Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

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Little Things

*

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Peter said cheerfully as Severus's head finally emerged from between the closed curtains. "The others left for breakfast already."

'And why are you still here?' asked Severus's hands while the boy himself yawned. 'Aren't you going to eat?' After that he slipped out of his bed, starting to search clothes from his trunk.

"Oh, of course I am," Peter replied happily. "What's a Saturday morning without a proper breakfast? I just am in no hurry. Sirius dragged Remus to the Great Hall -- you should know by now just how hungry he can get -- and James left in hopes of seeing Lily. She's always such an early bird, you know. Poor boy doesn't even notice that he's being domesticated; before they started dating he would never get out of bed early enough to even get breakfast on Saturday. Well, he'll probably notice sooner or later that she's training him to be a good husband."

'Doubtlessly,' Severus waved after slipping off his pyjama top. Then he put on a proper shirt before continuing, 'How he has been able to miss something so obvious this far is beyond me.'

"Sadly, I have to agree," the other boy chuckled. "I mean, she's so determined to some day become Mrs. Potter that I'm surprised she hasn't forcefully dragged him to the altar yet. There's no way he can get out of that one -- not that he even really wants that in the end. And he still insists on saying that they're just casually dating! That guy can be so oblivious at times."

'Exactly what I said.' Severus smirked, then pulled his hair back and tied it on a loose ponytail. 'You ready to go?' he asked then, grinning at his friend.

"Well, I suppose so." Then, he added, "It's Hogsmeade weekend. You'll come with us, right?"

'I -- I don't know.' To his great surprise, Severus now momentarily lowered his eyes. Now, this was not something he was used to see. Severus Snape was not like this.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, confused, as they started their way to the Great Hall. They had to walk half facing each other so that he could see Severus's hands properly. "Why not?"

'I've never been there before,' Severus admitted. Before Peter could even ask him for a reason, he continued, 'Hogsmeade is a place where people go with their friends. And I don't have friends. Not really. At least -- I've never had them before,' he then added timidly.

"Well, now you have," said Peter confidently. "And you're coming with us. Okay?"

Severus merely nodded in response. For some time they walked in silence, until Severus suddenly snapped his fingers, a sign that he wished to communicate with Peter. In an instant the fair-haired boy turned towards his darkhaired classmate with a questioning smile.

'Peter?' the mute boy's hands asked. The ex-Slytherin's expression was absolutely unreadable.

"Yes, Severus?" he asked curiously. Just what was his friend up to now?

'What was that kiss last night about?' asked Severus with perfect casualness.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Peter, a deep blush spreading over his face. "You didn't just ask that... did you?" His eyes were wide with shock and fright. Just what did Severus think of him now?

'Yes, I did,' came the soundless response, delivered with just the same perfect seriousness. 'Considering that you kissed me, I do think I have the right to ask for an explanation. Even if it was just a goodnight kiss between friends, I'd like to know just why you did it.'

"Well... Um... That is..." Noticing several students nearby watching them with curiosity, he now switched to sign language as well. 'I... I like you,' he confessed. 'You're nowadays nice and funny, not one bit the bastard you used to be. And you look good, too.' His blush deepened even further, if such a thing was even possible. 'So, anyway... I like you. A lot.'

'I see,' came the brief reply. Now Peter raised his gaze from the delicate hands to the Slytherin's face. To his great surprise he saw a small smile there, not a look of anger or hatred. Was... was it really possible that Severus didn't hate him for this after all?

'...You're not angry?' he asked, still not wanting to let the others understand what they were talking about. 'I'd have thought you'd try to beat me to death for that stunt.'

'Now why on Earth would I do that?' asked Severus back, raising an eyebrow in his familiar manner. 'The only complaint I have is that you kind of misplaced your sign of affection.'

'Misplaced?' Peter repeated, confused. 'What exactly do you mean?'

'Well, the forehead is not really the place kisses are supposed to go to, you know,' replied Severus, a small twinkle visible in his eyes. That was truly a frightening sight.

"W-What?" Peter blurted out, forgetting to stay silent for a while. Then he collected his wits enough to switch to sign language again. 'But I could never do that! You'd just had a nightmare about those -- those bastards. I could never even consider kissing you on the mouth!'

'I'm not a baby, Peter,' Severus replied with a look of mild irritation on his face, 'nor am I made of glass. I most certainly can handle a simple kiss -- although I'd rather be awake for it, or at least have the other participant know that I am awake,' he added with a bit of smirk. 'True, I can't bear to even think about -- some other things -- and I don't know if I'll ever be able to handle them properly, but kissing is just fine with me. I trust you; you should know that by now. And besides...' Now, he looked the tiniest bit embarrassed. 'I like you too. A lot.'

'You do?' asked Peter in amazement. 'But how's that possible? We've only really known each other for a little time. It's amazing enough that we're friends by now!'

'It's easier to develop a crush than a friendship,' replied the ex-Slytherin matter-of-factly. 'You've accepted me as your friend and vice versa, and I trust you. What more do I need? And you claim to like me, too. I'd think that's much more improbable than me liking you.'

'Well, I guess you're right...' Peter waved hesitantly. Then, he grinned a bit mischievously -- he wasn't a Marauder for nothing, after all. 'So, you want to try it? Kissing?'

'Here? In front of everybody? Don't make me laugh.' Just then they reached the Great Hall and, seeing their friends waving from their usual places at the Gryffindor table, started to make their way there. Just before they got there, though, Severus waved, 'Later, though... Yes, I do.'

Peter flashed him a bright smile. This day was definitely shaping to be a great one. "That's great," he said aloud as he got seated. To the puzzled expressions of their other friends, he added as a false explanation, "Severus just agreed to go with us to the Hogsmeade today. Took quite a bit of persuasion, too. This guy can really be stubborn if he wants to."

'Speak for yourself, Rat Boy,' replied Severus. And even though the others asked, Peter refused to translate that -- even though Remus most probably understood, judging by his grin.

*

"So, where are we going first?" asked Sirius cheerfully. "I suggest Honeydukes! My dear Remus needs lots of chocolate right now!" At that, he smiled warmly as his boyfriend.

"When does he not?" asked James, laughing. Then, he turned serious -- well, about as serious as he ever was. "I'd almost forgotten that your furry little problem will come around in a few days again," he said cheerfully at Remus. "Oh, well. I guess it's about the right time for that."

"What do you mean, it's about the right time?" asked Remus. "Since when has there been a 'right time' or 'wrong time' for the full moon?" Thankfully, there were no other people around at the moment, so they didn't have to watch their every word.

"Why, the full moon is usually two days after Lily's period starts, and she's been really angry lately," James replied. "So, I just figured that -- ack!" He raised his arms to shield his head.

"Just what did you say, James Potter?" asked Lily in a definitely threatening manner, the fist she'd struck her boyfriend with still raised, ready for another go. "Care to repeat that?"

"I take it he's not going to come with us," Remus said levelly as they watched James being chased away by his girlfriend. "So, you others, Honeydukes, isn't it?"

Honeydukes it was. Sirius started to collect all kinds of sweet and sugary products, Remus headed right for the chocolate shelves, and Peter watched with great amusement as Severus walked around the shop. The Slytherin's eyes were wide like a third-year's on their first Hogsmeade visit, and for a good reason, too. He had never been there before, after all.

"Try those," Peter said, pointing at a couple of his favourite sweets. "I think they are good."

'I've tasted these before,' Severus waved, then pointing at some Acid Pops. 'I like them.'

"Figures," the fair-haired boy replied with a grin. In response he got just a halfhearted glare.

After Honeydukes, the boys headed for other traditional Hogsmeade places -- Zonko's and the Three Broomsticks being of course the most important ones. Severus tagged along, amazed by every new thing the others showed him. The others were happy to see him having such a good time.

At last they had to return to the castle, loaded with sweets and joke products. On their way back to the Common Room they chatted cheerily, only Severus not participating in the conservation because his hands were currently full. He did obviously listen, though, and smiled in amusement at all the right places, so everybody was satisfied.

Once in their dorm, though, the boys got separated. After putting their things away Remus and Sirius left for somewhere, sporting looks that most certainly did not encourage their friends to follow. So, Severus and Peter were left alone. For a moment they both were silent, sitting on their respective beds, watching each other with a mix of both dread and anticipation.

"So..." Peter started to speak then, but somehow didn't feel it was quite appropriate. In a way talking aloud was rather awkward when it came to communicating with Severus. It was like he'd tried to put himself above the other boy by showing his superiority on the matter of linguistic abilities. Of course that was ridiculous, but he couldn't help feeling so.

So, Peter waved, 'You wanted to try kissing, right?' A small, nervous smile crossed his lips.

'Yes,' waved Severus back. 'But... I really don't know...' He seemed hesitant.

'Don't worry,' Peter told him, rising from his bed and starting to walk towards that of his friend. Trying to smile as reassuringly as he could, he sat himself next to Severus. For a moment neither made a move, they just watched each other, both feeling half nervous, half excited.

At last, however, Peter leant towards the darkhaired boy, who very carefully leant towards him as well. They eventually met in the middle, at first just brushing each other's lips briefly. However, when they became a bit more confident, the kiss became more obvious. Severus did have problems showing any emotions and Peter was rather timid and shy at times, but in the end they were both just teenager boys. Therefore, they soon found the liked the kisses.

And, eventually, when James finally barged into the dormitory after separating from Lily he found to his great shock them both lying on Severus's bed. Oh, they did have clothes on and weren't doing anything indecent, fair enough, but there was the little fact that one of Peter's hands was up Severus's shirt. And that one of Severus's hand in turn was - however nervously, timidly, and with no further intentions - tugging slightly at the waistband of Peter's trousers.

It was really not a surprise that James at first froze in shock, then fled. It was, however, quite an impressive achievement from him to have his cry heard in all of the Gryffindor Tower.

*

Eventually the things calmed down, at least a bit. Unsurprisingly, the new couple's friends were the ones who took the news best, though nobody really protested. Being accustomed to Sirius and Remus's relationship, nobody in the Gryffindor House was shocked by the prospect of two boys being together. James did hesitate a bit to accept, true, his hatred and distrust for the ex-Slytherin deeply rooted, but in the end he just patted Peter on the back and congratulated him on finally stopping being a kid. Remus and Sirius also readily accepted them, although not without pulling Peter aside and giving him a strict lecture with various colourful examples of what they might do to him if he ever hurt Severus. The rat Animagus boy had just nodded along, not doubting a word of what they said. Marauders were all protective of their friends but specifically of Severus. The poor boy had been already hurt so much because of them; they wanted to keep him from feeling any more pain, especially from one of their own.

At last, however, the worst commotion had died down and the two were finally left alone. They were sitting in one of the more secluded corners of the Common Room, facing each other so that they could talk -- well, at least have a conversation, Peter being the only one talking.

'I thought they'd never leave us in peace,' Severus said, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. 'And was it really necessary for James to shout that much?'

"Well, at least Sirius and Remus's reaction really wasn't surprising," Peter said. "They have been really protective of you ever since you stood up for them and were... attacked for it."

'Raped, Peter. I was raped -- not to mention beaten and tortured,' the Slytherin waved, extremely serious onyx eyes locking with his blue ones. 'If you want to be together with me, you have to accept that fact and not dance around it. It's a part of my life, a part of what I am now, and it will probably always affect me. If you want me to get past it -- and especially if you want us to get past it -- you have to stop denying it happened at the first place.'

Now, the fair-haired boy nodded slowly, nervously. "Fine," he said quietly. "They've been very protective of you ever since you were r-raped," he managed to stutter, his voice very quiet. Immediately afterwards he glanced around to see if anybody had heard him. Nobody had.

For a moment Severus just watched him. Then, the ex-Slytherin started to wave his hands again. 'If you are unable to deal with it, you don't have to,' Severus said. 'You'd probably be happier with somebody else anyway. This is, after all, just a temporary relationship, one that will probably break up as soon as you find somebody you like more. I'm not able to give you what you want, and maybe I will never be. Obviously this could never be permanent.'

Now, Peter couldn't find his voice for a moment. So, he waved instead, 'I never said this is temporary. I meant it when I said that I like you, Severus. And I want to be with you.'

'But how can you?' asked Severus, looking almost confused. 'I am Snape, remember?'

'Yes, I know you are Snape,' Peter told him. 'Just as well I know that you're nice, intelligent, and charming -- whenever you aren't too busy being a snarky bastard. It is very possible for me to like you, Severus -- love you, even. You have to believe in yourself a bit more.'

Now, Severus didn't reply to that. Instead, he leant forward, and slowly, a bit hesitantly, placed his lips on those of his friend -- no, his boyfriend, he mentally corrected himself. Peter just smiled a bit against his lips, then replied to the kiss.

And if Severus had had any doubts, those were all wiped away with that one little kiss.

*

THE END

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