All About You.

[pekeleke]

Title: All About You.

Rating : G.

Author: pekeleke

Word Count:1080

Challenge: Written in celebration of Severus Snape's birthday.

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Don't own these characters. No money is being made out of this work.

Summary: Harry learns by accident that today is Severus' birthday. He decides to congratulate the Headmaster and rushes headlong into trouble, as usual.

 

All About You.

Harry's gut started churning with nerves as soon as he set eyes on Severus. He was sitting quietly in his office, looking thoughtfully at the single candle decorating the small iced-lemon muffin that sat atop his otherwise empty desk.
“Isn't that cake of yours a bit too small to share, Headmaster?”

 

Startled black eyes shot towards him and a small frown appeared on that pale and narrow face.
“Potter...”

 

Long fingers twitched around a dark-coloured wand, betraying their owner's desire to vanish all evidence of that muffin from the room and Harry's throat began to ache for this lovely, lonely man, who felt the need to hide himself away so completely.
“There is no need to charm your treat away, Headmaster. I know it's your birthday. I heard the kitchen elves grumbling about your refusal to allow them to bake the chocolate tiered cake they were planing to give you...”

 

The wand clattered against the polished surface of the desk as its owners' potion-tainted fingers curled into a loose, uncomfortable fist.
“What do you want, Potter?”

 

Harry's green eyes studied that slightly shaking fist with trepidation and his throat dried completely as he began to think about his actions for the first time since he'd learned that it was Severus' birthday. Coming here had been a huge mistake... there was no way that he could play this off as a professional visit. Not when he'd spouted all that nonsense about knowing the reason behind Severus' dismally lonely muffin-celebration. He'd have to own up to his feelings. There was nothing else for it...
“I heard the elves talking and couldn't ignore the fact that it's your birthday and I haven't seen a single person acknowledge it, all day long. Why aren't we celebrating it? I mean... I admit that I didn't know, but some of our colleagues have taught alongside you for decades. I can't believe Minerva would ignore...”

 

“Minerva doesn't know. I'm a very private man, Mr. Potter. Only Albus ever badgered me about this matter relentlessly enough to force me into sharing the information. I did so reluctantly, with the understanding that he wouldn't release it into the ears of a third party without my explicit permission”

 

Harry blinked in astonishment.
“Only Albus... You mean you've celebrated your birthday alone every year since he died?”

 

Unfathomable dark eyes confronted him head on:
“This is my private life. What I do, or don't do, regarding my own birthday celebrations is really none of your business, Potter. Why should you even care about it?”

 

Harry flinched visibly on the receiving end of that curt answer. His palms began to sweat, but he wasn't willing to turn around and head back downstairs like some kind of bumbling coward. He'd come here instinctively and something told him that he'll never find a better opening than this one to confess his feelings.
“Maybe I shouldn't, but I do. Care, that is. About you, Headmaster. Er... Severus.”

 

The slytherin became utterly still
“What, exactly, are you trying to say?”

 

“I'm in love with you. I... you don't need to be alone, unless you want to. Not today, at least. Hopefully not ever. I'd like to be your private life, Severus”

 

Dazed dark eyes blinked in surprise and a lovely pink flush spread across those rather harsh cheekbones.
“You're... in love... with me? You want...”

 

“Everything. With you. Yes. ”

 

They looked straight into each other's eyes as the silence grew suffocatingly tense. Harry's nerves were knotted in his throat, his heart was in his eyes as his whole future hung by a thread in the awful silence. He tried to remain very still, lest he spooked the other man with his own unbearable tension. He tried to be patient and wait, but he'd been waiting for so many years already that he felt that he would break, unless he spoke.
“Severus, please, say something...”

 

Ebony-coloured eyelashes fluttered down, breaking off the fragile contact that still linked them in a single, sweeping, motion. That pale face looked down, towards the table, and the Headmaster stared straight into the wavering flame of the single ever-lasting candle still lit atop that small, iced-lemon muffin.
“I don't have all that much to offer, Potter. Err... Harry. Half a muffin isn't exactly...”

 

“It's perfect, I swear. I'd rather have half a muffin with you than a whole banquet with the minister of magic himself. I'm only sorry that I didn't know about your birthday sooner. I would have liked to...”

 

“Don't. I don't think you could have given me a better present than this, Po... Harry. I... I've been harbouring certain feelings towards you for a while, but never dared to dream that you'd look at me twice. I... having you here, hearing you confess that you actually love me, it's a dream come true.”

 

Harry's every worry dissolved at that second. His heart unfroze and his breathing hitched with relieved exhilaration.
“You love me too? You'll let me stay? You'll actually... have... me?”

 

Severus smiled then. The expression in his dark eyes softened and his fingers uncurled slowly, dissolving the tense fist they had formed only a mere minute ago to form a graceful gesture of beckoning.
“Let's agree that I'll have you, if you have me. Is that acceptable enough for you?”

 

Harry laughed and approached him eagerly. Emerald eyes alive with undisguised adoration:
“Yes. It's enough. It's... perfect, Severus. I'm so glad I came to see you and found you here, like this. I'm so glad that it's your birthday and you are not spending it alone anymore... I'm so glad that you've accepted the gift of my love in this day of all days, because I have nothing greater to give you. You've owned my entire heart for a while now and it's a relief to have the freedom of putting it openly in your hands and know it's finally where it belongs”

 

“Harry, we should talk about this...”

 

A golden finger pressed against his lips, silencing him gently.
“Sshh! Don't say another word. Just... accept it with the same grace you showed a second ago. Let us enjoy this moment and leave the future for tomorrow. There'll be plenty of time for negotiations and compromises, but none of that will happen today. Today is all about you, Severus. Only about you. Today is your day. Happy birthday, my love. May we be blessed with the joy of celebrating this day together for many years to come...”

The End.