undunoops (undunoops) wrote in lupin_snape, @ 2011-01-08 19:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | fic: r |
Fic: And Sometimes Darkness, part 4, SS/RL, R
Title: And Sometimes Darkness
Author/Artist: undun
Rating: mature/adult content, R
Pairing(s)/character(s): Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Nymphadora Tonks, Harry et al.
Summary: After the War against the Dark Lord, some are left behind. Not forgotten by everyone, as Severus Snape finds out.
Disclaimer: Not-for-profit fan creation.
Warnings: I hate warnings. There may be unpleasant stuff in here. There, that’s it. Anything else would be a spoiler.
Notes: A story that didn’t begin its life as an AU, but is now certainly in that category.
4. Terms of Reference
“Severus, there’s something I feel I should mention,” Remus began with no small amount of trepidation. Severus looked up from his breakfast with only the slightest trace of interest.
“Yes?”
“I imagine it’s been some time since you last washed. I’m going to run you a bath.”
Before Severus had a chance to protest, Remus stood, dumped his breakfast plate in the sink and headed for the bathroom. He quickly got the water flowing into the tub, added some heavy-duty soap, and laid out a large towel.
“Any time you’re ready, Severus,” he called from the hallway. He heard the soft clunk of the floating chair colliding occasionally with the wall as his guest progressed down the hallway. The levitation charm was wearing a bit thin; he should strengthen it while Severus was bathing. It was only a stop-gap solution and he would have to come up with another method for the man to get around. He had high hopes that Cho would be able to help him out there.
Severus lowered the chair beside the enormous, aging bathtub. Remus turned off the water, sighing with satisfaction at the density of the bubbles. He turned and noted the dubious look Severus was giving the bath; he’d always suspected that Severus and bath water only rarely paired up. He backed out to the doorway.
“I’ll leave you to it then. I can lend you some clean clothes if you’d like,” he offered. To his surprise, that garnered a small nod of acceptance from the man. “Right then, you get in and I’ll bring you something to wear.”
After collecting an armful of clothes, and trying not to feel self-conscious about their vintage, he left the bedroom and headed back down the hallway. A loud splash and a muffled shout caused him to jog the last few feet to the bathroom. He surveyed the scene in front of him; Severus dripping wet and gripping the edges of the tub with white knuckles. The man had obviously lost his balance as he entered the bathtub and suffered a dunking. Perhaps his altered centre of balance had unnerved him? That didn’t account for the continuing frantic grip or the way the man’s eyes fixed on his as he panted in obvious panic.
“What is it, Severus?” he asked softly, in the same tone he would have used with a flighty first year student.
“I… Could you stay?”
“Yes, of course. Do you need any help to wash?”
“Really,” Severus scoffed weakly, “I do think I can manage a face flannel, Lupin.”
Feeling slightly put upon, but determined to help the ever-contradictory bastard in spite of himself, Remus handed him a flannel without comment and sat on the aging wooden chair by the tub.
“So. Weather report says it might rain today,” he said, desperate for a topic that wouldn’t provoke a prickly, newly disabled ex-potions master.
“Hmf. They must have pulled their heads out of their arses long enough to look out of the window for that little nugget. Imbeciles.”
Remus sighed quietly and started reading the label on the bottle of herbal shampoo, hoping that Severus wouldn’t, as he would be sure to criticise the ingredients.
He kept his eyes off Severus’ smoothly truncated thighs after the first brief sighting; he’d felt the urge to stare and knew it for something other than normal curiosity.
~~~^~~~