Snape/Lucius slash

Title: Sunset

Author: Dina

Rating: NC-17

Summary: After seemingly losing everything he owned, Lucius realizes he still can have something he thought was out of his reach.

AN: Thanks for Vaughn for the superb beta!

Lucius was used to owning many things. What he wasn't prepared for was to lose them.

First he lost his good reputation. Been sent to Azkaban, then living as a refugee was a hard experience for someone who used to move in the highest circles of society in all his life.

Then he lost his power. The Dark Lord was conquered by The Boy Who Lived, and Lucius, his known servant, was hunted by the Aurors.

His family turned away from him. Draco, who flinched away when Lucius tried to grasp his arm during their last argument, at their last meeting. He all but screamed "Don't touch me you bastard!" as if Lucius was ever known for physical violence. Draco's parting gift was that he didn't betray his father's whereabouts to Dumbledore's lackeys - but he made it very clear he will be happy only if he never even heard of Lucius again.

He had got a bit more from Narcissa, although he had expected less, as they grown apart completely over the years. She gave him a house on a small island near Greece, unplottable and invisible to Muggle eyes, which she had inherited from her grandparents long ago.

She looked at him with some sadness as he stood amongst boxes containing his belongings in the empty hall. She told him he'd better not come back to England for some time. They both know by 'some time' she meant 'never'.

He stared at the spot where she had stood after she Apparated away for awhile, and tried to remember the exact minute when the control he had over his life and valued so much started to slip away from him. He couldn't.

He tried to adjust to his new life, - without much success. The whole island wasn't much bigger than the lands that belonged to Malfoy Manor before the Ministry took them away, but it still seemed too large for him to live here all alone, save the lone house elf, who kept the house in order and cooked for him. Lucius was lonely but he vowed to die before he lowered himself so much that he would see company in a house elf.

He tried to occupy himself in the house, but it was so small and plain compared to what he was used to. He didn't have much to do anyway. He read books, he wrote letters he never sent and stared at the ceiling above his bed.

The island itself wasn't much better. Rocks, rocks and more rocks, it seemed it was what made the whole thing with only a few dried out plants clinging in the cracks. No trees, no grass and no rain. Lucius missed Britain.

He tried to amuse himself with watching the animals that lived with him on the island. They were birds and beetles mostly, and precious few reptiles. Lucius liked to watch the lizards and snakes the most. They came out only when the sun wasn't burning too hot, just like Lucius. He had his reasons, his snow white skin burned way too easily and he didn't know a strong protection charm to shield from the rays; he never needed one in England. He wondered what the reptiles’ reason was. He new next to nothing about wild life as up until now he always had much more important things to dwell on.

The only thing Lucius really liked on the island was the sunset. He supposed the sunrise must be equally beautiful, but he had never been an early riser nor was he one who liked to change his habits. He might be closed up in this hellish place but he would be damned if that would make him give up what he didn't have to.

That watching the sunset every evening was a change he ignored as it was pleasant. He sat in the house all day and just came out when it was time. Sometimes he swam near the coast but usually he just sat at his favorite spot on a rock , with his legs hanging to the water, and watched as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon. It painted the waters almost blood-red, as if it was bleeding from a wound. Then it seemed from one minute to the next the sun disappeared and everything went black. Sometimes Lucius didn't move for hours.

He lived on the island for nearly three months when he felt he had to hear human voices or else he would go mad. He tried to read out aloud, but that just wasn't satisfactory.

But going away wasn't a sane option. Lucius was bored out of his mind, but he didn't want to lose his life. So that left only one thing. He had to invite someone.

But who? His son and wife was out of question, they made it crystal clear they never want to hear from him again. He had no contact with the rest of his family. Fellow Death Eaters were out of question; even those who were still free were hunted, sending them a letter would just make it easy for the Aurors to track him. He needed someone who he could trust, but who wasn't in prison or a wanted man. That left one person.

It was the begining of the summer, anyway. Severus might even be glad for a chance of a holiday.

There wasn't a reply to his letter. After a week Lucius started to worry. Maybe it was a mistake hoping Snape will come - maybe it was dangerous trusting him. He proved to be a traitor to the Dark Lord's cause in the end, after all, although it was not a great surprise for Lucius, who had suspected him to be one for a long time. Still, he trusted Snape, if he trusted anyone at all. Not with vital information about the Dark Lord's plans, but with his own views and plans. He had the feeling Severus had known about his suspicions, but neither one had ever said a word about it.

Severus and him had a long and strange history. In the times before the Dark Lord's first fall they had been lovers, but they had slowly grown apart as Lucius started to spend more time with his son and wife, and Severus buried himself in his teaching, Head of House duties and his research. That had been a dangerous time for two ex-Death Eaters to be together much, and when the suspicions around them thinned they just hadn't bothered to renew their relationship.

Mostly the correspondence between them had been only a few exchanged letters, and some meetings barely more than between a parent and teacher's correspondence when Draco had started school.

They had only started to get closer again when the Dark Lord rose and they both crawled back to him, Lucius helping the other to do so despite his doubts concerning Snape's loyalty. They hadn't become lovers again, and maybe not even friends, just two men who had only the other to whom they could pour out what was on their minds without the fear of being judged for their thoughts or being taken advantage of.

That was why he wrote to Snape, who probably burnt the letter as soon as he got it, not wanting to have the image of someone exchanging words with a hunted man. Or maybe he was showing that traitorous piece of paper with the password to the Portkey Lucius had sent with it to the Aurors. Maybe in a matter of days, if not hours, the Ministry's men will come and take him away. He felt panic welling up inside of him at that thought…that would mean a lifetime in Azkaban for him, if not execution. Lucius vowed he would kill himself before that could happen.

But as days went by and no Aurors came, his mood went from constant alert to melancholy. It looked like Snape just simply wouldn't come.

He was sitting in the library after more then two weeks since he sent the letter - well, rather more a workroom except he had no work to do here or elsewhere - when he heard the house elf's shriek and a voice trying to shush it. He was instantly on his feet, wand in hand. He took a calming breath as fear and hope seemed to suffocate him in equal measure. As silently as he could he sneaked out the room.

He found Severus in the living room, the house elf still following him and telling him he shouldn't be here. He was dressed in black as usual, his lank, black hair hung around his face as usual and he scowled, as usual. Lucius felt like he was seeing a part of Britain again...at least something that wasn't sunny, hot and bright.

"So you have come at last." Lucius drawled, and the other spun around, startled by his voice. "Took you long enough."

"I, for one, still have responsibilities," said Snape, raising an eyebrow. "So I couldn't just drop everything and run here when I got your summon. And of course, I had to think hard about why is it worth to me meeting with you. It could be quite bad for my reputation, you know."

"What become of this world when one has to fear for his reputation when meeting with a Malfoy?"

For awhile, they just stared at each other. Lucius noticed that Severus had a bag with him and he had to restrain a smile. So he was staying for the summer?

"Come, make yourself at home," he offered.

Snape picked up his bag and followed him to the guest room. Lucius noticed he was looking around the place with interest, but he didn't ask anything else...at least for now. Lucius was sure the questions would come, as Severus always liked to know what was going on, but he was patient enough to wait for an appropriate time.

It hadn't been always so; Lucius still remembered the young, wide-eyed boy Snape had been so many years ago, wanting to know everything, never running out of questions. Severus used to drive him mad, but he also amused him. In his youth, Lucius had been the type who accepted things as they were - especially as most things had been good for him - not asking 'whys' all the time, so Severus' thirst for knowledge had been a refreshing change in his view of the world.

He got a glimpse of young Severus again during the evening, when they were in the sitting room with glasses of wine in their hands. Snape leaned forward and asked him in a calm voice how had he gotten here - and where exactly 'here' was.

Lucius told him. He spoke about Draco and how everything gone wrong with him, about Narcissa and her surprising gift, - this house to him, - about how he hated to be here and how he missed his old home, his old life. Severus just listened , and in his glittering black eyes Lucius was unable to find any emotion at all, and he was glad, as no emotion meant to judgment, no disdain, no pity.

After he let everything out Snape simply drained his glass, stood up and said:

"Well, I don't have anything to do for awhile. I can stay here." As if Lucius had really asked him, not just behaved like it was already a decided thing, and he was answering to that. Severus had always understood him much more than everyone else.

Lucius's days didn’t vary much until then. After Severus came, that all changed.

Severus didn't like the Mediterranean sunshine anymore than Lucius did. They stayed inside for most of the time, reading quietly in the library. The evenings they spent drinking wine and talking about the few painless memories they shared. Lucius was hesitant about letting Snape know about his fascination with the sunset, somehow it seemed undignified to confess the enjoyment he took in such a simple thing.

"I like enjoy it here." Severus said one night, out of the blue.

Lucius stared at him, incredulously. "I am bored out of my mind. There's simply nothing here."

"That is probably why I like it," Severus shrugged. "I so long for a bit of nothing, lately."

"Being a war hero has become tedious?" Lucius asked, with vitriol.

"Hardly," snorted Snape, "I was never, - and will never, be trusted."

Lucius made no reply, and just poured more wine for him. He understood that.

/*/*/*/

"I will be gone for a few days." Snape announced one morning over breakfast. "I've got things to take care of."

Lucius instantly stiffened in his seat. "Like what?"

"Like explaining to my employer where I disappeared to in the last three weeks, among others."

Lucius let go of his toast and before the Snape could move a muscle, he drew his wand. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said, pointing the wand's tip between Snape's eyes.

But Snape didn't seem impressed. He calmly put down his cup of tea and studied Lucius' face for a moment.

"Lucius. Do you really think I would announce it, if I was to go and betray you? I could have done so plenty of times in the past, but I didn't. I won't do it now."

"So maybe you don't want to betray me. I still wonder where do you have to go." Lucius narrowed his eyes and didn't lower his wand.

’Maybe you don't want to betray me, he thought, but you obviously want to leave me.’ Lucius just couldn't stand that idea. Snape's quiet presence seemed to bring life to this hated place. Lucius just won't let him go. As low as he had fallen he still had the means to chain him to himself.

Snape was standing up and rounding the table up to Lucius. He just hesitated long enough over what curse to use - something he had never done in the past - and the black haired man was standing right in front of him, leaning down to him... and kissing him.

A heavy shadow seemed to lift from Lucius with that single touch of lips. He pushed back his chair and stood up. He threaded his fingers through Snape's oily hair, his wand still in his hand, and deepened the kiss. He heard himself groan as the Snape's tongue pushed into his mouth. Finally, it was Severus who broke the kiss, gasping for air.

"I was afraid you wouldn't want this," Severus confessed, his swallow cheeks flushed. He was smiling in his own unique way, a way not many people beside Lucius ever realized was a smile. A barely visible uplifting of one side of his mouth, but with his usually emotionless eyes filling up with life. "Had I known, I wouldn't have waited."

Lucius caressed his neck and pushed the tip of his wand into Snape's skin , below his Adam's apple.

"So where do you want to go?" he asked, his expression as cold as he could manage it.

Severus' smile became a bit wider. "I just wanted to arrange my affairs in England, so I can move in, maybe permanently. I have really wanted to give up on teaching since...well, since my first term. This seems a good time for really doing so. But right now I'd just like to go to your bedroom."

Severus kissed him again and again all the way to the bedroom.Lucius remembered to put away his wand only when they were already shrugging out of their robes. By then they were already in his bedroom. The sun was shining though the windows with a cheerful brightness. As he laid down on the bed naked, save where Severus covered him, Lucius felt that for the first time since he was here, the warm Mediterranean temperature chased away the chill from his bones. Finally, he felt alive.

Severus' body was older, thinner and more scarred than he remembered, but he himself had aged, too. While his - lover, he could call him his lover again - body seemed to be almost emancipated -Severus had always forgotten to eat when under stress and the war wasn't so far behind them- Lucius had put on a little weight lately, since he had done nothing in this forsaken place. Still, neither of them was put off by the changes, they eagerly discovered the once so familiar body of the other. He found Severus just as arousing as when they were young, but though he felt the urgency of his arousal, he also found enough patience in himself not to rush things as he always had.

When Severus swallowed his eagerly rising cock it felt like he had traveled back in time, to when he was twenty-one and Severus first blew him as a birthday present.

What followed wasn't so familiar, but but just as exciting. Severus summoned a bottle of oil and pushed a generously greased finger into him. Lucius had never in his life took the submissive role in sex, but now it seemed natural to do so. Severus took his time relaxing him, until the bit of fear Lucius felt vanished completely and his first protesting muscles relaxed and loosened.

He put his legs around Severus' hips and felt his lover enter him. It hurt and for a moment and he wondered if his previous partners, Severus included, had found this as uncomfortable as he did, but then Severus thrusted again, hitting his prostate with a clever movement. He shouted out in ecstasy, his pain forgotten.

Lucius quickly lost himself from then on. Severus’ hips moving in increasingly faster and harder thrusts, Severus hard cock in his ass, hitting against his prostate, his own cock, being taken and stroked roughly by Severus. He groaned out loud as he came, his seed splattering against his lover's hand, his lover who, after a few more thrusts, found his own release and collapsed against Lucius, panting.

They lay there for a while, arms and legs interweaved, Severus gently kissing Lucius’ neck where he could reach without lifting his head and Lucius, slowly caressing Severus back.

Severus went back to Britain later that day and came back three days later with more packages. Lucius thought he masked his relief seeing his lover had really came back rather well.

That night, for the first time, he took Severus to his spot at the coast and showed him the sunset. When the Severus was equally enthralled by it, Lucius felt pride as if it was his work and not nature's ...or as if he had anything to do with his lover's good taste.

It was strange, he mused, how this little island was to big for himself alone, and would have been to small for a group of people...but seemed perfect for two.


End