Through the Years
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snupin100Title: Through the Years
Word Count: 100 x 32 (3,200 words total)
Rating: ranges from G to R.
Challenge: #50 - Celebration
Characters: Snape/Lupin, occasional mentions of Harry
Authors Notes: This is a series of 32 linked drabbles that take Severus and Remus from their wedding through their last anniversary, charting the course of their married life. The list of traditional and modern anniversary gifts comes from here. Occasional mentions of cross-dressing.
Although anyone else might think Remus looked serious, Severus could tell by the twitching at the corners of his mouth that he wanted to smile, and it was only the solemnity of the occasion that was keeping him from it.
That, and Severus had warned him that if he grinned like a damned loon through the entire ceremony, Severus would have his guts for garters.
They were getting married, after all, and as Severus joined Remus under the wedding arch, he moved with lofty dignity and grace.
The first person who snickered over him wearing a wedding dress would pay.
"We are gathered here together to join these men in the bonds of matrimony..."
Remus knew Severus wanted him to treat their wedding with somber dignity, but he was happy - far too happy not to show the world. The war was over, he was in love, and he was getting married. What reason did he have not to smile?
He clasped Severus' hands firmly, finding them warm and steady, and he decided to risk Severus' wrath. He was a former Marauder, after all, and they had never behaved as they ought to.
Gazing up into Severus' face, Remus smiled.
"Do you, Remus John Lupin, take this man to be your lawfully wedding spouse?"
Remus looked into Severus' eyes and said without hesitation, "I do."
Severus was scowling, and Remus wondered if something was wrong or if he was about to change his mind and not go through with the wedding. He gave Severus a questioning look, but Severus shook his head slightly.
"Do you, Severus Winslow Snape, take this man to be your lawfully wedding spouse?"
Remus, along with the rest of their guests, gaped incredulously.
"Winslow?"
"I do!" Severus snapped. "Now shut the hell up and move on!"
It was entirely inappropriate for Remus to kiss him like that at their wedding - coaxing Severus' lips apart and slipping his tongue between them. Moaning was against proper wedding etiquette as well, but Severus couldn't be certain whether that was Remus or himself. Groping Severus' arse through his wedding dress was also Not Done, but somehow, Severus couldn't bring himself to swat Remus' hands away or pull back from the kiss.
Maybe it was because he knew in the audience, Potter was probably growing ill at the sight.
Maybe it was because he couldn't wait for the wedding night.
Severus folded his arms and shook his head vehemently. "No."
Remus gazed at him with fond, if slightly exasperated patience. "Please, Severus - for me?" he wheedled.
"No!"
"You're flouting convention and etiquette, you know, after you've spent all this time lecturing me on what to do and what not to do."
Severus gave him a Look. Remus had been breaking the rules all damned day, so that argument didn't hold any water.
"I'll make it worthwhile tonight," Remus leered.
That argument, on the other hand, might, but Severus held firm.
"No! I am not participating in the Chicken Dance!"
"Look at all these presents." Remus marveled at the opened boxes, gifts from their guests.
"Half of which are useless junk we'll never use," Severus grumbled, although he was pleased. He'd worried Remus might suffer a backlash from marrying him, but it seemed affection for Remus trumped dislike of him.
"We still have to write thank you notes."
"Fine - you write the notes to the Gryffindors. I'll write the notes to the Slytherins."
"Which means I'll do all the work, and you'll write five notes at most!"
"Why don't we just shag instead?"
"I like that plan much better."
"It's our anniversary next month, Severus." Remus embraced Severus, smiling. "One year."
"I know."
"You remembered?"
"How could I forget when you circled the date on my calendar in glittery green ink with 'our anniversary' written in capital letters and underlined three times?"
Remus grinned. "I wanted to be sure. What would you like?"
"Tradition demands paper." Severus smirked evilly. "Although modern etiquette allows a clock."
Remus considered the idea. "What if you take traditional gifts, and I take modern gifts, and we put our own spin on it each year? We wouldn't have to wonder what to get."
"Agreed."
Remus was proud of his gift: a pocketwatch with the Slytherin crest on the cover, green numerals, and silver hands to replace the watch the Ministry had confiscated when Severus was arrested after the war.
Obviously pleased, Severus fastened it in place and then handed over Remus' gift. Remus' smile wilted when he found a small booklet with empty pages. The sheets weren't even large enough to be useful.
"Thank you," he said weakly.
"Finite Incantatem." Severus tapped the booklet, and hand-written notes bloomed.
Coupon good for one (1) free full body massage post-transformation read the first page.
Remus beamed.
Their second anniversary was more difficult. Remus searched in wizard and Muggle china shops alike until he found a cup and saucer perfect for Severus: white china with a dark green ivy pattern and a gilded silver rim.
"For your personal use only," he said as Severus unwrapped it, and Severus actually smiled a little as he examined it.
Remus tore open his gift, gasping when he uncovered two sets of 800 count Egyptian cotton sheets, one red and one gold.
"A bit of decadence for our bed," Severus explained.
"Let's try them out."
"Not until I've had some tea."
"Oh, my God..." Remus' eyes grew wide and round as he stared into the box.
A black leather vest, studded leather wrist cuffs, fleece lined wrist restraints, leather trousers with the backside cut out, a paddle with leather on one side and fleece on the other, a flogger, and a fleece lined red leather blindfold.
Severus watched, desire flaring in his eyes; Remus grabbed the ass-less pants and vest and ran to change. He thrust the paddle into Severus' hands and threw himself across Severus' lap, the set of delicate hand-blown Venetian potion flasks he'd bought for Severus temporarily forgotten.
They celebrated their fourth anniversary in bed. Severus clung to the rails of their headboard and muffled his cries in a pillow, spreading his legs wider as Remus turned the dial on the vibrator up a few more notches.
The gold cotton sheets were stained with strawberry juice and smears of dark chocolate, and Remus thought they would likely be finding rose petals around the bedroom for weeks thanks to Severus' decadent "traditional" gift of fruit and flowers, which he had presented using his naked body as a serving tray.
Remus had interpreted "appliances" loosely; Severus didn't seem to mind.
Shortly before their fifth anniversary, they sold the house at Spinner's End and moved into a cottage in a wizard village further south, and for that anniversary, Severus bought a gift that both of them could use: a new bed.
"A large one," he said. "So I can avoid being kicked."
"But what about cuddling?" Remus asked plaintively.
"We can meet in the middle."
Remus' gift was also a contribution to their new household: a set of silverware with their entwined initials engraved on the handles. They spent the morning celebrating the next year of marriage with breakfast in bed.
On their sixth anniversary, Severus took Remus outside and showed him a ornately made wrought-iron bench positioned near Severus' garden.
"You're always complaining about having to sit on cold or wet ground," Severus said, pleased.
Remus, who loved to watch Severus work - the sight of Severus' long fingers plucking weeds and caressing green shoots aroused him - tried it out immediately and pulled Severus down beside him.
Severus' gift was a little wood casket filled with imported seeds - special herbs that were expensive at the apothecary - and Remus watched from his new bench as Severus planted them.
Remus pulled out the new winter robes, admiring them. They were charcoal grey embellished with silver - "To complement your hair," Severus said - and made of thick wool that would keep him warm on the coldest day. Also in the box were a scarf, gloves and hat made of Alpaca wool and dyed dark red.
"Desk sets are boring," Remus said, handing over his gift. "I prefer desk sex, but I bought you one anyway."
Later, Severus swept the new set out of the way so Remus could sprawl on his desk.
"I prefer desk sex too," Severus panted.
"Considering this is the year for you to give me either linen or lace, I'm concerned," Severus said, regarding his gift dubiously.
"It's safe," Remus assured him. "Open it."
Severus did, appearing relieved when he found French linen pajamas in the box. "Very nice. Thank you."
Remus tore open his package, exclaiming with surprise and delight over the pottery mask in the shape of a wolf's head.
They hung the mask over their bed, and Severus wore his new pajamas that night. "Much better than a lace teddy," he said.
"I thought about it, though."
"I've no doubt you did."
Remus was tempted to buy Severus a few naughty leather items for their ninth anniversary, but instead, he bought a pair of black leather trousers and a leather jacket, and he took Severus to a Muggle club in London where they got a little tipsy. When they got home, Severus didn't remove the trousers, only unzipped them, and Remus groped Severus' leather-clad arse happily while Severus fucked him.
"I'd rather not admit what I bought you after that," Severus said as they lay entwined.
"Why?"
"It's pottery again - a mooning gnome. It's silly."
Remus laughed. "I want it anyway."
"I don't like the choices this year," Severus grumbled. "There's nothing romantic about tin or aluminum."
"I don't suppose you want diamond earrings." Remus grinned when Severus shot him A Look.
"It's our tenth anniversary - we ought to do something more special than metal."
"Why don't we pool the money and go on holiday instead?"
They spent the week of their anniversary on a cruise ship in the Bahamas, sipping drinks with umbrellas, snorkeling, and getting tan.
"The boat is metal, anyway," Severus said as they watched the sun sink into the ocean.
"Close enough," Remus said, snuggling closer.
Severus' gift was sensible: a set of stainless steel pots and pans.
Remus had bought something silly: a gaudy bracelet made of beads and crystals, and a heart shaped charm reading "soul mate" with a card reading, "You are my soul mate. When I am with you I am complete. When we are apart I long to be with you. You have my eternal love. My soul is joined with yours. In this life and in the next..."
Remus hoped Severus would get the joke.
Severus rolled his eyes, but occasionally, Remus caught a flash of it beneath his sleeve.
Their twelfth anniversary wasn't as difficult; Remus found a mother of pearl chess board he knew Severus would like, and he presented it to Severus proudly.
"Something for my second favorite game," Severus said, and then he handed over Remus' gift. "This is something for my first favorite."
Remus wasted no time in ripping off the wrapping paper and yanking off the lid - and he smiled broadly when he found sapphire blue silk pajamas.
"I could put these on, and we could play strip chess," he suggested. "Two fun games in one."
Severus' smirk was all the approval needed.
"Just tell me you aren't thinking of getting me some lacy bit of lingerie this year," Remus said as he nestled against Severus' side.
"Er. No." Severus looked shifty. "Of course not."
Remus chuckled quietly. "Well, as long as it isn't tacky. Or pink. Actually, let's just rule out all pastels, shall we?"
"What about you? Getting me furs this year?"
"I'd thought about a winter cloak with a fur collar." Remus stroked Severus' thigh idly.
"A good choice - it would be warm." A beat. "And I've wondered how fur might feel against bare skin."
"You're definitely getting it."
For their fourteenth anniversary, Severus presented Remus with a figurine of a wolf carved out of ivory, which Remus accepted with delight. He was a bit shy about offering his own gift, hoping Severus wouldn't think it was too soppy.
Severus was silent when he opened the jewelry box and saw the gold wedding ring - a solid, plain band with "RJL & SWS Always" engraved on the inside. Remus shifted, hoping the silence wasn't a bad thing, but Severus removed the ring and held it out, and his voice was rough when he spoke.
"Put it on my finger."
"Hard to imagine I've put up with you for fifteen years," Severus murmured, kissing the top of Remus' head as they curled up on the sofa together. "Seems like only yesterday we got married."
"It does, doesn't it." Remus nestled against his side, content.
After a while, Severus spoke again. "Crystal is a stupid gift, and so are watches. The one you gave me on our first anniversary still works."
"What do you suggest?"
"Let's buy a crup to serve as a watch dog and name it Crystal."
"Is your biological clock urging you to parent something?"
"Do shut up."
The surprise party celebrating their twentieth anniversary was a success; even Severus enjoyed himself, exchanging barbs with Harry over the longevity of their respective relationships that were less pointed than they used to be.
They received lots of china since after twenty years, Remus had finally chosen a specific pattern he liked, and a few platinum items - vases and the like.
They gave each other a week in Paris, which they spent avoiding tourist attractions in favor of taking long walks, holding hands and seeing where their feet led them.
"Much like our marriage," Severus said later.
Remus agreed.
"It's our silver anniversary," Severus said, running his fingers through Remus' hair, which was entirely silver.
"Appropriate for both of us." Remus mirrored the gesture, stroking Severus' hair, which was more salt than pepper.
"True, but not a gift I want to give a werewolf. It seems tasteless."
Remus laughed, winding his arms around Severus' waist. "I'm supposed to give you silver too. What shall we do instead?"
In the end, they splurged on a special cake and a 25th anniversary "party gift set" from a Muggle shop with champagne flutes and a cake knife for their own private celebration.
Severus suggested perhaps it was time to negotiate the gift giving arrangement.
"Having trouble finding something for me in pearl?" Remus asked, arching one eyebrow.
Severus grimaced; Remus knew him too well. "Well, we've done it for thirty years."
"It's spared us a lot of time and trouble."
"In other words, you already have mine."
Remus grinned. "Damned right."
Severus settled on pearl cufflinks for Remus to wear with his Muggle suit when he needed it, and Remus gave him a diamond tie stud to wear with his Muggle suit when he needed it.
"Great minds," Remus said, smiling fondly.
For their thirty-fifth anniversary, Severus presented Remus with everything they needed for a holiday to the Great Barrier Reef.
"Well, the damned thing is made of coral, isn't it?" he said.
"It is indeed." Remus kissed him, feeling a surge of desire - an old and familiar sensation. At their age, their sex life wasn't as active as it had been, and they had to be slower and more careful with one another, but the desire was still there, as deep and abiding as the love.
They retired to the bedroom, Remus' gift of a jade chess set temporarily forgotten.
"You're getting soppy in your old age, Severus." Remus smiled playfully as he held up a pair of overlapping stained glass hearts dyed ruby red.
"I thought it would look nice in the window of your study, that's all," Severus grumped, scowling.
"It will. Thank you."
Remus opened Severus' gift for him since Severus' fingers were gnarled with arthritis after decades of stirring, chopping and slicing, and Severus snorted over the heart-shaped frame studded with rubies.
He took it from Lupin and studied the photo within. "Were we ever that young?"
"Once upon a time," Remus murmured, lost in memories.
"It gets more difficult to buy presents with these silly jewel requirements," Severus grumbled as he settled in his rocking chair and adjusted a blanket over his lap. "Last time, rubies. This time, sapphires."
"I suppose it would help if either of us were seriously into cross-dressing," Remus mused, handing Severus a steaming cup of tea.
"At our age, it would be ridiculous."
"What do you suggest?"
"A sapphire blue down comforter."
"Done." Remus smiled and nodded. "You get me a sapphire blue dressing gown - something thick and warm."
"Done."
It was a satisfying - and warm - anniversary.
Their fiftieth anniversary was easier; they agreed to buy each other matching gold wedding rings to replace the ones that no longer fit over twisted fingers and enlarged knuckles.
They also agreed they didn't want a party to celebrate their golden anniversary even though Harry was dropping subtle hints. Severus couldn't move around much without growing winded, and Remus' joints ached for days if he stood up for too long. A quiet celebration with a few people was all either of them needed or wanted.
Remus watched Severus more often now, wishing they had more days ahead rather than less.
Emeralds served as the traditional and modern gifts for their fifty-fifth anniversary, and Remus risked the wrath of his joints to go shopping, returning home flushed with success.
He didn't bother wrapping the Slytherin crest pendant encrusted with emeralds, but slipped it around Severus' neck, bending to kiss his cheek. "Happy anniversary, love."
Severus reached up to caress Remus' cheek. "Great minds," he said, drawing a Claddagh pendant set with a heart-shaped emerald from his pocket. "Happy anniversary." He paused. "I don't regret a single day. I'd marry you again."
Remus smiled mistily. "As would I, you soppy old geezer."
"It was supposed to be diamonds this time," Severus reached out to Remus, who scooted his chair closer to the hospital bed and clasped Severus' hand.
He was startled anew to find it frail, a word he had never associated with Severus before. Severus was pale, his breathing labored, and Remus stared at him constantly now, worried that if he looked away, Severus might choose that moment to leave him.
"Diamonds are forever," Severus murmured.
"I suppose this is my cue to say something soppy, like our love is forever."
"I thought you might."
"It's true," Remus said.
"I know."
Remus was alone on what would have been their sixty-first anniversary. Harry stopped by to make certain he was all right, and Remus offered assurances that he was.
"I don't mourn his loss," he said, smiling gently, although his faded blue eyes were distant and a little sad. "I celebrate his life. We rubbed away the sharp edges and created joy for each other, and we had a long and happy life together. There's nothing to mourn in that."
Harry squeezed his hand and changed the subject to grandchildren and the weather.
On their sixty-second anniversary, they were together again.
Word Count: 100 x 32 (3,200 words total)
Rating: ranges from G to R.
Challenge: #50 - Celebration
Characters: Snape/Lupin, occasional mentions of Harry
Authors Notes: This is a series of 32 linked drabbles that take Severus and Remus from their wedding through their last anniversary, charting the course of their married life. The list of traditional and modern anniversary gifts comes from here. Occasional mentions of cross-dressing.
Although anyone else might think Remus looked serious, Severus could tell by the twitching at the corners of his mouth that he wanted to smile, and it was only the solemnity of the occasion that was keeping him from it.
That, and Severus had warned him that if he grinned like a damned loon through the entire ceremony, Severus would have his guts for garters.
They were getting married, after all, and as Severus joined Remus under the wedding arch, he moved with lofty dignity and grace.
The first person who snickered over him wearing a wedding dress would pay.
"We are gathered here together to join these men in the bonds of matrimony..."
Remus knew Severus wanted him to treat their wedding with somber dignity, but he was happy - far too happy not to show the world. The war was over, he was in love, and he was getting married. What reason did he have not to smile?
He clasped Severus' hands firmly, finding them warm and steady, and he decided to risk Severus' wrath. He was a former Marauder, after all, and they had never behaved as they ought to.
Gazing up into Severus' face, Remus smiled.
"Do you, Remus John Lupin, take this man to be your lawfully wedding spouse?"
Remus looked into Severus' eyes and said without hesitation, "I do."
Severus was scowling, and Remus wondered if something was wrong or if he was about to change his mind and not go through with the wedding. He gave Severus a questioning look, but Severus shook his head slightly.
"Do you, Severus Winslow Snape, take this man to be your lawfully wedding spouse?"
Remus, along with the rest of their guests, gaped incredulously.
"Winslow?"
"I do!" Severus snapped. "Now shut the hell up and move on!"
It was entirely inappropriate for Remus to kiss him like that at their wedding - coaxing Severus' lips apart and slipping his tongue between them. Moaning was against proper wedding etiquette as well, but Severus couldn't be certain whether that was Remus or himself. Groping Severus' arse through his wedding dress was also Not Done, but somehow, Severus couldn't bring himself to swat Remus' hands away or pull back from the kiss.
Maybe it was because he knew in the audience, Potter was probably growing ill at the sight.
Maybe it was because he couldn't wait for the wedding night.
Severus folded his arms and shook his head vehemently. "No."
Remus gazed at him with fond, if slightly exasperated patience. "Please, Severus - for me?" he wheedled.
"No!"
"You're flouting convention and etiquette, you know, after you've spent all this time lecturing me on what to do and what not to do."
Severus gave him a Look. Remus had been breaking the rules all damned day, so that argument didn't hold any water.
"I'll make it worthwhile tonight," Remus leered.
That argument, on the other hand, might, but Severus held firm.
"No! I am not participating in the Chicken Dance!"
"Look at all these presents." Remus marveled at the opened boxes, gifts from their guests.
"Half of which are useless junk we'll never use," Severus grumbled, although he was pleased. He'd worried Remus might suffer a backlash from marrying him, but it seemed affection for Remus trumped dislike of him.
"We still have to write thank you notes."
"Fine - you write the notes to the Gryffindors. I'll write the notes to the Slytherins."
"Which means I'll do all the work, and you'll write five notes at most!"
"Why don't we just shag instead?"
"I like that plan much better."
"It's our anniversary next month, Severus." Remus embraced Severus, smiling. "One year."
"I know."
"You remembered?"
"How could I forget when you circled the date on my calendar in glittery green ink with 'our anniversary' written in capital letters and underlined three times?"
Remus grinned. "I wanted to be sure. What would you like?"
"Tradition demands paper." Severus smirked evilly. "Although modern etiquette allows a clock."
Remus considered the idea. "What if you take traditional gifts, and I take modern gifts, and we put our own spin on it each year? We wouldn't have to wonder what to get."
"Agreed."
Remus was proud of his gift: a pocketwatch with the Slytherin crest on the cover, green numerals, and silver hands to replace the watch the Ministry had confiscated when Severus was arrested after the war.
Obviously pleased, Severus fastened it in place and then handed over Remus' gift. Remus' smile wilted when he found a small booklet with empty pages. The sheets weren't even large enough to be useful.
"Thank you," he said weakly.
"Finite Incantatem." Severus tapped the booklet, and hand-written notes bloomed.
Coupon good for one (1) free full body massage post-transformation read the first page.
Remus beamed.
Their second anniversary was more difficult. Remus searched in wizard and Muggle china shops alike until he found a cup and saucer perfect for Severus: white china with a dark green ivy pattern and a gilded silver rim.
"For your personal use only," he said as Severus unwrapped it, and Severus actually smiled a little as he examined it.
Remus tore open his gift, gasping when he uncovered two sets of 800 count Egyptian cotton sheets, one red and one gold.
"A bit of decadence for our bed," Severus explained.
"Let's try them out."
"Not until I've had some tea."
"Oh, my God..." Remus' eyes grew wide and round as he stared into the box.
A black leather vest, studded leather wrist cuffs, fleece lined wrist restraints, leather trousers with the backside cut out, a paddle with leather on one side and fleece on the other, a flogger, and a fleece lined red leather blindfold.
Severus watched, desire flaring in his eyes; Remus grabbed the ass-less pants and vest and ran to change. He thrust the paddle into Severus' hands and threw himself across Severus' lap, the set of delicate hand-blown Venetian potion flasks he'd bought for Severus temporarily forgotten.
They celebrated their fourth anniversary in bed. Severus clung to the rails of their headboard and muffled his cries in a pillow, spreading his legs wider as Remus turned the dial on the vibrator up a few more notches.
The gold cotton sheets were stained with strawberry juice and smears of dark chocolate, and Remus thought they would likely be finding rose petals around the bedroom for weeks thanks to Severus' decadent "traditional" gift of fruit and flowers, which he had presented using his naked body as a serving tray.
Remus had interpreted "appliances" loosely; Severus didn't seem to mind.
Shortly before their fifth anniversary, they sold the house at Spinner's End and moved into a cottage in a wizard village further south, and for that anniversary, Severus bought a gift that both of them could use: a new bed.
"A large one," he said. "So I can avoid being kicked."
"But what about cuddling?" Remus asked plaintively.
"We can meet in the middle."
Remus' gift was also a contribution to their new household: a set of silverware with their entwined initials engraved on the handles. They spent the morning celebrating the next year of marriage with breakfast in bed.
On their sixth anniversary, Severus took Remus outside and showed him a ornately made wrought-iron bench positioned near Severus' garden.
"You're always complaining about having to sit on cold or wet ground," Severus said, pleased.
Remus, who loved to watch Severus work - the sight of Severus' long fingers plucking weeds and caressing green shoots aroused him - tried it out immediately and pulled Severus down beside him.
Severus' gift was a little wood casket filled with imported seeds - special herbs that were expensive at the apothecary - and Remus watched from his new bench as Severus planted them.
Remus pulled out the new winter robes, admiring them. They were charcoal grey embellished with silver - "To complement your hair," Severus said - and made of thick wool that would keep him warm on the coldest day. Also in the box were a scarf, gloves and hat made of Alpaca wool and dyed dark red.
"Desk sets are boring," Remus said, handing over his gift. "I prefer desk sex, but I bought you one anyway."
Later, Severus swept the new set out of the way so Remus could sprawl on his desk.
"I prefer desk sex too," Severus panted.
"Considering this is the year for you to give me either linen or lace, I'm concerned," Severus said, regarding his gift dubiously.
"It's safe," Remus assured him. "Open it."
Severus did, appearing relieved when he found French linen pajamas in the box. "Very nice. Thank you."
Remus tore open his package, exclaiming with surprise and delight over the pottery mask in the shape of a wolf's head.
They hung the mask over their bed, and Severus wore his new pajamas that night. "Much better than a lace teddy," he said.
"I thought about it, though."
"I've no doubt you did."
Remus was tempted to buy Severus a few naughty leather items for their ninth anniversary, but instead, he bought a pair of black leather trousers and a leather jacket, and he took Severus to a Muggle club in London where they got a little tipsy. When they got home, Severus didn't remove the trousers, only unzipped them, and Remus groped Severus' leather-clad arse happily while Severus fucked him.
"I'd rather not admit what I bought you after that," Severus said as they lay entwined.
"Why?"
"It's pottery again - a mooning gnome. It's silly."
Remus laughed. "I want it anyway."
"I don't like the choices this year," Severus grumbled. "There's nothing romantic about tin or aluminum."
"I don't suppose you want diamond earrings." Remus grinned when Severus shot him A Look.
"It's our tenth anniversary - we ought to do something more special than metal."
"Why don't we pool the money and go on holiday instead?"
They spent the week of their anniversary on a cruise ship in the Bahamas, sipping drinks with umbrellas, snorkeling, and getting tan.
"The boat is metal, anyway," Severus said as they watched the sun sink into the ocean.
"Close enough," Remus said, snuggling closer.
Severus' gift was sensible: a set of stainless steel pots and pans.
Remus had bought something silly: a gaudy bracelet made of beads and crystals, and a heart shaped charm reading "soul mate" with a card reading, "You are my soul mate. When I am with you I am complete. When we are apart I long to be with you. You have my eternal love. My soul is joined with yours. In this life and in the next..."
Remus hoped Severus would get the joke.
Severus rolled his eyes, but occasionally, Remus caught a flash of it beneath his sleeve.
Their twelfth anniversary wasn't as difficult; Remus found a mother of pearl chess board he knew Severus would like, and he presented it to Severus proudly.
"Something for my second favorite game," Severus said, and then he handed over Remus' gift. "This is something for my first favorite."
Remus wasted no time in ripping off the wrapping paper and yanking off the lid - and he smiled broadly when he found sapphire blue silk pajamas.
"I could put these on, and we could play strip chess," he suggested. "Two fun games in one."
Severus' smirk was all the approval needed.
"Just tell me you aren't thinking of getting me some lacy bit of lingerie this year," Remus said as he nestled against Severus' side.
"Er. No." Severus looked shifty. "Of course not."
Remus chuckled quietly. "Well, as long as it isn't tacky. Or pink. Actually, let's just rule out all pastels, shall we?"
"What about you? Getting me furs this year?"
"I'd thought about a winter cloak with a fur collar." Remus stroked Severus' thigh idly.
"A good choice - it would be warm." A beat. "And I've wondered how fur might feel against bare skin."
"You're definitely getting it."
For their fourteenth anniversary, Severus presented Remus with a figurine of a wolf carved out of ivory, which Remus accepted with delight. He was a bit shy about offering his own gift, hoping Severus wouldn't think it was too soppy.
Severus was silent when he opened the jewelry box and saw the gold wedding ring - a solid, plain band with "RJL & SWS Always" engraved on the inside. Remus shifted, hoping the silence wasn't a bad thing, but Severus removed the ring and held it out, and his voice was rough when he spoke.
"Put it on my finger."
"Hard to imagine I've put up with you for fifteen years," Severus murmured, kissing the top of Remus' head as they curled up on the sofa together. "Seems like only yesterday we got married."
"It does, doesn't it." Remus nestled against his side, content.
After a while, Severus spoke again. "Crystal is a stupid gift, and so are watches. The one you gave me on our first anniversary still works."
"What do you suggest?"
"Let's buy a crup to serve as a watch dog and name it Crystal."
"Is your biological clock urging you to parent something?"
"Do shut up."
The surprise party celebrating their twentieth anniversary was a success; even Severus enjoyed himself, exchanging barbs with Harry over the longevity of their respective relationships that were less pointed than they used to be.
They received lots of china since after twenty years, Remus had finally chosen a specific pattern he liked, and a few platinum items - vases and the like.
They gave each other a week in Paris, which they spent avoiding tourist attractions in favor of taking long walks, holding hands and seeing where their feet led them.
"Much like our marriage," Severus said later.
Remus agreed.
"It's our silver anniversary," Severus said, running his fingers through Remus' hair, which was entirely silver.
"Appropriate for both of us." Remus mirrored the gesture, stroking Severus' hair, which was more salt than pepper.
"True, but not a gift I want to give a werewolf. It seems tasteless."
Remus laughed, winding his arms around Severus' waist. "I'm supposed to give you silver too. What shall we do instead?"
In the end, they splurged on a special cake and a 25th anniversary "party gift set" from a Muggle shop with champagne flutes and a cake knife for their own private celebration.
Severus suggested perhaps it was time to negotiate the gift giving arrangement.
"Having trouble finding something for me in pearl?" Remus asked, arching one eyebrow.
Severus grimaced; Remus knew him too well. "Well, we've done it for thirty years."
"It's spared us a lot of time and trouble."
"In other words, you already have mine."
Remus grinned. "Damned right."
Severus settled on pearl cufflinks for Remus to wear with his Muggle suit when he needed it, and Remus gave him a diamond tie stud to wear with his Muggle suit when he needed it.
"Great minds," Remus said, smiling fondly.
For their thirty-fifth anniversary, Severus presented Remus with everything they needed for a holiday to the Great Barrier Reef.
"Well, the damned thing is made of coral, isn't it?" he said.
"It is indeed." Remus kissed him, feeling a surge of desire - an old and familiar sensation. At their age, their sex life wasn't as active as it had been, and they had to be slower and more careful with one another, but the desire was still there, as deep and abiding as the love.
They retired to the bedroom, Remus' gift of a jade chess set temporarily forgotten.
"You're getting soppy in your old age, Severus." Remus smiled playfully as he held up a pair of overlapping stained glass hearts dyed ruby red.
"I thought it would look nice in the window of your study, that's all," Severus grumped, scowling.
"It will. Thank you."
Remus opened Severus' gift for him since Severus' fingers were gnarled with arthritis after decades of stirring, chopping and slicing, and Severus snorted over the heart-shaped frame studded with rubies.
He took it from Lupin and studied the photo within. "Were we ever that young?"
"Once upon a time," Remus murmured, lost in memories.
"It gets more difficult to buy presents with these silly jewel requirements," Severus grumbled as he settled in his rocking chair and adjusted a blanket over his lap. "Last time, rubies. This time, sapphires."
"I suppose it would help if either of us were seriously into cross-dressing," Remus mused, handing Severus a steaming cup of tea.
"At our age, it would be ridiculous."
"What do you suggest?"
"A sapphire blue down comforter."
"Done." Remus smiled and nodded. "You get me a sapphire blue dressing gown - something thick and warm."
"Done."
It was a satisfying - and warm - anniversary.
Their fiftieth anniversary was easier; they agreed to buy each other matching gold wedding rings to replace the ones that no longer fit over twisted fingers and enlarged knuckles.
They also agreed they didn't want a party to celebrate their golden anniversary even though Harry was dropping subtle hints. Severus couldn't move around much without growing winded, and Remus' joints ached for days if he stood up for too long. A quiet celebration with a few people was all either of them needed or wanted.
Remus watched Severus more often now, wishing they had more days ahead rather than less.
Emeralds served as the traditional and modern gifts for their fifty-fifth anniversary, and Remus risked the wrath of his joints to go shopping, returning home flushed with success.
He didn't bother wrapping the Slytherin crest pendant encrusted with emeralds, but slipped it around Severus' neck, bending to kiss his cheek. "Happy anniversary, love."
Severus reached up to caress Remus' cheek. "Great minds," he said, drawing a Claddagh pendant set with a heart-shaped emerald from his pocket. "Happy anniversary." He paused. "I don't regret a single day. I'd marry you again."
Remus smiled mistily. "As would I, you soppy old geezer."
"It was supposed to be diamonds this time," Severus reached out to Remus, who scooted his chair closer to the hospital bed and clasped Severus' hand.
He was startled anew to find it frail, a word he had never associated with Severus before. Severus was pale, his breathing labored, and Remus stared at him constantly now, worried that if he looked away, Severus might choose that moment to leave him.
"Diamonds are forever," Severus murmured.
"I suppose this is my cue to say something soppy, like our love is forever."
"I thought you might."
"It's true," Remus said.
"I know."
Remus was alone on what would have been their sixty-first anniversary. Harry stopped by to make certain he was all right, and Remus offered assurances that he was.
"I don't mourn his loss," he said, smiling gently, although his faded blue eyes were distant and a little sad. "I celebrate his life. We rubbed away the sharp edges and created joy for each other, and we had a long and happy life together. There's nothing to mourn in that."
Harry squeezed his hand and changed the subject to grandchildren and the weather.
On their sixty-second anniversary, they were together again.
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