'Not Your Fault.' 18+ [a Severus Snape fanfiction]

2

**This one's a long one, buckle in**

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Noah slept for a long, long time, his body working desperately to catch up from literally dying and coming back to life. It was nearly four days before he finally awoke once more, groggy and disoriented, trying to work out what reality was after the insane ordeal he'd been through. He turned his head and looked around the room, taking in the details of his ward in the infirmary. It seemed to be either early morning or late evening given the faint light in the room, and it seemed no one was around. The infimary was quiet, the silence broken only by the steady beeping of the machines monitoring Noah's vitals. As he regained his bearings, he would notice the soft glow of a fire in a nearby fireplace, casting a warm light over the room.

Suddenly, a soft rustling sound came from a nearby armchair, and the fire flared to life as Snape emerged from its shadows, a large book in hand. He'd been keeping vigil over Noah's bedside, waiting for any sign of his awakening with great anticipation.

Noah couldn't mask the look of excitement in his eyes even when he wanted to. The shift from a dull anxiety when he thought he was alone to the revelation that Snape was there made him smile softly, likely the first time Noah had smiled since the two of them met. The boy had an endearingly crooked smile, and his canine teeth were shaped like little fangs. His eyes shimmered with a tired delight as he looked over at the Professor. Snape's eyes widened subtly as he noticed the change in Noah's expression. He was taken aback by the boy's genuine, crooked smile, a stark contrast to the exhaustion and trauma that had been present on his face in their previous interactions.

"You're awake," Snape said softly, a hint of surprise in his voice. His gaze flickered briefly over the boy's canine teeth, but he brushed the observation aside for now, focusing on more immediate concerns.

Noah noticed the way Snape's eyes flickered between him and his mouth, instantly calming his smile to hide his teeth; he was used to the looks people gave him for them, and he recognized it immediately. He licked his lips and nodded once, letting his face return to neutral, though the excitement was still evident in his eyes. He brought his arms out in front of him weakly, giving them a stretch to soothe the muscles that hadn't been used in days, scrunching his nose up at the sensation. Snape watched the boy's reaction with keen interest, not failing to notice the way he abruptly changed his expression and hid his teeth from view. He made a mental note to ask about the oddly shaped teeth later, but for now, he had other matters to address. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice devoid of any unnecessary gentleness. While he felt an ever-increasing sense of fondness for the boy, that did not mean he would change his usual manner of speaking.

Noah gave two thumbs up and smiled at the man, this time with his mouth closed, to show that he was feeling fine. Despite his fatigue, he was feeling refressed and overall in good standing for someone who had died and come back to life. The boy relaxed back down into the bed and looked up at the ceiling with a content sigh as he worked to stretch his back next, arching it off the bed and scrunching his face up as he stretched the sore, underworked muscles.

"Take it easy," the professor advised, his voice laced with a mixture of concern and admonishment. "You've been through quite an ordeal. Your body needs time to recover, even if your spirit is eager to spring back into action."

Noah glanced over at the man and stuck his tongue out at him, a playful gesture to indicate that he wouldn't be taking it easy; at least not with this. He felt like he needed to stretch, to wake up his body. He stretched his legs next, and as the tense muscles were worked out down his toes, he let out a soft, velvety whine; a small preview of how his voice would sound if he were able to speak. He rolled his ankles a little, trying to stretch them out too.