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“What would you like to do for your birthday?”
Severus glanced up from the book he was reading and over at Harry. “Do?”
“Yes, do,” Harry said, grinning. “You know, dinner, maybe a trip somewhere exotic. I assumed you wouldn’t want a party, but I think I could manage to pull something together if you’d like.”
Severus frowned. “Why would we do anything?”
“Because it’s your birthday, you git,” Harry laughed. He came over to sit on the arm of Severus’ chair. “And we need to celebrate.”
“My birthday’s in the middle of the week,” Severus said. “It’s not exactly conducive to merry-making.”
“You could take off for the day,” Harry said, nuzzling his neck. “Or perhaps even the week.”
“I’m the headmaster!” Severus said. “And you’re a professor as well. Not to mention we only just returned from a holiday.”
Harry sighed. “What’s the point in shagging the headmaster if he does even let you skive off for a birthday celebration? Fine. We could do something over the weekend if you insist on being responsible.”
“I suppose,” Severus said, closing his book. “Is there some place you would like to go?”
“It doesn’t matter where I want to go,” Harry said, his voice tinted with what Severus now recognised to be fond exasperation. “It’s about what you want to do. It’s your birthday.”
Severus shrugged. “There’s no need to do anything special. Truly.”
“We celebrated my birthday,” Harry reminded him. Indeed, they had. Severus had worked with Hermione and Ron to arrange a surprise party for Harry, after which he’d whisked him away for a weeklong holiday on a private island in Croatia.
And then, as a final gift, he had admitted to Harry what he’d known for months, years if he were being entirely truthful: that he was deeply, utterly in love with him.
“That’s different,” Severus said.
“How so?” asked Harry. “You planned something for me. Why shouldn’t I want to do something for you?”
“You’re Harry Potter,” Severus said. “How could I not plan something?”
“And you’re my lover!” Harry exclaimed. “How could I not plan something?”
Severus reached for Harry’s hand. “Harry, it is different. You are young and in the prime of your life. You deserve to have elaborate birthday celebrations. I grew up never celebrating my birthday, except for the occasional small token. At this point, it truly is just another day for me. I’d be uncomfortable with any excessive attention.”
Harry frowned. “You deserve a special day, too. I was looking forward to sharing it with you. I had every intention of spoiling you.”
“You spoil me every day,” Severus said, pulling pressing his lips to Harry’s hand.
“I’m still going to make your birthday special,” Harry warned, leaning in close. His breath was sweet against Severus’ face.
“I’m sure you will,” Severus replied, and kissed him.
~*~
Severus woke with a start. He knew immediately he had slept far later than usual, which made no sense since he never slept through his alarm. Hell, before Harry had started keeping him up far later than a man his age had any right to, he didn’t even need to set an alarm. What the hell had happened?
“Good morning!” Harry said, walking into the room with a covered tray. “Happy birthday.”
“I’m late,” Severus said, throwing the covers off the bed. “What time is it?”
“Don’t even think of getting out of that bed,” Harry said, setting the tray down on the bedside table. “It’s barely half past seven.”
“Half past…I wake up at six!”
“I know,” Harry said, sitting down next to Severus. “But we were up late last night, and you looked so peaceful when you were sleeping. Once you slept through your alarm, I thought I’d let you sleep a bit later and go pick you up some breakfast.” He lifted the lid off the tray. “Eggs over easy, toast, and an entire pig’s worth of bacon.”
“Hmm,” Severus said, leaning back against his pillows. Perhaps this wouldn’t entirely ruin the day. He could eat breakfast in ten minutes, then take a quick shower, and still make it to his standing meeting with Minerva at eight.
“Oh, and before I forget,” Harry said, pouring Severus a cup of tea. “I ran into Minerva in the Great Hall. She said to apologise to you, but two of her Gryffindors decided to engage in an impromptu duel just before breakfast and she has to sort that out.”
Severus frowned. “Which two students?”
“Didn’t ask for names,” Harry said. He handed Severus his tea. “She looked a bit harried, and I wanted to get you your breakfast before you woke up.”
“I’ll find out later,” Severus said. “Is the bacon crispy?”
“Of course,” Harry said with a grin. “Would you like another pillow?”
Severus allowed Harry to placed another pillow behind his head, but still eyed him suspiciously. “I told you I didn’t want any special attention for my birthday.”
Harry had the audacity to roll his eyes. “Stop being so suspicious. After the night we had last night, I would have let you have a lie-in even if it wasn’t your birthday.”
Severus’ face heated, remembering just exactly what they had done in this very bed the night before. “And what about you?” he demanded. “You would have brought me breakfast in bed even if it wasn’t my birthday?”
Harry shrugged and fed him a piece of bacon. “It’s Wednesday. I don’t have class till ten. The least I could do was pick you up some breakfast.”
Severus arched a brow. “Ten, you say?”
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Harry’s face. “Ten.”
Severus eyed Harry. Attractive on any day, there was something about his appearance today that stirred something in Severus’ chest, something that reminded him just how damn lucky he was to be able to wake up and find Harry Potter serving him breakfast in bed. Something in his chest, and something slightly lower as well.
“There’s a charm on the food,” Harry said, a suggestive glint in his eyes. “It’ll stay warm all day.”
“Is that so?” Severus set his food on the bedside table and tugged at Harry’s arm. Harry fell on top of him with a soft grunt. “Then I suppose I should first tend to the item that’s only here until ten.”
“I sup-mmph!” Harry wisely stopped talking and returned Severus’ heated kiss.
Severus groaned and pulled off Harry’s robes. He could already feel Harry’s erection pressing into his stomach, and his own prick was rapidly filling. Fuck, he loved this. Harry always made him feel as though his entire body were catching on fire in the most exquisite of ways. He cupped Harry’s arse, pleased as always with the way his cheeks seemed perfectly moulded for his hands.
“Fuck, Severus,” Harry gasped. “So hard.”
Severus kissed Harry’s neck and thrust upwards, loving the way Harry’s cock felt rubbing against his own. He could do this all day. All fucking day, and perhaps that would be a nice way to celebrate his birthday, buried entirely in Harry. He twirled his finger around Harry’s opening, smirking when he met resistance.
“My, my, Professor Potter,” he said between kisses. “What do we have here?”
“Had to…ah! Had to be prepared,” Harry said.
Severus twisted the butt plug, pulling it partially out before thrusting it back in again. Harry’s resulting shout encouraged him to do it again. “You went down to the Great Hall with a toy buried in your arse?” he asked, continuing to play with the plug. “Terribly naughty, Professor Potter. What would the students say if they knew their beloved professor was walking about, preparing his arse for their nasty old headmaster, hmm?”
Harry moaned.
“Were you hard?” Severus asked, taking Harry’s cock in hand. “Were you afraid a wet spot would appear in the front of your robes, giving your game away?”
“Severus…” Harry whinged.
“Were. You. Hard,” Severus demanded.
“Yes,” Harry said, his voice catching. “Fuck, Severus. I was so hard.”
“Were you touching yourself while I slept?” Severus asked. He removed the plug and replaced it with his fingers. “Were you stroking your prick, watching me?”
“Yes.” Harry was panting now, pushing back on Severus’ fingers. “Fuck, Severus. I couldn’t help it. Kept thinking about last night, you sucking me, letting me come in your mouth…”
“You liked that, didn’t you?” Severus cupped Harry’s balls. “You liked me on my knees, taking you in my mouth.”
“Fuck, yes.”
“But you didn’t come,” Severus said. “You wouldn’t dare come, not when I was in the same room, when you could easily have awakened me.”
“No,” Harry agreed. “Was waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me to do what?” Severus flicked his thumb over the head of Harry’s cock. Harry moaned. “Do. What?”
“Fuck me,” Harry breathed. “Fuck me, please, Severus.”
Severus positioned his cock at Harry’s entrance. “Ride me.”
This was one of Severus’ favourite positions. He loved watching Harry move on his cock, his head thrown back and his eyes bright with passion. He loved how Harry would bite his lip, the look of concentration upon his face. He loved looking up and seeing Harry look at him, totally focused on him, on making sure Severus’ pleasure was being met even as he was nearly overcome with his own.
“So close,” Harry gasped, his movements faster and more urgent. “Fuck, Severus, so close.”
“Yes,” Severus hissed. “Do it. Come for me, Harry. Come on my chest.”
Harry bit his lip, and just as Severus felt his own balls tighten, Harry shot his release. Severus followed, his climax coming in low, shuddering moans that echoed Harry’s.
Harry collapsed onto Severus’ chest. “Fuck. That was brilliant.”
“Indeed,” Severus agreed, stroking Harry’s hair. “Although I still can’t believe you walked all around the school with that in your arse.”
Harry chuckled. “No worse than the time you lost that bet and had to drink that slow-building lust potion.”
Even though he had just had a rather powerful orgasm, Severus’ prick twitched at the memory. He’d ended up dragging Harry out of his class mid-lesson to fuck him over a desk in an abandoned classroom. It was one of his most frequently revisited memories when he was in need of a wank.
“Ugh, I should get going,” Harry said, but he didn’t lift his head from Severus’ chest. “I need to shower and stop by my rooms before class.”
“Hmm,” Severus said absently. He pressed his lips to the top of Harry’s head. “Well, with my meeting with Minerva cancelled, I don’t have anywhere to be until lunch.”
“Ah, right, with one of the school governors, right?”
Severus nodded. “Edgar Miles. Pompous old windbag. However, he gives a sizable donation each February, so I’m afraid the meeting is necessary.”
“Shame,” Harry said. “And what do you have after that?”
“Nothing in particular,” Severus said. “I do need to run some numbers for the quarterly budget and give them to Minerva. Then I have a few things I need to pick up in Diagon Alley. Overall a rather uneventful day.”
“Well, you can relax a bit,” Harry said, finally starting to move. “Oh, that reminds me. I saw Irma, and she said you were asking after the Sheffield text. It just came in yesterday, so I just went down to grab it for you. I left it on your desk.”
“You went to the library with that thing in your arse?”
Harry shrugged and got out of bed. “In for a Knut, in for a Galleon.”
“Harry.”
Harry turned around, and Severus took his hand. “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Harry smiled. “What ever for? We agreed we weren’t celebrating your birthday.” He leaned down and kissed Severus, lingering slightly. “I’ll try to shower quickly.”
Severus fell back into the pillows and smiled. Perhaps this would be a decent birthday.
~*~
The clock struck twelve and Severus jumped. Damn it, but he’d been terrible with time today. The Sheffield text had indeed proven to be fascinating, and Severus had taken nearly four scrolls’ worth of notes of how to implement the concepts into the school’s curriculum.
“And now I have to cast it aside to listen to bloody Miles drone on for hours,” Severus muttered, hurrying to clear away his notes and dirty dishes. He wondered if he could convince Miles he was under the weather. Just another three hours with the text and he’d be finished.
A knock sounded at his door. Plastering as pleasant an expression he could upon his face, he smoothed down the front of his robes.
“Good afternoon, Mi – Draco. What are you doing here?”
Draco smiled. “Can’t a former student stop by to wish his favourite professor a happy birthday?”
“Of course, but now’s really not a good time,” Severus said. “I have a meeting with Edgar Miles any minute.”
“Oh, Potter didn’t tell you?” Draco asked. He reached into his robes and handed Severus a slip of paper. “I had brunch with Miles yesterday. He graciously agreed to double his gift for the year.”
Severus stared at the paper, which detailed that 5,000 Galleons had been deposited into Hogwarts’ Gringotts account. “How did you accomplish this?”
“Oh, he’s an old family friend,” Draco said, waving his hand. “Quite taken with Mother. I invited him to tea next week.”
“You have my sincere thanks,” Severus said. “You saved me a rather tedious afternoon.”
“You’re welcome,” Draco said. “Now, how about you pay me back and allow me to buy you lunch.”
Severus paused. He cared greatly for Draco, but he’d also been the cause of more than a few rows with Harry. It seemed Harry had spent years convinced he and Draco had been sleeping together, and despite Severus’ vehement insistence he’d never even thought of Draco that way, he still harboured a great deal of jealousy towards him. Well, Harry said it was more that he didn’t trust Draco, not that he was jealous of “that prissy little ferret,” but Severus knew jealousy when he saw it, especially given the number of times he wore the emotion as well.
And while he knew nothing would happen, he didn’t want to get in another argument with Harry once he found out he’d gone off alone with Draco without telling him first.
“Perhaps we could eat here,” Severus said slowly. “I only need to leave a note.”
Draco laughed. “He really has you wrapped around his finger, doesn’t he?” Severus glared at him, but his smile only widened. “It was Potter’s idea, for Merlin’s sake. Now, can we go? We’ll miss our reservation.”
Lunch turned out to be at a small French restaurant in Hogsmeade that he and Harry had enjoyed several times before. Now knowing that Harry had been the one to arrange this lunch, Severus had a feeling he had chosen the restaurant as well to ensure Severus would like his meal but wouldn’t experience any restaurant he might love for the first time with Draco. Possessive little brat always has to stake his claim, Severus thought fondly.
“You know, he isn’t as bad as he once was,” Draco said.
Severus frowned. “Who?”
“Potter, of course,” Draco said, rolling his eyes. “Have you been listening to a word I’ve said?”
“Ah, yes,” Severus said. “I suppose it might be somewhat due to the fact you’ve stopped taunting him at every turn.”
Draco laughed. “You have to admit, it was hilarious watching the way his face would turn red every time I touched you.”
“Hilarious to you, perhaps,” Severus said, sipping his wine. “I was the one left with him once you were gone having to convince him I wasn’t looking to shag you on the side.”
“Well, you could have left,” Draco pointed out.
Severus frowned. “Yes, I could have,” he said slowly.
“But you won’t.”
Severus shook his head. “No.”
“It’s been eight months now?”
“Ten,” Severus corrected. Those first two months they hadn’t told a soul they were seeing each other, although Ron and Hermione claimed they had known all along. Severus had been relieved that Harry had wanted their relationship to be public; for a few tense weeks he’d been convinced Harry had been ashamed of him. Still, there were times Severus missed those very early days. They existed in their own private haven, safe from the world’s obligations. It was a sweet, simple time when all their focus was on each other.
Draco nodded. “You know, I do believe he actually loves you.”
“Yes,” Severus said. “I know he does.”
“And you love him?”
Severus set down his glass. These were words he’d only grown comfortable sharing with Harry fairly recently. He’d never admitted it out loud to another person. “Very much so,” he said.
Draco sipped his wine. “Well, I suppose you could do far worse than Potter,” he said. “So long as you’re happy.”
“Yes,” Severus said, remembering the last kiss he’d shared with Harry that morning. Harry had been reluctant to leave, and it showed in his every touch. Even when he had turned to walk out the door, his fingers had still lingered on Severus’ shoulder until his arm could no longer reach. And then, just before reaching the door, Harry had turned around and given him one of those smiles, the tender, brilliant ones he reserved just for Severus that made his knees weak and his stomach feel it was falling. And Severus had known. “I can honestly say this is the happiest I’ve ever been.”
~*~
“Headmaster? If I could have a word?”
Severus turned and nodded at Minerva. “Professor McGonagall. I trust the issues from this morning have been resolved?”
“Ah, of course,” she said. “Young lads letting the spirit of magic get the best of them.”
Severus frowned. “Which students were these? I should have words with – ”
“I’ve finished running the numbers on the quarterly budget,” Minerva interrupted, handing him a thick stack of papers. “I believe you’ll find everything in order. I’ll only need your signature at the bottom of each page.”
Severus took the papers and glanced over them. Minerva was impeccable with numbers, and it looked like she had gone into far more detail with the budget than he’d been intending to do that afternoon. He likely only did need to sign off on them.
“I thought we agreed I would come up with the preliminary figures and you would adjust as necessary,” Severus said.
“Did we?” Minerva asked. “Well, it was certainly quicker this way, wasn’t it? We eliminated an extra step, and it took me no time at all.”
Severus flipped through the pages. Yes, these were nearly final figures. “Minerva…”
“Oh, would you look at the time?” Minerva said. “I have class in ten minutes. Good bye, Headmaster. Have a wonderful day.”
Severus watched, stunned, as Minerva quickly walked away. What in Merlin’s name had possessed her? That project would have taken her hours, and he knew she knew she wasn’t required to complete it. She always took meticulous notes at their meetings.
He looked back down at the papers. Well, it would save him a great deal of time. Perhaps now he could read one more chapter of the Sheffield text before heading to Diagon Alley.
Now more content than confused, he returned to his office.
~*~
Severus entered his quarters and immediately went to find the Sheffield text. One of the stores he needed to stop at closed at four, but he was certain he could squeeze in one more chapter before then. And he was a man of great willpower; he could certainly stop reading after a single chapter.
The sight of a large parcel on his desk stopped him in his tracks. Merlin, what monster of a gift had Harry gotten him? He thought he’d made it clear he didn’t expect any presents. Well, truthfully, he had no doubt Harry wouldn’t be able to resist a little something, but this box was large enough to fit an overweight Labrador. He peered closer.
On it was a list in his own handwriting.
His shopping list.
Confused, he opened the box. Inside were all the items he’d intended to purchase that afternoon, plus a few he’d listed only to remind himself to see if they were worth the Galleons. Indeed, the reason the box was so large was due to the three new top-of-the-line cauldrons, so expensive he’d never dream of buying them all at the same time.
Severus raised an eyebrow. Harry was fortunate Minerva had already finalised the budget; clearly if he could afford this, Severus was paying him too much.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it.
One more item crossed off his to-do list, he found his book and sat down at his usual spot on the couch. Sighing with contentment, he reached for where he always kept a glass of water, only to find it replaced with a tumbler and a bottle of his favourite scotch.
He frowned. Next to the scotch was a plate of his favourite biscuits from that small Muggle bakery he and Harry liked to visit on weekends, and on the other end table was a bottle of the same wine he and Harry had shared in Croatia.
“Most certainly overpaying him,” Severus muttered, biting into a biscuit. He poured himself two fingers of scotch and sat back down with his book. “Most certainly.”
Severus was just closing his book with a satisfied sigh when he felt warm lips press against his cheek. “Fancy seeing you here,” Harry said. “I thought you’d be shopping for hours.”
Severus rolled his eyes. “Don’t play coy, Potter. You’ve long passed the age when you could get away with that exceedingly adorable look.”
“So you’re saying you once thought I was adorable?” Harry asked, perching himself on the arm of the couch. “Now what am I?”
“Incorrigible,” Severus said. The kiss Harry graced him with only confirmed his assessment. “You didn’t need to do any of this.”
“What, run a few errands?” Harry asked, his eyes sparkling. “I had a free afternoon, so I went to Diagon Alley over lunch.”
“It’s well more than the cost of an acceptable birthday present,” Severus said. “I know exactly how much each of those cauldrons were being sold for.”
“So you can pay for dinner when we go out the rest of the year,” Harry said. “Well, except for tonight. I’m going to have to insist that’s on me.”
“Tonight?” Severus asked. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Of course,” Harry said. “We have to eat, and I happen to known the elves are serving salmon tonight.”
Severus winced. There were few things in the world he hated more than salmon. The very thought of it offended him.
“Very well,” he said. “Where are we going?”
“It’s someplace new,” Harry said. “In Muggle London. I think you’ll like it. It’s known for its roast sirloin.”
Severus paused. Now that was a meal worth pursuing. “I suppose that would be acceptable.”
“Great,” Harry said. He stood up and went to pour himself a finger of scotch. It immediately put Severus on edge; Harry far preferred wine, only resorting to small amounts of scotch when he was nervous. “Did you have a good day? Figure out the budget?”
Now Severus knew Harry had done something. He looked all too innocent, and he was very carefully avoiding Severus’ eyes. Severus already knew he had planned the lunch with Draco, and he’d admitted to running Severus’ errands. That had to mean…
“You asked Minerva to work on the budget,” he accused. “And I’ll even bet there wasn’t even a duel between students.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “What makes you think that?”
“What did I tell you about playing coy? I know you did it. What did she ask of you in exchange?”
Harry sighed. “Nothing, if you must know. I just told her I wanted you to have a relaxing birthday and she immediately volunteered. She was happy to do it.”
Severus snorted. Gryffindors. “And the biscuits and liquor?”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Come on.”
“I bet you even sabotaged my alarm,” Severus continued. “I knew I wouldn’t have slept through it.”
“I cancelled it, if that’s what you mean,” Harry said, crossing his arms over his chest. “And what of it? I wanted to serve my lover breakfast in bed on his birthday. Do you truly mind?”
Severus blinked. “No,” he said. “I just…don’t understand.”
Harry pulled Severus up from his seat and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Because I love you, and I didn’t want to take the chance of anything spoiling your birthday. And I don’t care if it’s just another day to you. It’s important to me. Because without this day, I wouldn’t have you. And I think that’s worth celebrating, even if it’s only by clearing your calendar for the day.”
Severus pulled Harry close to him, rubbing his hands up and down his back. “Draco told me it was your idea for us to have lunch today.”
Harry’s cheeks flushed pink. “Well, I trust you. And I know if I want a future with you, I’m going to have to accept him as well.” He snickered. “Besides, it wasn’t all bad. Knowing he had to spend hours listening to Miles drone on made it all worthwhile.”
“You little prat,” Severus chuckled, leaning in to kiss him. He groaning, savouring the taste of scotch on Harry’s tongue.
“As long as I’m confessing, I should tell you that book doesn’t belong to the library either,” Harry said.
“Oh?” Severus asked, raising an eyebrow. “You mean the book that has only been released to a select number of prestigious libraries before being released to the general public next year? That book?”
“Um, is that the Sheffield?” Harry asked with a sheepish smile.
Severus shook his head, but he could feel a bark of laughter rising in his throat. “I suppose there are some perks to being in a relationship with the Chosen One.”
Harry kissed his nose, something Severus had once hated but now knew it meant Harry was feeling particularly exuberant, thus making it impossible to hate. “And don’t you forget it.”
~*~
Severus glared across the table at Harry. How could he sit there, calming licking chocolate mousse off his spoon, giving him that innocent look when he knew he was hard? They’d been so caught up snogging on the couch that they’d nearly missed their reservation. Severus had told Harry he’d be willing to skip it, but Harry insisted they come.
“We’ll need our sustenance for tonight,” he’d said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
Severus snorted and moodily stabbed at his crème brûlée. Yes, the food had been delicious, and yes, he’d be happy to come back in the future. But right now his cock was hard enough to drive nails and he couldn’t bloody do anything about it.
“Don’t care for your pudding?” Harry asked, setting down his spoon.
“The sirloin was quite filling,” Severus said.
Harry nodded. “Would you like to try some of my mousse?”
“What I would like,” Severus hissed, “is for you to be on your knees with my cock in your mouth and sucking me until I scream. How about making that birthday wish come true?”
“Would you gentlemen like anything else this evening?”
Severus’ cheeks burned, but he stared defiantly up at the waiter. The expression his face was entirely too amused. “No,” he snapped.
“No,” Harry echoed, his voice far more pleasant. “That will be all.” He pulled on his cloak and dropped a handful of gold coins on the table, then moved to help Severus with his cloak as well. “Come on, Severus. Let’s go home.”
They Apparated to Hogwarts’ gates, and Harry immediately reached for Severus’ hand. Severus squeezed it and kissed the top of his head.
“I apologise if my words in the restaurant offended you," Severus said. “It was not my intention to belittle everything you’ve done today. In fact, I’m quite…flattered to know you went through such trouble to ensure I had an enjoyable day.”
Harry kissed him deeply. Severus’ erection, which had lessened slightly in the cold, immediately took an interest in the proceedings. “It was no trouble at all. I did everything because I wanted to.” He smiled up at Severus. “And believe me, I was ready to leave too. Watching you eat that crème brûlée was torture.”
Had it not been for the fact that school was in session and there was snow on the ground, Severus would have taken Harry right then and there. As it was, he settled for pulling him close and hurrying up the path to the castle.
The second they were in Severus’ rooms, Severus had Harry up against a wall and was kissing him passionately. Harry moaned and returned the kiss with equal fervor, grinding his hard cock against Severus’.
“Fuck, yes,” Severus hissed, tearing at Harry’s robes. He could feel his own slip away from his shoulders; Harry tended to resort to non-verbal magic when feeling especially desperate.
Harry dropped to his knees and took Severus’ cock in his mouth. He looked up at Severus, his green eyes darkened with lust, and began to suck.
“Oh, yes,” Severus whispered. “Look at you with me in your mouth. I could stare at this all day. And you love it, don’t you? Yes, yes, right there. Look at you, your mouth wrapped around my cock, and your hand your prick. You can’t help but stroke it, can you, Harry?”
Harry groaned and sucked harder.
“Yes, that’s it. That’s it, Harry. Right…right there. Right…”
It was far too soon, but Severus had been hard since before dinner. He could feel his balls tightening, and his breath came in sharp gasps.
“Fuck, Harry, I’m coming. I’m…ahhh!”
Harry swallowed Severus’ release greedily, careful not to miss a drop. All the while he continued working his cock, and a moment later, he was coming with a muffled shout.
Severus joined Harry on the floor and kissed him deeply. “Incredible,” he said.
Harry smiled, making Severus feel rather like he was melting all over again. “Good,” he said. “You deserve it.”
Severus stroked his hand. “Does this conclude my relaxing non-birthday birthday celebration?” He glanced over to where the bottle of wine was still being chilled. “Except, perhaps, for another round in bed accompanied by that bottle?”
“Almost,” Harry said. He looked almost nervous again, and Severus frowned. “Accio cloak, pen, ink.”
Severus watched as the items arrived and Harry dug through the pockets of his cloak. “Truly, Harry. The day has already been more than enough.”
“Then think of this for me, then,” Harry said, and handed Severus a slip of paper. “I hope this isn’t too presumptuous, but…I’d like for you to sign that.”
Severus glanced down at the parchment. “This is a request for you to change your rooms.”
Harry nodded. “Yeah, it requires the headmaster’s signature. And since I’m requesting to move in with the headmaster, it seemed even more appropriate.” He paused. “Do you mind?”
Without hesitation, Severus signed his name to the parchment. “It’s ridiculous we have to do this at all,” he said. “You already spend nearly all your nights here.”
Harry laughed. “Take it up with Minerva. She’s the one who insisted on proper protocol.”
Severus snorted and leaned in to kiss him. “Thank you, Harry. This was a most…meaningful gift.”
“You’re welcome,” Harry said. He bit his lip.
“You’re still nervous,” Severus noted. “What is it? Second thoughts already?”
Harry shook his head. “No, not at all. I’m just trying to decide if I want to press my luck.”
Severus’ heart pounded. Something in Harry’s expression told him that what was coming up was not some playful announcement or a request to try something new in the bedroom. Had he not just asked to move in with him, Severus would have been worried Harry was trying to break things off. He willed himself to breathe normally.
“The Harry Potter I know never backs away from what he fears,” Severus forced himself to say. He had aimed to sound unaffected, but even he could hear his voice was strained.
Harry nodded. “You’re right,” he said, and pulled a small box out of his cloak. He opened it, revealing a simple platinum band. “I love you, Severus, and I can’t imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?”
Severus stared unbelievingly at the ring. Until fairly recently, he’d never thought he’d get married. And then Harry had waltzed back into his life, and loved him in spite of all his flaws, and, if he was to be believed, because of them.
Here was the man who had brought light into his life, who understood him and didn’t attempt to change him or mould him into a more suitable lover.
And for his birthday, he’d given Severus exactly what he needed, and he did it without asking, without seeking credit, without forcing Severus to celebrate in a way that felt unnatural to him.
And he did it because he wanted Severus to think his birthday was as important as Harry viewed it.
Severus felt humbled beyond words.
“Severus?” Harry asked. “I know it wasn’t the most romantic proposal, it just felt right, and I – ”
Severus silenced him with a kiss. Moaning, Harry wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close.
“Yes,” Severus whispered into Harry’s ear. Later they would announce it to the world, but for now, it was their most private, intimate secret, and he would treat it as such. “I will marry you.”
Harry smiled, and Severus caressed his cheek. This was his. This was theirs.
“Thank you for my birthday,” Severus murmured.
“Thank you for sharing it with me,” Harry said, and pressed his lips to Severus’.
They had shared the joy of a day, and now they’d be sharing the joy of a life.
Yes, perhaps there was something to say for celebrating birthdays.
Together.