As Snape passes through the little window into the guestroom, he begins his shiftback, and when he lands, he realizes that Therion is gone. Malfoy and Elsbet are still wrapped up together, but now they're covered securely with the blanket. It's a very touching sight, but...he's disappointed. Was it too much for Therion? Was it not what he expected? Did he feel he was somehow being disloyal to his lost lover? Group sex and open relationships aren't for everyone, Snape is well aware of that; he never imagined it would be for himself, but now that it's happened for him, he wouldn't have it any other way. He could never choose between Elsbet and Malfoy; it would kill him.
He sighs and shakes out his hair. If Therion needs time to sort out his feelings, he can take all the time he needs. They're certainly not going to make any demands on the man. He leaves the room quietly and thinks about nibbling one of Elsbet's cookies, then thinks about nibbling Elsbet, then...
"Gods, I was worried!"
He turns and sees Therion sitting on the couch, a cup of tea in his hands and a look of deep concern on his face. "I sensed three of you leave, but only two of you return. Cambion told me where you were, but..." he drops his gaze suddenly, "I was just...worried something had happened."
Snape forces himself not to smirk or tease Therion, but it's nearly impossible. In fact, the smirk wins. He opens the package of cookies for Elsbet, takes one out and seals the package up. He leaves it on the table for her then snaps the cookie in two, and hands half of it to Therion as he sits down beside him on the couch. They eat the cookie halves in an awkward silence, then Therion starts to say something about not meaning to intrude or something of the sort, when Snape turns suddenly, takes Therion's face in his hands, and kisses him.
It's a little, spur of the moment thing, but both wizards are a tad less awkward after. Snape sits back, smirking again; Therion blinks a couple of times and finishes his tea. He sits the cup on the coffee table, sits back, and says quietly, "that was very nice...surprising, but very nice. Thank you." Snape nods silently, the smirk seemingly stuck in place, and crosses his legs. He picks at the hem of his nightrobe, and Therion asks him if everything is alright. "No," he says, "no, it is not. Nodus may present a problem for us." Therion sighs and watches Snape's smirk melt away. He's not surprised by this...Nodus was the reason he left the Order when he did.
He's about to ask Snape what he's learned when Snape turns slightly toward him. Therion nearly chuckles at the thought of a nice couch make-out session, but he knows he's not that lucky. He turns as well and as his eyes meet Snape's, he welcomes the penetrating mind into his. Snape gives him his memories of the fly-over and conversation with the Brothers, as well as the visit with the Silhouettes, then slowly draws away from him. Therion does chuckle, then. "Dance...he's so very perceptive..." He sighs and sits forward, yawns and tells Snape they should go back to bed. "It's too early to think about this. It's just four am. I'm only up because I was worried about you." Snape gives him a side glance. "You were worried about me." Therion nods. "I'm...very fond of you, Severus."
Snape nods. "Fond," he says, and Therion searches for something to say, when Snape brushes a stray curl out of Therion's eyes. "Fondness can become quite powerful." Therion closes his eyes and smiles softly. He really wants to go back to bed now...Snape asks, "and Lucius? Are you fond of him too?" Therion's eyes flutter open and he gives Snape a very soft, "yes." His hazel eyes drift toward the guestroom for a second, then back to Snape's black ones. "And Ellie..." There is a slight tremor in his voice and Snape touches him gently. "I know, and I owe you a debt of gratitude." Therion shakes his head, tells him, "no, Severus, you owe me nothing...I--" "But I do, Therion. You didn't have to do half of the things you've done for her. You've helped keep her safe, you've kept Roycroft away from her, and you helped her when she needed help the most. And all the while without thanks, all the while pretending that you hated her."
Therion drops his gaze as he feels tears sting him, and Snape grips his shoulders. "I know how difficult that is. But for you, my friend...I imagine it was twice as difficult." Therion leans into the couch, rests his head against it, and draws in a breath. "There were times, Severus, when she was sad or scared, when I just wanted to hold her, like that awful day when we all knew Sirius was dead...I had to get her out of the shop!" He looks at Snape, searching perhaps for some kind of forgiveness for his seemingly cruel callousness. "I thought I was going to lose it. My own grief, coupled with what I knew the news was going to do to her, it was all I could do--"
Snape pulls him close and tells him soothingly that he truly did the right thing; Jessel took good care of her, and again, he was keeping her away from Roycroft. "We both know he would have used Black's death to get close to her, and a confrontation between the two of you then would not have done anyone any good." Therion nods silently, then finally looks back up at Snape. "Thank you," the Dark wizard says, and Therion seems to melt for a moment, then chuckles in spite of himself. "I need something from you, Therion," Snape says suddenly, and their eyes meet and lock. "I need a promise from you, an oath. That if something happens to me, you will protect them, Elsbet and Lucius."
Therion's eyes widen and his breath catches in his throat and he gives just a little shake of his head. "I can't...I can't think of something happening to you, Severus, I just can't..." He thinks perhaps he should have had a better lead-up to the request, but there's nothing he can do about that now. "There will come a time, in the very near future I fear, when things in my life will become less certain, and the Dark Lord may decide he no longer has need of me. If that should happen--" Therion rises from the couch and heads into the kitchen, where he opens the liquor cabinet and takes out a shot glass and Malfoy's peppermint schnapps, nearly fills the shot glass, then slams it down. "Bloody Hell that burns," he gasps, then pours another.
Snape enters the kitchen slowly, and Therion shakes his head before he can say anything. "Nothing's going to happen to you, Severus, you're too smart, too clever, and...and..." Snape moves very slowly toward the trembling wizard, so slowly that Therion doesn't notice. He relies on the almost hypnotic quality of his voice to try to calm the frightened man, reassure him, but Therion isn't calming down. "I can not cope with the idea of what happened to Sirius happening to you! I just can't..." Snape is almost to him when he blurts out, "I love you, damnit! And I loved him..." Therion sobs suddenly, terribly shaken, "I lost him...I can't lose you too!" He pulls Therion into his harms and holds him tightly, letting him have his grief, comforting him as best he can.
The confession does not surprise him; neither about Sirius, nor about himself. The realization that comes to him doesn't surprise him either, that they are all drawn together and bound by love. Regardless of the lingering contempt he still feels for his old enemy, Snape can not deny that Sirius did do good for these people that he holds so very, very dear. He helped unite them. He can almost hear Dumbledore now, blue eyes twinkling, saying, "you see, Severus," and he reaches for the shot glass. He drinks half of the schnapps, then gives it to Therion, who drinks from the same side he did. His hand shaking as he sits the glass down, Therion meets Snape's steady gaze and tells him, "yes. I will protect them. Unto my own end."
Snape kisses him then, and it is a gentle kiss, a tender one, and when their lips part he leads the tired and aching Therion back to bed.
He sighs and shakes out his hair. If Therion needs time to sort out his feelings, he can take all the time he needs. They're certainly not going to make any demands on the man. He leaves the room quietly and thinks about nibbling one of Elsbet's cookies, then thinks about nibbling Elsbet, then...
"Gods, I was worried!"
He turns and sees Therion sitting on the couch, a cup of tea in his hands and a look of deep concern on his face. "I sensed three of you leave, but only two of you return. Cambion told me where you were, but..." he drops his gaze suddenly, "I was just...worried something had happened."
Snape forces himself not to smirk or tease Therion, but it's nearly impossible. In fact, the smirk wins. He opens the package of cookies for Elsbet, takes one out and seals the package up. He leaves it on the table for her then snaps the cookie in two, and hands half of it to Therion as he sits down beside him on the couch. They eat the cookie halves in an awkward silence, then Therion starts to say something about not meaning to intrude or something of the sort, when Snape turns suddenly, takes Therion's face in his hands, and kisses him.
It's a little, spur of the moment thing, but both wizards are a tad less awkward after. Snape sits back, smirking again; Therion blinks a couple of times and finishes his tea. He sits the cup on the coffee table, sits back, and says quietly, "that was very nice...surprising, but very nice. Thank you." Snape nods silently, the smirk seemingly stuck in place, and crosses his legs. He picks at the hem of his nightrobe, and Therion asks him if everything is alright. "No," he says, "no, it is not. Nodus may present a problem for us." Therion sighs and watches Snape's smirk melt away. He's not surprised by this...Nodus was the reason he left the Order when he did.
He's about to ask Snape what he's learned when Snape turns slightly toward him. Therion nearly chuckles at the thought of a nice couch make-out session, but he knows he's not that lucky. He turns as well and as his eyes meet Snape's, he welcomes the penetrating mind into his. Snape gives him his memories of the fly-over and conversation with the Brothers, as well as the visit with the Silhouettes, then slowly draws away from him. Therion does chuckle, then. "Dance...he's so very perceptive..." He sighs and sits forward, yawns and tells Snape they should go back to bed. "It's too early to think about this. It's just four am. I'm only up because I was worried about you." Snape gives him a side glance. "You were worried about me." Therion nods. "I'm...very fond of you, Severus."
Snape nods. "Fond," he says, and Therion searches for something to say, when Snape brushes a stray curl out of Therion's eyes. "Fondness can become quite powerful." Therion closes his eyes and smiles softly. He really wants to go back to bed now...Snape asks, "and Lucius? Are you fond of him too?" Therion's eyes flutter open and he gives Snape a very soft, "yes." His hazel eyes drift toward the guestroom for a second, then back to Snape's black ones. "And Ellie..." There is a slight tremor in his voice and Snape touches him gently. "I know, and I owe you a debt of gratitude." Therion shakes his head, tells him, "no, Severus, you owe me nothing...I--" "But I do, Therion. You didn't have to do half of the things you've done for her. You've helped keep her safe, you've kept Roycroft away from her, and you helped her when she needed help the most. And all the while without thanks, all the while pretending that you hated her."
Therion drops his gaze as he feels tears sting him, and Snape grips his shoulders. "I know how difficult that is. But for you, my friend...I imagine it was twice as difficult." Therion leans into the couch, rests his head against it, and draws in a breath. "There were times, Severus, when she was sad or scared, when I just wanted to hold her, like that awful day when we all knew Sirius was dead...I had to get her out of the shop!" He looks at Snape, searching perhaps for some kind of forgiveness for his seemingly cruel callousness. "I thought I was going to lose it. My own grief, coupled with what I knew the news was going to do to her, it was all I could do--"
Snape pulls him close and tells him soothingly that he truly did the right thing; Jessel took good care of her, and again, he was keeping her away from Roycroft. "We both know he would have used Black's death to get close to her, and a confrontation between the two of you then would not have done anyone any good." Therion nods silently, then finally looks back up at Snape. "Thank you," the Dark wizard says, and Therion seems to melt for a moment, then chuckles in spite of himself. "I need something from you, Therion," Snape says suddenly, and their eyes meet and lock. "I need a promise from you, an oath. That if something happens to me, you will protect them, Elsbet and Lucius."
Therion's eyes widen and his breath catches in his throat and he gives just a little shake of his head. "I can't...I can't think of something happening to you, Severus, I just can't..." He thinks perhaps he should have had a better lead-up to the request, but there's nothing he can do about that now. "There will come a time, in the very near future I fear, when things in my life will become less certain, and the Dark Lord may decide he no longer has need of me. If that should happen--" Therion rises from the couch and heads into the kitchen, where he opens the liquor cabinet and takes out a shot glass and Malfoy's peppermint schnapps, nearly fills the shot glass, then slams it down. "Bloody Hell that burns," he gasps, then pours another.
Snape enters the kitchen slowly, and Therion shakes his head before he can say anything. "Nothing's going to happen to you, Severus, you're too smart, too clever, and...and..." Snape moves very slowly toward the trembling wizard, so slowly that Therion doesn't notice. He relies on the almost hypnotic quality of his voice to try to calm the frightened man, reassure him, but Therion isn't calming down. "I can not cope with the idea of what happened to Sirius happening to you! I just can't..." Snape is almost to him when he blurts out, "I love you, damnit! And I loved him..." Therion sobs suddenly, terribly shaken, "I lost him...I can't lose you too!" He pulls Therion into his harms and holds him tightly, letting him have his grief, comforting him as best he can.
The confession does not surprise him; neither about Sirius, nor about himself. The realization that comes to him doesn't surprise him either, that they are all drawn together and bound by love. Regardless of the lingering contempt he still feels for his old enemy, Snape can not deny that Sirius did do good for these people that he holds so very, very dear. He helped unite them. He can almost hear Dumbledore now, blue eyes twinkling, saying, "you see, Severus," and he reaches for the shot glass. He drinks half of the schnapps, then gives it to Therion, who drinks from the same side he did. His hand shaking as he sits the glass down, Therion meets Snape's steady gaze and tells him, "yes. I will protect them. Unto my own end."
Snape kisses him then, and it is a gentle kiss, a tender one, and when their lips part he leads the tired and aching Therion back to bed.