Title: Centering Author:lore Rating: NC-17 Summary: From the middle-outward. Disclaimer: The boys belong to JKR first, the WB second; for non-profit, entertainment purposes only. Notes: ~1400 words, OotP era. Written specifically for karasu_hime for Christmas because she is so darn good to me all year 'round. Much love to both Karasu and my beta for this story, kellanine. Any fault left is entirely mine. Feedback/comments/concrit/squee warmly welcomed.
I thought we might get the community started with some cross-posting of older fics? ^^
Privately, Remus thought it was worth six months of grief to have Sirius back like this. Something behind the Veil, perhaps the voices, had helped Sirius forgive himself. Not just for falling in the first place, but for everything - James, Lily, Harry, Azkaban, Remus. He even forgave himself for pranking Severus all those years ago as well, but instead of becoming even more obnoxious around the dour Potions master, it allowed Sirius to relax around him, to not rise to Severus' bait out of guilty defensiveness.
It allowed them to come together.
Severus had already drawn closer to Remus during the time Sirius was away. The fight at the Department of Mysteries had taken all the air out of the Order for a few weeks, including Severus. Remus found himself drawn to Severus' calm presence, with the added benefit that proximity to Severus kept the other Order members at a natural distance. Severus kept his own council for his sudden tolerance of Remus until the day Sirius returned. Remus deduced from Severus' white, shaken appearance upon seeing Sirius returned for the first time that Severus had been as affected by the loss as he was, which meant that Severus had cared in the first place. Remus was intrigued.
Once Sirius heard about Severus' reaction, he was intrigued as well, and both men became determined to spend more time with Severus. For his part, Severus tried to retreat back into his private world, but Lupin and Black were too much like puppies, eager for his attention and into every nook and cranny of his life. Severus gave way by inches over the next six months, the helpless victim of a relentless onslaught.
Remus would not let Severus become estranged from him again, and Sirius was ridiculously pleased with each new discovery he made, now that he did not have to fight the man every second of the day. In Sirius' mind, they went to school together, he knew for sure Severus was on their side - they should be friends.
Then one day, Sirius decided they should be more.
Severus never stood a chance. Years of a solitary life had left him starved for both attention and touch. Once Sirius and Remus decided to coordinate clasps on the shoulder, brushes of knees, hands on arms and quick, there-and-gone-before-Severus-could-react cheek kisses, Severus' resistance was lost on a sea of need.
Remus leaned down and reached around Severus one day, murmuring "Pardon me, Severus," practically against the Potions master's lips and Severus couldn't resist closing the gap. Remus smiled as they kissed and from behind Sirius lifted Severus' hair away from his face so Remus could brush his lips along the line of Severus' cheek and by the time he was whispering "please" in Severus' ear, Sirius had replaced Remus at Severus' mouth.
Confusing, yes, but oh, so good. Not that there weren't hurt feelings in the beginning. They put Severus in the middle the first time because he was the one being seduced. After that, though, Sirius and Remus thought they would try to be fair about things. Severus was decidedly uncomfortable the next time with Remus between them and fled altogether when Sirius ended up there. They had to re-seduce Severus, this time catching him alone and already in the shower, surrounding him on both sides with wet, naked flesh before Severus would give in again.
They made sure to keep Severus between them for many months after that, until Sirius finally came up with a theory to test that proved to be true. Severus only believed their sincerity from the middle. With their focus on him and not on each other, Severus could believe he was not being used by either of them. Later, Severus admitted to suspecting a vast array deplorable reasons why they would sleep with him, including his being used simply to add spice to their lovemaking and as a sort of living sex toy to the act. He had wondered if Sirius had been abused in Azkaban and needed the extra stimulation to achieve orgasm, and if Remus' lycanthropy made him crave sex so much he needed two partners to satisfy his needs.
Severus slowly voiced all his wild theories and Sirius and Remus patiently, and often rapturously, proved each one wrong. Remus and Sirius had nothing but time and Severus eventually learned that being in the middle did not mean Remus and Sirius would love each other less - and that it also meant they would not love him more, but they would love him the same as each other. Severus found his way out of the middle and discovered it wasn't about being on the outside, but, rather existing as part of a whole.
*****
Years later, on a Christmas night, they came together with the greatest of joys. Voldemort had been defeated, werewolf oppression laws lifted, and Sirius finally proved an innocent man. There was much to celebrate.
On a cushion-charmed rug in front of the fire in Severus' private quarters at Hogwarts, Sirius lifted Severus' left arm and licked the sensitive, unadorned skin from wrist to elbow. Sirius offered Severus' arm to Remus who performed the same action, playfully lapping at the ticklish crease when he got there. Severus would be in the middle that night.
Naked, they sank to the rug, lying on their sides. Sirius chose to face Severus, claim his mouth over and over with drugging kisses while Remus molded himself to Severus' back and directed the action, stealing kisses of his own from both and laying his hands wherever they pleased.
Severus met each of their demands and made entreaties of his own. He kept Sirius from slinking down his body, using his mouth down there - he wanted to keep Sirius where their lips could meet and his tongue could taste. Severus wanted to drown all his senses in his lovers tonight.
Remus' long, strong fingers never stopped moving. He dragged the back of his nails lightly over their sides and reached between Sirius and Severus to grasp and stroke both their cocks, listening to them moan into each other's mouths. Sirius raised his head and met Remus in a fierce kiss while Severus used tongue and teeth against the pulse of Sirius' throat. Sirius gave Severus' neck similar treatment when Remus broke away and pulled Severus' mouth to his own, pushing his tongue into Severus' mouth in a faint imitation of what was to come.
When they were all three beyond need and desperately writhing against one another, lubrication was reached for, dipped in and applied to three achingly hard members. Severus placed his free leg over Sirius' hip while Sirius pressed himself tightly against Severus, aligning them. He could feel Severus' stomach flutter against his in anticipation. Severus couldn't help starting to make small thrusts against Sirius as Remus patiently prepared him. Three fingers slowly worked Severus open while he and Sirius shallowly moved against one another until Sirius' low whispers of "Fuck, oh yeah, please, Remus, please, Severus, somebody move touchmenow" caused Remus to pull back and replace fingers with cock in one steady, hard thrust.
The move caused Severus to careen into Sirius, which led Sirius to groan and push back, making Severus take in even more of Remus and the rhythm was set. The steady rocking of three sweaty, slick bodies against one another could not really last that long, but they made the most of it, touching and kissing one another as their pleasure spiraled higher. With a cry of triumph, Remus came, his teeth worrying against Severus' shoulder, which overloaded Severus' senses as he pulsed against Sirius' belly with a series of slow moans. Both Remus and Severus' hands circled Sirius' cock and they did not really have to stroke more than once before Sirius came with a roar.
They lay there on the rug, panting and holding each other tightly until Severus declared he could stand the mess no more and reached for his wand to clean them up. There was nothing new about the encounter. They had made love like this before, been together on Christmas, touched each other in all the same ways.
What made it different were the unbroken smiles on their faces. The fact that they were free, unmarked, innocents again. That there was love unbridled and joy without darkness in their hearts. They were together with the confidence that they each would not be torn away ever again.