Remus was in the mood to eat lemon drizzle cake. Not just any lemon drizzle cake, either. It absolutely had to be one from the tiny bakery in Lamorna, the closest village to Severus' home on the Cornish coast. The bakery was owned by muggles, but for some reason, in the West Country, more muggles than usual believed in magic. There was a kind of ancient sixth sense present in the air which made the locals more closely attuned to the unusual occurrences which other non-magical folk would either ignore or attribute to sudden drops in the air pressure. Occasionally, the Ministry would have to swoop down and perform some amazing feat of mass-obliviation. For the most part, however, they just crossed their fingers and hoped that none of the holiday-makers would take their rural hosts seriously.

On his first excursion into Lamorna, Remus had been startled to see 'genuine Cornish Piskie dust' for sale in a souvenir shop.

'Oh that's just coloured talcum powder for the tourists,' Severus had explained. 'You have to go all the way to Redruth to get the real stuff.'

'Tourists!' snorted the owner of the shop, who had sidled up behind them with her hands on her hips. 'All they care about is Ye Olde Smugglers and clotted cream. They wouldn't recognise proper pystry if it popped up and turned them into a natterjack toad.' She stalked off to yell at a small child who was elbow deep in the huge jar of fudge on the counter.

'Pystry?' Remus had asked, suspecting, not for the first time, that Cornwall was an entirely different country from the one he lived in.

'Magic,' Severus translated in his resonant whisper.

'But surely she…she's a…?' he glanced nervously around, as though expecting the MLE at any moment.

'Muggle?' yelled the shopkeeper, from across the room. 'Yeah, I am, but I'm not stupid.'

Mrs Peller from the bakery greeted him warmly. She had known Severus since he was a small boy and had been delighted to meet his 'Charming Young Man'. Remus had been very flattered by the epithet, uttered before his first-name since that moment in the same way some people would say 'Mister', but had pointed out that he was no longer so young.
'Balderdash,' she had insisted. 'I've a good thirty years on you, and I still feel young!' Then she fed him chocolate crispy cakes, and their friendship was assured.

This morning was no exception. She walked out from behind the counter to give Remus a hug, brandishing a tray of still-warm cinnamon doughnuts under his nose.

"And how are my two favourite pystryors this fine day?" she beamed.

"I'm fine Mrs Peller," he assured her, assuming that she meant 'wizards', but still feeling faintly uncomfortable referring to magic in public. "I haven't seen Severus yet. I wanted to take him a cake."

"Of course you did, you're such a Charming Young Man, Remus. Lemon drizzle, wasn't it?" she shuffled through the doorway leading to the kitchen, and came back with the cake already in a crisp white box with curling yellow ribbons. He was about to ask how she already knew, when his eyes fell on a shining glass ball, twinkling on an intricately-carved stand on the table behind her. She grinned at him.

"I like to stay ahead of the game," she shrugged, taking the five-pound note from his unresisting fingers and rooting around for some change. "Now, no apparating with that or you'll curdle the lemon cream. Say hello to little Sevvie for me, will you?"

…….

Remus was still chuckling over the legendary former spy, unholy terror of Hogwarts and Gold-Standard potions genius being referred to as 'little Sevvie' as he made his way from the village up to the Gatehouse where Severus lived to surprise his lover with an unexpected, cake-bearing visit. The grey stone and slate lodge was looking at its most welcoming in the midday sun, sitting solidly against a bright blue sky with a kneazle napping languidly across the front doorstep – a million miles from the stern, commanding façade it presented during the blustery littoral winters where the shutters were fixed all day to keep out howling sea storms.

The kneazle glared at Remus, daring him to try and interrupt her hard day's dozing. He smiled in greeting. Viewing this as some kind of challenge, she narrowed her eyes and twitched her tail maliciously in his direction. Severus and Remus had been together for more than a few years now, but this creature still regarded the werewolf with suspicion or outright loathing, and no amount of fresh cream offerings or giving up the much-coveted prime spot by the fireside would adjust her opinion that he was something rather disgusting. Snape, of course, found their feud rather amusing.

Deciding it was not worth the fight, Lupin bypassed the front door and headed round to the kitchen door at the back. That way, he could hand the cake to Josty the elf and have her serve it with lunch. Rounding the corner to the back of the house, Remus was puzzled to hear voices from the garden. Or rather, Severus' hoarse whisper, followed by a rich, roaring laugh he did not recognise. A male voice. A young-sounding male voice.

This was odd. No one ever visited Severus. They would spend time as a couple with Harry and Hazel, or some of the Weasleys, but despite the potions master's recent foray into more tolerant, more sociable behaviour, he was nowhere near ready to invite other people into his home. Or so Remus had believed.

Severus gave a gurgling cackle deep in his ruined throat. That was the last straw! He seldom laughed aloud, not even when relaxing with Remus, not even on the rare occasions when he drank. Now he was sitting in his garden with some young man, amused and happy, not expecting his scruffy old lover to arrive and surprise them! There could be only one explanation. Severus was deceiving him. All those promises had been for nothing. Snape's natural duplicity had surfaced again, to string his trusting Griffindor partner along, laughing behind his back with some toyboy.

Remus felt a dizzying pain in his chest, forcing him to lean against the wall of the house for support, as the 'other' man laughed again.

"Oh Severus," he chuckled fondly. "What would I do without you!"

What would I do without him, either? he wondered miserably, thinking back to all the emotion he had invested in the relationship, all the love he had showered upon the taciturn Slytherin. All for nothing. He was part of him now, not just part of his life but a physical part of his body, buried so deep under his skin it would kill Remus to try and remove him. The pain grew worse. His heart was clearly breaking.

Taking a deep breath, he walked as calmly as he could around the side of the house to the back garden, where, sure enough, Severus was sitting in his patio chair, his arm around someone else. Pure, wolfish anger coursed through him at this fiend who was stealing his mate. He felt sharp pains in the quicks of his fingernails as his claws tried to grow in anticipation of a challenge, and he realised with a jolt that the low rumbling sound he could hear was bubbling in the back of his own throat as he strode towards the interloper. The young man looked up sharply, and the cake in its box slid from Remus' stunned grasped and landed on the floor with a squelch. Freezing on the spot, he caught a fleeting glimpse of shaggy, black hair, a tanned complexion, broad shoulders set at a confident angle, and a look – that familiar look! – of having been surprised whilst up to no good. The pain in his chest radiated out with agonising sharpness through every extremity, and Remus' last coherent thought before he crumpled to the floor in a dead faint was – 'It can't be!'

…….

Something cold and wet was being pressed to his forehead, and voices swirled incoherently around him. His left arm and cheekbone both hurt, and the rest of his body seemed undecided whether it was feverishly hot or shivering with cold. Someone was whispering his name, and for no apparent reason, there was a hint of citrus-freshness in the air.

Blinking in the bright midday light, Remus opened his eyes and gasped at the sight of one of the two wizards staring down at him, the memory of what had just happened flooding back with painful suddenness.

"Sirius?" he croaked incredulously at the broader figure, shaking his head to try and dispel some of the fog from his eyes. Struggling to sit up, his vision cleared, mercifully showing the differences which had not been apparent at first. Not Sirius. This man's face was a different shape, more pointed. His eyes were black, not blue. The hair was sitting differently on his crown. Sirius would never have looked so groomed. Nor would he have worn such an immaculately-tailored suit.

Severus was helping Remus sit up now, supporting his shoulders and pressing a goblet of cool water to his lips.

"Careful, my love. I think you have become a little confused," he was whispering. The young man was also looking confused, the damp napkin he had been using to mop Remus' brow was hanging limply from his delicate, un-Sirius-like fingers. Snape went on, "Do you know where you are?"

Remus ignored the question, pushing away the cup so abruptly that some of the liquid spilled on them both.

"Who's this?" he asked viciously, feeling upset and embarrassed at his melodramatic moment. OK, the bloke was not Sirius, but that did not change the fact that he was still kneeling a great deal too close to Remus' lover.

"Sorry, Professor Lupin," the voice was familiar, but he still could not place it. Not exactly like Sirius' arrogant drawl, but it was definitely the voice of a well-bred wizard. "I didn't realise you would get such a fright. You've seen me like this once before, you know."

"Draco, stop sitting there like a flobberworm and fetch the healing potions from the bathroom cabinet," snapped Snape. The young man leaped to his feet and vanished, apparently grateful to escape the awkward scene. Brushing a strand of grey hair from Lupin's face, Severus peered down at him, brow creased with worry. "Are you all right?"

"Draco? That's just Draco?" Remus could feel tears of relief trickling down his cheeks. He clung to Severus and buried his face in his chest, wincing slightly as the cloth touched some kind of cut or graze on his cheek.

"Gently," admonished the bespectacled wizard softly. "You hit the trellis as you fell. You gave Draco and I quite a fright. Will you tell me what just happened, please?"

"I'm an idiot," Remus sniffled, hugging Severus tighter. "I heard you laughing and thought you'd found someone else. Then he looked up with the exact expression Sirius used to have when he was caught doing something he shouldn't… I think I had a bit of a scare myself."

"Idiot werewolf," smiled Severus fondly, helping him carefully into a nearby garden chair. "Draco will be arrested if anyone finds him in this country. Even after all these years. I believe his short-lived teenage attempt to follow in his father's footsteps will haunt him for the rest of his life. This is the first time he has taken the risk of visiting me here. He disguised himself by darkening his hair and eyes, so that anyone happening upon us would believe him to be my nephew."

"Your nephew David," murmured Remus, feeling sillier by the second. "He did it at St Mungo's when you were still in your coma. But he was younger that time, less muscular, rather scared-looking; he didn't look anything like…" He tailed off, as the boy in question came out of the house, clutching his 'uncle's' potions bag.

Severus glanced appraisingly at him, his hands rubbing soothing circles on Remus' back.

"From certain angles you do resemble Black, a little," he whispered. Draco bristled and pushed the bag towards him with a little more force than was necessary.

"I can't help that! My mother was a Black! I suppose it would be more pronounced without the Malfoy fairness," he huffed. A sudden look of horror crossed his tanned face. "I don't look like Auntie Bella do I?"

Remus laughed. What a family this boy had! Was it any wonder his moral education had been somewhat erratic?

"No, Draco, nothing like her," he reassured him. 'David' breathed a sigh of relief.

…….

An hour later, their visitor was gone. At Severus' insistence, Remus was resting in bed, propped up on lots of pillows and wearing the soft cotton pyjamas he kept (but seldom had chance to wear) at his lover's house. He felt weak from his fainting spell, and foolish for having over-reacted earlier, not to mention incredibly guilty for having curtailed a rare visit from Draco. The Cornish wizard was still very fond of that young man, having adopted a role of paternal advisor since the death of Lucius Malfoy. He visited Draco in Italy a few times a year and the two corresponded regularly by owl. The blonde boy certainly held a great deal of Snape's affection, but there was nothing to fear from that quarter.

He realised just how much he had come to depend on Severus. The very thought of having all they had worked for together snatched away had done terrible things to him, admittedly not as terrible as That Day when the overzealous pair of aurors had arrested him for the murder of Malfoy senior. The memory of that horror still made Severus whimper in his sleep.

Remus buried his face in his hands and felt properly ashamed for having believed the man he loved capable of cheating on him.

"Remus Lupin," he admonished himself sternly, "You are a pathetic individual."

"I disagree," came a croaking voice from the doorway. Severus limped into the room, leaning heavily on his cane and hovering a tray with two bowls and a jug behind him. Remus sniffed the air and burst out laughing.

"The cake! Oh no, I forgot all about it!" The tray came to rest on his knees. He peered at the mess in the dishes as Severus painstakingly installed himself against the headboard next to Remus.

"I fear the structural integrity is beyond repair," he frowned solemnly, resting their foreheads together over the tray. "But, theoretically, the flavour should not be compromised. I have brought spoons and a jug of cream to cover all eventualities."

Lupin laughed again, sloshing a generous measure of cream onto each portion. Severus was right, of course. Though they did require cutlery to eat it, the lemony tang was still perfect, especially when doused in thick cream. They munched in appreciative silence for a few moments.

Once the snack was finished, Remus felt a great deal better, a good sugar fix had apparently been just what he needed. He was scraping the last traces off the sides of the bowl when Severus spoke.

"Did you truly believe me capable of deceiving you?" he asked, looking straight ahead. His voice had been calm, but his fingers fiddled nervously with the little buttons on his cuff. The sweetness in Remus' mouth was suddenly nauseating, his throat was working but no sound was coming out. An echo of the chest pain he had felt earlier returned and he felt his breathing quicken.

Severus' hand was on his shoulder in an instant, calming, soothing. The tray disappeared and Snape's other hand came round to stroke his hair, as one would placate an hysterical child.

"Forgive me, Remus. You are not well. I should not make such demands of you," he whispered, placing a palm on his forehead to check for a temperature. Lupin yanked it away and gripped it firmly between his own hands.

"No! I am the one who should ask forgiveness!" he sighed, pressing Severus' hand to his lips as he sought the right words of explanation. "I don't know what happened. I think I just had a moment of panic about what would happen if I lost you. I don't think you would two-time me, but you must understand, I love you so much, it's easy for me to see how other people could love you too. And you're very successful now, one of the leading potioners in the world, I'm sure that you are admired by very many in your field…you're laughing at me!" This last comment was uttered in exasperation. Severus' mouth had quirked into a smile, the black eyes glittered with amusement behind the glasses.

"Potions groupies?" he teased. Remus frowned and tried to explain the peculiar bonds he had witnessed between people at the IMP.

"Well, you all get so excited over your discoveries, you speak with such reverence about each other, you were overcome with nerves when you met that research team from Singapore...STOP LAUGHING!"

Severus' whole frame shook with mirth as he pulled Remus into a tight hug. Remus didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed, so he hugged back and just enjoyed the sensation of being clung to as though his lover's life depended on how hard he could squeeze.

"You are such a fool!" cackled Snape at last, kissing the tip of Remus' nose with glee. "You think that any of those geeks come close to being as wonderful as you?"

Lupin's throat sealed over again.

"I…" he managed, thickly.

"Of course not," Severus' voice was brisk now, clearly he had reached his quota of demonstrative affection for the week. He rose from the bed and reached for his walking stick, straightening his robes in a businesslike manner. "Now, you will get some rest until dinnertime, while I assess my students' latest insipid efforts to create a sensible Bronze Standard research schedule. I will set a silencing charm to prevent my observations from disturbing you."

He had reached the doorway at his graceful limp before Remus managed to organise his tongue and throat enough to string a sentence together.

"Severus," he called. The other man paused. "I love you."

He nodded without turning around.

"I know," he replied. And continued through the door, closing it quietly behind him.

…….

A/N:

Ebon Oleander Wenham, Miriam, Lucidity, Sinful Wolf, Neous, Sea Priestess, Shakespeare's Sister, HJ, and of course, Silverthreads: Thank for some insightful and some cute reviews! They are very encouraging! You are such nice people. I wasn't expecting much comment about this one, it is very much a series of fluffy vignettes with no particular aim in mind, except to act as an antidote to the plethora of angstfics since 16th July. I noticed that there are fewer RLSS romances than there used to be (or perhaps it's just my imagination). Of course, my knee-jerk reaction was to write one…

Excessivelyperky, Mercutio-rane: You are so, so right! It's quills at dawn with these people (and dusk, and noon, and tea-time…). Glad you're enjoying, you guys have been very supportive all along x