A few hours later, Harry tossed his quill and parchment onto the coffee table in frustration. His sentencing was starting to run long, again, and he simply couldn't stare at the parchment any longer. For the last half hour he'd been struggling to keep his vision straight as he stared at his own messy handwriting. Hermione's words echoed dully in his mind.
"You'll go cross-eyed if you stare at them any longer."
Harry groaned as Severus shifted beside him and long, pointed fingers began kneading at his shoulders. He arched into the ministrations gratefully. He hadn't even realized the number of cricks he'd developed over the last few days, or hours, until Severus' fingers found each one and began slowly untangling the knotted muscles. Harry closed his eyes in pleasure, letting his head fall forward as the gentle massage continued. After a moment, the fingers stopped, and Harry looked at his companion a little pitifully.
Severus smirked, taking Harry's hand in his, and stood. Harry stood as well, a little confused as he stared into the black gaze. Severus maintained the eye contact, moving backwards as he led Harry across the room. When the Potions Master stepped through a doorway, Harry froze hesitantly, realizing a little belatedly where they were headed. Severus stepped back out of the bedroom and into Harry's personal space, cupping his cheek gently.
"Nothing you don't want."
Harry looked up at the Slytherin apprehensively and saw nothing but the truth reflected in the onyx orbs. He gave a slow nod, and let himself be led into the dimly lit bedroom. Part of him wanted desperately to look at his surroundings, but the rest of him was terrified that if he lost the stabilizing eye contact, he would simply bolt. He swallowed thickly as Severus stepped close to him again and reached for the buttons of his shirt. Harry felt himself trembling slightly, but knew nothing that could stop it. Why was he so goddamned nervous? This was exactly what he'd been wanting, and hoping for, for eight long months. So why couldn't he stop shaking like a leaf?
Severus captured Harry's lips in a searing kiss that left Harry feeling slightly boneless. It worked to stop his tremors, and Harry let his shirt be pushed from his shoulders to land on the floor almost thoughtlessly. He reached out to touch the Potions Master hesitantly, and Severus allowed it for a moment before pulling away. As soon as the contact was gone, Harry felt terribly exposed, and his hands trembled lightly as he moved to cover his bare midsection.
"Lie on your stomach on the bed," Severus commanded lightly.
Harry looked at the bed a little terrified, and his hands moved to the waist of his trousers. Firm hands grabbed his wrists, pulling them away before he could do more than flick the button loose. He looked up at the Slytherin sharply.
"Those will remain on, for now," Severus whispered, kissing him gently.
Harry smiled a little gratefully, still feeling exposed without his shirt. He stepped over to the bed and drew a shaky breath before climbing onto the somewhat tall mattress. He tried desperately not to think of how small he must look on the large bed, or the angle he was presenting as he moved to lie near the center of the mattress, his head just below the pillows. He drew another shaky breath as he laid his head on his arms and watched with a skewed view as Severus took off his robes, revealing a pale, scarred chest underneath. He watched as Severus bent to remove his shoes and socks. Despite a slight feeling of nervous impatience, Harry felt himself relaxing with every extra second he was left to lie on the bed alone. He had relaxed enough that he only twitched slightly when Severus moved to the end of the bed and removed his socks as well, with a light, tickling kiss to the sole of each foot.
The Gryffindor tensed involuntarily as he felt the bed dip, but Severus only slid his glasses off of his face. Harry watched the blurry, pale hands gently fold his spectacles and place them within sight on the nightstand. And then the bed dipped further, and Harry tensed again as trouser-clad thighs straddled his backside, just below the line of exposed skin. He started as warm fingertips touched the skin of his back lightly. This was apparently meant as a vague sort of warning, as soon the full length of Severus' hands was splayed across his back.
Harry sighed as the sharp, calloused finger-pads were brushed over his back like so many paint brushes, with a slight pressure that sent goosebumps shivering over his skin. As he had on the couch, Severus paid slow, careful attention to each knot his fingers found, working each one until it melted under his touch. When Harry's back was as loose as possible, that mystical touch slithered up his spine to tackle his neck and shoulders. These muscles, having already been pampered by the Potions Master's attentions, dissolved quickly. Harry had a moment to wonder what would follow, but those slim fingers simply moved back over his skin. There was no searching now, only an exploration of every inch of exposed flesh that could be reached.
Harry gasped as a light kiss sparked against his shoulder. A second kiss followed, and Harry shivered as black hair trailed over his skin like a dozen small feathers. After the third kiss, the Gryffindor felt the weight over his buttocks shift forward. He shivered again as thin lips touched the shell of his ear.
"Is this all right?" Severus whispered against his ear.
Harry nodded, afraid the sound of his voice would break the spell. The kisses returned to his back, trailing across his shoulders and over the wide expanse of his exposed skin. Harry arched involuntarily as fingernails scratched lightly at the small of his back at the same time as a slick tongue joined the slow kisses. It was only the pointed tip of the muscle, and Harry felt his nerves spark with fire wherever it touched, even as the trail of saliva cooled on his feverish skin.
When Severus reached his neck, he returned to gentle, slightly insistent, kisses pressed against his flesh. Harry gave a light moan as those torturous lips touched a spot below his ear that sent a spark of desire straight to his belly. He felt and heard a dark chuckle as Severus continued to pay special attention to the small node, suckling and licking it gently. Harry felt the slight pressure in the crease of his backside as Severus ever-so-gently slid against him. It wasn't insistent, it was…informative. It was a confirmation of what Harry, half-naked and in the man's bed, had caused in the stoic Potions Master. His manhood twitched with interest and need as the Slytherin continued to glide against him, never pausing in his attention to Harry's skin. It suddenly occurred to Harry that he was allowed to say 'no'. This wasn't some inexperienced fumbling, it was better. It was…real, and if he said 'no', there was no doubt at all that Severus would immediately stop what he was doing without question. Harry didn't want to say 'no', but somehow knowing that he could, that he had that small power, rousted his nerves, kicking them free of where they'd bundled like a nest of flighty gerbils in his brain.
Gathering his courage, Harry lifted on his elbows and started to turn. Severus moved enough to allow him to flip over beneath him. Harry lifted up on his elbows and captured those sensual lips in a heated kiss. He let himself be lowered back to the bed spread, thin fingers locking with his and sliding his hands over the comforter to rest above his head under the pillows. Desire flashed in sparks along Harry's skin, and when his hands were released so Severus could cup his jaw, he raked his fingers over the tense abdomen above him. His fingers found the button of the Slytherin's trousers, and he began fumbling with it needily. Severus stopped him with gentle hands and pulled away.
"Slowly," Severus murmured almost in warning.
Harry wanted to argue, wanted to scream that he was ready, but he knew he wasn't really. So, he nodded and they resumed kissing as he slowly explored Severus' lightly toned chest and stomach with the tips of his fingers. He traced every scar, every dip, curve, and firm bulge of rib and muscle, mapping them in his mind to study later. When he'd done with the front, his fingers moved to the pale back where he began a new map in his mind's eye. This scar was long and thin, this one was rough and rounded. He traced every scar, and lightly counted the ribs he could find. Eventually, Severus' hands slid low on his belly, reaching between them to lower his zipper. Harry immediately abandoned his mapping to address the man's own slacks. He forced himself to move slowly as he pulled the button free. He reached down to discover another button, and another, in place of a zipper. He groaned into the kiss irritably, drawing a chuckle from his companion. Light fingers touched his forearms questioningly, but Harry moaned, pulling the second button free. The third proved easier than it's brothers.
Harry opened his eyes as Severus shifted off of him. He started to move, to sit up and remove his trousers, but a firm hand on his chest pressed him back against the mattress. Severus hadn't shifted off, he had shifted down, and he was taking Harry's remaining garments with him. Harry gasped as the cool dungeon air touched the burning skin of his legs and nether regions. He couldn't resist the urge to pull his legs free of the binding clothing, which earned him another soft chuckle as Severus slowly started to move back up his legs. Feather soft kisses from lips, and softer kisses from long, lank hair, trailed up his legs. Harry gasped and thought his heart would stop when a surprisingly cool tongue touched his stiff salute, trailing slowly upwards. He swallowed thickly.
"Severus, please…" The Gryffindor whimpered.
He received yet another dark chuckle in response. "Patience, Harry."
A groan of frustration escaped the Gryffindor before he could stop it, and he buried his fingers in black as that sinful mouth moved slowly back up his body. Another gasp escaped him as a hard, hot rod of flesh brushed against his thigh. He didn't question when the man had removed his slacks while still administering to his body as if praying at a temple; he no longer cared. By the time Severus was poised above him, one long arm stretched to the side to dig in the drawer of the nightstand, Harry was filled with more than simple want. There was no promise of tomorrow, and he needed to feel…everything. His skin was alight, but wherever their bodies touched it felt like ice in his veins. He was ready for what would come next long before he was prepared for it.
A/N: I swear to God, if any of you bitch that I "rushed it", I will track you down and personally hang you from your ankles in the tallest tree I can find. 9 hours of trying, erasing, trying again, and erasing again until I finally got it close enough to perfect to call it done. Do. Not. Bitch.