Fighting

"Now, that worked out perfectly."

"Of course it did. It was my plan. My plans always work out perfectly." The lazy voice of the Potions master was low enough not to wake up their love, who was blissfully asleep between the two men. Her face still bore a very visible smile even in her dreams.

Looking down at her, Severus as well as Lucius recalled what they had done to her for the past few hours, for her and only her pleasure, until she had begged them to stop, sore, sated, and beyond satisfaction. "A break, please, please give me a break," she had pleaded, still trembling from head to toes from her last high. Obeying, they had kissed her, had cradled her, and now protected her sleep.

"Still, there was no need to fight me so severely!" Lucius fished with one long arm for his abandoned clothes, found his cloak, and pulled it over the sleeping woman. The sun was long down; velvet darkness shadowed the clearing.

"It had to look convincing, given the fact that we couldn't know the precise moment of her arrival," Severus replied. "Besides, I had the feeling you enjoyed the fight as much as I did." Stretching out in the cool grass, he placed a hand on his love's hip, shoving his other arm under his head. Moonlight bathed his pale skin in silver.

"You enjoyed fighting?" Propping his head up on his elbow, Lucius glanced curiously at his friend, Hermione's sleeping figure pressed against the full length of his body. Out of a sudden impulse, he reached across her and placed a hand on Severus's chest, right on his heart. He felt it beating; no steady rhythm, but racing under his touch, which was a curious thing in itself as they had been lying peacefully in the cool grass for at least ten minutes. There was no reason for the man's hammering heart.

Before Severus could break his wrist in punishment for the uninvited contact, Lucius removed his hand and repeated his question. "You really enjoyed it? It never occurred to me that you liked fighting."

"You just don't know me, Lucius," Snape answered in a low rumble that caused the small hairs at Lucius's neck to stand up.

Taking a deep breath, Severus calmed his madly beating heart and changed the subject. "I must admit, I did expect her to fight us a bit harder before she let us seduce her into a threesome."

Lucius chuckled. "You are joking, aren't you? She never had a chance from the moment you found out she cheated on you. With me." Tenderly, he placed a light kiss on Hermione's naked shoulder. She didn't even stir. "You think she will find out that we manipulated her into this"?

A perfect snort was his answer. "Never," Severus stated dryly. "She suffers from the illusion that I would never do something like that – manipulate her. And she truly believes that she is the only one capable of cunning plans. In this case, this is a very convenient combination. She will never guess that we knew her game for weeks and decided that, like this, it would benefit all of us."

Lucius's grey eyes glinted in the moonlight. They took a lengthy journey over the other man's naked body. "Still, I can't believe that you came up with this idea instead of really fighting me. You might have won." He really was intrigued by this little fact that seemed so atypical for Snape – there surely were facets in his friend's character that Lucius hadn't unravelled yet. He wouldn't have thought it possible that Severus would share someone he loved, possessive as he was.

"She would have grieved for you if I had killed you or even merely removed you from her life," Severus pointed out quietly, turning his head to brush his lips across her hair. "I don't want her to be unhappy, not if I can help it. I love her far too much for that. And she very obviously loves you. Therefore, there was no other choice – she just needed to see it from our point of view. I believe we managed to show her that today. Don't tell me you object to the arrangement?"

"Never! This is near perfection." Accidentally, Lucius' hand slipped across Hermione's chest, ever so slightly touching Severus's shoulder. His friend's muscles tensed.

"Near perfection?" Severus asked, staring hard into the night.

It's now or never, Lucius thought. "How about conquering new continents?" he offered, not moving an inch but with a clear intention.

Snape got the meaning instantly. "What do you think you're doing? Take your damn hand off me!" he snapped, suddenly aggressive.

Ignoring it, Lucius said, with a pointed look at the Potion master's groin, "You definitely look quite unsatisfied to me. Maybe we should do something about it?"

Sometimes, people needed a push in the right direction. With his offer, Lucius placed his hand firmly right underneath Severus's navel, the side of his hand just touching Snape's very hard cock.

He was rewarded with the rare view of a blushing Severus Snape.

Only a second later, the black-haired wizard punched him hard, his fist like steel, knocking Lucius back into the grass and causing him to land a few feet away from the spot where he had been lying.

"Ouch!" Lucius exclaimed, trying in vain to get up. "What the..."

Too late. Severus, terrifying in his wrath, sprang after him, landed on top of him and knocked the air out of his lungs. Gasping, Lucius tried to push the taller man off – being smaller himself, he was still slightly heavier, with wider shoulders and stronger arms.

Severus was not only high on adrenalin but also faster and determined to end this in his favour. He pulled Lucius up, punched him again, then pushed him hard towards a huge, old tree. Lucius realised only then that this was no game anymore. Thrusting up his elbow, he managed a blow to Severus's temple, effectively breaking the grip round his own throat.

"Stop..." he rasped and dodged another blow.

"Never... ever... touch me... without permission!" Severus hissed, smashing Lucius into the tree. Lucius, caught off-guard by this harsh attack, had been about to grab Severus's shoulders for support but now pulled his hands back instantly. Severus's forearm locked tightly across his throat. They were only inches away from each other.

"No offence meant!" Lucius breathed, his lungs burning due to lack of air. It had been ages since he had been in a fistfight – wizards usually used their wands or at least magic to sort out their differences. Severus, though, was surprisingly skilled in ordinary hand-to-hand combat and had used this fact to his full advantage. He eased his grip only slightly, allowing Lucius to get some air.

"I thought... you might... Sorry!" Lucius rasped. The bark of the oak scratched long red lines across his back. He felt Severus's hot breath on his skin and was suddenly fully aware of the differences between a man's body and a woman's.

When Hermione attacked him, it was because she was in a playful mood, and she never did more than kiss or straddle him. Her body was soft, her curves invited him to explore; she was small and fragile and beautiful, and there was not a tiny bit in her that was cruel or bad. Her touch was gentle, and she never failed to arouse him even with only so much as a smile.

The body momentarily pressed against his was hard and muscular: no curves, just bones. Nothing gentle was going on here. The contact was aggressive and forceful. Severus was a man in the height of his years and very rarely playful. There was nothing fragile about his body, nothing soft. Where Hermione reached barely up to his chest, Severus was taller than he. His hands, scarred and strong, blocked effectively every movement the blond wizard could think of.

Being usually in charge, Lucius all of a sudden fully understood why Hermione was aroused instantly when he forced her hands over her head, held her down, or restricted her movement. He could feel Severus's hammering heart against his own chest; Lucius was barely able to hold back a longing moan.

"You don't listen, Malfoy," Severus stated, loosening his grip a bit more. Lucius took the opportunity to push hard in order to get some distance between them. Severus just caught his arm and with a quick movement turned Lucius round, pinning him with his face against the tree. Fearing that this would dislocate his shoulder any moment, Lucius used his free hand to propel himself backwards, causing Severus to lose his balance, and they both crashed to the grass.

"What do you mean?" Lucius gasped.

"That I enjoy a good fight!" The words came out maliciously, and for a moment, Lucius didn't understand the meaning at all. The next moment, Severus caught Lucius's thunderstruck face in both his hands, forced him down, and landed a hard, demanding kiss on the other man's lips, cracking them with his teeth.

The same moment Severus conquered Lucius's mouth, tasted the blood on the blond wizard's tongue, Lucius found the other man's rock hard cock and closed his fingers around it firmly enough to finally make Severus groan with desire.

*****

"Now tell me, Severus, when I want to fuck you the next time, do I have to knock you half-unconscious again?"

"I might surrender a bit earlier." Snape's voice was nothing but a sated growl in the darkness.

"You might? A bit? Good gods, I hope you have some damn fast-working healing potions at hand!"

"Healing potions won't be a problem, I assure you, Lucius." Lazily, Severus reached out a hand and ran it across the other man's chest.

"Ouch!"

"What?"

"I think you strained some muscles over my ribcage when you took me last."

"Sorry. Come here." Rolling over, Severus checked in the darkness one rib after the other. "That one," he observed a moment later, getting confirmation from Lucius's gasp. Waving a complicated healing rune on the golden skin, Severus undid the damage caused by fighting and fucking in an instant. "Better?"

"Thanks," Lucius grumbled, pulling Severus in a close embrace and ignoring the momentary resistance. "More?" he asked, slightly surprised, as he was quite tired himself. Tired and very sated.

"No way!" Snape chuckled. "Just a habit. I'm not used to being touched like that."

"Don't you worry," Lucius replied with a grin. "You will be, soon. That won't be the last time I'll fight you into lovemaking. It has been too good to remain a singular event."

"Agreed. And I promise that I won't hurt you too much next time." Relaxing, Severus shoved his body in a more comfortable position, sighing deeply. "I am positive that I don't want to move until at least next Tuesday."

Lucius wrapped his arms around him and laughed silently. "So pray then that our love sleeps at least until sunrise," he mocked.

Sleep tiptoed along, approached the two entangled bodies, and stole the words off their tongues and the thoughts out of their minds. It was late – time to dream.

*****

The night's chill bit into Hermione's naked shoulders. She shivered; the cloak had slipped off in her sleep, and dew was already glistening on the grass. It was still dark. Reaching out, she searched for a body to warm her.

No one there.

Mumbling, she moved, half asleep still. Had she tossed and turned so badly? Where were...

She snapped her eyes open in the dark. Lucius. She had wanted to spend the afternoon here with him.

Severus had been here as well.

Oh, dear.

Sitting up, she looked round, confused. They would have never, ever abandoned her. So where were they? "Accio wand!" A convenient thing, this wandless magic. It had taken her a while to master it, but now she was at least able to get her wand out of the basket without having to get up.

"Lumos!" Wrapping Lucius's cloak around her shivering body, she illuminated the clearing.

There, under the trees. "Cheeky!" she grumbled. "Leaving me alone out here – what were they thinking?"

Silently, she walked over to her two lovers. When she found them fast asleep, she smiled. Severus's head was cradled on Lucius's chest, his arm loosely hanging over the blond wizard's waist. Lucius, one arm under the other man's neck, held Severus tight; Hermione knew that it was a most comforting way to sleep, as it was her favourite position with each of them. Now what has happened here then, that they are all of a sudden so close to each other?

Then she frowned. Pushing back loose strands of black and silvery blond hair, she brought her wand closer to the faces of both men – and gasped. She observed bruises, cracked skin and lips, bloodstains. Slowly, she moved her wand lower over their bodies.

Long scratches across Severus's back, obviously caused by nails. Confused, Hermione stared at her hands. She hadn't done that. She never scratched, bit, or hit.

Bruises in the form of fingerprints on Lucius's hips – the shadow of a male hand. They would take days to fade. A pale rune across Lucius's ribcage. A healing rune for strained muscles. More bruises. More scratches.

Shocked, Hermione sat down, the light cast by her wand trembling with the shaking of her hand. They had been fighting. Badly enough to cause wounds, badly enough to nearly break bones. They really must hate each other! But... but... they seemed to enjoy the afternoon as much as I did... and why are they sleeping so close?

"Princess?" A whisper. A strong hand on hers. Lucius.

She turned her head, staring at him. He hadn't moved yet so as not to wake Severus. Pressing a finger against his lips, he motioned her down, close to him. Hesitantly, she lowered herself next to him, eager not to get too close. All of a sudden, she didn't know that man any more. "What..." she started, but he silenced her with his eyes. Taking the wand out of her numb fingers, he cast a spell. Severus gave a deep sigh and dropped into an even deeper sleep; he wouldn't wake up now, even when they spoke directly beside him.

Pushing himself up to a sitting position, Lucius took his cloak off Hermione's shoulders and wrapped it round his friend's lean body so he wouldn't grow cold without the other man's warmth. Then he opened his arms, and Hermione just fell into his embrace. Seeing how gently he had covered up Severus had calmed her, but she was still confused. "I don't understand!" she whispered. "Why you are... you are hurt, so is he, and I don't understand! Were you fighting? Was this because of me? Of us – today?"

Gods, how could I fall in love with someone so innocent? Lucius wondered. Her disturbed eyes hurt him deeply. Time to explain.

"We did fight," he started, not entirely sure how to go on with this. He didn't have a clue how she would react. "We didn't fight over you, though, or because what's happened today. It was wonderful, beautiful, and we both enjoyed it immensely – giving you as much pleasure as possible."

She blushed. "Then why?" she urged, tracing a small finger over his still bruised lips. Remembering Severus's skilled tongue on this very spot, he said, "Because we can not fulfil every one of our needs with you. That goes especially for Severus; he started the fight."

"What? He wants to hit me, to beat me?"

Instantly, Lucius pressed his hand over her mouth, silencing her dreadful words. The thought of hurting her revolted him. "No, Hermione, no! Never – please don't ever say that, think that again!"

Brushing her hair back, caressing her cheek with his fingertips, he then took a look at the sleeping figure behind him. "As he puts it: he likes a good fight. So we did fight, and then we made love," he said, taking his hands off her to give her some space to react. "I know how this looks, but we both wanted this. And it won't be the last time."

Her eyes widened, then her mouth dropped. She stared at Lucius, then at Severus, then at Lucius again. "But... your wounds?" she managed after some long moments.

"Surrender sometimes is sweetest when you are forced into it, love," Lucius admitted with a crooked smile. "Fighting with someone who might best you is very arousing, as I found out tonight. And, of course, fighting with you is not only impossible but nothing we desire in the slightest."

"You... and Severus... you... made love?" Now, that was something she wouldn't have expected in a thousand years. "But you don't even like each other!"

He cast her an amused look. "You only think so because of the circumstances, Hermione. You cheated on him, so your conclusion is that we, as we both love you, can only hate each other. Actually, I have wanted him for a while. And he definitely doesn't hate me, either."

She pondered that, then moved slightly to get back into his arms again. "So, you don't, umm, despise each other?" Slowly, she became used to the idea. It was surprisingly easy to accept that the men she loved, loved each other, too. Not only easy but arousing as well. Strange. "And you make love... like... during a fight?" Blushing slightly, she ran a hand through her wild locks.

"Apparently," Lucius smiled. "I went for a quiet seduction and was attacked instead. And after he had had me, he was very convincing that, if I wanted him, I would have to best him."

"And so you did?"

"So I did, as I wanted him very much. What he wants is what he gets. He likes it rough, he gets it rough." Catching her fragile wrists in hers, he carefully crossed her arms in front of her body and held tight. Trying to get her hands free, she failed. Smiling, he leaned in and kissed her. A moment ago, she would have sworn that kissing wasn't what she wanted; now, she responded hungrily. "See?" he said, releasing her. "You like it gentle, but you like it nevertheless. And Severus likes it a bit harder – it's just a different level of the same concept."

"I see," she said, and a smile lit her face. Shrugging out of Lucius's embrace, she crawled over to Severus and slipped under the cloak that covered him. He was deliciously warm. When she wrapped her arms round him and pressed her face to his back, he took a deep, content breath. Closing her eyes, she listened to his slow, steady heartbeat. Mine, she thought. Both of them are mine. Easily, she drifted into sleep.

She looks like the cat who found the cream, Lucius thought with a grin and was somewhat surprised that the day had ended so wonderfully. Finding his previous position, and with Severus now between them, he reached out and took Hermione's hand in his. Mine, he thought. Both of them are mine.

And Severus, who caught their thoughts in his dreams, smiled an amused smile and knew that his plan had indeed worked out perfectly.