-a fine line- part two/ sequal

Chapter 4- Pride

Y/N didn't want to admit it but she felt the need to punch him in the goddamn face. Yes, she was aware he had lost all his memory of them together. She knew he didn't know he was the one who took her bloody virginity and was now sneering at her like a bloody cat. Honestly, when she accepted taking care of Severus she didn't think it was going to be this hard. But she should've known because nothing was easy when it came down to the bastard.

The dinner she made was quickly eaten by no one but herself and she left a plate on the counter but knew he wouldn't come out. The only thing she heard was the noise coming from the bathroom where Severus was probably struggling to do literally anything. But what surprised her was when he came out of the bedroom, fully clothed with a look of guilt written all over his face.

He seemed nervous, which didn't suit his normal character very well. Y/N waited patiently for Severus to begin talking.

"I apologize for acting that way. I- could you help me?" She didn't fail to notice the way his breath hitched after saying that as if he didn't expect to say the last thing aloud. Y/N merely nodded and smiled at him, trying not to let the man think it was a pity smile but genuine.

"No problem. Why don't you go ahead and I'll be there shortly." Severus looked at the ground and spun around in the wheelchair. It wouldn't be more than a day or two that he needed to use that, because his strength was already returning and he obviously would refuse to use it longer than necessary even though Poppy recommended that.

She cleaned the kitchen and darted her eyes at the still food filled plate, but ignored it.

When arriving in the bathroom, Severus had managed to get the water from the shower to the right temperature. Y/N genuinely felt bad that he couldn't remember anything and that he felt so utterly uncomfortable with her even though she'd seen everything already.

Severus swallowed thickly and looked at her, waiting for instruction as he had no clue how to do this. Y/N stopped herself from grinning too much because she didn't want him to think she was making fun of him, and helped him pull off his shirt first. It went rather easily and she did sneak a glance at the firm chest she missed.

She supported Severus while he stood up and let him lean against her. It was quite difficult to open the trousers and pull them down, but it wasn't impossible. Severus' eyes widened when he suddenly remembered his thighs covered with scars. Yes, he had countless scars on his body that were mostly created by the Dark Lord, or the Marauders and of course the tissue on his neck, but it was obvious this was self-inflicted. His eyes met hers and he looked away in the same second. The socks were quickly disposed of either and left him feeling rather vulnerable and bare. When it was time to take off the briefs, he squirmed ever so slightly and tried to cover it up by coughing casually.

In order by making him feel more comfortable, she began talking through the silence and lowered the boxers.

"So, what are your plans for after you recover? I mean....do you think about staying at Hogwarts or would you rather do something else?" She tried to make it sound normal but she couldn't help but let her nerves get the better of her. They had briefly talked about their plans after the war if they'll both survive. Y/N and Severus had made a deal that they'd get a cottage together, or perhaps run a shop in Diagon's Alley if it was safe enough. Severus shrugged while she helped him get under the water.

"Haven't thought about it much, but I think I'll resume my position at Hogwarts as teaching potions. If they'll still have me, that is." She gathered some shampoo in her hands and rubbed them together to make it foam. Severus was still being supported by her other hand and luckily he wasn't too heavy. To steady them even more, he placed one hand on the wall.

"Oh." Y/N's voice went one octave higher at the answer. She should've expected it but hearing it in real life....made it worse for some reason.

"Surprised?" He drawled out, his voice rough from the bite. Her fingers threaded through the black locks and gave her some reassurance that this was still the same man she was in love with, even if it was hard to believe.

"It's just that I thought you didn't enjoy teaching." She didn't just think it, she knew it because he had complained about it nonstop.

"And how would you know?" He sneered. Y/N forced herself to calm down instead of snapping at him, knowing he was in a vulnerable position. The shampoo was already rinsed out so she began with the bodywash.

"You're right. I wouldn't." She murmured under her breath, disappointment obvious in her tone. Severus however, didn't comment on it.

They both remained quiet for some time while she worked on getting every inch clean. The cleaning spells had helped but it didn't clean as well as a shower and she knew how much he adored showers even if he didn't admit it.

Once Y/N cleaned his upper body, she let her hands roam more down and tried to make it non-sexual even though it was hard when all they ever did was make something like this erotic. She felt Severus tense under her touch when she got lower and didn't know if it had anything to do with the fact she was so close to his cock or the fact that she was on eyesight with his scars that he was still sensitive about.

"They're not....very pleasant. I'm sorry you have to look at it," He whispered. It only reminded her about her own struggles when he looked out after her. Y/N stood up to face him and slowly pulled up her long sleeves. Severus said nothing but his gaze didn't tear away from her own scars that were looking even fresher than his. Yes, he had helped her immensely with stopping but it wasn't more than a year ago since she had last done it, unlike him.

"Don't worry. Everyone has a coping mechanism, even though some of them aren't healthy to have. But I'm glad you stopped, and I'm really proud of you for that." His lip curled up and it surprised her when his cheeks blushed a bit. Neither of them said anything about it anymore, but she did notice him relaxing under her touch.

Y/N went back to washing, ignoring the semi-erect cock that they both seemed to dismiss.

With Severus being clean again and sitting in fresh clothes, she reheated the food she made and sat with him at the table while he ate. They talked, surprisingly without murdering one another, and she helped him get into bed.

It didn't go smoothly but she hadn't expected it to go like that. He struggled in every move she took to take off his clothes and get some pyjamas on. Not necessarily because he was afraid to be seen bare once more, but because he kept complaining it was too early for a grown man to go to bed.

"Miss L/N. I can assure you I don't need to sleep yet. I could even stay up all night," he said stubbornly. She smiled and shook her head which made Severus' outburst even worse. "It's not amusing! I'm merely stating that I am able to look after myself."

She tucked him in with the blankets while he continued to try and lower the blanket and glared at her.

"Poppy said you needed to rest, so that's what you're going to do and obviously you can't look after yourself because it's unhealthy to stay up all night." He gave up trying to win the fight, knowing Y/N will floo to Poppy to ask for help and he wasn't in the mood for having that woman over and scolding her as well. Merlin, she could be even more stubborn than Y/N.

He stopped fighting every movement and she smiled gently at the look at him sleeping and at the victory.