While They Sleep

"Look at him. So beautiful when he sleeps." A long finger trailed along the jawbone, barely touching the milky skin; each hair follicle standing up at the light touch. The voice was that of a young man.

"Stop. You'll wake him."

The second voice was further away as Harry drifted into consciousness. His eyes were heavy and unopenable, but his auditory sense seemed to be working. A little too well maybe. He could hear the breath of someone sitting next to him; hear it race through the nostrils and into the lungs. He could hear the slightest rustle of fabric from across the room, the scratch of spiderlegs on the stony floor. He could hear a wick crackle in its wax as the flame ate away at it. The heaviness of his body wouldn't allow movement, so he just listened.

The one across the room adjusted in his chair. The creak of old wood and the exhalation of breath were whispers in Harry's ears.

"I don't think he'll wake for some time. Just let him rest." The voice was rich and low as it slid through the air. "Patience."

The younger one sitting next to Harry sighed and ran his fingertip over Harry's eyelashes. "I don't know how much longer I can wait. I've been waiting for this for such a long time."

Harry could smell the skin of the one sitting by him. The palm was right by his nose and it carried the subtle fragrance of lavender and palmarosa. The fingertips lightly lined his mouth and fell away. Harry felt the bed move as the one sitting next to him stood.

He knew he was lying on his back; he could feel the sheets underneath him. He was propped up slightly by several very soft pillows and covered with a sheet nearly pulled up to his chin which he could feel with every inch of his naked skin. He strained to open his eyes. They were still too heavy-lidded to budge. He tried to gauge the size of the room in which he was being kept by listening to the echoes the walls provided. He figured the room was about ten meters square; the large bed he was lying on was in one corner. Across from the bed on the opposite wall was a fireplace, crackling low and burning old oak logs, Harry surmised by the smell in the room. The walls produced an echo as stone or brick would and the ceiling was high. He had no idea the time of day, but felt that there were no windows to help him guess. He knew there was at least one chair in which the older man sat. There must have been more furniture because the echoes were muffled.

As the younger man walked, his naked feet made soft splats against the hard floor. He moved away from Harry and stopped for a moment. He poured something into a glass of sorts and continued toward the older man. Harry could hear a sort of cushion being sat upon and decided it must be a sofa.

"This is driving me mad, Severus. What do you think he'll do when he wakes up?" The younger man had a certain frustration in his voice.

"I suppose he'll be in a right state. Wouldn't you?"

"Hmmm."

"In any case, we should not upset him further than he's already going to be."

Harry couldn't remember how he got in this room, or why Snape was there. He wanted so badly to throw back the coverlet and jump from the bed, or at least open his eyes, but whatever was keeping him sedated wouldn't allow for anything of the sort.

Snape. The other had to be Draco Malfoy. Harry had heard his voice so often before, but with this heightened auditory sense, the voice sounded dulcet, sweet, kind almost.

"He will never have suspected this would happen, Draco. You do understand that, right?"

Harry's assumption was confirmed.

"Yes." He sighed heavily again. "I just want him to wake up so I can see the look on his face. I will cherish that for a long time."

Harry heard Snape get up from his chair and walk toward the bed. The lid to a small container was unscrewed as he walked. Draco jumped from his spot and ran behind Snape.

"What are you going to do? What are you doing?" He sounded almost panicked.

"Calm yourself." Snape was at the edge of the bed, pressing against the mattress with his thighs. "I'm just going to check on him a bit."

Snape's cool hand cupped Harry's chin and guided his head over to the right, exposing his neck. Draco crawled from the bottom of the bed and lay next to Harry quite protectively. He moved his palm over Harry's arm and let it rest over his heart. Harry could feel Draco's heart beat as he rested his chest against Harry's shoulder. Every place on Harry's body that Draco was touching became instantly warmer. He so wished he could move closer to the man.

"Be careful with him. He's delicate." The words were like honey dripping from the blonde's mouth to Harry's ear.

"Hold his hair back, Draco."

A cool hand reached across Harry and pushed the hair resting on his neck toward the pillow. The fragrance of Bois-de-rose was overwhelming and covered Draco's palmarosa scent. Harry felt a warm viscous salve being rubbed onto a very sore spot on his neck, one which he hadn't realized was there before. His body uncontrollably winced at the touch.

"I told you to be careful." Draco's words were threatening.

"He needs it to heal this time. Why are you being so protective?" More salve was applied.

Draco scooted closer to Harry, draping one leg across Harry's legs. "Because he is mine and I've waited for a long time for this. Years, Severus. Years."

"I see. And does he know about this claim you've staked?"

Snape moved away from the bed and returned to his chair. Harry could hear Draco's breathing like it was inside if him. His lips rested against Harry's temple planting small kisses there. He moved his chin to rest on top of Harry's head. In the small space between Draco's neck and Harry's ear, the echo of blood coursing was like a steam engine. It was calling to Harry; beckoning him.

Draco was stroking Harry's cheek lightly, brushing his hair back from his face. "You are mine Potter. Mine. Don't forget that."

The sound of Draco's voice was being drowned out by the coursing of his blood and the growing desire for it in Harry. It began in his stomach, the desire, as a small feeble yearning as he felt Draco's heartbeat. Now that he could hear it, the want grew, filling his chest cavity and spreading through his limbs until every cell in his body craved it. An incredible pressure filled his head as something pushed in his upper jaw. In his mind, he was screaming from the pressure, it was as if his head were in a vice being slowly tightened and his inability to move made the pain seem tenfold.

Draco rested his hand on Harry's chest again, feeling the rapid increase in his heartbeat. Draco shot up to a sitting position. "Severus, it's happening."

In a moment, Snape was sitting on the bed next to Harry, watching the progression. Harry felt his lip being pushed up by Snape's hand.

"Is he alright? Should he be awake for this?" Draco was nearly frantic again.

"Turn his head more this way. Yes, he's fine. Awake or not, he's got to go through it. If I remember correctly you weren't awake for your first transformation. It's quite painful if you don't recall."

Draco placed both hands on Harry's chest, watching it rise and fall in short, deep breaths. "I've never seen a first before."

"Like I told you earlier, he will be very upset at his waking. There's nothing we can do to lessen this. It must continue. Keep his hand and leg secure on your side." As he said this, both men wrapped their hands around Harry's wrists.

Harry heard something being torn and tied around his wrists. His arms were moved above his head and secured. His feet followed at the opposite end of the bed. His breathing was shallower and the pressure in his head grew with every breath. The first movement on his own, aside from the breathing, was the retraction of his upper lip and the releasing of his lower jaw. As soon as he released the tension in his jaw, pain like he had never felt ripped through his face. Tearing through his gums were sharp teeth, pushing his primary canines from their place in his jaw, ripping them from their roots. Blood dripped from his gums, coating his lips and tongue, sliding in crimson snakes down his cheeks and spreading on the pillow. Draco placed his shaking hand on Harry's forehead trying to soothe him. Beads of sweat were rolling back through his hair, which was already quite damp. His arms were straining against their fixtures and his legs kicking against the footboard.

"Make it stop! Severus, DO something!" Draco raised his voice to a shout.

"There is nothing to do, Draco! This was your choice. We have to let it continue!" Severus stood and placed his hands on Harry's knees, trying to hold them down as he kicked.

From Harry's throat came a deep guttural rumble. Draco kept smoothing Harry's forehead and leaned into frenetically whisper between his own short breaths and quick hard kisses to Harry's face, "I'm so sorry Harry, I'm so sorry, please, please, come on, please wake up, open your eyes Harry, please...Potter Wake Up!"

The pain stopped. The pressure stopped. His arms and legs relaxed and fell softly to the mattress. After slowing his breath, Harry moved his tongue between his teeth, catching some of his own blood with the tip and bringing it back inside his mouth. One corner of his mouth lifted into a half-smile as he swallowed dryly. He no longer felt heavy or immobile. He actually felt quite the opposite, as if he were floating above the sheets.

Severus had stepped back a few feet from the bed and watched Draco untied the dark haired man as carefully as he could. Harry brought his hands down lethargically and rubbed the raw marks before resting them on his chest.

"Harry..." Draco started softly. "Are you alright?"

He made to touch Harry's face but before his hand could make contact, Harry snatched his wrist and twisted his arm, pulling Draco closely to him. Writhing in sudden pain, Draco bent. Harry unhurriedly turned his face in the direction of the blond. His eyes cracked open letting in the first light he'd seen in who knows how long. Draco watched in alarm the soft green he'd seen before begin glowing cerulean.

"You did thisss, Malfoy. You will feed me." Harry licked at the blonde's chin.

"Now, Mr. Potter..."

Harry turned in the direction of Snape's voice letting out a slight hiss as his neck wounds strained.

"You and Draco both decided upon this. Remember who you are."

Harry's eyes widened a bit and narrowed to slits. "You're not innocent, Severus."

"No, I'm not, but you two came to me."

Instantly, Harry was off the bed and standing eye to eye with Snape. "Then I'll blame you for this. You will feed me." He was pressing himself against the older man, pushing him back toward the sofa he knew was there.

"I will remind you, Harry, that it was agreed upon that your first feeding would be this way. There is no blame as it was your choice to do this, so kindly stop this foolishness." Severus kept a very strict countenance while Harry thought about the remarks.

"I need this now." Harry tilted his head to the side and tried to focus on the man before him when all he could really see was the vessels and capillaries winding like plant roots beneath the skin. He could hear Severus' heart beat pounding in his head. The man's features slowly came back into focus.

"Then let us begin." He took Harry by the hands and led him back to the bed where Draco was waiting. Harry sat on the edge of the bed, blood lust filling his features as he watched Draco and Severus systematically undress each other. Draco began unbuttoning the older man's high-collar coat as Severus unbuttoned Draco's shirt. Their movements were deliberate and calculated, driving Harry to the point of madness.

"Enough with this..." he started.

Severus simply held out a hand to him. "Help us, then."

A small glimmer lightened his cerulean eyes further. He felt the tip of one tooth with the tip of his tongue and grinned. With the quick raise of Harry's eyebrow, Severus' coat and shirt disappeared and all of Draco's clothing did as well. "Better."

Harry reached to them, placing his hands in the small of each of their backs. He guided them close to him, savoring their scents. Draco's entire body smelled of palmarosa and lavender while Severus had a much earthier scent...oakmoss, maybe. He breathed in deeply as Draco began stroking his hair.

"Harry, remember how this must go?" His voice was sweet as it was before.

Harry simply hmmmed as he ran his tongue up Severus' side and then Draco's.

Draco's eyes rolled slightly at the sensation. He regained concentration and looked to Severus for help.

The older man smirked at Draco's inability to keep focus. "You must wait until the right moment before feeding."

Harry agreed with another "mmmhmmm." His hands were sliding up and down each of their backs as he continued licking their abdomens in turn.

"You'll know the right moment when it arrives. If you do it too soon, it will have been in vain."

Harry stopped for a moment, looking up at Severus. "Very funny. Can we get on with this?"

He leaned back on his elbows on the bed watching the two men in front of him. Severus moved to the bedside table and picked up a small blued-steel stiletto. With the wave of his hand, a clear glass chalice rose from the table and floated in the air between the two standing men. Draco held out his hand, palm facing up, toward Severus. Harry scooted back to lean against the head of the bed. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own as he traced small patterns across his skin. He sat up straighter in anticipation. Severus took Draco's wrist and guided his hand over the chalice. With the stiletto, he punctured Draco's palm, letting the blood drip from his alabaster skin. Harry's instinct took over and he lunged for the cup.

Severus stopped him, pushing him back on the bed. "You must wait."

Harry remembered the rules laid out before the transformation began. The sense of urgency he felt for the feeding, however, made it quite difficult. Draco had told him that he would have a craving but this was insane. He had never wanted anything so much as he wanted now to taste the blood of his lover and their guide.

Harry was beginning to writhe on the bed, aching for just one drop that he wasn't allowed. His hand found his growing erection as he watched Severus hand Draco the stiletto. The smell of blood was creeping into Harry's nostrils and he dragged his fingernails across his chest, leaving deep red lines. Harry's control was seriously wavering as Draco slid the blade into Severus' palm. His mouth began watering, each breath heavier and heavier. He sucked in his breath through his clenched teeth, hissing, as each drop of Severus' blood fell into the chalice and mixed with that of his lover.

Draco turned and set the blade on the table. He looked at Severus for approval. Given with a nod, he took the cup from the air between them and turned to Harry. His partner of seven years was about to complete their union. They would be eternally together, eternally one. And it was completely Harry's choice. He stepped closer to the bed and crawled on his knees toward Harry.

"Are you sure this is what you want, love?" Draco was searching his lover's face for any sign of doubt.

"I've never wanted anything as much." Harry was barely able to speak as the chalice of blood came closer to him, carried by the one person in the world with whom he would live forever. He straddled Harry's legs, settling their erections against each other. Both moaned at the touch. Harry could hear his own blood rushing through him, bearing down on him along with Draco's.

The desire in Harry was overpowering as Draco brought the glass to his own lips, taking a small sip into his mouth. Draco let his head fall back, his eyelids fluttering as the warm liquid slid down his throat. After a few moments, he brought his head forward and opened his eyes. Transformations were painless for him now. His eyes radiated sapphirically as he licked the blood from his bottom lip.

This was the first time in their relationship that Harry had seen Draco transformed. He was at once startled and further aroused by the sheer necessity in his lover's features.

Draco leaned toward Harry, his eyes blazing with want. "You are infinitely mine."

Each word carried with it the heady scent of blood and the promise of endlessness. Draco brought the chalice to his lips again, this time filling his mouth. He held the cup toward Severus, who took it promptly. He looked back and forth at his lover's eyes. Harry nodded once and Draco leaned in to kiss him. As their lips met, Draco parted his, letting a few drops of blood escape and slide across Harry's. Harry moaned and opened his mouth. The taste of blood covered his lips. He wanted more and took it by crushing his mouth to Draco's. The fluid drained from Draco's mouth covering both of their chins. Harry caught what he could with his tongue, dragging it up Draco's neck; the sense of primality overcoming him.

With little effort, he exchanged their positions, placing Draco beneath him. Their bodies seemed to fit together better than they ever had before; each dip and curve settling against the other. Draco scraped his fingernails along Harry's back and across his shoulders. The sense of urgency gone, Harry languidly lapped at the blood covering his lover's neck.

"I want you inside me." The whisper from Draco's lips was met with a honeyed moan from Harry's.

Draco brought his knees to the sides allowing Harry access to him. Harry positioned himself between Draco's legs, raising the blonde's arse up to rest on his thighs. Harry brought his hand to his own mouth, biting down into the flesh of his palm. Red seeped from the fresh wound, filling his hand. He brought it to his erection, slathering himself with his own blood. Draco was grinding his hips against his lover, barely able to control himself as Harry pressed against him.

Draco gasped as Harry moved inside of him, his head swirling with the headiness of the blood and the sounds of his eternal lover. They moved synchronistically; their bodies sliding against each other. Harry reached between their abdomens, taking Draco in his palm. Both were building to their release rapidly, not knowing exactly when it would come but knowing it would be together. Draco pushed his head into the pillow, exposing his pale neck. Desire once again took hold of the dark-haired man as he buried his face in the neck of the blond. Their blood was coursing in union. The sound, like rushing water, filled Harry's ears. The time had come and Harry bit down. Both men released themselves into spectacular fits. Draco screamed the name of his lover repeatedly as Harry drank from the wound, the blood filling both their desires and Harry's stomach. Satiated, he slowly separated from Draco and lay down beside him. Their breaths, short and rigid, fell together. Harry reached up and pushed the hair matted with blood away from Draco's face. The blond used what energy he had left to open his eyes and look at Harry. The cerulean glow had gone, leaving his eyes a soft emerald. The teeth had retracted, allowing Harry to close his mouth completely. A small smile crept over Draco's features before his eyes wouldn't stay open any longer. Harry followed him soon after to the world of sleep.

Severus walked from his chair to the edge of the bed. The two young men were wrapped around each other and lost to the world. He performed a cleaning spell and assessed the damage each had inflicted on the other. Draco's neck would take time to heal as the first feeding was always the roughest. The scratches on Harry's back would most likely be gone by the time the two men woke up. He applied the Bois-de-rose salve to their wounds as carefully as he could and set the jar on the night table. Harry and Draco looked so unspoiled in each others arms, he couldn't help but watch them for a moment before removing the ties from the curtains and letting them fall, wrapping the lovers in complete dark. The young ones are beautiful while they sleep.