Severus So Not Good Birthday (Snarry)

Chapter 1 ✨

Summary: The first line pretty much says it all.

Disclaimer: I am not JKR and I do not own Harry Potter or his world.

Severus Snape hated Harry Potter.

He wasn't entirely sure when it had happened, he only knew that at some point in the last few months he had grown to completely hate his husband.

Little things he had once found endearing were now threatening to drive him mad. How was it possible that he'd once found Harry's messy bird's nest of a head of hair attractive, or—although he'd admit it only to himself—cute? And the way he hogged the blankets at night had Severus waking up absolutely freezing the next morning.

He hated the way Harry took his tea—far too sweet and milky for anyone who called themselves an adult. He hated the way he sucked his teeth after he finished a dessert, he hated the way he drummed his fingers along his part of the side table when he was bored, and he hated how he left his Quidditch gear all around the house on weekends.

Severus was filled to the brim with hate, and it was only getting worse.

He wasn't a fool, of course. He realized that not only was his fiftieth birthday approaching, but that they had now been married for seven years. Perhaps this wasn't the itch every other man experienced, but he was self-aware enough to know that it was likely a different clipping from the same asphodel.

He also realized that somewhere deep down—extremely deep—he still loved Harry. All he had to do to remind himself of this fact was think of that difficult time they'd endured when they'd first married, when Harry had all but left him with no explanation, then returned as though nothing had happened.

No, the idea of leaving Harry gave him a pang somewhere in the vicinity of his heart and the idea of Harry dying... Well, it just wasn't something he wanted to imagine.

No, leaving wasn't a possibly, Severus thought as he stared across the table at the man he'd once felt all-consuming love for. Watching Harry try and fail to twirl his pasta on his spoon, only to give up and cut it with a knife, had Severus falling back onto his war-time instincts.

"Why the straight face?" Harry said, apparently not noticing the bit of sauce on the side of his mouth.

"You have something..." Severus trailed off and wiped at his own mouth, then sneered in disgust as Harry flicked out his tongue to catch an errant bit of tomato.

"Thanks," he said with a smile that faded as soon as he took in Severus' face again. "Really, is something wrong? I haven't seen that face in...well, a while."

Wanting nothing more than to shout his annoyance at Harry's very existence, Severus clenched his fist under the table and said, "Just a bit tired, thank you. What are your plans for the evening?"

A lift of an eyebrow—thief! That had been Severus' facial expression!—and Harry said slowly, "Nothing really. It was a pretty long day. Looking forward to just a quiet evening..." he trailed off as he continued examining Severus' face. "Did you have a bad day?"

"I said I'm fine!" Severus shouted, barely able to keep himself from pounding his fist on the table. He rose quickly and excused himself to his potions lab. He'd find something to do there...he'd make up an emergency if need be, anything to get some time to himself.

A few hours later, he went out to their sitting room where Harry was quietly reading a book and went to join him. Not two seconds after he sat down on the sofa Harry was snuggled up next to him, shaking his foot, body heat driving Severus to agitation.

He took one breath, then another, reminding himself that he loved Harry and that none of this was technically his fault. No, it wasn't Harry's fault that Severus had married the most annoying gay wizard in all of Britain. It wouldn't do to shout now and give himself away, so Severus leaned away and began to read his own book.