Generally, the mood would alter about now, they'd end up kissing, and then naked. But for once, Harry wasn't in any rush to take things further. Right now, he was content to simply hold Severus and be held. The truly incredible thing was, Severus seemed to feel exactly the same.
*~*~*
"I thought we might do something different tonight," Harry said as they lingered over their espressos in Alfonso's the following Friday night.
"Oh?" Severus enquired. "What did you have in mind?"
"I thought we might go to Whispers," Harry suggested.
To his confusion, Severus' entire body seemed to turn to stone across from him, his face actually blanching of colour.
"What's wrong?" Harry whispered, reaching out to grip Severus' forearm.
Severus pulled his arm away. Hissing like a snake, he quietly demanded, "You wish to see other men?"
"What?" Harry wasn't sure how they'd gone from stopping into someplace together to seeing other men. He supposed that the subject of whether or not they were an exclusive relationship should have come up long before now, but, like many important things, it never had.
"What other reason would a gay wizard visit Whispers?" Severus asked, still stiff with anger.
"Well, for starters, I could kiss you there without creating a riot," Harry said, holding those doubtful eyes.
Severus stared at him for a long moment. Slowly, the pique left his expression and his long body seemed to unfurl from its tense set.
"Kiss me?" Severus whispered.
"Among other things. What do you think?" Realizing that Severus might have no desire to visit a meat market now that they were together, Harry added, "If you'd rather not, we could – "
"No." Severus seemed much more himself, if slightly more self-conscious than normal. "There's no reason why we shouldn't."
Accepting Severus' decision, Harry signalled Maria for the bill.
Ten minutes later, they'd Apparated to the front of the familiar bar.
Severus appeared to brace himself beside him as they moved towards the entrance.
For a moment, Harry debated giving in to his impulse. Thinking that Severus would let him know if he were displeased or uncomfortable, Harry silently hooked his arm through his lover's. Taking Severus' hand would have probably been a clearer statement of their status, but Harry really didn't think that Severus would be comfortable with that.
As it was, Severus seemed to momentarily freeze in shock.
Harry caught his eye, gave a smile, and pushed open the inner door.
The heat and smoke of the dimly lit bar assaulted their senses as harshly as the loud music. Despite the din, Harry could still hear the usual murmuring as he was recognized. A darker, unusual element was added to it as his companion was also identified.
Without pausing, Harry led Severus over to one of the tables beside the dance floor.
No sooner were they seated than an attractive waiter in tight fitting trousers and no robes came to take their order.
"Two firewhiskeys, please," Harry ordered, paying the handsome youth.
Their drinks arrived on their table a moment later, and the waiter moved on to serve another customer.
Severus appeared to be growing tenser by the second as he stared around the bar filled with young wizards on the make. Harry could almost feel how difficult it was for Severus to refrain from questioning his motives for coming here again.
When he felt Severus' gaze settle questioningly upon his face, Harry met those dark, worried eyes, held out his right hand, and asked, "Dance with me?"
He watched Severus try to conceal his shock. "You wish to . . . ?"
"To dance with you." Lowering his voice, Harry leaned in close and whispered, "We don't have to watch from the sidelines alone anymore. What do you say?"
"How did you know?" Severus wasn't even attempting to hide his shock.
Harry shrugged. He'd been considering this for some time, but had only gotten up the nerve to ask Severus tonight. "I remember you were sitting here watching the dancers the first night we met here. I thought you might be like me, watching because you wished you had someone of your own to be out there with."
Even though the lights were dim, Harry could see the colour that tinted Severus' normally sallow cheeks. "You wished . . . ?"
"All my life," Harry answered in what he knew to be his bedroom voice.
Even though he knew the effect he could have on Severus, Harry was still surprised when Severus' hand settled in his open palm.
Standing up, they moved hand in hand to the dance floor. The susurration of whispers that moved through the bar as they did so was almost a visible wave.
Harry laid his hand lightly on Severus' waist, and moved closer. "Do you want to lead?"
Severus gave him an incredulous look. "You can't imagine that I've done this before?"
"I take it that's a no, then?" At Severus' nod, Harry admitted. "I haven't done this since the Yule Ball in fourth year."
"Well, that's once more than I have. This may have been a mistake," Severus said, clearly just the right side of panic.
Harry rubbed his left hand over that tense, slender back. "Nah. We'll do fine. Just close your eyes, lean into me, and don't think about anything but me. Do you think you can do that?"
Severus gave a snort. "I spend most of my days doing just that."
"Stars, you must be nervous to admit something like that," Harry said with a chuckle, drawing Severus' head down so that their cheeks rested together. Thinking that they could use some privacy, Harry flicked the leather string binding Severus' hair away, and all that warm, black silk cascaded down, shielding their faces from the rest of the world.
The music started up behind them. Thank god, it was a slow number, Harry thought as the other couples started to move with practiced grace.
Severus was a 6'4" pile of nervous tension in his arms as Harry stumbled into motion. He realized that his companion was literally scared stiff in his arms. Debating the wisdom of his bright idea, Harry attempted to shuffle them along with the others. It was like trying to move a cliff.
Realizing that extreme measures were called for, Harry stepped in indecently close, pressing his pelvis up against Severus' front, he nuzzled Severus' nearby ear and whispered, "It's just you and me. Don't think about anything else. Feel me."
To Harry's astonishment, Severus seemed to relax a bit. Rubbing his palm over Severus' back in a motion that was equal measures of comfort and arousal, Harry used his body to court Severus into motion.
Closing his own eyes, Harry swayed his hips as he breathed against Severus' neck, letting the music lead them. Before long, the tension left Severus completely and he was moving as easily in his arms as he would have at home if they had attempted such a thing.
Finding a natural rhythm, they slow-danced their way across the floor.
Once the strangeness of it left him, Harry felt a wonderful warmth spark through him. Being with Severus, holding him this way, was just so right. His awareness of the other dancers and the people watching them faded. All that existed was Severus.
