A Dark Time For The Light

73

Severus was most reluctant to rise for work the next day, until Remus swatted him and ordered him out of bed. He watched him dress and asked, “Sev?”. The man turned, fastening his cufflinks, “Mmm?”. “Can we afford some entertainment stuff, you know, a TV and some music, maybe a computer?”. Severus grinned, “Actually I’d love to, but, truth to tell, I haven’t the first idea where to start”. “You big silly, we’ll ask the young ‘uns. I bet if we asked the girls, they’d be happy to help two old geezers spend some money, not to mention, they’d stop us getting ripped off”. Severus smiled, “All right, ask them, by all means. It’s not like we’re stuck for funds exactly, and it would be fun to have music in the house”.

He got the chance later that day when Ginny turned up with a jigsaw puzzle to amuse them both. Her sling was off, but she still had a ‘pot’ on her arm. “It was a bloody shame that Poppy had no Skele-Gro in her kit”, Ginny had moaned as she made them both tea. They sprawled on the living room floor and tipped out the puzzle. Remus asked about procuring electronica and Ginny called Hermione who was at home wrestling with a shoebox stuffed with invoices and receipts, “Yeah, sure. How about Saturday morning, before the computer stores get frantic?”. They all agreed and Remus called his lover at lunchtime, “Saturday it is then, love”, then rang off.

Severus returned that night to find Ginny still there, their heads bent over the puzzle, most of it done. Severus had never seen one before and knelt to examine it. Ginny made more tea as they greeted each other. She returned from the kitchen to find her ex-teachers in a clinch. She quietly gathered up her stuff as they parted. Severus blushed and apologised. “Much as it pleases me to actually hear you apologise to me, Severus”, she sauced, “Never say sorry for being in love. I have to go now, Seamus is doing tea tonight. See you Saturday”. And she was gone in a swirl of Titian Red hair.

They had a TV and a powerful laptop and peripherals in fairly short order, but Severus was balking at the choice of hi-fis on offer. “Too brassy”, or “God, that bass is terrible. No mid-range. You can barely hear the violins”, until a rather dermatologically challenged sales assistant leaned in and muttered, “You obviously don’t want the crap they sell in here”, and gave Severus a slip of paper with a shop name and the address on, “I don’t have anything to do with the place, but they do real hi-fi there. Prepare to drop beaucoup bucks, mind you, good sound doesn’t come cheap”. He thanked the man and they left.

Remus was finding the experience tiring and said so. They grabbed a cab and headed off home with their booty. Hermione threaded it all together and loaded all of the software for them and told them how to apply for broadband legally, “Ours is free at the House. I hacked it, but Harry and Draco have a kosher account and I expect you’ll want the same”. Remus raised an eyebrow. “Remus”, she sighed, “There are many bad things I learned after I left school. I could pick the lock on Sev’s backbox in under five minutes with a bent hairpin. I could get into your seven lever mortice lock on the front door in less than twenty minutes with my ‘picks. I could shinny up the drainpipe and disable your house alarm in less time than it took to say that last sentence, and, yes, we have free phone and Internet, and, yes, it is stolen, but undetectable, even to a technician. I know I was insufferable at school”, she glanced at Severus, “But I was always bloody good at what I set my mind to”. In spite of himself, Severus laughed.

He went into the kitchen and started to prepare food for them all. He actually found cooking extraordinarily relaxing, just like Potion making, the ingredients and cooking times exact. He hummed as he moved around the space, he could hear laughter from the lounge, some post-modern cartoon series about a dysfunctional yellow-complected family in suburban America. He heard Remus’ bark of laughter and thought back to that early morning a few days ago and felt warmth suffuse him from head to toe. His eyes scrunched and blinked, his breathing suddenly heavy. It really had taken a Magical Creature to make him fully human. He grinned and stirred the pasta.

A couple of hours later and Severus let the girls out, then dived onto the couch with his lover, he felt daft and giggly and growly as he cuddled the love of his life. The last few days had seen the last of his defences crumble and Remus loved it and revelled in it. His illness had drawn them closer than he had ever dreamed possible. Severus was such a complex man and now he was laying himself bare, making himself vulnerable to his lover. Remus was awed and highly aroused. He gazed with his beautiful tawny eyes deep into the swimming onyx depths beneath him, then bit his lower lip momentarily as he homed in on his lover’s exquisite mouth, opening slightly beneath his.

Kiss was too inadequate a word for a moment like this. They claimed, branded, merged, joined, bonded. And it really did feel like forever and right now as their tongues touched. They wanted to climb into each other’s skin, to truly merge, be as one and so they did, taking turns to be taker and taken ending up in a sticky heap smiling widely and adoringly into each other’s eyes. “I swear, Sev, you’re finally turning into a romantic, you big softie”, Remus nuzzled Severus’ neck. As they drifted into sleep, Severus kissed into his lover’s soft hair, “You have absolutely no idea, my Wolfie, you want romance?. I’ll give it to you on a bloody platter”. Remus fell asleep wearing a huge grin and his lover wound around him like a cloak.

The next day, the boys called round to hear laughter and swearing coming from the open kitchen window in equal measure. They went to the main door at the rear of the property to narrowly avoid collision with Severus who ran outside with a pan and promptly tipped the contents down the grid with a “Damn, blast and buggeration”. They greeted him and went in. Remus was still giggling and wiping at his eyes. “Hi boys, Sev mucked up the gravy would you believe, a Potions Master unable to make gravy!”.

The chef growled entering the kitchen, “That’s why I never allowed distractions in my damned lab, you mangy cur”. Remus pulled a mock-petulant face until Severus threaded his arm around him and kissed his cheek. “Go on, the lot of you, out of my kitchen before I impale someone with something sharp and pointy”, he despatched the three with a beer apiece. They went into the lounge. “Sev seems cheerful”, Harry noted, “You too, Remus. Is everything going well with the treatments and stuff?” Remus nodded, “I’m still knackered all the time, and the treatments themselves are horrible, but, well, Sev’s being amazing, as is everyone else”. By now the boys had a rota going with the girls and were a little team of house-elves, taking care of laundry and cleaning and shopping so Severus could still work and teach while every spare moment, he could spend taking care of his lover and recharging his own batteries. So far it was working well.

Ron had appeared on Friday, but instead of basing himself at Harry’s, his siblings insisted that he stay with them, so it was just the four of them for lunch. Severus dished up a fine roast with all the trimmings and they all got happily sloshed over lunch. Remus left for a nap and Severus said, “See you in a few minutes”, and they excused themselves. Severus threw a blanket over his lover, kissed him, bid him a good nap and left to rejoin his guests.

While he was out of the room, Draco murmured, “They seem really happy for some reason”, as his host walked back in smiling. “We are, Draco, and it’s all down to some dreadful nightmares I’ve been having. I don’t really want to go into it in too much detail, but we’ve decided to wed as soon as we can”. The boys beamed at this, then hugged him. Severus sank to the floor, raking a hand through his hair, “It was as a result of these nightmares that I realised I needed him, and I’ve just let it all go. I mean, I know we’ve found him again and I’m sure that didn’t help my head much, or anyone’s for that matter”, the boys nodded at this and glanced at each other.

He let out a long breath, “I dreamed of him taking his last breath in my arms, all the hospital machines silent and unplugged, then his funeral. I woke up begging him not to die”, then buried his head in his hands, “You can’t imagine how awful it was, or maybe you can, but I know now that I love that man more than life itself, then something just broke inside. I never felt that love like this would ever be a part of my life, always playing both ends against the middle as I’ve done for a large part of it. This left no room for the lighter emotions, and to be honest, I’d convinced myself that to show such was weakness, something that could only be used against me by him. But, I dunno, since I ran, and I’m just Sev to everyone now, and even he hasn’t been bothering me much, it’s like I’m nearly free for the first time in my life and, well, it’s a bit giddy-making at times. Do you know, I’m 42 and I’ve only just discovered daft things about myself?”. He grinned and counted them off on his fingers, “I’m ticklish, especially my feet, I love Ealing comedies, and I could smell honeysuckle all day. I suit red but not yellow or green and I like being the sort of person that hugs my friends”.

Both Harry and Draco could feel tears threaten at this confession from the formerly dour man. Harry rubbed Severus’ back as they listened, Draco had his arms around his lover, his forehead on Harry’s shoulder. The man continued, “The other day, he called me an old softie, and I smiled instead of hexing him into next week. I want to be a romantic, not a slushy git or anything, you know, the little things”, he looked up into the boys’ faces, “D’you think I’m nuts?”, his voice was soft.

Harry leaned down and kissed his friend’s forehead, “No you are not. There’s nothing wrong with a little romance. Don’t tell anyone but Draco here is an incorrigible romantic”. Draco squawked and batted Harry’s arm affectionately, “I am not! You’re the slushy one in this relationship, matey”. Harry laughed, “Oh yes, like running away from home and flying 200 miles to tell me you love me isn’t romantic?, not to mention buying me one of the finest guitars ever made. Oh, and lest we forget, the first dinner you ever cooked for me”. Draco went crimson, “Yes, well, a) I was missing the shagging, b) I always buy the best and c) I didn’t fancy takeaway that night”. But Harry knew better and shrugged at Severus, “See, that’s how it works, it’s not all hearts and flowers”. Severus turned to regard the boys, “You two have taught me so much, so this is partially your fault, you know”. “Bollocks, Sev. It was always there. In our various ways, all of us have grown and blossomed, and d’you know why? Because we’re leading normal lives. Real lives. Working, loving, going for a pint, sitting on the Tube, well, standing mainly, but you know what I mean”

Severus had to agree, “No him hanging over us, no artful politics, none of that ridiculous House rivalry nonsense, and that tiny shut-off claustrophobia. I actually feel safer sitting here in this flat with the Wizarding world’s most wanted beside me with a much-maligned Magical creature for a fiance than I ever did in that world, except out here, I’m just Sev, he’s just Remus and you two are our good friends, that is so much better, and I’ll admit, I love it. People have let me make my peace with them. I get on pretty well with Neville these days from my postman days and I never thought in a million years I’d hear myself say that and be glad of it”, he paused and shook his now-empty can, standing, “More beer, anyone?”, he stood and left.

“It really has changed us all, hasn’t it, Dragon?”. Draco’s reply was to pull Harry to him and kiss him closed mouthed and rub noses together, “Do you really think I’m a romantic, Harry?”. Harry tightened his arms around his delectable blond, “Of course you are, idiot”, then messed up that gorgeous blond hair, to a squeak from it’s owner, “Harry!. Not the hair, not the hair”, who completely ignored him and messed it around some more, sticking his tongue out for good measure, “Right, Harry, that’s it!. Death by a thousand tickles”, and launched at his lover. Severus watched from the doorway and laughed out loud.

Draco emerged red of face and turned to his host, “Don’t you start. We know your weak spot now”, his eyes widened at Severus, who pulled a mock-scared look, placed the cans down carefully then made to back away, his palms held out before him, “Pax. Pax, boys. You can’t attack now”, he cautiously sat down again, eyes shining, mirth all over his face. The boys looked at each other, their eyes narrowing, then at their ex-teacher, then dived on him. Draco grabbed his wrists and held his arms above his head. Harry sat on his knees and mercilessly tickled the man’s feet. Severus bawled and squirmed, “Say ‘Uncle’”, said his tormentor. “Never!”, so more tickling was in order. Draco pinned the man’s arms under his legs and attacked the torso, “Aaaarrrgh. Uncle. Uncle!”, and they let go and moved away, then heard a noise from the doorway. A highly amused Remus leaning against the jamb.

Severus went over to him, “The little gits. I reveal a weak point and they ruthlessly exploit it”. Remus was shaking with silent laughter and threaded his arms around his lover and kissed him soundly. Severus pulled away slightly, “Sorry, love, did we wake you?”. Remus nodded, “But I don’t mind being woken up by you laughing, love. Any beer left?”. The boys watched as Severus squeezed his love tight and released him to go into the kitchen.

They spent the rest of the afternoon extremely pleasantly, getting slowly hammered as the sun dipped and the blunts were rolled and lit. They all knew that the following weeks would be very stressful on their friends. The job was about to start on his house and a certain amount of trepidation set in.