All We Can Do: Chaper 13

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Truly. I own very little at all and none of it is Harry Potter.

Notes: Ok, sorry that I haven't updated in like...a forever. I got so caught up in work and Occupy that I actually kind of forgot about this little writing project. Many abject apologies! Well, last time we had a fun battle scene and this time we get a fun scene of a different sort! Wink wink nudge nudge, you know what I'm talking about! Have fun!

An uncontrollable shiver shook violently through Draco's thin frame at the vicious look in Severus' dark eyes. Though the older man's hands were unfailingly gentle in smoothing ointment over his wounds and his voice softer than Draco had heard it in years as he whispered the healing incantations that stitched torn skin back together, Draco could feel the anger pulsating from Severus like heat from a blazing fire. Having two such opposing feelings expressed simultaneously and both so strong emanating from his generally stoic godfather unnerved Draco tremendously.

Severus, kneeling to heal the wounds spread across Draco's legs, however, assumed that the shiver was due, quite rationally, to Draco's near nakedness in the damp, chilly dungeon rooms. He paused in his ministrations and flicked his wand gracefully towards the fire-place where a gloriously warm fire began roaring. Sitting back on his haunches he surveyed his handiwork.

Were Severus prone to flights of fancy, he might have thought he was looking in a mirror when Draco first pulled off his ripped robes. The lacerations, some already scabbing over, some weeping ruby beads of blood, reminded him of what he must look like underneath his Potion Master's garb. Severus himself had escaped with very little damage this battle, a rare feat for an active spy. So rare a feat, indeed, Lady Luck had only been able to grace one person with it this evening, Draco had not escaped so easily.

Thin scars which could never be completely banished away traced like a cobweb across the young man's torso, legs, and arms, barely visible in the flickering firelight. Faint reminders of hate and intolerance that would last a lifetime. Draco was far to young to become a canvas for his elder's hatred and Severus the thought made Severus almost regretful for his initial wild wish to take revenge on Moody, almost.

The old Auror needed to be made aware that although he could treat Severus any way he pleased, Draco was entirely out of the question. Severus could defend himself, Draco obviously could not. And even if he could, Severus reflected, he would never let Moody get near him again.

From his position, Severus' eyes flickered up Draco's body, tracing the scars and eventually ending at the once place Moody had left clear to avoid suspicion, the handsome young man's face. Draco was staring down at him, mute and inscrutable. Their eyes remained locked as Severus stood.

"Thank you," Draco said finally, after a few long seconds of silence.

"You need not thank me, Draco," the taller man replied with a shake of the head. "I obviously failed to protect you in any significant way at all. The best I can do is pick up the pieces."

"Please, Severus, don't be like this," Draco pleaded, not wanting his friend to slip into a morass of self-loathing as he was so wont to do. Knowing the risk he was taking, Draco reached out and grabbed Severus' hand, taking a step closer in the process. To his surprise Severus merely gulped, a thinly veiled look of helplessness flashing over his face, but he did not back up or refuse Draco's advance.

"It is absolutely unforgivable, to think I left you at the mercy of that bigot, that lunatic! The senile old ass-hat has traded in all human feeling in favor of ruthlessness long ago. I should have known better..."

Draco couldn't help it, he started laughing. Full, round laughs rolled like waves out of him and he was happy he was holding onto Severus, because in his present state he might have knocked himself on his ass. Severus eyes' met Draco's sharply.

"I honestly don't know what you have to find so amusing at the present moment, Draco," he bit.

"Did you...oh, Merlin..." Draco truly was trying to control his laughter, but after so much fear and anxiety he was having difficulty doing so, "Did you just call Mad-Eye Moody an 'ass-hat'?"

Severus scowled dangerously, then, by degrees, let his frown melt away into a gentle, self-effacing smile. Draco's heart fluttered at the sight, Merlin, Severus was so attractive when he smiled. What could he do to make the older man do it more often, Draco wondered.

"Not one of my most eloquent turns of phrase, perhaps," Severus admitted with a wider smile.

Draco's laughter quieted and he smiled back, giving Severus' large hand a gentle squeeze. "We are both participants in this war, Severus, and we both have our own reasons for it," Draco said. "We have a duty to the Order. What you did tonight, keeping the Order member's and the townspeople safe, keeping yourself safe so you can continue your work for the Order, that is more important than whether I got to be Moody's target practice for the evening. I do not hold you responsible for anything that happened to me."

Severus was once again stunned, that was twice in the last five minutes the boy had managed to leave him at a loss for words. But the effortless way Draco's maturity broke through the pain and brief levity was simply impressive. How long had Draco been so mature? Severus did not know how he had missed it. Well, that wasn't completely true, he knew exactly how: being too caught up in this seemingly endless war to pay attention to the young man he cared so much for. Who he cared for...

The realization that Draco was still holding his hand was strange enough for Severus, that the still nearly naked young man was slowly pressing closer and closer into his personal space was even stranger still.

Draco's breath was coming deep and quick, gulping like a drowning man pulled ashore. He was waiting for the moment Severus would pull away; yes, any second now Severus would realize that Draco was getting dangerously close to being utterly inappropriate and he would withdraw. But Severus' eyes were simply widening helplessly, though the rest of his face remained impassive as per usual. He did not move, he did not step back, until finally Draco was pressed softly up against his chest.

Draco didn't have time to rethink what he was doing. The urge had overtaken him when Severus smiled. The urge to touch him, to be close to him again, just as they had been in that hallway the day Draco's parents had "died". It was the smile, so genuine and self-effacing, that had usual been reserved particularly for Draco and he had seen so rarely now that the Dark Lord had returned that did him in. He was going to get a kiss out of those lips if was the last thing he did, and considering how Severus would probably react to such an action, it probably would be the last thing he ever did!

Severus' psyche was splitting a the seams. Like the miserable beast at a bearbaiting his conscience roared and howled that whatever Draco was planning, and the young man was obviously planning something, COULD. NOT. HAPPEN. No way, no how. It was wrong on every conceivable level, both he and Draco could loose their places at Hogwarts, break the trust necessary for their spying partnership, ruin the tenuous barrier in Severus' mind that kept the Dark Lord from all of his secrets...His desires were making themselves just as clear as well, poking ruthless barbs at his chained conscience. Draco obviously was consenting, he was taking initiative, he seemed unconcerned with the age gap, he was incredibly fucking attractive and dammit, Severus Snape, when was the last time an opportunity like this presented itself?

His whirling mind was completely silenced though, when a set of soft, nervous lips brushed up against his own. Severus glanced down at Draco, pressed perfectly up against him, his head tilted sweetly up towards his own. Draco's grey eyes were still slightly open, not daring to let himself fall into the moment completely until he was certain of Severus' reaction.

Very Slytherin of him, Severus noted in one of the few corners of his mind that wasn't preoccupied, presenting a golden opportunity and then sitting back and waiting for someone else to take the bait.

I absolutely shouldn't do what I'm about to do, Severus thought to himself before he dipped his head to recapture Draco's lips with his own. There is no possible way this can turn out well in the end...

But then their lips met again and Severus forcefully shut out all the screaming in his head. If this was going to do this, and it certainly didn't seem like he was going to stop any time soon, he was going to enjoy it, conscience be damned.

His hands slipped down over the skin he had just healed, feeling the tiny thread-like scars rise and fall under his touch. The untouched areas of Draco's pale skin were deliciously soft and smooth and Draco's soft moan invited him to continue exploring. Severus' fingers ghosted over the small of his back, sending tingles shooting up Draco's back and down to behind his knees, before moving around to grasp hold of his slightly protruding hip bones.

The taller man pulled Draco flush against him, their mouths still locked and tongues tangled together. Draco felt his heart warm, uncomfortable in his chest, try to leap out and connect with Severus' own. His body was no longer acting under his will, but it's own, and it felt like nothing could swerve it from it's goal of joining with Severus completely, totally, physically.

Severus' hands clamped down on a massive bruise that had begun to show on Draco's side and the pain flashed a warning signal through Draco's brain. The primal, almost instinctual, desire for oneness with Severus broke like a fever, fast and leaving a trail of chill behind.

Severus felt Draco jump back slightly and caught the young man's pained whimper on his lips. Looking down he saw his large, pale hand splayed across skin rapidly turning the mottled purple-yellow of a harsh bruise and immediately released his hold.

The stood, staring at each other and panting, neither entirely sure what to do, what to say, or even if speech still existed as a form of communication. Perhaps touch had taken its place? There had certainly been more than enough communicated by it in the past few minutes!

"I...Draco," Severus faltered, his tongue trying to remember its accustomed route around his mouth.

"You better not say that was a mistake," Draco cut him off, a look at the crossroads of petulance, embarrassment, and determination on the young man's upturned face.

"But..." Shit, where was Severus Snapes' famed eloquent tongue now when he needed it most? Still wishing it was otherwise engaged, his traitorous mind hissed.

"No buts, Severus." Draco took a deep steadying breath. "This...this was no mistake and it's not the last time it's going to happen either. And that's final."

All Severus could manage was a sarcastic look, though it failed to intimidate or to voice his disagreement as loudly as he had hoped.

"Give me that look all you want, Severus Snape, I've seen it a million times and it doesn't scare me. You know you enjoyed everything that just happened as much as I did and there is no reason for us not continue as we like!"

"I can give you a hundred reasons why," Severus finally found his voice. "For starters, you are under age!"

"I come of age this summer! It's just a few more months!"

"We're working together and I'm your professor as well! This...distraction...could harm our mission and could also get us both thrown ass first out of Hogwarts."

"Dumbledore wouldn't throw either of us out! Hogwarts is the safest place around and the Order needs us to keep doing our job, ergo they need to keep us safe!"

"You've thought this all out haven't you?" Severus snapped angrily as Draco presented a neat solution to his every dilemma. It wasn't that he didn't want Draco to be wrong, he just desperately wanted to be right.

"More or less!" Draco smiled up at Severus' annoyed grimace. Then, not unexpectedly, the fight drained out of him. No longer buoyed up by the adrenaline of fighting, pain, or desire Draco felt a shiver run up his spine and he sat down with a thump on the couch.

"I..." Severus began again, "well, fuck!" He concluded unceremoniously and sat down heavily too.

"Here," he said gruffly after a few moments. He picked up Draco's clothes, whispered reparo, and handed them over to the shivering half naked man next to him. "You'll want those rips professionally repaired but at least they won't fall off of you as you go back to the dormitories."

"Am I going back to the dormitories?" Draco asked lightly, shooting a sly glance towards Severus as he slipped his shirt over his head. Teasing the older man was simply turning out to be way too much fun, there was no way in hell he was going to let this affair be discontinued!

"Yes of course you are, you mother fucking little brat! Stop smirking like that! How the hell would we explain you staying the night in my chambers?"

"Oh, the fact that you asked means you simply wish I could give you an answer! Too bad I can't think of any good excuses."

"Trollop."

"Curmudgeon. What era do we live in again?"

"Brat."

"Geezer."

"Self satisfied little jerk-off!"

"Oh, I could think of ways I could be more satisfied in this particular situation..."

"You need to get to your dormitory," Severus said, annoyed to no end.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Draco held up his hands in surrender as he stood up. "Just promise me one thing?"

"What would that be?"

"That there will be a next time," Draco couldn't help but blush at saying something so straight forward. Merlin, a few kisses and he became a bumbling Hufflepuff all of a sudden!

Severus didn't reply but nodded his head once, not looking at Draco but off into a distant corner of the living room very obviously trying not to blush as well. Draco grinned maniacally and practically skipped out of the Potion Master's chambers and down to the Slytherin common room. His injuries couldn't hurt him right now, he'd toppled the mighty Severus Snape, reduced him to incoherent mumblings, and made him promise that it could all happen again! Nothing could bring Draco down tonight, absolutely nothing.

Severus slumped back as Draco pranced out of his living quarters with a sigh. Part horrified, part still annoyingly aroused he couldn't even begin to fathom how to rectify the situation. How in the ever living fuck had he let that happen?

Oh I just love when Severus gets all flustered. I especially love it when he curses! Adorbs. Anyway, they still seem to be on very separate pages about where this is going to go, so I think they better get things sorted out quickly! Love is great and all, but the War isn't going to wait for these love birds to get it together. See you next time!