M for (post-)sexual content
Around an hour before curfew.

Nicholas was sitting against the cold stone wall with nothing but one of the blankets he'd conjured for Peyton and him.  He'd learned his lesson from Theo walking in on him and Zia...it was best not to transfigure your clothes in case you needed them.  Though at the moment, he wasn't ready for clothes.  He was still enjoying his post-orgasm haze. 

"That was even better than last time, and last time was amazing."  He reached into his robes on the floor next to him and pulled out a flask and his gillyweed stash.  He took a swig from the flask and set it between his legs and started rolling a joint.

"We should do this more often."  He smiled at his partner-in-lust.  "Hands and charms are just inadequate."

He didn't want to wait for Virgil and Ariadne or someone else to ruin his day again.[1]  He always had one issue that needed to be worked and Peyton had worked it quite well. But Virgil and Ariadne really had done more than ruin his day and Peyton really had distracted him for a while, but he wasn't asleep yet and with enough gillyweed and whiskey he wouldn't remember or dream.

He licked the paper and finished rolling the joint. He lit it with his wand and took a long drag before offering it to Peyton.  He wasn't sure that the Ravenclaw smoked but it was rude not to offer.

1.	Indelible Marks

Peyton leaned opposite of Nick, up against a stone windowsill. The small bit of moonlight coming through accented the thin layer of sweat that covered his naked body. Unlike his partner he hadn't done anything to cover up, he had no previous embarrassments to build off of. His breathing was still a little heavy, his eyes half closed.

He couldn't help but smile when Nick talked about how good it had been. He gave the Gryffindor full credit on that. He was far from a virgin when they started but the other teen had certainly taught him a thing or two and he could honestly say the orgasms were more intense.

"I could certainly be up for that." He didn't have any grand delusions about what this was between them. They were having sex, some really awesome mind blowing sex at that but he wasn't about to start imagining a picket fence and one point two children. Nicholas wasn't built that way, he doubted he was either.

He watched as the other teen indulged in his other vices. He wasn't about to stop him, he wasn't without guilty pleasures himself but there was a but of concern in his eyes he wasn't able to blink away fast enough. If it weren't for the horrors of February he wouldn't have thought anything of it. Considering what had prompted their little romp fest a small part of him worried he'd just become another vice.

He waved away the gilly weed. He wasn't a smoker. Being a Chaser he was used to travelling at high altitudes and whiplash speeds. He needed his lungs at full capacity in order to perform well. His liver on the other hand wasn't needed for quid ditch.

Peyton crossed the room and swiped the flask from between Nicholas' legs, allowing his fingers to brush against the other teen's thighs as he did. Taking a swig, he held onto the flask, "you alright, mate?"

Nicholas grinned when Peyton said he could be up for it.  "I bet you'd be up for it.  Pretty sure you were up for it tonight before we even opened the door."  He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips.  Maybe all the gillyweed hadn't worn off...or it was quick acting tonight with his heart still pumping fast.  It didn't help that Peyton was still fully on display looking every bit the quidditch pinup with the moonlight.

Add to that the other boy grazing his thigh while stealing his flask and Nicholas was going to be up for round—well he couldn't remember which round it would be now.  "Next time grab a little higher," Nicholas said ignoring the question.  Though even his gillyweed and alcohol soaked, sex addled brain couldn't actually ignore the question.  He pushed himself up off the floor, leaving the blanket behind as he crossed over to the window. 

Moonlight silhouetting his nude form in the window, Nicholas stared into the darkness.  No, he wasn't alright.  He knew that.  But it was something else to admit it.  Or deal with it.  He barely slept, mostly he just passed out.  Thank Merlin for the house elves' breakfast in the mornings or he wouldn't be able to function from the hangovers. 

But this was just fun.  He didn't want anything more than fun.  And spilling all your kidnapping issues definitely crossed over the line of fun into much murkier territory.  So he turned back around with a fake smile, "Of course."  He took another long puff on the joint and the smile faded into a smirk, "You're not that rough or that big."  He cocked his head to the side, "No complaints though, just to be clear."

A blush had come to Peyton's cheeks though it was hardly noticeable in the low light of the room. He had been rather eager to get going that night. His hands and lips had been busy long before they had even made it to the classroom they secured. It was a miracle no one had seen them. He couldn't help it. Sex was a great stress reliever and he had needed it. He may not have had nightmares like Nicholas but his life wasn't entirely stress free. He had Quidditch, team practices, upcoming NEWTs and scouts to impress. Mundane compared to the horrors in his partners head but stressful all the same.

He watched with hooded lustful eyes as Nicholas walked free of the blanket. He wasn't sure he had another round in him like the Gryffindor suggested but that didn't stop his body from attempting to rise to the occasion.

He smirked at the answer. He knew it wasn't what he was looking for and he knew that Nicholas was aware of what he had been asking. Deflecting was a coping mechanism he was familiar with. Most their age used it. He supposed it was fair. Despite having known each other for the better part of a decade they weren't dating. Nicholas didn't owe him anything. He did his best not to let his concern show.

Peyton crossed back over to the other teen.  He held his hips and nuzzled the shorter teen's neck.  "I'd only be rough if you wanted me to." All things considered Peyton was a gentle if not over enthusiastic lover. Something he supposed wasn't always expected from a "jock"

"You're not so bad yourself." He brushed his hand against Nicholas'  business to emphasize his point. He wasn't about to start comparing sizes but he was happy he didn't disappoint.

Nicholas leaned into Peyton as the other teen held onto his hips, wrapping his own arms around the Ravenclaw, careful not to burn either of them with the joint still in his hand.  "No complaints remember.  I don't want rough.  I've had enough rough for a while."  He admitted barely above a whisper, but Peyton was right there so it wasn't as if his words needed to travel far.

His hips started to follow the taller teen's hand before he lightly pushed himself away from Peyton.  He wasn't sure what time it was and he couldn't give a damn about curfew but he didn't actually think they had enough time for another go.  And there was no sense pushing their luck and getting caught.  As much as he'd rather barricade the door further than the charms already on it and go at it with Peyton all night he'd still have to sleep eventually.

"Careful," He took a deep breath, "Can't believe I'm saying it but I don't think we have the time to start again."  His words slightly slowed from the gillyweed taking effect. He closed his eyes because all he was getting was a view full of reason to stop talking and took another breath trying to stop the reaction that was now in full bloom.

Looking back up at Peyton, Nicholas stepped back and took a long drag on the joint, holding the smoke in as long as he could before letting it out with a soft cough.  "Care to share?"  He pointed at the flask, "I need that to get to sleep."

Peyton mentally chided himself when Nicholas whispered to him. Of course he didn't want it rough. Peyton had only been making a joke but it should have known better. The whole reason they had started whatever it was they were doing was so Nicholas could get his mind off of just how rough someone had been with him. He felt like a complete idiot for having even brought it up. He was thankful the other teen wasn't chiding him as well. He was doing enough of that for the both of them.

As the Gryffindor released himself from the embrace he found himself both disappointed and relieved. There was something about the other teen that just made him insatiable but he was also vaguely aware of how late it was. The later they stayed out the better chance someone's going to catch them.

He slipped back on his boxer briefs though they did little in the way of offering decency. He jumped up onto one of the desks in the room and took a swig from the flask. He felt the warmth of the alcohol spread through him mixing with the post orgasms euphoria. It made his tongue feel looser, allowing him to speak up when his partner asked for the flask when he normally would have kept quiet.

"Hey mate, don't take this the wrong way but maybe you should slow down on this, yeah?" He still handed the flask over despite his reservations though, "I know you don't want to talk about it, and I'm probably crossing some kind of line here but if not with me, maybe someone else. It ain't good keeping it all in."

He leaned back supporting himself with his arms behind him, "I watched something like this completely consume my brother last year." Peyton spoke the words with ease and deep concern on his moonlit features. Despite the fact that he never mentioned having a brother. Only a few people knew, he needed to talk it out when he first found out but didn't really mention it much afterwards.

"I don't wanna see it happen to you."

Nicholas sighed when Peyton put on his underpants. He was disappointed that the evening was coming to an end.  As much as he didn't care about breaking curfew, he also had no desire to end up in detention or lose his house any more points.  He crossed the room to where his clothes were in a pile on the floor and rummaged through the robes to find his boxers.  It was never fun to be the only one completely bare.

He didn't react at first to Peyton's concern about the drinking beyond taking the flask when it was offered.  He walked over to the window and sat down on the window sill.  Flask still in hand.  "I know I should."  He said quietly before taking a drink from the flask.

It wasn't even so much that he didn't want to talk about it so much as he didn't want to remember any of it.  Talking about it definitely made him remember  it.  So did sleeping...sober anyways. 

"I know I'm supposed to talk to someone.  So did a healer at Mungo's.  They just never—"  It had taken a moment for his brain to process what Peyton had said.  The stuff about talking made sense even if he didn't want to.  And he wasn't about to talk to Peyton about it.  Not because it crossed a line but because he didn't want to share any memories of that place with someone he liked.  But then his brain finally sifted through everything Peyton had said.  "— wait up...you have a brother?  How did I not know that?"

Any distraction was a good distraction.

"Cause he's a right bloody wanker." It was reactionary more than anything. Xavier being a wanker wasn't the reason people didn't know they were related. We'll at least not the whole reason. The younger Slytherin certainly hadn't been advertising the fact and barely even acknowledged it after discovering it.

Peyton let out a long sigh and scratched at the back of his head. He didn't really want to be sifting through his family's dirty laundry but maybe if he was more open about the things that bothered him, it would help Nicholas be more open. He still doubted the Gryffindor would talk to him about it but it might encourage him to talk to someone else at the very least.

Peyton looked over at the other teen wondering where best to start, "My parents aren't married. They never were, likely never will be. They met on a whim really. My mom's from Australia. My Dad came down for a business trip and ended up getting her pregnant." It wasn't the most romantic story but his parents had always been honest with him about it. He supposed it was to help dispel the notion of the fairytale meet - cute.

"My Dad was always busy with work. He travelled a lot so it was really just me and my mom." Telling the story again, a small part of him wondered how they had never figured it out before, "when I was about nine he quit his job and came back home to stay."

His eyes moved to the windows, the small specks of starlight he could just make out past the thick ancient glass, "Two years ago I learned that my Dad had been married, well technically he's still married. While we thought he was travelling for work he was living it up in London with his Wife and Son." He let out an awkward chuckle. It all sounded so ridiculous like a cheesy wireless soap.

"That son is also a wizard and he goes to school here." As Peyton looked Nicholas over again he had a fleeting thought that he was thankful the two had always been rivals. He couldn't even imagine the shock if he had been finding his brother attractive the whole time. Though he supposed he would have preferred one of his room mates or friends being his long lost brother.

"When my Dad quit his job he quit his whole life. He was disowned by our family, written out of his inheritance and walked out on his wife. Never even told her he was going. She thinks he's dead. The whole thing is the reason - one of the reasons I suppose - Xavier ' s such a prick."

Nicholas sat quietly, listening to Peyton describe things that considering the way gossip spread in the school and magazines he was surprised he hadn't heard before.  And every time he sipped from his flask it just made him think about what Peyton had said about his drinking and talking with someone.  The other teen telling him about his family issues only further pushed home the point that he needed to talk to someone.

The story also made him glad he didn't know his own father.  Any asshole who gets a woman pregnant and then flies back across the Atlantic was better not to know.  And his mother had never given him any hints about who he was.  Though for the most part, he had long since stopped caring, and it had been even longer since he'd asked his mum about him.

"Wow, what an arse— Xavier...really?  I mean he's not the worst Slytherin," No there were several far ahead of him on that account, "but that's terrible.    My mum won't even tell me what my sperm donor did let alone who he is.  Kinda glad now.  How are you so...not crazy?"

He pushed himself off the window sill and crossed to the desk Peyton was sitting on, placing himself between the other teen's legs and offering him the flask.  "You are most definitely the better brother."  He ran his fingers up the Ravenclaw's thighs, then his stomach and on upward until his hand rested on Peyton's chest.  "And certainly sexier too."

Peyton smirked, "yeah me and my Dad haven't really talked that much since I found out." It wasn't so much that he had been avoiding his father but there was certainly something between them now. Which in the end suited Peyton just fine. Having been raised by his mother almost exclusively, he was much closer to her and his sister to begin with. His only hope in all of it was that Helena never found out.  Their Dad was the girl's hero. He wasn't looking to ruin that for her. It wasn't something she or his mother really needed to know about. He almost wished he hadn't known about it either.

Peyton made no comment on there being worse Slytherins than Tawse.  He supposed it was true, certainly for Nicholas who had a rather nasty encounter with Virgil that afternoon. Yet none of the others had ever physically beat him the way his brother had over the years (outside of the Quidditch Pitch)

The smirk turned to a smile as Nicholas joined him. He felt his skin tingle at the other teen's touch and he was sure he was blushing. He took the offered flask and gave it a swig. He wasn't looking to get drunk but it went down smooth after all the energy they had exerted earlier. He was glad to hear that his current paramour thought he was sexier than his brother. That was a dark road he really didn't want to go down.

He cupped the Gryffindor ' s cheek with a large calloused hand and gave him a kiss, "who said anything about me being not crazy?" He chuckled. All this considered, Peyton was actually a rather normal and average guy. The only thing that really stood out about him was his natural knack for Quidditch. The boy was meant to ride.

He ran his thumb along Nicholas' jaw, "then again I think normal is exactly what you need right now."

Nicholas grinned, the idea that Peyton could be crazy was hilarious, but it was generally considered bad form to laugh at someone right after they kissed you.  So he kept his mirth contained to his toothy grin.  Of course, that was shattered a moment later by the Ravenclaw hitting a little too close to home.

"Normal would be nice.  Doesn't help me sleep, though."  He picked up the joint from the desk where he'd laid it and took a long drag.  Careful to blow it away from Peyton.  "You know there's a charm that lets you make forms from the smoke.  Takes focus, have to hold the form in your mind.  I was trying to do it last night, just to practice, and I'd get a shape for a second before it started to turn into Henry."  He looked away from the other teen, "into him laying there."

"I showed him that spell once,"  Nicholas said, looking back at Peyton.  The pain dulled a bit by the gillyweed and alcohol but still evident.  "He hadn't stopped being fascinated with the showy stuff.  I mean neither have I really," he said with a half-hearted laugh.  "There wasn't even anything to do.  He was gone when we woke up."

He looked down at Peyton's stomach and cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat, "That wasn't even the worst of it.  But no one needs to know what that room looked like."  And even now, just thinking about it, he could smell it; that was even worse than seeing it.  And even worse, in his nightmares, he could see it and smell it.

Peyton let him talk. There really wasn't anything else he could do. The other teen needed to let things like this out regardless of how painful it was. If he kept it inside it only served to act like a poison, rotting him from the inside out. Despite how good this was though, Peyton was at a loss as to how he should react. He had never experienced grief. The closest he had ever come was when he had broken his first broom but there wasn't really anything he could apply to this. He didn't dare try.

However, despite his lack of personal tragedy he had seen plenty of his friends suffer. At the very least he was a good listener, a strong shoulder to cry on and while not often utilized, he could be a very comforting and caring boyfriend (not that he was Nicholas' boyfriend mind)

With a lack of proper words to say, Peyton spoke his comfort through his hands. Starting on the shoulders he ran them down the Gryffindor's arms in a soothing manner. Different from when those hands moved with lustful intentions. He finally brought them down to the other teen's waist. In one singular motion he slid his bum to the edge of the desk and spread his legs in order to bring Nicholas into a hug. He placed one hand on his back and the other at the nape of his neck, entwining his fingers into his hair.

Leaning his head against the other's, "I don't think you'll ever forget it, but there will come a day when you won't think about it."

Nicholas let himself be pulled into the hug.  He really hadn't meant to bring up any of it.  But the smoke had reminded him of Henry, and it had just come out.  So now he held on tight, arms wrapped around Peyton, head resting on his shoulder. And almost crying.  But only almost.

"I hope so," He said, his voice tight.

He held on for a few more moments, needing the closeness before loosening his hug and pulling back a bit.  "Sorry,"  Nicholas said embarrassed.  He felt a little bit better, even if he hadn't shared much it had seemed to help.  But he and Peyton were having fun, and he didn't want to ruin that.

"Where'd the flask end up?  I need a drink." And screw curfew.  "And another stiff one,"  He said as his hand slid around from the other teen's back to his crotch.

Peyton held him for as long as the other teen allowed. He could tell he needed it and Peyton was eager to offer the comfort. As the teen was almost brought to tears Peyton rubbed his back though stayed silent. He didn't think either of them needed him to offer empty words of comfort. His hands and arms did enough. Peyton was much worse with words, his actions had always been stronger. When the other teen pulled away he gave him a gentle smile shaking off his apology. None of it needed. Especially not now. Even if Nicholas had bawled his eyes out, he still wouldn't have needed to apologize.

Peyton went to reach for the flask when the other teen surprised him was a hard grope. He choked out a laugh and a warmth ran across his body. He responded almost instantly to the Gryffindor's hand. Swallowing hard he fumbled with the flask and took a swig himself before handing it over. The rush and thrill of a new lover was still there. The way his skin tingled every time Nicholas touched him. He was a tentative lover, taking his partner's lead, trying to never overstep his bounds. It made moments like this still surprising for him rather than expected. Though he wouldn't have it any other way.

Peyton moved a hand down to the Gryffindor's hip, now free of the flask and returned the favour. Wondering if either of them should have bothered to put any of their clothes back on. He leaned forward nibbling along the smaller teen's jaw, "You looking for another round then?"

Nicholas took the flask and nearly emptied it before closing it and tossing it onto a nearby desk.  His hand still between the other teen's legs, he looked down and smiled before planting a quick kiss on Peyton's lips.  "I think we are both looking for another round."

And this time it wasn't even so much using sex as a distraction so much as sex was safe.  Breaking curfew was safe.  While nothing about what he remembered from his kidnapping was safe.  I all lead to raw emotions and nightmares. Things that he did not want between Peyton and him.  Like clothes.  Another thing he didn't want between them.  With one hand he pushed his boxers down enough to wriggle out of them.

He leaned forward, kissing Peyton's neck working his way up to the teen's ear.  "So, what do you say?  Screw curfew—among other things," Nicholas said mischievously before nipping the Ravenclaw's earlobe.