A/N: I wrote this for the slashthedrabble community on Livejournal. Only, I did it at the last minute, and as a result, wound up missing the deadline for the prompt ('last') there. Which kinda sucked, but it's here now, so at least it's not going to waste. XD
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Warning: Slashy
Word count: 300 (not including title or 'end' word)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Harry Potter universe, nor do I profit from writing this.
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This Pain Unending
Had he known that day would have been the last time he would hold Severus, Remus would have surely held him tighter. He would have touched him longer, kissed him harder, and possibly, he would have begged him to stay. As it was, they had quarreled most of the day and in the end, after the futile attempt at make-up sex, they had been so angry, Severus and himself hadn't even said goodbye to each other as they parted ways. Unknown to a young Remus, that night, Severus would cross over to the Dark Lord's side, burning his arm with the Dark Mark and not looking back.
Remus found himself very alone, very suddenly, and it hurt. The pain of losing the one he loved so much hurt more then his monthly transformations. It hurt more then waking up in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, naked, skin flayed from tearing at his own body whilst in wolf form. Was Severus' pain the same, he wondered often. Years would pass and he eventually learned to let go, little by little. The pain ebbed, but he could never forgot the pain.
One day, he found himself face to fave with Severus, during his first day of teaching at Hogwarts. In that moment, he thought he would never breathe again as he waited to see what would happen. In the end, Severus ignored him, pretended they had never been anything more then hated schoolmates. The pain returned, never fading. All the fighting, a marriage, a son... None of it ever changed the unbearable pain. And when he found himself about to die, Remus cried out Severus' name, in fear. His last thoughts were of the young man he had once been and the young man he loved more then his own sanity.
-End-