All the Way To Heaven III
Severus woke in the middle of the night and peered into the darkness. The warm body beside him didn't stir. There was something off. Severus couldn't quite name it, but he knew that there was a feeling in the room that he had only vague recollections of. In the truest sense of the word, it was ironic that feeling peaceful should disrupt his sleep, but it did. He had spent so many years in pain and fear that he wasn't sure how to just accept things as they were. Even his time with Remus was tainted by the fear that he would loose him.
In an uncharacteristically affectionate move, Severus reached out and caressed Neville's shoulder. Why the hell the man found him attractive he would never understand, but then he hadn't understood Remy either. The two were so very much alike in ways—the most glaring of course being that irritating optimism. Life had most certainly not been the kindest to either of them, but they both bore it with grace. Severus was not so congenial about everything. The idea that a person could be happy even when circumstances weren't ideal was foreign to him. He envied that—wished he could change enough to be that kind of man. It was, of course, ridiculous to be jealous of either man.
Memories flooded back to him of how much pain Remus had been in during the change. He'd seen it a few times and it nearly tore him apart inside to see the agony in those amber eyes. When the night was over, Severus would always go back and find Lupin sprawled out nude with the night's events written across his body, but somehow he always managed to smile when that door opened. "Good morning, love," he would say, the forced cheer only thinly veiling his pain. The wizarding world heaped insults and intolerance on him, but he never stopped being a good man. To the end, he cared about everyone around him.
"Are you awake?" Neville asked softly.
Severus rolled toward him. "I am."
The younger man let out a muffled groan. "I know it isn't morning yet. Why aren't you sleeping?"
"How do you know?" Severus asked avoiding the subject.
"I have an impeccable internal clock, but that wasn't what I'd asked you."
Severus covered his face with his hands. "It's nothing of importance."
Luckily, Neville let the matter dropped and instead simply sighed and laid his head on Severus' chest. "So exactly what time is it?"
With a word the clock on the dungeon wall illuminated. "Four-thirty."
A little laugh escaped the darkness, and a hand slid down the potions master's thin body followed by feathery soft kisses. A groan passed through Severus' lips. "You're going to be the death of me."
"Well, it's what you deserve for waking me up." That was the last thing Neville said before he began sucking on Snape's penis. Dear God, that mouth did wonders! His tongue caressed the length of the hardened cock sending a wave of ecstasy through Severus body. Sighing as he reached his limit, he took a moment to marvel at the fact that this was Neville Longbottom. The official disaster story of Gryffindor house had grown up, and sucked off his former potions professor.
"Get up here," Severus commanded. He doubted it had come across anything like his usual. His heart was still pumping furiously as he fiercely pushed his mouth on top of Neville's tasting himself there. It was times like this that it was good to be in secluded dungeon of the school. No one heard a thing as the two made love rather noisily.
When all was said and done, Severus leaned back feeling a sort of giddiness…or as close to giddiness as the infamous Professor Snape ever came. He smiled. "God, if I had ever imagined this I would have committed myself to a nut ward. You're one of the few men who have ever truly surprised me."
Neville sighed. "I live to please. And I'm not the only one who's dropped a shock bomb here."
"When exactly did I shock you?"
"On the tower," the younger man answered simply as he idly traced circles on Sev's arm.
"You weren't expecting me to kiss you?" the dark man asked puzzled.
"No, I just didn't think you'd actually care enough to lie to me about the stars."
Severus shot right up. "How the bloody hell did you know I lied?"
To add to his irritation, Neville was laughing so hard the bed shook slightly. "It's called a weather report."
Grumbling, Severus asked, "Well then why didn't you call me on it?"
"Because it was nice to imagine." His voice was wistful, but not self-pitying.
"Can you still see anything at all?"
"Some, nothing that's really all that helpful. I can see the difference between light and dark. Sometimes I can see shapes moving around, but I can't make out any detail or color. This may or may not be as bad as it gets. There are people with RP who never go completely blind," he explained.
"You're a braver man than I," Severus admitted.
To his dismay, Neville got out of bed and began searching for his clothes. "You know, you can just stop there."
"What the hell are you doing? I just gave you a bloody compliment," Snape roared incredulously.
"Call me brave because I fought the Death Eaters. Call me brave because I enjoy skydiving, or because I go mountain climbing. Never call me brave for living my life like anyone else. Yes, I'm blind, but I am not some helpless child trying to look independent. I am a twenty-two year old man, so don't try and give me points for being self-sufficient." Neville said sternly.
Sitting on the bed, Severus had to contain a laugh. He couldn't believe he had just been scolded like that. "Well, my impertinent Gryffindor, I meant that you were braver than I because you didn't give into your self pity or let it make you pessimistic, but it seems that it has made you over dramatic instead."
Neville sighed and sat back down on the bed. "I'm sorry. I guess you hit a nerve."
"So it would seem," Snape said flatly. "You'd best get out of here before the students wake up. It would be a pity if the gossip began before your teaching."
