a/n Chapter 2 round 2! please review! edited and expanded. as usual, I own nothing except plot!
"Suppose I never saw under your robes" I said, my hand reaching automatically to touch the undulating lines of ink across his skin before realizing just what I had said and bringing my hand back to cover my mouth.
"Would you like to?" His rich voice purred in my ear, one hand resting lightly on my knee.
I'm not sure if it was the drinks I'd had, or if I had always wanted to, but something made me whisper back,
"Yes."
He smiled wolfishly at my timid response. I realized that i'd never seen him smile like that before. Superior smirks were one thing, predatory grins another entirely.
"I think that could be arranged" he said, finishing his glass and catching the last drops on his unnatural tongue.
Minutes later, we exited the bar, him in his unfairly fitted jacket once again.
"There's a nice little alleyway over here I use to apparate home…" I said, taking a few steps in the general direction, but he steered us instead to the small parking lot along the side of the pub.
"I don't think that will be necessary Miss… Hermione" He said, walking over to a sleek black motorcycle and picking up the helmet which sat on the seat. My name dripped from his lips like another silver piercing, somewhat unnaturally beautiful. He pulled out his wand and duplicated the helmet, giving me the slightly smaller copy. I took it gingerly.
"I've never ridden one before… a motorcycle I mean" I said, blushing and failing to hide the nerves in my voice.
"Annoying as he was, sirius black did know how to get from one place to another" he said and slipped on his helmet. I briefly mourned the obscurance of his silky looking hair under the hard plastic shell.
"Just hold on, my place isn't too far from here. You'll be fine." He flipped down the visor of the helmet and straddled the machine, kicking it to life with a loud purr.
I tugged on the surprisingly heavy helmet over my uncooperative curls and buckled the strap under my chin. None too gracefully, I clambered on behind him and fastened my arms around his waist. I clung to him as we rumbled from the lot.
Everything was forgotten as soon as we hit the road. The powerful machine below me roared to life as we sped away into the night. I gave a little shriek of glee from the sudden speed. I held tighter to his solid frame, a manic grin plastered across my face.
Buildings shot by as we rode on through the night. The wind passed easily through my thin jacket, but I could barely feel the chill. My heart raced as we steered around tight corners and passed other motorists perhaps a bit closer than was absolutely necessary. I could just feel him smirking each time I squeezed him a little tighter.
Eventually we slowed down along a row of nondescript brownstone townhomes in a part of town that I wasn't necessarily familiar with. Snape pulled into a parking spot at the front of one of them and turned off the motor of the bike and offered a hand to me as I slid from the seat.
"Wow, Severus that was amazing!" I said, attempting to smooth my hair from the mess that the helmet had made of it. I caught a glimpse of myself in the motorcycle's mirror and noted the flush which crossed my cheeks. He smiled again as a response and took the helmet from me, shrinking both and slipping them into the pocket of his riding jacket.
As we entered the flat, lights turned on throughout, illuminating a clean, minimalistic space.
"Firewhisky?" He asked, walking over to a small nook in the kitchen area and pulling the stopper from a fancy looking glass decanter. I nodded and he poured two glasses before bringing them into the sitting room. My eyes were immediately drawn to the walls which were covered in dark oak bookcases filled with hundreds of old, rare books. A small "oh" escaped my lips as I ignored my drink completely and walked over to them, trailing a finger over their aged leather spines. I inhaled their heady scent which blended nicely with the spiced aroma that I'd realized belonged to Snape himself.
"I knew we came back here to look at ink on old things, but I didn't know this was what you had in mind Miss Granger" He teased from his place on the couch. I blushed and sat next to him, taking my own glass for a small sip of the burning liquor. He had discarded his jacket by the door and his arms were once again on full display. Tentatively, I ran my fingertips over the dark mark which remained on his right forearm.
"That was the first one, I do have to admit. I'm getting it covered up soon though." He said, sensing my slight discomfort at the symbol which for so long had only meant hatred and pain. "It started my journey to change myself though. After that one, I started with my arms, then I went all-in for a chest piece." My breath caught as he stood and pulled his shirt smoothly over his head. Strands of black hair tumbled over his shoulders and brushed against the top of the image of a human heart, anatomically drawn, surrounded by beautiful blood-red roses on thorny vines. Silver barbells glinted from his nipples which stood erect from the sudden chill. Further down, heavy black lines cut geometrically across his stomach, complimenting his trim physique. Subconsciously, I ran my tongue over my suddenly dry lips as my eyes ran over the new body of my former professor.
"I decided for my back that I wanted to go a different direction so I opted for scarification instead of a regular tattoo." He continued. Pulling a hair tie from his wrist, he quickly pulled his hair into a low ponytail and turned around. I hadn't noticed previously, but his ears were also pierced heavily, the lobes stretched to at least an inch across. His back was covered in a beautiful pattern of white, raised scars which radiated outwards from his spine like wings. They trailed down, past his waist and disappeared beneath the waistline of his jeans.
"That must have hurt.." I said, realizing how stupid my comment sounded. He chuckled.
"Of course it did, probably less than you would think though. Let me guess, you don't have any tattoos or piercings?"
"I have my ears pierced!" I said indignantly "got them done when I was five!"
He chuckled again and sat back down. "Of course, Miss Granger" he said, taking up his glass.
"So is that it?" I said after a brief silence. "As far as the tattoos and piercings and scars and stuff go?" I tried to hide the anticipation in my voice. "And stop calling me Miss Granger! I'm an adult now!"
"Oh no, there's more" He said, smirking again, "but I don't show all my cards to just any person Miss Granger" he enunciated.
"And am I just any person, Professor?" I said, taking our glasses and placing them on the table.
"That… you are not."
