...
''All of that was entirely avoidable,'' Snape hissed, nursing his hand in his fist and frowning down at Harry with a strong sense of disapproval.
''Sir, I...'' Harry had no idea what to say first. His head was aching and his emotions were an untidy mess of confusion.
''Sit down,'' Snape commanded, leaving no room for argument.
Harry dropped onto the small sofa in the corner, pale-faced. He did not dare take the seat directly opposite Snape. An unpleasant shiver sent a tremor through his body, and he made a pathetic attempt at concealing the anxiety from his expression.
''Harry?'' Snape rolled his eyes impatiently, sitting behind his desk.
Harry looked up warily, though he didn't move. There was more tension in the harsh lines of Snape's face than Harry had ever seen, and if he didn't know him any better, he would have said he looked terrified.
''You lied to me,'' Harry muttered finally, when he could bear the silence no longer. He shifted himself up straighter, and chose the most prominent emotion to project first. ''You are the most... confusing, unfair, hypocritical and unprofessional manager I've ever worked for!''
Snape raied an eyebrow, with a mix of amusement and un-appreciation. ''And how many jobs have you had in your lifetime, Potter?''
Harry glared and made to stand up. He did not know if he was more upset with Snape or himself for the predicament they had landed themselves in, but he was in no mood to discuss it.
''Sit down,'' Snape repeated, with such authority that Harry felt his legs sinking of their own accord.
Snape linked his hands on the table in front of him and watched Harry with a guarded expression.
''Why on earth did you confront him?'' he asked finally. ''What were you trying to achieve?''
''I didn't confront anybody!'' Harry argued. ''I walked out, and he was just standing there. Waiting for you. Listening at the door, I bet...''
''Careful Potter, or I may begin to believe the absurd assumption that you are jealous.''
Harry rolled his eyes. ''It's a bit late for that, isn't it? You're not blind.''
Snape blinked, obviously surprised he'd so readily achieved a confession. ''Why?'' he asked steadily, eyes darkening as he silently dared the boy into further vulnerability. ''What in Lord's name for, boy?''
''I don't see why you're the one who gets to ask all the questions. And I'm not a boy. You called me a hore about ten minutes ago. And then punch a man round the face for saying the same thing! You need to make your mind up.''
''About what?'' Snape asked, a twitch in his left temple.
''About... '' Harry stuttered, swallowing thickly before forcing his wistful gaze across the room. ''... About me!''
An awkward pause settled between them, and Harry scratched needlessly behind his ear, staring at the floor in frustration.
It seemed like a life-time before Snape answered. ''I see... Well it's a good job, for both our sakes, that I have then. Isn't it, Potter?''
Harry snapped his head up and locked eyes with Snape. He felt his breath catch in his throat. He hadn't known, until that moment, just how deep his lust for this man had grown. And how much he needed him to confirm what he'd been suspecting for months.
''What then?'' Harry asked, feeling the catch in his voice and hoping the desperation he felt so strongly was not so easily strewn all across his face.
Snape dropped his eyes first, and cleared his throat. A stack of papers was pulled towards him, torn and thrown in the bin. ''You are fired.''
Harry choked. ''What?''
''You... Mr. Potter, are no longer under the employment of this establishment,'' Snape repeated impatiently. ''I have reconsidered my decision to document your personal details... and so forth. You are free to... do as you please.'' He waved his hands upwards vaguely. ''But not under this roof.''
''But... You can't do that.''
''You are still on probation, Potter. I can do what I like,'' Snape reminded him coldly.
Any wayward hopes that Snape may have sacked him in order to pursue a personal relationship were shattered by the clear distaste etched on his face. There was no sense of hope in his expression... No declaration... No positive emotion at all. It was only the shadow of fear echoing around the corners of his black eyes that reminded Harry he was even human at all.
He ground his teeth in frustration and matched Snape's casual dismissal with defiance. ''But I haven't done anything wrong! I've worked my arse off for you!'' He winced at his own choice of words, flushing deeply and ignoring Snape's raised eyebrow. ''I had never pulled a pint in my life, or dealt with customers... or changed bloody barrels! I learnt it all and I haven't messed up! I've gone to classes every morning half-asleep rather than miss a day of work. I have the most important exams of my life tomorrow and I'm still here!''
When Snape merely stared at him impassively, Harry felt a spike of fear at the man's unwavering decision force him into brutal honesty. ''Sir, I really need the money. I really have given up a lot to work here.''
There was no sympathy in Snape's response. ''That, Potter, was your own choice.''
Harry stared at Snape in disbelief, hardly believing that he had resorted to such extremes. It hit him hard to consider the rather sobering thought that he barely knew the man at all. Maybe he really was the cold, impassive being he projected on a nightly basis. Maybe there really was nothing else lingering beneath the surface of such a harsh exterior.
Harry refused to give up quite so soon and relented to his own sense of determination, arms folding tightly across his chest, and ignored the constriction that was developing at this throat.
''Then why did you tell your boyfriend that you -''
''He was not my boyfriend, Potter. Stop using that word,'' Snape snapped, his impassive mask slipping briefly as he winced. ''It was a few night-time... wanderings, and now it is much less so. Hardly a heart-wrenching tale.''
''But you told him that-'' Harry pressed impatiently, but Snape cut him off, unwilling Harry was sure, for him to vocalise any shred of detail that would make the man appear to any extent, vulnerable.
''That what, Potter? That I had preference for casual sex with a naive student, rather than the mundane I endured with him?''
Harry's arms slipped to his sides, a flicker of pain deepening his frown. ''You don't mean that.''
When Snape merely rolled his eyes and muttered profanities under his breath, Harry shook his head miserably, sighing in acceptance and considered the battle lost.
He knew one thing; he wasn't going to stand and beg, for his job or anything else, when Snape obviously couldn't bare to be around him.
''Right...'' he muttered, ignoring the heated, almost daring stare that bore into the side of his face as he rose reluctantly to his feet. ''I'll get my stuff and go. What's the lesson then? Don't get a crush on your boss or you lose your job? Thanks sir, I'll remember that for the next one-''
Snape had manoeuvred himself round the desk so fast, Harry barely had time to finish his sentence. His head would have thumped the wall behind him had Snape not wound a hand in his hair and softened the impact.
The man's eyes blazed down on him before he pressed his lips harshly against Harry's, without permission nor mercy.
Harry was numb with shock for a few moments, paralyzed as Snape's lips moved reverently against his own. He had never felt such abrupt sensation before. It was too much all at once. Snape's smell, the way he tasted... It was overwhelming and by the time he had re-gained his wits and pushed the man back with all the force he could muster, gasping for air, his face was flushed deeply and his breathing was rapid.
Harry's eye-line was abandoned somewhere in the crook of Snape's neck. He could feel the man tense and attempt to distance himself, as they both acknowledged that he had not responded to the kiss at all.
The hands Harry had unconsciously wound into the front of Snape's shirt tightened as he missed the contact almost immediately. Unable to hear his own thoughts over the racing of his heart, Harry damned his better judgement and leaned up, parting his lips.
Snape took the invitation without hesitation, groaning into Harry's mouth. He felt himself pulled tighter against the man's chest, Snape's lower body providing an irresistible angle for Harry to rotate his hips.
Just when Harry thought he was going to come in his pants, he felt Snape nudge him back. He swallowed experimentally against the foreign taste on his tongue.
Snape had a slight frown on his face as he traced each corner of Harry's face with the most raw expression he had ever displayed in the boy's presence. It was full of conflicting lust and restraint, and more hopelessness than Harry could fathom.
Snape grimaced as his gaze lowered, and he placed his thumb over the mark on Harry's neck, with a hand Harry did not dare believe was shaking. His extended fingers tangled at the ends of his hair at the back of Harry's neck. Exhaling deeply, he tipped the boy's chin back up with his other hand and brought their faces close together.
Harry opened his mouth to question, but Snape used his distraction to his advantage and pressed their mouths together briefly, with such a contrasting gentleness to how he'd kissed him before, that Harry felt his lips tingle.
''Was it that bad?'' Harry asked, saying the first thing he could think of, when the man failed to say anything at all.
Snape shot him a mild look of disbelief. ''Do not be ridiculous.''
Harry forced his breathing into regularity as Snape took a deliberate step backwards.
''Then why do I have to leave?'' He tried his best not to sound whiney, but knew he had failed miserably.
''Because... when you are around my mind is not rational,'' Snape snapped impatiently, straightening the front of his trousers with an irritated tug in an attempt to conceal the obvious distortion. ''I cannot... think straight. This business is new and I cannot have it fail due to... personal conflicts. I have invested a lot of money and effort into creating this, Potter. I am not a student. I cannot indulge in a care-free nature-''
''Care-free?'' Harry repeated, his earlier passion igniting into anger. ''You don't think I have responsibilities too? I'm just as busy as you are.''
''Of course, Potter,'' Snape muttered, his sarcasm far too obvious. His more familiar passiveness was falling back into place as though it had never been disrupted.
Harry frowned at him for a long moment, trying to work out exactly what it was the man wanted. If there was not such a flushed, dull shade of red highlighting Snape's cheekbones, then there would be no further clue that he had just kissed somebody senseless.
''Then why did you hire me?'' Harry asked finally, raising an eyebrow.
Snape sighed, and leaned heavily back against his desk. ''I have been asking myself the same question since you arrived.''
''Right,'' Harry nodded crossly, without missing a beat, his patience pushed to the limit. He marvelled at the man's ability to conceal whatever emotion he was enduring.
He could dredge up no further effort to pursue it any longer. He was unwilling to force himself to endure this conversation when Snape refused to even acknowledge them as equals. The hope that had bloomed in his chest as Snape kissed him would not be morphed into desperation. The man could not kiss him like that, and then talk to him as though he were nothing but a common nuisance.
''Your previous months pay shall be sent to your home address,'' Snape informed him, but Harry was no longer listening.
He glanced at the grim line of Snape's mouth with resentment, as he placed his hand on the door-handle. ''You have issues, do you realise that? And do you know what I think?''
''I do not care for-''
''I think you're unfair. And I think you're a coward. And I think you should have said no when I came here looking for a job before you decided that you couldn't handle it.''
Harry slammed the door behind him with satisfaction, ignoring the near-overwhelming sense of disappointment flooding through him.
His face burned as he stalked distractedly past Dean and Seamus at the bar. He put his jacket back on roughly, wanting nothing more than to be as far away from Snape as possible.
''I'll see you guys round,'' he muttered, ignoring the lump that had risen in his throat. Their confused questioning barely registered as he made towards the exit.
...
Harry slumped onto the sofa in his flat, his jaw tight with agitation. His hair was wet from the shower that had failed to relieve the headache insistently brewing at his temple.
It had almost dried completely by the time he had finally pulled himself to his feet, begrudgingly accepting the fact that, although his sacking and his reasons for it, had been utterly ridiculous, he was probably just as to blame for Snape for allowing himself to behave so unprofessionally.
Snape was right. Being at work was not the same as being on campus. There was a different set of rules. And if Snape set the importance of money and his business over his personal life, then he was entirely in his right to do so and there was very little Harry could do about it.
He sighed heavily and pulled a stack of revision books towards him, refusing to let the evening be a complete waste. He may have lost his job, his friends, a stab at independence and a far-fetched chance at a relationship, but he wasn't going to lose his education.
...
Harry exhaled shakily as the bell rang the next day, ending his two hour-long exam, and obediently placed his pen back on the table. It had definitely gone with a greater level of smoothness than the previous year. The questions were answered at least. He filed out with the rest of the students, blinking into the sunlight and stretching his arms.
He could not count the recent weeks he'd spent rushing a cheap microwave dinner and heading to 'Le Roux' at the current time of day, and how he'd wished for a moment's peace. But now he was granted with such an empty evening ahead of him, he found himself exceptionally ungrateful towards the respite. He had not even begun to decide how to re-evaluate his finances, now that he was without an income.
...
The remainder of the week passed slowly, and Harry ignored the fact that his cupboards had been empty for days, and felt the absence of Ron and Hermione severely for the first time since they'd left him. His only consolation was the promise of Christmas break, barely a few weeks away. Whether he could afford the ferry ride to France was another story.
The fact that he could not eliminate the kiss with Snape from his memories only infuriated and confused him further. He was so angry with the man, yet the longing he suffered, just to be near him, was a much more burdensome weight on his mind.
The complete lack of contact he'd received from Snape since was enough to tell him that the man was not undergoing any similar regrets.
Harry almost trampled the people sitting on his doorstep, before he realised his thoughts had taken him further away from reality than he'd realised.
Dean and Seamus grinned at him, standing up from their casual lazing on his doorstep, and shook his hand.
''Shouldn't you guys be at work?'' Harry asked, the first smile he'd experienced in days making a brave dive to the surface.
''We're on our way,'' Dean explained. ''Just thought we'd pop by and see our favourite student first.''
''You haven't been answering our texts,'' Seamus added, looking Harry over with a critical expression. ''Please tell me you have been eating?''
Harry pulled his t-shirt more firmly around his skinny stomach as he unlocked his front door, and waved them inside dismissively.
''Of course I have.''
It felt exceptionally strange to be in the company of the pair, without a mile of woodwork and beer taps between them. It was not unpleasant, however, to note the light-heartedness they were capable of without the stress of pulling pints.
Dean squeezed the tension from Harry's shoulders with a firm rotation of his thumb as he updated him on the current situation of the bar.
''It's got really busy. Place is packed most nights. Business has really taken off. Snape's already employed two new blokes.''
''He's far worse since you left,'' Seamus added when Harry remained silent. ''Grouchy git barely comes out of his office. And when he does it's only to complain about something.''
''Wasn't he always like that?'' Harry muttered, uncomfortable with discussing Snape but knew it was inevitable.
''We're still blaming you,'' Dean said, with a small smile. ''And the new guys are idiots. I can't get on with them. Both done it all before, and can't be shown anything new. Snape never had the right to fire you in the first place. If you got a lawyer-''
''Yeah 'cos I can afford one of those,'' Harry laughed bitterly. ''I'll find another job.''
''Or you could persuade Snape to take you back?''
''Not likely... You didn't hear the things he said to me...''
''Harry-''
''No guys, seriously. Snape basically made out all he wanted from me was a shag...'' Harry grimaced as he remembered the look on the man's face when he'd eyed the mark on his neck. ''And when I caused too much grief with that boyfriend of his, he kissed me, called me a hore and then kicked me out... And not necessarily in that order. What do I want to be around a man like that for?''
Dean and Seamus shared a look and raised their eyebrows at Harry.
''He kissed you?''
Harry winced, his face flushing. ''I didn't mean to tell you that...''
Dean prodded him hard in the stomach with his finger. ''What was it like then? Being kissed by that old bat?''
Harry's blush deepened and he shrugged, turning his face away. He stood up awkwardly when they continued to gawp at him.
''Alright...'' he waved his hand irritably, relenting under their knowing expressions. ''I fancy him alright, but I made that pretty clear and he wasn't interested. There's nothing else I can do.''
Harry felt a strong wave of envy as he watched them disappear up the path a while later. He wished he was going with them. He could not ignore the stab of jealous curiosity as to Snape's new employees, who had so easily replaced him. He could not care less if they worked well or not, as long as they held no attraction to the man.
...
Another week passed, and although Dean and Seamus visited regularly, filling him in on the latest antics of their drunken customers and doing their best to cheer him up, Harry could not dispel the emptiness he was feeling. Whether it was because he missed Ron and Hermione, the loss of his job, the extent of his school work-load... Snape... or merely a combination of them all, he wasn't sure. The fact that he was physically starving was a dangerous idea he kept to the back of his mind.
Harry almost regretted allowing his hunger to turn him into an early night, as the first evening of the winter holidays finally arrived, when the door bell rung. He ran a hand through his messy hair, padding to the door in his boxers and a jumper.
He pulled the door back reluctantly, freezing mid-yawn as he blinked at the man in the porch.
''Snape?''
''It is Severus, Potter. Or Mr. Snape. I do not know why you insist on calling me that,'' Snape corrected him with a role of his eyes. He cast a brief, wary glance up the stairs over Harry's shoulder. ''May I come in?''
Harry folded his arms across his chest, more to conceal the fact that his hands were shaking than anything else.
''Why would you need to do that?''
Snape's lips tightened. Harry was not unaware of how the man's eyes were raking over his face, almost hungrily. He was also well aware that he was returning the gesture. He had never expected to see Snape again, and certainly not on his doorstep in the dark.
He felt himself redden as the man's attention dropped to his exposed legs with a raised eyebrow.
''Unless you would prefer to wait outside?''
Snape's intense gaze hardened slightly as it dropped to the curve of Harry's neck.
Harry snorted in amusement when he realised what he was being searched for. He tilted his head up with deliberate over-exaggeration to reveal the lack of blemishes on his pale skin.
''I'm still a hore though, right?''
He ignored the answering scowl and stepped back awkwardly. Snape edged past him, pausing in the hallway so that Harry could lock the door and then followed him up the stairs.
Hyper-aware of how close Snape was behind him, Harry flicked the kitchen light on and grimaced against the harsh light. He wished he'd had more time to prepare for what had the potential to be a heated confrontation. But before he could even query as to the late, and very unexpected visit, Snape brandished a sheet of paper in front of him.
Harry took it warily and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
''Your dismissal papers, Potter. Sign it.'' Snape produced a pen and held it out in his palm.
Harry blinked. ''You came all this way to make me sign a piece of paper?'' He glanced at the clock before turning back to Snape with suspicion. ''It's not even midnight. Shouldn't you be working?''
''I am,'' Snape retorted, entirely unabashed. He motioned towards the paper in Harry's hands, though his eyes never left his face.
Harry took the pen with a shrug, very aware of fact he was still in his boxers. He scribbled in the appropriate places without bothering to read it, and dropped it on the table between them with a forced smile.
''Was there anything else?''
Snape scowled, and Harry took a moment to appreciate how out of place he looked standing in his kitchen. The blackness of his coat, and majority of his exterior in general, did not prove an attractive contrast to his fading yellow wallpaper.
''You look awful.''
''Do I?'' Harry responded blandly.
He watched the man's eyes narrow.
''You are pale.''
Harry ignored him, curling an arm round his stomach and hoping that Snape, as unaware and unconcerned as he seemed, would not notice the decline in his weight, nor the deterioration of his health in general.
Snape cast him a searching look of suspicion, before he snatched the papers back into his palm and folded them into his pocket.
''Did no one ever teach you to read a document before you sign it?''
''Guess not.''
Snape snorted, motioning towards the other side of the room towards the pictures scattered across Harry's fridge door. ''Who are they?''
Harry sighed, wondering as to the sudden change in direction of the conversation. Whatever reason the man had for stalling, he was not making it obvious.
''My family.''
''Redheads?''
When Harry remained tight-lipped and merely frowned at him in confusion, Snape seemed to take the hint. He nodded shortly and turned on his heel.
Harry was almost sure he saw a flicker of disappointment flash across the man's face, and he felt his impatience slipping. He loathed himself for it, but his curiosity as to Snape's mere presence was enough of an incentive to take a risk at his own expense.
''They're not my real family...'' he said loudly, as Snape strode out of the door. He damned the relief he felt when the man hesitated, remaining silent so that Harry could elaborate, if he so wished.
''They took me in,'' he explained. ''That one next to me... He's Ron.'' Harry pointed, an absent smile briefly lightening his face. ''I told you about him. I don't know if you remember.''
''I remember,'' Snape said quietly, accepting the sweeping gesture Harry made towards the table, and taking the chair opposite him.
''My parents died when I was small, before I had any memories of them I could keep. I lived with my aunt and uncle for a while but... It didn't really work out. I met Ron at school and we have been best friends ever since. His family treated me like one of their own. I haven't seen the rest of the Weasley's in a while though... Not since us three moved in together and tried the whole, trying to be self-sufficient thing. But I owe a lot to them anyway.''
Harry was surprised that Snape actually appeared genuinely interested in what he was saying, but the man could just be an incredibly good liar for all he knew.
''Hermione came along not long after I met Ron, and that's how we became a trio. Until they fell in love that is...''
''And you, Potter? You never... fell in love?''
Although Snape did not appear appreciative, nor familiar with the term, he awaited Harry's answer with curiosity.
''Came close a few times, I reckon. But the whole... discovering your gay thing... and finding someone who is the same and that actually likes you back... It can take up a lot of time.''
Snape nodded shortly, turning his gaze around the kitchen with a critical eye and making Harry wish he'd washed the dishes before going to bed.
''What about you?'' He asked Snape, not surprised when the man cast the question off with a short grunt of dismissal. ''So this is a one way little chat then?''
''Where is that blonde haired infestation?'' Snape asked instead, diverting the conversation abruptly once again. He looked at Harry with an almost accusing expression, as though expecting him to produce the boy from under the table, or in a cupboard.
''Infestation?'' Harry repeated with amusement, and then sighed heavily as Snape's lips did not even twitch. He was too tired for this. ''Look Snape... I know it's Saturday tomorrow, and I'm currently jobless, but I'd still like to get some sleep.''
When Snape merely continued to stare at him, Harry rolled his eyes. ''Not that it's any of your business, but I have no idea where he is. He's certainly not here. I didn't see him after...''
''After what?''
Harry was growing irritated with Snape's odd behaviour. He frowned at him, standing up and picking his keys back up off the table. He marvelled how he'd ever found this man's personality attractive at all. ''After you said you weren't interested. I can take a hint, you know?''
''And you want to be a doctor, Potter? Where is your intelligence?''
''What are you on about?'' Harry frowned wearily.
''Believe it or not, I do not indulge in physical relations with everyone under my employment.''
''Well you'd have no staff left if you did,'' Harry muttered, brushing past Snape as he attempted to lead him back to the front door.
Snape's arm barred his exit and Harry glanced up, losing his patience. He was not expecting to see a glimmer of humour dancing at the back of the man's dark eyes.
''I bet you kissed what's his face?'' Harry snapped, and closed his eyes briefly in embarrassment, knowing that if he had heard the envy in his own voice, then Snape had to.
Snape snorted softly, though he did not deny the fact. He searched Harry's face for a moment, and seeming to find what he was looking for, took the boy's chin in his fingers.
Harry had about a second to acknowledge what was about to happen, and then Snape's lips were against his, and he was pressed against the door frame behind him. He wished he could dredge up the energy to struggle, but when Snape's tongue brushed against his, Harry accepted that he was helpless.
Whether they kissed for minutes or hours, Harry did not know, but he still had not managed to relax by the time Snape pulled back.
'' 'What's his face' is nothing but a figment of your imagination, Potter,'' he said, his fingers loosening their grip on Harry's chin. He raised an eyebrow intolerably when Harry prepared to argue.
''Let. It. Go,'' he commanded softly, but with enough impatience for Harry to nod his head.
Snape did not give him a chance to say anything else because he was kissing him again, and Harry lost all other train of thought.
He had almost forgotten that he was in his boxers before Snape's hands wandered down to his arse, squeezing him through the thin fabric. Long fingers pressed round to his front, as Harry's breath caught in his throat. He choked back his shock as Snape rapidly escalated their intimacy and possessed his passion without mercy, nor fear of rejection.
Harry moaned into Snape's shoulder as the man's palm found his half-hard cock. He looked down and almost came simply from the sight of Snape's hand inside the front of his pants, pumping him at a pace far too accelerated for Harry to keep up. He closed his eyes, already too far gone to even contemplate refusing his body the desperation for such abrupt release being forced upon it.
He braced one hand against Snape's shoulder, the other balled into a fist at his side as he cursed his own libido and shuddered through his orgasm.
Harry winced as his mind cleared, his harsh breathing returning to normal. He scowled wearily up at Snape, blaming him entirely for pushing him into premature completion.
Snape released his grip on Harry's limp member, stepping towards the sink and washing his sticky hands. When he turned back, Harry could not mistake the fact that he looked far too pleased with himself.
''Why did you do that?''
''Do what?'' Snape raised an eyebrow, drying his hands with precision as he glanced amusedly at the dampness around Harry's stomach.
''Wank me off like that? You could at least have given me the choice!''
Snape stifled a sigh of exasperation. ''You sacrificed the right to commit to verbal pleasantries, Potter, when you insisted on conversing with me in nothing but those flimsy boxers. I am only human.''
''I expect I'm even more of a hore now then?'' Harry said, annoyed. He could still feel himself twitching from Snape's ministrations, feeling far more uncomfortable now that the heavy mist of arousal had cleared from his head.
Snape blinked briefly, a small frown on his face. ''I do not think you are a hore.''
''But you said-''
''I know what I said. And... It was unfounded.''
''They why did you say it?''
Snape sighed, shooting Harry and irritated glance as he handed him a tissue. Harry took it awkwardly and did his best to clear the mess between his thighs.
''You left the previous night with that... imbecile and turned up with that filthy mark on your neck. How was I supposed to react?''
''You could have said... 'I would quite like you for myself, Harry. Don't do it again.' '' Harry threw the tissue into the bin and watched Snape's lip curl in amusement.
''I am not a romantic, Potter.''
''Never would have guessed,'' Harry rolled his eyes, though he fought back an impeding smile. ''But I can bet you're possessive.''
Snape arched an eyebrow, hesitating before taking a step back towards him. ''How perceptive of you.''
''Anyway... this,'' Harry motioned between them, taking an opposing step back, ''was just something you wanted to get out of your system, right? So... how do you feel now?''
''So many questions...'' Snape muttered disapprovingly.
''You considered it though?'' Harry pushed insistently. Snape's reaction within the next few minutes would tell him far more about the man that he felt ready to acknowledge. But he had to know. ''Something you just wanted to get over with?''
''I have considered many things... each as disturbing as the rest,'' Snape answered vaguely.
''But-''
''Yes, Potter of course I considered it. And we would not be having this conversation was that the case.''
''So you do want more than just sex,'' Harry smiled, realising too late that he may have appeared far more triumphant than was reasonable. He blushed and cleared his throat. However, the impeding excitement spreading across his chest had a fresh grin weaving onto his face.
''Well... as you're still here... do you want me to..'' Harry motioned awkwardly to the front of Snape's trousers, having no idea whether the man was aroused or not.
Snape glanced down, and then realising what Harry was referring to, smirked at him. He shook his head briefly. ''Another time perhaps. I must return to work before those imbeciles turn the place into a health hazard.''
''But you are coming back?''
''And I am the possessive one?' Snape frowned at him, with no real anger. If Harry were not mistaken, he was wearing a faint smile, though it was hard to tell with the creases around his eyes.
He looked at Harry hard for a moment, and then wincing slightly, again attempted a cautious step towards him. He raised a hand briefly to the dark, wayward strands at the base of Harry's neck.
''I did not mean to be quite so... abrupt.'' Snape glanced down towards Harry's half-nakedness with a grimace. ''I was not attempting to humour you, Potter, when I said that I do not seem to be entirely in control of my inhibitions when I am in your presence.''
Harry swallowed. ''Why can't you just say it?''
The fingers at Harry's neck dropped to his shoulders for a moment, before Snape crossed them across his chest with an inquisitive eyebrow.
''Actually... say that you fancy me?''
''Fancy?'' Snape repeated with distaste. ''Do mature adults even use that term?... How old are you, Potter?''
''Twenty-three,'' Harry answered brightly.
''Right...'' Snape closed his eyes briefly, a weary apprehension tightening his features for a moment, before he eyed the boy shrewdly. ''Perhaps I should return in a few years when you have completed this... adolescent phase. But knowing my luck, you may have come to your senses by then.''
Harry felt his smile widen, learning quickly that compliments, and insults alike, were not always delivered by this man in the usual straight forward fashion. He met Snape's hesitation with a challenge in his eye.
''You are very much unlike anyone I have ever... been intimate with before. Nor had the desire to... I think you should probably know that,'' Snape frowned seriously.
''Right back at you,'' Harry muttered in reply, watching with equal measures of disappointment and relief as Snape prepared to leave.
He had no idea what this infatuation with Snape was born out of, nor whether it was even particularly healthy, though if the man was capable of making him smile after all he'd been through recently, and if he was as good with other parts of his body as he was with his hands, Harry had no problem in finding out.
Harry grabbed a pair of jogging bottoms from the laundry basket, ignoring the fact they hung much looser on his hips than they used to, before following Snape back down the stairs. His heart was beating painfully hard in his chest by the time he unlocked the front door, suddenly feeling extremely shy as a spike of nerves rendered him temporarily speechless.
''Try the bar in town for a pint sometime, Potter,'' Snape suggested, one foot extended back into the cold night air.
Harry willed his voice to work. ''I'm allowed on the premises then?''
A flicker of something crossed Snape's face, but it was gone before Harry could decipher it. ''Of course you are,'' he said, almost irritably, and pulled Harry towards him by the front of his t-shirt.
He pressed his lips to Harry's briefly. There was a promise of... something in his eyes, as he placed another, far too delicate kiss on the boy's cheek bone.
''Perhaps do not answer the door to anybody else in such... casual attire in the meantime, Potter, hm?'' With a final glance at Harry, he swept off up the path.
Harry gulped, both annoyed and entranced by Snape's cryptic behaviour. He climbed back into bed with frustration, though he wore a satisfied smile as he drifted back to sleep.
...
Harry wished he had not invited Dean and Seamus over the next day, as they immediately bombarded him with a predictable set of objections he had no practical answer for.
Ignoring his indignant embarrassment, they deposited bags of food into his fridge and continually pinched the near-protruding bone at his elbow, as if to prove a point.
''And you forgave him just like that?'' Dean asked incredulously, staring at Harry as though he had grown an extra head.
''Now he's going to think he can just walk all over you... and do as he likes,'' Seamus added disapprovingly. ''We wondered why he came in so late last night looking like a cat that's got the cream... He fired you remember, Harry!''
''And for no good reason,'' Dean frowned. ''How do you know what he's really after? Or whether he's even a good man?''
''You have student fees to cover! And food to buy. He didn't care about that, did he? Did he even offer you the job back?''
Harry sighed, wishing he could take his friends pleas to rationality more seriously, but he was inkling towards more characteristic recklessness. Not even their words of caution could dampen the hope that ignited in his chest each time he considered his immediate future, a little brighter than it had appeared before.
''I just... have this feeling about him ok!'' he tried to explain, glancing between their stubborn faces and willing them to understand. ''It's not like I'm seeing anyone else... What have I got to lose?''
''What have you got to lose?'' Dean repeated exasperatedly. ''The man let you down completely a few weeks ago. There's no reason for you to trust him!''
''We're not telling you not to go for it, Harry,'' Seamus said, more patiently. ''Just don't jump into it head first, ok? Get to know him a bit better... And no, not like that!'' He shot Dean a disapproving glance as he snorted briefly, and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. ''We just want you to be happy... And safe.''
Harry waited for them to leave, waving them off down the path before charging back into the kitchen, pulling whatever food his hand came into contact with first and ungracefully stuffing it into his mouth.
His stomach growled loudly as he swallowed, and he grimaced.