Severus woke up feeling extremely rested from his sleep. Remus was snuggled on his chest, just like the other night, only this time he had no clothes on. Snape looked at him for a moment, admiring his beauty and how adorable he looked when he was asleep. After stroking his hair for a bit, Severus knew Remus wouldn't wake up easily, it was well known between them that he had a heavy sleep. Severus had to talk to Lucius Malfoy today before lunch, Malfoy had come to Hogwarts just for that, unfortunately skipping it wasn't an option.
Not wanting to wake Remus up, Snape wrote him a note and left it by the nightstand. The Slytherin walked light-hearted in the corridors until he reached his room and gathered some things to go to his classroom. He couldn't remember feeling this happy about anything in years.
Remus woke up about one hour later. He missed the other man in the bed and searched for him with this gaze, finding no one in the room of requirement. He was starting to feel sad and insecure about it but soon found Severus' note on the nightstand, changing his mood quickly.
Remus,
I'm sorry for not starting my day with you but I must talk to Lucius Malfoy today. He came to Hogwarts just for that matter.
I really enjoyed our night, hope you feel the same. I'm not too busy this weekend, you can come by in the afternoon for some tea if you like.
Severus
Remus stayed in bed for some extra time, just to enjoy the aftermath of their night. The note made him extremely happy. Not only had Severus told him that he liked their night, but more importantly, he cared enough to write him justifying why he wasn't there in the morning. Remus spent some good time daydreaming in a lazy way, sometimes feeling Snape's scent from his side of the bed. Although Lupin didn't think Snape would be harsh on him, he was flattered to be treated so nicely by the other. Snape had no ceremonies on being sharp and dry to people so it must mean something if he wants to be kind to you.
Remus got up and the room gave him a bathroom. Walking around, still without his clothes, he ended up seeing his reflection on a big mirror. There was a little mark close to his collarbone, nothing he couldn't cover with his clothes. That's when he realized that he wasn't sored at all. First times would usually hurt a bit on the following morning since they made him nervous and that didn't help to relax his muscles during sex. Remus had been with men before but never in his life, had a man cared so much for his consent as Severus did. His respect came naturally and for someone who had been with men that assumed too much and too early, Remus decided this was the sexiest thing he could think of.
"Morning, Severus" Lucius greeted him with his deep elegant voice
"Lucius" he answered turning around to see him as he left the book on his hands over the table
They were at Snape's classroom, Severus was writing instructions for the students of the first class on the week.
"A little early for that, wouldn't you say?" Lucius asked looking at the board
"I was just passing the time," Snape said simply. "So, what brings you here? Draco's arm has recovered well, as I told you. Nothing new on the castle, really" Snape asked
"His arm is fine, I'm here because of his grades! What is going on with him? Have you noticed anything weird about his behavior lately? Is he attending to class?" Lucius asked with some annoyance on his voice
Snape was shocked for a moment. He knew the Malfoys were strict but this was too much.
"I don't follow, Lucius. Your son is doing great, as he always did. He just got an average score on two subjects, not bad scores at all. And to be fair, this time of the semester was poorly balanced. Even I, as a teacher, had a hard time correcting everything. I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about" Snape said carefully
"But what if he gets average scores on the next test as well? This is unacceptable!" The older Malfoy said harshly
"Maybe I can offer him help on his assignments. Or help him study for tests. I'm very busy but he can study by my side in the classroom and ask me if he has doubts. Wouldn't bother me at all" Snape offered
"What a splendid idea! Thank you, Severus. You were one of the finest students this place has ever known, you can help him out of this... situation" Lucius said with disdain on his last word
"You know I'm always glad to help Draco. I'll talk to him about it later today. Or maybe you can, have you seen him already?" Snape asked
"I haven't and unfortunately I won't. I must be on my way soon. But do send him my love when you see him, please"
"Surely" Snape answered briefly
They talked for a brief moment and Lucius looked at his pocket watch.
"I have to go now, Narcissa needs my presence for this party we are hosting tomorrow. I know you probably can't come, but you are always invited. Anyway, I have to say you look rather... happy this morning. Whatever it is, suits you well" Lucius said touching Snape's shoulder in a friendly way
Snape walked Lucius outside of his classroom and after that, sat on one of the chairs in a reflexive way. What the hell? Lucius must be giving Draco a hard time. After a while, his thoughts were interrupted by very discrete steps coming from the corridor.
"Draco. Please a minute of your time" Snape said out loud, knowing the blond Slytherin was just outside
When he stepped in, closing the door behind him, Severus couldn't keep with the tone he had before. Draco heard everything, it was clear as daylight. The boy was trying his very best not to cry.
"Draco..." Snape said almost starting to comfort him
"I'm sorry! I was so tired during those two tests, they were on the same morning, next day to Minerva's... one day before... yours. I had slept so little... I should have checked my answers before giving them to the teacher like I always do, it's just..." he said all at once, his voice starting to tremble
Snape made a gesture to make him stop talking and got up from his chair, approaching Draco calmly. He leaned until their eyes were on the same level and touched his shoulder.
"You don't have to apologize to me or anyone. You were just exhausted, there is nothing wrong with that. You need some rest, Draco, not more hours studying. But if you need any help you can come to me. You will study next to me for the next test and after that, you can go back studying where you want. Is that ok?" Snape said trying to calm him down
"Y-yes..." Draco muttered staring to the floor
"Look at me," Snape said touching Draco's chin for a brief moment only to find his eyes filled with tears. "I never agreed to this, I don't think it's healthy to send all your scores to your father. I know Dumbledore also doesn't agree although he sends them under his request. I'll see what I can do"
"No! He'll get mad at me... leave it like this... It's ok" Draco said not knowing what to do about it
"As you wish. Now promise me you will take the rest of the weekend to spend time with your friends and sleep properly" Snape said a rather demanding way
"But I have to start Professor Lupin's assignment!" he exclaimed
Just the name made Severus shiver beneath the surface.
"That is just for Wednesday, why don't you write this one with me after class on Monday? I promise you when you leave this classroom it will be finished" Snape promised him, smiling a little in the corner of his mouth. Made him remember Draco as a kid, always trying to negotiate things with him
"Ok... Thank you, Severus" Draco said smiling for the first time since they met
Snape had understood their conversation was over and had his book on his hand once again. When he looked up, Draco was still there, clearly with something he still needed to say.
"Yes?" Snape asked closing his book in a patient way
"He didn't even talk to me... he came all this way just to bother you about my grades! Like I'm doing something wrong on his back, doesn't he trust me? We don't see each other in ages and when he is here he doesn't even bother to see me for five minutes..." Draco said, this time getting angry
"Maybe he thought he would be interrupting you. I suggest you write him a letter, telling him you want to see him next time. I doubt he wouldn't come if you asked him to. He has his ways to show it, but he is very fond of you, Draco" Snape said trying to defend his friend, although he understood Draco's feelings
"Ok, I'll try... But I'm still mad at him" the younger Slytherin said with his own characteristic disdain on his voice
"Don't blame you, but talk to him before fighting. Your father is way too good at fighting but not that skilled on talking about problems" Snape remarked
They exchanged a meaningful look like they knew the most valuable secret to win a war.
"Now leave... and you never heard that from me" Snape said in a slightly playful way
Draco left the classroom feeling better than he entered, which was completely unexpected to him. And he couldn't avoid noticing this light energy coming from Snape, Draco didn't remember ever seeing him on such a good mood.
Later that day, Severus heard knocks on his door while he was organizing some pilled parchments that were gathering dust on one of his shelves.
Lupin was on the other side, nervous to show up without seeing Snape during the day but still confident. He observed a shadow approach the other side of the door silently, not that Snape was doing that on purpose, that just him.
"Hello, Remus... I hope your visit means you read my note this morning, am I right?" Snape questioned him
"I did... It was really nice of you to write it for me. Wouldn't have come otherwise" Lupin said a bit shy
"Come in, just forgive the mess, I was getting rid of some old things" Snape invited him by opening the door and stepping aside to give him space to enter
Lupin was unsure about how to greet him. Should he kiss him? Hug him briefly? He followed Snape's lead just a second ago and went low profile in case someone showed up but now that the door was closed, their connection seemed to be magnetic. Snape noticed too, as soon as the door closed and they were side by side again, he wanted to get back to the same atmosphere they were before. Severus thought maybe he should make the first move since he was the one who left in the morning.
"I'm glad you came" Severus whispered on his ear, as he held his hand
Remus closed his eyes involuntarily and breathed a bit deeper, the sound of Snape's voice so close to him was something that was getting harder to be without. Snape noticed, once again, not his fault Remus was so transparent on his emotions. So he touched Remus' jaw with his thumb and kissed him. The kiss had the perfect amount of tenderness and desire and after a while, they shared a meaningful look after the kiss.
Snape prepared some tea for them, as promised, telling Lupin to make himself comfortable as he did so. It was interesting for Remus to see Severus doing ordinary things, the man was almost a metaphysical entity for him and maybe for most of his students as well.
"Having fun?" Snape asked when he looked back to see Remus following his movements
"I might as well check if you are not reading my thoughts. How is that you always know?" Lupin asked now starting to wonder if Snape was indeed doing that
"I wouldn't cast such a spell on you... without your knowledge... I'm just very observant and you are very clear in your expressions most of the time" Snape said in a rather casual way as he approached the table with the tea
"People always said I'm an open book... maybe I wish I were, I have so much to hide" Remus said out loud, but almost sounding like he was speaking to himself
"You are someone very easy to talk to... very accessible. Doesn't mean you don't have your own complexity. Honestly, I envy how you can make everyone so comfortable around you. It's tiresome to have people treating me like I'm not even a real person sometimes" Snape admitted
"But everyone is fascinated by you! I don't think anyone would dare to disrespect you or questioning your actions. When you are too nice people forget to be respectful to you, I've seen that at least a billion times" Lupin said, enjoying their conversation, this was a nice topic
"People are fascinated by me? Where did you get that from? People get fascinated by things they like, nobody likes me much around here, in case you haven't noticed" Snape answered in a light-hearted way before sipping his tea
"Maybe the students have some hard feelings about their scores but nobody dislikes you among the teachers"
"That's good to know" Snape said in a low tone "Oh, almost forgot, you like chocolate right?"
Snape waved his wand and a box of chocolate truffles came on their direction, landing between them
Lupin thanked him and ate some of the truffles, he definitely likes chocolate. He had never seen Snape eating sweet things, that made him think maybe Snape bought them just for him. They remained silent for a while, drinking their tea and sharing a moment of tranquility.
"Remus, I had a great time with you yesterday," Snape said getting closer to him
I wasn't a question, but Remus felt like he should say if he liked the evening as well.
"Me too, everything was just great," he said touching Snape's hand
"I just wanted to ask... were you... comfortable? You know, about the things we did together" Snape asked him
"Sure I was, why? You weren't?" Lupin asked confused
"Oh I wanted to do all that, believe me" he answered with a pinch of malice. "I was just wondering because... well... when I was doing things that were just for you, let's say... you sort of didn't let me start or do it for long. Not a problem for me anyway, I just thought about it later" Snape said trying not to blush, he wasn't used talking about sex
"Wow, I really didn't notice I did that. I actually wanted you to do it... I think I might have stopped you because I also wanted to do things for you. But now that you said it, I usually -" Remus interrupted himself, not wanting to talk about his previous experiences with the one he was at the present
"It's ok, you can tell me" Severus reassured him
"Well... I guess I don't let anyone focus too much on me because I feel like I'm... I don't know, bothering them? I get nervous because I'm not sure if that's what you want to do and for how long so I just get worried. I like that a lot but I end up not enjoying that much because of this" Remus answered in a shy manner, he had never said those things out loud
"Remus, what are you saying? I wanted to do it, it's enjoyable for me as well. I wouldn't offer to do something I don't want. Don't worry about it, ok?"
"Ok, just promise you will stop if it gets you tired," Lupin said with some insecurity, he didn't know if there would be a next time yet
Snape leaned closer to him to answer on his ear "Fine, then... I'll blow you until my knees start hurting and my mouth gets tired" he said with his rough voice
"Oh, you!" Remus turned to look at him, blushing furiously
At least now he knows there will be a next time.
"You made me promise," Snape said in a fake innocent tone, distorting Remus' sentences was becoming a new hobby
They continued talking for some time, the conversation went on about some other topics as well. Turns out they didn't know each other in such detail and Snape caught himself interested by the simplest statements Remus would drop on some subjects. Severus wanted to take things slow, but his sudden curiosity on knowing Remus' opinions about things was an undeniable proof that his heart had its own plans on the speed it wanted things to go.
Remus was happy to see Snape genuinely interested in their conversations and he was a really good listener. Lupin would sometimes get himself distracted looking at his eyes or feeling his scent. That was maybe one of the only things he liked about being a werewolf, he could feel the scent of things better than other people.
Feeling that way after the transformation was one of the hardest things to him on the other hand, it was lonely and desolating. However, he was secretly happy the full moon was approaching so he could ask Severus to look after him again. The feeling itself was bad but when Severus showed him tenderness that night, it felt like the most comforting thing in the world.
"I've been giving some thought about a potion we could try to help you with this discomfort you are experiencing," Severus said touching his hand slowly
"What do you have in mind? Something to stabilize my mood?" Remus asked in a hopeful way
"Actually, I think your irritability comes from having the wolf's' senses while you are in human form. You said the scent of everything was making you nauseous. How is your sensibility to light and sound going?" Snape asked
Remus was surprised, Snape could be very right about it. He was the werewolf and he didn't think of that.
"The worse is the scent for sure, but I think high pitch tones and brightness are giving me a hard time as well. So what is your idea?"
"There are some potions to numb the senses for invasive procedures. Maybe if I could do a light version of it, you could take it to normalize those things. I don't want to give you something like last time, it's too strong, might irritate your stomach permanently if you have it too often" Snape pondered
"I don't think my senses get exactly the same as when I'm transformed. When I become that thing I can still feel pleasant things like the scent of rain on grass. But that other day I got sick with the lavender soap from the bathroom and like that smell. I think your idea will work, I just wanted to clarify that" Remus said
"Can't promise I'll get it right on the first try, but I'll do what I can. Give me some days, maybe by Thursday, I can have something prepared. I have some reading to do. Anyway, it must be simpler than trying to silence the wolf with more Wolfsbane during the month"
"I'm fine for now, didn't have another episode like the last one. I think the new moon is helping" He remarked
Snape made a mental note to study the lunar phases. Happened every month, they could give him some directions on what to expect from Lupin's reactions to ingredients. And also when he was more susceptible to stay quietly on his bedroom or get irritated. Not that Remus was completely ruled by those things, Severus just wanted to be on the same page as him. And to know when he could go to Hogsmeade to buy him some comfort truffes, apparently, the walnut ones were his favorites.