"Tin Stars"
Dec. 11th, 2004 08:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivendellroseAnother Snape/Lupin in the era of my earlier "Pre-Dawn Etude" and "A Drop of Oil," but much fluffier. My attempt at a bit of Christmas cheer.
Dedication: For all my friends, and for the kind hp_britglish folks who helped me figure out what a British Christmas couldn't go without.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money, please don't cripple my education by suing.
Rating: PG-13, as usual.
Cross-posted to Lupin-Snape.
Severus Snape hated Christmas. Not in the stereotypical, 'bah-humbug', capitalist sort of way (in fact, he had a feeling most capitalists were actually quite fond of the holiday, since it tended to boost revenues rather impressively), but simply with a dull annoyance that grew each time he passed groups of his peers who were intent on reveling in lack of fiscal responsibility, or, worse yet, relive their childhood memories of yuletide warmth. Severus couldn't think of anything related to his childhood that he'd be willing to relive if paid to do so, particularly not pertaining to Christmas.
Sentimental cards, charmed snow, and fairy-lights lined the store-fronts along his way home from the laboratory, and cloyingly nostalgic carols and evergreen boughs hung in the rafters of every damned building - including that of his own lodging house. Grumbling, he shoved the (perpetually sticky) door open, then whirled and caught the jingle bells, gritting his teeth as he tried to silence them. Bloody idiotic landlord. Why waste the money on something that would only annoy people as they tried to come home for a quiet evening after a long day of work?
He climbed the flights of narrow stairs up to his flat, and had just managed to squeeze himself through the door between boxes and the edge of the single work-table, when he noticed a peculiar smell. "Lupin, did you burn supper?"
"No, I didn't. That's candle-smoke, not food-smoke. Honestly, I should think you would trust me by now." Remus stood up, brushing bits of something silvery off his faded jeans.
"You are not playing with silver."
"Of course not." Remus rolled his eyes. "Yes, I thought I'd burn designs in my skin for Christmas. It's tin, stop being so paranoid."
"What are you doing with slivers of tin, then?"
Remus looked a bit chagrined, but pointed to the other side of the room, where the tiny fireplace grate was festooned with strings of slightly mangled tin stars, cut in varying degrees of the right shapes, twinkling in the light of a collection of mismatched candles. "I cut them out of the gravy and mince pie tins."
"What mince pie and gravy tins?"
"Er. The ones I picked up in Muggle London today. To go with the turkey."
"You did not buy us a turkey. We don't have the money for turkey. We don't have money for a tupping chicken."
"I know that." Remus shifted from foot to foot, apparently trying to regain the circulation he'd lost from sitting cross-legged on their bare wooden floor. "But there's been leftovers at the cafe the last few days, so Ned told the girls and I to take what we wanted home for our families. So I've got some turkey, roast potatoes, a bit of stuffing, and the pudding for after. The only thing missing was the cranberries and gravy, and then the crackers." He held up a pair of cheap paper crackers, bright red with green and white patterns all over.
"You've gone utterly mad. I've spent all day trying to keep away from this infernal holiday, and now I get home, I'm tired... and you've gone Father Christmas on me."
Remus smirked. "Come on - just a cracker, some dinner, and a bit of brandy."
"Brandy? Lupin, have you forgotten the payments for--"
"It was a Christmas present from Eliza at the cafe, Severus," Remus interrupted. "I didn't spend more than a few pounds on all of this, I promise."
"Well, good. If you're going to be an idiot, at least you're a frugal one."
"Thank you. Now sit down, before the potatoes get cold. You took longer getting home than I thought you would." Remus waved his wand and muttered a charm to light the fire-grate, then settled himself cross-legged on the futon in front of their table. Severus sat, as well, and reached out for the plate of turkey.
"Ahem?"
Following Remus' significant glance, Severus winced. "Not the bloody crackers, Remus. Just leave me a bit of my dignity."
"No. It's not Christmas without the crackers." Remus held out two, one in each hand, and gave Severus a look that indicated that he'd be sleeping on the floor for the holidays if he didn't submit.
"I hate you."
"Merry Christmas to you, too," Remus smirked, pulling both crackers at once.
"You're going to make me wear that gaudy hat, too, aren't you?" The tissue-paper crown was settled on Severus' lank black hair almost before the sentence was fully formed. "If I'm wearing one, so are you."
"Of course." Remus settled his own paper crown atop his head. Now eat, before it gets cold."
The gravy and stuffing properly moistened the dry turkey, and the mince pies disappeared quickly, followed by the bit of plum pudding, lit with a splash of the brandy, and happily consumed accompanied by the rest of the bottle, passed back and forth between the two of them. Knowing what the bottle had done to the elder Snape, Remus normally hated to see Severus drink... but it wasn't Christmas without a bit of brandy while listening to the Queen's speech on the WWN.
Seemingly sated and sleepy from alcohol on his too-often-empty stomach, Severus laid back on the futon, the tissue crown hanging rakishly on his lank black hair. "Severus..." Remus poked at him gently. "You can't sleep yet, there's still a bit more."
"I don't want to listen to the rest of the speech, you moronic furball. I've been working all day."
"I didn't mean the speech. Just open your eyes."
Severus winced and scowled, but squinted blearily up at... a slightly limp clump of round green leaves and waxy white berries, hung above his face by Remus' fingers.
"Another gift from the cafe?"
"They won't be needing it tomorrow, will they? I brought it home so it could get a bit of use that wasn't poor Anna being cornered by one of the bus-boys."
"Very philanthropic of you." Severus rolled over on his back and smirked up at the werewolf. "Well? I'm falling back asleep if you don't do something..."
Remus grinned, and set the mistletoe on the table to complete the time-honoured tradition... and perhaps a little extra. After all, it was only Christmas once a year.
Dedication: For all my friends, and for the kind hp_britglish folks who helped me figure out what a British Christmas couldn't go without.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money, please don't cripple my education by suing.
Rating: PG-13, as usual.
Cross-posted to Lupin-Snape.
Severus Snape hated Christmas. Not in the stereotypical, 'bah-humbug', capitalist sort of way (in fact, he had a feeling most capitalists were actually quite fond of the holiday, since it tended to boost revenues rather impressively), but simply with a dull annoyance that grew each time he passed groups of his peers who were intent on reveling in lack of fiscal responsibility, or, worse yet, relive their childhood memories of yuletide warmth. Severus couldn't think of anything related to his childhood that he'd be willing to relive if paid to do so, particularly not pertaining to Christmas.
Sentimental cards, charmed snow, and fairy-lights lined the store-fronts along his way home from the laboratory, and cloyingly nostalgic carols and evergreen boughs hung in the rafters of every damned building - including that of his own lodging house. Grumbling, he shoved the (perpetually sticky) door open, then whirled and caught the jingle bells, gritting his teeth as he tried to silence them. Bloody idiotic landlord. Why waste the money on something that would only annoy people as they tried to come home for a quiet evening after a long day of work?
He climbed the flights of narrow stairs up to his flat, and had just managed to squeeze himself through the door between boxes and the edge of the single work-table, when he noticed a peculiar smell. "Lupin, did you burn supper?"
"No, I didn't. That's candle-smoke, not food-smoke. Honestly, I should think you would trust me by now." Remus stood up, brushing bits of something silvery off his faded jeans.
"You are not playing with silver."
"Of course not." Remus rolled his eyes. "Yes, I thought I'd burn designs in my skin for Christmas. It's tin, stop being so paranoid."
"What are you doing with slivers of tin, then?"
Remus looked a bit chagrined, but pointed to the other side of the room, where the tiny fireplace grate was festooned with strings of slightly mangled tin stars, cut in varying degrees of the right shapes, twinkling in the light of a collection of mismatched candles. "I cut them out of the gravy and mince pie tins."
"What mince pie and gravy tins?"
"Er. The ones I picked up in Muggle London today. To go with the turkey."
"You did not buy us a turkey. We don't have the money for turkey. We don't have money for a tupping chicken."
"I know that." Remus shifted from foot to foot, apparently trying to regain the circulation he'd lost from sitting cross-legged on their bare wooden floor. "But there's been leftovers at the cafe the last few days, so Ned told the girls and I to take what we wanted home for our families. So I've got some turkey, roast potatoes, a bit of stuffing, and the pudding for after. The only thing missing was the cranberries and gravy, and then the crackers." He held up a pair of cheap paper crackers, bright red with green and white patterns all over.
"You've gone utterly mad. I've spent all day trying to keep away from this infernal holiday, and now I get home, I'm tired... and you've gone Father Christmas on me."
Remus smirked. "Come on - just a cracker, some dinner, and a bit of brandy."
"Brandy? Lupin, have you forgotten the payments for--"
"It was a Christmas present from Eliza at the cafe, Severus," Remus interrupted. "I didn't spend more than a few pounds on all of this, I promise."
"Well, good. If you're going to be an idiot, at least you're a frugal one."
"Thank you. Now sit down, before the potatoes get cold. You took longer getting home than I thought you would." Remus waved his wand and muttered a charm to light the fire-grate, then settled himself cross-legged on the futon in front of their table. Severus sat, as well, and reached out for the plate of turkey.
"Ahem?"
Following Remus' significant glance, Severus winced. "Not the bloody crackers, Remus. Just leave me a bit of my dignity."
"No. It's not Christmas without the crackers." Remus held out two, one in each hand, and gave Severus a look that indicated that he'd be sleeping on the floor for the holidays if he didn't submit.
"I hate you."
"Merry Christmas to you, too," Remus smirked, pulling both crackers at once.
"You're going to make me wear that gaudy hat, too, aren't you?" The tissue-paper crown was settled on Severus' lank black hair almost before the sentence was fully formed. "If I'm wearing one, so are you."
"Of course." Remus settled his own paper crown atop his head. Now eat, before it gets cold."
The gravy and stuffing properly moistened the dry turkey, and the mince pies disappeared quickly, followed by the bit of plum pudding, lit with a splash of the brandy, and happily consumed accompanied by the rest of the bottle, passed back and forth between the two of them. Knowing what the bottle had done to the elder Snape, Remus normally hated to see Severus drink... but it wasn't Christmas without a bit of brandy while listening to the Queen's speech on the WWN.
Seemingly sated and sleepy from alcohol on his too-often-empty stomach, Severus laid back on the futon, the tissue crown hanging rakishly on his lank black hair. "Severus..." Remus poked at him gently. "You can't sleep yet, there's still a bit more."
"I don't want to listen to the rest of the speech, you moronic furball. I've been working all day."
"I didn't mean the speech. Just open your eyes."
Severus winced and scowled, but squinted blearily up at... a slightly limp clump of round green leaves and waxy white berries, hung above his face by Remus' fingers.
"Another gift from the cafe?"
"They won't be needing it tomorrow, will they? I brought it home so it could get a bit of use that wasn't poor Anna being cornered by one of the bus-boys."
"Very philanthropic of you." Severus rolled over on his back and smirked up at the werewolf. "Well? I'm falling back asleep if you don't do something..."
Remus grinned, and set the mistletoe on the table to complete the time-honoured tradition... and perhaps a little extra. After all, it was only Christmas once a year.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 08:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:10 pm (UTC)Read the fic that goes with your icon today too. Very cute.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:25 pm (UTC)Oh, I'm glad you liked it! That one's really my favorite piece.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:14 pm (UTC)Burst out laughing at that line. It sounds just like me. I <3 Sarcastic!Remus and Grumbly!Severus. Hehe.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 09:51 pm (UTC)Now I'm sitting here wondering how the hell to save this poor little bit of fan-art I've been working on. I don't know what exactly I was thinking when I did the first part, but... it's just not coming together right. Argh.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-11 10:23 pm (UTC)*pets* Take a step away from it for a bit? I know that helps me with writing, don't know if it helps with art. We could play Scrabble!
no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 04:42 am (UTC)This is part of your "universe"? can you point me to the other pieces?
many thanks
UL
xxx
no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 12:04 pm (UTC)I guess 'series' would be more appropriate than 'universe' - I started out with "Pre-Dawn Etude," (http://www.livejournal.com/users/rivendellrose/122558.html) dealing with the possibilities if Remus and Severus had been together during the first war, followed by "A Drop of Oil," (http://www.livejournal.com/users/rivendellrose/129257.html) as sort of an indirect sequel.
After that, I kept planning to finish with a piece to bring them back together during the second war, but it's proven more difficult to write than I expected... hence this fluffy Christmas bit that just fits into the same time period as the first two.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 06:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 11:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 09:32 am (UTC)Thanks so much!
no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 11:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 10:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 11:55 am (UTC)Plus, it's an excuse to indulge that romantic notion of love and the deserving poor that shows up in so many old books and stories, and I'm a sucker for that literary device. ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 03:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-12 08:57 pm (UTC)I really liked the necessary frugalness - thought it was a nice touch.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-13 12:18 am (UTC)Rambling along.....
Date: 2004-12-13 02:21 pm (UTC)I loved the line "Yes, I thought I'd burn designs in my skin for Christmas. It's tin, stop being so paranoid."
Re: Rambling along.....
Date: 2004-12-13 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-13 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 05:12 pm (UTC)My favorite is still "Go find someone else's leg to hump." Such a silly line, but I just couldn't resist....... ;)