Disclaimer: The Harry Potter franchise belongs to the lovely Jo Rowling, not myself.

This is a small piece written for the 1st Annual Halloween Competition. Warning: this is an Albus S./James S. story so that means there IS INCEST. If that bothers you, refrain from reading. That's also the cause of the M rating, as there is nothing too graphic. Anyway, enjoy :)

Because It's Love

"Tonight was supposed to be perfect," Albus half growled as he desperately pushed well-toned shoulder of the brunette in front of him. The boy in front of him turned swiftly, hazel eyes flashing before he seemed to lose his drive and instead let out a sigh, closing his eyes to hide the almost golden hue that haunted Albus's dreams. Anger once again flared up in the younger of the two and Albus kicked the door closed behind them, taking satisfaction as it slammed so loudly that it had the golden eyes snapping open once again and dart around wildly.

"Don't do that!" James hissed, moving towards the door to press an ear against it. Satisfied that there was no one nearby, he turned to glare at Albus. "Do you want people to hear us?"

"Does it matter?" Albus spat. "Besides, they're all still celebrating Halloween in the tower. No one is around. I did this for you, you know. Everything was for you." James sighed again, slumping against the door as if all his strength left him.

"Just stop, Al," James muttered. Frowning, Albus dropped to his knees to meet his brother on the floor.

"Don't you like it?" he asked with a grin too unfamiliar to belong to the Albus that James grew up with. It was too much teeth and the black of his pupils seemed to swallow up all the green pigment of his eyes. James looked away, throat tightening as his mind nagged that it was because of him that Albus looked like that. He bit back the bile when that same voice pointed out that he liked it.

"Does it matter?" James parroted back the words. He heard Albus shift and soon enough, green eyes were boring into his own.

"Of course it does," Albus said, honesty dripping from his voice. "I just want to make you happy." With that, he ran a hand through his long black locks and James couldn't help his gaze from wandering over the enhanced strands. His throat tightened once more when he realized what it was doing to him to have Albus looking at him through a curtain of shoulder length mane. Struggling for air as his chest contracted, James shook his head and hastily stood up, turning his back to the boy on the floor.

"If you want me to be happy then you'd stop," James said shakily. "Just leave me alone Albus."

"Stop lying," Albus roared and James found himself being pushed again. Whirling around he found himself face to face with his fuming brother. Albus's face contorted to all sharp angles and slitted eyes as he regarded James. "You said you wanted this, that nothing else compared. You said you love me."

James stood there, taken aback by both the words and the way his younger brother lost all resemblance to the bright, cautious boy from only a year ago. He hadn't meant to start it- it was right after the holidays when their parents had explained that they were separating. James hadn't been too surprised but Albus had always been more naïve and sensitive of the two so when he had snuck into the sixth year dormitory and asked to stay with James for the night, the older boy didn't protest. Neither of the two dwelled on the fact that it was odd for fifteen and sixteen year old brothers to share a bed, a fact that James regretted quite frequently.

The innocent boy who had spent those nights in his arms was long gone; lost between clumsy kisses in the dark, heated sessions of finding comfort in each other within the confines of the Quidditch showers, and finally destroyed by that one evening in his dormitory that despite how much he hated himself for it, remained one of his most cherished moments. That single confession Albus had accused him of rang in his ears with the memory of that night and James flinched.

"I do," James said, voice cracking. "But I can't love you the way you want."

"Can't or won't?" Albus demanded. James looked at him pleadingly.

"Albus-"

"No James, why can't you see what I do for you? Is this not what you fantasize about?" Albus asked, motioning to his attire. James had to clench his stomach against threatening vile once again as he took in Albus's appearance. He wasn't sure if anyone was supposed to know his deepest wants but he knew that especially his brother- baby brother- was not supposed to know his fantasies. But there he was, dressed in a seashell brassieres and skintight aqua pants as a tainted version of a mermaid. Or merman in Albus's case, James thought despite himself as he took in just how tight the pants were. Closing his eyes and swallowing hard, James hoped that his morals would for once stand above his overwhelming desire.

Tears stung the back of his eyelids and James found himself blindly shaking his head from side to side in attempt to banish the waterworks. He would not show sympathy for his own twisted nature. No one was supposed to want his own baby brother like this. And the way Albus was standing there, eyes pleading and body willing, was all due to his own darkness. Albus would never have fallen so far if it weren't for him.

Feeling cool hands close around his wrists, James couldn't help the strangled cry that escaped from his throat. The same hands trailed up his arms to finally cradle his head as soft, familiar words were whispered against his neck in encouragement to open his eyes. James was sure his heart was going to tear itself in two as guilt waged against the dirty love he felt for Albus. But, under its wrongness, it was still love. Hadn't he been taught that love was the purest of emotions? With a gasp, James let his eyes flutter open, blinking rapidly as they readjusted to the harsh lights of the room.

Pressing the guilt back, James repeated to himself that this was love. He wasn't taking advantage of Albus, because Albus loved him too. It didn't matter that he wasn't even sixteen yet, the raven haired boy was fully capable of knowing what love was. And it was special, their love. He needed Albus as a whole- from the way he was kissing his neck, to the warmth of his body against his, to those times where they just sat there together silent but communicating what neither could ever say to anyone else. Because no one else would understand.

"It is," James murmured, voice barely carrying. Albus smiled his foreign smile again and James tried to imagine it as one of those boyish grins that he used to be so fond of. Albus shuffled backwards, modesty now seeming to come over him as he ducked his head and crossed his arms over his nearly naked torso.

"Do you really like it? I thought it was a bit out there even for a Halloween costume," Albus admitted before cocking his head and letting his mouth widen into a taunting grin. "Although you do like things…out there." The edge to his voice killed the brief image of innocence that James had tried to hold on to and once again he found himself closing his eyes. He almost laughed at how much of the night he had already spent blind. When Albus had first emerged into the Gryffindor common room for their yearly Halloween costume party, James had flushed thoroughly on the spot and closed his eyes as he desperately wished he had seen wrong. They closed again when Albus had playfully slung and arm over his shoulder and nuzzled the side of his face, earning coos from the females at the brotherly affection from two of the most wanted students in the school.

If only they could see them now, James thought with a laugh. Hands came out to cradle his face once again and golden eyes slipped open with a wry expression. Shaking his head to show he hadn't meant anything by his slight outburst, he let himself be led across the Quidditch locker room. When they were securely hidden by numerous rows of lockers, Albus turned and pushed James against one of the metal cases. The elder of the pair took the pain happily, letting it distract him from his thoughts of his brother and the fact he was being pressed up suggestively by that very person.

"I wanted tonight to be perfect," Albus purred, a nice contrast to his earlier outburst. Shivers ran up James's spine and he let his mind run blank as Albus's lips began to run their way up his jaw. This was love, he reminded himself; love was never wrong. Golden eyes slowly traced over familiar planes of muscle and taught flesh as Albus caressed him and trailed hot kissed along his exposed skin. The amount of times he had seen them recently were too many to count and James was sure he could make a mold of Albus's body from memory. But this wasn't his Albus, not the boy that he had practiced Quidditch with all their summers since boyhood. He wasn't the same boy that he fought with over who was Teddy's favorite.

Albus's head popped back into James's sight and James found his hands coming up to cradle it in his palms. Despite the same green hues, there was nothing of the Albus he knew behind them. It was a ghost of the boy he grew up with, a ghost of his brother. The guilt prickled behind his eyes again, but that damned voice whispered its taunting words again. That Albus was gone; his brother was gone. This Albus was all his and with that thought in his mind, James pulled Albus forward and crashed their lips together for the first real kiss of the night.

It was all teeth and tongue and James felt hands pushing him more insistently against the cold metal of the lockers. As they parted and gasped for air, James didn't open his eyes but merely clenched them shut farther. At this point, Albus's hands were already eagerly working the hem of his shirt out of his pants and undoing the buttons. Letting his head fall back against the locker and set free all his feelings besides his need, his love for Albus. Grasping Albus's shoulders, he jerked the other boy back to eye level and gold bore into green.

"I love you, Albus," James half sobbed and his only response was a toothy grin and black devouring green irises.