Bells rang to symbolize the dawning of Christmas, but the young man brooding on his lonely English flat was a million thought miles away from the festivities. It had been 10 years ago when he last spent the Holidays at his home in Arkansas, and he missed it terribly. Of course, the change of scenery wasn't what was really affecting him. It was the thought that his childhood bestfriend was getting married soon to a woman named Nymphadora Tonks (an eccentric name that would only make his friend love the girl even more) in a mere fortnight that put his already normally grumpy mood deeper in the dumps. He had received the invitation a week earlier, and since then, he had grieved endlessly. If he wasn't harbouring feelings for the other man, he might have been utterly happy for him, but seeing as he had carried his attraction for 20 years, the happiness that was expected from him was very unlikely to show anytime soon. So there he was, looking out of his window, his plane ticket held in one hand as he thought about what was waiting for him in Arkansas. His plane was leaving in the morning, as he had requested the groom for it to be, and his nerves were jumbled as he tried to quell his anger and disappointment at the coming nuptials.
As he walked out of the airport, he scanned the crowd for a sign of a familiar face, but there was none to be seen. Hoping that he didn't look like a lost and stood-up tourist, he hailed a cab and gave the driver directions to his house. He hadn't been home in a decade, but the lawn was neatly trimmed when he arrived. Confusion on his face, he inserted the key in the lock, only to find the door already open. He dropped his luggage on the porch and pushed it open, and came face to face with an apron-clad Remus Lupin. "Severus!" came the cheerful greeting. Silence reigned as Severus opened and closed his mouth soundlessly, surprised at the sudden intrusion in his personal space. "Remus, you're looking well," he responded, thinking to himself how lame it must have sounded. The other man grinned and ushered him inside, getting his bags and bringing them into the living room. Severus looked around and was amazed by the scene that greeted him. It wasn't what he had pictured his old house to be. In his head it looked web-infested and ancient, but with what he could see, it was warm and well-lit. Obviously, his friend had taken good care of it, and for that, he was grateful. "Why did you do all this?" he asked, straight-forward and frank, watching with narrowed eyes at the way Remus stiffened up.
"I want to move in with Dora and buy this house, Sev," his bestfriend answered, turning to face him, biting his lip. It took Severus a moment before his brows met and the feelings he had kept inside him flooded out in a wave of anger. "How DARE you use MY house as your roosting place with that... that WOMAN! I can't believe you've been cavorting with her HERE of all places! All these years, I've left this town knowing that only THIS house knew I fucking loved you, and now you're using it as..." the words he had been meaning to say were left unsaid as Remus held a finger to still his lips. "You love me?" He couldn't answer that question, and so, he pulled the other man by the collar and kissed him soundly. Not a word was spoken when they pulled apart, and silently, Severus took his bags from where Remus had dropped them and walked back to the door. "Severus..." came the plea he had most wanted to hear, but keeping his pride and dignity intact, he merely stopped and said, "If you change your mind and decide you don't want to get married after all, I will be at the resort. If by the eve of your wedding I haven't heard anything from you, I will vanish from this place forever and you will never hear from me again."
Days passed, and yet Severus heard nothing from his childhood friend. He spent the days locked inside his hotel room, and the nights walking on the beach, looking at the stars and wondering why his life turned out to be that way. The day of Remus' wedding came, and Severus gave up all hope that the man wouldn't go through with his wedding. His heart broken and crushed to pieces, he started packing his things, preparing to leave that very night. Arkansas truly was a beautiful place, but if Remus decided to live there with his wife, he couldn't bear the thought of being at the same area. From a distance, he could hear the ringing of the church bells signifying that the ceremony was about to start. To his ears, it sounded like the toll of death.
His feet left marks on the sand as he walked by the beach one last time, taking in the setting sun and marvelling at the wonderful scenery it created. He tried very hard not to think of Remus, and how the reception would be in full swing at that moment. It would kill him to imagine the bride and groom slice the cake together; dance slowly around the ballroom; kiss under the stars. He was too caught up in his melancholic thoughts that he didn't notice the muffled footfalls behind him. "Severus!" came the shout that could scarcely be heard from the waves. The wind carried over to him the voice of the man, and he forced himself to look – to believe again that yes, it was him! When their eyes met, it was as if time stood frozen for both of them. Neither one spoke nor moved. Then they were running... colliding with each other as their lips met in a brutish fashion, exchanging the breath of life like they were about to die. "I love you, Severus," was the murmured declaration, and no more words were said as they finally understood each other, holding hands as they faded into the horizon, mere silhouettes of the bodies they carried.