A beautiful commission by @thetalesofprince depicts a snapshot of a chapter awaiting to be published. I'm in awe of how stunning this piece is, capturing the deep, raw emotions so well.
A sneak peek of the scene below -
"Don't talk, just breathe. Calm yourself. Focus on now, here, with me..."
Severus clutched onto her arms to steady himself as he allowed his head to rest upon her shoulder. His head felt like it was filled with stones - heavy, and too much weight to bear for his shoulders. His mind became hazy as flashes of his past painful memories bubbled to the surface. He tried to contain it, but it was like trying to catch water with your hands. But her touch, the softness in her voice, her patience with him...He had never felt so safe with anyone before.
He could feel her other hand resting on his upper back in comfort as he melted further into her warm embrace. Her calming voice was soothing to his erratic senses, and he could feel himself slowly centring. His heart was no longer racing, and he sat there with his wary head upon her shoulder whilst her fingers ran circles in comfort. Oh, what he'd give to stay that way for eternity. Her kindness was the bandage to his wounded soul. His heart was full of old pain, but there she was still holding him and soothing him during his panicked distress.
The tension in his shoulders eventually loosened and the tears that had since streamed down his gaunt face were no longer cascading down but slowed. He felt his cheeks grow hot in shame, but he knew she would not mock him for it. She knew. The unspoken pain that Severus could not bear to voice, but she knew.
"No one else has to know, alright?" She whispered.
But he could only muster a shaky nod, trying to settle himself between gasps of breath for dear life.
"I am nothing, “ His voice croaked in a shaky whisper.
"You've never been nothing to me, Severus. Merlin forbid, you allow anyone to speak kindly about you, " Dawn's warm hands rested on the sides of his soaked, gaunt face. Severus' eyes drooped in sadness, his iris' endless pools of black, "I am here, and I won't leave you."
"I-I don't know how to live, Dawn. Endless….It never seems to end. How could anyone love a miserable, broken man like me? I can't - I can't bear it anymore - "
"Shhh. I will not love you any less. You're important to me and that will never change. I will help you through this."
Severus gave a pathetic, choked sob, feeling more tears drip endlessly down his cheek and over the bridge of his nose. They released so quickly again, that he hardly noticed and had time or energy to stop them. He was so afraid to break down completely, that he knew he wouldn't be able to stop if he did. But it now seemed far too late, "I'm tired - so tired - "