Work Text:
It was always this place – it had been since second year. This storeroom near the Slytherin dungeons, where Severus had first threatened Lupin for kissing Lily – and had first realized that he wasn’t so upset because Lupin kissed Lily, but rather because Lupin kissed Lily.
It was the first time he had wanted to protect Lupin at the same time he was hurting him; wanted to hurt and protect in an equal breath. The way Lupin’s pupils had dilated in fear, how his face had flushed – Severus had decided he wanted to see that again and again and again. It was only that it had taken him four years to work out that this thing – the flush he felt when he saw Lupin, the desire to control – was attraction.
Not that he liked boys – he was in love with Lily, after all, he wasn’t a queer – but there was something primal in him, some base urge that kept him coming back here over and over in the hopes that Loopy would, too.
At first it was enough to lure the other boy in and taunt him, cast hexes and curses. It was easiest after the moon, when he was weak – Lupin was a werewolf, of course, and Severus thought himself particularly dim to have not seen it sooner. That’s how it was, though – he wanted to see the beast suffer. And if he could use the beast to draw pleasure for himself in the meantime, well, why not? It meant he had to put up with Loopy wandering around him like a lovesick idiot, but Lupin knew not to be too clingy. After all – no one could love a foul creature like him – this was as close as he would ever get, and he owed Severus for it, in Severus’ own humble opinion.
It had begun partway through their sixth year. Severus took great care with luring him in, not wanting the beast to suffer a fright an turn tail. But his instincts were more base than Severus’, and at the first sign of affection Severus showed him, he stayed. No one knew, of course. It wouldn’t do for others to know he had anything to do with Loopy, other than the occasional hallway showdown with the Marauders. It had been months now, though, and Severus was satisfied nonetheless that their secret remained
The door creaked open, finally, and a small, slight figure picked its way through the boxes towards him.
“You’re late,” Snape growled.
“I-I-I’m s-sorry, James was f-f-following me a-around,” the beast stuttered. Severus scoffed.
Lupin came into the light, then, skin tinged orange in the glow of Severus’ conjured flames. His hair was too long, falling into his eyes, and his clothes were baggy as always – robes engulfing him, covering his hands and trailing behind him on the floor. He was slight, a head shorter than Severus, almost – delicate and nearly feminine. That was probably what Severus saw in him – the femininity, and a beast that needed to be controlled. That was why this was happening in the first place.
Lupin’s eyes glowed back at him in the firelight, almost gold – made him look like the beast he was. They were steady, waiting for Snape to respond, for the chiding he knew would come.
Severus enjoyed the beast’s stutter, provoked him just to hear the words struggle past his lips. Upset him to watch him flush, struggle to get words out, succumb, instead, to what Severus wanted.
“You shouldn’t be late,” he settled on saying – dropping his tone, speaking as quietly as possible, knowing the beast would hear anyways and hate himself for it. “I’m busy, I don’t have time to wait around for you all day.”
Just like he was expecting, Loopy flushed red, dark and telling in the firelight. “S-s-sorry,” he said, pathetically. Severus watched him curiously as his eyes flashed and he seemed to draw himself up, square his shoulders. “I’m w-w-worth wai-w-waiting f-for, I th-think.”
Severus raised his eyebrows. Lupin had not said anything he was expecting, that was certain. He let his own lips settle in a lazy sneer. He stepped closer, too, crowding the other boy with his body, forcing him back against a sturdy pile of boxes.
“Silly lion,” he breathed against the beast’s lips, bringing his hands up to cup Lupin’s face gently. “No one else would ever get this close to a beast like you.”
He waited a moment to watch Loopy deflate, to see the fight go out of his eyes. The moment the beast slumped, Severus pressed his way in. Their bodies collided, lips hard on each other. Lupin was unyielding for a moment, until Severus bit down on his lip – hard. The coppery tang of the beast’s blood filled his mouth as Lupin’s lips opened, kissing him back.
Severus made quick work of Loopy’s robes and then his own. Lupin’s hands had gone to his hair, combing through it. Snape disliked the sensation immensely, but it was necessary to provide the slickness they’d need for their activities.
Lupin’s hands came away wet with grease, ghosting downwards, grazing Severus’ body, until it was yesrighthere.
The room was quiet then, except for their gasps and moans, and then the sounds of zippers and buttons as they dressed themselves quickly.
“I’ll be here Tuesday, same time,” Severus said gruffly. He couldn’t look the beast in the eyes; never could afterwards. “I’m not waiting around for you, though, Loopy,” he added nastily.
He wasn’t planning on waiting around to listen to the other boy’s stutters, but was stopped mid-step by a single, clear word from Lupin’s lips. “No.”
“What did you say to me?” he growled. Severus drew himself up, squared his shoulders, felt in his pockets for his wand. Watched with satisfaction as Lupin cowered beneath him.
“I-I’m not c-coming b-b-back,” he stuttered, pitifully. His eyes didn’t look gold now, but ferally yellow in the dimming flame.
“You’ll be singing a different tune on Tuesday,” Severus responded. He did his best to hide his shock under a cool look and a raised eyebrow.
“I w-w-won’t,” Loopy responded. He stepped forward, into Severus’ space. Severus wasn’t prepared, had never experienced a bold Lupin before. He stepped back automatically, flinching at the beast’s proximity to him. “I’m worth more than you.” Lupin spat the words at Severus, stutter-free.
Before Severus could react, the beast was out the door and gone. He was left, stunned in the waning light in the storeroom, wondering how it could have all gone so wrong – how Loopy could have slipped out from under his thumb so easily. And wondering, most importantly, how he would get his revenge, how he would hurt the beast so badly it would regret the day it ever made a fool of Severus Snape.