Aftermaths, Part 152

by Geri ([email protected])

Rating: Mostly PG-13, but NC-17 for overall story

Pairing: Snape/Lupin, Theodore/Blaise

Warning: AU; events that occurred at the end of Order of the Phoenix were significantly altered from the book.

Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, and Phoenix Rising.

Summary: The various characters deal with the aftermath of the war, and Snape and Lupin try to build a family together with Theodore and Dylan. However, some people are unable to let go of the past...

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except Hob, who belongs to William Mayne; no money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
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After the dishes were done, Lupin said they should be going. He gave Aric a hug and told him to stop by and see them at his cottage or Snape Manor anytime, and Takeshi likewise extended an invitation for them to stop by his flat for another visit.

{Finally!} Aric thought to himself as Lupin and the others vanished through the Floo. Not that he wasn't grateful for their friendship, but it seemed like he had been waiting forever to be alone with Takeshi. And finally they were alone, with no nurses, Healers, students, or teachers to intrude on them.

He smiled nervously at Takeshi, suddenly feeling a little shy, but Takeshi reached out to take his hand, saying in a husky voice, "Come, Aric. I have been waiting a very long time to be alone with you, my wolf."

Aric let Takeshi lead him into the bedroom, feeling a little dazed, and watched entranced as Takeshi took out his wand and cast a silence spell on the room with a murmured charm and a graceful flick of his wrist. He laid his wand on the nightstand and then took off his glasses, carefully set them down beside his wand, and removed the band of elastic holding his braid together, letting his hair fall free to cascade over his shoulders and down his back like a river of black silk. Aric sighed and moved closer, unable to resist the impulse to reach out and run his fingers through his lover's hair. It really did feel like silk as it slid between his fingers, and he noticed something curious, that Takeshi's hair was perfectly smooth and straight, although he would have expected it to be wavy or crinkled from being bound in the braid all day. Maybe it had something to do with his crane blood. He wrapped his arms around his lover, holding him tightly, and also noticed that while Takeshi's dress robe was made of high quality silk, it still did not feel as smooth or soft as his hair did.

"You're so beautiful, 'Keshi," Aric whispered, burying his face in Takeshi's hair, feeling cool silk against his cheek and beneath his lips, then pulled back slightly and pushed Takeshi's hair away from his face so that he could lean in again and kiss him on the mouth. Takeshi's lips were warm, soft, and yielding, and parted with a small sigh, allowing Aric's tongue to slide between them. He felt Takeshi's tongue reach out to touch his, almost hesitantly, and their tongues lightly stroked each other, then began caressing and entwining with growing enthusiasm. Takeshi moaned, the sound muffled by Aric's mouth covering his, but it was enough to ignite a sharp flare of desire in Aric.

Aric tore his mouth from Takeshi's, enjoying the little moan of protest that his lover uttered. "I want you," he growled.

"And I want you, my wolf," Takeshi gasped. "Oh Merlin, I've been waiting for so long..."

It took every ounce of self-control that Aric had not to just rip the robes off his lover's body. As it was, his hands were shaking, and he felt clumsy and ham-fisted as he tried to undress Takeshi, a low growl of frustration forming in his throat.

"Careful," Takeshi laughed. "This robe was a gift from my brother; please don't tear it. Here, let me." He very gently pushed Aric's hands away, and few moments later the robe slipped off his shoulders and fell to the floor in a puddle of blue silk; he wore no shirt beneath it. Then in one smooth, fluid movement, he stripped off his trousers and underwear and stood before Aric, a glorious vision of white skin and black hair that made Aric want to melt into a puddle himself.

The fastenings on his own robe were a gold hook-and-eye combination, very shiny and pretty but much harder to undo than regular buttons, at least when your hands were trembling with desire. He cursed as he fumbled with the fastenings, but Takeshi laughed again and reached out to deftly undo them for him. Bemused, he thought to himself that he had never before noticed how long and graceful Takeshi's fingers were. He shivered as he imagined them moving across his body instead of his robe.

Finally--finally!--they were both nude, and stumbling towards the bed, kissing and caressing urgently. Not really watching were they were going, they fell down onto the bed in an ungraceful heap together, Takeshi landing atop Aric and momentarily knocking the breath out of him. And then Takeshi began trailing kisses across Aric's chest, and the sensation of his long hair sliding across Aric's skin made it even more difficult to breathe. He heard a low, rumbling growl and realized that it was coming from himself. Alarmed, he pushed Takeshi away from him, wondering if the wolf's presence should still be so strong in him after the full moon had already passed.

"Aric?" Takeshi asked, sounding puzzled and a little hurt.

"Sorry, 'Keshi," Aric said, trying to smile at him reassuringly. "I just need to catch my breath for a minute. This is so intense...I've been waiting for this moment for so long...I feel like I'm going to melt--or maybe explode--when you touch me."

Takeshi laughed, sounding relieved. "We have all the time in the world, my love. There's no rush."

"Just let me look at you for a minute," Aric whispered, and he did, drinking in the sight of his beloved. If the crane women were as beautiful as Takeshi, he didn't doubt that human men would have wanted to steal them to become their wives. But Takeshi belonged to Aric, had willingly consented to become his lover. Aric was filled with a sense of mingled wonder, tenderness, and fierce, possessive pride.

Takeshi smiled at him, and lay back and stretched out in a languid, sensual manner, as if basking in the heat of Aric's gaze. Aric's mouth suddenly felt dry, and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. He was filled with a sudden urge to cover every inch of his lover's body with kisses, so he started by planting light kisses all over Takeshi's face, then a longer, deeper kiss on the mouth. Then he reluctantly pulled his lips away as Takeshi moaned in protest, and traced the curves of Takeshi's ears with his tongue, evoking another groan from his lover. Then he kissed his way down Takeshi's neck and chest, pausing to lightly run his tongue across Takeshi's nipples until they hardened, and Takeshi gasped. Then Aric took first one nipple and then the other in his mouth, sucking, licking, and gently nibbling on each one in turn until Takeshi was moaning out loud.

Aric delighted in the sound, but he still had the rest of his lover's body to explore, so with a little sigh of regret, he moved on, kissing his way down Takeshi's chest. As his lips made their way across Takeshi's belly, he heard the mediwizard's breath catch in his throat. But he hesitated before continuing his progression, both out of nervousness and a desire to prolong things a little longer. He gently pushed apart Takeshi's legs and began kissing the inside of one thigh, planting a trail of wet kisses that continued down his calf. Takeshi moaned in desire and frustration, then giggled as Aric lightly kissed the sole of each foot.

"That tickles!"

Aric moved to the other leg, reversing his path and kissing his way up from ankle to thigh. He let his mouth linger awhile on Takeshi's thigh--a stalling tactic, because there was one part of his lover's body that he had deliberately been avoiding. He had done some casual fooling around with boys at Durmstrang, but he had never taken a guy into his mouth before. He had never done anything that might be conceivably be construed as a passive or female role because, well...he had his pride as a pureblood heir, and the pureblood elite were mindful of their status and rank even in bed. But, to be completely honest, it was mostly because he had been afraid to take things too far with his male paramours, because then he might have had to admit to himself that he found much more pleasure with them than he did with his female lovers--and that was unacceptable for a pureblood heir who would be expected to take a wife and sire children someday. But he was no longer heir, so now there was no need to take a wife. He could love whom, and how, he pleased.

And he did want to please his lover, who was moaning, his body trembling with need and desire. Takeshi was already half-erect, and Aric tentatively ran his tongue across the head of his lover's penis and down the shaft, feeling it twitch slightly as Takeshi cried out in surprise and pleasure.

"Ah! Oh, Aric, please..."

Aric smiled, feeling a little more confident now. He enjoyed seeing seeing the normally calm and self-assured mediwizard lose a little of his composure. He slowly took his lover into his mouth, letting his lips and tongue slide up and down the shaft. He knew that his ministrations were inexperienced and a little awkward, but Takeshi was clearly enjoying them, judging by the way he was moaning and--more importantly--by the way he was hardening and swelling in Aric's mouth. Aric felt an echoing throb between his own legs; he was enjoying this far more than he'd thought he would, and felt a brief, furtive flicker of shame, the last vestiges of his pureblood prejudice. And then he let go of his shame, giving himself up to the moment, delighting in the sound of his lover's moans and his scent and touch and taste, growing increasingly excited by the undeniable evidence of how much Takeshi wanted him. He began to suckle harder, with more enthusiasm, and Takeshi's moans grew louder.

Aric felt Takeshi's body tense, and he glanced down and saw Takeshi's fingers curl into fists, clutching a double handful of the bedsheets as if he were trying to anchor himself down. And then he realized that Takeshi was fighting to hold himself still and not thrust into Aric's mouth, no doubt aware of his inexperience and not wanting to choke or startle him. He also suddenly became aware that Takeshi was still wearing the jade bracelet that Aric had given him, and Aric was filled with a profound sense of love that brought tears to his eyes. At the same time, seeing Takeshi naked except for the bracelet on his wrist was somehow even more intoxicating than simple nudity, and a dizzying wave of lust rushed through Aric's body, causing him to moan around the hard flesh in his mouth.

And then Takeshi's hands released the sheets and gently but firmly closed around his face, pulling him up. "What?" Aric asked anxiously. "Am I doing it wrong?" Maybe he should have spent a little more time reading Theo's book.

"Oh no, love, you're perfect," Takeshi assured him, and his voice sounded sincere. "It's just that...well..." His face, which was already flushed, grew a little redder. "I don't want to come yet. I want you to make love to me."

"Ah!" Aric exclaimed, his expression brightening, feeling relieved that he wasn't such an inept lover after all. And perhaps because he had already been thinking about Theo's book, the next thought that sprang to mind was the joking comment that Takeshi had made when he had spotted it in Aric's hospital room. "Page fifty-two, right?"

Takeshi burst into laughter. The old Aric, the pureblood heir, would have been offended by a lover laughing at him in bed, but he was no longer the old Aric. There was no malice in Takeshi's eyes or voice, and his laughter was so infectious, his smile so delightful, that Aric could not help but laugh along with him--and think to himself how beautiful Takeshi looked when he laughed.

"Yes, my wolf," Takeshi laughed. "Page fifty-two." He wound his arms around Aric's neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "Such a studious scholar," he said, his brown eyes still sparkling with merriment. "I take it you know what to do, then."

"Er...yes," Aric said. "I mean, I know what to do, but I've never actually done it before. That is...I've been with girls, and I've fooled around a bit with a few boys at Durmstrang, but I've never gone all the way with a guy before..." He blushed hotly, biting his lower lip to force himself to shut up, aware that he was babbling like an idiot and sounded like an inexperienced schoolboy--like some naive Gryffindor virgin.

"Then I'm glad that I shall be your first," was all Takeshi said, although there was a hint of barely suppressed laughter in his voice. "You'll need to prepare me. There's some lubricant in the nightstand drawer."

Aric reached inside the drawer, his face still burning. He started to lift out a small glass jar half-filled with oil, but Takeshi said, "No, not that one; the other one." Aric put the first jar back and pulled out another, this one filled with a white cream. He opened the lid and smelled a sharp, but not unpleasant, herbal scent mixed with the slighter sweeter scent of mint.

"Smells nice," he said, his werewolf senses having made him more aware of such things. "What is it?"

Takeshi smiled, looking pleased with himself. "A base for healing salve, a recipe that Chizuru taught me, that doesn't use lavender. I thought that the lavender oil might be too overwhelming and perfumey for a werewolf's tastes."

At first, Aric was pleased that his lover had been so considerate of him, to have whipped up a special batch of cream for him to use. Then he felt a little stab of jealousy, as he realized that Takeshi's words, along with the other jar in the drawer, implied that he had used lavender oil in the past with another lover--or lovers. He hated the thought of anyone else touching his beloved, hated the idea that someone else might have had Takeshi before him. He wanted his lover to belong only to him. He frowned at the jar in his hand, as if it were the source of his problems.

"Aric," Takeshi moaned impatiently, mistaking the reason for his preoccupation. "What are you waiting for? We can exchange potion recipes later!"

Aric laughed, reassured by the urgency in Takeshi's voice. His jealousy eased slightly, transforming into a determined sense of resolve to claim his mate, as if by making love to Takeshi, he could erase the touch of those previous lovers from his body. No, he wanted more than to just make love to him--he wanted to drive Takeshi to such heights of ecstasy that he would forget that he'd ever had another lover before Aric.

It fleetingly occurred to Aric that perhaps that was a pretty lofty goal for someone whose past experience with men was severely limited, but his need to claim his mate was too strong for him to stop and think about it logically. Besides, it didn't seem so impossible with his lover lying naked on the bed, moaning and telling Aric to hurry up and make love to him.

"I thought you said we had all the time in the world," Aric teased, although he was just as eager as Takeshi was, if not more so.

"I changed my mind," Takeshi groaned. "Are you going to sit there analyzing that salve all night, or are you going to make love to me?"

"You're awfully demanding for a Ravenclaw," Aric said with a grin, dipping his fingers into the jar; the cream felt cool and pleasant on his skin, smooth and slick without feeling too greasy. "Maybe you should have been a Slytherin. You do look awfully good in green."

Takeshi opened his mouth, as if to make some sort of rebuke, but all that came out was a gasp, as Aric's fingers reached down between his legs, gently exploring and stroking, seeking the entrance to his body. Aric let his fingers circle that small, puckered opening (so different from a girl's), then slowly pushed one finger inside Takeshi, who whimpered softly. Aric hesitated, but Takeshi raised his hips slightly, encouraging the movement, so Aric pushed in a little deeper, then withdrew and pushed in again.

"More," Takeshi whispered, his voice breathless and a little hoarse.

Aric took that as a good sign, and moved with more confidence, probing deeper and seeking the spot he'd read about in Theo's very helpful manual. Takeshi cried out and raised his hips off the bed again, pushing upwards to drive Aric's finger deeper inside of him. Ah, that must be it. Just to be sure, he brushed his finger against that same spot again; Takeshi groaned loudly. Yes, that was definitely it, Aric thought to himself with a sense of satisfaction.

"More," Takeshi moaned, and Aric eased a second finger inside him. He felt just a little resistance at first, then Takeshi's body seemed to relax and open up to him, and he began thrusting with his fingers. He moved slowly at first, and Takeshi closed his eyes and made little mewling noises of pleasure, which made Aric chuckle because he sounded just like a kitten. And like a kitten waiting to be fed, his voice soon took on a plaintive, demanding note as he began shoving his hips up into the thrusts impatiently, obviously urging Aric to pick up the pace. With a bit of Slytherin wickedness, Aric deliberately slowed down, causing his lover to whimper in frustration, then sped up his thrusts, and Takeshi moaned urgently.

Aric felt his own desire rapidly growing, making it difficult to think straight, but he vaguely recalled that he was supposed to be stretching and preparing his lover. He began scissoring his fingers apart, and Takeshi cried out, his hips bucking and thrashing, his hands frantically clawing at the sheets.

Aric couldn't take it any longer; he pulled his hand away, and before Takeshi had a chance to protest, roughly shoved his lover's legs apart and knelt between them, filled with an overwhelming need to possess his mate. Takeshi moaned, tilting his head back, and Aric leaned forward, instinctively drawn by the sight of his lover's throat. He pressed his lips to the smooth, unmarked skin there, could feel the blood pulsing in the vein beneath his mouth. Aric snarled and opened his mouth, baring his teeth, ready to claim his mate and mark him, so that everyone would know that he belonged to Aric.

Just as he was about to sink his teeth into Takeshi's neck, he suddenly came to his senses and cried out in horror, flinging himself away from his lover with such force that he fell off the bed and hit the floor with a loud thump.
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Takeshi was lying on the bed, feeling his mate poised to enter him, and he moaned eagerly, tilting his head back in an unconscious gesture of submission. He felt Aric's lips touch his throat, and he panted, his breaths coming in short gasps, aching with ever fiber of his being to finally be claimed by his mate. He had been waiting, longing for this moment ever since his first dream about his black wolf lover...

And then Aric cried out, and there was a loud thump, and Takeshi found himself alone on the bed, the weight of his lover's body no longer covering his own. Confused and disoriented, he rolled over to the edge of the bed and looked down. Aric lay sprawled out on the floor, a frightened and horrified look on his face. Takeshi's body was still aching with need and desire, which made it a little hard to think clearly, but he could think of nothing he had done that would so upset Aric. He climbed off the bed and knelt beside his lover, who scuttled away from him, hands and feet scrabbling frantically against the wooden floor in a way that might have seemed comical if he had not looked so terrified.

"Don't come near me!" Aric shouted.

"What's wrong, Aric?" Takeshi asked, feeling puzzled and hurt. Ignoring his lover's words, he moved closer and reached out to touch Aric's shoulder, trying to calm and soothe him.

Aric slapped his hand away and scrambled backwards until he could go no farther, his back pressed up against the wall. "Don't touch me!" he snapped. "I told you not to come near me!"

"Why?" Takeshi asked, his eyes filling with tears. "What have I done wrong?" Had he pushed too hard, too fast, perhaps overestimating Aric's ability to accept his attraction to someone of the same gender? But that didn't really make sense; by his own admission, Aric had experimented with boys at Durmstrang, and the Slytherins tended to be a little jaded about such things. Sleeping with someone of the same sex wasn't a problem, so long as it didn't interfere with the need to make a proper marriage alliance. And Aric had willingly given up the heirship and his bride, and once he had gotten over the trauma of being turned, had seemed to be at peace with himself, and eager to begin his new life with Takeshi.

"Nothing," Aric said, his expression softening a little. "You didn't do anything wrong. Don't you see, it's not you, but me!" As Takeshi hesitantly reached out to touch him again, he shouted, "Don't! The wolf inside me is so strong, much stronger than it was during the full moon; I can't control it. Just now I almost bit you!"

"Oh, is that all?" Takeshi asked, feeling relieved. It wasn't something he had done, after all.

"What do you mean, is that all?" Aric shouted, beginning to grow a little angry. "Didn't you hear me? I'm a werewolf and I almost bit you!"

"But my love," Takeshi said reasonably, "you cannot turn me when you are in human form."

"That's not the point!" Aric said in frustration. "Just now I was thinking like a wolf, not a human!"

"Humans bite each other in loveplay, too, sometimes," Takeshi said, then gently teased, "I believe it's referred to as giving someone a hickey."

"It's not funny!" Aric snapped. "Even if I'm not contagious, I'm still stronger than a normal human! What if..." His voice shook. "What if I'd hurt you, Takeshi? I wanted to bite you, hard. I could have bitten right through your throat!"

"Oh, Aric," Takeshi said softly, all the amusement gone from his voice now. {Remus was having the "facts of life" talk with the wrong person,} he thought ruefully. "Aric," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle and soothing, "I told you that the wolf's instincts would grow stronger with the full moon."

"But the full moon has passed!" Aric protested.

"There are other times when the wolf's instincts will grow dominant," Takeshi said. "When you or someone you love are in danger, for example. You saw Lukas transform into a wolf when Theodore attacked him, and I don't think it was just the spell that made him transform, although it was the trigger. He knew that Theodore wouldn't really hurt him. It was mostly his desire to protect you, his need to transform in order to save you. He was in his wolf form, Aric, but he was still able to control himself and only bite you, not kill you. Because he loves you."

"I'm not Lukas," Aric mumbled, staring down at the floor. "I can't control the wolf like he does."

"And the wolf's instincts will become stronger when it, ah, wants to mate," Takeshi continued. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, my love. I am part animal, too. Do you remember how I told you that I felt the crane's desire to be joined with its mate that night you came to me at the clinic?"

"That's different," Aric said sullenly. "A crane can't hurt anyone."

Takeshi smiled. "It's true that a crane is not as dangerous as a wolf, and that a crane would sooner flee from an attacker than fight one. But in crane form, my beak is very long and sharp, and I could do someone a serious injury if I wished."

"But not while you're human," Aric argued.

"I am not afraid of you, as man or wolf," Takeshi said patiently. "You need not fear the wolf's instincts, my love. A wolf would never hurt its mate."

He reached out to touch Aric again, laying his hand on Aric's chest. Aric shuddered at the touch, at the nearness of his lover's naked body, which only served to arouse the wolf further, and he desperately struggled against the mindless lust that threatened to overwhelm him, against the need to shove Takeshi down on the floor and take him right here and now, without any gentleness or romance. And he began to grow angry with his lover for brushing off his concerns and refusing to take him seriously.

"Come to bed, Aric," Takeshi whispered. "Make love to me. There is nothing to fear, I promise."

"The wolf doesn't want to make love to you," Aric said harshly. He deliberately made his next words crude, to try and make Takeshi realize just how much his wolf instincts had overpowered him. "It just wants to claim you, to fuck you, hard and fast, like an animal--" He broke off as Takeshi's face flushed, but not with embarrassment or revulsion. "My God!" Aric exclaimed, feeling even more horrified than before. "Does that excite you?"

"Yes," Takeshi said, meeting his eyes squarely. "Does that repulse you?" Aric looked away, and Takeshi reached out to cradle his lover's face in his hands, gently but firmly turning it back to face him. "I accept you, all of you, including the wolf. I want you as much as you want me."

"But this isn't how I wanted it to be," Aric said, fighting back tears. "I wanted our first time to be...well...special. I wanted to take my time and savor it, make love to you slowly and tenderly, not just rut like animals in heat."

"You're awfully romantic for a Slytherin, my dear," Takeshi said with a smile, but he was touched by Aric's words. Truly, as much as he loved Aric, he was a little surprised--but not displeased--to learn of his lover's romantic streak. On second thought, it should not have come as such a surprise, not after Aric had given him the jade bracelet and asked for the feather token in return. Still cradling Aric's face in his hands, Takeshi very lightly brushed his lips against Aric's. Even that faint caress was enough to make Aric moan and tremble. He could see Aric's muscles bunching and tensing beneath his skin, fighting to control the wolf, and Takeshi was momentarily distracted--Aric still had the body of an athlete, although he had not played Quidditch since coming to Hogwarts. All those Physical Defense lessons must have kept him in good shape; another thing to thank Lukas for.

Takeshi shook his head slightly to clear it; Aric was not the only one being ruled by his hormones right now. "There are times for tenderness and romance, and times for urgency and heated desire," Takeshi said softly. "Now is the time for urgency, but there will be times for tenderness in the future, I promise. I think perhaps it is because you are newly-turned, and this is our first time together, that the wolf's desires are so strong. You will find it easier to reconcile the wolf's nature with your own as time goes by."

"Are you sure?" Aric asked uncertainly, but with a pleading look in his eyes, wanting to believe Takeshi's words.

"Yes, my love," Takeshi replied, gently stroking his face. "Don't be afraid to give in to the wolf. Don't hate that part of yourself--or else you must hate me for desiring it."

"You...desire...the wolf?" Aric asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Takeshi said, continuing to stroke Aric's face, which seemed to soothe him. "I told you before that you have appeared in my dreams as a wolf." And he told Aric about that first dream, where the black wolf had turned into a man and made love to him with a wolf's ferocity.

Aric moaned and wrapped his arms around Takeshi, pulling him close. It felt so good, almost intoxicating, to feel Takeshi's warm skin and cool, silky hair beneath his hands. But still, he hesitated. "But what if I hurt you without meaning to? The wolf's strength--"

"You will not hurt me," Takeshi said firmly.

"But you don't know that," Aric argued.

"I do," Takeshi insisted. He took a deep breath, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake, then said, "I have been with a werewolf before, and I survived the experience intact."

"What?!" Aric cried. Someone--not just a man, but a werewolf, probably a wolf from his own pack--had made love to his mate before him! He had known that he was not Takeshi's first lover, but for some reason the knowledge that at least one of his former lovers had been a werewolf filled him with an insane, blinding jealousy. He wanted to tear his rival, whomever that might be, into pieces. "Who was it?" he snarled, and Takeshi began to look a little alarmed. Aric felt a twinge of guilt, and at the same time, a perverse sense of satisfaction at his lover's fear. {I told him the wolf was dangerous!} He remembered Ash's admonishment not to break Takeshi's heart, and demanded, "Was it Ash?"

"It doesn't matter," Takeshi said firmly, standing his ground although his face was a little pale. "I have had other lovers in the past, but I am with you now." Aric growled, and Takeshi said in a level voice, "I'm twenty-one years old, Aric, and I only met you last fall. I'm not a virgin and neither are you. Should I be jealous of those girls you said you slept with, or those boys you 'fooled around' with at Durmstrang?"

Aric flushed, his anger receding. "They didn't mean anything to me," he mumbled sheepishly. "You're the only one I've ever loved."

"My werewolf friends meant something to me, but I did not love them as I love you," Takeshi said.

"Friends?" Aric said, his jealousy flaring up again as he picked up on the plural word. "Just how many of them are there, anyway?"

Takeshi sighed, torn between irritation and amusement, but it was mostly his fault for bringing it up in the first place. He had only wanted to assure Aric that a werewolf wouldn't hurt his partner during lovemaking, but he should have realized how possessive a werewolf would be of his mate, although in the case of Remus and Professor Snape, it seemed to be Snape who was the possessive one in that relationship. "How many lovers have YOU had, including the ones you 'fooled around' with?" he retorted.

Aric seemed taken aback by the question, and his eyes turned a little distant, focusing inward as if mentally counting in his head, "Uh...let's see..."

"Never mind," Takeshi laughed. "If you have to stop and think about it, I don't really want to know. I don't want to be jealous of your numerous lovers." Aric blushed, smiling sheepishly, and Takeshi smiled fondly back at him and stroked his cheek. "I have had exactly two werewolf lovers," he said in a quiet, even voice. "And no, I won't tell you who they were. We weren't really lovers, just friends who shared the comfort of our bodies to ease our loneliness. I never loved them, or rather, I only loved them as friends." He said earnestly, "Please, Aric, do not let your jealousy poison our relationship, or your bond with your packmates. Whatever happened between me and any past lover, human or werewolf, is long over. We have both had previous lovers, and to be honest, I don't really like the idea of you having been with someone else, either." Aric flushed again. "But all that is in the past now. I love you, Aric. You are my soulmate, my heart's desire. I have been waiting my entire life to find you, and from now on, I will be with you and no one else. You are all that I want."

"I'm sorry, 'Keshi," Aric whispered remorsefully. "I didn't mean to be such a git. I just went a little crazy there for a minute."

"It's all right," Takeshi assured him. "I think it was the wolf's instincts. I'll have to remember in the future how possessive how a werewolf can be." He smiled and kissed Aric. "So come and make love to me, my wolf. I am yours, and yours alone."

Aric returned the kiss, but Takeshi could still feel him holding back a little, trying to keep the wolf in check. He decided that he would need more than words to convince Aric that it was safe for them to make love, and that Takeshi truly did desire that wolfish side of him.

Aric was startled and a little worried when Takeshi pulled away from him without warning, but then the mediwizard climbed back up on the bed and crouched down on his hands and knees--oh sweet Merlin, on all fours, like a wolf waiting to be mounted. That broke his last shred of self-control, and he moaned wildly, jumped up onto the bed with one great leap that caused the bed to shake, grabbed Takeshi's hips to brace himself, and slammed into his lover with one swift, hard thrust.

Takeshi cried out, and Aric came to his senses, asking anxiously, "Are you all right? Did I hurt you?"

"N-no," gasped Takeshi. "Please...don't stop!"

That was all the assurance Aric--or rather, his inner wolf--needed. He let long-denied passion and lust sweep over him, and resumed thrusting, hard and fast, his need too great, as he had warned Takeshi, for gentleness or finesse. But it didn't seem to matter; Takeshi cried out again, this time with such obvious pleasure that Aric could not mistake it for anything else. He laughed in relief and joy, relishing the sensation of finally being sheathed inside his mate's body, his flesh hot and tight around Aric, yet at the same time yielding and welcoming. Takeshi pushed back against him eagerly, urging him on. It felt so right, so perfect, how could he have ever doubted that Takeshi wanted him? How could he have ever imagined that he might hurt his mate, or that his beloved might be repulsed by him? His fears seemed silly and groundless now.

Takeshi cried out in pleasure as Aric thrust deeply into him. For someone who claimed to have little experience with men, each thrust seemed to unerringly strike the exact spot that sent surges of pleasure racing through his body, pleasure so intense that it caused his vision to blur, the way it might if he were staring directly into the sun. Maybe it was a natural instinct of the werewolf; Remus had never mentioned that in his little lecture! Eyes watering, Takeshi shoved his hips back to meet Aric's thrusts, moaning and crying out uncontrollably. Remus was right about one thing, though: it was very different with a lifemate than a casual lover. If he hadn't already been sure, the feeling of completion, of being made whole, along with the incredible pleasure he felt as Aric thrust into him, would have convinced Takeshi that he had found his dream lover. Nothing in his life had ever felt so good; none of his past lovers had ever made him feel this way, and even the dreams paled beside the real thing.

But as good as it felt to have his mate inside him, each thrust also sent a searing blaze of heat shooting straight through to his groin, causing his erection, which had flagged a bit during his attempt to calm down and reassure Aric, to begin throbbing again. It was a sweet and yet tormenting ache that caused him to moan in frustration. He reached up with his right hand to stroke himself, growing even more excited when he realized that he was living out the dream he'd had, and as if on cue, Aric growled softly into his ear as he had in the dream.

Aric growled softly as he saw Takeshi reach up, in a surreptitious manner, to touch himself. He glanced down to watch Takeshi's hand sliding up and down his growing erection, moving in time with Aric's thrusts. It excited him so much that he began thrusting even harder, with such force that it caused Takeshi to lose his balance and pitch forward, nearly falling on his face. He had to quickly drop his right hand back to the mattress to stop his fall.

Takeshi yelped in surprise, and Aric grinned apologetically and said, "Sorry." Then he growled, "Here, let me," in a low, gruff voice that sent a shiver running down Takeshi's spine, and he reached down to take over where Takeshi had left off.

Takeshi moaned loudly as Aric's hand closed around him and began roughly stroking him, shuddering under an onslaught of pleasure from within and without. He rocked back and forth, pushing back into Aric's thrusts and thrusting forward into his fist, and he didn't know which felt better. It all blurred together into an increasing spiral of ecstasy so intense that it was almost painful, and he wondered briefly if one could die from too much pleasure. Then he no longer cared, rational thought slipping away from him as he frantically begged Aric for more.

Takeshi was babbling in an incoherent mixture of English and Japanese, but it didn't really matter to Aric, who was too far gone to have understood him even if he had been speaking plain English. He had surrendered to the wolf, and the wolf understood that the urgency in its mate's voice meant "more," even if it didn't understand the actual words.

He thrust as hard and fast as he could, plunging in and out of his mate's body, panting and growling, desperately seeking release even as he wished that this moment could last forever. But he knew that he was close to climaxing, whether he willed it or not. Takeshi moaned, bowing his head forward, his long black hair spilling across the sheets, leaving the nape of his neck exposed. Without thinking, Aric leant forward and bit down hard on the back of Takeshi's neck as he thrust deeply into his mate.

Takeshi cried out, spilling his seed into Aric's hand, while his muscles clenched convulsively around Aric in an almost painful grip, and that was enough to send Aric over the edge, too, and he threw back his head and howled as he came.

Takeshi fell face-down the bed, limp and boneless like a rag doll, and Aric collapsed on top of him, panting and gasping for breath. It felt good to have his mate's body beneath him, and he wasn't inclined to move until he heard Takeshi make a muffled noise that sounded something like, "Mrmph," and he realized that his lover might be having a little difficulty breathing.

"Oops, sorry," Aric said apologetically, rolling off of Takeshi so that they were lying side-by-side instead. "Better?"

"Mm-hmm," Takeshi said, sighing contentedly.

Aric gently stroked the nape of Takeshi's neck, and the mediwizard sighed again. The bite had not broken the skin, but a dark bruise was beginning to form, marring his pale, smooth skin, and Aric tenderly kissed it in apology. "Sorry, 'Keshi," he murmured.

"I'm not," Takeshi said, smiling as he turned to face Aric. "I told you that I wasn't afraid of the wolf. It felt good to have you claim me, as you did in my dream."

"Did I really do that in your dream?" Aric asked, gently nuzzling Takeshi's neck.

"Yes."

"And you liked it?"

"I came both times, as soon as you bit me," Takeshi whispered into his ear, and Aric shivered.

"But doesn't it hurt?"

"A little bit. But it feels good at the same time. Isn't sparring with Lukas sometimes painful?"

"Yes."

"But you feel a rush of adrenaline at the same time, and a sense of satisfaction afterwards."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Aric acknowledged, grinning. "But it's not quite the same kind of satisfaction."

"I should hope not," Takeshi said, grinning back at him. "Because I refuse to share you with anyone, even your pack leader."

"Now who's the possessive one?" Aric laughed, wrapping his arms around Takeshi and kissing him.

They just lay there together, arms wrapped loosely around each other, and Aric began to doze off, feeling sated and content. But he immediately woke when he felt Takeshi sliding away from him, very slowly and carefully easing out from under Aric's arms.

"Hey, where are you going?" Aric demanded sleepily, wrapping an arm around Takeshi's waist and pulling him back.

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you," Takeshi said. "I was going to take a bath."

"Now?" Aric asked, frowning. "What for?"

"Well, for one thing, I am rather sticky and sweaty."

Aric held him more tightly and inhaled deeply, drinking in the rich, musky odor of sweat and semen mingled with herbs and mint, and beneath it all, Takeshi's own scent, hard to define in human terms, yet unmistakable to the wolf. Perhaps it might seem a little ripe to a normal human, but to the wolf, it was heavenly. He also liked that he could smell himself on Takeshi's skin, and Takeshi's scent on himself. He didn't want his mate to wash all those combined scents away. "You smell good," he said dreamily, without thinking, then blushed as he realized what he had said. "Sorry, does that sound a little weird?"

"Not at all, love," Takeshi said, kissing him lightly. "I'm glad that you're beginning to enjoy your wolf senses rather than fear them."

"So forget the bath and stay here," Aric urged, then frowned as Takeshi squirmed restlessly in his embrace. "What, do I smell bad to you or something?"

"Oh no, it's not that," Takeshi hastened to assure him.

"Then stay," Aric said. He felt sticky and sweaty himself, but he didn't care; it felt so good to be lying here, holding Takeshi in his arms.

"Why don't you come take a bath with me?" Takeshi suggested.

"I'm perfectly comfortable," Aric replied.

"That's because you're not lying on the wet spot," Takeshi said with a wry smile.

"Oh!" Aric exclaimed, his face turning beet red, and he looked so mortified that Takeshi burst into laughter. "I'm so sorry!" Aric apologized, reaching for Takeshi's wand on the nightstand, which was closer than his own wand, which lay on the floor inside the pocket of his robes. "Why don't we just cast a cleaning spell?"

"I...want...a...bath," Takeshi said stubbornly, pausing between each word for emphasis. His lower lip thrust out just a little, and Aric kissed it. He had never seen the mild-mannered mediwizard look so mulish before, but he did look kind of cute when he pouted.

"But the bed is so nice and comfy," Aric cajoled. "We can clean up in a few seconds with a quick spell."

"But if we shower together, you can rub soap all over my body, and vice versa," Takeshi purred.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Aric said eagerly, jumping up in bed. Another part of him jumped up as well, despite having been flaccid and spent a moment ago.

Takeshi giggled, and reached out to fondle him with light, teasing strokes of his fingers, making Aric shudder and moan. "Remus wasn't lying about a werewolf's stamina," Takeshi said musingly.

"What?!" Aric cried, shock temporarily overcoming lust. "Is THAT what you were talking about in the kitchen?"

Takeshi giggled again, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "He said he wanted to tell me about the facts of life, werewolf style. He wanted to warn me not to be afraid if you bit me, because that is part of the wolf's need to mark and claim its mate. And he wanted to warn me that werewolves have incredible stamina, and are particularly insatiable near the full moon. Poor Professor Snape; Remus must completely wear him out. I wonder, have you ever noticed if he looks exhausted right before the full moon?"

"You talked about his and Snape's sex life?" Aric asked in horror.

"Just in context," Takeshi replied blithely. "Remus says..." He whispered into Aric's ear.

"HOW many times in one night?!" Aric exclaimed. "Even assuming that a werewolf is capable of that, is Snape superhuman or something?"

"Well, Remus says that--"

"Never mind," Aric interrupted hastily. "I don't really want to know. Thinking about Snape having sex makes me a little ill." Indeed, his erection was already beginning to wilt at the thought.

"Well, never mind," Takeshi said consolingly. "We can experiment for ourselves." He grinned impishly. "Consider it scholarly research on werewolf mating habits."

"Are you expecting me to live up to Lupin's standards?" Aric asked warily.

"I'm not sure that I'd still be able to walk afterwards if you did," Takeshi laughed. "Come on, let's go take a bath."

Chapter 153

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