WARNING: This is a slash story, which means it contains male/male erotic content involving consenting adults. If you're not of legal age or are offended by such material, please go find something else to read.

Title: The Birthday Cake
Author: Fleur
E-Mail: Fleur78@gmx.de
Rating: PG13
Categories: Romance, Humor
Summary: Remus has birthday, and Snape bakes a cake.
Disclaimer: They all belong to J.K. Rowling.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Snape stared down on the table in disgust. How could it be that he, Severus Snape, Master of Potions in Hogwarts, could not manage this? How could it be that he, who could brew every potion you could think of, no matter how complicated it was, was not able to fix a simple birthday cake? And how could it be that he bothered about it?

Ok, the last one was simple. Because of him. The werewolf. The DADA teacher. Lupin...Remus. It was his birthday tomorrow, and since Snape didn't knew what he could give him as a present, the Potions Master was now standing in the dungeons and baking a cake. Well, trying to do so.

He had thought about simply buying one or making things easier by using some magic. But then he had remembered a discussion he and Remus had had about cooking.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Why do you do this?"

"Why do I do what, Severus?"

"Why do you cook?"

"Maybe because I want to eat something?"

"You could go to the kitchen and ask the house elves for some food, you know."

"I don't want any food, I want this."

"And why don't you take your wand and..."

"Making food by using magic? I don't like that. I like cooking, you know. I've got to be very hungry to make food with magic."

"Oh, well, if you like cooking..."

"Yes, I do. I think it's very satisfying to make something with your hands."

"Hm, I bet, I could think of much more satisfying things you could do with your hands..."

"Severus! Get off of me! The food will burn!"

"Let it burn. Don't you like that?"

"Not now! Not...ok, I like it, but really...not now!"

"Ok. When?"

"When what?"

"When do you like it?"

"After eating?"

"Then you should hurry up with cooking."

"Severus, you're impossible. What would you say, if I would disturb you when you're brewing a potion and command you to hurry, because I want to do something else with you?"

"That's not the same!"

"Why?"

"Because that's my job. And because you can't simply wave your wand and make a potion, that doesn't work. Food, on the other side..."

"Oh, there are some sorts of food you can't make with magic, too!"

"For example?"

"Birthday cakes."

"Birthday cakes?!"

"Yes, birthday cakes. You can't make them with magic. That's just not right. You have to make them with all your love and that doesn't work, if you only wave your wand."

"Alright, you can't make birthday cakes with magic...Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Are you making a birthday cake right now?"

"No, why do you a...hmph!"

::kissing sounds::

"Then you should fix this meal with magic, because I don't want to wait."

::more kissing sounds::

::sighs::

"Ok..."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Snape grinned when he remembered, what had happened after Remus had put the fire off. Then he remembered what he was doing right now and his grin disappeared. He looked again at the thing that was supposed to become a cake. Unfortunately it doesn't want to.

'You have to make them with all your love...' Maybe that was the problem. The Potions Master wasn't a very loving person.

Snape sighed deeply and decided then to try again. Maybe he wasn't a very loving person, but if he had any feelings, that could be called love, then they were for Remus Lupin.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus Lupin woke up and was happy. First he didn't know why, but then he remembered. Today was his birthday. He got up, showered, dressed and went for breakfast, smiling all the time. Ok, maybe it was childish and ridiculous, but he loved having birthday.

When he entered the great hall, he was greeted by his congratulating colleagues. Dumbledore wished him luck with a twinkle in his eyes, Professor McGonagall gave him a warm smile and Professor Trelawney offered him a very special present: She would tell him the exact time of his death and the way he would die. After Remus had rejected this with thanks, Hagrid pulled him into such a tight hug, that Remus suddenly knew, what Trelawney would have told him.

After that, they all sat down at the breakfast table. Remus started to eat when he suddenly realized something. He frowned. Where was Snape? He wasn't in the hall. Maybe he was late. But on the other side, it wasn' Snape's way to be late.

When the Potion Master didn't appear during the whole breakfast, Lupin got a bit worried. Maybe something was wrong. Snape could be ill, for example.

After finishing breakfast, Remus didn't wait for any other person. Instead of this, he went to Snape's rooms immediately. When he arrived there, he knocked and waited impatiently for an answer. No answer. He knocked again, and again, there came no answer. Much more concerned now, he simply entered the room. It was empty. Snape wasn't there. Remus frowned, thought one moment, turned and left the room. When Snape wasn't in his rooms, then he was probably in the dungeons. But why? It was Sunday. No classes today. So why should he be in the dungeons at this time of the day?

Finally, Remus arrived at his destination. Since he was really concerned now, he wasted no time with knocking and went in.

The first thing he realized was the great mess in the room. And then he saw Snape. The Potions Master sat on a chair, arms and head were on a table and he was sleeping. Lupin came nearer and looked at Snape to find out whether something was wrong. But Severus Snape was only sleeping. Remus shook his head amused and a little bit confused. Then he saw the thing that was on the table next to the sleepers head. A cake. Well, at least, there was some similarity to a cake. A cake with frosting and...candles. Candles?

He must have made a noise, because suddenly Snape woke up with a confused expression on his face.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Snape opened his eyes and felt disorientated. Where was he? And why wasn't he in his rooms? Then he remembered. He was in the dungeons and had tried to bake a cake and when he finally had managed it, he had fall asleep. On a chair. Well, that explained, why his body was hurting.

He sat up and stretched groaning. Then he realized that he wasn't alone. Remus Lupin stood before him and stared at him with a strange expression on his face.

"What?" Snape snarled defensively.

Lupin only looked at him.

"What?" Snape repeated, getting a little bit irritated.

"You've...", Remus cleared his throat, "you've made a cake."

"Yes. And?"

"It's a birthday cake." Remus had again this strange expression.

"Well, it is a cake and there are some candles on it, so I think, yes, you could call it a birthday cake." Snape said ironically.

"You've made a birthday cake...for me?"

Snape suddenly felt very insecure. Remus didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about the cake. So the Potions Master said in a cool tone: "Well, there aren't so many people who have birthday today."

"You've made a birthday cake for me." Remus whispered and suddenly there were tears in his eyes.

Snape startled. He leapt up and looked at the other man with wide eyes and was very confused.

"Remus! What...what do you have? Have I said or done anything wrong?"

"No! You didn't make a mistake! It's only...", Remus cleared his throat again, "you've made a birthday cake for me."

"Well, it is your birthday today, isn't it?" Snape didn't understand Remus behaviour.

"Yes, it is. It's only...nobody ever made a birthday cake for me since I was a little child." Remus said with a shaking voice.

Snape frowned. "I'm very sure that you'll get a birthday cake from the house elves. And I'm also sure it'll be much better than mine." he added with a sigh.

Remus chuckled, but got serious again.

"That's not what I meant. Yes, of course, the house elves will bake, too. But they only do it because I have a birthday. You've done it because it's me, who has birthday. That's a difference, you know." Remus smiled at Snape affectionately.

Severus understood what Remus meant and smiled back. Then suddenly his smile broadened to a grin.

"Seems to be some kind of 'first time' for you, isn't it?"

Remus also grinned. "When I take a look at this cake, I suppose it's a first time for you, too." He took a step and was standing very near to the Potions Master now. "Must be a special talent of us," Remus whispered hoarsely into the other man's ear, "having first times together." Then he kissed Severus with passion and his kiss was returned equally.

When the kiss was ended by their need to breathe, Severus said with a shaking voice:

"Happy birthday, Remus."

And then there were no words for a long time.