Rubbing off
Characters: Severus, Remus Summary: Severus has noticed a bit of a difference in himself, and wants to know if Remus has noticed, too
Severus had been aware of certain tendencies he'd developed for quite some time; the first time he'd become consciously aware of them was when he had felt the need to assert a form of dominance over Tybalt after a little spat, and since then, he'd grown more aware of the fact that he considered the family to be a "pack" of which he was the head. Remus might be the werewolf, but Severus was the alpha, his penchant for cross-dressing not withstanding. Serenus and Gaius might have their own little family group, but they were still part of his pack, still his, and he was torn between amusement and startlement to realize he considered their spouses and children as "his" as well. Somehow, he didn't think this growing perception of himself as the center of the clan was entirely due to Remus having spoiled him rotten; there was more to it than wanting to be the center of attention. He wanted to extend protection and leadership and receive loyalty and even deference in return; they were his to protect and care for, and he didn't particularly care to be challenged, which seemed rather wolfish to him.
It wasn't the first time he'd wondered if being mated to a werewolf had changed him in some way, had rubbed off and given him wolfish traits as well, and he decided it was high time he addressed the issue with Remus. He wasn't alarmed or disgusted, merely curious, and so he went off in search of Remus, checking Remus' study first.
Remus had spent several hours revising a copy of his latest book, this one a "history" of the werewolves of the Woolf-verse, as his fans called it. He was just finishing up the last chapter when the door of his study opened and he saw Severus look in. Grinning widely, he stood up and held out his arms. "My savior!" he said, giving a gusty sigh of relief. "I need to be taken away from this hell of editing! Anything you want, anything, if you'll just rescue me!"
"Anything?" Severus arched one eyebrow as he approached Remus and moved into his embrace, winding his arms around Remus in return. "That is a dangerous promise to make to me, you know."
"Ah, it would be, except that I trust you implicitly," Remus replied, holding Severus close and nuzzling his cheek affectionately. "I know that anything you want I will like, too. So it's a win-win situation."
"I suppose that's true," Severus murmured as he leaned into the nuzzling, stroking Remus' back languidly as he enjoyed the attention. "At any rate, I'm glad to find I'm not interrupting, because I would like to talk to you about something. Perhaps afterward, I can take you away to our bedroom and do anything I want," he added archly.
"Oh?" Remus asked, lifting a brow in curiosity at his mate. Severus didn't seem upset, so whatever he wanted to talk about wasn't terribly serious or upsetting, which was a very good thing. "Well, then, let's get started. The sooner we talk, the sooner we can let you do anything you'd like."
Nodding, Severus stepped back and clasped Remus' hand, leading him to the sofa on the other side of the room; once they were seated and settled, Severus rested their clasped hands on his knee and regarded Remus somberly. "I wanted to know if you have noticed any... wolfish tendencies from me of late," he said without preamble.
"Wolfish tendencies?" Remus sat back against the cushions, tilting his head to one side as he considered the question. "You've always been a strong willed man, love. My wolf recognizes that; it's not just because you're my mate that you can control my wolf with the Lupicinus spell. You just have... something. An inner core that makes you... more. More than other men. Maybe larger than life." He smiled, reaching out to touch Severus' cheek. "If you're wolfish, it's probably just a strengthening of something that has always been there."
"Perhaps," Severus replied, leaning into the touch. "But I've begun to wonder if there is something more than my innate will at work. I've become aware of certain... perceptions I've developed that make me wonder if you have rubbed off - in ways other than the obvious."
Remus chuckled. "I certainly do rub off on you quite a bit. Maybe it has had an effect," he replied, then grew a bit more serious. "What kind of perceptions do you mean, exactly?"
"The kind that make me perceive myself as an alpha and the rest of you as my pack," Severus said matter-of-factly. "I've realized I feel a sense of dominance and possessiveness for those in my 'pack', and even though my brothers have their own families, I still feel as if my place is at the center - the focus - of the group, not because I want the attention, but because I feel as if that is my role."
"Hmmm..." Remus considered that, wondering if perhaps there was some merit to it. "I'm not sure, to be honest, if that could have come from something of my curse affecting you, or if it's something you might be getting from the Lupicinus stuff. Werewolves don't tend to take human mates, and even then, I suppose they'd tend to be heterosexual more often than not, so I don't know if anyone has done any research on the subject. The general populace would still rather pretend we don't exist." He paused, then smiled. "You know who might have an idea? Serafina! Since werewolves aren't reviled in her area of the world, and she's a Lupicinus herself, she might know more about it than anyone else."
"An excellent idea," Severus said, pleased by the suggestion. "We should pay a call on her and see if she has heard of this phenomenon occurring before or if she has experienced anything like it herself."
"Works for me. I would welcome an excuse for us to get away for a few days," Remus said, his smile turning playful. "Perhaps we can even ask Serenus and Tybalt to watch the hellions and make it a small break for just the two of us?"
"I would like that." Severus twined his fingers with Remus' and gave Remus' hand a light squeeze. "Going to Greece with Serenus and Gaius was enjoyable, and I believe it did us some good on a personal level, but it wasn't the same as going away with you."
"I'm glad it helped you, love," Remus replied, returning the pressure of Severus' hand, before tugging him closer. He let himself fall to the side, stretching out on the sofa and urging Severus down on top of him. "I know you like to be close to your brothers, but I admit I enjoy being close to you, too."
Kicking off his shoes, Severus settled atop Remus and snugged his hips intimately against Remus', gazing down at him smugly. "I know," he said. "Fortunately, I enjoy being close to you as well, especially when you give me license to do anything I please."
"Mmmm." Remus hummed with pleasure at the feeling of Severus moving against him, his eyes darkening as he let the wolf rise up. No matter how many times they made love, Remus never grew tired of it, of experiencing every intimacy possible with the man he loved. "And what would please you?" he asked huskily, running his hands up Severus' back, then raising them above his head in a gesture of complete trust and submission. "No matter what it is, it will please me, too."
The gesture made Severus' desire flare, and he bent his head to nuzzle Remus' throat, breathing in his warm, familiar scent before biting down just hard enough to let Remus feel the pressure without leaving a mark. "While we were away, Gaius mentioned that he enjoyed bottoming because it made him feel cherished. What would please me right now is to make you feel cherished," he said, murmuring the words in Remus' ear, his voice a soft, deep purr.
Remus moaned, his eyes rolling back in his head at the sensation of Severus' teeth on the sensitive skin of his throat. Maybe there was something to what Severus thought about wolfish tendencies; Severus had always seemed to know how to speak to the wolf in a way it understood. "You do, you always do," he murmured, his voice ragged with mounting desire. "No one has ever made me feel the way that you do. There is no one I desire as much as I desire you."
There was no mistaking the satisfaction in Severus' voice when he replied, "Good." He nosed his way to the base of Remus' throat and dipped his tongue into the hollow before biting along Remus' collarbone, taking his time and enjoying a thorough taste of Remus' warm skin. "You're mine," he said, punctuating the words with a thrust of his hips. "You and the wolf belong to me alone."
Gasping, Remus arched his back, seeking to bring them closer, wanting more of everything Severus had to give. "Yes, yes we do," he agreed. "Only you can call the wolf, and only you have my heart."
"Damned right." Drawing his wand, Severus banished their clothes, wanting the impediments between his skin and Remus' removed, and he began nipping, licking, and kissing his way down Remus' chest, pausing long enough to nuzzle his cheek over Remus' heart. "Tell me what you want. I want to hear the words."
"You," Remus replied promptly, the feel of Severus' warm, bare skin sliding against his almost unbearably arousing. The tender way Severus nuzzled him made him growl with pleasure, and he didn't hesitate to give Severus exactly what he asked for. "I want you to take me, stake your claim on my body. I want you to make me feel cherished as only you can. Show the wolf that you are its master, and always will be."
Caressing Remus' side, Severus murmured the preparatory charms and let his hand wander down to Remus' hip and thigh, in no hurry even though Remus was ready for him. He caressed Remus' thigh as he returned to nibbling Remus' neck, biting down beneath his ear, harder this time, hard enough to leave his mark. "Mine," he growled, worrying the skin.
Remus moved his arms, clutching Severus' shoulders as he cried out in response to the bite. It wasn't a sound of pain, but rather one of welcome, the wolf recognizing the claim of its mate and responding to it. "Yes, yes... all yours, love... all yours," he gasped, bucking his hips up as he arousal mounted to an almost unbearable level. "Please, Severus, need you... want you! Now!"
There was no way Severus could refuse that plea, and with a hungry little growl, he hooked one hand beneath Remus' knee, positioned himself, and claimed Remus with one deep, possessive thrust, burying himself in the welcoming heat of Remus' body. This was perfection, this was completion, and he had never felt anything close to such bliss with anyone else; he might share with others, but that pleasure was nothing compared to what he found with Remus.
"Perfect," he murmured as he began to move, claiming Remus with a smooth, steady rhythm meant to drive Remus out of his mind.
"Yes, perfect!" Remus was breathless with need, and he kept his hold on Severus, moving with him, meeting each thrust eagerly, murmuring words of love and encouragement. There was nothing in the world better than Severus taking him, filling him perfectly, giving him pleasure greater than anything else he'd ever known. The wolf rose up further, and Remus began to growl, his eyes glowing with a feral light as he gave himself over completely, both halves of his soul submitting completely to Severus' desire.
The growl sent a thrill down Severus' spine, doubling his arousal, and he insinuated one hand between their bodies, curling his fingers around Remus' hard length and stroking him, matching the rhythm of their bodies. "Let go," he murmured, watching Remus' face avidly, wanting to witness every nuance of pleasure. "Let go for me now."
With a sound almost like a howl Remus obeyed, holding nothing back from Severus as he let the pleasure of their joining completely consume him. Every movement of Severus' hip sent electric jolts through his body, while the clasp of Severus' hand drove him wild. Then the sensations overwhelmed him, and he arched back, exploding in ecstasy as he shouted out Severus' name.
Enthralled, Severus drank in the sight, stroking Remus through his release to prolong the pleasure; only when he was certain Remus was utterly spent did he grasp Remus' hips and thrust hard and deep, pounding into Remus' pliant body as his desperate need spiraled higher and higher - and snapped, wrenching a cry from his throat as he too shattered. Panting for breath, he slumped atop Remus and pressed his nose against Remus' throat, stroking his side gently.
"Well, that pleased me," he said at last.
Remus growled again, a low, soft sound of utter contentment. He ran his hands slowly over the sweat damp skin of Severus' back, relishing the warmth and closeness as he relaxed, completely sated. "It pleased me, too," he murmured softly, closing his eyes as a smile of pure happiness curved his lips. "More than pleased me. You have definitely made me feel cherished."
Severus smiled slightly against Remus' skin, pleased that he had accomplished his goal. Tender words of affection didn't come easily to him, but if he could show how he felt, he knew that would help. Remus might say he understood, that he didn't need to hear the words, but Severus didn't want him to have any cause for doubt. If it meant shagging Remus' brains out on a regular basis, well, Severus thought he would find a way to cope.
All he said aloud, though, was, "Good."
Chuckling, Remus held Severus close, pressing his lips to Severus' hair. He was completely in the thrall of his snarky, sometimes prickly, and completely adorable mate, and he didn't mind showing it - even if it did make Severus sometimes roll his eyes and call him a soppy wolf. "I love you too, Severus," he said, his voice laced with fond amusement. "Forever and ever."
The words were like the final bit of satisfaction, enabling Severus to relax completely in the aftermath of their joining. He shifted onto his side and pulled Remus into his arms, cleaning them both up with a murmured charm, and then he tangled his legs with Remus' and nestled close.
"Good," he said again, his voice low and languid, and he breathed out a sigh of utter contentment.