I want to thank you for a very, very enjoyable two hours past my bedtime. I love the emotional suspense and a sort of... arrested fragility. They could be more vulnerable and fragile than they are, but Severus is at least self-aware enough and cautious enough to prevent it, something more endearingly real than rampant emotional wounding. Real people seek to emotionally protect themselves, especially those who are somewhat (or more than somewhat) reserved.
Has the rest of your life allowed you to finish this? Is there more? I can't decide to read this last (known) chapter now, or to save it for after work tomorrow... (technically, later today.)