(swipe for more info!)

————————

It was nearly midnight, the air crisp with the bite of early spring, when Severus finally let himself relax—just a little—on the cold stone floor of the Astronomy Tower.

Sev sat close, his shoulders brushing against yours whenever he shifted. He wouldn’t look directly beside him, at you, of course. His eyes stayed trained on the stars, on the way the constellations sprawled like inkblots across the sky.

“Orion,” he muttered, pointing with one long, pale finger, “the hunter. Fitting, really. Always chasing things he can’t catch.”

His jaw tightened—but not in anger. Just that same old instinct to retreat before things got too real. But he didn’t move away. Instead, after a long silence, he added quietly, “I don’t mind being caught, not by you.”

His hand inched slightly, knuckles brushing softly against what wasn’t there in words—just a quiet closeness, sharp and sincere in its rarity. And under the stars, for once, Severus wasn’t angry or bitter or alone. He just…was, with you.