In Absentia

Part Four

"Wait! I, um, I taste like that potion you gave me."

"You -are- a wizard, Mr. Potter."

"When I'm not in danger I do tend to forget that."

"Who said that you are not in danger? You are at this very moment in grave danger of being kissed by your horrible, old, ugly, mean, perverted Dark Arts professor. Anyone else would run screaming."

"Good that I'm not anyone else then, isn't it, sir?"

"Allow me."

Suddenly Harry's mouth flooded with the flavour of chocolate. Snape's mouth, he soon found out, tasted of coconut.

"Oh! Mmm!"

Before Severus' tongue distracted him completely Harry wondered if it were just coincidence that chocolate and coconut was one of his very favourite combinations.

True to his words, Severus very thoroughly kissed Harry's mouth then moved on to explore his face, ears, neck, chest, arms and hands. Snape stripped him of clothing manually as he went, spelled off his own when they got in his way, and pushed Potter toward his bedroom. There he took his sweet time never missing a single inch of flesh and lingering languorously to torture Harry's most sensitive spots with teasing tongue, hot breath, nearly unbearable suction, and very sharp teeth. Severus kissed his stomach, hips, thighs (outer and inner) and chuckled evilly when Harry groaned plaintively for skipping over what Harry considered the best parts only to move on to his knees, calves, and feet. Eventually, Severus worked his way back up. At long last, Harry felt warm breath on his very attentive cock.

"Potter, we should talk first."

"OH FOR FUCKSAKE! Ouch! Don't pinch me there."

"Do not swear- or at least wait until you are in the throes of passion."

"I would be there right now, if you would just-"

"Patience is a virtue that I reward very well, Mr. Potter."

"All right, I'm listening."

"I wondered if you would you care to try a special lubricant?"

"Special how?"

"You -will- enjoy it."

"Okay. You've convinced me."

"Accio Insanity."

A large black jar with a silver lid flew into Snape's hand.

"Hold on a minute. Insanity?"

"A rose by any other name. But if you do not trust me-"

Harry touched his forearm, fingers encircling the Dark Mark and said,

"I do trust you. I just want to know what it does."

Snape looked completely taken aback.

"It must be the blue moon."

"What?

"A display of common sense from a Gryffindor at long last! Certainly this must mark some occasion worth celebrating? This lubricant heats up, absorbs into skin and muscle tissues, turns any part of the body into an erogenous zone, and causes erogenous zones to feel rather well pleasured even in the absence of other stimulation. When used in conjunction with other pleasurable stimuli, well, hence the name. It is very potent and safest when used in small amounts. It is also edible though is an acquired taste.

"I am familiar enough with your other potions to have some idea what the phrase 'acquired taste' means."

"I do not intend to feed it to you on a biscuit. Even if I did, I doubt you would care at all how it tastes. The effects are immediate and last about twenty minutes- not that either of us shall be in any state to keep track of the time."

"Slather away, Potions Master!"

"On your hands and knees facing the headboard."

"Arse in your face, in other words?"

"Knees spread. In fact, brace your head on the pillow and spread yourself for me with your hands."

"You really are a bossy git. You do know that, right? Guess it's a good thing I don't have to fart right now. Ouch! Would you -please- stop pinching me?"

"I may, providing that you can maintain some level of manners befitting to those of us with opposable thumbs."

Snape lifted the lid, dipped his left forefinger in the jar, and gasped. He simply stared at his finger for a moment and then touched the fingertip to Harry's entrance.

"Ooo cold. No, warm. Oh! Wow!"

"Indeed."

Severus watched as Harry's breathing deepened and became ragged.

"Touch me again."

Severus did, this time running his fingertip in an ever-widening spiral to cover more area ever so slowly. Harry began to quiver and moan at the touch. Then Severus changed directions minimizing the spiral back to its center. Harry was pushing back against him now trying to impale himself on that finger. As Harry moved, so did Severus, pulling his finger back teasingly to maintain only the softest contact.

"Please! More!"

"Of course, Harry," Severus crooned softly sliding his finger into him. Harry came shuddering and keening upon penetration. His thigh muscles shook with the unnatural intensity of the experience. Having a finger inside of Harry feeling the undulating muscles was, because of the lubricant, immensely pleasurable. That in itself would have been enough had Severus wanted to come. He did not, not for as long as he could hold out or until Harry begged him to stop.

"That stuff's well named," Harry said when he could manage to cobble a coherent thought together.

Severus had kept his left index finger inside Harry. He dipped the tip of the thumb of his right hand into the ointment and then reached around Harry to spread the tiny dab into the slit of Harry's cockshead. When Harry moaned and thrust he pulled his hand away.

"Holy Fuck! Sorry. I had to swear. You can go right ahead and pinch any part of me you want though!"

"Such language and sentiment are perfectly acceptable now. Besides, at the present time I'd much prefer to do this to you."

Severus carefully worked another finger into Harry.

"Oh yes! Oh God! I can't believe I'm hard again."

"You may call your god Severus if you wish it."

"Severus. Thank you."

Severus twisted his fingers nudging Harry's prostate.

"Oh fuck! Do that again! No, just fuck me, Severus! Please?"

"All in good time." Severus said trailing his lips over Harry's back, then taking hold of Harry's cock, rubbing his thumb over the slit smearing a thin line of Insanity down the hilt, before taking Harry's bulk in hand while still massaging his prostate from the inside. "Right now, I want you to come again just for me, Harry."

Harry did come, saying the name of his god and cursing a lot, watching in awe as Severus' elegant magic-making hand milked the bounty of his pleasure with a deft, firm grip.

When Insanity wore off, and Harry had collapsed for the time being into a well satisfied lump, Severus performed cleaning spells, then got comfortable, and pulled Harry to him curling him in his arms. They stayed that way stroking each other occasionally; Severus licking which ever part of Harry looked particularly enticing; Harry playing with Severus' hands.

"Severus, may I ask you something?"

Severus managed not to tense. "What is it?"

"What made you change your mind about getting close to me?"

"What do mean, exactly?"

"When we started I knew you were keeping your distance in case I died or something. I understood why you'd want to do that. What made you change your mind? Don't misunderstand. I'm glad you did. I like us like this! I was just wondering really."

"Perhaps I realized that if something should happen to one of us that I would miss you." And because I am but a lonely bishop moved at whim from side to side destined never to see the end-game.

Harry reached out to stroke his fingers through greasy hair.

"I'd miss you too, Severus. But wait! We could probably haunt each other if we try hard enough!"

Severus rolled slightly to the right to look Harry in the eye. "Do not tempt me."

"I do think we both -should- at least consider the option."

"Very well. I will consider it."

It was the only promise that Harry asked of him. So, it was the only one Severus had to make. Knowing the subject of conversation badly needing changing, Severus slipped down to coax Harry to hardness and release with his skillful mouth.

The suction did not end when Harry came yet again, however. In no time Harry was sucked to hardness again. Severus pulled his mouth away kissing him everywhere except where Harry so badly wanted to be kissed. Severus thrust his tongue into Harry's mouth instead and pushed his cock to fill Harry's well stretched, well lubricated body. To Harry, it almost felt like he had never had sex with Snape before tonight. They had never done anything like this, face to face, kissing, touching, holding hands, holding each other. Harry wrapped his legs around this man now his lover, once just his beloved intruder. He arched his back and clenched his buttocks rocking at that perfect angle into each of Severus' slow, deep thrusts. The Insanity was gone. All that was left was an over-abundance of emotion that leaked from him. It leaked from his eyes. It leaked from his cock. It leaked from his very heart. Harry was so desperately glad to have the chance to share it. "Severus, come into my mind. Right now."

Severus joined him in time to experience Harry's orgasm, a veritable kaleidoscope of sensation and emotion, just before spilling his own darker passions copiously and anonymously into Harry.

After that, they held and kissed for a short while. Finally Harry who was completely exhausted and slightly dehydrated, fell asleep using Snape for a pillow.

Snape did not sleep. He did not want to miss one single second of having the boy to hold on to, to hold safe in his arms. He knew that once morning came he never again would have Harry Potter. In Harry's absence he would have these memories of Harry that no one not Dumbledore, not the Dark Lord, not even Harry Potter, could steal from him while he lived.

Just before dawn, Harry's eyelashes fluttered open against Severus' cheek. Snape nuzzled Harry's face with his nose.

"Hello, Beautiful." Harry's morning voice was ragged, deep, and sexy. His morning breath quite possibly could slay a Dark Lord but could not dissuade the amorous attentions of a Half-Blood Prince. Snape rolled them both over so that Snape was on top.

"Beautiful, am I?" Snape's velvet voice caressed Harry's ear as long, elegant, sadistic fingers sought Harry's ribs to torment. Snape found himself delighted by how the boy squealed and twitched and by all the laughter released like a joyful offering to the universe, as opposed to more empty sacrifice. In between rather vicious bouts of tickles Snape said things like, "So, I am beautiful! How could this possibly be, hmm?"

"Severus!"

"Could it be that I am beautiful because you left your glasses on the other side of these rooms, Mr. Potter?"

"NO!"

"Could it be that I am beautiful because your eyes are closed, perhaps?"

"I'd open them if you'd stop tickling me!"

"Ah, I must be beautiful because it's completely dark in here anyway."

"No you silly git!" Harry caught Snape's hands that seemed as fleet and evasive as snitches and pulled them above his own head, so that in effect, both their hands were pinned. Breathing hard still Harry finally managed to answer his question properly, "You're beautiful because I love you, Severus."

He listened to Harry's voice. He brought his nose close breathing in the boy's scents. He touched and tasted Harry and perhaps because he could not see him as well as he wanted in the dark he reached out and kissed Harry's mind with his own. For all his trouble Severus could sense nothing but the truth in what Harry had said.

That was when it happened.

Severus Snape who never forgot exactly what he was doing, forgot what he was doing completely. He forgot Dumbledore, Dumbledore's bloody plans, their collective bleak future, and his own desolate past. Snape lived entirely in the moment under a comforter on top of his own beloved. In that moment both of them were as happy as either of them ever had been or ever would be again. In the scheme of things, it was nothing so very important, just one shining moment in time when Harry Potter and Severus Snape were happy together.

...thanks for reading! All feedback is appreciated more than is realistically healthy.