In Soft Candlelight.

[pekeleke]

Title: In Soft Candlelight.

Fandom: Harry potter (Snarry)

Characters: Harry Potter, Severus Snape.

Author: pekeleke.

Rating: G.

Word count: 975.

Disclaimer: Don't own these characters. No money is being made out of this work.

A/N: Unbetaed. Written for the adventdrabbles 2012 Prompt 23: Christmas candles.

This is the twenty-third part in my Seeking Home series.

Summary: Soft candlelight grants the reticent heart the necessary courage to discard every barrier...
 
 

In Soft Candlelight.

Severus stared into the flickering flames of the Christmas candles that decorated his small dining table, thinking about the strange day he'd just spent at the orphanage. He'd been shocked to find himself enjoying the time spent with the children and the fact that he'd been able to see Narcissa's smile for the first time in months had made the whole experience all the more pleasurable. Draco's relief had been palpable and the hopeful light that had entered those haunted gray eyes had warmed his own heart with sheer relief. He'd been given a gift today. A precious, priceless, gift. He'd been given the chance to see Draco happy for the first time in ages and it had been Harry's doing...

 

“I don't know how you managed to drag Narcissa to the orphanage, but... thank you, Harry.”

 

The gryffindor grinned, dropped his cutlery on his now empty plate, and placed his elbows on the table with appalling casualness.
“You are welcome, Severus. I know how much you've been worrying about Draco and I wanted to help. The Malfoys aren't so bad, once you get to know them. I like how close they are to one another, it shows a kind of loyalty that's rare in this day and age.”

 

Severus' potion-tainted hand curled around the delicate stem of his wine glass and a small, thoughtful silence fell between them. It was comfortable and peaceful, a shared quietude. The room was shrouded in shadows, lit only by the candles atop the table and the amber-tinted light coming off the hearth, which gave the familiar chambers an intimate atmosphere that they usually lacked, relaxing Harry further into dreamy-eyed contentment.
“What was Charles Weasley doing at the orphanage, anyway? I saw you arguing. I almost hexed his hand off the second time he grabbed you.”

 

Harry smiled softly:
“Now who's being a knight in shinning armour?”

 

Severus blushed bright pink. His eyes lowered, fixing bashfully on the rim of his glass.
“I realize that I'm not very... proficient... at expressing my emotions, Harry. But you must be aware of how important you are to me. I tend to be... protective, when I care this deeply about someone”

 

Harry stilled, focusing those bright eyes on him with searching intensity.
“I wasn't complaining, Severus. I love it when you come out of your shell and show me how much you...”

 

“Love you, Harry. The word you're searching for is love. I... love you very deeply. I thought you knew.”

 

“I did. I do. It's just... I'm not used to hearing you say it. Moments like this are... rare... between us”

 

Ebony-black eyes filled with dark shadows.
“I'm sorry if I'm failing to be as... effusive... as you deserve.”

 

Harry smiled.
“Effusive... I can't picture you like that. I wouldn't want you to change that much, Severus. These moments between us are special precisely because they're rare. I'll rather hear the words every so often, and be dazzled by their beauty every time, than grow used to have them falling constantly from your lips"

 

Severus swallowed with difficulty. He felt crippled by emotion, utterly unable to express the profound gratefulness that filled his heart to bursting at that second. Silence settled around them once again, enfolding them within a cocoon of warmth and contentment where nothing really existed beyond this table. Harry's slightly callused fingers inched across the tabletop, brushing his fingertips delicately and making him smile despite himself. The clock on his mantelpiece chimed the hour and they broke apart when Harry looked at it with transparent regret.
“It's eleven o'clock. I better get going... Thanks for this wonderful dinner, Severus”

 

Devastation flashed through him as the familiar scene began to unfold. Harry rose, came around the table and kissed his cheek gently, then straightened in preparation to walk towards the door. This was something that he'd needed up until now. This lack of... physicality... between them had settled his early fears and allowed him to trust the sincerity of Harry's intentions. Now he couldn't bear the idea of watching the gryffindor walk away. It was time to move beyond this simple understanding of togetherness. It was time to become... more.


His hand curled around Harry's wrist, holding him fast, and those emerald eyes frowned with confusion:
“Severus?”

 

His throat dried and his pulse raced with panic, but he spoke the words aloud with raw-toned solemnity.
“I'd like you to stay. I want to wake up by your side.”

 

Harry's gasp was clearly audible in the sudden silence. His free hand curled around the nape of Severus' neck, pushing his head upwards, in order to look searchingly into his eyes.
“Are you sure?  I'm willing to wait, my love. I don't want to pressure you into doing this”

 

He could feel the blush spreading across his face, but refused to either backtrack or lower his gaze.
“I can offer you neither beauty nor great expertise, Harry. I can only offer you myself. If that's all you require to be happy, then... yes: I'm ready for this. I want to become yours. Completely yours. You've had my heart for a while. Now it's time you have my body, too”

 

“Then I'll stay, there's nowhere else I'd rather be. I can't wait to spend the night loving you, Severus. It's all I've ever wanted. All I've dreamed about for years now. You're making my every wish come true. You're turning this Christmas vacation into the best holiday season of my life. You're gifting me the kind of memories that no man ever forgets, you're fuelling my future dreams, making me so happy that I could fly unaided. You are placing the moon and the stars, the very sun itself, in the palm of my hand and promising I can keep them with everything you do. You're giving yourself to me...

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