Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

You	By : KohakuShadow Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Ron Views: 6525 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter. Still writing fanfic, which is still free, because I'm still not making money off of it. As if there was ever a question about that.

Chapter List
- 1-You
- 1
Warnings: celebratory overindulgence, inappropriate use of salve, oral, hand job, fingering, mentions of incest, anal

A/N: Written as a Christmas Gift and inspired by You by Matt Skiba and the Sekrets.

Yes, I have a mailing list. If you're interested, check my profile for details.

You

He'd never considered himself a masochist. He was a man who had suffered much pain in his life, yes, but gone well out of his way to avoid it whenever he could. Age and suffering had done nothing if not taught him how to tell the difference between suffering inflicted upon him by others, and suffering he brought down upon himself. The prior was rarely pleasant, the latter even less so, but there was also a difference in the quality of misery. At this precise moment, for example, as he watched the much younger man who made his heart thunder and his palms sweat, he acknowledged that it was a good pain, a reminder that he was, in every meaning of the word, still alive.

Holiday festivities aside, Severus had to concede that his continued survival, against such incredible odds to the contrary, was cause for a bit of unnecessary frivolity. So it was that he shifted his cane momentarily to snatch another glass of the heavenly imported bourbon that had been drifting about the room. He'd no idea who acquired it, or why they decided to share, but he was certainly not complaining. It was a quality of whiskey he would have kept for his private stock, but someone, in the spirit of the season, he imagined, saw fit to let it make the rounds. The aroma alone was near enough to bring a smile to the lips of his uncrackable face. No, there would certainly be no smiling; he didn't want anyone to die from shock on Chistmas Eve. Even so, he was rather enjoying the smooth, smokey flavor. It was a rare treat that would send his doctors on a rampage if they knew he was indulging in his fourth glass.

'Never mind the doctors. What they don't know won't hurt me. I've a cast iron stomach, anyway, and if the endless barrage of half-arsed potions they've spent the past half year shoving down my gullet haven't made me wretch yet, a few drinks to help the night move along until I can manage a polite escape won't do any significant damage.' Still, he supposed he could afford to slow it down a bit. The floo was disorienting enough, without being smashed drunk for the trip. Last time he'd attempted that, he'd awakened the next morning with a throbbing headache to find Luna Lovegood, of all bloody people, blinking her wild eyes down upon him. He had, apparently, overshot his own residence by several miles, and rather than sending him on his way, she'd gone and offered him biscuits and a nightcap. He didn't know what was in either, but he was certain it was a bad combination as he'd spent the next day unable to leave the bathroom long enough to brew a hangover remedy. No, he certainly didn't want to go through that again.

His eyes roved about the room, seeking something to distract him from polishing off his latest glass too quickly. Mad Eye Moody, short an eye, but still, in Severus's opinion, quite mad enough to justify the nickname, was attempting to flirt with Minerva. 'Don't want to think about that,' he decided. He was no spring chicken, as they say, but they were both at least old enough to be his parents, and should be well past such childish antics, at least in public! Yes, he was as pleased as anyone, after all the unfortunate deaths at the hands of the Death Eaters, that a hugely acrobatic feat of midair disapparition had saved Moody's life, at the expense of a splinching and a fair bit of confusion that had landed the old wizard somewhere in the Americas until well after the war had ended, but he would expect no less of such a skilled old goat. 'Maybe the bourbon is his, brought back as a souvenir of sorts,' he thought bemusedly as he sipped at it. 'His attempts to win favor with the current headmistress would explain his donating it to the festivities, if that were the case.'

Minerva had, of course, been ready to hand Severus back his post the moment he got out of the hospital, but he turned it down rather firmly, claiming that there was not enough money in the world to make him take it up again. However, he was quite content to resume his old position as potions master, and Professor Slughorn was more than happy to resume his retirement at the earliest possible opportunity. Given his health, that would not be until September, but he supposed it wouldn't kill him to enjoy a bit of leisure until then. The doctors would not likely give him leave to return to work for several more months, anyway – irritating sods.

His eyes scrolled further. The Weasleys were about in full force, and he knew it had to be the alcohol that made him smirk at the sight of the dragon keeper putting out another one of Finnigan's pyrotechnic feats. Charlie looked quite exasperated. 'Dragons' got nothin' on you, mate,' Severus read the Weasley's lips and continued on just in time to note a certain long-haired Weasley sneaking out with a burly, slouching quidditch player, and he did not doubt that Bill intended to introduce the other man to one of the Hogwarts Greenhouses – whichever one was currently unoccupied. George was up to some mischief at the punch bowl, and the snootiest of the bunch was trying to stop him. The potion in George's hand spilled over his brother's head, and Percy's face contorted until he was sporting donkey ears and buck teeth. 'Making an arse of himself, eh? A pun only a Weasley could imagine with such creative results.' He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Ginny was dancing with Longbottom – they'd not left the dance floor since they stepped upon it near on an hour ago, and he imagined they would be quite footsore by the end of the night, but there was something rather nostalgic about that. 'Things sometimes come full circle, I suppose.'

That left only Ronald. Snape's eyes fell on him, tangled in a circle with his friends. It reminded Severus of how much had changed since the war, and simultaneously, how little. Harry was flailing about in a mess of limbs, laughing, with Luna Lovegood. He hoped for Potter's sake, the boy's stomach was made of even sterner stuff than his own. Draco was not far off, looking on with disdain that poorly concealed the mirth in his eyes. Granger had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention and hand a drink to him, and another to her previous boyfriend. There did not appear to be any hard feelings, though Ron looked down at her choice of beverage, sparkling over with pixie dust and pink froth, with a frown when she turned her attention away and dropped it on the first tray that passed. To avoid any possible repercussions of that disdain, he weaved his way onto the dance floor. Harry and Luna grabbed him and pulled him into their little circle of jumping, swaying, and flailing. Apparently, their idea of dancing was to do the most outlandish thing possible and draw unnecessary attention to themselves. Oddly enough, it seemed that Severus was the only one watching.

'Life goes on even when you've been made to look a fool, I suppose,' he thought, and found himself smirking against his glass at the way the youngest of the Weasley boys' mouth opened wide and eyes wrinkled with laughter that couldn't be heard over the raucous music blaring loudly into every corner of the Great Hall. Still, he supposed, all said and done, it was nice to see that the youngest of the Weasley boys still could smile, after being dragged about by the know-it-all and the reckless idiot for so many years. They'd really pulled him quite through the ringer. 'But, he's blossomed for the torment, I suppose. I wonder if he would have, left to a peaceful life.' Severus mused on this as he polished off his glass, dropping it on a tray floating past and crossing his arms thoughtfully over his chest. 'I suppose, one way or another. He's a Gryffindor, after all, and a Weasley at that. They're nothing if not a sturdy brood.'

Ron stopped dancing, out of breath, and looked up. He caught Severus's gaze before the older man had time enough to look away and feign interest in something else. Those blue eyes pierced into the pit of his stomach so easily. What should he do?! Inward anxiety attack aside, Severus cordially inclined his head in greeting, then shifted his gaze, as if seeking out another beverage trolly. He did notice, out of the corner of his eye, that the redhead was walking over, and did his best to pretend he didn't. He might be quite content with it in his own mind, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be mortified if someone else were to discover his infatuation. Funny, that. He'd thought so little of Ron when he was a boy, but he'd filled out, and gained a share of self-confidence along the way – awkward as it was. Both things were remarkably enticing. That damned red hair that he'd always fancied really only made it more difficult to ignore.

“You came along after all, did you?”

Severus cleared his throat and looked down at the young man who was now holding out a bourbon toward him. This would be his fifth. Really, it was quite ill-advised. He already felt quite warm under the collar from the stuff, but he wouldn't turn it down, and pushed down the Cornish Pixies fluttering about in his stomach. “Minerva would have had my head if I hadn't, especially as I'm back on staff.”

Ron smiled that charmingly goofy smile he had. “I rather think she might not have even noticed.”

“She has spies everywhere,” Severus replied drolly.

Ron laughed, sipping at his own bourbon. “Hm. Surprisingly good, this,” he gestured at the glass. “It's no wonder you've had so much of it.”

“I've not,” Severus replied a bit petulantly. The edge on his normally staid voice told him he really had.

Ron quirked his eyebrow. “You've not? How much of the punch have you had, then?”

“Only two glasses, before your brother got at the bowl.”

“Bill and Charlie made that punch. The lot of us got here early thanks to mum, so we all had to help decorate and such.”

“Oh.” If those two made the punch, Snape acknowledged, it must have been a fair bit toxic before George started tampering. Quite tasty, though. It was no wonder he'd liked it. “What was your part in all of this gaiety, then?” Severus asked with just the right amount of derision in his tone. He couldn't be seen to be enjoying himself, or the company, even if his heart was pounding.

Ron shrugged in reply. “Nothing particular.”

Snape quirked a brow. “It sounds like that means nothing you'd care to admit to.”

“Well, that's for me to know and you to be insanely curious about if your liquor-muddled brain can stay on subject long enough to try and pry it out of me, innit?” Ron drawled.

“I assure you I am not even remotely muggle-headed as yet.” Wait. There was something wrong about that sentence. He went over it in his head again and realized where he misspoke. He'd said 'muggle' instead of 'muddle'. He hoped Ron didn't notice. The way the young man tried, and miserably failed, to hide his amusement told him otherwise.

“Then why is your face so red?” Ron asked, not calling him on the subject directly. “It's either the alcohol, or the pleasure of my company, and one would think you'd had more than enough of the latter at St. Mungo's.”

“You must have been incredibly bored to visit me so often,” Severus replied.

Ron shrugged again in reply. “It was something like that.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Six Months Prior

“This is ridiculous. The bloke can barely open his eyes. What do you expect him to do?” Ron complained.

“All the same, this is an order direct from the Minister of Magic and we are obliged to take it seriously,” Kingsely sighed. “The life of a spy makes it very difficult to ever be trusted. Harry's word carries a lot of weight, but while they are going over the details, the Ministry still feels it is in our best interest to keep an eye on him without being too overt. There is no need, at this time, to give the newspapers any more ammunition than they already have on the matter. Snape's case is being reviewed in absentia, due to the delicate state of his health. All you have to do is stop in on him and sit with him for a few hours each day, talk to him, and relate back anything you feel may be legally relevant. These are the Ministry's orders.”

“But why me?” Ron groused. Snape was rude enough when well, he didn't really want to take a verbal lashing every day from a man who could barely lift his bloody hand. He didn't sign up with the aurors to be a babysitter! For a grown man, least of all! And, he certainly wasn't cut out to be a spy.

“You are actually the obvious choice, if you consider it. The person in question should be someone Snape is already familiar with, who might have cause to visit for personal reasons. As Harry is very tied up in the trial, and has personal biases on this matter, it stands to reason that he might send you, his best friend, to check on Snape on his behalf. No one will question it.”

“Who's to say I'm not biased, too, then?” Ron said stubbornly.

Kingsley leaned forward over his desk. “Just don't let that bit on to the ministry,” he said. “After all that's happened, we are all biased, sour quirks of personality aside. However, we also work for the Ministry of Magic, so when they order us to dance, we are obliged to do so. Just play their game for now, Ron. Everyone already knows this trial is just for show. Besides that, we are all anxious to be informed of any changes to Severus' health. The man is dying and has no family. He shouldn't be alone at a time like this after all he has done for our sakes, don't you think?”

That last bit had cinched it. Ron knew his boss was right. Nobody should die alone in a hospital bed without a friend in the world. He stopped thinking, 'why me?' and decided to try to be as kind as he could, even though he doubted Severus was going to be very agreeable.

Thing is, Snape stopped 'dying', or never really was, and the healers were a bunch of brainless trolls with not an intelligent thought between the lot of them, because Ron had sat there day in and day out taking Snape's complaints, and trying to make things as comfortable as he could, to the point of bringing in a board for Wizard's chess. Snape couldn't properly look at the board at first – had trouble opening, and when open, focusing, his eyes – but he kept track of the moves by memorizing the moves that Ron called out. It was really quite something to see. If his body was failing, Snape's mind was still as sharp as it had ever been. They were some of the most engaging games of chess Ron had ever played.

After the first several weeks, Severus insisted on being brought the Daily Prophet. He'd said, “if you insist on coming to pester me when I am in such a state, then I insist on being read the paper. I want to know what those dunderheads are saying about me.” He was not fool enough to think his condition was not news. Ron wasn't fool enough to try to convince him it wasn't, so every day he would come in with the morning paper and two cups of black coffee, which the healers gave him no end of grief for, and watched Snape's color steadily improve, his dark eyes stayed open longer each day, his lips set stubbornly over particularly tricky stratagems on the chess board; it was obvious to Ron that these were not the actions of a dying man.

The healers had already given up on him. They didn't visit often, just once a day to load him full of potions, leave food, and tidy him up. Ron's 'few hours' grew longer and longer as the days passed. When the cool weather started to edge in, he found himself sheepishly showing up with a jumper his mother had knitted, and apologizing as he helped Severus pull it on. “I know it looks daft, but she means well, and there is a draft in here. I'll bring you a proper jumper next time.”

Severus had said, “Never mind it. It is quite warm. Thank your meddlesome mother on my behalf.”

That was the first hint, for Ron. He was a bit slow on such matters, but that was the first time, when those deep black eyes looked at him, that he remembered feeling the heavy thump in his chest, and his breath caught in his throat. The next day he'd brought flannel pajamas and slippers. He didn't know what possessed him, but there was a little wrinkle at the corner of Snape's eyes when he called him a git that made it somehow worth it. It didn't feel like work anymore, not as hope edged in. He remembered the day he came in and Severus was sitting up, and then the stunned looking apprentice healer who the man had snapped at for being scolded the first time he'd pulled himself painfully out of bed. He'd given the poor girl such a glare and said, “Don't be ridiculous, wench! It is the first time I have stood up in months. Let me enjoy it without your bellyaching!”

After that, the healers came around much more often, and Ron, after a few more weeks, was reassigned. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when he told Snape he had to be off for a few weeks to join up with some Aurors on the Spanish coastline who were closing in on a Death Eater they'd been chasing down for the past several months.

Snape had told him, 'good, you'll leave me a bit of peace for a change', but several minutes later added, '...we will finish our current game of chess when you return.'

They never did finish that game. St. Mungo's had been his first stop when he got back, partially because of a hex that scraped his right ankle and left it quite swollen, but mostly to check up on the man who had been left to his own devices for too long. He was torn between happiness and disappointed when he was told Severus had been delegated to outpatient status three days prior, and was now resting at home.

Ron wasn't sure his presence would be welcome on the man's doorstep, but he did bother himself to write a letter congratulating Severus on his new found freedom. Severus didn't write back for weeks. Ron thought he wasn't going to, but one day, he got a brief letter of reply that stated simply, “I still have your chess set. I am enclosing my address so that you may retrieve it at your leisure.” That had been two weeks ago. Ron was still trying to work up the nerve to retrieve it. His heart still pounded when he thought of popping by the ebon-eyed man's home.

He'd been fairly distracted from the matter in the run up towards the holidays. Things always got chaotic around the Burrow at this time of year, and work was also busy, what with all the holiday traffic and food drives for the poor, and with it being the time of year that the suicide rate skyrocketed, he found himself rushing out to keep people jumping off rooftops at hours of the night that should be delegated solely to liquor, sleep, or sex – all of which had been sorely missing from his life of late. It made it feel all the more like a dream to find himself drinking with the man who, if he was honest, haunted his late night fantasies.

Ron had never thought he was 'that sort', not that there was anything at all wrong with being that sort, but even so, when he first started fantasizing about another bloke, and one he'd used to fear and loathe, who was several years his senior, it had been more than a bit odd. Now that he was looking up at the man, with his face flushed with drink, he wondered if he dared make a move and see if Snape acknowledged it.

“If it's not too much a bother, I can stop by after the party tonight and pick up that chess set,” he said. “Busy time of year, with work and all. I'd have come by to fetch it sooner, otherwise.”

XXXXXXXXXX

“We can go right now,” Severus said before thinking it over. He should have, but the bourbon had loosened the connection between his brain and his mouth just enough that the latter was moving more quickly than the prior. Really, he wasn't one for parties. He'd be glad of any excuse to escape. “We would have time to finish that last game.”

Ron grinned and his eyes lit. “Don't get me into trouble,” he laughed. “As tempting as finishing that match is, if I helped you sneak out early, mum would have my head. You're the guest of honor, you know.”

“Nonsense,” Severus retorted. “I am no such thing.”

“Don't be daft. Of course you are. Everybody was planning what they ought wear to your funeral, and here you are, for the first time since the war, walking about. They're calling it a Christmas Miracle.”

“Then they are fools. Everything aches, and if I am walking about, it is only thanks to this infernal cane,” he complained, tapping it sharply on the ground. “I have more potions lining my medicine cabinet than a stray dog has fleas, and I have to owl my grocery list to the market because I am not well enough to make it there and back on my own.”

“Well, you've energy enough to complain, so you can't be that bad off,” Ron remarked, dropping his empty glass, and Snape's as well, on a passing tray. He held out his hand. “Come on then, you can work out some of the stiffness in your joints by dancing with me.”

“And you call me daft?” Severus tapped his cane on the ground again, but Ron snatched it and hung it over a nearby chair.

“Yes, I do. You don't need that out there. You'll have me.”

Severus felt his heart flutter. He was ashamed of that, a self-sufficient man like himself, excited by the offer of someone to lean on. “You're speaking nonsense, Weasley.”

“Don't fall back on old habits now,” Ron chided. “You've not called me that since summer.”

“...Ronald,” Severus corrected like a chastened child.

“Come on, it's a slow enough one that you'll get on just fine,” Ron insisted.

“People will talk,” Severus protested.

“People always talk,” Ron answered. “One of those life lessons I picked up.”

“Oh yes, you've grown so wise,” Severus replied sarcastically.

“I have,” Ron chuckled, puffing out his chest. “Rather a bit more than I used to be, at least. Dance with me, Severus. It's more engaging than holding up the bloody wall.”

Severus relented. Really, he wanted to anyway, and Ron was being so adorably stubborn on the subject. It was just, he wasn't one for dancing. Holding the young man close, though – it might be his only chance for that. He let the ginger pull him out into the middle of the floor. “As the 'guest of honor', I suppose I've not much choice.”

“Not a lick,” Ron agreed as he rested his hand on the older man's hip and took his hand. “I'm a clumsy oaf, by the way. I apologize to your toes in advance.”

“First you take my cane, now you threaten to step on me? If you are trying to seduce me, Ronald, you are doing a poor job of it.” 'What did I just say?!' Severus swore he would not have another lick of alcohol tonight. His mouth was already completely out of control.

“And yet, here you are. One might think you want to be seduced,” Ron answered. His heart pounded nervously at his own forwardness, which he was sure could so easily backfire on him, and would have already, if he'd not gone out of his way to get barrels of liquor that would be to Snape's taste to keep him here. He tried not to think about how that bit of planning was a little too devious and Slytherinish, because it made the expense, and the long trip to a place called Kentucky in the USA, sound like just an excuse to get Severus Snape drunk enough to take advantage of, and that wasn't really what he'd been planning at all. He just wanted to make sure the man had a good time, and whiskey was the only thing Ron was dead sure he liked that didn't have anything to do with newt eyes and frog legs and other things that had no place at a holiday party. Since Severus no doubt had all the best local brews at his flat, Ron had to pick something special; special, of course, meant imported and therefore expensive. Well, it's not as though he didn't have a bit of money put away. Flashing it now and again was alright.

“One might think whatever it is their fancy to think, but that doesn't, by default, make it true,” Severus replied, hoping that Ron couldn't feel the way his heart was pounding at their proximity, or the way his groin threatened to stir at the smell of him. He had foregone cologne, which Severus greatly appreciated. It was his natural musk, with a hint of toothpaste and shampoo, that smelled so earthy and sweet, that it was just as intoxicating as the bourbon, if not more so. 'What am I doing?'

“One might not be able to help noticing that in spite of all protests to the contrary, you're still dancing, Severus,” Ron answered frankly. “Quite well for a cripple, I'd say.”

“What is this obsession of yours with getting me to dance?” Severus blanketed.

“It's just...” Ron stumbled awkwardly over the words, and had a near miss with Snape's toes. “I thought it would be a shame if you didn't. I mean, you've got a second chance at life. Not many people get that, right? So, wouldn't it be a waste if you lived it exactly the same way as the first round? It's something like that. It would be a shame if you didn't take advantage of it, and have a bit of fun. You've not had many chances before now, right?”

Severus stopped dancing. He winced as Ron, not realizing fast enough, stepped on his foot after all.

“Sorry!” Ron declared.

“No. I...” Severus flushed, and was glad he had the alcohol to blame it on. “It's a bit much for me. I'd like to sit down.”

Ron turned rather red in the face. “Oh! Yeah, I...geez, I'm sorry. I really thought you looked well enough and...”

“Ron, do shut up,” Severus said. “You needn't apologize over every little thing.”

“Sorry,” Ron blurted, before realizing he'd just apologized again. He helped Severus to a seat, but the man didn't particularly seem to need the help all that much. 'Just an excuse to stop dancing with me, then. I really am a git. Should have kept my big mouth shut.' “I'll get you another drink, then?”

“Water,” Severus said. “Or I will regret it tomorrow.” He let out a heavy sigh when Ron slid away from him and disappeared from view. It was all he could do to keep his hands from shaking, and raked his fingers back through his hair. 'A bit of fun, indeed. What would you say then, if my idea of fun found you naked and at my mercy? It would disgust you, wouldn't it? It would surely disgust you to know that I am the type of man that does not let little things like gender get in the way of my desires.' He shifted, relieved he had been able to escape the dance so easily. If he hadn't, things would have become quite awkward. Ron's presence, the feel and scent of him, the earnestness of his words struck so deep that Snape found himself unable to keep the first stirrings of arousal at bay. Honestly, he didn't know what stunned him more, that he believe Ron was honestly concerned for his happiness, or that his body insisted on contorting that concern into something sexual. Either way, it didn't bode well for the rest of his evening. He'd already agreed to let the young man into his home to pick up his chess set. He would be obliged, out of politeness, to offer him a drink. He was already taking a mental stock of the London flat he'd moved into to be closer to the hospital in the event of an emergency. Most of his possessions were still in boxes. He tried to remember if he'd left anything incriminating out. He couldn't think of anything, and only hoped his memory was accurate on the matter, because in spite of the danger, he wanted to invite Ron into his home. He wondered if he dare try enticing him to stay.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ron escaped to the nearest bathroom, closed and locked the door, silenced the room, and screamed. It was stupid and childish, but he just needed to get some of the nervous energy out. 'Ron! He called me 'Ron'! He's never done that before!' His pulse raced. It was such a small, stupid thing, but it set his heart to pounding and his imagination sped right off the track.

There was a theater in his mind that imagined all the different ways Snape's home would look – rich, elegant, and dark as sin. Severus would instantly pin him to the wall and say, 'Welcome to my home. Do make yourself comfortable,' and undress him with his eyes...and the flick of the wand. Ron would shiver and say, 'thank you for having me.' Severus would say, 'I haven't, yet'. Things got very X-rated from there.

Ron tried to steady his breath and adjusted himself into a less oppressive position in his trousers. It was the first time in his life that he was glad to be wearing dress robes, which hid the evidence of what the stubborn old git did to him. He gave himself a good squeeze, and let out a shaky breath. He didn't know if he was moving forward, backward, or sideways when it came to Snape. What he did know was that if he got to Snape's flat and all he got out of it was a secondhand chess set, he was going to be seriously disappointed.

Ron took a few deep breaths and unlocked the door. He had to get back before Snape noticed he was taking entirely too long. He adjusted his trousers once more before leaving the lavatory, doing his best to ignore the discomfort and heat radiating from between his thighs. 'He called me 'Ron'. That has to be a good sign, right? Has to be.'

XXXXXXXXXX

Wasn't he taking an unusually long time for just a glass of water?

It was just as Severus was thinking that that Ron appeared with a tray loaded with water, tea, and holiday biscuits and cake.

'Figures,' Snape thought.

“I don't know about you, but dancing always makes me hungry,” he grinned. “Thought we could use a bit of a snack.”

“Your snack could feed a small army,” Severus commented, though he reached for a biscuit anyway.

“Sorry, that must be the Weasley in me. Don't know how to do things small when it comes to food. Mum's influence,” Ron answered jovially.

Severus noticed that the young man didn't meet his gaze, though. Besides that, there was something off about that smile. He would never read the man's mind without permission, but his body language was pretty apparent. “Did something happen?”

“What?!” Ron jumped and hissed as the tea clattered and he spilled it on himself. “Ah! Hot! Hot hot!” he scrambled.

Severus was quick with the wand to clean up the mess and, cane forgotten, was instantly at Ron's side. “You've burned yourself?”

“Ah, no, I mean, I think I'm alright. Just a bit startled.”

“Rather an overreaction to such a simple question,” Severus said, unable to quite shake his concern. “It seems you have a guilty conscience.”

“What?! N-no, it's nothing like that. Just, why would you ask that?”

Severus noted his flushed face. It made his heart pound from the filthy situations his mind offered up that might cause such an expression. “You seem nervous,” he said steadily. “Are you certain that you're quite alright? If you've burned yourself, I can tend to...”

“No! Ngh. I...I'm fine.” 'Oh god oh god, why does he have to be so close? Does he have any idea how badly I want to jump him right now?'

Something in Snape's eyes changed. Ron looked so...but it couldn't be, could it? There was only one way to be sure. He knew that, but did he dare? “Perhaps you would be more comfortable discussing the matter somewhere a bit more...private?” he offered.

“You just want an excuse to make me take you home,” Ron quipped, his voice not quite as steady as he'd like it to be.

Severus pressed his thin lips together a moment before answering. He didn't miss the way Ron's eyes were drawn to them. “Would I be completely out of bounds to assume the feeling is mutual?” he asked quietly.

'Merlin's balls! He actually! He just said...oh fucking hell.' “You're, uh, getting tired, then?” he said.

“Quite,” Snape agreed, knowing exactly how to get away with leaving so early, and that Ron had made the same assumption.

“A-alright,” Ron's voice cracked. “I'll just make the rounds real quick, and make your apologies. Just, sit for a moment, and I'll come and fetch you right off.”

Severus conceded, knitting his brow to pretend to be appropriately worn out. He offered a tight nod.

'He really is way too good of an actor,' Ron thought wryly. He had to put on a bit of a pretense himself, making excuses first with McGonagall, then Harry and Hermione, and finally his parents. If he made excuses to all of his siblings, he'd never be off. As it was, he didn't even see most of them now. Bill was just sliding back into the room as if no one had noticed his absence, and his dress robes were slightly askew. It's not as if nobody knew what he'd been up to, but it was important to him to keep up appearances.

“I don't feel right about letting him off on his own, so I'll see him back to his flat. Think he's had a bit more to drink than the doctors would be happy with, honestly,” Ron told his parents. “But I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for Christmas, yeah?”

“Do tell Severus he's more than welcome to join us, dear. I just wouldn't feel right about leaving the poor thing to sit all alone on Christmas Day. Try to convince him to at least come for dinner, would you?” Molly encouraged.

“Well, that's true enough. No one should be alone on Christmas,” Arthur agreed.

“I'll ask him, but he might not be up to it,” Ron said. He couldn't imagine Snape enjoying Christmas day with his insane, extended family and all the noise, even if Ron actually did agree with his parents in this case, and would like to have him there.

With the pleasantries aside, Ron returned to Snape's side, trying very hard to ignore the tea burn on his thigh for the moment, but the way it rubbed on his trousers made him wince. “Well, let's be off, then,” he said, trying to ignore the subtext between them as Snape lifted his cane and pushed to his feet.

Severus tried to ignore the path of fire that rippled up his spine from the point where Ron's hand lightly touched his lower back as they inched toward the floo. He was sure he had to be dreaming. That such a handsome young man would be concerned for his well being, he could almost imagine, but that he might be in a position to have subtext with the subject of his nocturnal fantasies was surely his imagination running wild.

“Mum wants you to come for Christmas,” Ron blurted as they reached the floo.

“What did you tell her?” Severus asked with a quirked brow. Had she come to peculiar deductions about the nature of their relationship? Or lack of one?

“Nothing!” Ron blushed. “She just doesn't think you should have to spend it alone. It's your choice, but I sort of agree with her this time.”

Severus grabbed a handful of floo powder and didn't answer, casting it downward.

Ron stumbled out a few moments behind him into the man's sitting room. It wasn't at all what he'd expected. White walls and all hardwood floors, boxes littered about, and with the exception of an armchair, no furniture to speak of.

“Should I take that as a no?” he asked as his eyes scanned the spacious, if empty room.

“Ron, there are things I would much rather discuss at the moment than where I will be eating dinner tomorrow night, like your thigh, for example.”

“Th-th...! What?” He knew he came here intent on a shag, but he didn't expect to jump right into it! He wasn't a woman, he didn't expect romance, but that still seemed a little abrupt! “At least offer a bloke a drink first, honestly. It's only polite,” he groused.

Severus sighed as he trailed out into the hallway and around the bend. “You burned it, didn't you? Take off your trousers so I can apply a salve. It hurts, surely.”

“Oh.” 'I'm an idiot.' “Right then.” He loosened his tie, which felt rather like a noose, kicked off his shoes, and reached under his robes to slip his slacks down and off. He didn't know what hurt more, the burn, or the erection, but one certainly distracted from the other, and that worked both ways. Even though they both knew what he'd come here for, and that it had nothing to do with chess, he was embarrassed.

“Just have a seat. I'll have the salve ready in a moment,” Severus called from the kitchen.

“Y-yeah, sure,” Ron stuttered, sitting in the chartreuse armchair. 'Slytherins and their green,' he thought blandly as he took stock of the surrounding area while he waited.

A moist ring told Ron that the unopened box beside him was currently being used as a side table. That was obviously where Severus set a drink. Assorted odds and ends sat beside it – a hand towel, a bottle of lotion, an open and upturned magazine. 'Wait a damn minute. Why does Severus Snape have a copy of Witch Weekly?' He looked down at the cover, and there was something familiar about it. It came out shortly after the war had ended. He carefully flipped it over, and saw it was open to a picture of himself topless and wiping his brow in the middle of the Hogwarts rubble. 'Oh. Yeah.' His face turned quite red as he remembered a few reporters sneaking some candid photos of the lot of them rebuilding the school over the summer. It was grueling work, and bloody hot! And so, for a few weeks, this photo and a few others had... 'Hand towel, lotion, and a magazine open to a picture of me?' Ron didn't have to work very hard to figure that out, though he was embarrassed he didn't realize it instantly. He was caught with the magazine still in hand when Snape came back in.

The way Snape's face flushed had nothing to do with the alcohol. 'Bollocks. I forgot about that,' he thought.

Ron cleared his throat. “Severus, this chair, uh, doesn't happen to be where you wank, does it?” 'Why did I just ask that? It's totally obvious! And, he's been wanking to a picture of me without my shirt on!'

Severus cleared his throat. “You might have noticed that I have not had the opportunity to unpack many of my possessions as of yet. As a result, I have very little furniture for the time being,” Severus answered with a remarkable degree of calm.

“So, yes then,” Ron stated.

Severus took the magazine from Ron's hand and put it aside. “Let's take care of that burn,” he said, too embarrassed to answer properly. Well, Ron was sitting in his armchair without his trousers, talking about wanking, so he supposed he must have done something right to get him here. It was in his best interest not to say anything that might send the lovely ginger running for the door.

Ron bit his lip and pulled the robes up just enough, trying to use the folds of fabric to hide the fact that his already raging erection was pulsing with the new information. Snake wanked. He wanked in this chair. He wanked to topless photos of none other than Ron himself. Ron was his prime choice of masturbatory subject matter. He couldn't quite bring himself to let that go. He had to relieve the awkward tension in the air anyway. “So, basically, you think I'm hot,” he said, offering Severus a goofy grin.

“I would not have invited you into my home if I had no ulterior motives,” Severus answered calmly. “Though I do wish you hadn't found that.”

His fingers came in contact with the burn, and the cooling salve pressed to his inner thigh made Ron jump. “Oh, bollocks!” Ron declared.

“Sit still,” Severus protested, wrinkling his prominent nose and gripping Ron's knee, massaging the salve into his thigh.

Ron bit his lip. That burn was way, way to close to his groin. He could feel Snape's fingers running along his inner thigh, such a cooling sensation so close to his burning organ, and he had to grip the arms of his chair and squeeze his eyes shut to keep from going mad.

Severus didn't miss it. The burn treated, he rubbed the salve in a bit longer than necessary, and slipped the salve slick digits a bit further up Ron's thigh than he strictly needed to, watching him react. He really had prepared the salve strictly for the treatment of the burn, but now he saw the potential for having a bit of fun, which was, after all, what Ron wanted for him, was it not? He leaned forward while Ron's eyes were closed, and licked a line through the salve that had already healed his burn. It was a pleasant enough taste – coconut cream dashed with cinnamon and a hint of spearmint. What was even more pleasant was the way Ron's eyes shot open and he looked down, aghast, pupils dilated with arousal.

“S-Severus!”

“Don't look so affronted. Is this not what you came here for?” Severus asked.

Damn him. Damn that deep, sexy voice, and that evocative salve, and damn that tantalizing tongue, too. Ron bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't want to be seen to unravel this easily! He wanted to be all suave and cool and manly and shit. Severus lapped more of the salve off of his healed and exposed thigh. The resulting moan that tore from Ron's throat told him there was no bloody chance of getting out of this evening with his pride still in tact. He could do little but cling to the chair as Severus sat back on his knees, surveying Ron's half-dressed body as if it already were his possession, and those bottomless eyes made Ron more than willing to be possessed as long fingers curled up into his loosened tie, pulled it free, and cast it aside. The buttons of his shirt were released one by one until they reached the vest piece, and the robe's front fastenings. Severus cast them open with a flourish.

“You're a bit too adept at this, I think,” Ron said, trying to make a joke of how quickly Severus had reduced him to his pants and a half open linen shirt, even without the use of a wand.

“Am I?” Severus asked innocently. He trailed his finger lightly over the bulge at Ron's hips from tip to base, and watched the way the young man bucked. “One might argue that I am properly motivated by the potential for my actions being rewarded,” he said.

Ron opened his mouth to answer, but all that escaped was an undignified squeak as Snape leaned forward again, thin lips dragging along the underside of his still constrained erection. The thin cotton of Ron's pants was little shield for his sensitive member, and Snape's hot breath passed through it easily. Then, his tongue, oh, his tongue!, sliding across the head, lips closing around it, sucking through the threadbare fabric.

“Ah! Fuck!” Ron gasped. If he knew he was to be laid tonight, he'd have chosen a sexier pair of pants. He didn't own many, but dingy white cotton really didn't scream 'fuck me'. Although, it seemed his voice was saying it loud enough that his wardrobe didn't need to say anything at all, if the way Snape lapped almost playfully at his organ was any indication.

Severus released the firm rod and lifted his gaze at Ron's exclamation. “All in due time, Ronald,” he said with a bemused smirk. “You will let me have a bit of fun, will you not? That is what you said you wanted for me, no? To have a bit of fun with my second chance at life?”

“Driving a bloke mad with lust is your idea of fun, is it?” Ron breathed, not particularly conscious of the fact that he lifted his hips to help Severus slide his pants down and away, leaving his bare arse against the plush chair.

“Quite,” Severus answered frankly. “Especially one with so many obvious charms.”

His palm slid up along the underside of Ron's exposed erection. Fingers damp with traces of salve, it was like trails of ice sliding up the side of a volcano. Ron bucked against it.

“H-haah!”

Severus chuckled. “You act as though you've never been touched,” he teased, pressing his lips lightly against Ron's hip bone.

“N-not in a long while,” Ron admitted. 'And not by someone I wanted this badly.'

“Hmn,” Severus answered. “I know that feeling quite well.”

He flicked his thumb over the head of Ron's cock and watched the younger man respond with a gasp and some fidgeting. 'Adorable,' he thought. It was adorable how responsive he was. It was also brilliantly sexy, but that much went without saying. He leaned forward and lapped at the bared organ, pressed his hand down upon the hips to keep Ron from choking him, and closed his lips around the hot flesh. He slipped his tongue along the slit, swirled it, and began to devour it.

Ron sobbed. He didn't mean to, but his toes curled at the onslaught. He'd just been thinking about how lonely Severus's admission sounded. 'I know that feeling quite well,' he'd said, and just as he thought they might be about to have a serious conversation in the midst of their lustful encounter, Severus inhaled him, and any thought of...wait, what had he just been thinking about? Thought in general flew right out of his head, and he came only too quickly, having been far too aroused for far too long. He blushed brightly as Severus pulled back, wiping a stray droplet of release from the corner of his mouth with his fingertip.

“Severus, I'm so--!”

Ron didn't get to finish that apology. Instead, Severus pressed that finger, droplet of seed and all, against the redhead's lips. Ron did the only thing that made sense: he opened his mouth to accept it, and tried to look more sexy than foolish sucking on another man's finger, tasting the salt from his own recent orgasm.

“I believe I told you to stop apologizing for every little thing,” Severus stated calmly. “You are a young man, and the night, also, is still young enough as to leave several more hours of fun ahead of us.” He slipped the moistened digit out of Ron's mouth.

“I think your idea of 'fun' can't be discussed in polite company,” Ron stated.

“Hmn. You may be right about that,” Severus replied. “Even so, you do appear to be enjoying yourself. Am I wrong?”

“Don't be a prat,” Ron said.

Severus just smirked that damn sexy smirk again and kissed Ron's thigh.

“If you keep that up, I'm going to end up with a bruise instead of a burn,” Ron said, but he wasn't really telling the man to stop. It felt good, which really wasn't nearly a good enough adjective to describe Severus Snape nibbling on his thigh after blowing him, but the best Ron's lazy mind could come up with under the circumstances. He laced his fingers into Severus' hair. Actually, speaking of that, it felt sort of silky, and come to think of it, it didn't look as stringy as usual...

“What did you do to your hair?” he blurted thoughtlessly.

Severus sat back. “That's really what you want to discuss right now?”

“I'm just curious,” Ron sulked. “It's a bit different today, isn't it?”

Severus sighed. “If you must know, I used a special detoxifying cleanser that is specifically designed for brewers and alchemists, as potion ingredients have a way of creating a degree of build-up over time. Don't get used to it. Even if I make it myself, the price of ingredients is extortionate. It is fine for a special occasion, but I will not be using it on a regular basis just because you're making a poor attempt at a compliment.”

Ron couldn't stop a roll of laughter that issued forth from deep in the pit of his stomach. “Bloody hell, Severus, it was just idle chatter. Me being observant and shite. I like the way your hair is normally well enough.”

“Nonsense.”

“I do! It's...” Ron pursed his lips. “Well, I don't know what it is, precisely, but I like it all the same.”

“Ron, shut up, or you'll ruin the mood.”

Ron grinned. “I like it,” he said.

“Enough!” Severus sighed. He'd heard all the 'greasy' jokes already, and if Ron thought he could dig himself out of the hole just by saying 'I like it...'!

“Stop being so stubborn,” Ron groused. “And call me 'Ron' again.”

Severus looked up at that toothy grin. “Oh. That's what you were talking about. I thought you were still on about my hair.”

“Well, yeah. I know you well enough to know when you're mind is already made up on a subject, no amount of disagreeing with you will change it. I've moved on, like a mature adult.”

Severus couldn't help but find humor in the way Ron said that, while making a face that only a child would make of what a 'mature adult' ought to look like. That Weasley sense of humor, when not bent on practical jokes, was really something; Severus thought he could grow accustomed to it. “You've moved on because you don't want to dissuade me from my current objective.”

“Buggering me senseless, you mean? You're dead right on that, been wanting you to do it long enough, and now that I'm bare-arsed it'd be a shame not to make it to the finish line, yeah?”

He grinned again. That beautiful smile, Snape decided, was going to be his undoing. What was worse were the words 'been wanting you to do it long enough'. They surprised him, and while he'd just been dipping his fingers into the salve to torment Ron further, he found himself completely distracted by that admission.

“Don't look at me like that,” Ron protested, cheeks coloring a bit as he realized what he'd just admitted to. “You think I just kept coming for the chess?”

“I am a brilliant chess player,” Severus quipped.

“And, a sore loser,” Ron retorted.

“Ronald...”

“But, it's okay, because you're cute when you pout,” Ron threw in before had the chance to do just that. “Anyway, I think it's my turn now.”

“Your turn?” Severus asked.

Ron placed his foot on Severus's shoulder and pushed the man back, feeling rather less nervous now that he had the older man off his guard a bit. “To have a little fun,” Ron said. “For starters, you're still fully dressed. We've got to do something about that.”

Severus blinked as his bony arse crashed against the hardwood floor, and Ron crawled over him, straddling his hips. He'd never suspected, especially after how gorgeously submissive he'd been a mere few minutes earlier, that Ron also had such a sultry side to him. It was...

“Mmph!”

The old Slytherin's eyes widened as Ron pulled his head forward into a brilliant kiss, fingers curling about the nape of his neck, but his shock melted away quickly and he permitted himself to properly enjoy that kiss. He didn't dislike this more aggressive side, in all honesty. It was nice to feel wanted, and if the way Ron's tongue battled with his own as his fingers fumbled over the various ties and buttons of his robes was any indication, Ron found him – for whatever reason – quite desirable.

“Too many bloody buttons,” Ron complained. “What is it with you and buttons?”

“Would you prefer I take the muggle route and replace them all with velcro?” Snape replied, entertained at the way Ron struggled over a particularly tricky fastening.

“Absolutely,” Ron answered. “I would be able to get you naked so much faster.”

“There is always magic for that, you know?” Severus replied.

“Well, yeah, but my wand is all the way over there,” he gestured to his robes puddled a mere three feet away. “Besides, this way is more fun. More kissing. More touching. More foreplay in general.”

Snape's answer to that was nonverbal; he slid his hand over Ron's bare bottom.

Ron hissed, feeling that cooling salve that Snape had initially intended for another purpose before Ron had distracted him. Actually, speaking of distractions... he slid his salve-slick digits over the cleft of Ron's arse.

“Aah!”

And then, pressed them against his anus.

“H-hngh!”

Rubbed a slow circle against the muscle.

“St-aah! How am I supposed to get you naked if you...?!!”

Slipped two inside, meeting with remarkably little resistance.

“Ooooohh!!!”

In fact, Ron bucked back against the intrusion.

Hot fingers and icy cold salve coaxed him open easily. 'I'm in heaven...' Ron thought. He'd only gotten so far as Severus' navel with the buttons. It wasn't nearly as naked as he wanted the older man, but it was impossible to focus on disrobing the Potions Master when his fingers were so... Well, so bloody masterful!

“H-haah!” Ron's groin, which had already been acknowledging the appeal of Snape's lap, and the heat of the other man's organ so near his own, wasted no time in standing at full attention at the onslaught.

Plunging. Scissoring. Twisting.

Oh, there! Right there! “S-Severus!” he gasped, unable to quite control his body enough to stop himself from bucking back against the fingers. That salve was just so...brilliant as a lubricant. So cold when he felt so hot! He shook his head, trying to focus, and latched his lips onto the older man's throat, lapped at the dip of his exposed collarbone, and reveled in the moan it tore from Snape's lips.

“Ron,” Severus gasped. How did he know? How did he know that spot, right where the two collarbones meet was so...very... “Mmmmnnn...” So very good. So very sensitive. Ron lapped at it as he bucked like a whore against Snape's fingers. Snape curled his fingers in that stunning red hair. “Yess...” he purred.

“Sev'rus...” Ron slurred against his throat.

“Ron...” Severus rasped in reply, getting lost in the sheer sensation of being touched, the cool air of the room ghosting over his shoulders as his robes pooled about his elbows.

Ron's patience finally ran out, and Severus didn't miss the feeling of his hands pulling open his trousers rather forcefully.

“Careful,” he hissed breathlessly. “Dress robes are expensive. If you rip them, you owe me new ones.”

“I'll buy you ten pair if it'll stop your nagging,” Ron groaned against his lips. As if he could care about Snape's fashion sense at a time like this! He finally freed the hot organ and wrapped his hand around it, giving it an experimental squeeze as he let Severus devour his tongue. It was finally time for a bit of revenge. Where was that bloody salve? A-ha! Severus was none the wiser as Ron's fingers dug into the bowl for a generous helping of delicious torture. That was true, at least, until Ron switched hands.

Severus hissed through his teeth, trying to steady himself as the salve came into contact with his burning member. “Trying to wilt my interest with ice will do nothing for our continued endeavors, Ron,” he groaned. Why had he never thought to do that? It was delicious. Ron's warm hand, and the cooling salve combined into a delicious sort of torment the likes of which he could not remember every experiencing the equal of. While the cold contact should wilt him, by all logic, combined with the fact a stunning young man was having at him with it only sent him spiraling.

“Don't be daft,” Ron murmured against his scarred throat. “You're so hard it feels petrified.”

“I won't be for long if you keep doing that,” Severus sneered through grit teeth. “I am not so young as certain other parties in the room. It would put a damper on our plans for the evening.”

Ron stopped licking Snape's collarbone long enough to lift his head – tousled hair and all – and give the man a rather flat look. “That's bollocks,” he said. “You're Severus Snape. The most brilliant, brave, stubborn arse of a man I know, and if Voldemort and the most venomous snake on the bloody planet couldn't finish you off, I seriously doubt a hand job stands a chance.” He grinned at his own cleverness.

Severus gave Ron a look as if he were not at all amused, but Ron knew him well enough to know when his 'evil eye' was all talk. “They are two quite different definitions of being finished off, Weasley,” Severus sneered.

“Fine, fine. Have it your way,” Ron heaved a sigh that was dramatic only in how playful it was. “I've a better idea of how to finish you off, anyway.”

Severus didn't get to ask what he was plotting as his organ was released and his face pulled into a kiss that made him wish, if only for a moment, that he was a younger man. Why hadn't he tried to seduce this stunning young man sooner? 'Because he was your student, then your babysitter, and you both spent too much time moping about to see what was right in front of you,' Severus reminded himself. Now that he did see it, though – every glorious, naked inch of it – he had no intention of letting go any time soon.

“Gh!” Severus nearly choked on his own tongue when he felt it at last, the first instant of breach when Ron positioned himself just so, gripped Severus's bare shoulders for balance, and started to ease onto his salve-coated erection.“H-haaah!” The vice-like grip, the contrast of cold salve and Ron's hot passage... Even Severus Snape couldn't remain aloof to these things. If he was honest with himself, he'd not appeared particularly aloof all night, but he tried to be honest with himself as seldom as possible. “Ron...”

Ron panted. It had been so long since he'd done this, and it felt so good. He forgot how good this was! He didn't, however, forget to be careful. The privacy of his bedroom aside, he'd not been with a man in years, and knew he'd better take it slow, lest someone catch on as to his strange gait over holiday dinner tomorrow. There were one or two men in his family who knew very well how he walked after a good shag – a fact he thought it was in his best interest for Snape never to discover if he wanted to keep the sexy older man in his clutches.

“Ah, fuck!” he gasped when Severus shifted beneath him to help things along. He made these delicious, pulsing little movements with his hips that melted Ron's spine and found him quite soon fully seated in his new lover's lap. “Where'd you learn that?” he groaned, rocking his hips experimentally.

“Restricted section,” Severus purred against his throat. “Fourth year, after hours with Lupin, if you must know. Hmph: out after hours. It was my first and only detention,” Severus admitted.

Ron looked startled for a moment at the open admission, but was more than pleased with the bemused twinkle he found in Snape's eyes. “Worth every second, I'd wager,” he quipped.

Severus inclined his head by way of reply, braced himself as best as he could in the tangle of robes on the hardwood floor, and bucked up into his beautiful ginger. “And, you? When did you start straddling other men, hm? You seem quite expert at it.”

“I-I'm no-ooot!” Ron gasped, but eagerly lifted his hips and dropped them at Snape's bit of encouragement. “Mmn...Aaah... N-not really.”

“I know you've only openly dated women,” Severus quipped, “but your body tells me you are not lacking in experience.” He lapped at Ron's nipple. It was right in front of his face, and so perky, he simply couldn't resist giving it a bit of attention.

“Th-that's a s-secret!” he gasped.

Severus pulled his head back and clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Now, that's hardly fair. You already know the worst of mine. I really must insist, Ronald, if you're to be my lover, that you not keep all of your most alluring secrets to yourself. There's no need.” He pulled Ron's face down into a kiss again, and locking his gaze with those bottomless eyes purred, “So, which was it? Bill? Or Charlie? I know it can't have been Percy, or you'd never have had anything to do with Granger. They're two of a kind, really. I sometimes think they share a brain. Your first year, I had you lot, and then your brother immediately after. I seriously contemplated suicide before lunch nearly every day.”

Ron was about to protest, aghast at the suggestion, and lie through his teeth, but Severus' commentary about Hermione and Percy made him laugh so hard he couldn't.

“There now. No need to make such a fuss. I am already well aware of your brothers' ideas on how to best pass the time between lectures, and after hours. Humor my curiosity, then? Which of those lewd boys backed you into a corner and taught you this, hm? Since we're sharing?”

Ron blushed and gasped as Snape pressed up against him again. “B-both!” he admitted, face flushing brightly.

Severus's brow arched dramatically. “Both? My, my. I've underestimated your prowess,” he teased, nipping at Ron's jaw. Truth be told, it was sexy. He was not one of those men to be jealous over matters in the past. Of course, now that he had Ron, he didn't intend to share him, save for maybe the rare special occasion. A little spice now and again was healthy for a relationship, after all. He lapped at the young man's throat, as if the action alone could speak for him and mark him as his own.

Ron gave up on keeping secrets. If this was how Severus was always going to pull them out of him, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep a one. “Out behind Dad's workshop,” Ron gasped. “On my thirteenth birthday.” He rocked his hips eagerly as Severus had at his nipples again. “They said they had a special present for me. I was fool enough to hope for a broomstick.”

Severus laughed. He actually laughed. He could imagine that clumsy, gangling boy with his head full of quidditch getting such a cruel surprise from his perverted brothers. “I'm sure you weren't too disappointed,” he replied.

“Of course I was!” Ron declared. “The shag was nice n'all, but small consolation for a thirteen year old who thought for once, he might actually get something new.”

“Well, I should hope at thirteen a shag was 'new',” Severus teased, moving to nibble at Ron's ear. He'd never in his life talked this much during sex. Actually, he rarely talked at all during sex, but it was actually rather enjoyable, and Ron was so cute, and so playful, which distracted him just enough to keep him from a premature climax. He pressed a palm to Ron's back and rolled them over, so the charming young man was pinned beneath him. Prematurity aside, he really couldn't keep this up much longer, and he was determined that his young lover not be left behind when he lost himself to the pleasure.

Ron landed with an, “Oomph!” took a breath, then continued. “You seriously need to install carpet, or at least get an area rug, if we're going to do this on your bloody floor,” Ron complained, even as he was wrapping his legs around Severus' hips. He arched his back and moaned in delight at the new angle, when Severus started a series of long, slow thrusts.

“Well, I had intended to see you to the bedroom, but you just had to look so delicious that I couldn't wait that long,” Severus replied, their previous line of conversation already long forgotten.

“Now you tell me,” Ron groaned, fingers lacing in that long, dark hair, as Severus started nipping at his throat. “Oooh! Fuck yes. Yeesss....” How did Snape know how sensitive he was right there? At that spot right beneath the ear, and his hips, pushing in harder, starting to finally pick up the pace! “Oooh!” Hitting that spot! His body bucked hard against the older man as white sparks of pleasure left him breathless. “H-ah-haaah! S-severus, I'm...g-guh!” The man was going to come soon, wasn't he? It would be humiliating if he got off twice before his lover was finished with him. There really was something to be said for experience. Severus seemed so bloody calm! Well, at a glance. As Ron blinked the white sparks away he could see the glimmer of sweat starting to bead on Snape's brow, feel the tension building in his shoulders. He lifted his head and pulled the man away from his throat, but only because he wanted another one of those mind-numbing kisses that the dark-haired man was so good at. He didn't know, when he was distracted by that delicious tongue, that Severus was going to... “G-gaaahh!”

...wrap his fingers around Ron's cock. When did he dip them in the salve again? “Haaah!!!” Ron's eyes actually teared from the pleasure. “Bastard!” he gasped. “D-don't you h-have any mercy?”

“It's a bit late to be crying for mercy now,” Severus teased, suckling on Ron's lip. “Especially when I can tell you don't really want it.”

Two more strokes is all it took to leave Ron a mindless puddle of lust, spilling out between them as he clung to his lover.

Severus, also, could hold out no longer, and release came suddenly and violently. He didn't know he'd cried out Ron's name in his passion as he lost all grip on his usual steely resolve. What he did know, as he collapsed to the cold floor in a tangle of robes beside the young man he'd fallen hopelessly in love with, was that Ron curled into his side, kissed his scarred neck gently and said, “it's nice to know even you can let yourself unravel, once in a while.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Christmas Day.

“Well! You boys certainly took your sweet time!”

Even Severus looked chastened by the way Molly Weasley stood in the entryway with her hands on her hips. His grip tightened on his cane, and his posture stiffened. He would much prefer to spend the day at home in bed, but if Ron wasn't going to be in that bed with him, he had to concede that it would be rather dull. He didn't like to acknowledge happiness, but when Ron had teased him and called him a 'happy puppy' this morning, he had not been entirely incorrect; Severus, of course, denied it wholeheartedly, but that made it no less true. After yesterday evening's lovemaking, the night wasn't over. Ron had a late night sweet tooth, so they baked cookies at two in the morning, played chess until three, and topped the night off curled up together in bed chatting about nothing and cuddling until nearly dawn. All things considered, as they got scarcely four hours of sleep, Molly should be pleased they woke up in time for dinner at all.

“Well, I had to work really hard to convince him to come along, you know,” Ron postured, and produced a bottle from behind his back of Kentucky Bourbon. “Merry Christmas, Mum.”

“Oooh, left over from the party, is it?” Molly said, kissing him on one cheek, then the other, and squeezing him in what looked to Snape more like a stranglehold than an embrace. “Your father will be so pleased. We knew this had to be your doing after the bottle you brought in for this birthday last year.”

Ron rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Yeah, well, everybody liked it, so...”

Molly had already moved on. “Severus dear...”

Severus preempted her welcoming embrace by holding out his hand stiffly for a handshake. “Good of you to have me, Molly,” he said just as stiffly. This was incredibly awkward. There was also a part of him that was stuck on the fact that Ron had been the one to bring the drink that made last night's party so much more bearable. It might help him survive the Weasleys', too, but he wasn't sure one bottle between the lot of them would do the trick.

Molly relented and shook his hand, but just had to pat his arm as well. “No trouble at all, dear. The more the merrier. Now, let's have your coats then, and move right on into the dining room. You've missed the appetizers, but we're just about to set out dinner. Arthur is carving the turkey as we speak. He's doing it the muggle way. It's charming, but I do worry that he's going to hurt himself with the sword. Honestly, muggles live such dangerous lives...” She babbled as she wandered away from them into the kitchen.

“Bill will have brought something along too, firewhiskey most like, and Charlie will have something Romanian ready at hand. There will be several bottles of wine besides, and I've got a half-case of the bourbon still sitting in my flat,” Ron whispered to Snape, whose nose was already wrinkling from the ruckus.

“My healers are going to loathe you,” Snape replied calmly.

“Only if you tattle. Besides, you're more or less healed at this point, no? Just got to get your strength up, and nothing like a good drink to make you feel like you're on top of the world, yeah?”

Severus had no chance to reply, as the twins suddenly popped into existence. “Ha-hah! Magically Mobile Mistletoe! Target locked on!” they said in tandem and started making kissy faces at their baby brother.

Ron blushed brightly at the mistletoe hanging above Snape's head. Severus looked up at it in disinterest.

“Kiss, kiss!” the twins laughed.

“Will you to knock it off, we've not even eaten yet,” Ron complained, hoping upon hope that the mistletoe wouldn't do something horrendous to his brand new boyfriend. Lover? Partner?? Whatever the appropriate noun was for a sexy man old enough to be your father, in any case.

Severus shrugged. “Well, holiday traditions must be upheld, I suppose.”

“Eh?”

Ron was more than a little shocked when, right there in the doorway, Severus swept him into a kiss the likes of which could leave very little of their relationship to the imagination.

Ron blinked dazedly up at him.

“Now, if you fools are quite satisfied, save your inane pranks for someone who cares.”

Ron was pulled into the dining room, fingers laced together with his much older lover, and sat down beside Charlie, who turned instantly to Bill with a meaningful look.

Bill nodded and whispered into his glass, “Well, that's alright,” Bill said. “If Ron doesn't want the extra present this year, that's just more for you.”

Charlie coughed violently. When the entire table turned to look at him, he said, “Sorry! Sorry. As usual, Bill's firewhiskey doesn't disappoint.” He polished off his glass, face burning. Ron assumed the glass that was more fire than whiskey had very little to do with it, and watched Charlie scrambled for a glass of water.

Ron looked to his lover, wondering if this insanity was really alright with him.

Under the table, Severus squeezed his hand, and, ever so subtly, smiled.

Ron smiled back. He understood very well what that smile meant, it meant Severus was willing to suffer through it, for his sake, and Ron thought that was definitely worth celebrating.

Severus leaned down and whispered into Ron's ear, “I do hope you realize that this means I get to decide how we spend New Year's.”

Ron's face broke into a huge grin and he answered, “if it's anything like how we spent Christmas Eve, I'm sure I won't be disappointed.”

The End.
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