Rating: Hard R Pairing: Severus/Sirius mention of Severus/Remus Prompt: Snape narrowly escapes death, only to find a fate much worse than hell in his sitting room: Sirius Black. And he's naked.
Warning: Unbeta’d
Two bottles of blood replenishing potion and a very aggressive healing potion later, Severus was making his way slowly down the tunnel away from the Shrieking Shack. He was light-headed and blood still oozed from his neck, but he was determinedly making progress. If he had any luck Potter wouldn’t have reversed the spell that held the Whopping Willow frozen in place. Emerging from the undergrowth, Severus found his tiny speck of luck for today. He moved slowly and cautiously, partly because slowly was all he could do.
Severus reached the tiny back gate, just four more steps down and he’d have reached the little known outer door to his old chambers. No matter the outcome of the battle, he doubted either side would seriously look for him for a few days. All he had to do, for now, was make it inside. He slipped inside, re-warding the door and leaned back against it with his head back and eyes closed.
“Oy, Snape you look like shit!”
Severus snapped his head up and eyes opened, in front of him stood Sirius Black naked as the day he was born. What little blood was left in his brain vanished as he sunk to the floor.
Severus woke to a find his head pillowed on a warm, solid arm and a cool glass of water pressed to his parched lips. He turned his head to see Sirius Black’s long wavy hair and still bare chest.
“You might have found some clothing.” Severus croaked.
Sirius returned the glass to the bedside table and lowered Severus back down to his pillow.
“I might have. All your clothes are too black or have too many buttons, besides I’m enjoying the freedom. In the after life I’m stuck in the sodding clothes I was wearing when I went through the veil”
“Your fashion sense was always appalling.”
“Yours was always Goth followed in adulthood by Victorian.”
Severus laid back and closed his eyes he was still surprisingly weak. He needed to do something about his neck, thinking ceased as he fell back to sleep.
The scent of tea and Shepard’s pie woke him. Black was still naked, holding a tea tray.
“You should eat.” Sirius said gruffly
Severus accepted the tray; he didn’t think food had smelled this good in years. He remembered his neck and reached up quickly with his hand to check it. His neck had been bandaged; he looked at Black quizzically.
“I did it.”
“Why? What sort of salve did you use? No doubt, I’m even now being poisoned.”
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead, and why would I have bothered to clean you up? I did what Poppy said to do.”
Severus sat up straight, grabbed the tea tray to fling in aside. Sirius grabbed it with both hands.
“Stop.”
“You should not have told Poppy I was here.” Severus hissed.
“I didn’t.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing.”
Cryptic was Severus’ thing not this damn dog’s. “How did you glean the information?”
Sirius shrugged his shoulders. “Sat and waited for her to examine Neville Longbottom for wounds from Nagini. He killed Nagini, did you know? Poppy explained in nauseating detail how they’d treated Arthur at St. Mungo’s.”
“And no one noticed a naked man hanging around the infirmary?”
‘’Course not. I wore an invisibility cloak.”
“Dare I ask where you got it?”
‘Your basket labeled ‘liberated from dunderheads’ directly next to the one labeled ‘lost and found’. Liberated, Snape? More like confiscated.”
Severus sniffed and turned his attention back to his dinner. “Those items were liberated; they never saw dunderheads again until now.”
Sirius snickered.
Severus tried to ignore him, and finished his dinner. “When are you planning on leaving?”
“When I’m done.”
“With what?”
“My unfinished business.”
Severus’ head had started to swim, again. Closing his eyes against the swirling room, he went back to sleep. He woke up screaming. Black’s arms were around him in a minute holding him close. Severus panting and sweating didn’t push him away. After a couple of minutes he became aware of Black murmuring in soothing tones near his ear. He did push Black away.
“Are you alright?”
“Fine.”
“Nightmare’s can be hell.”
Severus started to shiver, and then shake. Sirius was pressing against his back, again; pulling him closer.
“It’s reaction.” Sirius murmured.
Severus clung to the warm solid arm around him. At last, the shaking subsided but he ached all over, every muscle and joint. Sirius slipped from the bed, Severus inhaled sharply but refrained from comment.
Sirius whispered. “I’ll be right back.” He was, pain potion in hand. He passed it to Severus who drank greedily. “I would have brought a muscle relaxant also, but I know you won’t take it.”
Severus shook his head; he did not want to lose that much control. Sirius slid back into bed behind him. Severus brooked no objection.
When they woke again, Severus could feel Sirius’ erection against his arse. Sirius was already moving out of bed, so Severus remained quiet on the subject. He watched through his lashes as Sirius strode across the room to the loo. Damn, the man looked good for a corpse. He must have dozed off; the next thing he knew breakfast was on the tray at his bedside.
“Do you plan on dressing?”
“No. We had this same discussion already.”
“Black.” Severus said in a slightly exasperated tone.
“Severus. I get to feel like this. I can feel the cotton of your sheets; thread count three hundred I believe. I can feel the hard smooth aged wood of your rocking chair. I can feel the threadbare softness of the velvet of your favorite chair in the sitting room. I don’t get to feel there. Everything I touch here is a gift: your skin, running water, a hot pan. There everything there is the same, pleasant, but not different.” Sirius finished looking embarrassed, but sincere.
Severus stared wide-eyed for a moment before his forehead wrinkled. “Who are you really?”
“Shut it, Snape. I’m not the seventeen-year-old prat who played endless pranks and thought he was Merlin’s gift to the universe. I’m, also, not the man who sat in Azkaban for twelve years trying to remain sane. Which leaves me with the angry, reckless bastard I was after escaping from prison, and I’m not him either. I have learned. I’ve learned so much since passing through the veil. I’m smarter and saner and I have plenty to regret. One of those regrets is what brings me here.”
“Black, I really can’t hear confessions. The Catholic priest attire is only a ‘look’.”
Sirius slid down into the rocking chair. “Merlin, this is cold. Now, who’s being the prat?” He sighed. “Hear me out.”
Severus attempted not to check out Black’s bits as he sat on the cool wood chair. “Will it make you leave?”
“I told you I would leave when I was finished.”
It was Severus' turn to sigh.
“Eat your breakfast. If you wish, I would help you with the shower, don’t bother to shave on my account though. You look quite charmingly disheveled in stubble. If you are strong enough when you are finished, I’ll talk.”
The heat rose to Severus’ cheeks before he could snap, “I am strong enough, and I can wash myself. Thank you.”
Severus ate, washed, put on his nightshirt and new bandages, and drank his blood replenisher and anti-venom. He dozed off before Sirius could say a word.
When he woke again, Sirius wasn’t to be seen. Thank Merlin, perhaps the man was gone. He wasn’t thankful for long as Sirius strode back into the bedroom with water and tea.
“Get on with it, Black.”
Sirius settled himself on the corner of Severus bed. Severus glared but didn’t say anything.
“First, I need to apologize for the incident with Remus.”
“Black, I knew he was a werewolf.”
“Then why did you come?”
“I assumed you had set up some sort of protective area for you and your friends, and I wanted to see him in that form. Unfortunately or fortunately, I was saved by the great James Potter.”
“I was supposed to be me. I was supposed to rescue you. It was fortunate that James did. Regulus stopped me on the way, I was to be the knight in shining armour and you would notice me.”
“I noticed you quite often, as I hung from trees, or soaking wet, had my books spill out on the floor, as I was punched, tripped. Should I continue?”
“I was attempting a to show myself in a more positive light. I was quite jealous of Remus, since you appeared to fancy him.”
“Black, I hate to point this out but you are straight. I did not need, and still do not need a straight knight, the shining armour is optional.
“Severus, that is my point. I’m not straight. I tried desperately to be straight.”
Silence fell.
“Then, I tried Muggle clubs. It was extraordinarily liberating. I wanted men, so I led two lives, which eventually put me to Azkaban. I was too stubborn to admit to anyone where I went most nights, Death Eater meetings were an easy fill in the blank.”
“Black, where is this all going?”
“I came to apologize and explain. I’d hoped with a bit of luck I could shag the living daylights out of you.”
Severus gasped.
“I wanted you to see the better man I could have been.” He hiked himself up on his hands and knees and started to move toward Severus on all fours.
Severus watched the hair swing across his shoulders, and the cock and balls swinging between his legs. “You understand your revelations are too little too late?”
“Yes.” Sirius continued to slowly stalk toward his prey.
“Black.”
“Am I wrong? Was there no attraction? Did you push me away with your snarling and snapping because you really wanted me away? He dropped his voice softly. “Or because you wanted me closer, but you were in a different type of denial?
Severus closed his eyes. This was all surreal and Black would be vanishing soon. He felt a warm hand caress his shoulder.
“I’m real for the moment, Severus. I’d like to touch you and taste you and take you.”
“You presume quite a bit.”
Sirius kissed him. The kiss wasn’t full of hatred but passion and questions. Severus embraced the moment. He’d wondered about this for so long. Now, he had a few answers and a chance. Not a chance for a long-lived relationship, but one moment in time. A moment to he could remember as something that once could have been. He gave himself whole-heartedly to the kiss.
“You still wear too many clothes.” Sirius muttered as he pulled off Severus’ nightshirt.
Severus shivered. Sirius took time to lap at the peaking nipples, and then down to Severus’ belly. Severus grabbed Sirius’ hair. “I would prefer to do something mutual.”
“Ah, Severus that can be very mutual.”
“Black.”
“I’m not a very good bottom, Severus.”
“Neither am I.” Of course, the occasions Severus had bottomed, his consent to the process had been dubious at best.
“All right, then.” Sirius moved back up and began kissing him in earnest.
Sirius had a quite a repertoire of kisses. He was, obviously, trying them all on Severus. They kissed and rubbed against each other before Sirius finally called a halt.
“Lube.” Sirius croaked.
Severus reached for some in the night table and poured it into Sirius’ hand. Sirius grasped both of their cocks in his hand and stroked. Severus leaned his head back, closed his eyes, gripped Sirius’ hip and pushed into his well-lubed hand.
“Severus.” Sirius paused. “Severus, look at me.”
They locked eyes as they worked to completion. Severus cried out first, Sirius was right behind him. They lay panting and boneless. Severus pushed Sirius’ hair from his eyes.
“Thank you, Severus.”
Severus raised one eyebrow.
“Git. You were brilliant and still are.”
“Black this regret business. If you have to rectify other regrets do you have to do it naked?”
Sirius groaned. “Yeah, some laying yourself bare shite.” With a wink and a wicked smile Sirius was gone.
After Severus had assessed his own status in the Wizarding world, he was going to have to track down Lupin. That was one regret he might not have to take to the grave. He wanted to explore a relationship with Lupin. He sighed. Remus. He didn’t fancy dropping in dead and nude to correct that particular regret.