Redemption - Part 28 - Reminder
Dec. 16th, 2006 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
innerslytherinReminder
Prompt: 97 - Author's Choice - Home
Pairing: Remus/Severus
Warnings: Slash
WC: 1,127
Redemption - PG to R (WIP) - After Voldemort's defeat, Remus--crippled in his last battle--and Severus--pardoned but a pariah--manage to forge a connection, despite the expectations of the world around them.
Notes: Thank you to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thesnapelyone and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
mnemosyne_1 for quick betas!
Series so far:
1. Reconciliation 2. Rehabilitation 3. Recovery 4. Reply 5. Rediscovery 6. Receiving
7. Repartee 8. Relapse 9. Requisite 10. Retreat 11. Refining 12. Repose 13. Reconsidering
14. Renaissance 15. Retribution 16. Return 17.Rematch 18. Redefining 19. Relishing
20. Recognition 21. Remembering 22. Refrain 23. Reformation 24. Recrimination 25. Reliance
26. Reverting 27. Repercussion 28. Reminder
Severus is relieved when the morning light creeps into the bedroom. He has been lying awake all night, staring blankly through the darkness at his ceiling. He is intimately familiar with the odd shadow over the door and the water stain near the window. He watches the spider in the corner rebuilding part of its web. He is loath to disturb Wolfsbane yet, considering how confused the kitten has been by Remus' absence.
Wolfsbane had perched on the end of the bed as Severus slowly undressed late last night. When Severus was lying stiffly on his side of the bed, Wolfsbane kept pacing between him and Remus' pillow, making plaintive "murr" noises. It had been nearly two hours before the kitten settled down against Severus' ear, and even then no purr was forthcoming.
It should be amusing, how much the kitten obviously misses the werewolf whom, a mere two months ago, it had viewed as an interloper. It should be amusing...but Severus has been awake all night wondering why Remus was so insistent that Severus come home for the night. It has occurred to him to wonder if Remus sent him home alone to give him something to fear. If that is the case, it is unnecessary, but it will be effective. Severus has been castigating himself for hitting his lover nearly from the moment he did so. His repentance doesn't hinge on one lonely night, though perhaps it is a fitting punishment.
When the spider in the corner finally goes still, awaiting prey, Severus forces himself to move. He shrugs into his dressing gown and cups Wolfsbane, one-handed, against his chest as he walks down the stairs. He brews coffee and fixes oatmeal in a perfunctory manner. He cannot go to St Mungo's to retrieve Remus until eleven, but he has no desire for anything or anyone but Remus.
He does the washing up by hand just to while away a few more minutes. He looks at the peeling wallpaper in the kitchen. He studies the floor. He goes down to his workroom, where he has the Mulciber-Greyback evidence secured in a warded safe. His eyes are burning. He knows better than to attempt any investigation while he is this tired. All the same he cannot resist hefting the wand in his hand.
He stares at it for a few minutes, learning nothing, then something chirrups curiously near his elbow and he realises Wolfsbane has followed him.
"Who said you could come down here?" he demands. He puts the wand away, then scoops the kitten up and goes back upstairs. He is careful to shut the cellar door securely behind him. He goes up to the first floor and settles the kitten on the bed, then sets about preparing sluggishly for the day.
He has a shower, then Floo-calls Minerva, who assures him that she will be more than happy to Transfigure and enchant a Muggle wheelchair into a proper magical counterpart. She believes Hermione will be an excellent partner in the venture, with her personal knowledge of mobility issues. Minerva promises to handle everything.
Severus recreates the panic wards from the stairs all over the house. He wants Remus to be able to ask for help from the house and receive it in the form of levitating spells, cushioning charms--safety. It is a simple, though time-consuming, process, now that the original spellwork has already been devised.
Finally, finally, it is half-ten and he thinks it time to go to the hospital.
Remus is already dressed and sitting in a chair waiting for Severus with an expression as close to impatience as he will ever get. Severus kneels in front of Remus' chair and enfolds his lover in his arms.
"Couldn't sleep without you," he mumbles into Remus' chest, and in reward he gets his arse groped. He pulls back, shocked, and Remus grins.
"Am I interrupting?" Ron Weasley's voice is dryly amused.
Severus quells a sudden surge of panic and glances over his shoulder. "People who don't bother to knock often see things they don't like," he retorts, getting to his feet.
Ron doesn't look at all repentant. "The door wasn't shut," he points out. "Hermione said Remus was in hospital. I wanted to see if there's anything I can do." Severus imagines he sees a flash of guilt in the blue eyes.
"Thanks, Ron, but I'm about to go home," Remus says, his voice bright. Severus is afraid it is false cheer.
"Congratulations!" is Ron's automatic reply. Severus decides not to disabuse him.
"Thanks. I do appreciate the thought."
Ron nods. "I'll pop by for tea in a few days, then," he promises before leaving.
Smethwyck isn't pleased to have Remus discharging himself without solving the problem, but Severus is very mindful of his promises. One night was all he and Remus had agreed upon, and in the end Severus Side-along Apparates Remus to their bedroom.
Remus sighs when he sees the bed but doesn't say anything. Severus helps him sit down and they look at each other in silence for several heartbeats. Finally Remus shakes his head.
"It won't do. Whatever's troubling you, best be out with it now. Is it finally too much? Have you realised you've an invalid on your hands?" His words, his voice, are light, but his expression is stiff and he can't quite meet Severus' gaze.
It is probably proof of what a bastard Severus is that his first reaction to Remus' discomfort is relief. Not because Remus is right--of course not, never that! But because Remus is so very far from the truth.
"No!" Severus exclaims, and Remus stiffens slightly, then looks up at him. It is so strange to realise Severus never imagined that Remus is frightened too. Perhaps Remus had spent a night similar to Severus'--wakeful, worried. Wary. Severus is smiling.
"No, not at all," he says, his gentle expression letting Remus relax. "I--Well, I told you I couldn't sleep without you. I had thought, perhaps, my night alone was meant to show me how much I have to lose, if I ever--hit you like that again."
From the surprise that blossoms on Remus' face it is obvious he hadn't realized that Severus is frightened. He sighs and relaxes completely. "I was afraid," he confesses, "that I'd finally got to be too much trouble. I thought at least one of us should get a good night's sleep, so I sent you home."
Severus sighs and shakes his head. "I promised to always love and honour you. That isn't going to change. You're home to me, wherever you are."
Remus doesn't say anything to that. He simply holds out his arms and draws Severus down onto the bed with him. For the first time in twenty-four hours, Severus is able to relax. Within minutes, warm and content, Severus is asleep.
Prompt: 97 - Author's Choice - Home
Pairing: Remus/Severus
Warnings: Slash
WC: 1,127
Redemption - PG to R (WIP) - After Voldemort's defeat, Remus--crippled in his last battle--and Severus--pardoned but a pariah--manage to forge a connection, despite the expectations of the world around them.
Notes: Thank you to
thesnapelyone and mnemosyne_1 for quick betas!Series so far:
1. Reconciliation 2. Rehabilitation 3. Recovery 4. Reply 5. Rediscovery 6. Receiving
7. Repartee 8. Relapse 9. Requisite 10. Retreat 11. Refining 12. Repose 13. Reconsidering
14. Renaissance 15. Retribution 16. Return 17.Rematch 18. Redefining 19. Relishing
20. Recognition 21. Remembering 22. Refrain 23. Reformation 24. Recrimination 25. Reliance
26. Reverting 27. Repercussion 28. Reminder
Severus is relieved when the morning light creeps into the bedroom. He has been lying awake all night, staring blankly through the darkness at his ceiling. He is intimately familiar with the odd shadow over the door and the water stain near the window. He watches the spider in the corner rebuilding part of its web. He is loath to disturb Wolfsbane yet, considering how confused the kitten has been by Remus' absence.
Wolfsbane had perched on the end of the bed as Severus slowly undressed late last night. When Severus was lying stiffly on his side of the bed, Wolfsbane kept pacing between him and Remus' pillow, making plaintive "murr" noises. It had been nearly two hours before the kitten settled down against Severus' ear, and even then no purr was forthcoming.
It should be amusing, how much the kitten obviously misses the werewolf whom, a mere two months ago, it had viewed as an interloper. It should be amusing...but Severus has been awake all night wondering why Remus was so insistent that Severus come home for the night. It has occurred to him to wonder if Remus sent him home alone to give him something to fear. If that is the case, it is unnecessary, but it will be effective. Severus has been castigating himself for hitting his lover nearly from the moment he did so. His repentance doesn't hinge on one lonely night, though perhaps it is a fitting punishment.
When the spider in the corner finally goes still, awaiting prey, Severus forces himself to move. He shrugs into his dressing gown and cups Wolfsbane, one-handed, against his chest as he walks down the stairs. He brews coffee and fixes oatmeal in a perfunctory manner. He cannot go to St Mungo's to retrieve Remus until eleven, but he has no desire for anything or anyone but Remus.
He does the washing up by hand just to while away a few more minutes. He looks at the peeling wallpaper in the kitchen. He studies the floor. He goes down to his workroom, where he has the Mulciber-Greyback evidence secured in a warded safe. His eyes are burning. He knows better than to attempt any investigation while he is this tired. All the same he cannot resist hefting the wand in his hand.
He stares at it for a few minutes, learning nothing, then something chirrups curiously near his elbow and he realises Wolfsbane has followed him.
"Who said you could come down here?" he demands. He puts the wand away, then scoops the kitten up and goes back upstairs. He is careful to shut the cellar door securely behind him. He goes up to the first floor and settles the kitten on the bed, then sets about preparing sluggishly for the day.
He has a shower, then Floo-calls Minerva, who assures him that she will be more than happy to Transfigure and enchant a Muggle wheelchair into a proper magical counterpart. She believes Hermione will be an excellent partner in the venture, with her personal knowledge of mobility issues. Minerva promises to handle everything.
Severus recreates the panic wards from the stairs all over the house. He wants Remus to be able to ask for help from the house and receive it in the form of levitating spells, cushioning charms--safety. It is a simple, though time-consuming, process, now that the original spellwork has already been devised.
Finally, finally, it is half-ten and he thinks it time to go to the hospital.
Remus is already dressed and sitting in a chair waiting for Severus with an expression as close to impatience as he will ever get. Severus kneels in front of Remus' chair and enfolds his lover in his arms.
"Couldn't sleep without you," he mumbles into Remus' chest, and in reward he gets his arse groped. He pulls back, shocked, and Remus grins.
"Am I interrupting?" Ron Weasley's voice is dryly amused.
Severus quells a sudden surge of panic and glances over his shoulder. "People who don't bother to knock often see things they don't like," he retorts, getting to his feet.
Ron doesn't look at all repentant. "The door wasn't shut," he points out. "Hermione said Remus was in hospital. I wanted to see if there's anything I can do." Severus imagines he sees a flash of guilt in the blue eyes.
"Thanks, Ron, but I'm about to go home," Remus says, his voice bright. Severus is afraid it is false cheer.
"Congratulations!" is Ron's automatic reply. Severus decides not to disabuse him.
"Thanks. I do appreciate the thought."
Ron nods. "I'll pop by for tea in a few days, then," he promises before leaving.
Smethwyck isn't pleased to have Remus discharging himself without solving the problem, but Severus is very mindful of his promises. One night was all he and Remus had agreed upon, and in the end Severus Side-along Apparates Remus to their bedroom.
Remus sighs when he sees the bed but doesn't say anything. Severus helps him sit down and they look at each other in silence for several heartbeats. Finally Remus shakes his head.
"It won't do. Whatever's troubling you, best be out with it now. Is it finally too much? Have you realised you've an invalid on your hands?" His words, his voice, are light, but his expression is stiff and he can't quite meet Severus' gaze.
It is probably proof of what a bastard Severus is that his first reaction to Remus' discomfort is relief. Not because Remus is right--of course not, never that! But because Remus is so very far from the truth.
"No!" Severus exclaims, and Remus stiffens slightly, then looks up at him. It is so strange to realise Severus never imagined that Remus is frightened too. Perhaps Remus had spent a night similar to Severus'--wakeful, worried. Wary. Severus is smiling.
"No, not at all," he says, his gentle expression letting Remus relax. "I--Well, I told you I couldn't sleep without you. I had thought, perhaps, my night alone was meant to show me how much I have to lose, if I ever--hit you like that again."
From the surprise that blossoms on Remus' face it is obvious he hadn't realized that Severus is frightened. He sighs and relaxes completely. "I was afraid," he confesses, "that I'd finally got to be too much trouble. I thought at least one of us should get a good night's sleep, so I sent you home."
Severus sighs and shakes his head. "I promised to always love and honour you. That isn't going to change. You're home to me, wherever you are."
Remus doesn't say anything to that. He simply holds out his arms and draws Severus down onto the bed with him. For the first time in twenty-four hours, Severus is able to relax. Within minutes, warm and content, Severus is asleep.
