Title: In Silencio
Author: nishizono
Characters: Severus/Sirius
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Public sex, underage sex, illicit use of invisibility cloaks
Themes/kinks chosen: Public Sex
Word Count: 5,000

Summary: What they're doing is utterly mad, and Severus knows he should put a stop to it before they're discovered. Yet, as usual, he doesn't.

Author's notes: Thanks to ships_harry and nehalenia for looking this over, and lysa1 for correcting my Latin.


Severus rarely spends time in the common room. It's little more than an arena for the egos of his housemates, and he's never had much use for their petty bickering. But the dormitories are cold in the winter, and the fire is warm when he curls up in a nearby chair, so it's easy to ignore the adolescent dramas taking place around him for just one night.

It is not, however, so easy to ignore the feeling of something warm skittering up the length of his thigh.

Severus leaps out of the chair and frantically brushes at the front of his trousers. There is nothing there, at least nothing that he can see, and his eyes snap up to glare at the room at large. Four pairs of eyes gaze back at him with varying degrees of irritation and cool amusement, but no one looks particularly guilty of surreptitiously casting hexes.

“Alright there?” Rabastan asks, once the others have gone back to their gossiping.

“Fine,” Severus snaps.

The other boy shrugs and turns away with a toss of brown hair, as if to say that he's at least tried to extend a bit of kindness. It's apparent that Rabastan is offended, as he usually is when he's been dismissed, but Severus has no intention of pretending to be in a social mood when what he really wants is for everyone within a two mile radius to disappear.

Dropping back down into the chair, Severus angles his body toward the fire with an exhausted sigh. The most recent of his research projects has been keeping him awake for long hours, but he refuses to fall asleep in the common room. It's doubtful that any of his housemates would do anything to him while he was unconscious, but he's wary even in his own bed with the curtains drawn. It's better not to take chances in Slytherin House.

Severus is trying to decide between slipping off to the cold dormitory or dozing in front of the fire when a familiar voice murmurs into his ear, “So is that my competition?”

This time, Severus successfully quells the urge to flee his own skin, but just barely. Though he can feel the warmth of another body lingering just beside his shoulder, the space appears empty but for the faintest shimmer when the other boy moves. Severus ducks his head until his hair swings across his face to hide his mouth, and hisses, “What the devil are you playing at?”

“I missed you,” is the quiet reply, followed by the unmistakable weight of a hand on his knee.

“Stop,” Severus whispers, and isn't sure whether he means the caresses or the lies.

“Why? It's not like they can see me, and I don't mind waiting until they go to bed.”

The problem isn't whether or not the others will notice something amiss, though that is a very distinct possibility. What Severus is concerned about is that this is the first time either of them have moved outside the neutral boundaries of abandoned classrooms and dark alcoves. It has been a heretofore unspoken rule that Severus Snape does not ascend the stairs of Gryffindor Tower, and Sirius Black does not slink through the Slytherin Dungeons. The other boy's presence here upsets the basic foundations of the universe.

“You shouldn't be here,” Severus breathes. If he turns just a bit more in his chair, he can hide most of his lower body and still look as if he is merely enjoying the warmth of the fire. This turns out to be a grave mistake, because the moment he shifts, there are hands stroking his chest through his jumper.

“There's a big difference between what I should do and what you want me to do,” Black whispers. “Besides, I can't bloody well leave right now, can I? Might look a bit strange if the door started opening on its own, and since it's past curfew, I don't think many people are going to be coming in and out.”

“You're a menace,” Severus hisses, and means every syllable. Technically, he could sneak Black out of the common room, if he were so inclined. Slughorn has given him a pass to use the potions laboratory whenever he pleases, and it isn't unheard of for him to slip out at all hours of the morning to check on this or that project.

The hands slide downward to his stomach, and Severus swallows convulsively, but does not rise from the chair.

"Hate having to touch you through the cloak," Black mutters softly.

"You shouldn't be touching me at all," Severus whispers, but it comes out halfhearted at best. The truth is, his body is responding to the other boy's touch the same way it always has: with a fierce intensity that makes his jaw clench. Once upon a time, the blush on his cheeks would have been from anger.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rabastan's voice is much closer than it should be.

"Tell that poncy git to stay the fuck away from you or I'll hex his balls off." Black's command is barely audible, but there is such conviction in it that Severus shivers.

"I'm fine," Severus insists a little too breathlessly.

Rabastan rounds the edge of the chair and stares down at him. "I think you've been sitting near the fire for too long; you look a bit flushed."

"I said I'm fine," Severus grinds out from between clenched teeth, because Black is squeezing his upper thighs and it's become rather difficult to control his tone.

Rabastan looks unconvinced, but unwilling to argue. Finally, after a few more moments of intense scrutiny, he says, "At least take your jumper off if you're going to sit here."

When his housemate moves away, Severus breathes a very quiet sigh of relief, but it's shortlived. There are hands sliding beneath the hem of his shirt, and he catches a glimpse of a bare forearm as warm fingertips stroke upward over his ribs. Black is being even more reckless than usual.

"Take your jumper off and put it across your lap," Black whispers, and when Severus starts to protest, the other boy scrapes a fingernail across his nipple. "Take it off, or I'll make sure everyone from this common room up to Gryffindor Tower knows I'm here."

Years of experience have left Severus with very little doubt that Black will make good on the threat, so he bites the inside of his cheek and obediently pulls the jumper over his head. Now that the bulky garment is gone, he feels more exposed than ever. The other boy's hands are clearly outlined beneath the thin fabric of his shirt, and Severus glances at his housemates from the corner of his eye. Thankfully, they are all too absorbed in themselves to pay him any mind, so he drapes the jumper over his lap.

"Good," Black breathes. "Now, try to be quiet."

Despite the warning, Severus squeaks when he feels the front of his trousers being tugged open. Bellatrix casts an inquisitive look over her shoulder, and he scowls at her until she rolls her eyes and turns back to her conversation with Avery. A disembodied hand sneaks under his waistband, and warm fingertips tease his burgeoning erection until keeping his eyes open becomes a heroic struggle. The jumper is shifting with every agonizing stroke, and Severus reaches down to bunch it so that the movements will be less visible. What they're doing is utterly mad-- though this kind of behavior from Black isn't really all that unusual-- and Severus knows he should put a stop to it before they're discovered.

Instead, he sinks lower in the chair and spreads his thighs.

"Yeah, that's what I want," Black murmurs. "Come on, get hard for me."

That's much easier said than done with half of Slytherin House as an unwitting audience, but Severus can feel his body trying to obey, all the same. The fingers on his cock are a torment, stroking him just firmly enough to make him want to roll his hips, which of course he cannot do. Every sensation seems heightened, now that he's forbidden from expressing his pleasure.

"I wish I could finger you like this," Black tells him in a whisper. "You have no idea how fucking sexy it is to watch you trying not to squirm."

Severus gives in to the urge to close his eyes, and lets his hair fall across his face to hide the renewed flush spreading over his cheeks. The hand on his prick tightens, but the rhythm remains languid and torturous. It's pure agony, and he wants to thrust and come so badly it hurts; wants to reach out and pull Black into a kiss, wrap his legs around the other boy's waist and rub their bodies together until the fire building between his thighs explodes all over Black's borrowed cloak. Unfortunately, he can do none of those things; he can only sit and dig his fingernails into the upholstery of the chair while Black reduces him to trembling need.

"What do you think they'd do if they knew what you were up to?" Black breathes against his ear. "They're sitting less than a few meters away, and they have no idea that I'm here with my hand wrapped around your cock."

"I'm going to- ah- kill you," Severus manages to whisper, and quickly presses his lips together because there's a gasp trying to slip out.

There's a barely audible laugh, and then, "What would your little admirer say? What was his name, Rabastan?"

"D- don't bring him into this, Black," Severus stammers under his breath. In a sudden fit of paranoia, he opens his eyes and scans the room. Thankfully, Rabastan is sitting with his back turned to the fire, deeply engrossed in a solitary game of chess.

Black replies with a little twist of his hand that makes Severus gasp. Thankfully, it happens just as Bellatrix is making a dramatic show of slinking off to bed with Avery, and no one seems to notice. That leaves Rabastan and MacNair, neither of whom are likely to leave any time soon. Severus resists the urge to groan, and shifts until his knees are hooked over one arm of the chair and his head is resting on the other. It is probably the most casual pose he has ever taken in public, but there's a distinct possibility that he might otherwise slide to the floor.

"Too much," Severus whispers to his tormentor. The teasing really has become painful, not just because of the ache in his bollocks, but because he is so hard that the skin stretched over the head of his cock is excruciatingly sensitive.

"Shhh," Black replies in what is presumably meant to be a consoling manner.

Severus almost sighs with relief when the other boy slowly releases his prick, but then Black begins lightly stroking his abdomen. The gentle caresses seem almost obscene in contrast to his cock lying thick and heavy against his stomach. When a fingertip ghosts over his nipple, his entire body jerks, and he has to bite his lower lip to muffle a whimper. It happens again, and Severus throws an arm over his face.

"You're going to come from this, aren't you?" Black breathes, but there's no malice in it, just an aroused sort of awe that makes Severus shiver.

In the span of a few seconds, Severus feels his body beginning to tense, muscles trembling like they want to curl into themselves. It doesn't matter anymore whether his housemates see him flushed and panting, or that he'll look back on this later and be absolutely mortified. All that matters is that he's close, so close, and there's no backing away from the edge, not even if the other boy stops touching him. But Black doesn't stop, and Severus can feel his hips lifting out of the chair. There's nothing against his cock now but fabric, but that doesn't matter either, because there's a fingernail scraping across his nipple and- oh fuck- he's coming, biting his own forearm to muffle his strangled gasps and breathing a silent prayer of thanks to whichever deity has decided to have mercy on him.

Black abruptly stops moving.

Severus opens his eyes with an impatient huff, and the remnants of his orgasm vanish. Rabastan and MacNair are standing above him, looking confused and concerned in equal measures. Severus knows what a sight he must make, sprawled in the chair with his jumper in his lap, tie askew and shirt rumpled. There's hair clinging to his cheeks, and he brushes it away with an irritated flick of his hand. At this point, it should be impossible for him to regain his composure, but he makes a valiant effort by snapping, "What do you want?"

"You were, uh," MacNair begins uncertainly.

"You sounded like you were having a nightmare," Rabastan explains, and then more dubiously, "Or something."

Severus scowls, because his post-orgasmic brain refuses to formulate a viable explanation for whatever they'd seen or heard. Instead, he tries a different tactic: make them leave so he can murder Sirius Black with no witnesses. "Shouldn't the two of you be in bed instead of watching me sleep?"

MacNair rolls his eyes and turns away, but Rabastan's cheeks turn a telltale shade of pink.

"Lecherous fucking prick," Black hisses quietly.

"What was that?" Rabastan asks, looking mildly offended.

"Merely expressing my irritation with Walden," Severus lies through clenched teeth. "Though you really should go to bed; as I recall, we have a potions practical tomorrow morning."

Rabastan looks unconvinced, especially since he has always been an excellent student, with or without adequate rest. Fortunately, Rabastan has also never been one to argue over petty matters, and he gives in with a quiet sigh. "Alright then, I'll leave you alone."

"Good," Black mutters, which Severus tries to mask by clearing his throat.

Rabastan narrows his eyes at the space just to the left of the chair, then shakes his head almost imperceptibly. Finally, he sighs again and says, "I suppose I must be rather tired, after all. Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight," Severus replies in as steady a voice as he can muster, with his own come dripping down his side and soaking into the fabric of his shirt.

MacNair has already gone without saying goodbye, as usual, and Rabastan casts an almost wistful glance over his shoulder as he climbs the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Severus holds his breath until he hears the door close, and waits a few moments more before reaching out and clawing at the seemingly empty space beside the chair. When his fingers brush the fabric of the invisibility cloak, he bunches it in his fist and pulls.

"Hello there," Black greets him with a lazy grin.

"Have you lost your bloody mind?" Severus hisses, sitting up and tugging the cloak the rest of the way off the other boy's body.

"Well, according to you, I never had one to begin with," Black retorts in a quiet murmur.

Severus has a scathing insult poised on the tip of his tongue, but it's stolen by the warm lips that cover his. Torn between hexing the bastard or opening his mouth to deepen the kiss, Severus can only make a quiet angry sound in the back of his throat. Black's palms are pressed against his cheeks, holding him in place, and Severus brings his own hands up between their bodies to shove at the other boy's chest.

"Nuh uh," Black tells him with a quiet laugh, "You're not going anywhere."

"Don't touch me," Severus protests, but his eyes are closing and his pulse is quickening. If the fates exist, then they are infinitely cruel, because nothing feels as good as kissing Sirius Black.

"I want to fuck you," Black whispers hoarsely. "Right here in the chair."

"No," Severus murmurs in between the other boy's frantic kisses. "Someone could- come down- and see."

"Fucked if I care," Black replies. "I've been hard for you since this morning."

Severus wants to tell the other boy to leave, but he can't seem to find the breath to do so. Black's tongue and teeth are mapping a trail of desire down the side of his neck, and there are fingers working at the buttons of his shirt. Before he can pause to think about what he's doing, he lifts a hand and thrusts two fingertips between the other boy's parted lips. Black growls softly, and Severus echoes him with a quiet moan as the vibrations travel up the length of his arm. They don't even pause to get his shirt all the way off; the fabric is pushed aside, and Black's grip is so tight around his midsection that Severus swears he can feel his ribs grinding against one another.

Black sucks at the fingers in his mouth before pulling away to mutter, "Get your trousers off."

Severus hastily complies, and despite the danger of being caught by one of his housemates, his cock is already beginning to harden again. Black shoves him down into the cushions of the chair and pulls him until his arse is perched at the very edge. There is no doubt what he must look like, wearing nothing but the white shirt that's slipped off his shoulders and the school tie knotted loosely at his throat; pinned beneath Sirius Black with his thighs spread and his prick sliding through the come that's still drying on his stomach. It makes him want to roll his hips, and this time, he does.

"I can't wait to feel you on my cock," Black tells him in a ragged whisper, not even bothering to unbutton his shirt before pulling it up over his head. The ever present dog tags jingle when they fall back into place, and he pushes them over his shoulder with a careless flick of his hand.

Severus replies by reaching out to tug at the front of the other boy's trousers. The moment the fabric parts, he slides his hand beneath the waistband to wrap his fingers around the feverishly hot flesh. Even this feels better than it should; the other boy's prick is a familiar weight, damp with precome and sweat, and so hard he's sure Black must be in pain. Feeling spiteful, Severus trails his fingers along the length, and smirks when he hears the other boy's frustrated growl. It's not like him to tease, but it's also not like him to consider fucking a Gryffindor in the middle of the Slytherin common room, so he takes up the same infuriatingly languid rhythm Black had used.

"Bastard," Black groans quietly. "I should come like this and leave you here."

"You won't," Severus challenges, and secretly hopes he's right.

Black growls again, and leans in to punish him with another kiss. Their cocks press together when Severus reaches up to tangle his fingers in the other boy's hair, and he makes a quiet whimpering noise he hadn't even been aware he was capable of. Black's body is hot and solid against his, stomachs slick with come and sweat as they slide against one another. Severus locks his legs around the other boy's waist as a hand sneaks down between his thighs.

"Let's see if you can come on my fingers," Black whispers.

"Fuck," is the only response Severus is capable of offering when a fingertip circles his opening and slowly presses inward. No matter how many times they do this, it always feels like the first, and his body instinctively tries to fight the invasion.

"Relax," Black tells him in a hushed murmur. "You feel so fucking good."

"More," Severus requests in a gasp, and rocks his hips in a silent demand. It's rewarded by a second finger, sliding into him and stretching him. Panting, he tries to tilt his head back to draw deeper breaths, but the other boy's hand is gripping his hair and he knows he couldn't get away if he tried. Really, he's not sure he even wants to struggle, not when his entire body is shuddering with every thrust, and his prick is already aching for release.

"Yeah, that's it, that's it," Black chants against the side of his neck. "Come on."

"I'm- ah-" Severus groans. The pleasure is curling around him, coiling tight and low in his stomach. Every thrust of the other boy's fingers drives him higher, sends ripples of heat through his body until he can feel his cock throbbing in time with his heartbeat. Black's dog tags have slipped back into place, and Severus swears they're burning him where they cling to the faint sheen of sweat that's broken out all over his body. Suddenly, he wants nothing more than to be touched and stroked; wants to drive his prick through a warm fist until he comes so hard his vision blurs. Acting on the impulse, he ignores his tormentor's warning growl and wraps a hand around the swollen flesh between his thighs. The contact sends him over the edge almost instantly, and there's a mouth covering his, swallowing his desperate cries as he shudders and his cock pulses over his fingers.

Before Severus is even finished coming, the other boy's fingers are withdrawing and sliding through the slick heat that coats his stomach. When Severus opens his eyes, he's greeted by the sight of flushed cheeks, tousled black hair, and a feral smile. That look has become all too familiar over the last three months, and he knows exactly what it means: this will not be gentle.

"Freshly fucked is a good look for you," Black murmurs as he slicks them both with come. "Now, try not to scream."

It's only because he bites his lip hard enough to draw blood that Severus doesn't scream as he's impaled with one brutal thrust of the other boy's hips. It burns, even with all of the preparation, and he hasn't even caught his breath before Black withdraws and slams home again without pause. The pain fuels a needy ache growing somewhere inside him that has nothing to do with release, and Severus grips the other boy's shoulders until he feels the skin give way beneath his fingernails.

"Wish that scheming bastard could see you like this," Black growls. "Wish he'd come back down, walk in just when I put the cloak back on, and see you half naked, covered in come- wouldn't know who just finished fucking you, but he'd know you belong to someone else."

"I- ah- I don't belong to- to you," Severus lies, and closes his eyes when the other boy clamps a hand over his mouth.

"Fuck you," Black hisses. "You're mine, understand? No one gets to touch you but me, not ever."

The point is emphasized by a violent thrust, and Severus has no choice but to whimper his agreement as tendrils of pleasure snake through his trembling muscles. Though he knows he will not come again, his body is making a valiant effort to push him toward that edge. Somehow, his arms have twined themselves around the other boy's neck, and he clings to the body that presses him down into the cushions of the chair. The hand finally falls away from his mouth to grip the back of his neck, and it's hard to groan his approval without wanting to plead for more and harder. Instead, he wraps himself around the other boy, grips the chain around Black's neck, arches into their frantic kiss, and catches every growl of pleasure on his tongue.

"Say it," Black groans, "Come on, so fucking close."

Severus opens his eyes and brushes his lips over the other boy's ear with a whispered, "Sirius."

Black tenses and comes with an unintelligible sob, fingernails scraping across every surface they can find. Severus shudders and twists his hips, half addicted to the cock that pulses inside of him. They're both trembling, holding one another as if they might otherwise shatter and disappear. Their lips meet in a deep kiss, tongues gliding against one another and tracing the contours of their mouths until they pull away, breathless.

There's no denial or excuse in the world that can explain the glimmer in Black's eyes when he opens them, and Severus looks away. There are hands on his face, fingertips tracing the contours of his cheekbones, and a sigh slips out before he can stop it. It's caught in another kiss, too gentle in contrast to what they've just done, and Severus jerks his head back with an irritated huff.

"Enough," Severus snaps. "You've had your fun, now get dressed and get out."

"You could let me enjoy the afterglow at least once, you know," Black says with a grin.

"It may have escaped your notice, but we happen to be in the middle of the Slytherin common room," Severus sneers as he locates his own trousers and pulls them on. "Besides, if I recall correctly, enjoying the afterglow is something lovers do."

Black looks as if he is about to say something in response, but obviously thinks better of it. Instead, he turns away to don his own clothing, but his fingers move just a bit too slowly over the buttons of his shirt. Finally, he glances up through his fringe and says, "I've been thinking."

"Have you," Severus replies in a monotone, and rolls his eyes.

"Yeah," Black mutters, tugging his fingers through his hair. "I was thinking maybe we could start pal'ing around in public a little- y'know, until everyone gets used to the idea."

Severus blinks, and then arches an eyebrow. "Until everyone gets used to what idea, precisely?"

"Uhm," Black replies, looking uncharacteristically sheepish, "Us, I guess."

There is a heavy silence, and for a moment, Severus thinks it may be best if he were to simply pretend that the last five seconds of his life never took place. The other boy is staring at him, however, and he knows that if he doesn't say something now, the subject will only haunt him until he does. At last, he finds his voice long enough to murmur, "There is no us."

Black's face darkens, and his hands curl into fists at his sides. This, too, is a familiar expression, and when he speaks, his voice is tight. "Right. I forgot."

Severus finds that he has no response to offer, so he looks away. Though he's always known that he would one day have to face the inevitable consequences of their prolonged affair, this is not the repercussion he's been expecting, and he is not entirely certain how to proceed.

Thankfully, the other boy solves the mystery for him by leaning in to offer one last kiss, quick and hard, before swirling the invisibility cloak over his shoulders. Once again, Sirius Black is nothing more than a disembodied head floating in the center of the common room, and for some reason that makes him seem much less dangerous. They stare at one another for a few moments before Black mutters, "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Yes," Severus agrees, and knows the other boy is referring to a clandestine meeting in an abandoned bathroom, rather than their shared classes.

Black pulls the hood of the cloak up over his head, and disappears. A few moments later, the door of the common room opens and closes again with a quiet click. They never say goodnight.

Now that he is alone, Severus can give in to the urge to sigh and rub his eyes. The heat from the fireplace is too warm, now that he is fully clothed again, and he feels around in the cushions of the chair for his wand. When his hand brushes something cool and metallic, he pauses. Cleaning and extinguishing charms forgotten, he probes deeper until he can hook his fingers around the thin metal chain. The dog tags glitter in the firelight when Severus pulls them free, twisting and scattering golden dots across the dungeon walls.

Severus swallows convulsively and shakes his head.

It had been just there, poised on the tip of his tongue-- yes, I want you; yes, we'll do this mad thing you're suggesting; yes, I'm yours-- but like so many other things, it had vanished like smoke. There is no room for them in one another's lives, not now that their destinies have strayed from the tabula rasa of eleven years old and childish dreams. Where dawn glitters on one horizon, darkness looms on another, and even serpents mourn a dying sun.

Severus Snape will meet Sirius Black in unused classrooms and dark broom cupboards. He will spread open everything but his heart, and give what little of himself he can. In those brief moments when they're panting for breath and trembling against one another's bodies, Severus Snape will look into Sirius Black's eyes and take what he sees there to sleep with him. When he dreams, he'll whisper the name over and over again until the only sound he can remember is those three syllables.

But Severus Snape will never say these things aloud to Sirius Black.

There is no place for serpents in ivory towers.

The dog tags are cool against his palm, and he closes his fingers around them.

The firelight casts shadows over the walls.