Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"You know, Harry, if you wanted a divorce you should have just said so."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh stop being so dramatic. It's a furniture store. I need a new desk. We go in, we get it, I eat a cinnamon roll. Easy."

Severus frowned as he exited the car and they made their way. "I still don't see why I have to be here," he grumbled.

"We've never been before! Hermione says it's an experience, and we can have lunch. The food is supposed to be good. Or we can go out after. I just want the cinnamon rolls."

“I can’t believe we’re subjecting ourselves to an afternoon at a busy store, when you can just as easily have something delivered, all for some new sweet. I can’t believe I pander to your whims.”

“You love me and my whims,” said Harry. “Hurry up, let’s go in.”

*

Severus hadn’t seen Harry so wide eyed and amazed since he first walked into Hogwarts.

“Wow, this place is huge. Ok, so we go through the showroom first. And then I think we get the desk at the end. And the cinnamon rolls are near the checkout.”

“I’m beginning to suspect you don’t even need a desk at all,” Severus said with a quirked eyebrow. “Why don’t we just get you your cinnamon roll and go home?”

“It’s the experience,” answered Harry. “Come on, look how it’s set up all together with different rooms? I think this wardrobe looks smart, don’t you?”

Severus sighed and followed along. It was going to be a long day.
*

“How is anyone supposed to get anywhere in this bloody maze. We aren’t even in the desk section, and I’m certain we’ve passed this couch already. Are we going backwards?”

Harry frowned. “Isn’t there a sign? We’re meant to follow the arrows on the floor.”

Severus was nearly knocked over by a running child. “No one can keep their idiot children under control here, apparently,” he said loudly enough that the couple were met with several annoyed looks from other patrons.

Harry grabbed his arm and dragged him away. “This way, it must be over in office furniture.”

*

“Will you pick one, already? These are all basically the same.”

“Stop rushing me!” Harry sat down at his fifth desk, opening the drawers and miming writing atop it. He spun a few times in the wheely chair. “I like this one. I think we need the chair too.”

“Alright, perfect. Write it down, let’s get it.”

“It comes in three colors. Oh, but not oak. I was hoping for oak.”

Severus groaned.

*

“I thought the showroom was my own personal hell, but no. It’s this.” Severus stared vacantly at the warehouse section of the store , where aisles upon aisles lined in boxes were labeled with numbers. “Alright, where is the desk and chair you selected?”

Harry stood still, too quietly. “Er..”

“Harry. You wrote down the aisle and bin number didn’t you? I told you to write it down.”

“I wrote down the name! How was I supposed to know it was organized like this?” Harry said, frustrated. “I thought it would be grouped together like the showroom!”

“It said so on the sheet! It said to make note of the aisle and bin number, I assumed you could be trusted to follow the simplest instructions!”

“Well if you’re so bloody brilliant, why didn’t you write it down?”
They glowered at one another. “Well, we will just have to go back and check.”

“No, I am not going back there. We’re leaving.”

“Oh, we’re leaving? Bloody war hero can’t brave a furniture showroom?”

“Ruddy idiot can’t even pick out a desk in less than half an hour? Or write down two numbers?”

“Ah, I can’t stand you!” Harry groaned, tossed the paper and little pencil at Severus’ head and turned back to the showroom portion of the store. “You find it!”

*

Over twenty minutes later, Severus finally found Harry amongst the wall art displays.

He thrust out his hand towards Harry. “Here.”

“Are you going to apologize?”

“I have purchased you a cinnamon roll. Take it.”

“That doesn’t sound like ‘I’m sorry’,” Harry said.

Severus gestured furtively toward the pastry. “I had to wait in line!”

Harry crossed his arms and glared.

“What?”

“Here, I’ll help you. Say, ‘I’m sorry, Harry. I’m such an infuriating git, Harry. I’m lucky to have you, Harry.’ Go on.”

Severus closed his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he ground out.

“And?”

“And I’m lucky to have you,” he muttered. He handed the cinnamon roll to Harry. “Eat this. It’s what you came here for.”

Harry took a bite, his eyes still on Severus. “You didn’t say the part about being a git.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure that goes without saying.” Severus rolled his eyes. “Now let’s get out of here.”

Chapter Text

"Oh and love grows where my Rosemary goes, and nobody knows-"

"Is it possible for you not to sing while chopping? I'm trying to focus."

"Are you distracted by how charming I am?" Harry set his chopped rosemary to the side and turned to face his annoyed husband with a grin. "By my golden voice?"

"I'm distracted by the fact that there is a song lyric in mind for every ingredient so far. I thought I signed us up for a cooking class, not to be forced to listen to you wailing like a wounded animal."

"Oi! I am an excellent singer, and you are hopelessly in love with the dulcet tones of my beautiful voice."

"Hmm. Am I?" Severus presented his perfectly cut potatoes to the instructor who was walking around to check everyone's progress. She smiled at the two of them. "Excellent job Severus. And Harry, good work with the rosemary." She moved on to correct the chopping at the table to their left.

"Oh look at that, Severus. My chopping and dicing skills have improved."

"Well I should hope so, by now. Let's see what you can do with the garlic."

Harry set to work peeling garlic cloves as the instructor reminded everyone of the next steps.
"This is fun," said Harry. "What made you think of it?"

Severus shrugged. "You've been getting restless with work being so slow lately. Better to give you something to focus on lest your death wish tendencies come in to play and you decide to wrestle a Chimera or some such."

Harry laughed. "You were just in time then. Had to cancel my hippogriff flight to make class today."

They continued working in peaceful silence for the next few steps, passing each other tools and ingredients with a rhythm the comes with years of sharing a kitchen.

"Thank you, Severus, I love it," said Harry.

Severus looked over at those sparkling green eyes and couldn't help but twitch a slight smile.

"You love to cook," Severus said with a shrug.

"I love you," Harry corrected quietly, and pecked a kiss to his husband's cheek.

Chapter Text

"Is it difficult, Potter, to wake up every day and have to live as such an absolute moron?"

Harry's far flung dreams of a quiet morning went immediately out the window. He sighed, took a sip of his tea and looked up at his scowling husband. "What...what's happening?"

"What's happening is that even a trained monkey knows the toilet paper roll is supposed to hang over the top, and despite my best efforts to demonstrate this by taking the liberty to change it every time it's wrong, you continue."

Harry decided it was way too early on what should be a leisurely morning to have this argument, particularly considering he had no idea what Severus was talking about, and even less of an idea why it was so upsetting which way the toilet paper roll was hanging.

"Severus I have no idea what you are talking about. I don't even pay attention which way the roll is facing when I change it. Why does it even matter?"

"Of course you don't pay attention. What do you pay attention to, you imbecile Gryffindor, just completely oblivious to the world around you."

"Severus, what are you going on about? I was planning on a nice quiet day, you catapult in here like a hurricane, ranting and raving about toilet paper rolls of all things-"

"I am not 'ranting and raving' I am trying to enlighten your idiotic mind, if you could possibly retain any information about anything besides Quidditch in your cotton stuffed skull."

Harry abandoned all pretense of enjoying his tea and newspaper. "And who died and made you the authority on toilet paper rolls? I must have missed that notice in the Prophet. Or did they mail you a certified letter? Was there a committee? Did I miss the knighting ceremony?"

Severus stalked off in a huff and returned a moment later with his phone. "If you wont listen to me, look at this diagram from the original patent. The instructions clearly show the way it was intended to be set on the holder. Hanging over."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Is this...did you just have this queued up and ready?" Harry lowered the pitch of his voice to imitate his husband. "What do I need a blasted smartphone for, Harry? What use is that?" He resumed his normal speaking voice. "Well look at that, you can irritate your extremely patient and loving husband in under five minutes."

Harry frowned and took in the sight of his scowling husband and the pained expression on his face. "Severus, what's this about? Have you eaten yet? Let me make you some eggs and maybe you'll calm down."

"I'm not hungry. I don't need eggs, I need to live in a world where the toilet paper hangs the right way. Maybe what's going on is I'm forced to suffer your flagrant disregard for the rules of society."

"Oh yes. This is definitely an appropriate reaction. We've only been together seventeen years and this has never come up once."

Harry noticed the way Severus was slouched to the side and sighed. "Oh. I thought I heard you tossing around last night. Did you get any sleep? Your shoulder is bothering you again isn't it?"

Severus did not respond but adjusted his posture and winced slightly.

"Severus," Harry said exasperated, "I told you to let me know if it was acting up again. I know how to help. You don't need to suffer. Or take it on me." Harry pushed Severus down to sit in a chair at the table. "Let me work on it for you."

Severus protested weakly but submitted to Harry's attentions with little more than a grumble. Even after all this time the scarring and after effects of Nagini's venom pained Severus' neck and left shoulder. After several minutes of massage, Severus was slumped back in the chair, relaxed and much more peaceful, breathing deeply.

"There," said Harry. "Feeling better, love? Or do you have a ruthless lecture planned for the appropriate organization of the silverware drawer?"

Severus huffed a laugh. Then sighed in content and leaned his head back as Harry moved his hands to his head, running his fingers through the long, silver hair in gentle strokes. "Why are you so good to me?" He asked quietly.

"What else would I be?" Harry continued his soothing attentions on Severus' hair, combing out the tangles and lightly scratching his scalp. "I love you, you know."

"Wouldn't you love me better if I wasn't-"

"An infuriating git?"

Severus chuckled. "Precisely."

Harry shrugged. "Would I love you if you were anything but what you are? Maybe. Probably. I'm pretty adaptable. But would I love you better?"

Harry leaned down and pressed a kiss to crown of his husband's head.

"I couldn't love you better if I tried. This is my best work."

Chapter Text

Severus stared at the slightly browned leaves on his plate with a disgust usually reserved for snot nosed first years. Or most Gryffindors.

"What is this?"

Harry sat down at the dining room table next to Severus and gestured to the side dish in question on both their plates. "It's baked kale. It's supposed to taste just like crisps."

Severus turned towards his husband with an expression of disbelief and betrayal. "Just like crisps? Does this mean you did not purchase any proper crisps? Which I most certainly added to the list?"

"This is healthier. We're eating healthier now and kale is good for you."

"And why precisely are we eating healthier?"

Harry popped a kale chip in his mouth and did an admirable job of hiding his grimace. Severus smirked.

"Because we're old now. We shouldn't be eating things like crisps and chips every day."

Severus raised his eyebrow and pursed his lips. "What's this about chips now? Are there not going to be chips anymore either? I didn't realize I was married to such a health food nut. I seem to recall you finishing off the ice cream carton only yesterday."

"Yeah, I was surprised I'd actually gotten to it before you this time. One for the record books."

Severus scowled and picked up a piece of kale, eyeing it suspiciously. "There's barely even any salt on this."

"We need to watch our sodium intake. Especially you." Harry smiled playfully. "You know why?"

"Harry," Severus said with a sigh.

"You need to cut down on the sodium because-"

Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Harry, it wasn't funny the first time, why you think it'll be funny the five hundredth time you say it is beyond me."

"Because you're so full of salt."

Severus glared. "Harry, I don't ask for very much-"

"Ohhhh, that is absolutely not true," Harry interrupted immediately.

Severus ignored Harry and continued, "I ask for so little, only that I am allowed to indulge occasionally in my favorite food, including crisps with a sandwich for lunch, and here I sit, betrayed by my own husband."

"Can you stop being so dramatic? Just try them. Maybe you'll love them."

"No. They look terrible."

"They're fine."

Severus banished the offending greens from his plate with a quick flick of his wand.

"Oh, are you serious? How are you such a baby at sixty three years old?"

Severus picked up his sandwich and examined it carefully, looking for signs Harry had snuck some other healthy nonsense in there.

"I'm going with you to Tesco's next time. You obviously can no longer be trusted with the task."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hurry up and eat your sandwich. The movie starts at two."

"I'll be getting popcorn. With butter and salt. Why don't you bring a carrot or something along for you to snack on?"

"Oh, shut up. Excuse me for trying to enrich our lives with new and healthy food."

"Apology accepted," Severus said with a triumphant smirk. "Do try not to do it again."

Chapter Text

“Alright you’re in no shape to be out of bed. Give me a few minutes to Firecall the office and let the know I won’t be coming in.”

Severus sneezed. “No reason for you to stay. I’m perfectly able to survive a few hours on my own.” He looked miserable and was currently attempting to brew tea while seated on a chair in front of the stove.

“Will you stop that.” Harry made a cup of tea for his husband and set it on the table. He disappeared for a few moments before returning to find Severus slouched over the table, red eyed and sniffling. “Alright that’s settled. Here, take this for your head.” Harry produced one of Severus’ potions and handed it to him.

“I’m fine. Go to work. No reason for you to laze about all day.”

“I want to take care of you. Make you soup. Looking forward to being insulted several times today.”

Severus just scowled.

“Drink your potion.” Severus opened the vial and looked at it suspiciously.

“Oi, get on with it. It’s one of yours and I didn’t poison it.”

“This time,” Severus muttered as he downed the potion.

“You need to rest. Come to the bedroom, I’ll put something on the telly in there.” Harry headed over to the movie collection on the bookshelf beside it, while Severus followed slowly. “Oh, do you want to watch The Princess Bride?”

“No. You subjected me to that the last time you were sick.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Harry. “You hate it. Sure. That’s why we watched it three times.”

“I took pity on you,” said Severus. “That was a nasty flu.” Severus slipped under the covers and surveyed his options from the bed. “Put on Labyrinth.”

“Ugh, that movie is so weird.” Harry opened the case and started it up anyway. “I think you just have a crush on David Bowie.”

“Well, who doesn’t,” said Severus as he moved to make room for Harry to join him on the bed.

They watched together for several minutes as Harry rubbed soothing circles on Severus’ back and combed his fingers through his hair. When Harry paused to retrieve his mug and drink more of his tea, Severus grumbled and moved Harry’s hand back to his hair. “You’re not done.”

Harry chuckled. “My sincerest apologies.” He resumed playing with his hair. “I love you,” he said quietly. A long while went by as they watched the movie in silence, and Harry thought Severus must have fallen asleep until he spoke up in a soft voice.

"You know I do, though, so much, don't you? Even when I don't say it?"

"Oh, Severus. Of course I know." Harry pulled him closer towards him and Severus settled sleepily against his chest. Harry lightly pressed his lips to his temple. “Now rest and watch your weird movie.”

“As you wish,” said Severus.

Harry chuckled. "I love you too."

Chapter Text

"You still awake?"

Harry entered the bedroom and set his suitcase down on the floor near the wardrobe. Severus sat up in bed and wordlessly illuminated the lamp.

"How could I not be, with you thundering around downstairs like an elephant?"

Harry laughed. "International flooing is an ordeal. You know I can barely keep from tumbling out when flooing between here and Ron and Mione's"

Severus humphed. "So which of my nice things have you destroyed in your so called tumble out this time? I heard glass shattering. It had better not be that vase. I'll be able to tell if you fixed it magically you know."

"I brought you presents," Harry said, obviously changing the subject. He walked over to the bed to kiss his husband hello. "They're on the table downstairs. Some potion things and something else I think you'll like."

Severus pulled Harry down onto the bed. "I'd like you to stop blathering on." He slid his hands under Harry's shirt and moved closer to settle against him.

"Oh, Severus, don't tell me you missed me? You're happy to have me back? You love me so much?"

"I'm happy to not freeze every night again. Not my fault I've gotten so used to sleeping next to a bloody furnace."

"Mmm. 'Next to' or do you mean 'curled up around like an octopus?'"

Severus ignored him and instead demonstrated his octopus impression, curling a leg around Harry's and pinning him to the bed.

Harry chuckled and brushed his husband's silver hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear. He glanced down and for the first time noticed what he was wearing to bed.

"Hey, is that my shirt?"

"No."

"Oh, so that's your Gryffindor Alumni Quidditch Match 2013 shirt then?"

"You've been gone nearly a week. Why are our shirts still on at all?"

Severus tugged expectantly on Harry's tee and was quickly obliged. Harry returned the favor and moved closer to him, peppering kisses over his jaw and neck. He paused to whisper in Severus' ear.

"I missed you too, love."

Severus wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him over on top of him.

"Oh yes?" said Severus, quickly divesting them of the rest to their clothes. "Show me how much."

Chapter Text

Severus drummed his fingers on the linen tablecloth and let out a frustrated sigh. “This is absurd. Who put this imbecile in charge of deciding who gets to the buffet?”

“Mmm, probably Rose. It is her wedding after all,” answered Harry. “I told you to eat something before we left. These things always take forever.”

“Precisely,” said Severus. “Why do they need so many photos? We didn’t spend an hour and a half taking photos at our wedding. Doesn’t she know what her wife looks like?”

Harry chuckled. “I think he’s going by table number for dinner. So we’ve got...six ahead of us.”

Severus crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, scowling.

Harry examined his husband for a moment with a smile. Then he got up, squeezed Severus shoulder and announced he was going to the loo. Severus nodded in acknowledgement and observed the other wedding guests. Most were visiting guests at other tables, others had already started dancing, some were crowded around the newly married couple, offering congratulations.

He looked over at the gift table where the very expensive and expertly wrapped (by Severus) was sitting. It’s our niece’s wedding Severus! It doesn’t happen every day! Harry had said, insisting. There’s enough Weasley’s it might happen every week, Severus had grumbled, and then promptly bought the gift Harry wanted.

His thoughts were interrupted by Harry’s return, who set a plate full of food in front of him.

Severus looked up, surprised. “What’s this?”

“I brought you food. Snuck into the buffet line. Now you don’t have to wait.”

“And how did you manage that?”

“Severus,” Harry said seriously. “I am a war hero. And trained Auror, surely someone of my prestige and-”

He was cut off with a laugh when a napkin was thrown at his head. Harry tossed the napkin back and kept laughing. “Oh, eat your dinner, you git. You could say thank you.”

“Mmm,” said Severus, thoughtfully. “Thank you, Harry.” He dug into the food on his ill-gotten dinner plate and ate for a few minutes, Harry occasionally stealing a piece of food with a smirk. “So I suppose you’ll be expecting something from me in return for your graciousness?”

“Actually,” said Harry with a smile, “I do.” He leaned closer to his husband and perched his head on the other man’s shoulder. “Dance with me tonight.”

“I don’t dance.”

“Oh, you have sometimes. Don’t you remember that holiday we took-”

“I haven’t drank nearly enough to repeat that,” Severus interrupted.

Harry looked off wistfully, a slight smile on his face, clearly remembering the event. “Maybe someday. But seriously, one dance. It’s a wedding! I want to dance with my husband, who I love so very much.” Harry put on his best smile and pleading look, which Severus always found difficult to resist.

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He allowed himself to be led onto the dance floor.

“I don’t think either of us actually knows how to dance,” said Severus.

“Oh, just hold on to me and sway. No one is watching us.”

They held each other and moved on the dance floor, swaying to the music for a while until the song changed.

“Oh, I love this one,” said Harry. “Wise men say only fools rush in…”

“I agreed to dancing,” said Severus. “Not your singing.”

“You’re married to me. So you’re always signed up for my singing.”

‘Was that in the vows? I can’t recall.”

“Mmmhmm,” replied Harry, moving closer until their faces were almost touching. “I can’t help falling in love with you,” he sang quietly.

“You’re making a scene,” Severus said, embarrassed but not moving away. “We’re too old to be cavorting on a dance floor like this.”

“Who cares,” said Harry. “I love you. And we’re going to be dancing at our hundredth wedding anniversary one day, just like this. And I’ll be singing then too.”

“If you’ll still have me by then.”

Harry leaned in. “Always,” he said and kissed him.

Chapter Text

"Hey! What are you writing down? If you saw the card, that's cheating!"

Severus quirked an eyebrow as he looked up at Harry from scratching something onto a notepad. "I can assure you I did not see anything. Merely using deductive reasoning to determine whether you showed Ronald the candlestick or Colonel Mustard."

"Ha! Well, I'll have you know it wasn't either!"

Severus just smirked. "Thank you for confirming for the entire table that the Billiard Room is not, in fact, the scene of the murder."

Ron snorted and Harry shot an angry look at him. "What? You did walk right into that one mate."

Harry scowled. "Oh, who's side are you on? Who suggested this bloody game anyway?"

"Now, Harry," Severus said in a very condescending tone, "we know you'd rather be chasing after something shiny on a broom, but some of us enjoy the opportunity to display brains over brawn."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, Severus. I'm sure I'm too stupid to understand your insult, so I'll just take that as you admitting my prowess lies in the...physical?" He said is a teasing tone, deliberately swiping the tip of a pink tongue over his upper lip.

"Natter on all you want, you're still going to lose the game," Severus said airily, attempting to appear unaffected by the way those gleaming green eyes were sizing him up.

"That big brain won't be much use if you keep getting distracted, Severus," Harry said with a breathy voice and a wink.

"Now, boys," Hermione interrupted. "Need I remind you there are children in the other room? Let's keep the conversation family friendly." She shot a pointed look at the both of them.

"Don't worry 'Mione. I'm sure Severus is going to be a very good boy tonight, particularly if he wants a treat later, now won't he?"

Severus flushed red and choked a bit while the rest of the table snickered, Harry looking irritatingly triumphant; taking the power back in the conversation. Severus cleared his throat, turned his attention back to the board, and promptly moved his piece in the opposite direction strategy would have advised.

Brat.

Chapter Text

Harry sighed in relief as he stepped through the Floo to his cottage, grateful to finally be home. He'd been away for two nights overseas dealing with some meetings and paperwork for the American branch of one of his charities that apparently needed to be done in person.

Oh well, he'd got to see some interesting sights, and as per usual with his trips anywhere he returned with a rather embarrassingly large mountain of gifts for friends and family and, mostly, his husband.

Harry was disconcerted for a moment to see that this husband of his wasn't around to greet him, and didn't appear to be in any nearby room waiting for him either.

The thought that he might have gone out was quickly abated by the steady stream of curses that erupted from upstairs, something about the wish to rain fire down upon the head of an "overgrown turtle".

Confused, Harry made his way up to what usually served as the playroom for visiting children and was greeted by the sight of Severus scowling fiercely at their new large screen telly and holding a video game controller in his hands.

Well "holding" may not be precisely the right word, as it looked more like Harry had caught him moments away from tossing it across the room in a fit of rage.

"What's all this, then?" he asked, amused.

"An exercise in futility, apparently," Severus grumbled back. "Hello, love," he added as an afterthought and Harry rolled his eyes and then gave him a quick kiss, settling against him on the sofa.

He picked up the discarded case and read the title aloud. "Super Mario Brothers? Since when do we have a Nintendo?"

Severus cleared his throat. "Since Thursday. It was meant to be a birthday gift for a Weasley."

"Just any Weasley?" Harry asked with a smile. "Or one in particular?"

"I don't keep track of your social calendar, Harry, statistically speaking any given fortnight has a Weasley birthday or three. I was being proactive."

"I love how we just pretend you don't have a color coded calendar marking all the family birth dates and anniversaries."

Severus hummed an acknowledgement. "You're hardly pretending very well if you keep bringing it up." Harry had attempted to drape himself over Severus' lap, so he repositioned them both so Harry was against his chest and his arms were free to wrap around him and hold his controller in front in order to continue playing.

Harry chuckled in amusement at being maneuvered. "Ah. So this new system and game isn't in a box lying in wait for a birthday because…?" Harry trailed off, looking up at him with a quirked brow.

Severus restarted the level, eyes on the telly, hands held above Harry and doing his best to ignore his husband, who was apparently set on pawing at him like their cat. "Naturally, I had to check that the game was appropriate."

"Naturally," Harry agreed, playing with the bits of white and black stubble across Severus' cheek, which he was usually very fastidious about ridding from his face every morning. "And how long has it taken for you to ascertain this?"

Severus declined to answer, instead moving through the bright and cartoonish landscape with practiced ease. Harry watched in fascination for a bit, getting invested rather quickly as Severus maneuvered his character over pits, jumping on mushrooms and collecting what appeared to be galleons hung in the sky.

"You're not giving this up are you?"

Severus glanced down at Harry and smiled back at the knowing look on his face. They'd been together far too long for Harry not to see how attached Severus was becoming to the game. "Perhaps not," he agreed. "I'm told if you collect the stars in every level it unlocks a new area with even more."

"How many levels are there?"

"I am...about halfway through," Severus admitted.

"I leave you alone for two days and you've already succumbed to an addiction."

"I'm not addicted," Severus scoffed.

"Alright, stop playing then."

Severus paused the game, but clearly hesitated. Harry just laughed and pressed a kiss to his stubbly cheek. He hadn't expected the evening was going to go quite this, but, oh. he was adaptable, wasn't he? "Is there a two player version?"

Severus just smirked. "The red controller is plugged in over there."

Harry got up to retrieve it, stealing another kiss as he moved off the couch. "Alright here's the deal, you order some takeaway for dinner while I go through the tutorial and I'll help you through the next couple of levels. But after we eat we go shower and you can greet me more properly." He settled into a comfortable position on the couch and familiarized himself with the controls.

"Very well," Severus said in agreement. "I'll go through your gifts too. Where did you leave them?"

"How do you know I brought you anything?"

"Because you are addicted to buying me presents. A malady I am happy to indulge, mind you."

"Oh go order the food, you prat. And I'm serious, we aren't playing this thing all night."

"Of course," replied Severus, as they both prepared to do exactly that.

Chapter Text

The brightly lit and crowded family diner Harry and Severus approached looked nothing like the romantic Italian restaurant that had occupied the same space all those years ago.

"This whole area is so...different," Harry said, a note of slight sadness in his voice, though his expression was a happy one, taking in the sight of parents and children, groups of laughing teenagers, and overall merriment.

"Well it has been nearly twenty years," Severus replied, taking his hand.

"Ugh. That can't be accurate." Harry twined their fingers together and pressed closer to his husband. "We still look so young and attractive."

Severus snorted. "Speak for yourself." Spying a very familiar alcove to the side of the restaurant building, he led Harry over to the dimly lit alley. "Do you remember what happened here?"

"Hmmm, no," Harry said, feigning confusion. "Should I?"

"You're still a brat," Severus muttered with an exasperated expression. "You kissed me here, for the first time."

"I seem to recall you kissing me. And oh, Severus, I thought I was supposed to be the sentimental one," Harry teased.

But Severus didn't respond in kind, simply looked far away, remembering that first date, the conversation so much more awkward and stilted than their previous meetings as colleagues and then friends. Neither knew how to navigate that new space, that first foray into something more than friends.

"I was so nervous," said Harry, trailing his fingers along the gray wool of Severus' jacket, bringing his attention back to the present. "I must have made that reservation and cancelled it five times before I worked up the courage to ask you."

"I had a suspicion you were going to," Severus replied with a smirk. "Subtlety has never been your strong point." He gazed at Harry, captivated as always by the bright green eyes, filled with adoration. "I thought it was going terribly at first. That you'd never want to go out again."

"And then we left the restaurant, and I couldn't figure out how to say goodbye. So I dropped the portkey to buy me some more time to figure it out."

"And it rolled off into the alley, so we had to go look for it," Severus continued with a laugh.

"We were fumbling around in the dark looking for a marble, and you said aren't you a wizard, Harry? and just summoned it," Harry said, joining in the teasing laughter.

"And then you kissed me."

"And then I kissed you," Harry agreed softly. "And it felt like…"

"Like a beginning," Severus said, uncharacteristically sappy. "Like hope."

"Exactly," Harry said and leaned in to kiss him again, just like the first time, and the tenth time, and the several thousandth time.

"Did it feel as nice as the first kiss?" Severus asked, barely pulling away from his lips, still holding Harry close.

"No, not even close," Harry grinned. "Much better with age, I think," he said, twisting his fingers into his husband's long silver hair, wrinkles deepening around his eyes s they both smiled into another kiss, the first of infinitely many more.