Serenus Snape (serenus_snape) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2008-04-12 09:30:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, remus, serenus, severus, tybalt |
The Harmony Constant in all of these things...
Characters: Severus, Serenus, Remus, Tybalt
Summary: Severus apologizes... sort of.
"Here we have a packet of seeds," Serenus explained, holding out the packet so Etienne and Serafino could see it.
The weather was nice enough that Serenus had decided to work in the garden; he'd spent the morning pruning and fertilizing, and then he'd dragged the rest of his family outside as well; with magic being so unreliable, he wanted an extra pair of hands to help with the manual labor, and he thought the fresh air and sunshine would be good for the twins. He'd been able to do some work on the landscaping around Azoth House after they moved in, but this was the first time he'd had the chance to work on it from the beginning of the planting season without being hugely pregnant and limited in what he could do physically, and he had been eager to get his hands dirty as soon as the weather allowed.
The twins were on a blanket near the patch of tilled soil where Serenus was working, positioned so their parents could keep an eye on them. Serenus had dressed them in matching denim overalls over a long-sleeved shirt - white for Serafino, blue for Etienne - and unfurled their blanket beneath the shade of a tree. Their overalls were far cleaner than his own, which had seen years of grubbing around in the dirt, and his long-sleeved shirt was worse for wear as well; once black, it was now more of a washed-out charcoal.
"Papa is going to grow some vegetables. These little seeds are going to grow into tomatoes," he explained as the twins listened. Tybalt moved into view, his bare and sweat-damp torso gleaming in the sun as he leaned on his hoe, and Serenus glanced sidelong up at him, one eyebrow raised. "And here we have Daddy trying to distract Papa from getting any work done," he said, teasing Tybalt.
"Is it succeeding?" Tybalt asked, raising a brow. A smile played around his lips and his blue eyes were full of happiness and good humor. His jeans were in little better condition than Serenus' coveralls, and he wiped his hands on the seat of them before striking a pose, flexing his biceps. "How about now? I could do better without any clothes, but while the twins wouldn't be scandalized, I expect the neighbors might."
"All the more reason for me to add a few shrubs and trees along the property lines," Serenus replied, letting his gaze roam up and down Tybalt's form appreciatively. "We could use some concealing cover, I think. Alas, you'll have to keep your clothes on for now."
"Ah, well, there's always later. With you. In the shower." Tybalt leered at his husband, then took up his hoe again. He was glad to see Serenus relaxed and happy, especially since he knew the tension between Serenus and Severus was draining. He didn't have any siblings, much less someone as close as a twin, and he could only imagine how hard it must be for Serenus to feel cut off from his brother by what Severus had done to him. Not to mention that Tybalt was more than a little put out with Severus as well for being the cause of it all.
Tybalt crossed to Serenus, bending down so that he could give Serenus a damp but enthusiastic kiss. "What shall I dig up now? I feel like it's Christmas, you realize. Hoe, hoe, hoe!"
Serenus groaned. "Just for that, I'm going to think of something particularly filthy and difficult for you to do. Daddy deserves it, doesn't he, poppets?" But the twins seemed far more interested in getting in the dirt themselves than in the grown-up conversation; fortunately, Serenus had come prepared, and he settled them in a small patch in the corner with a couple of toy shovels so they could fling dirt around to their heart's content.
"Are we interrupting?" Severus' voice startled Serenus, but he stood and turned to face Severus, who was standing near the corner of the house, looking uncharacteristically hesitant.
"Nothing I can't stop for a bit," he replied, regarding Severus warily. He didn't want to quarrel again, but he wasn't going to pretend everything was fine either. "What brings you by?"
Remus stepped up beside Severus, smiling a greeting to Serenus and Tybalt before taking Severus' hand and stepping forward. "We just stopped by for a chat," he said lightly. "You both look well. I can see the garden is starting to take shape."
Tybalt stiffened a bit at the sight of Severus, his gaze flicking to Serenus to see how Serenus was taking the unexpected appearance. He set the hoe against the fence and moved to stand just behind Serenus, placing one hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort and support. "We've been working on it all day," he answered Remus' comment, not yet able to acknowledge Severus until he could make certain Severuswasn't going to upset Serenus any more.
"I'll soon have it the way I want it," Serenus said, nodding, although his attention was still on Severus. He reached up and squeezed Tybalt's hand. Somehow, he doubted this was a casual visit, and he wanted to know what was really going on. "Did you want to chat about something in particular?" he asked, deciding to cut to the chase.
Severus grimaced and released Remus' hand, folding his arms across his chest in a shielding gesture. "Yes," he muttered. "About the other day."
Remus stood aside, not wanting to interfere in the conversation, but remaining close enough to give Severus support; he would only step in if things seemed to be not going well. Hopefully, though, Serenus had had enough time to cool down and realize Severus was acting out of a desire to protect him, not a wish to hurt his feelings.
Tybalt bit his lip and tightened his hand on Serenus' shoulder. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, his voice pitched low so that only Serenus could hear him.
Serenus glanced up at Tybalt and nodded, offering a brief reassuring smile before turning his attention back to Severus. "What about it?" he asked cautiously, hoping this wouldn't end in another argument.
Severus worked his jaw for a moment, not liking that he had been put in the position of having to explain things when talking about bloody stupid feelings was not something he was good at. He'd almost rather be subjected to the Cruciatus than to a conversation like this; to him, it was about the same thing.
"When I said you don't have the experience or skills needed to deal with this situation, I didn't mean you aren't capable of it," he said, forcing the words out at last. "I meant I don't want you to have them."
Serenus frowned, although it was in concentration, not anger, as he tried to puzzle out the meaning behind Severus' words. He thought he saw a flicker of light, but he didn't want to get his hopes up yet. "I'm not sure I understand."
Severus blew out a sharp, irritated breath. "I mean you've already lost enough of your innocence since you've been here thanks to everything you've been through. Do you really want to risk losing the rest of it? It isn't necessary! We don't need you, and you don't need to become any more hardened or jaded than you already have. One of us like that is enough."
"I think what Severus is trying to say is that he simply cannot bear the thought of you being hurt," Remus spoke up, giving Serenus a wry smile. He didn't want there to be any further misunderstanding, and Severus' irritation might not be taken quite right, if Serenus were still feeling defensive. "He's watched you suffer, and he wants to protect you from any harm."
Tybalt's lips twitched briefly at Remus' quick explanation; it was easy to see that Severus was trying to make amends in his own snarky way, but still, it wasn't Severus' place, even as a brother, to shut Serenus out. "We all want to protect each other," he replied. "But it's Serenus' right to make up his own mind about these things."
Severus snapped his gaze over to Tybalt, fixing him with a hard glare; it was on the tip of his tongue to tell Tybalt to stay the hell out of it, but Serenus stepped forward quickly as if sensing the potential explosion and wanting to avert a fresh disaster.
"I understand," he said, closing the distance between himself and Severus. "I'm glad to know what you really meant. I thought..." He smiled and shrugged sheepishly. "To me, it sounded like you thought I was completely incompetent."
"Don't be stupid," Severus growled. "I know what you're capable of. You're as powerful as I am." He glanced down, squirming a little, and when he spoke again, his voice was low. "What Remus said is true," he muttered.
Serenus' smile widened as he reached out to frame Severus' face between his hands and leaned forward until their foreheads touched, feeling a surge of affectionate warmth at the knowledge that Severus wanted to protect him physically and emotionally; perhaps it wasn't Severus' place to make decisions for him, but at the moment, he didn't care. The level of love and acceptance Severus' protectiveness implied was too heart-warming.
"That's a tremendous relief," he murmured. "I don't care whether I'm invited into the Order or not. I just didn't want to think my own brother thinks I'm incompetent."
"I think you're an idiot," Severus retorted tartly.
"Fair enough." Serenus chuckled quietly. "But I don't have as extensive a Severus-to-English dictionary as Remus does. I'm still learning, so I misunderstood. Forgive me?"
The words helped loosen the knot in Severus' chest a little, and he hesitated for a moment, feeling a little raw and uncertain. But he had come to make things right between them, and since Serenus was accepting the misunderstanding and apologizing as well, he thought it was safe enough to let his guard down. He relented enough to slide his arms around Serenus' waist, and inexplicably, having Serenus in his arms - establishing the connection again - made him feel as if all was right with the world; he could feel the knot unravel completely, and he released a quiet sigh, relaxing at last.
"I suppose," he said, tightening his arms around Serenus. "Here I thought I was the one with the temper."
"Well, I am a Snape," Serenus replied lightly, wrapping his arms around Severus' shoulders and holding him close; being estranged from Severus had been awful, making him feel empty and off-balance, and it was more of a relief than he could possibly express to have the tension put behind them at last.
"You are that," Remus said, giving a huge sigh of relief as the twins held each other. He had been worried they might not be able to find their way to each other again, even with his help, and he was happy to see the misunderstanding had been resolved. A chuckle escaped him. "Snapes are very good things."
"That they are," Tybalt agreed. He, too, was happy to see that Serenus and Severus had gotten over their disagreement. "Even when they drive us mad."
"Especially when they drive you mad," Serenus replied, giving Tybalt a wicked look over his shoulder. Smiling, he brushed a light kiss to Severus' lips, lingering but not deepening it since Etienne and Serafino were present, and the last bit of his tension drained away when Severus returned it with equal affection. He gave Severus a tight squeeze and released him slowly. "Would you and Remus like some tea?" he asked. "We're at a good stopping place, so it isn't an inconvenience."
"No, we should go," Severus replied, shaking his head. "We told Nanny Stella we wouldn't be gone long. I merely wanted to set things straight with you," he added with a pointed look at Tybalt.
Tybalt held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Hey, I have to defend his feelings too, right? Even from you. That's part of my job. No offense, Severus. I respect you greatly, but Serenus is my world." He smiled and tilted his chin in Remus' direction. "I know you understand about that."
"Well, I know I do," Remus said, moving to slide an arm around Severus' waist. "I know we all care about each other, but it doesn't mean we won't have a few bumps along the way. So long as we work them out, it's all fine, right?"
"Right," Serenus agreed happily as he returned to Tybalt's side and wrapped one arm around his waist.
Severus pressed against Remus' side, bristling, but he didn't say anything; he didn't want to start another quarrel on the heels of settling the first, and so he contented himself with glaring and silent stewing instead. "Right," he said tersely. "Shall we go, then?" he asked, turning his attention to Remus.
"Yes, let's go home," Remus said, smiling at Severus encouragingly. He could see Severus was In A Mood, and he felt it was safer for them to get home and call this a success. Leaning forward, he gave Severus a gentle kiss. "Good job, love," he whispered against Severus' lips. Then he pulled back and smiled at Serenus and Tybalt. "We'll drop by again in a day or two, all right?"
"Fine with me," Tybalt said, nodding. He pulled Serenus even closer. "See you, then."
Serenus leaned against Tybalt's side and blew a kiss to Remus, offering him a grateful smile; he felt far lighter than he had since the quarrel, and while he could tell Severus was in a mood about something, he knew it didn't have anything to do with him this time; their problem had been settled far more quickly and easily than arguments of the past, which told him exactly how much their relationship had progressed. He would check in with Severus later to see if he could help. "Thank you for helping translate. See you both soon!"