The summer spent NOT in Felidcoft.

The summer spent NOT in Feildcroft

Ominis Gaunt had two problems: one, he had a sneaking suspicion he might be in love with his best friend, and two, he didn’t want to spend another summer with said best friend.

It wasn’t that Ominis didn’t want to spend time with Sebastian; it was that he really didn’t want to spend another summer in Feldcroft. For the last few years, Ominis had spent most of his summers with the Sallows in Feldcroft, and he loved getting to see Anne and Sebastian, but Feldcroft was, to put it nicely, dull as ditchwater. And he was pretty sure that if he were made to spend another two months lounging around doing nothing, he was going to lose his mind.

So when Sebastian crawled onto the sofa next to him in the Slytherin common room and started talking about what they would do this summer in Feldcroft, Ominis had to say something.

“I was thinking, we could have a look at the coast in the area—we haven’t really looked at that bit yet, and I think we might find—”

“Sebastian—” he started, his voice sounding desperate, “I love that you want us to spend time together, and I love that we get to go and see Anne, but—I cannot spend another summer in Feldcroft.”

He could only see a dark, blurred blob move closer to him on the sofa. He felt the dip in the cushions as the boy inclined closer; he could smell him—the scent of licorice, fresh sheets, and something richer that Ominis had never been able to put his finger on. He willed himself not to blush as he imagined what Sebastian would look like. The freckles, the brown eyes.

“What?” Sebastian asked.

“I—ugh.” Ominis huffed, turning on the sofa. If he could see, he would be facing his best friend. “There's nothing to do there, Seb, and every year you're so sure we’ll find something else to do, and we never do. Please, I cannot spend another two months lounging around your uncle's shed.”

“It’s a house—”

“It’s a shed, Sebastian, and you know it.”

Sebastian sighed. “Where are we supposed to go, then?”

“My aunt’s got a manor house in Oxford,” Ominis said with a smile. “It’s got plenty to do, and it’s got more than one room—”

“Ugh—”

“And it’s got running water,” Ominis added. “Please, Seb. For the sake of salvaging our friendship.”

“What about Anne?” Sebastian said.

“She can come to Oxford. There’s loads of room. My aunt has gotten rid of all the suitors my family has thrown at her this season, so it will be just us and the house-elves.”

“My uncle won’t let her leave, you know that.”

“There’s no harm in asking him,” Ominis said. “And we can still visit her.”

“I don’t know, Ominis.”

“Please, Sebastian.”

Sebastian huffed in an unconvinced way. Ominis smiled, opened his mind, and slipped into Sebastian’s thoughts. He moved past the boy’s mind and looked through his eyes. He saw himself—his hair was ruffled slightly, and he put his hand up to smooth it as Sebastian continued to watch him, unaware of his friend’s actions.

It was a special kind of Legilimency Ominis had been developing for the better part of a year—the ability to slide into someone’s mind, not far enough to hear their thoughts (though he was capable of that), but far enough to see the world through their eyes, completely undetected. It had changed everything when he mastered it.

He had never told anyone about this skill. The idea of having to explain that he had managed this ability by practicing on the people in his house and in his classes without their knowledge was something he didn’t want discussed. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t feel bad; being able to see the world for the first time was unbelievable.

He watched as Sebastian let out another sound, this one a defeated huff, and flopped onto the sofa, his head falling onto Ominis’ shoulder as he looked out to the rest of the room.

“Fine, I’ll send him an owl,” Sebastian said, nuzzling his head deeper into Ominis’ shoulder.

Ominis tried not to lean into the touch. He tried not to inhale the scent of Sebastian. He tried not to collapse completely, to wholly surrender to a sedated state. Tried and failed. He leaned back onto the couch and let his body press into Sebastian’s.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, guilt and disgust filling his stomach as his heart soared when Sebastian leaned in closer.

A few days later, while Ominis and Sebastian were alone in the dorm room, Ominis sat on his bed, a book floating above him. The words fed silently into his mind through a carefully constructed spell his aunt Noctua had helped him create in second year.

He found his mind wandering to what Sebastian was doing. The other boy had been unusually quiet since dinner.

He let his mind slip into sensations and saw himself from across the room. Sebastian was staring at him.

“Can I help you, Sebastian?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“What?”

“I can hear you thinking from over there,” he said quickly, hoping Sebastian wouldn’t look too much into it.

He watched through Sebastian’s eyes as the boy walked over to Ominis’ bed and lay down next to him, his head resting on Ominis’ shoulder, his cheek squished.

Ominis put the book down, hating how casual their little affections had become. He blamed himself—Sebastian had always been solidly boundaried when it came to personal space. But Ominis was a very tactile person. He craved physical touch like a drug, and he liked the extra support that being able to feel things gave him when exploring the world around him.

Last year, at a party, Ominis had gotten very intoxicated, which was unusual for him, but his brothers had been giving him grief, and he needed something to occupy his mind. The stress, plus the alcohol, had left him hanging off Sebastian’s arm all night, and Sebastian had put two and two together.

They had never talked about the way they touched each other—how casually resting their heads on each other’s shoulders had become, or how falling next to each other had turned into a habit.

Ominis knew how it must look, and he knew what people thought about him—about what he liked. He would never admit it to anyone, but he knew how he felt about boys was wrong.

So when Sebastian collapsed onto the bed next to him, Ominis was glad they were alone because it allowed him to give in to his deepest guilty pleasure. He pressed his body closer, craving the warmth Sebastian offered. He longed to slide his arms around Sebastian’s waist and tuck his face into his friend’s chest.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he rested his head on top of Sebastian’s, letting the boy’s brown hair brush over the side of his face as he asked again, “What’s wrong?”

“My uncle got back to me,” Sebastian said, his tone telling Ominis all he needed to know.

“He said no?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian muttered.

“I mean, you can still come, surely?”

“He said I’m free to do whatever I want—his exact phrasing was ‘good riddance to get me out of the house’—but he said Anne’s not leaving Feldcroft.”

Ominis couldn’t help but whistle as he slid an arm around Sebastian’s shoulders and mumbled into his hair, “That sucks.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian said. He rolled slightly so he was on his stomach, his chin resting on the pillow behind Ominis’ head. “Why don’t you just come to Feldcroft?”

“Sebastian—”

“Please—I promise I’ll find something interesting for us to do, and we can see Anne. Please, Ominis.”

Ominis sighed and turned his head so he was almost nose to nose with Sebastian. “I haven’t seen my aunt in ages, and I want to spend some time with her. And besides, you’ve never been to Oxford, and you haven’t seen my aunt in almost two years—she keeps asking about you, for my sake.”

Besides, we can go see Anne whenever we want. And hey—maybe your uncle might change his mind.”

Sebastian sighed. He was quiet for a moment longer before he said, “I wasn’t going to find anything for us to do in Feldcroft, was I?”

“No,” Ominis said, shaking his head.

“And I haven't seen your aunt in ages.”

“No.”

“Ugh—” he exclaimed, burying his face in the pillow before sitting back up and saying, “Fine, let's go to Oxford.”

Ominis let a grin break over his face and said, “And maybe when we have more fun this summer, we can go to Oxford next year as well.”

“Let’s see how this year goes first,” Sebastian said, and Ominis smiled even wider. He became increasingly aware of how close their faces were on the pillow, and he said with a small laugh, “Are we making eye contact?”

Sebastian chuckled, and Ominis felt the soft press of Sebastian’s finger on his jaw, gently guiding his face down and to the right a tiny, tiny bit. Ominis's breath caught in his throat, and for one delusional moment, he thought—hoped—that Sebastian was going to kiss him. But the boy only let his jaw go and said, “Now we are.”

Ominis smiled.

When the doors to the Gaunts' Oxford manor opened, Ominis felt the world lighten around him.

“Ominis—” his aunt said. He felt her pull him into a hug, and he gripped her tightly.

“Hiya, Noctua,” he said, smiling.

“Oh, and Sebastian.” He felt Sebastian get pulled into the hug next to him, the boy's hand pressing hard against Ominis’ stomach.

His aunt let them go and asked, her voice chipper, “How was the ride up here?”

“It was good,” Sebastian said.

“Grand to hear,” his aunt said. “Tinker, the house elf  will show you your room, Sebastian.”

~ seb

They made their way up to the top floor of the manor house. Sebastian looked around in awe. He knew the Gaunts were rich, but he didn't realize how rich—and this wasn't even the main estate. He followed Ominis up the stairs to a small landing with a large window and a set of couches tucked up next to a fireplace, bookshelves, and plants lining the walls. There were two doors opposite the room; Ominis made his way into one, and Sebastian followed.

The room smelled immediately of Ominis—the scent of expensive cologne and wine, and strangely enough, roses. He watched as Ominis kicked off his shoes and flopped down onto the bed. Sebastian did the same, marveling at how soft it was.

“This is nice,” he commented.

“See, I told you.”

Sebastian chuckled and rolled onto his side, and Ominis crawled further up the bed. He watched as Ominis stretched out, his shirt untucking slightly from his torso, revealing the barest slip of pale skin. Sebastian was glad Ominis couldn't see him staring—he was glad Ominis had never been able to catch him staring.

“You know you’ve got your own room?” Ominis asked.

Sebastian smiled and went on, “Yes, but I came to spend time with you, so if you're not about to go to sleep—” he nudged Ominis’s thigh.

Ominis smiled and sat up, nearly butting heads with Sebastian as he did so.

“You're insufferable,” Ominis said with a grin, his cheeks going red as the facade of the posh, well-spoken heir to the Gaunt family faded, and it was just Ominis—Sebastian’s Ominis.

The next week was heavenly.

Sebastian hated to admit it, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself—sleeping in till noon, eating breakfast-slash-lunch with Ominis, and spending their afternoons lounging in the house or walking through the numerous fields and gardens surrounding the estate.

Sebastian’s new favorite thing to do was to walk the short distance to the forest just off the house and find the clear, sluggish river to go swimming.

One day, about a week after he and Ominis arrived, Sebastian woke up before Ominis for once. He was hanging out on the landing between their two rooms. The sun was shining through the windows, a quiet breeze blowing into the room. Sebastian heard a rustling sound—like paper. Intrigued and with nothing else to do, he got up and made his way over to the sound.

He noticed that under a cabinet in the corner, behind a small stack of books, sat a neat pile of letters. Curious, he pulled them out and began to rifle through them. He knew he should have put them away when he saw they were all addressed to Ominis, but then he noticed that all of them were from Anne.

He opened the one at the top of the pile and read the following:

Dearest Ominis,

Thank you for your last letter. I know what you mean. I love my brother, truly I do. But as you said, he is becoming obsessive about finding a cure for me. Part of me hopes that he never stops looking for a cure. But every time he storms through the door with something he is sure will cure me and it doesn’t—I cannot keep this up, Ominis. I need him to stop and accept that this is my life.

It doesn't help that my uncle seems to think I’m incapable of doing anything for myself. He needs to let me get on with my life, too. I've already missed so much school—I cannot stay here for the rest of my life. I need to go back to school to learn how to cope! It's good that you still write to me. Some days I feel like you are the only one being truly honest with me.

But enough about me and my woes. I noticed you didn’t mention anything about Garreth in your last letter. It makes me wonder, you know? You ought to tell Sebastian—if not about anything, then at least about Garreth. He's not a fool, I doubt it would come as a surprise. Please, Ominis, I promise you’d feel better having it out in the open.

Anyway, please reply soon. I'm bored out of my mind, and your letters are truly the only thing keeping me entertained.

Lots of love,
Anne.

Sebastian didn’t know what to do. He was sitting there, peering over the parchment, not sure what on earth to make of it.

His head whipped around as he heard the door behind him open. Ominis was standing in the hall, his hair messy, wrapped in a dark green bathrobe.

“Sebastian—” something flickered behind his eyes, and his face turned to something like horror.

“Sebastian—” his voice cracked— “please, I—”

"I'm obsessive?" Sebastian asked. That was the first thing that came to mind.

“Yes—” Ominis said, taking a step forward, pulling the robe back over his shoulder as it slid off, exposing his shoulder for a moment. Sebastian's eyes found themselves drawn to the exposed skin, his cheeks pinking.

“You're becoming obsessive and impulsive, and, Sebastian, it's going to get people—” His voice was angry and scared.

“And you've been talking behind my back to Anne?”

“You won’t listen to me! And you won’t listen to her when we try to talk to you, so what did you want us to do?”

"Is this why you wanted to spend time in Oxford?"

"No?"

"You sure?" Sebastian asked. "Or does Garreth live around here?"

Ominis’s face went pale.

Sebastian knew he was being mean. Ominis had never explicitly told him about the way he felt towards boys, but he hadn't needed to. Sebastian knew; he saw it in the way Ominis acted, the way he talked. But he hadn’t seen Garreth coming—

"You know what, Sebastian? I don't care. You can go and get yourself and whoever you drag down with you into the pit of hopeless despair that is you trying to cure Anne!"

There were tears in his eyes now.

"And as far as Garreth goes, that's simply none of your business."

He stepped inside the bedroom. Ominis was looking out the window, his arms wrapped around himself. Sebastian didn’t know what he was supposed to say, so he said the first thing he could think of to calm him down.

“I knew—” he started, “not about Garreth, but about the other thing.”

“What other thing?” Ominis spat.

“You know what I'm talking about,” Sebastian said.

He watched as Ominis cringed away, his arms wrapping tighter around himself as his back remained turned to Sebastian. Sebastian wanted nothing more in that moment than to go to him, to tell him it was okay, that things weren’t going to change, that he was sorry. But Ominis’s voice cut through the air. It was a broken, disgusted sound as he said, “Do you know why I broke it off with Garreth?”

Sebastian didn’t dare say anything.

“Because I found out what you looked like.”

“What?” Sebastian’s mind went blank. There was so much behind those words that he didn’t know what to do.

“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice getting desperate as he tried to find something to grab onto while his words seemed to become unsteady.

“I—I’ve been using Legilimency,” Ominis let out a shaky breath. “I found a way to see through other people's eyes.”

Sebastian thought he heard a small sob escape Ominis. He needed to go to him, to hold him, to let him cry, to tell him it was going to be okay—but he couldn't move. His feet felt glued to the floor.

“And one day—I used it on you—and you were looking in the mirror—” another small sob. “And I couldn't pretend anymore. So I stopped it.”

There was silence.

Sebastian didn’t know what to say. There was so much weight behind what Ominis had just confessed—things Sebastian knew, things he didn’t let himself hope for, and things he didn’t see coming. But before he could say anything, Ominis said, “You can leave—if you want. I’m not going to make you stay.”

“What?” Sebastian said, his heart plummeting to his stomach. Was Ominis asking him to leave?

“You can pack your things and go—I won't make you stay.”

And then he was gone, storming out the bedroom door.

~

Ominis spent the rest of the day withering away in the library. He let the door slam behind him and collapsed in front of the fire. He let the tears roll down his cheeks as he cried and cried. He didn’t know or care whether or not Sebastian was in the house still. It didn’t matter, none of it mattered anymore. He had ruined everything. He knew he had. There was no way they would be able to move past the disgusting things he had just confessed, he had ruined the one real friendship he had ever had.
So he cried, he let himself cry alone in the study until there were no tears left to cry and then passed out on the floor in front of the fire.

When he woke up again it was dark outside, the sound of crickets chirping and owls hooting could be heard from the open window. Deciding that he wasn’t done moping for the day, he snuck back into his room and got changed out of his pajamas before making his way to the front door, a little wobbly on his feet and made his way down quickly into the downstairs lobby. He reached for the door, his hand gently colliding with the smooth glass bottle of what felt like bourbon. Shrugging to himself he took the bottle with him as he left the house and made his way into the field that Sebastian and him had spent all week lounging around in.
He flopped down on his back, the cool grass soft against his body. He pulled the cork off the bottle and took a long deep gulp. The burning sensation was overpowering and he coughed, and took another before flopping down in the grass and opening his eyes, seeing nothing but blackness with the tiny blurry blotches that made up the bigger stars in the sky.

He didn’t know for how long exactly he lay there, but the world began to spin pleasantly and he felt like he was floating on a small boat over the Great Lake. He smiled as he remembered the time Sebastian had taken him out there.
It had been his birthday last year, Sebastian had snuck them out of the castle and they had sailed out to the middle of the Great Lake. He remembered as Sebastian had described the stars to them, and held his hand as he helped him point to where each of the constellations were.

They would probably never do that again, he doubted Sebastian would ever talk to him again after today, he didn’t blame him.

A moment later he heard something rustling. He turned his head to hear better. The sound got closer and closer until the thing was right next to him. He heard something flop down into the grass right next to him, the smell of licorice, fresh sheets. Sebastian.

“I thought you would have left.” he said, unsure what else to say.
“I’m not leaving Ominis.” Sebastian said, his shoulder brushing Ominis’s as they lay there in the grass looking up at the night sky. Ominis felt an enormous wave of relief wash over him, and he let out a slight hysterical chuckle of relief.
“Pass me the bottle.” Sebastian said, and Ominis did so.

~ 

They lay there in silence, passing the bottle between them for what must have been an hour. With every sip, Sebastian became more and more aware of how much drunker Ominis was compared to himself. His friend slipping into his old habits of pressing his body closer, his leg pressed against Ominis’s. The boy’s lighter hair brushed against his neck as they lay there.
“Why didn’t you leave?” Ominis asked suddenly. His voice slurred.
“Because—” Sebastian said, his mind foggy as he spoke. “You’re my friend Omi—and—” and I think at some point I crossed that line where I thought of you as just a friend. Because I think you did too. Because part of me is so glad you're blind so you can't see me staring at you. Because everything you said earlier has made me want to break open your rib cage and crawl inside so that I might never leave you again. Because I think I love you more than I should, and because I think you feel the same.”
“And—maybe you were right when you said Feldcroft was dull as ditch water.”
“You’ve already said that.” Ominis said.
“Hmm.” was all Sebastian said. He continued to stare up at the sky before he said, “You and Anne were right. I am obsessive. I—I just—I want to help—I need to help.”
“I know.”
“And I don’t know how else to help.”
“You can’t save everyone all the time.”
“I know—but I want to save her.”
“I know.”
“And if I can’t—then what good am I?” Sebastian felt his breath quicken as he continued, “If I can’t help her this once when she’s helped me her entire life, then why? What’s the point if I can’t protect the people around me I—” Warmth filled his whole body as Ominis pressed his mouth firmly to Sebastian’s. His world exploded as Ominis kissed him, his hand scrunching the fabric of Sebastian’s shirt as his mouth pressed deeply onto Sebastian’s own, his bottom lip getting sucked ruthlessly into Ominis’s mouth. He slid his hand into Ominis’s hair before he could think to do anything else, wanting—needing—to kiss Ominis deeper, kiss—

Him more. And then he was gone, the pressure and warmth of his body gone, his mouth gone, his hand on his chest gone.
“I needed to do that—just once, before you get us killed.” Ominis smiled and flopped back down into the grass, leaving Sebastian stunned.

~

It didn’t occur to Sebastian how much Ominis had actually drunk until much, much later that night. They had lain there in silence for hours, Sebastian’s mind turning over and over and over. He didn’t know what to think, but he knew he wanted Ominis to kiss him again. He wanted to kiss Ominis. He wanted the hand that had laid on his chest and scrunched his shirt to do more—to pull the fabric off and to run over his skin.

When Ominis announced that he was going to bed, Sebastian found himself standing up and following him back into the house. Ominis was stumbling, his head lolled forwards. Sebastian slid his arm around Ominis’s shoulders and did what he always did—he took care of Ominis.
They made their way into the house, Sebastian half-dragging Ominis up the stairs. When they made it to Ominis’s room, Sebastian barely got Ominis’s shoes and cloak off before he was collapsing into bed, the covers wrapping around him as Sebastian sat awkwardly at the end of his bed.
“Hey Seb?” Ominis asked, his voice slurred.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry I kissed you.”
“Don’t be.” Sebastian said, scooching further up the bed. He lay his hand on Ominis’s exposed shoulder. Ominis smiled and closed his eyes, the pale whites fading away, replaced by long eyelashes.
“Do you ever think you weren’t meant to be born?” Sebastian looked up, startled. He moved closer, his hand on Ominis’s neck.
“No.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you?” Ominis nodded.
“Sometimes I think I’d be better off throwing myself into the Great Lake.” he said with a dry laugh. “Sometimes I think I want to—” Sebastian didn’t give him a chance to continue before he was pulling him into a sitting position and clasping him in a death grip. He buried his face in Ominis’s shoulder, his hands digging into his skin.
“Please don’t say that.” he said, his voice breaking as tears filled his eyes. “Please Ominis, please, please don’t say that. I couldn’t bear it.”
He felt Ominis descend into small muffled sobs as he clung to Sebastian for dear life.
“Please Ominis, please don’t say that.”
“Sometimes I just feel like there are too many things wrong with me—I wasn’t meant to live this life.”
“No—you’re perfect, Ominis please believe me, you’re perfect.” Ominis shook his head against Sebastian’s shoulder.
“I’m blind, and I’m not what my family needed me to be—and I—the things I want—”
“I know, I know.” Sebastian said. “I know what you mean, but please Ominis, I need you, believe me when I say I would die without you.”
He felt Ominis nod gently into him, or maybe he was crying again.

~

The next morning Ominis woke up and thought he might have died. His head was pounding in his skull, his whole body ached and he felt like he fell off a cliff. He rolled over, his spine cracking as he moved. He ran his hands under the covers, they brushed against something soft and warm. He didn’t need to see to know that Sebastian was curled up in bed next to him, his hands snug around Ominis’s back, his face pressed into his chest, his breath gentle on his neck. He felt Sebastian nuzzle into him as he woke up.
The night before was a horrible swimming blur. He remembered laying down in a field, he remembered Sebastian, he remembered kissing Sebastian, he remembered feeling like everything was falling apart, he remembered Sebastian holding him as they cried.

He felt Sebastian move, he slipped behind the boy’s eyes and watched as he blinked into wakefulness, the first thing he saw was Sebation  looking at him There was an eyelash on his cheek. He struggled to wiggle his hand out from under Sebastian before he flicked it off his face.

Sebastian chuckled. “You're using my head,” he mumbled.

“No,” Ominis said. “I'm using your eyes.”

“Same-same,” Sebastian mumbled.

He watched as Sebastian moved up the bed slightly so they were nose to nose.

“What does it look like?” he asked, his breath hitting Ominis’ face.

“What does what look like?”

“Looking through my eyes or whatever you do?”

Ominis smiled; he saw the expression on his face. “It just looks exactly like what you're seeing,” he said.

Sebastian smiled and slid his hand up Ominis’ shoulder. “So you can lie—see this?”

Ominis nodded, his hand closing over Sebastian’s. “Yeah,” he said.

They lay there for a moment, breathing on each other's skin. After a moment, Sebastian asked, his voice soft, “Do you remember what happened last night?”

Ominis’ face winced, and he slipped out of Sebastian's mind.

“I'm sorry,” he said.

“About?”

“The kiss—and just everything else,” Ominis said.

Sebastian moved closer, their bodies flush together under the covers. He shook his head, his nose burning.

“Don't be—please, please, please don't be,” Sebastian said, and there was something in the way he said it that made Ominis slip back into his mind.

He saw Sebastian’s eyes as they flicked over his face before landing on his lips and staying there.

Ominis was tired. His head hurt, and his heart hurt. He didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He closed his eyes and let out a small sigh.

He felt Sebastian gently run his hands along his back.

“Are things going to be weird?” he asked.

Ominis sighed again but didn’t open his eyes. “I don't know.”

“I don't want things to be weird.”

“Neither.”

Another beat of silence. Sebastian’s hands ran up and down Ominis’s back, sending shocks of electricity up and down his spine. He tried not to move. He tried not to lean into each brush of his touch. He tried not to think about how close Sebastian was, tried not to notice how his hips pressed into his own, how he could feel every time Sebastian breathed, his chest pressing into Ominis’s own.

He heard Sebastian swallow. Ominis didn’t open his eyes. He couldn’t. He needed to stay still. He couldn’t move. He shouldn’t move. If he didn’t move—if he didn’t see Sebastian looking at him—they could still pretend it didn’t happen.

“I don't want things to be weird,” Sebastian said. “But… what if there was something else I wanted?” His voice was shaking.

Ominis opened his eyes. He couldn't see anything. He slipped into Sebastian’s mind. The boy’s eyes were black, his lids closed as he continued to speak.

“What if I wasn't sorry? You kissed me—”

Ominis didn’t bother to check to see if Sebastian had opened his eyes; he didn’t need to know.

All he could do was lean forward and press his mouth against his again.

This time, Sebastian didn’t freeze. This time, he didn’t take a moment to react. This time, Sebastian seemed always ready.

He met Ominis halfway, his lips parting as his mouth reacted to Ominis.

He felt the curve of Sebastian's body immediately mold against his as they moved impossibly closer. The kiss was never going to be a clean one; it wasn't a gentle push and pull like it had been the night before.

This kiss was messy.

Sebastian didn’t know where to put his hands, letting them run wild over Ominis’ back, waist, through his hair, and over the curve of his thighs. Ominis reacted with every touch, letting Sebastian’s hands run over him, over his crumpled clothing, his fingertips barely brushing over the soft skin of his hips.

He slipped his own hands up the back of Sebastian's shirt, his palms warming against his skin. He clutched at the back of Sebastian’s fine shoulder bones, as if trying to absorb the boy into his skin.

He felt Sebastian slide his thigh against Ominis’ front, and he moaned into the sloppy kiss as the pressure registered. Sebastian did it again, and Ominis chased the pressure, needing Sebastian as close as he could get him.

He felt Sebastian shift slightly, rolling onto his back. Ominis followed him, crawling up Sebastian's body as he stumbled, the blankets falling off him as he ran his hands up and down Sebastian’s chest, his thighs bracketing Sebastian’s hips.

He felt hands slide up and down his thighs.

He slipped his mind inside Sebastian’s and saw himself through Sebastian’s eyes—his hair was messy, his cheeks red.

He closed his eyes and moved his mouth back down to Sebastian’s, missing slightly. His lips collided with his chin, and he moved his mouth down Sebastian's neck, grinning into his skin as he felt Sebastian lurch into the press of his mouth just below his ear.

He felt Sebastian's hands tighten on his thighs.

Ominis ran his hands over the buttons on Sebastian's shirt, replaying over in his mind the hundreds of times he had thought about doing this—what it would finally feel like to have Sebastian's bare skin under his fingertips.

His smooth, soft skin was warm to the touch.

Sebastian wiggled out of his shirt and pulled Ominis down to meet his mouth.

The kiss was frantic and hot as Ominis explored Sebastian’s skin to his content.

Through the kiss, Ominis’ shirt fell away, and he reveled in the feeling of Sebastian’s hands as they explored the skin of his back, shoulders, neck—it was glorious.

Between sloppy kisses, Sebastian muttered, “Did you do this—”

“If you say with Garreth, I’m going to kick you out right now, and you can walk back to Feldcroft,” Ominis said, his voice stern.

Sebastian giggled and sat up, chasing Ominis’ mouth as he kissed him further.

Ominis let his body weight shift to the side, effectively flipping the two of them over so Sebastian was on top.

He had to bite his lip to stop from moaning as Sebastian began to slide his teeth and tongue down Ominis’s neck and over his collarbones.

Sebastian’s hands were tight on his hips as he kissed down Ominis’ chest and over his stomach, his teeth dragging down the soft skin.

He'd never been touched like this.

When Sebastian reached the waistband of his trousers, he kissed around the very top of the fabric as if gently asking for permission.

If Ominis hadn't been so pent up and wanting this for years, he might have found it sweet and endearing.

But he was pent up and had wanted this for years, so instead, he found it an unnecessary waste of time.

“Hurry up, Sallow.”

Sebastian smiled into his stomach as he said back in a snarky tone, “So bossy.”

Ominis would have spat out a reply had Sebastian not undone the buttons on his pants and pressed his mouth over the bulge. His underwear was slightly damp from anticipation.

Sebastian moved his mouth up and down as Ominis squirmed, trying not to make any noise. They were alone in the house, after all.

He felt sensations surge through him as Sebastian continued. His actions were timid at first, but the more Ominis reacted to his touch, the braver he became.

Ominis threaded his fingers through Sebastian's hair, and the boy let out a small groan—the vibrations shooting straight through Ominis’s spine, making his back arch off the bed.

“Seb—” he said, his voice sounding ragged to his own ears.

Sebastian looked up, his eyes wholly black, his face rosy. Ominis dragged him up by his hair, their mouths slotting together in a messy, teeth-clashing kiss.

Ominis’s hands frantically moved to get rid of Sebastian's pants. The buttons came undone, and Ominis pulled them down, dragging Sebastian's damp underwear with them. Sebastian assisted as best he could, his hands helping to finish removing the rest of Ominis’ clothes until they both lay bare and panting on Ominis’ bed, the warm morning sun making the whole scene seem much calmer than it was.

They were uncoordinated as they scrambled, their hot bodies slick with sweat as they desperately clung to anything they could grab onto.

Ominis rolled to his side, his mouth leaving hot, wet kisses wherever Sebastian’s skin met his lips. He felt Sebastian’s hips lock into place with his, and they both let out groans as they began to rut together, desperate for any kind of pressure.

One of Ominis’s hands found the back of Sebastian’s neck, the other grasping their cocks together. Sebastian joined him at the center, his other hand going to Ominis’s back as they pressed their mouths together, moving their hands in sync, their cocks sliding against each other in a rhythmic fashion.

Ominis slipped into Sebastian’s mind, needing to see what was going on—to burn the image of what they were doing into his memory. But there was only blackness.

“Seb, open your eyes,” he said, his voice raspy.

“You’re ridiculous,” Sebastian said, but he opened his eyes, looking first at Ominis and then down at where their hands were joined, their cocks flushed together as they moved back and forth.

“Fuck—” Ominis gasped before shutting his eyes and pressing his forehead to Sebastian’s, feeling the low vibrations as Sebastian let out a muffled moan into his neck. Their movements grew faster.

The sound of the bed creaking pierced the otherwise reasonably silent room. Ominis froze.

“What?” Sebastian asked, still trying to move faster.

Ominis squeezed his hand hard, and Sebastian let out a muffled yelp.

“We have to be quiet.”

“We are—”

“The bed squeaks.”

Sebastian let out a low, guttural moan as he slowed his movements.

Ominis slid his hand into Sebastian's hair and clung to his clothes as they continued, the pressure building at an agonizingly slow pace.

Ominis was panting hard, his body screaming at him to go faster. He could tell by the way Sebastian’s nails were digging into his skin that he felt the same. He pressed his mouth to Sebastian’s jaw and sucked hard, desperate for anything more, any extra friction.

“Ominis—” Sebastian whimpered, his voice cracking as he groaned, rutting his hips. Their cocks slid together as fast as they could without making the bed creak.

Ominis pressed himself closer, one leg thrown over Sebastian’s hips. Sebastian let out another pathetic whimper as they continued to move, their bodies begging for more speed, more friction.

There was only one coherent thought running in circles through Ominis’s mind as Sebastian slid next to him, his hand wrapped firmly around both of them.

More, more, more, more—faster, faster, faster.

It was torture—but it was the best kind.

Ominis felt the heat building in his stomach, every stroke against Sebastian’s cock digging the sensation deeper and deeper inside him. He was inching closer.

They were sweating, their bodies sliding against each other as they clawed at one another for more, more, more.

Ominis had his hand in Sebastian’s hair, guiding his mouth to his own as they kissed, their lips clashing with tongues and teeth. They bit at each other’s lips, nails digging into skin as they crept closer, inch by inch.

Ominis thought he was going to lose his mind when, at last, he felt something crest in his gut.

“Fuck—don’t stop—” he croaked, burying his face in Sebastian’s neck as he dared to rut his hips just an inch faster. The bed creaked, but he did it again.

Sebastian whimpered into his hair and followed, the bed creaking a third time. Then—

Sebastian sank his teeth into Ominis’ neck as he came in hot streams, his body trembling with the force of it.

The feel of Sebastian coming over both their hands, as well as Ominis' own burning cock, was enough to push him over the edge.

He let out a muffled cry into Sebastian's neck, both of their hands still moving as they worked through their orgasms.

They lay there for a while, shaking and sweating.

After a moment, Sebastian muttered, “If it’s going to be like that every time, then I have to warn you—you’ll be greatly testing my patience.”

Ominis let out a hard laugh. “You assume there’s going to be a next time?”

“Is there not?” Sebastian asked, his voice sounding concerned as he pulled away slightly.

Ominis smiled. He sank his fingers through Sebastian's hair and pulled him into a kiss.

It was deep, and Ominis felt like he might never need to breathe again—his whole body surviving off the pressure and warmth of Sebastian’s mouth.

When he broke away, he said with a smile, “What do you think?”

He heard Sebastian let out a little breath of relief.

Then Ominis stood up, his head still spinning slightly, and reached for the silk robe he kept by the bed.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I have to write to Anne.”

(It did not occur to them until much later that they might have used a Silencing Charm.)