Severus opened another box and rolled his eyes at the enormous collection of gewgaws in there. He rifled through the box. Worthless statues, snow globes, glass animals, baubles… Severus sighed. "Harry, do you really need to collect so much crap?"
"Of course. They're souvenirs from places I've been, gifts from other people, or just things that caught my attention," Harry said, looking at Severus over his shoulder. He was bent over another box, unpacking some books. Thankfully, the books weren't as useless as the trinkets in the box in front of Severus.
Severus eyed Harry's denim-covered arse with interest. Harry's jeans showcased his arse beautifully. Severus felt his cock fill at the sight, and he shook himself slightly. There was no time for that now.
Maybe later, once they had finished unpacking their stuff.
"And held it for way too long, as far as I can tell," Severus muttered. "Are you really proposing to clutter up my – sorry, our – space with this stuff?"
Harry turned around and crossed his arms over his chest. Severus was sorry to lose sight of that truly fuckable arse (and Severus had tested that point many times).
"Severus. I don't tell you what you can and can't collect. I don't like everything you have, but I'm not going to get picky and ask that you get rid of everything. Your things mean something to you, my things mean something to me. If you really dislike certain things, we can talk about it, but that has to go both ways. It can't just be you telling me what you don't like. If we're gonna live together, we have to compromise."
Severus' face softened. "I know, gremlin. I'm sorry. Your stuff is yours, to collect as you will. Not that I see the appeal myself…"
Harry sighed and uncrossed his arms. He reached into the box of gewgaws and pulled out a hideous statue. Severus puzzled over what it could be for some minutes. Oh. A miniature totem pole, carved by someone who had apparently been suffering the Cruciatus curse at the time.
Harry smiled as he looked at it. "One of my nieces' first tries at whittling. She had been studying totem poles in school and decided to give it a try. She gave it to me because I was the only one that didn't laugh at it. She always looks for it when she visits me, anyway, and she'd be very upset if I just… disposed of it."
Severus snickered as he looked at the totem pole. "Glass cabinet in the parlor, then?"
"Of course. With about half of the other trinkets in here. I don't have the vast majority of them because I think they look good. They remind me of things. I even have some things that remind me of you."
"I'm right here, gremlin."
"You weren't when I first got those things," Harry smiled softly.
Severus looked at the box and smiled his little smile. He could put up with the gewgaws.
Gewgaw – n. A showy trifle; a trinket; a bauble. Word of the Day, March 9, 2008)