Fic #17: Commitment
Title: Commitment
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Rating: PG
Summary: Severus and Remus move into their new home.
The move to The Copper Beeches had gone surprisingly well. Most of the furniture was in place or would arrive over the next day or two, the non-magical books were neatly shelved by the fireplace, the takeaway boxes were crushed and waiting for the dustman, and the former students who had done most of the heavy work had gone home after demolishing a huge order of Indian food. They were alone at last.
Remus flushed the downstairs toilet, checked the locking spells on the doors and windows one last time - one could never be too careful, even in Hogsmeade - and dimmed the ground floor lights with a wave of his hand. "Severus? It's time for bed, love. You really don't want to spend the night on the sofa."
The springs on the elderly sofa creaked as Severus rolled over enough to glare at him. "It's not a question of what I want. It's a question of what I can do." He yawned wide enough that his jaw cracked slightly. "And right now I'm not sure I have the energy to move."
The yawn was enough to set Remus off. Even with magic it had been an exhausting day. And of course they had left most of the contents of his flat in London until the very end, including all the furniture except his writing desk, one guest chair, and a threadbare Bokhara rug he had bought in Portobello Road to cover up the stains on the floor. "Come on." He knelt by the sofa and held out his right arm. "Up, men, and at 'em."
"Must I?" Severus shifted in place and scowled even as he grasped Remus's wrist and pulled himself upright. "You could bring me a blanket and pillow, you know."
"And listen to you complain about your aching back all tomorrow? I think not." Remus waited until Severus had both feet flat on the floor before standing. "You'll be much more comfortable in a bed, even if it's just my old futon."
Severus made a semi-intelligible comment about damned Muggles and their damned too-short beds. Remus bit back a reply in kind as he remembered their very first night in his flat, when Severus had rolled over in his sleep and pushed them both out of bed onto the floor, nearly into the cat-shaped andirons that had come with the flat. The futon was barely big enough for him, let alone another adult.
"It's just for a few weeks until we finish paying off the new one." He let Severus lean against him as they made their way to the stairs. "If it gets too bad I can try expanding it - "
"Not tonight." Severus squinted at the light from their bedroom. "We're both too tired." He yawned again and started to climb. "D'you mind if I take the first turn in the bathroom? I'm not sure I can last until you're finished."
"Be my guest. Someone needs to make the bed, unless Hermione did." Remus followed Severus into the bathroom and checked the linen closet while Severus wet his toothbrush, dipped it in the small tin of Eucryl tooth powder, and began scrubbing the aftertaste of chicken tikka from his mouth. "And it appears she didn't. Oh well."
He extracted a set of elderly linens, two pillows, a cotton sateen quilt with the Snape arms worked into the central medallion, and his worn patchwork duvet from the closet, murmured a cleaning charm on his own mouth, and left Severus in peace. The futon was small enough that it would take only a few minutes to smooth the sheets into place, and by then Severus would be done and they could collapse.
The master bedroom had been partially set up when Remus had gone downstairs to pay the delivery girl from the curry shop in Hogsmeade, with boxes of clothing in the closet and a scarred oak bureau taking up most of floor space. He had completely forgotten about it until after dinner, and by then he had been too tired to care if Severus's hiking boots were in the middle of the floor, or whether he could stand a night or two protected from the nearest neighbour by Mrs. Cakebread-Halliwell's Silver Jubilee commemorative lace curtains. It was only for a night or two, and a good incentive to unpack.
But this -
Remus stopped dead in the doorway, bedclothes forgotten. "Severus? What - what's going on? Where's my old futon?"
Severus, naked and clean and seemingly far less tired than he had let on, gently took the bundle of cloth from his arms and returned it to the linen closet. "In the second-best bedroom, where it belongs. This - " He gestured at the alcove opposite the door " - is where we belong."
Remus swallowed. The room looked like a spread from a posh decorating magazine, with dark blue jacquard curtains over the windows, the old Steinberg rocking chair by the softly crackling fire, and a small kilim carpet next to the bed. Their clothes, just visible through the open closet door, hung side by side as if they had done so for the past twenty years.
And in the alcove opposite the door, just where he had imagined it, was a huge, metal framed bed heaped with a duvet in the same fabric as the curtains and sparkling white sheets and pillows. It was the bed they had admired at the store in London, simple and elegant without being fussy. The sales clerk, an eager young Muggle who had not so much as blinked at the sight of two men in cloaks, had assured them that yes, the brushed nickel finish would last for the life of the bed, and that if the tall gentleman was concerned about a good night's sleep, why, they could not possibly go wrong with the new memory foam mattress and pillows.
The bed was perfect - the perfect size, the perfect length, the perfect firmness for two men in their forties, one with a history of back problems. And it was hideously expensive once one factored in the cost of bed frame, mattress set and matching pillows, and sheets large enough to fit the super king-size mattress. Remus usually did not make that much money in a month.
His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. "I thought - dear God, Severus, I thought we were going to split the cost! This - " he waved wildly at the bed " - I know you have more saved than I do, but - "
"Hush." Severus lightly gripped his shoulders. "Remember that work you had done on the garden shed to reinforce it in case we couldn't get enough aconite for some reason? Miss Halliwell's cheque reimbursing you for the labour arrived on the 31st, while you were recovering from the moon. It covered your half of the bed to the sickle." He almost reverently peeled the filthy t-shirt over Remus's head and whispered a spell that cleansed the moving day grime from his skin. The phoenix tattoo on Remus's shoulder flexed one wing in response. "And in case you're worried about the price of the sheets and duvet, those were a housewarming gift from Granger. Blaise bought the matching curtains, Potter restored my mother's rocking chair, and Longbottom brought the kilim in while you unpacked the kitchen."
"It's beautiful." Remus closed his eyes. "Absolutely beautiful." He tightened his arms around Severus and let the fire warm his skin. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Severus unfastened his trousers and eased them over his hips. His breath was soft as he pressed a kiss to the section of the tattoo covering the bite scar. "Come to bed. It's late and we're both tired."
"Not too tired, I hope." Remus watched as Severus banked the fire and extinguished the lights. His breath caught in his throat as his lover - partner, friend, so much more - crossed the room and slipped beneath the textured duvet. "It's a new bed, after all."
"That it is." The sheets rustled as Severus drew him close and bent his head to Remus's throat. Remus shuddered at the gentle scrape of teeth across his pulse. "A new bed for our new home."
"Oh yes - ours - yes - "
"Always - "
Notes: First, this was written as a birthday present for the amazing karasu_hime, whose lovely art for this can be found here: http://www.ssf-moonshadow.com/art/archives/Commitment.jpg. And the new
bed, in what the British call the super-king size, can be seen here: http://www.justclickbeds.com/docs/mb_p7_7.htm.
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Rating: PG
Summary: Severus and Remus move into their new home.
The move to The Copper Beeches had gone surprisingly well. Most of the furniture was in place or would arrive over the next day or two, the non-magical books were neatly shelved by the fireplace, the takeaway boxes were crushed and waiting for the dustman, and the former students who had done most of the heavy work had gone home after demolishing a huge order of Indian food. They were alone at last.
Remus flushed the downstairs toilet, checked the locking spells on the doors and windows one last time - one could never be too careful, even in Hogsmeade - and dimmed the ground floor lights with a wave of his hand. "Severus? It's time for bed, love. You really don't want to spend the night on the sofa."
The springs on the elderly sofa creaked as Severus rolled over enough to glare at him. "It's not a question of what I want. It's a question of what I can do." He yawned wide enough that his jaw cracked slightly. "And right now I'm not sure I have the energy to move."
The yawn was enough to set Remus off. Even with magic it had been an exhausting day. And of course they had left most of the contents of his flat in London until the very end, including all the furniture except his writing desk, one guest chair, and a threadbare Bokhara rug he had bought in Portobello Road to cover up the stains on the floor. "Come on." He knelt by the sofa and held out his right arm. "Up, men, and at 'em."
"Must I?" Severus shifted in place and scowled even as he grasped Remus's wrist and pulled himself upright. "You could bring me a blanket and pillow, you know."
"And listen to you complain about your aching back all tomorrow? I think not." Remus waited until Severus had both feet flat on the floor before standing. "You'll be much more comfortable in a bed, even if it's just my old futon."
Severus made a semi-intelligible comment about damned Muggles and their damned too-short beds. Remus bit back a reply in kind as he remembered their very first night in his flat, when Severus had rolled over in his sleep and pushed them both out of bed onto the floor, nearly into the cat-shaped andirons that had come with the flat. The futon was barely big enough for him, let alone another adult.
"It's just for a few weeks until we finish paying off the new one." He let Severus lean against him as they made their way to the stairs. "If it gets too bad I can try expanding it - "
"Not tonight." Severus squinted at the light from their bedroom. "We're both too tired." He yawned again and started to climb. "D'you mind if I take the first turn in the bathroom? I'm not sure I can last until you're finished."
"Be my guest. Someone needs to make the bed, unless Hermione did." Remus followed Severus into the bathroom and checked the linen closet while Severus wet his toothbrush, dipped it in the small tin of Eucryl tooth powder, and began scrubbing the aftertaste of chicken tikka from his mouth. "And it appears she didn't. Oh well."
He extracted a set of elderly linens, two pillows, a cotton sateen quilt with the Snape arms worked into the central medallion, and his worn patchwork duvet from the closet, murmured a cleaning charm on his own mouth, and left Severus in peace. The futon was small enough that it would take only a few minutes to smooth the sheets into place, and by then Severus would be done and they could collapse.
The master bedroom had been partially set up when Remus had gone downstairs to pay the delivery girl from the curry shop in Hogsmeade, with boxes of clothing in the closet and a scarred oak bureau taking up most of floor space. He had completely forgotten about it until after dinner, and by then he had been too tired to care if Severus's hiking boots were in the middle of the floor, or whether he could stand a night or two protected from the nearest neighbour by Mrs. Cakebread-Halliwell's Silver Jubilee commemorative lace curtains. It was only for a night or two, and a good incentive to unpack.
But this -
Remus stopped dead in the doorway, bedclothes forgotten. "Severus? What - what's going on? Where's my old futon?"
Severus, naked and clean and seemingly far less tired than he had let on, gently took the bundle of cloth from his arms and returned it to the linen closet. "In the second-best bedroom, where it belongs. This - " He gestured at the alcove opposite the door " - is where we belong."
Remus swallowed. The room looked like a spread from a posh decorating magazine, with dark blue jacquard curtains over the windows, the old Steinberg rocking chair by the softly crackling fire, and a small kilim carpet next to the bed. Their clothes, just visible through the open closet door, hung side by side as if they had done so for the past twenty years.
And in the alcove opposite the door, just where he had imagined it, was a huge, metal framed bed heaped with a duvet in the same fabric as the curtains and sparkling white sheets and pillows. It was the bed they had admired at the store in London, simple and elegant without being fussy. The sales clerk, an eager young Muggle who had not so much as blinked at the sight of two men in cloaks, had assured them that yes, the brushed nickel finish would last for the life of the bed, and that if the tall gentleman was concerned about a good night's sleep, why, they could not possibly go wrong with the new memory foam mattress and pillows.
The bed was perfect - the perfect size, the perfect length, the perfect firmness for two men in their forties, one with a history of back problems. And it was hideously expensive once one factored in the cost of bed frame, mattress set and matching pillows, and sheets large enough to fit the super king-size mattress. Remus usually did not make that much money in a month.
His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. "I thought - dear God, Severus, I thought we were going to split the cost! This - " he waved wildly at the bed " - I know you have more saved than I do, but - "
"Hush." Severus lightly gripped his shoulders. "Remember that work you had done on the garden shed to reinforce it in case we couldn't get enough aconite for some reason? Miss Halliwell's cheque reimbursing you for the labour arrived on the 31st, while you were recovering from the moon. It covered your half of the bed to the sickle." He almost reverently peeled the filthy t-shirt over Remus's head and whispered a spell that cleansed the moving day grime from his skin. The phoenix tattoo on Remus's shoulder flexed one wing in response. "And in case you're worried about the price of the sheets and duvet, those were a housewarming gift from Granger. Blaise bought the matching curtains, Potter restored my mother's rocking chair, and Longbottom brought the kilim in while you unpacked the kitchen."
"It's beautiful." Remus closed his eyes. "Absolutely beautiful." He tightened his arms around Severus and let the fire warm his skin. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Severus unfastened his trousers and eased them over his hips. His breath was soft as he pressed a kiss to the section of the tattoo covering the bite scar. "Come to bed. It's late and we're both tired."
"Not too tired, I hope." Remus watched as Severus banked the fire and extinguished the lights. His breath caught in his throat as his lover - partner, friend, so much more - crossed the room and slipped beneath the textured duvet. "It's a new bed, after all."
"That it is." The sheets rustled as Severus drew him close and bent his head to Remus's throat. Remus shuddered at the gentle scrape of teeth across his pulse. "A new bed for our new home."
"Oh yes - ours - yes - "
"Always - "
Notes: First, this was written as a birthday present for the amazing karasu_hime, whose lovely art for this can be found here: http://www.ssf-moonshadow.com/art/archives/Commitment.jpg. And the new
bed, in what the British call the super-king size, can be seen here: http://www.justclickbeds.com/docs/mb_p7_7.htm.