WHO: Amycus Carrow & Alecto Carrow
WHAT: Amycus needs somewhere to lay his blame.
WHEN: November '78
WHERE: The apothecary
RATING: Amycus → Liv

It had been a frustrating week. Amycus was still trying to get his head around what had happened, in fact. All that he knew was that Vivica Avery was no longer his girlfriend, his fiancee - never to be his future wife - and she knew about the sort of relationship Amycus he had with Alecto. Or, the relationship he had had with her in the past, to be a little more exact. Amycus had steadfastly made all the efforts in the world to keep Vivica as his sole lover during their relationship - with only one or two slip-ups - and now all that effort had gone completely to waste. One thing he could be entirely sure of, however, was that Vivica would never breathe a word of what she knew to anyone. He knew Viv, and he knew she would not be able to bear the humiliation that would come with the truth.

Amycus was thinking all these things over, sorting a particularly green, sticky sort of skin into jars out the back of the apocathery. He slammed jar after jar into a box, feeling more and more frustrated by the second. He was putting a substantial amount of blame on Alecto, as one would expect him to. It was unrational, perhaps, but blaming someone other than himself somehow made him feel a little better. It hurt, knowing that the girl he had loved - whatever she thought - now hated him, and was repulsed by him. He would never feel her silky skin under his fingers again, her warm body in the mornings, her hair tickling against his neck. And it hurt. Amycus was already yearning for that sort of physical contact again, and that feeling alone was beginning to win out against the anger and the other feelings he was experiencing.

Pulling off his gloves at last, Amycus angrily aimed a kick at the half-filled box of jars. One jar cracked, and he swore loudly, fishing out his wand to repair it and salvage his work.

"What the fuck is your problem!?"

The yell came from the doorway between the storeroom and main shop and belonged to one Alecto Carrow, who was currently looking horrified and furious at the scene she had walked in on. Okay, this was bloody ridiculous, she knew he was mad at her (fucking couldn't see why, it took two to tango and it wasn't her that told his little slag about them), but what was he thinking, going around kicking her stock? That stuff was expensive, for the love of Circe, what was wrong with that stupid, irresponsible, ungrateful--

"Yeah, you'd better repair that--fuck, if that's what you're going to do, then you can walk out the door right now, Amycus," she spat, stalking over to him. "I don't care how much of a pissy brat you want to be at me, I'd better not catch you taking it out on my things again or you'll be out of a job and a home."

There was a flash of something across Amycus' face - desperation? - but it quickly disappeared, and he just looked sullen. "Sorry," he said curtley, swishing his wand. The broken shards of the glass jar flew back into place, but the jar's contents were ruined. He sighed. "Sorry," he said again, with a little more feeling this time. He hadn't meant to break anything - or annoy her, even - but everything was just so fucked up and he needed some sort of outlet or he was going to go out of his brain. He pondered on the idea that if she did kick him out and fire him he really wouldn't have anywhere to go. Back to his mother's house? Too shameful. Stay with Regulus? Almost even more shameful than the previous option. So, Amycus was utterly trapped. He had nowhere to go. He had better start behaving himself.

Alecto made a frustrated sound at seeing the ruined contents of her jar, the only thing stopping her from strangling him being the genuine feeling to his apology. "Fine," she said, only the greatest control keeping her voice tightly neutral. "But it's coming out of your paycheck."

Normally, she wouldn't... no, well, she probably would, but right now she felt a specific pleasure in punishing him like that. Maybe because of what a pain in the ass he'd been since his engagement with Avery had gone through the floor. One could only take so much undeserved (okay, so maybe she deserved a little--she wouldn't ever tell you that) blame and childish attitude before they just got fed straight up with it.

"Go upstairs, you're done for the day," she added on, just to feel that small surge of satisfaction again. "Take some time to calm the fuck down before you ruin anything else."

"It's not my fault I'm not calm," Amycus snapped at her as he shoved his wand back into his pants, feeling a fresh wave of aggression. Who was she to talk? He could see that she was obviously dripping with happiness over his break up with Vivica, but did she really have to rub it in so much? It was all her fault - if Grayson hadn't found out, if she hadn't bloody tempted in the first place...for Merlin's sake, she was meant to be the older sibling! She was irresponsible, selfish, greedy and goddamn irresistable.

Amycus forced himself to look up at her. Gee, she looked as frustrated as he felt. And yet, there was something appealing about the look on her face, something about the creases around the corners of her eyes as she eyed him, something about the way her hair fell across her face....Amycus couldn't explain it, but it was irresistable. And he wanted her, right in that moment, and damn it all to hell.

"Would you like the shower first, or shall I have it?" He asked her, trying to push his feelings aside.

Right, it wasn't his fault that he wasn't calm. Alecto rolled her eyes, wondering if he knew how stupid that sounded. Of course it was his fault he wasn't calm. He could bloody be calm if he wanted, but he was choosing to be a brat about it all. Wah wah, his prissy little fiancée found out that he fucked his sister and dumped him--boo bloody hoo. She could have told him from the start that it wouldn't work out between them anyway, even if he hadn't gone and cheated on her. Amycus wasn't made out to be the Ministry-Job-Holding-Upstanding-Citizen-Faithful-and-Family-Man husband type that the Averys wanted him to be, and that she assumed he wanted to be.

Just because you wish for something doesn't mean it's just going to happen. Especially not when you're a Carrow--bloody hell, it was amazing that they'd even let him propose to Vivica, being from such a disgraced family. Sure, they weren't blood traitors, but they weren't exactly the most perfect model of a pureblood family to ever come about Britain.

"Have it," she said with a shrug. "I've got to close up shop anyway--but hurry it up, I want warm water this time."

"Really?" Amycus' tone turned sickly sweet for a moment. He could miss this opportunity to have a jab at her. "Because you could really do with a cold shower, Alecto." He gave a somewhat wheezy bark of a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest, as if he dared her to say something in return. Geez, she was infuriating - she didn't even pretend to be sad about his break up with Vivica. Couldn't she just pretend, for his sake? So that he didn't feel as though all those months had just been a huge waste of time? Trying to build up a profile, network with important people...and now he was stuck back where he was before, desiring his sister and working a shitty job, their inheritance from their father all but gone, with the house he'd bought for their mother, tying up loose ends (mostly debts) and the like.

And...yet, still, despite what money troubles Amycus faced if he couldn't start earning more through his little on the side business dealings, it didn't lesser his attraction to Alecto. She didn't remind him of the bad times they'd gone through as kids, with their father's disgusting drinking habits and their disasterous money issues. Alecto instead reminded him of how they had come through that time. She reminded him of the escape he had had during those years; she was who he could run to, when he needed a hug, a cheer-up, a chat, anything at all. And nothing had changed. He still loved her, needed her, wanted her, and couldn't live without her.

He swallowed, thinking all this over, and regretting his cold shower comment. But he knew he was right in thinking that she could at least show a little sympathy. Afterall, Amycus' union to Viviva Avery could have been very benefitial for Alecto as well.

"Stupid prick," Alecto muttered, looking bored at his 'insult'. He was lucky that she didn't take any of his lame little insults too offensively, because she could have smacked him across the face if she wanted. "Can you really think up nothing better to say to me?"

What, was he pissy because he thought she was being insensitive with him? Because he really didn't seem to want to stop tonight. Fuck, she hardly felt a need to coddle Amycus and lie to him, he wasn't a child (as much as he liked to act as one). He should have known why she was happy about the end of his engagement, and hell if she hadn't told him millions of times since he got engaged that she intended to talk him out of it, or that she wished it would end, or that she hated Vivica. Did he seriously blame her for being happy that the man she loved was free for the taking? If he did, he was much more naive than she had taken him for.

"But if you want to be that way, then you can close the bloody place up and I'll take the shower. Smartass." Aggravation renewed, Alecto pushed past Amycus to make her ways up the stairs, not-so-accidently brushing him on the way. It was the first time since they'd made up that she'd even made a hint of flirting with or beginning to push herself on him again. If he was going to continue to be that way, he should know that she could always make things more difficult for him.

She had to do that, didn't she? She just had to go and touch him and break all his concentration, didn't she? The electrifying feeling that shot up his spine made him visibly shiver a little, and he felt amazing. He'd missed her touch. Or, perhaps...he just missed being touched altogether - his relationship with Vivica had always been quite physical. Without really knowing what possessed him - it was more a reaction to what had just happened, without thinking about it - Amycus curled his fingers around her elbow forcefully to stop of from walking away from him. Her skin was as soft as usual - what was that stupid Muggle saying? As smooth as a baby's bottom? Something like that. Anyway, Amycus finally understood what that meant. His breathing had deepend, and he looked as though he was about to say something, but shut his mouth quickly.

It seemed like one of those situation where words wouldn't really help him out. What could he say in reply to her? 'No, I don't want to shut up the shop, I want to have a shower - with you'? Or maybe 'Shut up and do whatever you just did again'? Amycus had a feeling that none of those words would matter. Alecto would know exactly what he wanted. She always had a sixth sense when it came to Amycus Carrow. He pulled her back down off the first step, his grip still tight, but his hand a little sweaty, with all the thoughts that were charging through his head.

It was true, that she had that sixth sense when it came to him. Maybe it was because they were siblings, but Alecto subscribed to the theory that it came from a bond much deeper than that of normal siblings. She didn't think that it was quite normal of siblings to be able to read each others thoughts the way that she was reading his now.

Of course, it could have been an educated guess, knowing what he was thinking, what he wanted, or better yet just the knowledge that they were in the same situation, and thus he could only be wanting what she was wanting. It didn't really matter how she knew, though, in the end, because whatever knowledge had brought her there, she was still stepping off that first step and into a crushing kiss. She was sure that that would have happened no matter what.

It was just a law of nature. If the thing you most desired was hanging there in front of you, within your reach, it was only so long until you extended your hand and grabbed it. Amycus was what she wanted, and she had no problem giving in to the moment.

It was almost like taking a breath of fresh air for the first time; the weight on Amycus' shoulders lifted and there was an enormous surge in his chest that made him feel like he was invincible. His lungs filled with her scent and his mouth was filled with her familiar taste. He grabbed a handful of her shirt and pulled her further in towards him, kissing her truly, madly, deeply, desperately. He didn't think that he could possibly get close enough to her to be satisfied, but he was going to try.

She cluthed at him, at his clothes, skin, anything she could grab onto and pulled him forward against her body as tightly as she could manage, almost unable to believe what was happening. It had been so long since she had been on a high like this, this kind of high that she could only get from having him--at the beginning of this week, although Alecto had seen it coming from every direction, she couldn't help but feel that she'd waited an eternity for this moment.

Clumsily, she stepped backwards, pulling Amycus with her all the way, up the stairs to her flat while refusing to break their contact. It felt far too good to just give up because a flight of steps had gotten in the way.