By popular demand, I present the puppy story! YAY! A little snippet of their life together. This is set a couple years after the two get together and quite a few years before the main story.

O~~~~~~~~~O

"Severus, you are twenty nine not fifty five. I absolutely demand that we go out tonight. If we do not I will make your life with the Dark Lord look like a fucking cakewalk." And with that comment they were off. Severus did admit that they had been even more antisocial than usual. He had spent a majority of his time the last few weeks in his lab, desperately trying to get some of his research done before he had to begin teaching again. Over the last months they had not even left to go to their usual bookstore or coffee shop. The one thing he did ask was that they go to a muggle bar instead of a wizarding one. Though he had been cleared of all his charges there was still a lot of lingering resentment in the wizarding world to anyone who had anything to do with He-who should-not-be-named. Alex agreed happily.

They decided to walk to a pub that was near their flat. Snape had put on a pair of dark wash jeans and a black button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It was nice to be able to reveal his dark mark without anyone flinching, the joys of being in the muggle world. His hair was short from a recent cut, feathering lightly around his ears. It lack its normal greasy texture since he hadn't needed to put his usual flame proof potion he wore when he was teaching kids. Alex had put on a pair of obscene leather pants with a pair of large boots and a red t-shirt. He had spelled a streak of black in normally brown hair. It had been a little joke between them that Severus had never truly left his punk rock-rebellion phase and that Alex was going to match. The pub that they went to was a common place for them so they didn't have pretend that they weren't a couple.

There was a rush of sound as the opened the door. The smell of cheap beer and vinegar followed out the sound. Alex waved Severus in and followed with a smile. It was a Thursday so there wasn't a large crowd but enough that they needed to push between people to get to the bar.

"Hey Sal." Alex called out to the barman. The tall, bald man turned and waved at them in greeting.

"The usual then?" He asked, gaining a nod from the two. With practiced hands he poured a double whiskey for Severus and mixed up a Hurricane for Alex. Alex enjoyed coyly sipping his bright drink and staring down the men who were slightly homophobic but too cowardly to do more than glare.

"No fights tonight please." Severus pleaded with a smile when Alex was handed his drink.

"How else am I supposed to have my fun?" Alex purred, slurping his drink.

"You watch the footy, drink those frozen monstrosities and order some chips." Snape said. Alex laughed and nodded. They turned to the tv, making small comments as the teams passed the ball around. They didn't support either team. They chatted about work and Severus's research until a plate of chips appeared before them. They both greeted the waitress, who happened to be the comely wife of the barman who had put in their order without asking the moment they walked through the door. Margret was a friend to the two of them. Whenever they got a new item on the menu she asked for 'her two boys' to test it out for her.

"So then I told him: 'Sir if your intention was to give the man cat's ears then put in the adder scales but if you want to cure his hiccoughs then you probably should add hog's breath!'" Alex exclaimed, causing Snape to snort into his whiskey.

"Healer Gavin is as much as a buffoon as he was when he was in school."

"That's right, he was five years ahead of you."

"But in intelligence he was two years behind." Clinking glasses when Alex gave him a little toast. "Are you going to stay a student under him then?"

"Not hardly. I'm thinking about leaving being a healer all together."

"Really?"

"Not really my thing. Apparently you have to be nice to your patients even if they are impossible. Between that, all the body fluids and the god-complexes of the healers. Yeah, no way I am going to be able to stay there. I'm going to look for something different."

"Are you ever going to settle on something? Healer, builder, pastry chef, defense instructor. Are you determined to try every profession?" Snape smirked, draining the rest of his glasses and motioning for another drink.

"I just haven't found what I want to do yet. I'll find something." He glanced over Severus's shoulder to wink at an older gentleman who was glaring at the pair.

"Considering how much you like starting fights, you should find something where you can argue for a living." He said, recognizing the common move by his lover.

"What a lovely idea." Alex bumped his shoulder lightly. They continued to drink, having a few more glasses than they normally would. Somehow their discussion of the politics of Alex's work place had dissolved into an argument of whether they should get a pet. Sev was quite adamant that they did not have the time or space for a pet. Alex was loudly stating that there was plenty for a puppy. While Alex was the more common drinker Severus was much better at actually holding his liquor. Whenever they drank together it would eventually dissolve into some silly argument. It was all in good fun, more for being trivial and arguing for the sake of arguing. The puppy one was a common one, though not as common as the argument over which flavor was better: Mint or lemon. Severus would argue to his dying breath that mint was superior while Alex was sure that it was lemon.

"Jesus. Just get him a fucking puppy!" A gruff voice interrupted their bickering. They both turned to the man who was sitting next to them with his girlfriend. The man was huge, thick bulging muscles under his wife beater tank. There was a thatch of tattoos over his arms.

"See!" Alex slurred, turning to the man. "Thank you sir."

"Whatever makes you be quiet. Besides, dogs are great pets." The man grunted.

"Exactly! They are cute, give you company and lower blood pressure." He ticked the things off his finger. "And it might be able to get out of your lab sometimes!"

"You work in a lab?" The girlfriend asked, doubt creeping a little into her voice.

"It's all he ever does." Alex said with a put-upon sigh. "It's good and all but with a puppy he might actually go outside."

"Yeah when Dan got his dog he definitely went out more." The girl commented, patting him on the shoulder.

"What is your puppy's name?" Alex questioned.

"Brutus." The man said, shrugging a little. He obviously did not really want to be in the conversation but his girlfriend had fully turned into it so he was stuck.

"What kind of dog is it?"

"Pomeranian."

"What?" Alex laughed loudly, glancing incredulously at Severus. "You have a fucking Pomeranian? That's not a dog! That's a fluffy rat! And why the hell would you name it Brutus?!"

"He's a proper dog and it's a proper name." The man growled.

"Oh please. It's not a proper dog if it can be punted like a ball." Alex sneered, waving his drink at the man.

"Brutus could take on any dog." Dan scowled, turning towards them puffing out his chest. Alex just leveled him with an unimpressed look.

"Oh please." Alex shook his head sadly. "I've taken shits larger than a Pomeranian. No a proper dog is a lab, husky, doberman. Something that can't be fit into a purse. Toy dogs aren't proper puppies. Domesticated, vicious little rats."

"Alex, I thought we agreed not to get in any fights." Snape interjected, trying to stop it before it boiled over.

"Piss off Severus. I'm not gonna let this asshole put his little beast in the same category my precious puppies."

"Listen mate, you better shut up." He man shot to his feet, fist clenched angrily.

"I can see why you would want a little thing like that." Alex said, haughtily looking down his nose. "A stupid, inbred, violent animal that thinks he's bigger and tougher than he actually is. You have so much in common."

The man threw a punch, clipping Alex heavily in the chin. Alex tumbled to the floor. He sat dazed for a moment before launching himself at the man. The other guy was so surprised that he couldn't move in time to avoid the flying fist. Dan stumbled, falling into a table. There was a loud crash as the table broke, scattering booze and glass. The men who were sitting at the table shouted in surprise, suddenly dripping wet. Both of the fighters ignored him, facing off. Alex was the first to move, taking a wild swing the bulky guy. Dan probably had two inches and a full three stone on the Slytherin. It didn't dissuade him though. Alex had taken self-defense lessons on the insistence of his muggle father, who had been in the military and a strong believer in being able to fight with your fists.

Snape remained at the bar. He was sipping at his drink when the first fist was thrown. This was hardly the first time that Alex had started a fist fight. A drunk Alex was a feisty Alex. While he was normally a happy and pleasant person, there was a darkness in him that enjoyed the thrill of a fight. Personally Snape liked that part of him. It matched his darkness well. Most people would think that fighting was a fully Gryffindor trait. Though Alex didn't like fighting, he liked playing. Alex liked it because it was a challenge he could win. He liked have to make decisions quick and outsmarting his opponent. Perhaps the most Slytherin thing about Alex was the joy that he got from trying to manipulate someone into throwing the first punch with just his words.

Suddenly the noise level rose dramatically. It was no longer a fight between two men but a bar brawl. Alex had been lifted and tossed onto a table, knocking over everything, sliding across the surface and barreling into a man and knocking him backwards onto the floor. A few angry curses and he was joining in. The unknown man had his friends coming to his side.

"Cut it out!" The barman bellowed to the room. No one listened as the men scrambled around in a full out clash. Women cheered or begged from the sidelines. A few people on the edge of the room were watching with pleased smiles, enjoying the free show.

In the midst of the brawl Alex stood tall and happy. His lip was split and dripping blood. He had some bruising on his cheekbone. His eyes were bright and excited as he roared his excitement, dodging fists and flying glasses. It had been a long time since he had sparred with fists and not magic. Severus was glad that he was enjoying himself. He hadn't really wanted to get a fight today but there was a certain amount of pleasure to be got watching Alex have his fun.

Suddenly an air horn blasted through the air. Everyone stopped to find the source of the sound. Margret was standing, hand on hip and horn in hand. She gave everyone the stink eye, making the fighters try and avoid their gaze like children who had gotten caught bickering.

"Everyone calm now?" She asked, waiting for the fighters to slowly nod their heads. "Good. Now we are done with the fighting. Anyone who still wants to throw a punch gets a one way ticket flying through that door. There will be no more fighting tonight!" There was scowling and muttering but any dissention was forgotten under her steady gaze. Alex all but skipped to the bar, smile still planted firmly on his face.

"I think that it's time that you lads go." The barman said softly. Both of them nodded in agreement. Unfortunately for Sid this was a fairly common occurrence. Well, it didn't normally develop into a full bar brawl. The fighting was nothing new. Normally they had enough sense to take it outside whenever Alex wanted a go at someone. However, if the scrap made it outside Severus normally made it into the fight.

"Put what you need to on our tab, yeah?" Alex said, dropping a few bills on the bar for a tip.

"I always do." The barman gave him a little loose salute, wiping at some broken glass with a towel/ Alex pulled Severus to his feet, giving a cheeky wink to Dan who was patting a bleeding cut with a napkin. Severus allowed him to be pulled out of the bar into the alley beside it. Alex grabbed his chin pulling him into a deep kiss.

"Do you have any idea how much money you just cost us." He asked, nipping lightly at his bleeding lip.

"It was so worth it." Alex hummed.

"Over a fucking dog."

"Puppies deserve to be defended." Alex purred.

"I think he was the one who was defending puppies. You were the one who was insulting certain breeds." Snape gripped him tightly before apparating them back to their house. "Let's get you fixed up." He led him to the kitchen sitting him down.

"I had a point you know." Alex pouted. He sat without squirming as Severus lathered his face with potions and healing creams.

"You had no point. You were looking to pick a fight so you found some tough guy to mouth off to, leaving me to deal with your ugly beaten in face." Snape hissed. He grabbed Alex's hand, ignoring the over dramatic whimper that came forth.

"But it had been so long." Alex whined petulantly. "I have had to be nice. To so many horrible people! I can't be like you, snarking and glaring at everyone. I have to pretend."

"You are absolutely insufferable."

"You are never going to let me forget this, are you?" Alex asked with a little chuckle as he watched Sev's playfully enraged face. He laid one of his hands on one of the sallow cheeks, using his thumb to wipe away the smile that was creeping in.

"Never."