk robe that came down to just past the Slytherin's knees, the pajama bottoms visible under that made of the same material as the robe. That Regulus was barefoot was startling though, especially since the rugs spread out on the floors only did so much to counter the coldness of the stone floors.

Reaching out with the intent of pushing aside his bedding, Teddy froze in reaction to the words and the tone in which Regulus spoke then.

"No. Stay where you are."

Shivers running down his spine Teddy couldn't imagine not obeying, remaining still and where he was as he watched Regulus walk over to the bed, the other boy's gaze lowering down to look at the pieces of parchment scattered all over the place.

And remembering what was drawn all over his artwork, oh shit, could the Fates not cut him a bloody break, Teddy blushed and leaning forward began to rather frantically scoop them all up, grateful when Regulus didn't comment or tell him to stop. Plus the only light on in the room was his bedside table, so maybe the model used for all the drawings wouldn't be too obvious from Regulus's view point. That would be a nice silver lining. But whether the sketches were highly visible or not, Teddy could feel Regulus's eyes on him the whole time, making it clear that he and the drawings had the Slytherin's full attention at the moment.

Stacking the parchment in a pile, and praying that Regulus would forget about them, Teddy turned his head to meet Regulus's gaze again as soon as all the sketches had been transferred the pile into the bedside table's drawer where it would hopefully be a case of out of sight, out of mind.

His mind certainly stopped working when Regulus's hands came up and started undoing the sash that was keeping the Slytherin's robe closed.

Holy Hogwarts.

Eyes going as wide as they could possibly go without magical enhancement, Teddy could feel his jaw drop open as Regulus removed the now opened robe to reveal the fact that he wasn't wearing a top at all, the other boy's chest pale and slender, the hint of muscle there but cleverly hidden under smooth, unblemished skin that Teddy physically ached to touch.

Said robe was draped over the bottom of the bed before Regulus moved up the bed, the other boy pulling back the covers and sheets before slipping under them as well. And then, basically stalking across the mattress on his hands and knees before shifting so that he was straddling Teddy's waist, Regulus's hands braced on either side of him as the still eerily silent teenager stared down at him for several heartbeats before lowering his head to line their lips up together.

The ferocity of the snogging that followed took Teddy's breath away, the force and inherit possession of it completely overpowering Teddy while sending signals to his brain that ordered him to submit and let Regulus do what he wanted rather than suffer the consequences. And when Regulus started to roughly thrust against him, rubbing his obvious erection against Teddy's stomach with a single-minded intent that just about blew Teddy's mind, Teddy couldn't help but moan for more.

But Teddy could also taste blood in his mouth from the bites his lips received, and the copper taste that warned of injury tripped enough wires in his brain that Teddy slowly realized that he was being used. That Regulus was kissing him and rubbing off on him like Teddy was just there to be used for the other Slytherin's pleasure and to hell with Teddy getting anything out of it. No effort was being made to please him. And having snogged Regulus before Teddy knew that the Slytherin had to be doing that on purpose, because Regulus had too much pride, if nothing else, to be a selfish lover who left his partner unsatisfied.

He was trying to ruin what was between them, Teddy realized in a flash of insight borne ofy ears of observing the other teenager. Regulus was making their need for each other a physical thing, trying to scare him off by making this sexual encounter feel tawdry and cheap.

Fuck that.

Bucking up hard to throw off Regulus's rhythm Teddy reversed their positions in a heartbeat, his fingers pinning Regulus's arms down to keep the smaller boy beneath him while making it clear that when it came to body strength Teddy actually had the advantage.

"Let me go."

He wanted to say that he never would, but they both new that that was a lie, and that there had been enough lies between them already tonight. So instead Teddy just lowered his head and placed loving kisses around Regulus's lips and along the teen's jaw, knowing that if he tried to kiss the other boy Regulus would try and repeat what had happened earlier. And that wasn't happening.

And to Regulus's credit the boy remained stubbornly ridged and unresponsive until Teddy's lips moved to the soft skin of Regulus's neck and under his jaw, the breathless sounds the younger Slytherin made making it clear that he was sensitive there, which Teddy was more than happy to exploit as very slowly but surely Regulus began to relax under his hold.