Chapter 16. February 7, 1891

Entering the vast, brightly lit foyer, Ominis paused, contemplating whether he should immediately approach the Welcome Witch or attempt to find Sebastian's room on his own. He suspected they might not easily grant him access to Sebastian, but he was determined to spin a web of lies if necessary to gain entry, or even sneak into the right place under the Concealment Charm. It was a very convenient spell for gaining access to restricted areas. A bitter smirk tugged at Ominis' lips as he thought about how he owed his mastery of this spell primarily to Anne and Sebastian with their countless covert entries into professors' offices and midweek trips to Hogsmeade. Suppressing a nervous chuckle, he clenched his fist to his mouth and decided to start by behaving like an ordinary visitor. After all, if they refused him entry, they wouldn't throw him out, and he could devise a plan later. Plus, the Welcome Witch might provide some useful information.

He joined a small queue at the information desk, listening intently to the conversations around him, trying not to let his mind spiral into thoughts about how the entire hospital might be swarming with Ministry personnel. Sebastian, while a criminal, wasn't particularly dangerous, unremarkable, and quite manageable. So the Magical Law Enforcement Department might have assigned just one supervisor or even shifted this responsibility to the hospital's medical staff. Though, of course, there was the matter of the dark relic involved in the case, the danger of which Ominis found difficult to assess, and it could elevate the status of this case. His train of thought was abruptly interrupted when the queue ahead of him cleared, and the cheerful voice of a plump, smiling Welcome Witch rang out.

"Good afternoon! How can I assist you?"

"Good afternoon. I'd like to visit a patient. His name is Sebastian Sallow," Ominis donned a mask of polite composure and offered a gentle smile to the witch, trying to win her over.

"Just a moment," the witch began flipping through pages of patient information with a rustling sound. After a few seconds, she gave a thoughtful hum, "what ailment has brought him here?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I believe his room is on the fifth floor. Mental disorders, the aftermath of spell usage," Gaunt nervously tapped his fingers on the countertop, feeling the stirrings of anxiety in his stomach.

"Hmm... Sallow..." the nurse once again began to shuffle through her records, muttering the names of others on the lists under her breath, "I'm sorry, but visitors aren't allowed to see him right now."

"Why?" Ominis decided to act as if he didn't know anything, hoping the witch might divulge a bit more information.

"I can't tell you. Even if you were his closest relative, they wouldn't let you in," her voice sounded sympathetic, and suddenly Ominis felt her fingers encouragingly squeeze his still-tapping fingers. He jerked slightly and was about to pull them away in irritation when the witch continued, "head to the cafeteria, have some tea and pastries so your visit isn't completely in vain."

"Thank you," he muttered in response, wondering if he should interpret this as a hint that he really should visit the cafeteria. Or was it just a polite attempt to console a visitor whose smile had faltered after an unexpected refusal?

"I'm starting to get paranoid and see things that aren't there," Ominis thought irritably as he stepped away from the counter.

Deciding that since he needed to find a way into the room on his own, Ominis headed up the stairs. He could have taken the elevator, but he wanted to explore each floor in more detail as much as his limited perception of the world allowed. This could come in handy if he and Sebastian eventually came up with an escape plan. He leisurely walked past rooms and healers' offices, but he also tried not to move too slowly to avoid drawing attention to himself. A couple of times, he approached windows, feeling the locked wooden frames and carefully memorizing the location of emergency exits. His heart beat faster, and his breathing quickened as he ascended the final step leading to the fifth floor. He was certain that Sebastian's room was here. He moved down the endlessly long corridor, stretching out his hand and brushing the cold, smooth walls with his slender fingers, occasionally interrupted by the rough wood of doors. His blindness gave him the excuse to behave a bit strangely, so he wasn't concerned if a nurse asked him what he was doing; he would simply say he was looking for the restroom.

It was unlikely that Sebastian's room was in the main corridor, but Ominis liked to think that perhaps behind this door or the next one, he lay in bed wondering if Ominis would come to see him. "And how can you doubt it? Of course, I'll come. We don't have anyone else left but each other," Ominis answered the unasked question, smiling bitterly. Then his hand unexpectedly touched the top of someone's head, who was sitting by another door and leaning tiredly against the wall. He unmistakably determined that it was a girl in front of him, most likely a hospital worker, as her bun was too tight, and there were too many invisible hairpins for an ordinary visitor. The girl jolted, instantly turning towards him, and started apologizing, explaining why she had dozed off at work.

"It's okay, I didn't mean to disturb you or wake you up, I just bumped into you accidentally," Ominis began awkwardly apologizing, intending to move on down the corridor, praying that this nurse wouldn't start asking him what or who he was looking for. He heard her abruptly rise behind him and call out, causing Ominis to freeze in his tracks and chill.

"Mr. Gaunt?" came that cautiously polite voice from behind. Ominis nervously swallowed, slowly turning back and wondering whether it was even worth reacting to this.

"Do you need something?" Ominis attempted to put on a mask of indifference, ready to act like she had made a mistake if necessary.

"I'm Sebastian Sallow's nurse. That's how he told me I would recognize you. I'll escort you to him this evening after closing time because visitors are not officially allowed to see Sebastian. But there won't be anyone on night duty except me tonight, so..." she blurted it all out in one breath and then stumbled, catching her breath.

But Ominis didn't need to hear what she would say next. What had already been said was enough for the ground to slip from under his feet, and a mixture of relief and excitement began to course through his body. Everything was going too smoothly, and that was suspicious, but he didn't want to even think about that. He thanked the girl, nodded when she told him to come to the entrance of the ward after nine in the evening, and quickly headed to the cafeteria to pass the next few hours.

***

Ominis was finishing his third cup of tea when he sensed someone sitting down at his table. The person carried a familiar scent, but he couldn't quite identify it until this individual spoke.

"How's your grandmother?" it was his new acquaintance from the "Leaky Cauldron," the Auror Damien Savage. He plunked his own cup of beverage onto the table with a resounding thud and started chewing on something, waiting for an answer.

"Not bad. She's recovering. I think they'll discharge her in a few days," Ominis lied, keeping his facial expression unchanged, even though the tea threatened to come back up. Deciding that it was best to shift the conversation towards Damien's personal matters, he continued, "you never did tell me why you needed to go to St. Mungo's."

"Work. Everywhere I go, I go for work. Except, perhaps, my own home. And I'm there the least," his voice carried a hint of amusement as he took another sip from his cup, "in a couple of hours, I'll be heading back to the 'Cauldron'. I could take you with me."

"No, thanks. My grandmother is having some procedures done right now, and I'll return to her. I'll stay here until closing," Ominis didn't like that his conversation partner was still pushing him to lie, but he couldn't come up with a good reason to leave right now, "are you here because of some crime?"

"In short, yes. I need to interrogate someone, but he had another mental breakdown on the very day I arrived. I think I'll have to get permission to use Veritaserum on him," the Auror said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the table.

He fell silent, lost in his own thoughts, and Ominis breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have the opportunity to end the conversation. About fifteen minutes later, he decided to leave, pretending that this was the time his fictitious relative's procedures were supposed to be finished, and that he was simply going to wait for her. He descended a couple of floors and sat in one of the waiting rooms, hoping he could pass the necessary amount of time here and that Damien wouldn't show up here.

***

The hospital had finally emptied. Ominis walked down the corridor on the fifth floor, following the slender figure of the nurse, trying to breathe and calm his racing heart. He had no idea in what state Sebastian was now, how broken by grief he might be, how to express his sympathy and support, how to convince him that they needed to make an escape attempt to prevent his life from falling apart completely. His knees were shaking, his palms were sweaty, and the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins was echoing in his ears.

They stopped in front of one of the doors, and Ominis nervously listened to the jingling of keys in the nurse's hand.

"This room is actually for two people, but they had to transfer his roommate to isolation today. Every time they try to interrogate him, he literally goes insane. I don't know if he's pretending to stay silent or if it's a genuine reaction," the nurse explained in a matter-of-fact tone as she slowly sorted through her keys. Finally, he heard the grating metallic click, and he was hit by the stagnant air of the closed room and the aroma of some healing herbs, "you'll need the screen on the left. He was sleeping when I checked in here ten minutes ago," she said.

Ominis nodded and trembled with a fine shiver, feeling uncomfortable sensations crawling over him. Throughout the day, he hadn't felt this way, even though there had been plenty of events to provoke such feelings. But as soon as the door closed behind him and the key turned in the lock, it took just a moment for Sebastian to pounce on him, holding him tightly in an embrace and pressing his lower back right against the door handle. Ominis gasped in pain, but he forgot about it within moments. Everything inside him collapsed, floated back up, and flipped over. Ominis forgot how to breathe and tried to hug his friend in return, but Sebastian's arms were locked so tightly around him that it was impossible to free his own. Sebastian's warmth enveloped him and calmed him, making him forget the circumstances of this meeting, the reasons they were here instead of at Hogwarts. It was the scorching familiar breath on his neck, the intoxicating bittersweet scent, and the wildly pounding heart right next to his own. How much he had missed this.

Ominis opened his mouth to say something, but Sebastian's hungry, greedy, lingering kiss claimed his lips. Sebastian's tongue invaded Ominis' mouth so shamelessly that he felt an embarrassingly intense arousal and let out a soft, suppressed moan. They needed to talk, discuss everything that had happened. They needed to grieve and search for solutions. They should feel guilt for their own actions while trying to justify each other's deeds. But all of that vanished. Dissipated. Pain turned into a desperate, uncontrollable desire. Grief, like a blunt knife in the heart, transformed into a recklessly burning flame. There was nothing to talk about now, and it wasn't necessary. They could talk later. Right now, it felt like they had a whole lifetime for that. The thought of postponing their conversations emerged in their minds simultaneously, and in that very moment, the kiss deepened, completely cutting off their oxygen supply. With a swift motion, Sebastian pulled Ominis' neatly tucked-in shirt out of his trousers, unbuttoned it, and touched the skin beneath with both hands, caressing the soft and delicate flesh. Ominis, whose hands were finally free, wrapped them around Sebastian's waist, pulling him closer. Their lips parted, a thin thread of saliva briefly stretched between them, but Sebastian broke it with a lick of his lips. A smirk played on his face as he touched Ominis' damp, reddened lips with his fingers.

"This is so much better," he whispered, taking Ominis by his thin wrists and stretching them over his head, holding them firmly but gently against the warm wooden surface of the door, "but like this, it will be perfect," he pressed his lips to Ominis' neck.

"Sebastian," he whimpered, arching into the touch, wanting more than anything for this to never end. He could feel the growing tension in his lower abdomen and tightened his thighs, still feeling embarrassed by this.

"I love it when you say my name in that 'I'm about to cum'-voice," Sebastian purred silkily, leaving deep but almost painless marks with his teeth on Ominis' collarbones. He shivered and blushed deeply at the unexpectedly vulgar but wildly arousing words. He felt Sebastian pull away and freeze. Sebastian, tilting his head to the side, studied Ominis' face carefully, his lips curving into a satisfied smirk. It was so easy to get the desired reaction from him with just a couple of simple words. Releasing his wrists, he gently led Ominis to the bed behind the curtain. They had done it on the floor once before, but the bed was definitely more comfortable. Sebastian tenderly kissed Ominis, and then, in a soft, seductive voice, said.

"I want you to undress yourself tonight."

Ominis' eyes widened in fear, his mouth slightly agape in mute surprise, and his chest began to rise and fall more rapidly. While he had sensed Sebastian's dominance on their previous encounter, he was completely unprepared for more explicit displays of it. Even less he was unprepared so for how much he'd want to submit. Nervously swallowing, he began to remove his shirt from his shoulders, feeling Sebastian's intense gaze on him. His trembling fingers struggled a little longer than usual with the button on his trousers, but he managed to remove them along with his socks and shoes, setting them aside. "God, how clumsy that must have looked," he thought, disappointed and with a slightly wry smile. Awkwardly clasping his hands in front of himself, he lifted his head towards Sebastian, waiting for some kind of reaction. But Sebastian couldn't take his eyes off Ominis' perfect body. He examined every inch with such greed, again and again, unable to stop himself. His gaze slid over the shyly twitching snow-white smooth shoulders, the delicate fragile neck, the gently heaving chest, the tense abdomen, the beautifully enticing thighs he couldn't wait to kiss. Sebastian took a few deep breaths, trying to tame the beast inside him, the one that wanted to possess Ominis without any preamble or tenderness. He undressed slowly, not once taking his eyes off his friend, who was shyly biting his lip and lowering his face to the floor. He approached him closely and gently took Ominis' chin, bringing his lips close to his own. He covered them with a sweet, gentle kiss, pressing his body against Gaunt, allowing him to feel his excitement and gladly noting that he was just as aroused. Stepping back a step again, Sebastian slowly moved behind Ominis, teasing him and enjoying the palpable desire hanging in the air. He gently took his shoulders and led his hands down, carefully guiding Ominis' hands behind his back. He felt the warm muscles slightly tense under his touch. Locking his wrists and holding them with one hand, Sebastian reached for Ominis' wand, which was lying on the table next to them.

"Incarcerous," he whispered, and the sinuous ropes began to lovingly weave intricate patterns around Ominis' forearms, tightly binding them behind his back, almost depriving him of another sense. Sebastian heard a soft sigh, saw how his friend's fingers twitched, how his shoulders flinched, "don't be afraid, Ominis, you'll enjoy this. Will you get down on your knees for me?"

Leaving a few light kisses on his shoulders, he once again stood in front of Ominis, devouring him with his gaze. Ominis slowly and cautiously descended, parting his lips and capturing with them the rapidly fading air. So magnificent, so perfect, so innocent. Willingly yielding to Sebastian's whims, yet unaware of his own boundless power over him. Does he know that he put Sebastian on his knees long before he got down himself? Sebastian's fingers lightly brushed his lips, tracing their contours, parting them wider, and touching the softness of his tongue as it ventured out. Suddenly, Ominis let out a deep moan, beginning to grind his hips together, trying with all his might to contain the overwhelming pleasure. He didn't expect that his hands bound behind his back would ignite such wild ecstasy within him. And kneeling before Sebastian added a sweet-ashen taste of submission to it. He nervously swallowed, allowing Sebastian's fingers to tilt his head back and delve deeper into his open mouth. When Sebastian withdrew them, stretching the wet thread between them, Ominis closed his quivering eyelids and leaned forward. He softly touched Sebastian's cock with his lips and tongue, blushing shyly and squinting. He began to slowly run his tongue over it, opening his mouth a bit wider, swallowing it a bit deeper, restraining the moans that wanted to escape. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. Sebastian gently wiped them away with his fingers, hardly moving his hips, allowing Ominis to choose a comfortable pace. The sight of Ominis, on his knees before him, hands bound behind his back, eagerly taking his flesh into his mouth, excited Sebastian so intensely that at some point, he pulled back abruptly, lifted his friend from the floor, and gently pushed him toward the bed. Laying him face down on the pillows, he raised his hips, lifting his buttocks, making his back arch sensually. Ominis turned his face to the side, gasping for air. He felt the bed stir behind him and Sebastian's fingers began to gently caress his thighs.

"Tell me, Ominis, what do you want right now?" he whispered over his ear, leaning closer, thrusting his hips against his buttocks, letting Ominis feel his hot pulsation between his legs. There was a beastly lust in his voice and a cunning grin. For a moment, Ominis was overwhelmed by all-encompassing fear and shame at having to voice his desires.

"I will only do what you ask," Sebastian added.

"I..." he began and hesitated, unsure of how to put into words what he had in mind, all while trying not to blush from embarrassment. Sebastian's cock, touching the inside of his thighs ever so slightly drove him wild, making Ominis want him inside more and more.

"Anything you want, Ominis," Sebastian continued, gripping his buttocks, slowly parting them. Ominis felt Sebastian's tongue trace a wet path on his neck, felt him nibble on his earlobe, and he moaned softly, arching even more.

"Enter me, Sebastian," he exclaimed in a single breath, feeling like his heart would burst from irrational anxiety, but unable to endure these sweet torments any longer.

"I like your desires," Sebastian smiled contentedly and, gripping Ominis tightly around the waist, entered him deeply, making him squirm helplessly and moan loudly.

Sebastian couldn't contain a quiet, growling moan himself, enjoying the pleasant sensation of warmth and tightness. The slow, careful movements were getting faster, Sebastian's hips and Ominis' buttocks slapped loudly against each other. Sebastian grabbed a handful of Gaunt's hair with one hand and pulled him up, lifting his head above the pillows. He leaned in, whispering something softly, not stopping his hips from moving, plunging into the warm, moist body. Sallow's hand moved from his hair to his neck, his fingers clasped his throat and he rose up, pulling Ominis with him, who pliantly pressed against his body, throwing his head back on his shoulder, barely breathing due to the partially blocked access to oxygen and the incessant pleasure spreading all over the body. Sebastian's second hand began to caress his cock, lips dug into his neck. Ominis cried out loudly, arched and quivered in the convulsions of orgasm, pouring hot white liquid over Sebastian's fingers and his bed. Sebastian struggled through a couple more thrusts, working himself up to the frenzy of pleasure that was spreading inside Ominis' body.

They weakly fell onto the bed. Sebastian untied Ominis' hands and began to gently touch the red marks left by the ropes with his lips. They lay facing each other, breathing heavily, their hands touching each other's hair, face, and neck. This was enough to forget about everything and briefly believe that there was nothing else in the world but the two of them. They tried to stretch this moment, not saying a word, not breathing, not moving. Perhaps if they froze themselves, time would freeze too. Was it sinful to enjoy and love each other so passionately when there was deep sorrow and hatred all around them? Could they kiss so passionately and listen to each other's racing heartbeats when not long ago the heart of a dear person had stopped forever? Did they need to feel overwhelming guilt for needing each other's closeness and warmth, for putting more important things, according to others, in the background? And are there even answers to these questions? It didn't matter. Sebastian's and Ominis' lips merged in a tender, lingering kiss through which they whispered the warmest words they could say to each other. They needed each other like air - that was what truly mattered.