The Space In Between

Space in Between

Severus is sitting in front of the fire, his face creased in troubled lines, and Harry\'s heart skips a beat. Life has been hard lately, the war escalating exponentially every day, and it\'s difficult to find anything worthwhile, anything to go on living for. So many deaths, so many people gone. Honestly, if Severus hadn\'t been here, waiting for him each day, Harry doesn\'t know what he would have done.

Harry slumps down in the comfortable couch in front of the fire beside Severus, but the Potions master barely notices the younger man entering the room. He sighs deeply and pulls his arms around himself as though he\'s cold. He might be, because he\'s only wearing a shirt, and black trousers. Harry wonders why he has taken off his robes, but doesn\'t ask. Severus looks defeated and old. It makes Harry\'s heart ache even more, because he knows the reason for Severus\' mood and his tiredness.

They\'ve seen so much death, and there are so many loved ones gone now, Seamus, Draco, Hagrid, and worst of all, Dumbledore. Dumbledore\'s recent death is the primary reason for Severus\' bleak expression. Harry has never seen his lover cry, but if there was ever a time that he might, it is now. Harry knows how important Dumbledore was to Severus. The Headmaster was someone who understood him, and knew him better than most, better than Harry does even.

Being the new Headmaster of Hogwarts is something Severus never wanted, Harry knows that. But the responsibility is on his shoulders now, and Harry understands how difficult it is to take on a role that has been played by someone so diametrically different from Severus Snape himself for so long. Where Dumbledore had been warm, caring and friendly, Severus Snape is cold, distant and hard – at least on the surface, but Harry has learned better. Harry knows that Snape and Dumbledore have more in common than Severus thinks.

\"You can do it, you know,\" Harry says softly and reaches out to brush a string of midnight black hair out of Severus\' gaunt face. .

\"What?\" Snape\'s head turns as though he hasn\'t even noticed Harry\'s presence until he speaks, until the gentle caress breaks through his dark thoughts.

\"You have more in common with Albus than you think,\" Harry continues.

Severus lets out a sound that is suspiciously like a snort. He rubs his hand over his face, and blinks as though he\'s still trying to fight the fog of gloomy thoughts. Harry wants to wipe away the worry and the sorrow from the haunted, but so loved face.

\"You do,\" Harry insists. \"You\'re cunning, clever and fiercely protective. You care, more than you let on.\"

\"I can\'t deal with people,\" Snape objects. \"Not like Albus could. He always knew the right thing to do with the little brats. Knew what to say to encourage them. All I ever did was try to knock some sense into their thick skulls.\"

\"Diplomacy is a skill you can learn, and you\'re not stupid.\"

Snape shoots him an irritated look, knowing full well he cannot protest against that, no matter how much he would like to.

\"You have watched the master at work for many years,\" Harry points out. \"You can do it.\"

Severus looks up then, and a very cautious smile lights his eyes. It never reaches his lips, but to Harry it\'s like seeing the sun break through the clouds after a rainy day. Happiness courses through him. His words have made Severus feel just a little bit better. That\'s all he can hope for. That\'s all he wants.

\"Come,\" Severus says, and Harry smiles as he scoots over to his lover. Severus pulls his legs up and Harry straddles him, moving into the warmth of a man he once hated, a man he once thought was the most despicable being on this earth, save perhaps Voldemort himself. But that was before he had taken the time to know this man, and now Severus is the most important person in Harry\'s life; the one he can trust, the one he can give all of himself to without reservations; the one who gives as good as he gets, the one he couldn\'t live without.

Harry has found out something important. When Severus loves, he does it with all his heart. It is hard to believe, knowing the gruff exterior, the harsh words, and the coldness that sometimes spreads across his forbidding features, but it\'s true.

And he loves Harry.

Harry can see it in his dark eyes, and a stab of warmth courses through his body when he feels Severus\' legs flex underneath him, the muscles moving purposefully to make them both more comfortable.

\"Closer,\" Severus says huskily. The tone of his voice is urgent and it sends a thrill through Harry\'s body. He moves into the embrace, leans forward at the same moment as thin, warm lips claim his in a passionate kiss. Strong hands move over Harry\'s back and into his dark, spiky hair, pulling his head closer. Harry opens up eagerly under the kiss and moans into the hot mouth that never seems to lose its burning passion.

They\'ve been lovers for years now, and the desire never seems to lessen, the love only seems to grow stronger for each hardship they face together. Harry moves his hands down between them, but Severus pulls away and grabs them in a firm grip. Their eyes meet and Harry understands.

\"No,\" Severus whispers. \"Just move against me. Don\'t touch.\"

Sometimes they do this, they play this game of not caressing each other intimately, seeing how far they can take it before they lose control. It\'s like being a teenager again, when you were a little afraid of crossing that line between heavy petting and actual sex. But that is the whole thrill of it, the feeling that it is slightly forbidden.

Harry nods eagerly, moving his hands into Severus\' hair instead. The older wizard\'s hair is coarse and only a little greasy today. It seems he has not been able to work much on his beloved potions this day. Harry knows that his work as Headmaster takes Severus away from his potions more than he likes, but right now he is glad for it. Sometimes, despicable, foul smells clings to his lover\'s skin after spending a whole day with his potions. It would have required a shower before something like this. But not today, and Harry happily nuzzles the junctbetwbetween Severus\' neck and shoulder, pushing away the fabric there. For once, he\'s not wearing as many clothes as he normally does, and Harry is glad for that, too.

He licks the skin there, inhales the scent of it and revels in the taste of salt and the unique taste that\'s Severus. Harry might not be able to tell what his lover tastes like, but he would recognize it anywhere, and he craves it like flowers need water on a blistering hot summer day.

Moaning softly at the wet touch of Harry\'s tongue against his throat, Severus\' husky voice vibrates through his chest, and makes Harry shiver. Severus glides down in the couch a little more, and Harry lifts up to make it easier. He watches while Severus kicks off his shoes. Smiling, Harry turns and reaches for a black-sock-clad foot, and his lover obligingly pulls both legs up onto the cushions. Severus\' feet are sinewy and slender, and Harry loves them, mostly because he knows that they are erogenous zones. Caressing the arch with his thumb, quite hard, he steals a glance at Severus\' face. They\'ve turned a little, and he\'s resting his head against the armrest now, his eyes half closed and his mouth open. Licking his lips a little, Severus moans when Harry starts massaging his feet in earnest.

\"Don\'t relax too much,\" Harry whispers softly. He wants Severus. He wants the touch of his lover, and if he does this for too long a time, Severus might fall asleep. It\'s happened before.

\"I won\'t,\" Severus promises and Harry moves his caresses from the elegant feet onto his lover\'s legs, up along the calves and over his thighs, but stops short of touching between Severus\' legs although he can see the want and the need in the other man\'s eyes.

He moves to sit in Severus\' lap again and the older man glides down in the couch, pulling Harry to lie on top of him. It\'s not as uncomfortable as it might have been. The couch is wide, and soft, and there\'s more than enough room for the both of them. Harry moans appreciatively as Severus hardness rubs against his, with only a few layers of fabric between them. They rock gently against each other at first. Harry knows the urgency will grow, soon, and he anticipates it, longs for it.

Years ago, Harry would have protested against this, would have wanted to get rid of those restricting clothes, impatient, and eager to feel skin against skin. Now, a little older and more seasoned, he\'s learned to appreciate the tease that this is, learned to appreciate the delay in their gratification, and the slow burn toward release. The pleasure grows, and escalates slowly. Their passion is to be savoured like an aged wine. He hardens further, as Severus hands move over the backs of his thighs, and his buttocks, too lightly, and he grinds into his lover with a groan, wishing the hands to move toward that place where he really wants them, knowing that Severus won\'t touch him there, not now, maybe not at all this night.

Severus spreads his legs though, anoansoans too. The grip on Harry\'s buttocks tightens and Harry lets out a relieved sigh. It\'s been a while and both of them need this, so much. It won\'t be gentle, it won\'t be teasing, and it won\'t be slow.

Thank heavens.

The shift in Severus body puts their erections in alignment and Harry dives in for another kiss. This time it\'s hard, and almost violent in its intensity.

\"Want you,\" Harry moans.

\"Yesss,\" Severus hisses and pulls him closer, arms wrapping tightly around his slender body. It makes Harry feel wanted, protected and horny, all at the same time. Only Severus can give him all of these things at once.

Desperate for a closer connection now, Harry moans and moves his hands underneath Severus body, grabbing the tight buttocks in his hands, pulling the other man closer, forcing their erections to meet in a steady grind, the motion becoming rhythmic, needful and so unbearably sweet. Severus pulls his legs up and wraps them around Harry\'s thighs, causing the friction to heighten, and Harry moans, the speed in their movements escalating, and it\'s good, so good, and he wants more, he wants skin on skin, wants the touch of Severus hands on his hard prick, but it\'s too good to slow down and ask for it, too good to bother, and he knows it is only moments before he comes, moments before this moment of freedom, of pleasure, of oblivion is over. It\'s bittersweet, the way he wants to draw this out, and the way he wants it to culminate at the same time.

But he has no say in it. Severus throws his head back, losing control, bucking into him, grinding his hips desperately against Harry\'s, moaning at the delicious friction and coming, coming, coming....

Harry follows very soon and the pleasure is like a vortex pulling him in and he blaout out for a moment.

When he awakens, he\'s plastered bonelessly across Severus, but the older man seems content to stay there for now. They will shower soon, and their space in between battles and sorrows will last just a little while longer.

END