Title: The Child Relic, 3&4 of 7 Author: ehmaz Rating: NC-17 Disclaimer: I don't own these characters Prompt: 31 -- NoMagicAU, epic type adventure with sword fighting and ancient enemies fighting the stereotypical battle of good vs evil Notes: Thanks to boogabooga and goldenpaw for beta'ing this for me. I had wanted to put 5&6 up together but it didn't happen - my apologies for the wait. Hopefully I can get 6&7 up together and soonish. :)
Another one of the great ironies in Severus' line of work was that the servants’ quarters were always fastidiously locked against burglars, whereas the owners of huge estates almost always left their own windows unbarred and entirely welcoming. Severus crawled from the draining to the third-story window with ease, slipping inside with nary a sound. Remus tumbled through into the grasping arms of the mercenary who did his best to cushion any sounds the blunder might have caused. Severus spared Remus a brief look of disapproval before he moved away from the sitting area they found themselves in.
Malfoy Manor's opulence was no surprise to Severus, as he had worked for Lucius previously and visited before. However, Remus' surprise was evident. He was hard-pressed not to chuckle at the taller man's wide brown eyes. Remus was... not entirely irritating, Severus had found.
The two men crept silently through the manor. Severus had given Remus precise instructions for not only how to behave but also what to wear: the softest of leather shoes adorned their feet, and they were draped in little more than draw-string trousers and loose shirts. There was not a single button or buckle that could give them away on their mission.
As they tip-toed to a juncture in the hallway, Severus motioned for Remus to be still. He peered around the corner to where a maid was exiting what was likely an upstairs washroom -- a great rarity in any but the most affluent of houses -- who then disappeared down the main staircase. Severus waited a minute more before darting across to the other hallway. Making sure everything was once again silent, he motioned for Remus to follow.
The two men continued down the hallway until they came to the east-wing stairwell that Severus remembered from the last time he'd been here. After descending to the first floor, where Severus was fairly certain he remembered the library, the two men, hunched over, made their way past several doors and corners before reaching a set of large, black doors.
Severus caught Remus' eye and nodded towards them. He glanced around quickly before moving forward and gently trying the door. Just as he figured: it was locked. Remus gave a tiny sigh of aggravation, and Severus inwardly grinned. He pulled two thin pieces of metal from his pocket and crouched before the door. Before bending to his work, Severus pointed at Remus, pointed at his own eyes and then made a circular motion with his hand. After Remus nodded his understanding and turned to keep an eye out. Satisfied, Severus slipped both metal tips into the lock and began his work. The gentle ticks and clicks over the next minute were accompanied by trickles of sweat running down Severus' forehead and neck, making his oily hair stick to his skin. What seemed like ages later, there was a definitive clack, and Severus stood, silently congratulating himself. Remus turned just in time to watch the mercenary slip inside the open door.
The magnificent library had two levels; the upper walkway was reached by a black-iron, circular staircase at the back of the room. All along the back wall were ancient texts, most of them on the culture and legends of Voldemort Province and the surrounding area. Severus and Remus quickly found the section cataloging prophecies made about, or from, the area. After a few minutes of silent searching, they found an ancient leather-bound journal that was just the thing they were looking for. They looked at each other triumphantly just before hearing the sound of boots in the hallway. Severus saw Remus was about to talk, and he quickly grabbed the other man, placing his hand roughly against Remus' mouth. Severus shook his head to tell Remus “no” before tugging on his arm. They made their way quickly down the circular staircase to the library door. Severus stuck his head out of the doorway just in time to see the maid he'd spotted earlier dragging a sleepy-looking guard down the hallway.
"Ruddy hell," he murmured, breaking the no-talking rule about which he'd just silently reprimanded Remus. Not having seen any escape routes upon their arrival in the library, Severus knew there was nothing for it but to run. There were no other entries, nor any windows. Deciding surprise was their best chance, Severus once again grabbed Remus' shirt sleeve and took off at a run out the door and down the hallway into an unknown area of the Manor.
"Hey, you! Stop!" the guard yelled after them ineffectually. Severus could hear heavy boots pick up their pace. "Violet! Go get the others," the voice yelled again. A second pair of feet ran in the other direction.
Severus pulled Remus around a corner, his face set in a grimace. "Keep running!" he hissed as loudly as he dared. Remus kept silent beside him, his face determined rather than panicked. Severus was very thankful for that.
The short hallway in which they found themselves had a door on either side, and a larger door at the far end. Severus groaned and quickly decided to try the door at the end. They ran silently in their soft leather shoes, but their harsh breathing seemed to reverberate off the marble flooring and freshly painted walls. Severus sighed with a little relief as the door opened to them with no effort, but he groaned again when they found themselves in what looked like a king's washroom.
"Is that for swimming or bathing?" Remus asked. Severus just glared at him before he spotted a window above the sinks. It was small, but both he and his sandy-haired cohort were thin; they could make it. Unfortunately, they were still on the first floor, and the drop could be painful if they didn't land carefully, but it was still their best shot at this point.
Severus determinedly ran around the rim of the tub and shoved the two sides of the window outwards. Cool night air dried the sweat on his large nose, and he turned to nod grimly at Remus.
"I'll go first. I know how to roll when I land so as not to hurt myself. I won't be able to catch you, but I can help break your fall. Ready?"
Remus looked a little horrified by the plan, but nodded quickly. Severus was grateful he hadn't argued. Using the sink to step up, Severus swung one leg out just as the door burst open, and three guards stopped at the sight of Severus partially out the window.
"Stop! We have you cornered. If you jump, you'll break your legs!"
"Then you'll have to carry us from the ground!" Severus yelled back, starting to move further through the window. In the split second that Severus turned to move his other leg, he heard a rush of movement and an unsettling crunching noise. He turned back to see Remus huddled over the hilt sticking out of his stomach. Black-eyes assessed the situation in a matter of moments, and suddenly Severus was out of the window, two daggers drawn, in a crouched battle-ready stance.
"You're outnumbered, filthy thief. Just give it up," sneered one of the guards.
They were armored, though not in full mail, and it was now a three-to-one fight, but Severus couldn't leave Remus there. He wouldn't. With a growl of anger and a lunge, the nearest guard was knocked off balance with a flesh wound to the arm.
"Get 'im!"
All three swordsmen tried to maneuver around Remus and the edge of the deep bathtub. Severus lunged forward again but parried to the side, knocking the first guard completely off balance with a well timed smack of a dagger hilt to his unprotected skull. The guard yelled in pain and rolled to his side.
Severus jumped on top of the fallen man's stomach, causing his opponent to yell in pain again. He jumped off towards the second guard. He crouched low, and a sword whistled over the top of his head. Severus grunted and rolled forward, slicing with both daggers in an 'x' pattern, nearly severing the man's leg in two just below the knee. The mercenary pushed upwards into the guard, and the man toppled over backwards.
Severus spun around and grunted as he felt a sword slice his arm. He brought one dagger up to fend off the second attack, and countered with his second dagger but missed wildly. The two fighters faced each other and circled slowly. The first guard was trying to regain his senses, managed to get to his knees and sliced at Severus, forcing him to move backwards towards the tub edge. He barely managed to keep his balance as the last guard standing attacked with a series of forceful blows. His daggers were hardly a match for the heavy sword, and Severus was forced to turn and jump into the tub, the guard managing to land a second blow on the same arm as the last. Severus stumbled and began to feign falling down, luring the last guard to attack again. Predictably, he did.
When the guard brought his sword high above his head, Severus sprung forwards but low, bringing both daggers up to sink deeply underneath the edge of the guard's armor into soft belly.
Severus dragged himself out of the tub and quickly assessed the first two guards. The first one had finally passed out from his blow to the head, and the second looked like he was going into shock from blood loss. That leg would probably have to be cut off; the wound Severus had administered was just too deep. The mercenary's eyes shown with savage victory before he finally allowed his attention to turn to Remus.
Brown eyes were wide with some unidentifiable emotion. Severus pulled what looked like a boot dagger out of Remus' side. It was nearly impossible to tell how serious Remus' injury was. There didn't look to be as much bleeding as Severus had thought there would be, which could be a very bad sign. Whatever the details of the injury, the wound was serious and Severus felt his own face draining of all color.
"Leave me," Remus whispered. "I'll slow you down. The journal is more important."
"Nonsense," Severus whispered as he tucked his bloodied daggers back in their hidden sheaths. "You're no more a martyr than I am, you fool. Now suck it up, this is going to hurt."
~ Remus woke to the sound of logs shifting in a fire. He smiled to himself and thought: Is there any better sound to wake up to? With a small sigh, he took a leisurely morning stretch-- Or he would have, if his stomach and legs hadn’t screamed in pain as he tried. His eyes flew open, and he let out an undignified whimper. His gaze immediately landed on the concerned features of Severus Snape, whose fingers were delicately touching his scruffy cheek. Remus couldn't help it: he smiled and forgot his pain for a moment. Severus seemed to relax and pulled his hand away, much to Remus' dismay.
"How are you feeling?" the mercenary asked, his voice sounding rough.
Remus closed his eyes as he assessed his bodily pains, and his memory supplied images of how each had come to pass. He chuckled lightly as he once again looked at Severus. "Like I got thrown out of a window."
Severus' smirk was half-hearted. He reached out and slowly pulled back Remus’ blanket to reveal the bandages wrapped around his thin torso. Remus winced and lightly prodded them, causing himself to wince a second time. "Ow."
"You're not supposed to poke it, dunderhead," Severus chastised mildly. "Being as you're awake, I may as well change the bandages finally. Stay still."
Remus nodded, lay his head back down on the pillow, and watched the other man cross the room to the hearth he'd heard earlier. There was a cooking pot fastened above the flames from which Severus took a long spoon to stir its contents. Remus watched as Severus used his free hand to waft the fumes from the pot. He issued a disgruntled snort.
"What's that?" Remus asked as Severus took some dried herbs from the wall, crushed the leaves in his hands and sprinkled them into the bubbling concoction.
"Healing poultice," Severus answered curtly. He stirred the pot before taking a spoonful and carefully filling a small bowl with what looked like grayish-green goop. Severus sat back down on a stool next to Remus' bed and reached out, tenderly removing the bandages.
Trying very hard not to wince or make any other noises of protest, Remus helped Severus as much as possible. After the white linen was fully removed, Severus used his fingers to scoop up the cooling goop and apply it to the nasty- looking dagger wound between Remus' ribs. It felt surprisingly good, and Remus relaxed, letting his eyes wander up to watch Severus' expression of deep concentration.
"Thank you," he murmured, smiling again. The light from the fire was kind to Severus' harsh features; that the man had also taken off a few layers to leave him in a simple white vest, also helped. Remus found his eyes wandering the mercenary's muscled torso, and he hardly noticed his grin growing wider.
"It's probably just a side effect of the poultice," Severus said. Remus frowned at him in confusion. He felt even more confused when he noticed Severus was sporting an odd flush in his cheeks.
"What?" Remus asked dumbly, his mind feeling fuzzy.
Severus slowly stood and glanced briefly towards Remus' legs. Remus looked down and let out a nervous chuckle at the sight of the tented blanket. His eyes wandered away from his own aroused state over to Severus... up the long, lean legs and up over the man's chest again. Remus licked his lips and grinned widely.
"Maybe."
Severus eyed Remus suspiciously before moving away to wash his hand off in a water basin sitting on a sideboard in the small room.
"Did I make you uncomfortable?" Remus asked. He wasn't terribly sorry, but he was curious.
Black eyes regarded him once again, before Severus snorted. "Hardly."
Feeling his stomach flutter, Remus licked his lips again. Could he say it? What did he want to say, exactly? Would Severus pitch him out into the night? Shouldn't he be thinking of more important things, such as where he was? Deciding to just brave it, Remus blurted, "I don't think it's the goop."
"It is not 'goop', thank you very much." Severus turned away from Remus and fiddled with something out of Remus' line of sight.
"I.. I like you." Remus bit his lip and waited for a response. The stiffening of Severus' back was not a good sign.
"You've been heavily injured," said Severus. "You may be suffering from shock, though I still believe it's from the analgesic properties of the poultice. I need to re-bandage you, and then you need to rest."
Remus frowned as Severus finally came back to the bed. He watched as Severus carefully applied fresh bandages around his torso. The jostling wasn't as painful this time, but having the other man so near was only making the blanket tent higher. Remus knew this was a very dangerous place he was leading himself. For one, it was not acceptable for a man to be attracted to another man in polite society. Secondly, you could be killed were that preference become known. Thirdly, and not the least of which, it was frowned upon by everyone in the Order of the Phoenix and all true followers of the Light.
While Remus knew all of this, he couldn't help it. He had tried his entire life to deny his feelings towards men. He'd even tried courting a girl once, but it was a complete disaster. Some men of the Light chose to remain chaste as proof of their devotion, and Remus had let others believe this was his chosen course as well. It hadn't been that big of an issue up until now. Yes, he'd looked at other men. He'd fantasized. He'd touched himself and imagined all of the possible things two men could do with each other. But he'd also never been drawn to someone like he was to Severus. A sentimental fool would call it falling in love. Remus was evidently quite a fool.
He reached up and laid his hand on Severus' finely boned wrist. "It's not the poultice." He stared into the black eyes boring into him and kept his face determined but sincere.
"You're a fool," Severus whispered as if he'd read Remus' mind. The mercenary slowly sat down on the bed next to Remus and regarded him thoughtfully. Remus remained absolutely quiet and still. He'd laid himself bare and would now suffer the consequences, be they good or bad. When Severus leaned forward and pressed their lips together, Remus whimpered again but definitely not in pain.
The kiss was far too brief, but the dilated and wild look of Severus' eyes was very worth it. His voice was rough again as he murmured to Remus, "Have you ever been with a man before?"
"No," Remus whispered breathily. His fingers clenched the blanket.
Severus grinned momentarily before moving a little further onto the bed and curling his fingers around the edge of the blanket. He kept his eyes locked onto Remus' as he guided it past the straining erection. Remus suddenly realized he was completely naked beneath, and he gulped audibly.
"You're too injured for much... discovery tonight. However," said Severus, his hand gliding from the blanket to ghost over Remus' cock. "We may be able to do one or two things. You certainly seem up to it."
His hips seemed to strain up towards Severus' hand of their own volition, and Remus grinned at the predatory glint in those black eyes. Severus smiled smugly as he acquiesced enough to start fondling the bed-ridden man.
It felt so good. It was so much more than his own hand. Remus strained upwards further, wanting more friction, wanting more of everything. His bruised legs protested loudly, but he ignored the pain as the pale, talented hand began stroking his heated flesh. Remus bit his lip and moaned with a noise he'd never heard himself make before.
"Please," he begged in a whisper. Severus' expression was one of wicked delight.
"Yes," Severus hissed, seeming captivated by the look and sound of Remus. Remus reveled in the attention.
"More," he pleaded, unclenching his hand from the blanket long enough to grasp Severus' thigh instead.
"You like that, don't you, Remus? You want more of me, don't you? You'd beg me for it; you'd beg me for everything." Severus' hand sped up, becoming a blur on Remus' aching length. Sticky globs of liquid were spread around the glans as quickly as they formed, and Remus closed his eyes, lost in the feeling.
"Yes... oh, Severus, yes... everything." Remus arched his head back and much too soon he felt his sac tighten and streams of white decorate his quivering stomach and Severus' hand. He smiled lazily up at Severus and couldn't struggle against the tide of exhaustion. Remus' last thought before being overcome with sleep was that Severus looked entirely too sexy licking his fingers clean.