Chapter 1. December 25, 1890

"Kiss me," Sebastian blurted. He didn't even have time to comprehend why or for what reason he said it. The brain, under the relaxing effect of red currant rum acquired with great effort for the Christmas celebration, functioned much more slowly than the tongue. And when it finally dawned on him what he had exactly said, it felt as if he had been drenched with a barrel of cold water, and his palms grew sweaty.

Ominis held his breath for a moment, but then exhaled noisily, laughing.

"Funny, Sebastian. You had such a serious tone that I was momentarily confused. I thought to myself, 'What nonsense are you talking about?'"He let out another chuckle and reached for his glass. He took a long sip of the sweet, scalding alcohol, which seemed too long for someone who had actually taken proposal to kiss as a silly joke.

***

This year, as usual, almost the entire Hogwarts went home for the Christmas holidays, but for the first time, Sebastian and Ominis both stayed behind. Sebastian, along with his sister, used to go to his uncle's house every Christmas, but recently he had a terrible fight with uncle Solomon due to his strong desire to help his sister overcome the curse in any way possible. His uncle didn't want to hear anything about it and refused to let Sebastian stay in his house. As a result, Sebastian had to spend his holidays in the same place where Ominis had been spending them every year, but Ominis, unlike Sebastian, preferred to stay at Hogwarts by his own accord.

They spent their time quite joyfully, as much as it was possible in the prevailing circumstances. They often gathered at "The Three Broomsticks" and on the Christmas Eve, Sebastian managed to acquire a large bottle of red currant rum there, very strong but sweet, which he solemnly pulled out from under his cloak and showed to Ominis when they returned to the living room after Christmas dinner. Ominis tried to pretend that he disapproved him, but he was not very successful at it. Therefore, after just an hour, a quarter of the bottle was emptied, and on the coffee table, there was a whole assortment of snacks stolen from the kitchen.

There was no one in the Slytherin common room except for Sebastian and Ominis, so they had no one to share the celebration with, and to be honest, they didn't really feel like sharing it with anyone. At some point, discussing everyday problems became boring, and debates about the harm and benefit of dark magic threatened to go too far, so Sebastian suggested playing "Truth or Dare."

"This is a Muggle game where you have to choose whether you want to honestly (truly honestly!) answer another player's question or fulfill any of their wishes."

"But what's the point?" Ominis questioned, completely perplexed by the essence of the game. "There's no way to lose or win here," he added, unable to grasp the purpose behind it.

"There's no real point. It's just about having fun and discovering each other's darkest secrets," Sebastian whispered the last words in a conspiratorial tone.

"You already know all of my dark secrets," Ominis waved dismissively, breaking off a piece of cheese and sprawling on the couch.

"And what about mine?" Sebastian asked with a smile, squinting his eyes.

Another quarter of the bottle was consumed as questions and dares revolved around different sorts of foolishness, like the most awkward moments in life or consuming Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans with the most repugnant taste. It seemed like all the problems had been forgotten, all the disagreements had vanished, and the boys spent the evening like the most ordinary teenagers, with their main concern being the O.W.L. exams at the end of the school year. And this impromptu party for two could have continued in the same vein, if it weren't for Sebastian's unexpected wish, uttered completely out of the blue for both of them: "Kiss me."

***

Ominis placed his glass back on the coffee table. The bottom of the glass clinked against the cold wood three times, exposing the hand that held it, trembling with unease. The intensified pounding of his heart echoed loudly in his head, a flush spread across his face, but he tried to continue behaving as naturally as possible, trying to convince himself that it was just a joke and that Sebastian would laugh too and nonchalantly start munching on his favorite Triton-shaped cookie. "How I wish I could see his facial expression to understand that everything is alright," Ominis thought.

Through the haze of alcohol, Sebastian carefully studied the expression on his friend's face, which seemed to change almost every moment, something that was completely uncharacteristic of Gaunt, who typically maintained a mask of cold composure in almost any situation. On his face, astonishment gave way to relief, then signs of suspicion appeared, followed by awkwardness and even a fleeting glimpse of anger. And as Sebastian observed these changes, the little devils in his mind urged him not to turn the sudden uncomfortable situation into a planned joke, but to take advantage of it. Hasn't he noticed all this time how attractive Ominis is? Of course, back then he looked at him with a slightly different gaze than now, but he always considered his appearance to be handsome. Sometimes he even envied him.

"No, Ominis, it's not a joke. It's my wish," he said with a slightly firmer tone, exerting great effort to keep his voice from trembling. Although he was the initiator of what was happening, he was no less nervous than Ominis. He wiped his palms on the soft upholstery of the armchair, nervously adjusted his cloak, and looked expectantly at his friend. He was afraid that the other would react too harshly, that something irreparable would happen, and he regretted in advance bringing that accursed bottle to Hogwarts. After all, surely none of this would have happened if they had practiced magic in the crypt or played a couple of chess games after dinner once again.

"Then sit beside me. I don't want to grope my way towards you after consuming so much rum," Ominis cleared his throat and whispered softly and hesitantly, lowering his face to the floor.

According to the additional rules they had invented for the game, they had to set their wands aside and not use them when fulfilling the dares. That's why Ominis' wand, which allowed him to see the world around him to some extent, lay far away on the mantelpiece, alongside his friend's wand.

Sebastian slowly rose from his chair and only now felt how numb his legs had become. The world before his eyes began to blur, but after a few seconds, it froze. He circled the table and plopped down on the couch next to Ominis, causing him to jump slightly, and turn his face towards Gaunt, leaning forward a bit. Ominis carefully raised his hand and brought it close to Sebastian's face. His fingers trembled slightly as they felt the warmth emanating from it.

Ominis had never touched his friend like this before. He had touched Sebastian's shoulders, clothing, and face on numerous occasions, seeking to comfort him, "see" his emotions through his own hands, or simply understand how close he was and from which side he stood. Just like Sebastian had often reached out to him, to turn him in another direction and prevent him from crashing into the knight's armor. Unfortunately, the capabilities of his wand were limited, and he couldn't use it at all times. However, with Sebastian, they were together day and night, even sharing a bedroom since their first year.

And finally, the tips of his fingers gently touched the smooth, warm skin. Fluttering lightly, they traced the eyebrows, eyes, and nose of Sebastian, then abruptly stopped. He had felt his smile under his fingertips before, but he had never attached greater significance to it than, for example, touching his shoulder or hand. Now, for the first time, he thought about it differently. Sebastian tilted his head back slightly, and Ominis' fingers lightly glided to his lips. Soft, slightly moist, with a small crack from the cold, they slowly stretched upward at the corners and then moved slowly under his fingertips.

"Are you afraid?" Sebastian asked.

"I'm afraid we'll regret this tomorrow," Ominis whispered, tracing the contours of Sebastian's lips with his fingers.

"We can always pretend that nothing happened," Sebastian suggested.

Sebastian leaned forward, almost touching noses with Ominis. Ominis felt the scorching breath with a flavor of sweet berries on his face. He lowered his fingers to his friend's chin and gently pressed his lips against his. So gently and cautiously, as if the Sebastian could vanish at the slightest pressure. For a few moments, they froze, imprinting the new sensations, surrendering to this unique, exhilarating, innocent moment that could never be replicated. But after a couple of seconds, Sebastian slowly intensified the pressure, deepening the kiss, parting Ominis' lips and savoring them like he had never done before. Gaunt flinched. It can't be said that he didn't expect such a continuation, but he certainly couldn't anticipate in advance what he would feel when it happened. A whining warmth emerged in his lower abdomen and began to spread throughout his body. An unexpected soft moan of pleasure escaped through the kiss. Sebastian ran his fingers through Ominis' hair, pulled him closer for a moment, and then pulled away. He smiled, watching the heavily breathing, nervous Ominis, who started shifting to get more comfortable, unable to find his place. He wanted to embarrass Ominis, but he also wanted him to derive pleasure from it and desire more. And he could see on his face all that he wanted to achieve.

"Do you want me to bring some water?" Sebastian casually asked, leaning back on the couch.

"Yes, please," Ominis quietly responded, who would be more than happy to be alone now and gather himself a bit.

Sebastian stood up, took an empty glass, and headed to the bathroom. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart, and thought about what tomorrow would bring. Will Ominis want to kiss him again when the fleur of alcohol subsides and the pretense of an innocent game fades away? He didn't know, and that unpleasant feeling snaked in his stomach because of it. Placing the full glass on the sink, he looked at himself in the mirror. He smoothed down his unruly locks and touched his lips, still savoring the taste of Ominis' lips. He licked them, committing it to memory. "His hands are so cold, but damn, the kiss with him couldn't have been any hotter," he thought, smirking at his reflection.

When Ominis heard the sound of the door closing and the splash of water, he breathed a sigh of relief, covered his face with his hands, and leaned back against the back of the couch. He tried to calmly ponder what had happened, whether it meant anything, or if he could simply forget about the incident. However, every thought scattered like startled Diricawls, encountering any of the experienced sensations. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed deeply once again. It slightly frightened him that he had enjoyed kissing his best friend, and that things between them could never be the same as they were before that evening. Then he heard the sound of the faucet closing and the creak of the door, and he tried to assume the most natural posture.

Sebastian walked over to the fireplace mantle, picked up their wands, and was about to return to his chair across from Ominis, but after a second of contemplation, he settled down on the couch next to him.

"Here," he handed his friend a glass and placed a wand on his lap.

Ominis took several large sips, feeling as if he was washing away all traces of Sebastian, and the thought struck him as rather melancholic. Leaving the half-empty glass on the table, he picked up the wand, finally illuminating the figure of his friend from the eternal darkness. "It's unfair that he saw me while kissing, and I didn't see him," he thought. Stealthily, he observed Sebastian clearing the table of food and drink, trying to read something from his expression. After a few minutes, Sallow turned to him and suggested going to bed. Ominis flinched at how casually and effortlessly those words were spoken, but he simply nodded in silence and took Sebastian's outstretched hand, grasping onto his friend's willingness to help him stand as if it were a lifeline, preventing him from sinking into the darkness of his thoughts.

***

Neither of them could fall asleep that night. They lay barely breathing, listening to the rustling sounds they themselves created while tossing in the cold, unwelcoming beds. In the suffocating tension of the silence, every breath and every futile attempt to find a comfortable position and finally fall asleep seemed magnified.

Ominis recalled every detail of tonight's events. His heart was racing, and the space around him seemed to spin at a frenetic pace. Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol. Or maybe it was something else. He dreaded the arrival of morning, bringing with it uncertainty. He longed to hide under the covers and prolong this night for just a few more hours. "Stop thinking about it, just stop," he kept telling himself relentlessly. Rolling over, he pulled the blanket up to his forehead and closed his eyes, hoping to darken the darkness in front of him even further. Perhaps this way, he might fall asleep.

Sebastian lay on his side, observing Ominis' graceful profile. In the moonlight that filled the room, he could see his wide-open eyes, seemingly gazing at the ceiling, but in reality, delving deep into the soul of their owner. He wished to know what Ominis was thinking. He noticed how often Ominis' chest rose and fell, and he felt a twinge of awkwardness as if he were eavesdropping and seeing things he shouldn't. As if sensing his gaze, Ominis turned away and buried himself under the covers.

With the arrival of dawn came the realization that the world hadn't changed, that winter remained outside the window, and Hogwarts was still the same beyond the bedroom door. Only one thing had changed: yesterday's Ominis Gaunt and Sebastian Sallow, so confident that they could pretend nothing had happened, were no longer as certain of that today.