Chapter 3: Blanket in my Dreams, Unknown

There was a reason Lucius always took a dreamless sleep potion. There was dream that haunted him, made him ache even more, a dream that would drive him to distraction upon waking from it. Though he did not have a potion to chase it away while in Azkaban, the dementors had seemed to keep it at bay, for the dream could technically be filed as a "happy" one.

Now, he was having the dream. He had been exhausted after fixing the wards around him to keep prying eyes away, and after going through his resumed habit of drinking nightly glass of port he had fallen to sleep in his chair. He had been too tired to even change into something now comfortable.

"Lucius," A voice crooned in his ear. To his right Lucius felt the breath from the words on his cheek. It tickled, almost itched, and he hoped for a kiss to follow the breath's path, if only to take the itch away.

"Lover," Another voice growled, a little further away and right in front of him. It made Lucius shiver and hold out his left hand. His right was still holding the port, and he was not close enough to a solid surface to set it down.

He knew he was dreaming, and part of him demanded he wake up and forget this foolish dream. And yet, for all his mental protests, his heart whispered to him to be still and let this feeling continue. It had been so long, years, since he had allowed himself to dream, and what was the harm in a little comfort? Lucius settled again into his dream, and let the two phantoms that he knew represented, and were in a way, his mates do with him as they pleased.

The breath had now crept to his neck, and when a light flick of a tongue briefly touched him Lucius sucked in a breath of his own and tightened his right hand around the glass. The glass was gently removed, though no other hand yet touched his, and then he was 'shhed' as if he were a rather large skittish cat. He wryly thought that maybe that wasn't far from the truth. He was a tiger in anigmus form after all….ok, so his was a white tiger cub. So what? He was sure his mates would've thought it cute, if he had ever gotten the courage to show them what the 'great and powerful wizard' turned into.

"Lucius, are you wandering again?" Lucius jumped as a hand firmly grasped his outstretched one that he had left hanging. It was warm and strong…and slender for a man's. Lucius wondered if this mate that held his hand played the piano or another musical instrument. That thought threatened to make him wander again.

"It seems to me," the presence to his right commented, "that our love can't keep his mind on us….I feel that we should remedy this before he gets too lost."

"Indeed."

Lucius' body, along with his soul and his magic, started humming in anticipation. It had been so very, very long. What was the harm? Surely the aftereffects he would feel the next morning would not be that bad? Lucius was willing to chance it.

Another hand took hold of his right hand, and he was gently helped up from his favorite chair in the study. Lucius realized with a start that his eyes had been closed this entire time. This was nothing new, and usually he would've left them closed, but this time Lucius decided that if he was going to have this dream right now, when he was under the most stress from the break and the Dark Lord, that he had the right to have a peak at his makes.

"Just a peak" He thought to himself as he tried to open his eyes. He jerked with a start when he realized he couldn't open his eyes.

"Ah, so you've finally encountered the blindfold have you?" Lucius wanted to panic, and knew that these phantom mates could feel his distress. "Easy Lucius, we wouldn't ever blind you like that.."

"Without your permission" The presence on the left interjected.

"You've put that blindfold there yourself. When you really want to know us, not just see us but truly know who we are, that blindfold will fall off." Lucius leaned towards the right where the soothing explanation had come from, but he still felt it wasn't enough. His instincts riled against being physically bound in anyway, though his soul argued that these were his mates and he was O.K. in their more than capable hands.

"Can't you just take it off?" Lucius almost begged…but Malfoys don't beg.

"No." The voice on the left was stern and matter-of-fact, though not really cruel. "And don't try yanking it off out of panic.." Lucius scoffed, "yes, panic. It will not come off until you a truly ready."

"Come, I think we've talked enough about this." The phantom on the right gently moved Lucius forward and away from the chair. " I want to pay some attention to you before you try to block me again." The left hummed in agreement.

Two sets of hands ran up Lucius' arms and to his shirt. The smaller set, coming from the right, started undoing the buttons of his shirt at the bottom. The left started at the top and soon Lucius was bare from the waist up. Hands rubbed and caressed him, enfolding him in comfort and gentleness with just the right amount of sure presence. These hands knew him, and he belonged to them. Lucius could've cried.

Realizing that it had been too long since Lucius had felt a caring touch, his phantom mates surrounded him and cuddled him between them. The smaller of the two stood in front of him, nuzzling his right cheek, while the taller held his back to a firm chest and rested its' head on his shoulder. Lucius began to tremble, and then pulled his arms in to hide them at his chest, resting his forehead on a shoulder in front of him. Gentle words and soft caresses were offered to him as he hid for the first time in years in the hold of his represented mates.

He never knew how long he stood there, but soon the phantom in front was nudging his head up.

"We have to go now." Lucius did whimper then, "No, Lucius. Don't. We'll see you soon. We'll be here soon after you wake." Lucius shook his head. He wouldn't wake up. He just wouldn't. He refused.

"Lucius you are going to wake up. Now, chin up. We're leaving." Lucius reached out to try and grab one of them, but they were already far away.

"We love you, Lucius" The more soothing voice said.

"We'll see you, Lover" The stronger voice faded.

And Lucius awoke. Standing in the middle of his study, the shirt he had worn when falling asleep now at his feet, Lucius wept for loneliness. He wanted his mates.

He allowed himself a few more seconds before throwing his shirt back on, charming his eyes to no longer be wet or red, and sweeping out of the room. Draco was calling, after all.

It doesn't matter.

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AN: Sorry it's so sad, but it needed to be written. Yes, Lucius will be a bit of a sub…but I like gentle Lucius. It's a nice change, don't you think? Review! Or I might leave poor Lucius heartbroken…Ok, so I couldn't really do that. But please review! It makes me smile.