To my dear Beta, YumeNoTsuzuki, and to all readers: May you all have a blessed Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! ^_^

Warnings: this chapter contains mature stuffs, so if you're not underage and want to read the full version, it's better if you go to my profile to find the link to the full version in my lj.

p.s: Pm me asap if lj link didn't work. Thanks ;3

Chapter 8

Harry's POV

It was Severus who demanded to move with the 'buggering' activities into the bedroom. Harry had to agree with him that only in sappy romances sofas or the floor were viewed as the comfortable space for making love. And yes, he finally could call him Severus again without feeling guilty with himself. The man's first name sounded much sweeter on his tongue.

Harry looked at Severus who was lying on the bed like a sacrificial lamb right now. I'm the big bad wolf, and I'm going to eat you up, he thought, and a tiny smirk graced his features.

He leaned forward, resting his hands on either side of Severus's head and slowly sliding his knees down on the bed, lowering himself on top of the older man's body. His lips lazily nibbled on the shell of Severus's ear while his hands caressed his neck, playing with his raven black hair.

"It's shorter, did you cut it?" he asked curiously, holding the tip of his lover's slightly wavy hair.

To his surprise, Severus blushed at his passing comment. "Just get on with it, Potter."

"Nah," said Harry with a defiant grin, pressing a kiss to Severus's soft, black hair. "I'm going to enjoy this slowly."

XxXxX

(Removed because this one contains mature stuffs, please go to my profile to get the link to my lj if you're not underage and want to read the full version)

XxXxX

Harry was breathing heavily, slumping on top of Severus, shaking in the aftermath of pleasure. He sighed quietly as he withdrew and moved to lie beside his lover. "You okay?" he asked, brushing off a black strand of Severus's damp hair aside.

"Define 'okay'," Severus said dryly with a ragged breath.

Harry chuckled breathlessly then bent down and claimed his lips.

When he pulled back, his lover asked quietly, "Is it… Does it always feel like that for you?"

"Good or bad?" Harry asked him, not sure which was his lover feeling right now.

"Both, my hips and bottom are sore, but yes, I took pleasure from our love making," Severus said it in a clinical manner, making him blush.

"Err, at first… yeah," said Harry, embarrassed. "But I only feel pleasure now, as I got used to it." Severus was staring at him with a contemplative look which made him nervous. "I'll get the wet towels," he muttered.

XxXxX

Severus's POV

Severus stared pensively at the bedroom's ceiling. Since the start of their relationship, he had assumed for Potter to take a bottom role. Now that he had finally experienced bottoming himself, he realized that it wasn't easy to be on the receiving end in a relationship. To let the other man between your legs and invade you would take more than a good amount of trust and yielding of the male pride. Potter must have really loved him to accept that without a protest.

"Sev, do you want to do it yourself?" asked Potter, offering him a wet towel.

When he didn't answer and pulled him down into his arms, Potter repeated his name in a confused voice, "Sev?"

"Thank you for loving me," Severus said softly into his ear, his heart felt like it was enveloped in warmth, in the knowledge of just how much the green eyed man loved him.

"You don't sound like yourself. Should I be worried?" said Potter teasingly.

"Silence, Potter," snapped Severus. "You're ruining an emotional moment."

Potter chuckled, "Ok… I'll keep my mouth shut."

XxXxX

Potter was lying sideways on the bed, his head propped up on one hand, gazing at him.

"This'll swell," the green eyed man muttered with a sigh, his fingers trailing to his jaw.

Severus winced and caught his lover's hand. "As you said, I deserved it. Do not regret it now."

A long yawn came out of Potter's widely opened mouth before he mumbled sleepily, "I'm not." Then he said with another, shuddering yawn. "Y– you have to tell me about your family sometime."

Severus wrapped his arm securely around him and rubbed his back. "Go to sleep, Potter."

"I will in a sec," said Potter, yawning again. "What time is it, Sev?"

"Almost one," replied Severus, glancing at the clock on the wall, knowing that his lover was blind as a bat without his glasses, then asked curiously, "Why?"

"Happy Christmas, Severus," said his lover with a smile, snuggling closer to him.

Severus's lips curled up, his gaze softened and he said, "Happy Christmas, Harry."

XxXxX

It only took a few seconds before a soft snore was heard. Severus stared at his warm, sleeping lover. It terrified him when he had realized how close Potter was to death when the green-eyed young man gave him the brief explanation about how he met his cousin, Rosmerta, and his trip to Severus's apartment. He told his lover with a hard and stern voice that he would wring his pretty little neck himself if he ever dared to do that again. He swore only a dunderhead like his lover would ride a motorcycle in a storm like this.

"My lovely fool," Severus said softly, stroking Potter's cheek with his thumb.

Being in the rain for hours and their love making had probably exhausted Potter's strength. He wouldn't even be surprised if Potter didn't manage to wake up early tomorrow morning while Severus, himself, had difficulties with falling asleep. He was feeling restless. All of this seemed very much surreal that he was afraid that it was only a dream.

Fate was such a fickle thing. It had taken Potter away but also had given him back. There was no guarantee that Potter would stay in love with him. But one thing that he learnt from their temporary separation was that he wouldn't be able to let Potter go without a good fight. Life without Potter was too bland and too unbearably lonely.

XxXxX

Severus stood near the window, staring at the storm which showed no sign of stopping, lost in thought. A faint rustling could be heard from the bed before a hoarse voice called his name.

"Sev?"

In the dim light, he could only see the shadow of his lover turning his head from side to side in an almost panicked gesture before freezing at his direction.

"Is there an emergency?" asked Potter, squinting his eyes at him.

"No," Severus answered quietly.

"Come back to bed?" coaxed Potter.

Severus stepped closer, aware that his right hand which was clutching a box inside of his night robe's pocket was trembling. Back then, when he was young and foolish, he had given a ring to a woman with the most beautiful green eyes that he had ever seen, a woman that had captured his heart and broken it by returning the ring to him. Now her son, with the same green eyes, had the same power over him; maybe even more. And it scared him to no end.

Severus sat on the edge of the bed then swallowed hard and said quietly, "Give me your hand."

When Potter stuck out his hand to him with a confused glance, he took out the box from his pocket and placed it on his lover's hand.

"What's this?" Potter asked him confusedly before turning on the night lamp then put his glasses on.

Severus felt his chest constrict and a trickle of cold sweat run down his neck, but he forced himself to say in a calm voice, "If you don't want it throw it away, do not give it back to me."

He watched Potter clutch the box closer to himself in a possessive way.

"Throw it away?" said Potter, raising his eyebrow, then wrinkling his nose. "Why would I want to do that? But what is it—?" His lover peered curiously at the box and then opened it.

His lover's eyes turned as wide as saucers when the box opened fully and he could see what lay inside of it. Potter looked up to stare at him, clearly astonished.

"You… you're giving me a ring…" His lover trailed in a slightly dazed tone.

Severus tried not to wince and turned his head sideways, afraid to see Potter's reaction. As much as he'd like to keep up his cold and uncaring mask, he couldn't lie to himself. The ring itself was a symbol of the pledge of his unchanging love for his green-eyed lover. A part of his heart would surely break if Potter refused to accept it.

He started to say tensely, "Throw—Oomph," before he was pressed into the headboard with Potter on top of him and was ravished within an inch of his life. He blinked a few times when the kiss ended and released a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. If he was any lesser man, he could have cried with relief. But fortunately, he wasn't.

It took a moment before Severus finally composed himself and noticed that Potter was staring at him with a mischievous smile on his lips. He frowned and decided that he didn't like that smile. He had a bad feeling about it. The last time his lover smiled like that, Severus ended up being convinced by him that doing bungee jumping from the top of an old castle somewhere in Scotland was a good idea.

XxXxX

Thank you for reading the 3rd presents. *hugs* This is my first time writing HarryxSnape, hopefully it's not so bad~ XD Err, it's not yet the end, but the next update will be sometime after the new year ends since I'm going to have a family gathering.

*shamelessly promoting* For meanwhile, you can read my final Christmas presents a few hours after I upload this one. It's a one-shot from my other AU Snarry story called "One Way Or Another", one which had been completed.

And as usual, any review will be welcomed (very) warmly. ^_^