Author's Note: Shoutout to Elensule for reviewing this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it.


High

Severus's bad moods make Regulus feel giddy. There's something about that anger that drives him absolutely crazy. Maybe it's the fact that ninety percent of their sexual encounters happen when Severus is furious about something.

It's dinnertime, and there's plenty of good food on the table, but Regulus is eating on automatic, because Severus is giving him the eye from three seats down and it's so distracting. Severus doesn't appear to be eating anything at all, but he's not shagging Regulus for his motherly instinct, so Regulus represses the urge to go over to him and coax some food into his mouth. Besides, that would be embarrassing for both of them. Nobody knows what they do when they're alone together. That's just the way Slytherin works; sexual partners are a private thing.

Severus stands abruptly and stalks out of the hall. He's been working on that smooth, sweeping walk for a while now, and Regulus tries not to stare at those billowing robes. Severus is elegance personified, but he is also vicious, and revealing himself is sure to get Regulus on his lover's bad side.

He probably shouldn't use that term, even in his head. Love is something foreign to Severus. Regulus doesn't have any delusions about their relationship; to Severus, it's purely physical.

After waiting a few minutes, Regulus excuses himself and exits the hall to make his unassuming way down into the dungeons. There's a room they use that Severus claims used to be the Potions classroom before Slughorn was raped there. Regulus doesn't know how true that is, but it seems oddly appropriate. Severus might not be raping him, but that's only because it's consensual.

"Come here," Severus orders as soon as the door is shut.

Regulus obeys, allowing the sixth year to dig one set of fingernails into his arm as the other hand cups his head for a rough kiss. There's more tongue than usual, but that only serves to make Regulus harder faster, because Merlin, it feels so good. Severus's arm moves to support him as his knees buckle, and in one fluid motion, he finds himself on the stone floor with Severus straddling him. There's a brightness in the other boy's dark eyes that makes him look more than a little insane, but Regulus is too far gone to care.

The next while – Regulus is never sure exactly how long it lasts, because it always feels like forever and ends too soon – is a blur of discarded robes and naked bodies and fingers and knees and sticky wetness that vanishes almost as soon as it's released, because Severus somehow charmed the floor to cleanse itself and them at the same time. When it's over, Severus rolls off him and takes a moment to just lie there, panting, and Regulus buries his nose in Severus's neck, the scent getting him high better than any potion could.

"You're bleeding," whispers Severus. Before Regulus can respond, Severus has his wand out, healing the spot where Regulus scraped his elbow on the cold floor. Then he gets up and dresses and walks out of the room, leaving Regulus alone with his nose against the stone.