Chapter Thirty-two;

Sirius was silent, trying to think of something to say as he stared at Severus who was examining the bonding bracelets in his hand. 'He doesn't… look mad…' he thought to himself, leaning over to get a better view of Severus' face, the expression was amazement, or curiosity as he rolled the bracelets in his hand. Sirius wasn't sure if he should say something, he didn't want Severus to think this was his way of proposing or anything, but he also didn't want him thinking he was going to rush through things, but he also didn't want Severus to think Sirius didn't want to bond. Sirius shook his head clear of thoughts, he was thinking far too much. When he snapped back into reality, Severus was staring at him with a blank expression. "Uh…" Sirius hummed, biting his bottom lip unsure what to say. He decided his best route would to avoid the question completely.

"The bracelets… uh, have protection charms on them" Sirius blurted out.

Severus turned his gaze back to the bracelets in his hands. "Oh?"

"Uh… yeah. To… protect you from certain hexes, and curses. Oh, it also has a detector for poison and stuff." Sirius explained.

"A tracking charm as well." Severus said.

"A… wait, it does?" Sirius said, quirking his eyebrow.

"… Yes." Severus replied, holding one of the bracelets up and pointing to the small engraved Lion. "That. Both of them have it. It tells the wearer when the other person is in danger, or hurt."

"Oh… yeah, I paid extra for those to be added on… the charms I mean" Sirius said, averting his gaze to his shoes.

"… Right."

Severus placed the bracelets back into the box and put it on the nightstand, drumming his fingers against his knee. "I-" Severus began.

"Don't." Sirius interrupted. "That was in there on accident; Whisper must've grabbed it and put it on the bed. I… I know it's way too early for that, okay? I know I shouldn't have bought them, I just… they looked… I don't know. I liked them, so I purchased them. I'll put them up… or sell them, whatever you want me to do. Okay?" Sirius ranted.

Severus was quiet; a few times he opened his mouth but then snapped it back shut, contemplating what he should say. He fiddled with his hands in his lap, staring down at them to hide behind his hair. "I like the engraved charms…" he said.

Sirius' head shot up and he stared over at Severus. "Oh? Uh, yeah, I like that too." Sirius said, smiling and walking over to take a seat next to Severus. "Um…"

"What?" Severus asked.

"I don't know…" Sirius said, chuckling.

Severus rolled his eyes and let the breathe he didn't know he was holding out, looking up at Sirius. "So..."

"Do you love me?" Sirius blurted out.

Severus widened his eyes, then squinting them to slits and glaring at Sirius. "What?"

"Do. You. Love. Me." Sirius said slowly. Severus stared with an emotionless expression, his face turning a light shade of pink. Sirius drummed his fingers on the bed in an impatient way. "Well? Yes or no."

"Why?"

"I want to know."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I just do! Damn it, Severus, why do you have to make things so difficult? Sometimes I just want to know something – it's not like if you tell me I'll go streaking the corridors with 'Severus loves me' painted on my chest!"

Severus was quiet for a minute before asking "Will it be painted in Gryffindor or Slytherin colors?"

Sirius growled. "I'm serious, Severus."

Severus turned to look at his hands in his lap once again, hiding behind his hair. "Yes…" he whispered.

"Yes what?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"Yes I bloody love you!" Severus bellowed.

"Okay."

"Okay…"

Then it got silent once again. Sirius tapped his foot on the ground, gazing around the room, and Severus kept his head down, glaring at Sirius through his hair as he was annoyed with him. "Do you want to take a shower with me?" Sirius asked, grinning.

Severus looked up and blinked. "No."

"Why not?"

"I showered this morning."

"Fine. I'm going to take a shower then…" Sirius said as he pushed off the bed and walked into the bathroom.

Severus quirked his eyebrow and watched him leave, making sure the bathroom door was closed before he pushed his shoes off and laid back in the bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to the water in the bathroom run. His eyes drooped and before he knew it – he was fast asleep.

He had no clue how long he had been asleep, but he was awoken when he felt a dip in the bed and someone pulling him to them. He opened his eyes and was awarded by a mop of wet hair being on his face. He struggled and rolled away, grunting. "You're wet, mutt…" he muttered. The person next to him chuckled, which made Severus open his eyes and quirk his eyebrow as he didn't recognize the laugh as Sirius'. Severus sat up and looked over to see a very naked Lucius Malfoy lying next to him, his hair wet and hanging off his shoulders, smirking. "Wh-…" Severus blurted out before turning completely red when Lucius pushed his lips to his and began kissing him. Severus wasn't sure why, but he kissed back, letting Lucius take control as Lucius ushered him onto his back and pinned his arms to the bed, kissing down to his neck. Severus panted a bit, "L-luci" he muttered out before he jolted into upright sitting position.

His breathing was distort as if he had a nightmare, which he figured he did as Lucius was now gone and he was sitting in front of an almost naked Sirius Black – whom was only not naked because of the towel around his hips. "Did you just say Lucius?"

"Wh-what?" Severus asked, looking around the bed.

"You were asleep! You said Lucius! It sounded like you moaned, did you just have a sex dream about him?" Sirius yelled, glaring.

"No! I did nothing of the sort!"

Sirius snorted. "Bullshit, I heard you!"

Severus stood up from the bed and began to put his shoes on to leave. "Does it even matter?" He asked as he finished.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I mean you just made me declare my love! Then you just up and leave the room to shower, not saying anything!"

"Oh. That."

"Yes. /That/" Severus spat, walking past him and going towards the door to leave but was interrupted by Sirius grabbing his arm.

"Wait…"

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

Severus snorted. "Really now?"

Sirius glared. "Why must you make things so difficult?" he asked before grabbing both of Severus' hand and pinning them above his head against the wall which he had pushed him against.

"Difficult? I don't know what you mean" Severus said, looking up at Sirius' hands which constricted his. "Let me go, mutt. I want to go to my room to sle-"

"Have more sex dreams about Malfoy?"

"I was /not/ having a sex dream!"

"Yeah. Right" Sirius said, leaning his face closer to Severus'.

Severus stared at him, widen-eyed. "What're you doing?"

"Tell me what happened in the dream" Sirius said, stopping barely an inch from Severus' face.

"I-I don't reme-"

"Bullshit. Tell me what happened."

Severus glared. "Fine. I kissed Lucius. Going to beat the hell out of me now?"

"Damn it, Severus! Why would I beat you up!"

"You beat Searle up for dancing with me. I assume you'd beat me up because you're not the star of my dreams for once." Severus replied, scowling.

Sirius stared in silence; he didn't even think Severus was aware to what he just admitted. Sirius' lips curled into a smirk before he pushed his lips to Severus', kissing him. Severus quirked his eyebrow in confusion, but decided not to question, he closed his eyes and moved his lips with Sirius'. They stood kissing until both were nearly out of breath, Sirius pulling back an inch and grinning like a mad man at Severus, whose lips were swollen and red, his face red as well. "So… I'm the star of your dreams, eh?" Sirius asked.

Severus quirked his eyebrows, then widened his eyes, and then dropped his head to stare at the floor. "Shut up, Mutt" he said harshly.

"No. I will not shut up. I want you to admit it. Severus Snape, snarky Slytherin potions extraordinaire has sex dreams about Sirius Sex God Black!"

Severus looked up and growled in anger before he saw Sirius smiling, his face turned expressionless. Sirius leaned in and placed a kiss to his brow. "Can you say it again?" Sirius whispered against his brow.

Severus grunted, trying to get his hands free. "Say what…?"

"You know what." Sirius said, releasing his grip on Severus' wrist and placing his hands on Severus' hips.

Severus huffed, rolling his eyes. "I… I love you…"

Sirius smiled against his brow, moving down to place a kiss to Severus' throat. "I love you too" he mumbled.

Severus turned bright red. "Wh- what?" he stuttered, mentally hating himself for doing so.

"I said… I said: I love you too." Sirius repeated.

"O-" Severus began before the box on the nightstand with the bracelets began to rattle. Sirius and Severus both jumped at the noise and Sirius pulled away to turn towards the box. "What the he-" Severus began before he watched the bracelets shoot out of the box and snap onto their wrists. Severus widened his eyes and began to try and pull the bracelet off. "What the hell?" he bellowed.

Sirius stared down at his wrist, grabbing a hold of the bracelet and attempting to open it, but every time he would get it to snap open, it would snap back shut instantaneously. "Uh…" Sirius hummed, looking up to see a furious glaring Severus.

"What did you do?" He bellowed.

"I didn't do anything!" Sirius yelled back.

"Do you know what this means?"

Sirius didn't answer; instead he walked over towards the box and looked inside it, picking up the letter enclosed – of course he knew what it meant. When two wizards, or a witch and wizard, or two witches – whatever – put on bonding bracelets, it meant they were to be wedded. He opened the letter and began to silently read, before he finished, he ended up clutching the letter in anger. "Well? What does it say?" Severus asked in an angry tone.

"It says… That Bella – the girl from the store – thought I would need help asking you… so she charmed them to latch onto our wrists at any time we declared love to one another…" Sirius calmly said, plotting in his head how he was going to kill her.

"Right… well good job! Now we're engaged! And these things can't be broken, Sirius!" Severus yelled.

"I know that! I took History of Magic too, you git!" Sirius yelled back, throwing the letter down after crumbling it into a ball.

Severus snorted and shook his head in denial. "I'm going to go to sleep. This… and you say it's /I/ who makes everything difficult!" Severus said, turning on his heel and walking out of the room, slamming the bedroom door shut loudly. Sirius sighed and decided to let him cool off. Lying down on his bed and holding his hand up with the bracelet on it. It shined in the light and he began debating in his head if this was actually a bad thing – he supposed it was as Severus had never actually said yes and then it hit him. He smirked and rested his hand back down on the bed, closing his eyes and in his head planning everything that had to be done tomorrow.