FIC: Collision: Chapter Seven (Lotrips/HP, Viggo/Lucius, PG)
Collision: Chapter Seven
Authors: darkrosetiger and telesilla
Fandom/ Pairing: Harry Potter/Lotrips crossover; eventually Viggo/Lucius
Archive: Please ask.
Rating: PG
Summary: Viggo and Lucius head up to Idaho. Viggo's brother is less than pleased with Viggo's houseguest, and Viggo and Lucius talk about stuff and things.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: You get two for the price of one here: 1) Not RL; didn't happen. If you think this has anything to do with the real people involved, then you need to put down the crack pipe. and probably seek professional help. 2) Neither of us is J.K. Rowling; if we were, we'd have a nicer car and live in San Francisco. This is her world, not ours. Are we clear here?
Notes: Many thanks go out to kyuuketsukirui for her excellent beta. Aaaaaand we're back in PG-land here; given who we're writing about, getting them to fall into bed took some time.
In order to bring some things into parallel, we've messed with the timing of events in the HP universe. Year One is now 2000. Collision begins in February, 2006, in the middle of what would be Year Seven of HP canon.
In order the stories are (please note that "Keeping Faith" and "Favor" overlap each other to some extent):
Dual Citizenship
Keeping Faith
Favor
Collision
The pop of someone Apparating into the living room seems louder than it should, probably because Viggo's got the house all shut up. "Hey," he says, putting his book down and standing up so he can give Lisa a hug. "How're you doing?"
"Not bad," she replies, sighing a bit. "We're crazy busy, what with it being spring and all, but that's to be expected." She shoots a cool glance over at Lucius, who's put his own book down and is standing a little stiffly behind Viggo.
"Oh, sorry," Viggo says. "Lucius, my sister-in-law, Lisa Mortensen. Lisa, this is Lucius Malfoy." He knows Lisa knows who his guest is, but for some reason he wants to stick to the formalities.
Lucius recognizes her expression; it's what he'd expect. He bows to her. "A pleasure, Madame."
"To be sure," she replies, raising an eyebrow at Lucius' Old World manners. "Is this all the luggage you've got?"
"Yeah." Viggo slings his backpack over one shoulder. While he's used to Lisa's attitude, it's worse than usual. Undoubtedly something to do with Lucius, but there's nothing Viggo can do about it now.
"All right, then," she says, holding out her hand to Viggo. "You take Mr. Malfoy's hand and we'll be gone."
Viggo obeys, gritting his teeth a little; he's never liked traveling by either Apparition or portkey. At least it's not like flying is for Sean, he thinks. It's over so much faster.
Viggo's hand feels cool to Lucius, but he doesn't have time to dwell on it. Lisa takes out her wand and they're off. Now I remember why I've always hated Side-Along Apparition, he thinks as Viggo's living room vanishes in a sickening swirl of color. When the spinning stops, they're standing in another living room, this one a little larger and less crowded.
"God, I hate that," Viggo mutters, shaking his head. "Thanks, though, Lisa. Helluva lot faster than driving."
"No problem," Lisa says. "I stocked the kitchen for you and the place has been cleaned up and aired out. Pete and Morgan will be by in the morning to look after the horses, but everyone knows you're here and so you'll have your privacy."
"Cool," Viggo says. For all that she's basically a nice person, he's always found Lisa's brusque efficiency a little off putting. In this case, however, it makes it easier to get rid of her so he can have the drink he needs after Apparating. "Tell Gerry he's welcome to come by whenever he's got a moment."
"I will." She hesitates and then obviously changes her mind about what she was going to say. "Nice meeting you," she says to Lucius and then, with a wave of her wand, she's gone.
A little surprised that she didn't issue her usual invitation to dinner, Viggo sighs. I'd have probably turned her down anyway, so I suppose it doesn't matter.
"I don't know about you," he says, "but I could really use a drink."
"I certainly wouldn't say no to a glass of wine," Lucius says. Impulsively, he adds. "If you tell me where to find glasses and the appropriate bottle, I can get it. You should probably sit down."
"This is not a wine kinda thing, I'm gonna have Jack on the rocks," Viggo says. "Thanks, though," he adds, suddenly realizing how rare it is for Lucius to offer to do something like that. "C'mon into the kitchen, I'll show you where stuff is."
Lucius goes along with Viggo. "What is...Jack?"
"Bourbon," Viggo says. "America's version of whiskey. Kind of like firewhiskey, really." He locates the bottle and pulls an ice-cube tray out of the freezer. "I drink it with plain water on the rocks but I'm willing to bet there's soda around here if you'd like."
"Ah...no, I suspect that for the moment, I would be wise to stick with wine." Lucius sighs as Viggo pours their drinks. "What I wouldn't give for a bottle of my grandmother's absinthe, though."
"Absinthe." Drinks poured, they move into the living room and Viggo settles onto the sofa. "That stuff'll fuck you up good."
Lucius smiles and sips his wine. "La Fée verte...yes. The first time I ever had it was actually some that Severus made. The man is brilliant at potions, but he's not a distiller, and we were both sick for a week afterwards."
"I had it in college," Viggo says, rolling his eyes. "We were such wannabe Bohemians; we'd try anything, but absinthe in particular had that whole artistic association. " He shrugs. "Me, I prefer grass or, if I really want to see things that aren't there, the occasional button."
"Something tells me that you're not talking about your lawn or your trousers," Lucius says, immediately ducking his head so that his hair covers his rapidly-reddening ears. Don't think about his trousers...and what it would be like to undo one button at a time...
"Sorry," Viggo says, wondering what has Lucius so flustered. "Grass is marijuana, cannabis sativa, if you want the formal name. Buttons are peyote, a cactus that contains mescaline. It's a psychedelic hallucinogen." He grimaces a little. "Basically, if you can get high from something in the Muggle world, I've tried it at least once."
"Cannabis I know," Lucius says. "It's a key ingredient in a number of analgesic potions--as well as some that are intended for divinatory use. Muggles commonly smoke it, yes?" When Viggo nods, Lucius makes a face. "I can't abide the smell. If I'm using it for...ah, recreational purposes, I find I prefer it in food."
"I make a mean pan of hashish brownies," Viggo says with a grin. He wonders what Lucius would be like stoned and is a little surprised when he realizes that he'd like to see that.
Lucius looks confused again. "What are brownies?"
"Sorry," Viggo says. "They're kind of a cross between chocolate cake and fudge. They're usually sweet enough and chocolaty enough that they hide the taste of the dope or hash oil."
"They sound good; I wouldn't mind trying them," Lucius says. After a moment's thought, he adds, "Though I do think it would be useful for me to learn more...mundane cooking. So I can make my own toast the next time Sean visits."
For a moment Viggo is taken aback by Lucius' utterly deadpan delivery and then he laughs, realizing that the man is joking. "I can teach you how to do that," he says, "although you'll have to interact with the occasional appliance."
"I've become quite proficient at emptying the dishwasher, so I'm ready for a new challenge--though perhaps not the computer just yet."
"Well the good thing both here and at the house is that everything's spelled so magic users can't do too much damage." Viggo finishes his drink and contemplates another. "I'll tell you what. We'll have something easy for dinner tonight and tomorrow I'll teach you to make spaghetti sauce or chili. I know I'll have the stuff for either of those here."
"That seems reasonable. Thank you."
A knock on the door breaks the comfortable intimacy. His brother, I expect. Lucius sighs inwardly. Something tells me he won't be overly pleased to see me.
Viggo gets up and opens the door. "C'mon in." After exchanging a backslapping hug with Gerald, he steps back. "This is Lucius Malfoy, of course. Lucius, my brother Gerald."
"Good to meet you," Gerald says, holding out his hand. Viggo can't help noticing that his expression is as cool as Lisa's was and he finds himself bristling a little.
Lucius shakes hands with Gerald, though he suspects that the looks of thinly-veiled hostility will become unbearable if they stay here too long. "The pleasure is mine," he says, trying not to sound too stiff. "And I thank you for allowing me to stay here."
"Least I could do for Jan and Viggo," Gerald says. He turns to Viggo. "TJ and Uraeus'll be glad to see you. You planning on riding tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Viggo says, frowning just a little. "We've both been cooped up in the house down in LA and I thought some fresh air would do us good. You have a pegasus to spare?"
"Thought you gave up on riding creatures."
"Oh, not for me," Viggo says, wondering what on earth prompted him to make the request. "For Lucius."
"No," Gerald says flatly. "I don't think it's a good idea, him without his magic and all."
"He's right," Lucius interjects. "I haven't ridden anything winged in years, and to do so without having my wand would be difficult. If you have an English saddle, however, I would be most grateful if I could ride a non-magical horse."
"We've got English saddles," Viggo says quickly. He looks at Gerald, almost daring him to say that he doesn't want Lucius riding at all, but his brother just stares back calmly.
"You want a drink?" Viggo finally says, giving into the pressure of family obligations.
"Thanks, but Lisa's expecting me and if I start drinking now, I'll get hammered," Gerald says. "I've been up since three this morning dealing with a complicated unicorn birth."
"Okay," Viggo says, relieved. "I'll see you later, then."
"Yeah." Gerald nods at Lucius as he leaves, but doesn't say anything.
"What the fuck crawled up his ass and died?" Viggo mutters. "You hungry? Because I need another fucking drink and I don't want it on an empty stomach."
"I could certainly eat," Lucius says. It rankles that Gerald and Lisa don't trust a former Death Eater as far as they could throw him with magic., but Lucius can't deny that were their positions reversed, he wouldn't trust himself either. And I suppose I should get used to it--it's going to be worse when I return.
Lisa was as good as her word; the fridge is well stocked and Viggo gets out sandwich makings. Now that he's had a moment to think about it, he does understand what was going on with Gerry. Fair enough, I guess; I didn't trust him at first either. The thought is rather disturbing, making Viggo wonder just how much he trusts Lucius now. Fuck it, he thinks. I don't want to go there.
Lucius puts together a sandwich for himself with careful deliberation. Neither he nor Viggo says much as they eat, but even though they're not in the familiar kitchen in Venice, it's still a comfortable silence.
While Viggo does have a second drink, he drinks it slowly, leaving him with only a very mild buzz once they're done with dinner. After cleaning up, he shows Lucius to the larger of the guest rooms and then checks out his own room, making sure he's got everything he needs.
It's still early enough in the season to be chilly and once Viggo's unpacked his things, he decides he wants the comfort of a real fire. There's wood stacked next to the fireplace in the living room and while he appreciates that someone remembered, he also knows that no real effort was involved. Must be nice, he thinks and then frowns. He's been trying, over the past two months, to find that place where he was resigned to being a Squib and he's been surprisingly unsuccessful. More and more, he wonders if he ever was truly resigned or if he'd just convinced himself that he was. And really, is there a difference?
After putting a few of his things away, Lucius comes out of his room and down the hall to see Viggo sitting in front of a fire. For an instant, his vision blurs and he sees Draco, curled up before another fire, this one in a small, cramped room. Has he really grown so much? Has it really been so long since I've seen him? He blinks, and the vision is gone.
"Are you going to be staying up, then?" he asks, going over to where Viggo is sitting.
A little while," Viggo says. "I was waiting to see if you were coming back. I usually go out and look at the stars when I'm here. I miss them in LA. Wanna join me?"
"I'd like that," Lucius says, surprised at the offer, and at the way his stomach tightens when Viggo makes it. Bloody hell. High on my list of things I don't need right now is becoming attached to an American Squib from a family of blood traitors. The thought only inspires the part of Lucius' brain that doesn't sound like his father to point out that the Malfoys and the Mortensens are still related, so it's not as though he's lowering himself, really.
"Hang on," Viggo says, retreating into the kitchen. Working quickly, he makes hot chocolate and then sticks his head back into the living room. "I made cocoa; I'm gonna put a splash of bourbon in mine. Do you want yours straight or doctored?"
"A little bit of whatever you're drinking, I think--thank you." When Viggo comes back, he hands Lucius a steaming mug and the two of them go outside. The night is cool and so clear that Lucius has a moment of vertigo when he looks up at the stars.
"I'm not a particularly religious person," Viggo says, once they've dragged chairs off the porch and have settled down, "but I don't know how anyone can look at a sky like this and not feel some kind of awe, even if it's only for realizing how vast the universe is."
"The last time I really looked was the night before I left Hogwarts," Lucius murmurs. "The Astronomy Tower had a beautiful view, although by that time, I was mostly using it for snogging, like everyone else, but for some reason that night I went alone, just to look at the stars." Lucius can scarcely remember himself as he was then, looking forward to being initiated as a full Death Eater and nervously anticipating his upcoming marriage.
"You haven't looked up since?" Viggo says, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. How sad.
"Oh, I have...but I haven't done it like this, truly paying attention and not worrying or planning anything," Lucius explains. "When Draco was born...well, that's where his name came from. I stared up at the stars that night and wondered if he was going to be like me...like my father...like generations of Malfoys..." Lucius swallows hard and quickly drinks some of his cocoa.
"Oh?" Viggo asks quietly. "I had assumed it was a sympathetic magic kind of name."
"Narcissa's family used star names--she was the only one who was different," Lucius says. "We both thought that perhaps we should follow that tradition, as opposed to the Malfoy one of naming your children after demons."
"Odd," Viggo says after a moment, "I never thought of the association with demons when I thought of your name. I just assumed you were named after some Roman your parents admired." He chuckles. "I should have made the connection seeing as I played Lucifer once."
Lucius looks over at Viggo. "You? Now that's unexpected. Were you good?"
"I got paid, and I did my best" Viggo says. "I was pretty unpleasant to be around at the time." He shrugs. "You do what you can, but in the end, you can only work with what you're given, and we weren't given...well, it wasn't Tolkien."
"Actually, I can imagine you being rather terrifying, simply because you don't have red eyes and no nose. Unexpected." Lucius smiles.
"Red eyes and no nose?" Viggo asks. "Is that what he looks like?"
"Since his return, yes...he looks like a serpent who walks on two legs. Before that, he was pale, with reddish eyes, but he looked human, at least. His hands are still cold, like a corpse." Lucius shivers.
Without really thinking about it, Viggo reaches out and rests his hand on Lucius' shoulder. He knows he shouldn't feel sorry for the man, but how can he not? There's something courageous about Lucius' attempt to walk away from Voldemort, and Viggo's always admired courage in the face of overwhelming odds.
Lucius jumps a little and Viggo murmurs "sorry," and starts to pull back.
"It's all right," Lucius says quickly, covering Viggo's hand with his. "I...thank you."
"Mmmm," Viggo murmurs. He's never needed to be thanked for a gesture of...well, friendship in this case, but he does understand the need to say thank you. Content with the moment as it is, he goes silent.
When it's clear that Viggo's not going to move, Lucius sits back and looks up at the sky again. Even with the ever-present fear for Draco's safety, he hasn't felt this much at peace since he was a child.
-tbc-
Authors: darkrosetiger and telesilla
Fandom/ Pairing: Harry Potter/Lotrips crossover; eventually Viggo/Lucius
Archive: Please ask.
Rating: PG
Summary: Viggo and Lucius head up to Idaho. Viggo's brother is less than pleased with Viggo's houseguest, and Viggo and Lucius talk about stuff and things.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: You get two for the price of one here: 1) Not RL; didn't happen. If you think this has anything to do with the real people involved, then you need to put down the crack pipe. and probably seek professional help. 2) Neither of us is J.K. Rowling; if we were, we'd have a nicer car and live in San Francisco. This is her world, not ours. Are we clear here?
Notes: Many thanks go out to kyuuketsukirui for her excellent beta. Aaaaaand we're back in PG-land here; given who we're writing about, getting them to fall into bed took some time.
In order to bring some things into parallel, we've messed with the timing of events in the HP universe. Year One is now 2000. Collision begins in February, 2006, in the middle of what would be Year Seven of HP canon.
In order the stories are (please note that "Keeping Faith" and "Favor" overlap each other to some extent):
Dual Citizenship
Keeping Faith
Favor
Collision
The pop of someone Apparating into the living room seems louder than it should, probably because Viggo's got the house all shut up. "Hey," he says, putting his book down and standing up so he can give Lisa a hug. "How're you doing?"
"Not bad," she replies, sighing a bit. "We're crazy busy, what with it being spring and all, but that's to be expected." She shoots a cool glance over at Lucius, who's put his own book down and is standing a little stiffly behind Viggo.
"Oh, sorry," Viggo says. "Lucius, my sister-in-law, Lisa Mortensen. Lisa, this is Lucius Malfoy." He knows Lisa knows who his guest is, but for some reason he wants to stick to the formalities.
Lucius recognizes her expression; it's what he'd expect. He bows to her. "A pleasure, Madame."
"To be sure," she replies, raising an eyebrow at Lucius' Old World manners. "Is this all the luggage you've got?"
"Yeah." Viggo slings his backpack over one shoulder. While he's used to Lisa's attitude, it's worse than usual. Undoubtedly something to do with Lucius, but there's nothing Viggo can do about it now.
"All right, then," she says, holding out her hand to Viggo. "You take Mr. Malfoy's hand and we'll be gone."
Viggo obeys, gritting his teeth a little; he's never liked traveling by either Apparition or portkey. At least it's not like flying is for Sean, he thinks. It's over so much faster.
Viggo's hand feels cool to Lucius, but he doesn't have time to dwell on it. Lisa takes out her wand and they're off. Now I remember why I've always hated Side-Along Apparition, he thinks as Viggo's living room vanishes in a sickening swirl of color. When the spinning stops, they're standing in another living room, this one a little larger and less crowded.
"God, I hate that," Viggo mutters, shaking his head. "Thanks, though, Lisa. Helluva lot faster than driving."
"No problem," Lisa says. "I stocked the kitchen for you and the place has been cleaned up and aired out. Pete and Morgan will be by in the morning to look after the horses, but everyone knows you're here and so you'll have your privacy."
"Cool," Viggo says. For all that she's basically a nice person, he's always found Lisa's brusque efficiency a little off putting. In this case, however, it makes it easier to get rid of her so he can have the drink he needs after Apparating. "Tell Gerry he's welcome to come by whenever he's got a moment."
"I will." She hesitates and then obviously changes her mind about what she was going to say. "Nice meeting you," she says to Lucius and then, with a wave of her wand, she's gone.
A little surprised that she didn't issue her usual invitation to dinner, Viggo sighs. I'd have probably turned her down anyway, so I suppose it doesn't matter.
"I don't know about you," he says, "but I could really use a drink."
"I certainly wouldn't say no to a glass of wine," Lucius says. Impulsively, he adds. "If you tell me where to find glasses and the appropriate bottle, I can get it. You should probably sit down."
"This is not a wine kinda thing, I'm gonna have Jack on the rocks," Viggo says. "Thanks, though," he adds, suddenly realizing how rare it is for Lucius to offer to do something like that. "C'mon into the kitchen, I'll show you where stuff is."
Lucius goes along with Viggo. "What is...Jack?"
"Bourbon," Viggo says. "America's version of whiskey. Kind of like firewhiskey, really." He locates the bottle and pulls an ice-cube tray out of the freezer. "I drink it with plain water on the rocks but I'm willing to bet there's soda around here if you'd like."
"Ah...no, I suspect that for the moment, I would be wise to stick with wine." Lucius sighs as Viggo pours their drinks. "What I wouldn't give for a bottle of my grandmother's absinthe, though."
"Absinthe." Drinks poured, they move into the living room and Viggo settles onto the sofa. "That stuff'll fuck you up good."
Lucius smiles and sips his wine. "La Fée verte...yes. The first time I ever had it was actually some that Severus made. The man is brilliant at potions, but he's not a distiller, and we were both sick for a week afterwards."
"I had it in college," Viggo says, rolling his eyes. "We were such wannabe Bohemians; we'd try anything, but absinthe in particular had that whole artistic association. " He shrugs. "Me, I prefer grass or, if I really want to see things that aren't there, the occasional button."
"Something tells me that you're not talking about your lawn or your trousers," Lucius says, immediately ducking his head so that his hair covers his rapidly-reddening ears. Don't think about his trousers...and what it would be like to undo one button at a time...
"Sorry," Viggo says, wondering what has Lucius so flustered. "Grass is marijuana, cannabis sativa, if you want the formal name. Buttons are peyote, a cactus that contains mescaline. It's a psychedelic hallucinogen." He grimaces a little. "Basically, if you can get high from something in the Muggle world, I've tried it at least once."
"Cannabis I know," Lucius says. "It's a key ingredient in a number of analgesic potions--as well as some that are intended for divinatory use. Muggles commonly smoke it, yes?" When Viggo nods, Lucius makes a face. "I can't abide the smell. If I'm using it for...ah, recreational purposes, I find I prefer it in food."
"I make a mean pan of hashish brownies," Viggo says with a grin. He wonders what Lucius would be like stoned and is a little surprised when he realizes that he'd like to see that.
Lucius looks confused again. "What are brownies?"
"Sorry," Viggo says. "They're kind of a cross between chocolate cake and fudge. They're usually sweet enough and chocolaty enough that they hide the taste of the dope or hash oil."
"They sound good; I wouldn't mind trying them," Lucius says. After a moment's thought, he adds, "Though I do think it would be useful for me to learn more...mundane cooking. So I can make my own toast the next time Sean visits."
For a moment Viggo is taken aback by Lucius' utterly deadpan delivery and then he laughs, realizing that the man is joking. "I can teach you how to do that," he says, "although you'll have to interact with the occasional appliance."
"I've become quite proficient at emptying the dishwasher, so I'm ready for a new challenge--though perhaps not the computer just yet."
"Well the good thing both here and at the house is that everything's spelled so magic users can't do too much damage." Viggo finishes his drink and contemplates another. "I'll tell you what. We'll have something easy for dinner tonight and tomorrow I'll teach you to make spaghetti sauce or chili. I know I'll have the stuff for either of those here."
"That seems reasonable. Thank you."
A knock on the door breaks the comfortable intimacy. His brother, I expect. Lucius sighs inwardly. Something tells me he won't be overly pleased to see me.
Viggo gets up and opens the door. "C'mon in." After exchanging a backslapping hug with Gerald, he steps back. "This is Lucius Malfoy, of course. Lucius, my brother Gerald."
"Good to meet you," Gerald says, holding out his hand. Viggo can't help noticing that his expression is as cool as Lisa's was and he finds himself bristling a little.
Lucius shakes hands with Gerald, though he suspects that the looks of thinly-veiled hostility will become unbearable if they stay here too long. "The pleasure is mine," he says, trying not to sound too stiff. "And I thank you for allowing me to stay here."
"Least I could do for Jan and Viggo," Gerald says. He turns to Viggo. "TJ and Uraeus'll be glad to see you. You planning on riding tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Viggo says, frowning just a little. "We've both been cooped up in the house down in LA and I thought some fresh air would do us good. You have a pegasus to spare?"
"Thought you gave up on riding creatures."
"Oh, not for me," Viggo says, wondering what on earth prompted him to make the request. "For Lucius."
"No," Gerald says flatly. "I don't think it's a good idea, him without his magic and all."
"He's right," Lucius interjects. "I haven't ridden anything winged in years, and to do so without having my wand would be difficult. If you have an English saddle, however, I would be most grateful if I could ride a non-magical horse."
"We've got English saddles," Viggo says quickly. He looks at Gerald, almost daring him to say that he doesn't want Lucius riding at all, but his brother just stares back calmly.
"You want a drink?" Viggo finally says, giving into the pressure of family obligations.
"Thanks, but Lisa's expecting me and if I start drinking now, I'll get hammered," Gerald says. "I've been up since three this morning dealing with a complicated unicorn birth."
"Okay," Viggo says, relieved. "I'll see you later, then."
"Yeah." Gerald nods at Lucius as he leaves, but doesn't say anything.
"What the fuck crawled up his ass and died?" Viggo mutters. "You hungry? Because I need another fucking drink and I don't want it on an empty stomach."
"I could certainly eat," Lucius says. It rankles that Gerald and Lisa don't trust a former Death Eater as far as they could throw him with magic., but Lucius can't deny that were their positions reversed, he wouldn't trust himself either. And I suppose I should get used to it--it's going to be worse when I return.
Lisa was as good as her word; the fridge is well stocked and Viggo gets out sandwich makings. Now that he's had a moment to think about it, he does understand what was going on with Gerry. Fair enough, I guess; I didn't trust him at first either. The thought is rather disturbing, making Viggo wonder just how much he trusts Lucius now. Fuck it, he thinks. I don't want to go there.
Lucius puts together a sandwich for himself with careful deliberation. Neither he nor Viggo says much as they eat, but even though they're not in the familiar kitchen in Venice, it's still a comfortable silence.
While Viggo does have a second drink, he drinks it slowly, leaving him with only a very mild buzz once they're done with dinner. After cleaning up, he shows Lucius to the larger of the guest rooms and then checks out his own room, making sure he's got everything he needs.
It's still early enough in the season to be chilly and once Viggo's unpacked his things, he decides he wants the comfort of a real fire. There's wood stacked next to the fireplace in the living room and while he appreciates that someone remembered, he also knows that no real effort was involved. Must be nice, he thinks and then frowns. He's been trying, over the past two months, to find that place where he was resigned to being a Squib and he's been surprisingly unsuccessful. More and more, he wonders if he ever was truly resigned or if he'd just convinced himself that he was. And really, is there a difference?
After putting a few of his things away, Lucius comes out of his room and down the hall to see Viggo sitting in front of a fire. For an instant, his vision blurs and he sees Draco, curled up before another fire, this one in a small, cramped room. Has he really grown so much? Has it really been so long since I've seen him? He blinks, and the vision is gone.
"Are you going to be staying up, then?" he asks, going over to where Viggo is sitting.
A little while," Viggo says. "I was waiting to see if you were coming back. I usually go out and look at the stars when I'm here. I miss them in LA. Wanna join me?"
"I'd like that," Lucius says, surprised at the offer, and at the way his stomach tightens when Viggo makes it. Bloody hell. High on my list of things I don't need right now is becoming attached to an American Squib from a family of blood traitors. The thought only inspires the part of Lucius' brain that doesn't sound like his father to point out that the Malfoys and the Mortensens are still related, so it's not as though he's lowering himself, really.
"Hang on," Viggo says, retreating into the kitchen. Working quickly, he makes hot chocolate and then sticks his head back into the living room. "I made cocoa; I'm gonna put a splash of bourbon in mine. Do you want yours straight or doctored?"
"A little bit of whatever you're drinking, I think--thank you." When Viggo comes back, he hands Lucius a steaming mug and the two of them go outside. The night is cool and so clear that Lucius has a moment of vertigo when he looks up at the stars.
"I'm not a particularly religious person," Viggo says, once they've dragged chairs off the porch and have settled down, "but I don't know how anyone can look at a sky like this and not feel some kind of awe, even if it's only for realizing how vast the universe is."
"The last time I really looked was the night before I left Hogwarts," Lucius murmurs. "The Astronomy Tower had a beautiful view, although by that time, I was mostly using it for snogging, like everyone else, but for some reason that night I went alone, just to look at the stars." Lucius can scarcely remember himself as he was then, looking forward to being initiated as a full Death Eater and nervously anticipating his upcoming marriage.
"You haven't looked up since?" Viggo says, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. How sad.
"Oh, I have...but I haven't done it like this, truly paying attention and not worrying or planning anything," Lucius explains. "When Draco was born...well, that's where his name came from. I stared up at the stars that night and wondered if he was going to be like me...like my father...like generations of Malfoys..." Lucius swallows hard and quickly drinks some of his cocoa.
"Oh?" Viggo asks quietly. "I had assumed it was a sympathetic magic kind of name."
"Narcissa's family used star names--she was the only one who was different," Lucius says. "We both thought that perhaps we should follow that tradition, as opposed to the Malfoy one of naming your children after demons."
"Odd," Viggo says after a moment, "I never thought of the association with demons when I thought of your name. I just assumed you were named after some Roman your parents admired." He chuckles. "I should have made the connection seeing as I played Lucifer once."
Lucius looks over at Viggo. "You? Now that's unexpected. Were you good?"
"I got paid, and I did my best" Viggo says. "I was pretty unpleasant to be around at the time." He shrugs. "You do what you can, but in the end, you can only work with what you're given, and we weren't given...well, it wasn't Tolkien."
"Actually, I can imagine you being rather terrifying, simply because you don't have red eyes and no nose. Unexpected." Lucius smiles.
"Red eyes and no nose?" Viggo asks. "Is that what he looks like?"
"Since his return, yes...he looks like a serpent who walks on two legs. Before that, he was pale, with reddish eyes, but he looked human, at least. His hands are still cold, like a corpse." Lucius shivers.
Without really thinking about it, Viggo reaches out and rests his hand on Lucius' shoulder. He knows he shouldn't feel sorry for the man, but how can he not? There's something courageous about Lucius' attempt to walk away from Voldemort, and Viggo's always admired courage in the face of overwhelming odds.
Lucius jumps a little and Viggo murmurs "sorry," and starts to pull back.
"It's all right," Lucius says quickly, covering Viggo's hand with his. "I...thank you."
"Mmmm," Viggo murmurs. He's never needed to be thanked for a gesture of...well, friendship in this case, but he does understand the need to say thank you. Content with the moment as it is, he goes silent.
When it's clear that Viggo's not going to move, Lucius sits back and looks up at the sky again. Even with the ever-present fear for Draco's safety, he hasn't felt this much at peace since he was a child.
-tbc-