Vanilla-Scented Smoke

Vanilla-Scented Smoke

Chapter Eight: Three Variations and a Theme

In which there is smut.

"Good?" Lupin asked when Snape got back to Grimmauld Place.

"Well, I didn't get caught, if that's what you meant."

Lupin stood. "And what part of that is not good?"

Snape sighed. "I really don't want to tell you right now."

Remus knew when not to push a matter, and settled for a blank, "Oh. Okay."

"Maybe it's not that important."

"Okay."

Snape walked over to Lupin and said, "I want to do something."

"And what's that?"

Snape smiled an actual, real smile. Those were a rare treat. He picked up Lupin's hand and examined it idly, then dropped the hand, shifted his weight, and as an afterthought, picked it up again. Remus felt himself smiling, too. He used his other hand to inspect Snape's thumb. He licked his dry lips and said again, "What do you want to do?"

Severus looked at Lupin, who was maintaining a distance that would otherwise have been called uncomfortably close, and said, "Don't you know?"

Maybe Lupin did. Maybe he had known it all along. It seemed like the only thing he could do right then was to pull his hand away and wrap it lightly around the back of Snape's neck. In return, Snape quivered and took a step closer.

With almost perfect symmetry, they pressed their foreheads together and looked calmly into each other's eyes. They didn't kiss right away; they were both determined to make this last. "Maybe I do," said Lupin softly.

They stood like that for another moment, leaning forward, foreheads touching, air thick with comfort. "Good," whispered Snape before their eyes closed and their lips met.

---

Rose looked at Parker for a moment with delight. He no longer seemed nervous; now he was expectant.

She nodded enthusiastically, face turning up as tears started in her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hands, took them away, and pressed her lips together, all the while looking with happy disbelief at Parker and unable to speak. At length, she managed a hoarse, "Yes," her voice nearly rising into an excited squeal at the end of the word.

They were both standing, very close together and facing each other intently, with Rose looking up only slightly into Parker's deep stone eyes with their olive-colored flecks. She held out her hand, and Parker slid the thin gold ring onto her finger. They embraced each other at the same time, Rose's arms tight around his shoulders and his gently around her waist. They rocked slowly left and right, shifting feet, relying on each other for balance, Rose crying happily and Parker tucking her head down to the crook of his neck.

Then their lips met. Both closed their eyes as they pushed their mouths together, softly, deliciously, blissfully. They didn't move their tongues; there was no need to after all they had been through together. They stood like that for minutes, barely moving except in time with each other, bathed in happiness and affection and the unique form of love that flares up only when people embrace. Rose breathed deeply, shuddering, and squeezed Parker more tightly. They removed their lips in unison, and with perfectly timed grace, brought them back together again. He patted her back and bit her lip slightly, causing her to utter a quiet, contented sigh. His cheeks were wet with her joyful tears. Candlelight glinted fiery orange off her new gold ring, off the buttons on his cuffs behind her back, off her shiny hair and off the wetness on her cheeks. He tickled her back as she ran her fingers mindlessly through his hair.

Other, older patrons had all stopped eating to watch them embrace. They were all smiling to themselves, remembering what it was like.

"I love you, Parker," Rose said softly.

And nuzzling her gently, he replied sincerely and in kind: "Rose, I love you, too."

---

In the dusty, peaceful study, Snape grabbed Lupin's waist and pulled them together and kissed him deeply. Remus's eyes flew open again; he pushed himself away and when Severus looked at him questioningly, he only removed the man's hands and pressed their lips together again. He relaxed into the softness of his touch and the familiarity of something they had never really tried in the past, slowly giving himself over and now both of them now squeezing tightly - Snape's hands were somehow on Lupin's back again, and this time he didn't mind - and moving their tongues around - Snape's mouth tasted like chocolate orange liqueur - and biting sucking touching, - and Lupin's tasted like powdered sugar - teasing each other's lips - they were parched and chapped - and licking each other's teeth - and slippery and wet - and pausing only to take gasping breaths - warm air all over his face - and losing themselves - his breath smelled like vanilla-scented smoke - completely - and his hair smelled like chamomile - in something shadowy - and warm - and soporific.

---

"You're home!" his wife squealed, rushing in from the adjoining living room, as he hung up his cloak.

Without warning, Ella grabbed Jude by the waist and kissed him deeply. He relaxed into the softness of her touch, the familiarity of something he had been doing every evening with perpetual freshness for years and years.

He drew his lips away from hers to ask, "Where's Sam?"

"At a friend's house," she responded, leaning in to kiss him again.

"Chris?" he asked, parting his lips from hers again.

"Quidditch." She pecked his lips. "Joe, upstairs-"

"Yuck!" interrupted a voice above them. "Mom, Dad, that's totally gross!" The child stayed where he was for a few seconds, shaking his head, before his soft footsteps moved back upstairs, accompanied by a quiet voice repeating "Wimgar--wingardimum--wingardium--stupid feather!--"

Jude ignored it as his wife laughed, and he toyed with her long hair, kissing her once more. Someone murmured, "I love you." With their faces buried so close together, it was hard to tell who was doing the talking and who was enjoying the movement of his or her lips.

---

Remus bit his lip as Snape ran his lips over his day-old stubble.

"You don't have to--"

He pressed their lips together fiercely again.

"Can I--"

Remus moved his hands over Snape's back, through his hair, along his waist, as Snape leaned forward and pushed them down to a sofa placed conveniently behind them.

Remus propped himself up on his elbows. Snape opened his eyes and stopped his ministrations. "Severus," he said solemnly, "I'm just as nervous as you are. You don't have to put on a show."

Snape licked his lips subtly and shook his head. "You don't look very nervous to me."

"I don't know how people look when they're nervous," Remus said softly, lips inches from those of the man leaning over him. Severus breathed in what Remus breathed out; his soft breaths puffed against the angel's fingerprint on his upper lip.

"Why do you pretend we don't both want this?"

"We're both men, Snape," Remus said desperately.

"But I know that doesn't bother you, does it? Not if it doesn't bother me?" Severus whispered, leaning in as he did and touching the tip of his tongue to the indent over Remus's lips. It tasted like salt and apples.

Remus obviously agreed, because after another moment of deliberation, he pushed his face up in acquiescence, murmuring "Don't talk," and licking his partner's concave chin, grating his teeth against the tender part inside Snape's outturned lips, swirling their tongues together. Severus closed his eyes and licked gingerly at the tongue he felt in his mouth, then nibbled at the nose that met his lips as Remus kissed his way down to Severus's neck.

"Mmm."

---

Sir Cadogan, putting his ostensible chivalry aside, reached around and squeezed Eden's bum. She squealed in an outraged tone but kept kissing him. After a limiting few moments of tongue movement, she squirmed restlessly, bringing her hand around to the back of his head and tugging on his hair. When he finally turned, she bit his earlobe and then changed her mind and said irritably, "Come on now, why aren't you kissing me?"

Eden pressed her lips to his again and laughed as his tentative tongue slid into her mouth. Sir Cadogan put both hands on her bum and pulled her closer; she practically draped herself over him and tried unsuccessfully to bite his neck.

Their noses brushed.

She pulled them together. "How about--" He freed a hand from where it was tangled in the start of her skirts and slid it under her robes, tickling her bare waste, her ribs, her breasts--

--Something popped and suddenly they were soaked.

Eden blushed and changed the subject quickly. "I love you, baby."

"Je t'aime aussi¹," Sir Cadogan answered casually as he wiped his wet hand with great purpose on the hem of her drawers, but of course, Eden had no idea what that meant.

---

Remus kissed, swallowed, bit, harder than he ever had before, trying to use his tongue to inscribe a message of impulse to Severus, who kissed him back deeply. They fell rather slowly and landed on the couch; Lupin was already hard and from what he could feel, Snape was, too. Pinned on the bottom, he wrapped his arms around Snape's and pulled him down closer, black hair tickling his face, sensing a sweet pleasant smell and comfortably warm body heat, comfortably close to his new - boyfriend? - in a comfortably soft sofa in a comfortably private room.

He drew away for a moment and gasped for air and licked his lips, and then Severus buried his head in the crook of Remus's neck and they lay there together, feeling each others' hardness and each others' panting breaths, but only looking hazily into each others' eyes before they dropped - together - into a peaceful sleep.

---

Still sluggish with comfort, they were interrupted too soon early the next morning by a loud, quavering shriek from outside. "Abominations! Scum! Carriers of pestilence and filth!" The portrait of Sirius's mum had woken up, apparently. Lupin and Snape did, too, at the same time, although with marginally more grace. They found themselves entwined together, arms wrapped messily, legs sprawled, feeling warm and fuzzy.

They hadn't moved from where they had drifted off the previous night.

"Moony?" The door opened and Sirius poked his head in. "Did you actually fall asleep in here last..." he trailed off quietly because at that moment, Severus Snape lifted his head.

Sirius blanched. "Oh. God. Right."

Remus sat up as well. From the doorway - looking at the back of the couch - the position they was in couldn't have implied anything good. Sirius thought he had rather a good idea of what was, or what had been, going on out of his immediate line of sight.

"No, Sirius, it's not what you think."

Sirius looked unconvinced. "Right. Well, get up because I need some help with these curtains."

"Sorry," said Lupin. He flopped back down and the rest of what he said was slightly muffled by the thick stuffing of the couch. "I'm busy."

"You--" Sirius was at a loss for words. It was all fine and good that Remus was standing up for himself, but when he started putting Snivellus before friends, well, Padfoot would show Moony just how much Sirius needed him. "Fine," Sirius said, with overexaggerated nonchalance. "Thanks for nothing." He stomped away.

"He gets like that sometimes," Lupin told Snape.

"Yes, I know," Snape responded dryly.

There was a pause.

"Do... um?" Lupin articulated finally.

"I work," Snape said, getting up.

"Right."

"Goodbye."

Snape left the room and Lupin stretched like a cat and looped his hands behind his head. He lay back on the couch once again, staring searchingly at the ceiling.