Punish me, Professor, I dare you.

Chapter 37: The Dark Mark

A/N: Hello, my dears, a quick notice:

From this chapter on, we will have a few time skips to help progress the story. I thank you again for your patience, and I hope you're as entertained as I'm happy to write this.
Happy reading!

Tears gather on my waterline as I'm holding the most adoring eye contact of my life with the potioneer. I can't believe this moment.

"Yes!—" I choke out inaudibly at first, but the next moment I throw my arms around his neck, pulling the love of my life in a near-chokehold. "Of course. That's not a question!" my muffled whimper reaches his ear, face buried in the collar of his black nightwear. I feel his arms enclose my torso in a tight hug, his palms warming my nape and my lower back. I can't help but run my fingers into his silky hair, holding onto his form like there's no tomorrow, like he could disappear the moment I take my hands off him.

"I am yours, Sev, all yours." the intimate whisper lands on the skin of his neck as I nuzzle into him more. I want to melt our bodies together, so I never have to leave his side, so I can keep him safe and loved, something he only now gets a taste of, as a grown adult.

Long minutes pass as we hold the coziest and closest hug of our relationship, this moment is the start of something new— a new era, a new chapter in our life, a chapter filled with understanding and devotion; but also consisting of discovery and trust strengthening. The potion master takes my face in his palms, lays a gentle kiss on my forehead, then he moves down to do the same to my lips as well, lingering there, relishing the softness of the contact, and my heart starts to flutter instantly. When he pulls away, his eyes chain themselves to mine, so much tenderness and amour hiding in his irises.

"My little blossom..." he coos the cherishing words into the tranquil atmosphere of our bedroom, thumbs caressing my cheeks and I lean into his touch, eyelids dropping in enjoyment. Oh Merlin, please don't let this morning end...

Dropping one last good morning peck on me, Severus brushes a strand of hair out of my face.

"Now then. Your prince shall take you to a refreshing shower, we can continue our discussion while I wash every inch of that irresistible body of yours." he purrs in my ear, making me shudder in his arms. 

"We're expected in the staff room at 9, there's still plenty of time to properly get ready for the day..." my earlobe is gnawed at, and I let out a happy giggle, trying to squirm away from the tickling sensation. Snape gets up with a smug grin, walking over to his wardrobe, and takes out his usual attire for the day. His sense of organization and tidiness never stops fascinating me, and it makes me fall in love with him more and more every day. You will never see a displaced item around Severus, that's a guarantee.

The potion master starts slowly unbuttoning his nightshirt, throwing smirking side glances at my drooling self under the covers, relishing my wondering eyes over his gradually exposed chest. But as soon as the piece of cloth is off and folded neatly, my eyes stop dead in their tracks at his left forearm, longing turning into serious concern in a fraction of a second.

"Sev... what's that?" my tone is suspicious, slightly panicked, knowing full well what the skull with the undulating snake represents, I just refuse to believe my eyes for now. Maybe I'm hallucinating or I can't see well in the semidarkness yet. Snape's face however drops instantly into a guilty appearance, remorse taking over his features as I'm praying for this to be a misunderstanding. His other hand flies to the skin patch in question, covering it as best as he can, like I just found out a secret he meant to keep hidden from my eyes. 

The professor slowly walks back to my alerted form, and sits down to the edge of the bed with a deep frown. But his lips remain sealed.

"Sev please... tell me what's happening, you know you can talk to me." I try to untie his tongue; this is not something silly we can just look over and carry on with our day. Why is the Dark Mark back on his skin? Especially after he was cleansed from this filth!