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Harry winced as the crack of apparition echoed through the quiet night. He landed at the foot of a hill, far enough from the cottage to hopefully not alert the only other occupant. Amused at his attempts at subterfuge, he grasped the bags of take-out tighter and headed up the steep slope, keeping his footsteps light against the gravel.
The cottage stood alone atop the hill, a lone lantern illuminating the path that snaked up from the base. An elegant, sloped roof and a simple brick exterior marked the abode that Harry called home for a quarter of each year. The garden surrounding it was well-cared for - well-trimmed plants and neatly aligned planters - if only because said plants were all useful in one way or another. It was partitioned off from the rest of the hill with a white picket fence, the only proper entryway a small gate with rusted hinges.
The gate creaked loudly and Harry winced again, firmly gripping the handle to prevent it from swinging into the fence. He had once suggested that they replace the hinges, only to be immediately shot down as his partner declared that it was vital for noting unwelcome visitors. As though the number of people who could bypass their combined wards and make it to this point could not be counted on one hand.
He should have been more insistent on the replacement, Harry decided. Even if the crack of apparition hadn’t alerted his vigilant partner, this cursed gate definitely did. Oh well.
The rest of the way to the cottage continued with no incident, thankfully. Harry found himself standing in the darkened entry way, the only light slipping in from the lantern at the gate. To his surprise, his partner was nowhere to be seen; perhaps he had been more subtle than he thought. Or perhaps he was simply too engrossed in his work to pay him any mind.
This was definitely beneficial to his plan - if his partner was not out here to greet him, he probably hadn’t noticed Harry’s arrival and would not notice Harry sneakily setting up a romantic dinner with his favorite food and wine.
See, Severus had been hiding something from him for the past couple of months. Harry did not want to pry, not when the guilt of running roughshod over his privacy in his youth was still present. He had no interest in repeating that experience, or forcing Severus to tell him. However, whatever it was had been weighing heavily on Severus, if the deep crease between his eyebrows and increasingly contemplative looks in his direction were anything to go by, and Harry had a plan to coax him through… tried and tested means.
His plan solidified, Harry slipped past Severus’ office door.
————
“What do you think you are doing, Mr Potter?”
Harry whipped around, his eyes wide. Severus was standing in the hall behind him, his signature eyebrow raised. A couple books, a stack of parchment and a quill were clutched in his hands. “I- I was-”
The eyebrow climbed higher, which Harry didn’t even know was possible. Severus snorted, shouldering past him into his study to deposit the books onto his desk. The familiar scent of potion ingredients clung to his robes - far more casual than his usual teaching set. Taking pity on Harry’s lack of eloquence, the older man turned back to him. “Having fun sneaking around in the dark again, Mr Potter?”
“Potter-Snape,” Harry corrected immediately, finding the one part he could respond to. “I was merely looking for you, to…” He helplessly gestured with the bags of take-out he was still holding, thankful that he hadn’t flung them at Severus when the latter jump-scared him. “Your favorite.”
“Why, thank you.” Severus drawled. “Resorting to bribery now, are we?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Sev.” His voice has never been higher, and from the amused glint in Severus’ eyes, he was well aware of it too.
“So you weren’t trying to find out my deepest, darkest secrets again, Potter?”
“Well-“
“Old habits die hard, I see.” If Severus’ eyebrow stayed raised any longer, it was going to cramp, Harry was sure. Without thinking, he reached up to smoothen it out, and Severus relaxed minutely.
“I wasn’t trying to find out your deepest, darkest secrets- I’m pretty sure I already know them all. I was just- don’t you think you’ll feel better if you just told me? I’m trying really hard not to pry.”
“So, you're resorting to bribery instead?” Severus asked. The corners of his lips quirked upwards. “How presumptuous of you.”
“The bribe was Minerva’s idea,” grumbled Harry. He had visited her a couple of days ago, seeking her infinite wisdom on Severus’ secrecy. Or rather, how to convince him to confide in Harry. The retired, former Headmistress had been greatly amused that Harry believed she knew Severus better than he did, and had also been absolutely no help. “You can tell me, y’know? Whatever it is. I promise I won’t be mad.”
“Won’t be mad? I assure you that your being mad about it is the least of my concerns.”
“So you admit that there is something?” The older man’s eyes narrowed, but Harry continued on. Severus seemed more resigned than angry, which was a good sign… probably. “I’m sure you’ll feel better if you just tell me. It’s clearly eating at you.”
“Two Gryffindors conspiring against me- will wonders ever cease. And this couldn’t wait until after we’ve eaten? One wonders if you even know how bribery works, Mr Potter.”
Harry planted himself more firmly in the doorway, resolutely staring up at him. His husband might have had nearly a head on him in terms of height, but Severus had always been lean where Harry was well-built. Seeing his insistence, Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his aquiline nose. “Very well, I suppose it cannot be helped. Wait here.”
He made an aborted move to slip past Harry before turning towards him again, hesitation clear in his eyes. Harry immediately set a hand upon his arm, watching him carefully. “You don’t have to tell me now now, I just thought it might help. I don’t usually see you so stressed outside Hogwarts - or even within, after you became the Headmaster again - and we’ve seen each other at our worsts. But you can tell me at your own pace…”
“No, no, I- I wish to tell you, I just… you will not laugh?”
“Of course not!” Harry declared, before standing on his tiptoes to press his lips to the corner of Severus’ mouth. Severus relaxed against him, tilting his head down to kiss him more firmly.
“I know. Just- wait here please.” Then he brushed past Harry and strode purposefully down the hall towards his lab. Harry could’ve sworn that he saw his phantom cloak billowing behind him.
————
Severus was taking far longer to return than Harry had anticipated. His hands were cramping from gripping the take-out bags, standing foolishly in the hallway. Seeing as Severus had yet to return, Harry entered his study and set his bags of food down onto his husband’s desk, far away from his precious books. Then, he lowered himself into the armchair usually reserved for him while Severus worked on his various research projects, bustling around the room and between the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A couple of research journals lay open on separate stack of books, along with a half-annotated novel. Science fiction, it seemed.
Carefully, Harry extracted the novel from its pile and leaned back to examine the familiar, spindly handwriting in the margins. He would never touch Severus’ research journals, but the annotated novels were always fair game. Or rather, Severus had used them to distract Harry while he worked, back when he had first wormed his way into the former’s life.
Even now, Severus always read the new novels in their house first, annotating them before Harry even reached for them. He had scoffed at the idea that Harry loved his sarcastic and witty notes, but that did not stop him from carefully annotating each book that came their way.
Speaking of Severus though, it had been nearly ten minutes with no sign of him. Their cottage might be larger than Spinner’s End, but it certainly was not large enough to require five minutes to walk between his office and lab.
Where did he go?
Making up his mind, Harry set down the novel and moved towards the potions lab.
————
Unlike the other doors in the cottage, the lab door was heavily reinforced with wards and Severus’ personal shield charms. It was also airtight, such that the only air flow came from and led to the garden, diverting any harmful fumes away. If there were to be an explosion or other mishap, the cottage would remain undamaged. Unfortunately, this also meant that the door was incredibly hard to breach, years of Auror training or no.
Instead, Harry raised his hand and knocked firmly. Once, twice. Inside, there was shuffling and muttering before the door swung inwards. Harry blinked. He had expected at least some resistance, considering that Severus has been acting oddly for nearly two months.
“I suppose we should get this over with,” said Severus, back facing the door. His hair was tied back - a style Harry adored on him - but nothing else seemed different.
“Sev-“ Harry started, but Severus had chosen that moment to turn around and the words died on his lips. Severus was-
Wearing reading glasses. Severus. Reading glasses.
Merlin.
Harry’s brain short-circuited. Any and all cohesive thought fled his brain and left him completely speechless. Just when he believed Severus couldn’t get any hotter - he was already hot enough, thank you - the older man had proved him wrong. Again. What was up with Severus and dispelling Harry’s misconceptions in the most dramatic fashion?
More importantly, where were Harry’s thoughts spiraling to? Harry couldn’t make sense of any of them.
The reading glasses framed his husband’s face in an incredibly flattering way, highlighting his high cheekbones and the elegant bridge of his nose. His low bun further complimented his features, giving him an air of nobility. Harry was still staring, gobsmacked, his eyes wide open. A man with less self-control would have jumped Severus where he stood, dangerous potions notwithstanding.
“Harry?” Severus prompted. Clearly, he had not anticipated Harry’s reaction to his secret; a blush had spread from his cheeks to his neck.
“Oh my god,” whispered Harry, in awe. “No, seriously. Oh my god, Severus. This is what you’ve been hiding for the past couple of months?”
The blush crawled further up - Severus was completely red. It shouldn’t have looked as attractive as it did against his sallow skin, but then again, Harry never claimed to think rationally when it came to Severus.
“You’re not… repelled?”
“Repelled?” Harry repeated blankly.
“I had assumed… Well- an individual with my appearance would not be considered attractive normally, much less with these glasses.”
“Sev, do you think I’m unattractive with glasses?” asked Harry, mock-offended even as he closed the distance between them and reached for Severus’ hands. He twined their fingers together, squeezing Severus’ longer ones.
“Of course not. But you’re… you.” Severus protested weakly. His blush had mostly faded, aside from the persistent splotches of light pink. “You are… younger and clearly desirable, glasses or no.”
“You say that as though you don’t look like you haven’t aged since my school years. Besides, I think you’re hot.” Harry pulled Severus forward, towards the door and away from the potentially volatile potions. The older man would never forgive him if he created an explosion due to his horniness.
“Severus Potter-Snape. You should know by now that I find you super attractive; we have been married for nearly a decade.” Leveling his sternest Auror plus Professor glare, he shot Severus a look. “I can’t believe you hid this from me for months! This sight! You’re saying I could have been looking at you wearing reading glasses for months before this!?”
Severus chuckled, his voice low and relieved. “If I had known this would be your reaction, I would have showed them to you ages ago.”
“You should have. I could have been enjoying this sight of you for months! Especially in bed!”
“In bed?”
“You can’t take them off now; I haven’t looked my fill! And I want to, in bed.”
“Oh? And here I thought I was promised dinner. My favorite, too.”
Harry ignored him, tightening his grip and dragging Severus upstairs. He only had enough self-control to not start anything in the presence of explosive potions, and now he fully intended to make his husband forget any and all of his concerns. Dinner could wait.
