Title: Carried On the Wind
Author: ldybastet
Characters: Severus/Lucius
Rating: hard R
Warnings: DH spoilers. Boot fetish.
Themes/kinks chosen: Abandoned prompts month.
Word Count: 3725
Summary: The Malfoy family has been scattered, and Severus cheers Lucius up while they wait for news.
Author's notes: Was originally claimed for the Farewell Fest in July, but had to wait until now. Written for nishizono. Her prompt was LM has a boot fetish; SS has very nice boots.. The haiku at the beginning is also written by me. Beta by starkiller.

Carried On the Wind

Autumn cries calmly
orange leaves escape the trees;
free, the peacock laughs.



The rain had almost come to a stop, but there were still drops running down the panes of the bedroom window. Outside, the autumn had grabbed a firm hold of the landscape, with vibrant yellows and oranges mixing with the failing green. The tear-streaks of the rain distorted the outlines of trees and hedges, causing a mild caricature of the world, so fitting for the times they now lived in. A faint smell of damp earth reached him when he opened the window a little. The air was chill, fresh, and only reluctantly penetrated the warmth in the room.

The sound of footsteps reached him, faint at first and growing louder as they approached. Lucius would recognise that step anywhere - on the worn stones of Hogwarts, on the hard-packed soil of the garden paths and roads, or like now: on the polished hard-wood floor of the corridor leading to his bedroom. He smiled softly, not turning around, not leaving the window. There was no need.

The soft click of the door closing announced the arrival of Lucius' lover. The sounds of the boots were now muffled by the carpet, but still there, still closing in - like the beating of a heart, a faint, faint sound. They were more of a vibration to be sensed through touch; there and yet so easy to overlook, take for granted. The steps resonated with the beat of Lucius' own heart.

Strong arms slid around Lucius' waist, a long-fingered hand finding a resting place on his chest. 'You miss them,' a dark voice murmured in his ear, smooth as silk. 'They will be back.'

'Perhaps,' Lucius replied softly. 'When it's safe...'

'I know the lack of news is getting worrisome, but in this case, no news is good news. They will be back,' Severus repeated, a little firmer this time, and Lucius could hear the determination in his voice. Severus would see to it that the Malfoy family was reunited in the future, used to shaping fates and having a hand in how events unfolded as he was. Severus, with his machinations and counter-plots. Not even his dual masters had seen through all his plans in the end, thinking the strings they had attached to Severus' limbs and by which they pulled and jerked him around would be enough. But Severus, Lucius' clever Severus... He had had them fooled. Salazar Slytherin would have been proud of such a pupil in his House, had he been alive to see it, Lucius was certain.

Lucius tried to shake off the melancholy that had risen like an unbidden guest in his heart. He had another guest now, if guest he could be called. Severus came and went as he wished now, as much a master of the Malfoy estate as Lucius was... and master of his heart. He turned slowly in Severus' embrace and offered him first a smile and then a glass of wine to burn the autumn chill from bones and mind.

'Wine would be nice,' agreed Severus and reluctantly let go of Lucius to let him arrange for the house-elf to bring it to them. He sat down in one of the elegant armchairs half-way facing the fireplace, not looking entirely unhappy that Lucius was fussing slightly over him. He waited until Lucius too was seated and they both had a glass of dark red wine in their hands before he spoke again.

'You could visit them in France, you know.'

Lucius shook his head. 'My place is here. The manor...'

'Shacklebolt has other things to do than to confiscate property of presumed former Death Eaters. There's a society to rebuild, petty criminals and vandals to track down, disturbers of the peace, and,' Severus paused for a fraction of a heart-beat, 'well-known and self-proclaimed followers of the Dark Lord - those who have said they will continue his fight. This house will still be here when you come back.'

Lucius lifted his glass and studied the reflections of the candles as they played over and through the wine, as if the light tried to mingle with it somehow, make it richer. He shuddered suddenly when the resemblance to blood struck him. Severus' blood - all over the worn and scratched floor in an abandoned building... He looked up at Severus, knowing that there lingered a shadow in his gaze. 'I'm not leaving.' I'm not leaving you, he wanted to say, but the last word was too shy to join the others.

Severus nodded, and Lucius felt as if he'd heard the unspoken word. Severus always heard more than what he intended to say, but if it had not been so, they would have had many more problems in their past. Theirs was a long friendship, and as such it had been through many tests - adolescent infatuation, Lucius' marriage, suspicions of betrayal, difference of opinions... But the friendship remained, stronger than ever, and not even death had been able to damage it. Severus had indeed put a stopper in death, his old enemy, and Lucius was grateful for it.

The dark eyes bore into his own, and the room around them seemed to fade from his consciousness for the eternity of the moment. 'Severus...' Lucius managed to whisper, and the room came back into focus, a faint smile gracing Severus' face.

'Brooding is my specialty, Lucius.' There was a hint of amusement hiding among the dark notes of Severus' voice, and it broke the strange stillness that had settled over them. 'It seems you need to have your spirits lifted, and of course, I am the one to do it.'

Lucius smiled back. 'A little more wine, decent conversation about pleasant things, and dinner later should do the trick.' It always did, and Lucius didn't mind the brief look Severus had taken inside his thoughts; it spared him the attempt at transfiguring them into words. Had it been anyone else, Lucius would have considered it a transgression and punished them severely.

Severus crossed one leg over the other, and the light from the fireplace caught in the leather of his boots, drawing Lucius' attention. Little pseudo-flames danced over the polished surface, giving the deep black highlights of vivid orange; moving, flickering, dancing almost joyfully not unlike the golden leaves caught in the wind outside.

Lucius let his gaze linger a little longer, then looked higher, following the curve of the leg, the thigh outlined by the folds of the robe. But the boots beckoned, teased him with their buckles and seams, the shape of sole and heel and toe...

'Do you like them?' Severus asked. 'I decided I needed new boots after having used the same ones for so long. A new life calls for new boots. Makes sense, does it not?'

Lucius nodded and wet his sudden dry lips with the tip of his tongue. Yes, he approved, a very good decision indeed. The high boots accentuated the curve of Severus' calf and the three metal buckles closing them gleamed. He had a suspicion Severus had chosen these particular boots for Lucius' benefit more than his own, because they were more elegant than merely functional.

He longed to reach out and touch them, to feel the smooth surface against the tips of his fingers... Lucius' cock grew harder with every long second that his gaze lingered and his mind replayed the memories of delicious pleasures. The blood pulsed into it, making it twitch in a demanding gesture of impatience as it grew. Lucius' robe concealed his arousal, but his underwear was becoming increasingly tight.

Lucius didn't know how, had no conscious thought of having moved, but the glass was no longer in his hand and the distance between him and Severus was gone. He knelt in front of Severus, one hand on the smooth leather of the boots, the other tangled in the hair at the back of Severus' head. They kissed, tongues moving against each other in a slow dance of passion. Lucius moaned softly into Severus' sighs.

'Open your robe,' Severus whispered darkly against Lucius' lips. 'Let me see everything.'

With slightly unsteady fingers, Lucius opened the fastenings of his robe and his shirt, slowly revealing his body to his lover. He let the garments hang loosely from his shoulders and, under Severus' greedy gaze, he pulled out his hard member from its confines.

Lucius shamelessly pressed his cock against the boot, rocking his hips slowly. The leather was cold against skin burning with lust, but it did nothing to cool him off, quite the contrary - he rubbed against the material, not caring if he sullied it with pre-come... Knowing that the delicious friction came from Severus' boots made it all the more enticing and impossible to resist. Lucius needed this, needed the release of simply letting go and allow both body and mind to be seduced in whatever manner they chose, without a care in the world.

He leaned his head against Severus' shoulder, enjoying it when his lover caressed him, enjoying it when one of Severus' hands found its way to his hair, grabbing it hard, enjoying the feel of the leather warming up against his cock. Severus pulled at his hair, forcing him to look up into eyes filled with love and passion. Lucius didn't doubt that Severus was enjoying the situation almost as much as he did.

'Kiss me,' Lucius demanded, not a trace of his earlier mood lingering in his soul. Now it was all passion and lust and need that governed him, all of it for Severus. In a sudden surge of possessiveness, Lucius ripped Severus' robe open, buttons skittering across the floor like little beetles. He let more kisses rain lightly over Severus' body as it was revealed to him - the pale skin of his chest, the rosy peak of a nipple, a scar slicing icily across the panes of his stomach - all the while encouraged by little sounds of excitement and the increasing heaviness of Severus' breathing.

'Yes,' Severus whispered and sighed, pulling Lucius' head lower by the grip on his hair.

The robe could no longer hide the fact that Severus' cock had grown into full hardness and length, a small tent having been erected in his lap. Eagerly, it met Lucius' lips as soon as the fabric was pulled apart. A drop of clear fluid glistened on the tip, like dew in the morning sunshine, and Lucius lapped at it, reverently, before taking Severus' cock deep into his mouth.

'Yes.' Severus groaned now, his muscles quivering under Lucius' hands. 'Don't stop.' He pressed his leather-clad leg a little more firmly against Lucius' cock and Lucius moaned deeply, grateful for the increased friction. He rubbed against Severus while licking and sucking, pleasuring his lover.

The room was filled with the sounds of their passion - the sighs and moans, little words of encouragement, the delightfully obscene sound of sucking... Lucius grabbed Severus' cock in one hand, stroking what he couldn't get into his mouth, and with the other, he grabbed around Severus' calf, holding the boot-clad leg firmly in place while he took the pleasure he needed so desperately now. The leather felt so good against his aching cock, the toe of the boot rubbing now against his perineum.

'Yes,' Severus gasped and his hold on Lucius' hair tightened. Hips moved rhythmically, ever increasing in pace, shorter movements, until Severus threw his head back and groaned loudly. His body arched up, taut as a bow, while he emptied his bollocks into Lucius' mouth.

When his lover was done, Lucius sat back on his heels, looking up into Severus' flushed face with a smirk. He enjoyed making Severus lose his composure and control, loved making him squirm and moan. It made him feel that he had power over Severus, the same kind of power that Severus had over him. The same kind of power that Severus now exercised when his needs were sated; Severus relaxed and slid his thumb over Lucius' lower lip. 'I want you to come,' he whispered and the dark tones of his voice seduced Lucius all over again.

His gaze fixed on Severus, Lucius worked his own flesh until the intense sensations pushed him over the edge. Deep pleasure burned through his veins, pumping through both heart and cock; with a soft sigh, bliss carried him higher, tossing him up through the spheres for a moment, a short moment when all was still and perfect and clear.

With a small gasp, Lucius came back to the reality around him, and to lips devouring his own. He wrapped his arms around Severus' neck, not caring if he smeared his come over his lover's robes.

'Let's go upstairs,' he managed when Severus let him speak again. 'Let's go to bed.'

~*~

A sudden, sharp tapping on the window interrupted their breakfast. A glance was all Lucius needed to recognise the owl that waited for him to let it inside. Narcissa's eagle owl. He put his cup down on the floating tray and left the warm bed.

On the short way over to the window, there was enough time to go over at least a dozen reasons Narcissa had sent her owl. Most of them included some sort of trouble, of course. He opened the window to let the tired owl inside and shivered as the cold morning air sneaked in with it.

'Well?' Severus asked. 'Aren't you going to read the letter? It could be important, you know.'

Lucius turned it over in his hand. The envelope did bear Narcissa's seal, and it had not been tampered with. It broke with a small click as he opened the letter. He quickly scanned the contents of the letter, eager for what news she had sent him, worried that she or Draco was in trouble, then he read it a second time, slower. A smile spread over his face and he threw the letter to Severus, who picked it up but still watched Lucius.

'They're coming home!' Lucius felt as if a dark cloak had been lifted from his soul, leaving him even more relaxed and pleasantly naked than his physical form was in that moment. A small spark of joy had ignited, and it grew as he crawled back into bed to hug Severus. 'They're arriving tomorrow already, and they are both well.'

Severus was smiling too, but if his was more on the smug side than just plain happiness, Lucius didn't notice. He was kissing Severus' scarred neck and enjoying the feel of his lover's arms around him. 'They're coming home...'

'I could almost get jealous if I didn't know better,' Severus said in jest, but Lucius didn't take the bait. He knew that Severus knew that he had nothing to be jealous about; it had never been a source of insecurity or argument.

'Jealous of whom? Draco?' Lucius looked up at Severus' face to see the reaction. It was the expected one: the cocked eyebrow.

'I think I would have noticed, had you done anything untoward with your son, Lucius.'

Lucius laughed. 'He's not my type, and he's family.'

'You are hopeless, talking so lightly about something so dire. Deviant and lacking respect, you are!' Severus growled and pushed Lucius back against the pillows, rolling them over so he could pin him down. 'I think you need to be taught a lesson!'

'Mm, yes. Teach me.' Lucius lifted his head to kiss Severus and sighed when Severus moved just beyond his reach. He let his head fall back onto the soft pillow again. 'Now you're being cruel!'

'It wouldn't be a lesson if you enjoyed all of it.'

Lucius had to admit, at least to himself, that Severus did have a point.

~*~

'Sit down!'

'They are late.' Lucius stopped his pacing and turned to glare at Severus who was sitting far too calmly in his chair. Three o'clock, the letter had told them, and it was now almost ten minutes past the hour. 'Something might have happened-'

'They are not on the run, Lucius. They are not fleeing. Investigations into the Malfoy family's involvement with the Dark Lord over the years has been closed, the verdict was that you were forced by coercion and magic. Don't worry.' Severus' mouth curled into a small smile. 'You know Narcissa; a late entrance is a more effective one.'

At that moment, the Floo announced their first arrival, and Draco stepped out of the fireplace.

'Draco!' Lucius felt a tightening of his chest at the sight of him, feelings of worry and longing held inside for months breaking free in a sudden rush. He smiled warmly and stepped forward to embrace his son. It had been far too long since they had seen each other.

'Hello, Father.' Draco hugged Lucius back, but stepped back after only a few moments. Lucius could see that he was trying hard to be calm and collected, to appear as the adult he was now considered in the wizarding world, a proper Malfoy. There was light flush to his face though, and his voice a little thick from holding back the emotions when he continued, 'It's good to see you again. All is well with you, I hope? We haven't heard so much... We hoped it might be a good sign...' He faltered, the façade of calm banished by the slight rambling, and Severus rose to greet his former student, saving him from loss of face.

'I heard you did well on your N.E.W.T.s, and that you weren't disgracing the family name entirely.'

Draco snorted and tried to look indifferent, but there was a touch of pride in his eyes and the way he looked at his father and Severus. 'I'd rather it had been at Durmstrang. Beauxbatons is full of poncy French people. But I got O's!'

'There's nothing wrong with the French, Draco,' came a voice from the fireplace as Narcissa stepped through. 'And you seemed to enjoy the company of several French girls, as I recall.' She flashed a smile at Lucius and winked as Draco blushed. 'Lucius, dear!' Narcissa hurried over to give him a hug.

Lucius held her close, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against his own. She was alive, she was safe... and she was home again. 'It hasn't been the same without you here,' he said softly into her ear and smiled as she pulled away to look at him. She was radiant as ever, beautiful and proud. Lucius was certain that she had turned many heads and hearts while she was navigating through the politics and the society of the French wizarding world.

'Well, no more keeping our lives on hold. New winds are blowing and our time will come,' she said and smiled again, then turned to Severus. She shook her head at him. 'Severus, really! You scared us to death with that trick. Don't you ever do that again! I was so relieved when Lucius sent that brief note to us to tell us that you had your health back.'

Severus shot her a dark look, but the smile on his face softened it. 'I have no intention of dying again. It was far too much trouble to go through, not to mention the pain. No, you're stuck with me for a while longer.' A light brush of fingers, hers, against his cheek, and Severus nodded, as if he understood everything she hadn't said.

The Floo flared a third time, and a woman stepped forward from the fireplace. She tossed her dark-brown hair back and brushed the travel dust off the green dress she was wearing before moving close to Narcissa, discreetly looking around the room.

'Lucius, this is my friend, Marie-Ange,' said Narcissa and laid her hand daintily on the other woman's arm. 'Marie-Ange, please meet my husband.'

Lucius smiled at the dark-haired woman. He lifted her hand to his lips while making a polite bow. 'Enchanté.' His gaze met hers and there was a moment's silence between them, hovering in the air like a feather before it glided down to settle comfortably. Straightening up, Lucius turned to Narcissa. 'Will you need a guest room prepared?'

There was a small sparkle of amusement in Narcissa's blue eyes. 'No, we'll manage. Thank you, dear.'

Lucius didn't comment on the slight blush that entered Marie-Ange's face. She would get used to their arrangement soon enough, he suspected. Narcissa looked very fond of her, and there was an exchange of looks that told him more than words could have in such a brief moment.

Dinner that evening was a cordial affair, with much talk and laughter. Lucius listened to Narcissa's stories of dinner parties with French dignitaries, rumours and details about how the French Ministry of Magic had dealt with matters of politics and a certain Dark Lord. How Narcissa had met the beautiful woman at her side was not mentioned, however, and Lucius smiled to himself. No doubt, that was a colourful story as well, but perhaps better told another time.

'You're happy,' Severus mumbled in his ear, leaning close.

'I am,' replied Lucius and smiled again. 'You never doubted they'd be back. And I have a suspicion that you had something to do with this.'

'Not everything is of my doing, Lucius; I can't brag that kind of influence. But I still have a few contacts...'

'Thank you.' Lucius gave Severus' knee a light squeeze. He'd thank him more properly later, he decided, in private.

Draco was the only one who looked a little reluctant (had he been younger, Lucius would have thought of it as 'petulant' instead) as they all retired for their rooms, but Lucius suspected the slight pout was due to him also being the only one to go to bed alone. The hug he gave his father was less than reserved though, revealing the emotions he'd kept in check earlier and reminding Lucius of the boy he'd been before the trouble had started. Before Azkaban, and before Draco had to take on too much responsibility.

'Good night, Father,' Draco whispered. 'I'll see you at breakfast again. I have missed you.' It would be the first breakfast as a family since the Dark Lord had fallen. The first of many, Lucius knew.