Challenge: Lusty Month of May 2011 Word count [if applicable]: 730
Warning: Unbeta'd. Sadly no sex
A/N: 'cause etain antrim and azure rosa thought they'd like to see it (part 3 maybe lurking). Remember: prompting from the studio audience is welcome!! *g* Congrats to everyone who has made it ½ way!!
When Severus came back to awareness, he knew he was lying on a sofa. He glanced around carefully; he was still in the library at Grimmauld Place. Lupin was sitting in an adjacent chair reading a book and sipping from a mug, probably tea. He glance down at himself; he was still naked, but under a coverlet of some sort. A soft groan escaped him as he righted himself. He'd managed to keep covered from the waist down, and from this position he could see a pot of tea and tray of biscuits on a table near his left elbow.
His hand shook slightly as he poured the tea into a mug, fortunately when he wrapped both hands around the cup they didn't tremble a bit. He took a deep sniff and a hearty swallow before he spoke. "Are they gone?"
"Yeah, a few hours ago. Minerva asked after you and so did Albus."
"What did you tell them?"
"That you were alright." Remus answered simply.
"And?"
"They knew it was a curse and that you had cast a circle because they were there when I took the salt, but other than that..." Remus trailed off.
Severus looked suspiciously at Lupin. "So I am not to be publicly humiliated?"
Remus sighed. "It's late Severus come to bed."
Severus sat up ramrod straight. "Just because of this." He waved his hand expressively at the room. "Does not mean that we have a relationship."
"Severus, we have a relationship because we've known each other for twenty-five years. My room is clean and so are the sheets, which makes it the best place in this house to sleep."
What were his options? He could stay here on the sofa and let his back be turned into a pretzel. Option two was to get dressed and go back to Hogwarts where he could either floo into Albus' office and no doubt face the Spanish Inquisition or Apparate and walk across the grounds and then down the miles of dungeons corridors to his quarters. The third was two flights up with the unquestionably amorous werewolf. When he looked up, Lupin stood in front of him holding a dressing gown. Score Werewolf 1, Vampire 0.
Severus stood up and accepted the gown and cinched it tightly at the waist. Lupin had already picked up his clothing and boots and banked the fire. They slowly climbed the two flights of stairs, when they reached the top Remus spoke.
"The loo is there. My room is here just across the hall. There are new toothbrushes in the bottom drawer left of the sink if you'd like."
Suddenly, taking a piss seemed like a very good idea. He found a new toothbrush and brushed his teeth harder than absolutely necessary; when he was finished he glanced into the mirror. A snort burst out of him, his hair looked as if a rat had taken up residence and the chest was streaked with a brown shiny mess. No matter how sex-crazed the Lupin was, he was not going to find this mess lust inspiring. He put down the toothbrush, spit and gulped a glass of water.
Lupin greeted him in the bedroom with a pair of pyjama bottoms. Severus struggled into them before he dropped the dressing gown from his shoulders. A moment later he found himself in the arms of the wolf. The arms were strong and the kisses were gentle. Severus was startled into silence for a moment.
"Lupin, what are you doing?"
"Kissing you." Remus kissed his cheekbone, the corner of his mouth and then his chin.
"Why?" Severus asked. The depth of his weariness was evident.
Remus kissed the tip of his nose. "Because you looked so forlorn standing there in those ill-fitting bottoms, as if you needed a kiss and probably a years worth of hugs."
Remus kissed him again, sweet and slow and Severus melted against him and let himself enjoy. Finally, Lupin drew back and smiled sublimely. "Bed time."
Severus was guided to the bed with a warm hand in the small of his back. He got in and Remus slipped in next to him, drawing the covers up. Severus shifted a little. "Lupin, your naked."
Remus chuckled throatily. "Because you're wearing my pyjamas."
Severus eyelids were too heavy to keep open and his voice slurred sleepily. "At least one of us is."