Sunset

After I opened the door, I threw my bag on the kitchen table and immediately drank a glass of much-needed water from the kitchen. I walked over to James who was reclining on the couch watching a football game. He asked how my trip went, and I assured him that it was fun, but I had to come home a little early because I wasn’t feeling well. He sympathized and told me that he wouldn’t be home the next day, because the station needed him to work the weekend. I feigned sick to avoid more conversation and hurried upstairs to get ready before Severus came back.

Once in my room, I stripped off my clothes and redressed in pajama pants and an old t-shirt. I then went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and make sure that I looked presentable. Satisfied with my reflection, I returned to my room and shut the door. I tried straightening up some of the mess scattered on my carpet and bed; I put dirty clothes in the hamper and straightened up my desk. Happy that my room looked almost as good as when I first moved in, I bounded over to the window and yanked it open. The old frame groaned noisily as I moved it up, and freezing air rushed into my cozy room sending goosebumps down my spine.

I stuck my head through the open window and squinted to see in the darkness. Unable to make out any Severus-sized shadows, I turned around and yanked the covers off of my bed. I sighed and lay down with a disappointed feeling in the pit of my stomach, re-covering myself to nestle in a soft heap of warmth.

Just as I had gotten comfortable, I heard a floorboard squeak somewhere on the other side of my room. I sat up straight and fumbled for the light switch on my nightstand, finally turning it on to see…

Severus.

A smile broke my face as soon as I saw him. He was standing against the far wall, facing me, with slight curves to the edges of his lips. He greeted me with his silky voice – only one word, but enough to get my heart stuttering.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hello,” I echoed back.

I noticed that the window was closed, and marveled at how he had been able to shut it without making any noise. It made me realize that the squeak of the floorboard probably wasn’t accidental. Snape wanted to see if I was awake.

“How are you feeling?” Severus asked.

“I’m fine,” I replied, blushing, “Confused but… hopefully you’ll fix that soon?”

“Ah,” he said, taking a few steps closer, “So it seems.”

“Take a seat,” I encouraged, scooting back to my headboard. “You can sit on my bed if you want.”

Nodding, Severus carefully walked over to the foot of my bed. He stepped out of his shoes and managed to gracefully seat himself facing me. We were only a few feet apart now. I was sure he could hear my pounding heartbeat, so I attempted to fill the silence.

“Where did we leave off?” I inquired.

“I believe,” Snape replied, “That we ended our conversation before I informed you as to what… I am.”

I nodded solemnly, and asked, “Will you tell me?”

Severus averted his gaze somewhere to my right instead of looking straight at me. He replied, “I will tell you. I warn you, however, that… it is… rather unfavorable.”

“I already told you, Severus,” I said, “It doesn’t matter to me what you are. I care about you.”

The dark and mysterious man before me bowed his head, looking abashed. He murmured back to me, “And for that, Harry, I thank you. However, I’m just not sure that you will feel the same after I tell you.”

Severus looked up at me. He seemed to be readying himself for something; his shoulders tensed and eyes carefully measured my face for any reaction. He said, “Harry, I am a vampire.”

I gasped. I was surprised, no doubt about that. Shocked, too, but considering Severus’s earlier anomalies, everything seemed to make sense. His strength, speed, intellect, moods, appearance. I understood. This man would not hurt me; that much I knew. Thousands of emotions flooded my mind, but only one stood out.

Love.

It took me a good pause to respond, but warmth and caring glowed from my face when I finally did. I said, “Severus, thank you for telling me the truth. I accept you for who you are… and… I want to let you know that I care a lot about you. I don’t think anything could change that.”

Severus seemed almost shocked as I told him how I felt. His eyebrows went up in surprise, then furrowed in confusion. Emotions flitted across his face in varying degrees until his features settled on “accepting”.

“You really are one strange human,” Severus said.

I laughed at his levity and asked, “Why do you say that?”

“You didn’t even ask about my diet, or how I can stand to be around you and not kill you. You haven’t run out of the room screaming. In fact, you’ve reacted in the exact opposite way that I expected. You… you practically gravitated towards me. If that isn’t strange, I don’t know what is. It’s like a lamb willingly befriending a lion. I don’t understand.”

“What’s not to get?” I asked, “I like you. You seem to like me. I admit that I do have a lot of questions but… you’re still the same to me.”

At that, Severus just rolled his eyes and pursed his lips. “I’m sure once it sinks in you won’t feel the same way.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” I countered.

We engaged in a mock staring contest; my face was all smiles, his was an elegant display of disbelief. I finally broke the silence and asked, “So… what do you eat?”

Nodding to me slightly, as if I was beginning to make more logical sense, Severus answered, “I drink animal blood. I haven’t killed a human since I was a very young vampire. That was a long time ago.”

“How does that work?” I asked, “Isn’t that less, like, nutritious?”

“It doesn’t matter what we eat,” he said, “As long as it is blood, it will suffice. Animal blood is remarkably less appetizing, but it is most definitely worth consuming in order to save innocent human lives.”

“I see,” I replied, “Do you… is that choice voluntary, then?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Not many others choose as I have chosen. That’s why I have amber colored eyes, as you so aptly noticed. Most vampires have crimson irises.”

I nodded in understanding and said, “You mentioned that you were a young vampire a long time ago. How old does that make you, exactly?”

“I will be turning one-hundred ninety-eight this October,” he replied.

My jaw dropped. “Seriously!?” I exclaimed.

“Yes,” he replied, “I was born in 1812.”

I was astounded. He must have seen so many generations, so many advancements in technology… it blew my mind, how much he must know.

“You must be so jaded,” I replied, frowning, “Do you… are you immortal, then? Because you look barely thirty years old.”

“I was made a vampire when I was twenty-nine,” he replied. “My life then was much the same as it is now. I was single, alone, and an instructor at a school. I don’t miss much from my old life.”

“How do humans become vampires?” I asked.

“An experienced vampire must bite you,” he replied. “Either willingly or unwillingly, it matters not. Venom from the vampire’s fangs will infect your blood stream and begin the transformation. It takes approximately three days, and it is unbelievably painful. It takes concentration to create a fledgling vampire on purpose – most of the time, the victim will die from blood loss or greed on his or her creator’s part.”

“How… how did you become one?” I asked him.

“I didn’t choose it,” Severus said, looking deeply into my eyes, “However…” he trailed off, almost blushing. He cleared his throat and began again. “However, if I had known that I would have met you, nearly two hundred years later, I would have gladly asked for it.”

My heart almost exploded with joy at his confession. My face heated and I grinned like a fool with the knowledge that Severus felt so strongly about me.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

A thought nagged at me, though, in the midst of all the happy feelings. Annoyed, I tried to block it out of my mind, but it forced itself through anyway. I remembered my first day of Forks High School. I remembered Severus Snape’s face when he saw me in his class. It was a look of pain that graced his features – if what he said was true, how could he have looked so… violent that first day? And where had he been for the two days after that? Doubt clouded my mind and Severus noticed the troubled look on my face.

Frustrated, he nearly demanded, “What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about…” I started, trying to talk around the lump in my throat, “About the first day of school I had here. You seemed angry at me then. How can you say that you would have wanted to meet me two hundred years ago if… if…”

Severus let out a long sigh and said, “I suppose that’s something important that I left out.”

Confused, I looked at his face for any signs of anger. There were none. He continued, “Your blood, Harry Potter, is the most delicious human blood that I have ever smelled in my entire existence. It’s sublime. That first day of school, I had to resist the temptation to kill you. I know that sounds terrible, I really do, but there is something so momentously extraordinary about you, Harry. I’m learning tolerance; it becomes easier to resist every time I spend time with you. But don’t be confused – I care for you, not just the blood that runs through your veins.”

I started to understand where he was coming from, but still wasn’t entirely reassured. He sensed it, and continued. “Harry, equate it to being locked in a room for several weeks without any food. Then imagine someone putting a giant wedding cake in front of you. Imagine not being able to eat it, because the cake belongs to someone special; a friend, a family member, who needs it to keep their life joyful. You can’t just eat that cake, no matter how you feel. The people you care about need it, and that has to be enough to stop your temptation.

“Of course, it didn’t help matters any that I was hungry despite you being in the room. I hadn’t gone hunting in at least two weeks, so any student who had gotten too close would have caused a mild reaction from me. It was only enhanced by your blood – they call it la tua cantante, the blood that sings for me.

“I believe, Harry, that your blood sings to me for more reasons than one. You’re worth getting to know. I appreciate being around you for more reasons than what you smell like. I care for you quite deeply. And that,” he said, “is why I simply couldn’t let that car crush you in the parking lot the other day. It is why I followed you to Port Angeles and almost annihilated those vile excuses for human beings who wanted to hurt you.”

Severus’s eyes softened as he looked at my face. “I believe, Harry,” he said, “I am falling in love with you.”

For the second time that night, I gasped. I stared in shock at the man who had plagued my every thought since moving to Forks. I couldn’t believe what he had said.

“I don’t understand,” I said, “How could a beautiful man like you ever cast a second glance at a gangly teenager like me? You could have anyone you ever wanted, I’m not even-“

Severus cut me off with a single finger placed gently over my lips. “Don’t ever say that,” he reprimanded. “You’re so much more than what you give yourself credit for.”

I shook my head at him. “That’s one thing I will never believe.”

Snape let out a sharp laugh. “You do understand the irony in that, don’t you?”

Finally relaxing, I giggled and nodded back.

Shyly, I looked down at the covers and picked at an imaginary loose thread. I murmured, “Could you… would you come sit beside me?” I asked hesitantly.

I glanced up at Severus’s face and saw a gentle smile on his lips. He slid off the side of the bed and took two graceful steps before carefully sitting beside me; I scooted over to make room for him, delighted that he had consented to my request.

We relaxed against the headboard and I carefully laid my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around me, and I was able to comfortably snuggle up to his side. His body was hard and cold, almost like a gemstone.

I sighed in contentment and he brought his other hand up to my face. His thumb stroked my cheek a few times before he placed a soft kiss on my forehead. He slid his hand upwards into my hair, carding through it with his fingers. It felt heavenly, and I knew that I would soon be drifting off to sleep if he kept up what he was doing.

Groggily I murmured, “Wait, I still have questions…”

Severus quietly replied, “Hmm?”

“Are you the only vampire in Forks?” I asked.

His hand stilled for a brief moment before he continued massaging my scalp. He responded in his smooth voice, “No, I am not.”

“Can I guess who the other ones are?” I asked.

“I suppose,” Severus responded.

“Headmaster Dumbledore and Doctor Malfoy, right?” I responded.

Severus’s chest moved up and down as he laughed at my guess. “Correct.” he replied, “How did you know?”

“They have the same skin as you, and the same eyes,” I said, “And that night in the hospital, you said they were sort of related to you. It wasn’t too hard to figure out.”

“You’re more observant than I give you credit for,” Snape grumbled.

I laughed into his soft cotton sweater, inhaling his unique personal smell. I let my eyes flutter closed, feeling safer in his arms than I had ever felt before in my entire life.

“Thanks again for saving me today,” I mumbled.

“Of course, Harry,” Snape replied.

I smiled into his chest. A few moments later, the foggy state of sleep began to cloud my consciousness. I fell asleep in Severus’s embrace – the loving arms of my protector.

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I woke the next morning to sunlight streaming in through my window. I tried moving but soon realized that I was stuck. I blinked a few times and finally made out a shape in front of me – Severus, lying next to me in my bed. I was ecstatic to see him there until I realized that I had practically made the two of us a human pretzel.

I also realized, with extreme mortification, that I had an erection.

Blushing furiously, I scrambled to get some space between us to gain a sense of propriety. There was no doubt that Severus had indeed felt my cock sticking into his leg – but ever the gentleman, he said nothing of it.

“Good morning,” Severus said with a smile.

As soon as I had freed his limbs, Snape slid to the side of the bed and sat up, giving me some distance.

“Did you sleep here….?” I asked, in a rough morning voice.

“I don’t sleep,” Snape admitted, looking a little sheepish.

“Oh,” I said.

“I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable,” Severus apologized, “You look very peaceful when you’re sleeping. You also talk – did you know that?”

“I talk in my sleep!?” I exclaimed, beyond mortification.

“Not a great deal,” Severus assured me, although I could tell that he was probably lying. “I couldn’t understand the majority of it.”

I groaned and buried my face in my hands, erection still standing at attention below the covers.

I hated being a teenager.

I uncovered my face when I heard Severus clearing his throat. “Pardon me if I’m being presumptuous,” he said slowly, “but I noticed your… predicament and would like to let you know that I would not be averse to helping you if you so desired.”

I propped myself up on an elbow as my jaw dropped upon hearing what Severus had offered.

Severus raised one elegant eyebrow at me just as his beautiful face was hit by sunlight coming through the window.

I think that was the precise moment that my cock overrode my brain’s cognitive function. Blood rushed to my groin as images flashed through my head of a much less dressed Severus Snape. I threw the covers off of myself and slid over to where Severus was sitting. I sat up on my knees in front of him so that our faces were level, and leaned in. Soft air brushed his lips as I asked, “Can I kiss you?”

Severus reacted almost instantly. His hand cradled the back of my neck as he leaned in to kiss my mouth. His other hand dropped to my hip, squeezing lightly. Severus gently took my bottom lip between his teeth. I gasped at the sensation – he capitalized on the opportunity and swept his tongue into my mouth. I groaned and kissed him just as fiercely as he was kissing me.

I sucked on Severus’s tongue – it caused him to make a noise that went straight to my cock. I leaned forward, trying to get more contact, and he lowered us both back onto the bed. I lay on my back as he plundered my mouth for all it was worth – I panted between long kisses and let my hands roam his skin underneath his shirt and sweater.

Snape’s hand moved from my hip to the front of my pajamas, wasting no time in cupping my cock through the thin material. I gasped and rocked my hips upwards involuntarily, moaning into the crook of his neck. He rubbed against my shaft, making me see stars.

Severus kissed up and down my neck as he whispered my name. I gasped at every brush he made against my skin – the cold was erotic and kept me aching for his touch.

Just as he made a particularly satisfying rub through my clothes, he stopped. I made a frustrated noise and humped the air in an effort to regain friction. He sat back as his hands hooked the waistband of my pants; Severus pulled them down with my underwear, letting my cock make a wet slap against my stomach as it was freed from the clothing.

Smiling up at me, Severus moved back to kiss me thoroughly on the mouth. I was aching for him to touch my penis, but he carefully avoided the erogenous zone in favor of touching other sensitive areas.

He rubbed my nipples and sucked on my neck, sending electric tingles directly to my cock. I gasped his name over and over, begging him to touch me there.

Severus moved lower, licking random patches of skin, finally hovering above my throbbing cock. He breathed on it, and realization suddenly dawned on me as to what he was going to do.

He looked deep into my eyes as he swallowed the entire length whole.

I nearly screamed. My hands flew to his head as if drawn by a magnet – the pleasure was overwhelming, and I felt my balls drawing up way too soon. Severus reached a hand up to stave off my orgasm, squeezing the base of my cock.

I moaned and keened as Severus sucked my dick like the world’s best lollipop. I wanted the pleasure to continue and end all at the same time – the sensations were intense and only magnified more by his wet mouth and my intense need to come.

Severus bobbed his head and licked the head of my cock, making it twitch and leak precome into his mouth. He rolled my testicles with his nimble fingers and gave my cock a really deep suck. My eyes rolled back in my head as my whole body convulsed in pleasure, coming into his throat and groaning with uncensored ecstasy. I was in heaven.

Severus swallowed all of my come. I watched as he languidly licked my softening cock, making sure nothing was left behind.

I lay bonelessly on the bed, feeling more relaxed than I had before in my whole life. Severus pulled my boxers and pants back up, allowing me to regain my decency.

A wide grin graced my debauched face as I found my words again. I said, “First kiss and first blow job in the same morning… not bad for seventeen.”

Severus chuckled and moved to lie beside me, replying, “I didn’t know you were a virgin, Harry.”

“Mmmhm,” I replied sleepily, rolling to face him. I remembered with a start that I hadn’t even returned the favor, and I propped myself up on an elbow.

“Severus, I didn’t-“

“Shh,” he said, cutting me off. He reached for my hand and brought it to the front of his pants, letting me feel a wet patch and his softening cock.

I blushed in understanding and lay back down, resting my head on his broad chest.

Severus lazily rubbed circles on my back, and whispered, “Fall asleep, Harry. It’s healthy to take a nap; I’ll be here when you wake up.”

I didn’t need much encouragement. My heavy eyelids fell and I drifted off to sleep in Severus’s arms for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.

It was something I could start getting used to.

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Author's Note: Let me know how you liked it. ;)