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joanwilder aka RaeWhit ([info]joanwilder) wrote,
@ 2009-08-22 02:48:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:100quills, my snarrys, pg-13, slash

FIC: The Box
Title: The Box (written for [info]100quills)
Author: [info]joanwilder (RaeWhit)
Pairing: Harry/Severus
Rating: PG-13
Prompt Set: 50.3
Prompt: 28--Asleep
Word Count: 1600
Summary: Snape snoops while Harry sleeps, and gets just what he deserves.



The Box



Snape hated Harry Potter.

Not all of the time. Just tonight.

Well, it wasn't the first time; there'd been other nights like this one.

Not for the usual reason he might hate someone he'd lived with for ten years. Not because Harry's irritating personal habits had reached critical mass, or because they'd had a row where Harry'd been right and he'd been wrong (which happened quite often), and not because of any of those other things that Harry might be able to change and avoid his partner's wrath (which he had an irritating habit of trying to do, even if Snape was wrong and they both knew it).

Tonight Snape hated Harry Potter because he slept.

And Snape couldn't. Even after a day full of back-breaking work, a good supper and a bottle of wine between them, followed up with two hours (at least) of down and dirty in this very bed. Even then, he couldn't…sleep.

Ever since the Dark Lord had been done in, though, Harry had slept like a baby. All his anxieties calmed, his worst nightmares dealt with, and now he slept like death (although Snape had never understood that simile; the dead don't actually sleep, do they? No, they rot.).

And just because he was perverse and awake, Snape reached out and pinched Harry's nose between his thumb and finger. He sneered as Harry didn't breathe for a moment it, then finally blew a breath from his mouth in a gust of spittle that Snape felt on his cheek.

Snape scowled as he swiped the back of his hand across his face, then pulled himself up to sit against the headboard; Harry, of course, slept on.

He glanced to the bedside table. A book, perhaps? No that would only stimulate him further. A wank? Well, no, that was Harry's job. And besides, Harry did that better than Snape. A glass of wine? Hmm, but then he'd get sleepy and have to get up to take a piss and then he'd be starting all over again, damn it.

His eyes drifted restlessly over the room, wall to door to wall, then back to the wall where Harry's wardrobe stood, the door slightly ajar. It was always ajar because Harry piled the bottom of it full of Quidditch gear and god only knew what else…oh.

The box.

Snape had only noticed it a few weeks before; he'd been curious about it, but hadn't asked; it was in Harry's wardrobe, after all, and was none of his business…

But since when had that ever stopped him? They didn't keep secrets, well, none that Snape knew about. If Harry had expected it to remain his own private affair, he wouldn't have put it there in plain sight, now would he've?

Snape slid from the bed and padded to the wardrobe, going to his knees in front of it. Using his fingertips, he pushed the doors to the side, wincing when they creaked, but there was no sound from the bed, and a quick glance over his shoulder confirmed that Sleeping fucking Beauty slumbered on.

It wasn't a large box—in fact, it looked like Harry's last pair of trainers had come from it. Tipping off the lid, Snape stared down into the contents and frowned.

What's this? Looks like he's turned into a sodding Niffler…bits and pieces of paper, odds and ends of…

The first item he recognized right away. A length of green velvet ribbon, wrinkled in the middle. Snape hadn't seen it since he'd worn it at their bonding ceremony…

A newspaper clipping announcing Snape's newest potions patent, with a picture of the two of them, snapped as they'd exited the Ministry after he'd filed his findings… He was slightly startled when Harry in the picture waggled a reproachful finger at him.

One of his old Slytherin cuff links, its stem missing. He saw of flash of Harry's face in his mind, bending over Snape's arm as he worked to remove it from the sleeve. It'd been part of their 'undressing' ritual. His cock twitched sympathetically as he flushed.

A shriveled up peach pit…what the bloody hell? He had no idea. He dropped it into his lap and dug deeper into the box.

This next one…a ticket stub from a Muggle movie. Snape brought it up close to his face to read it, then almost smiled. Oddly, the whole thing had been his own idea. He remembered the shock on Harry's face when he'd suggested it. It was the first time he'd worn Muggle jeans.

Another piece of paper, a scrawled note in his own handwriting. H. There's a plate in the kitchen. Covered with a bowl so your disgusting feline won't get at it. Yes, I've made dinner, but don't expect it again. S.

The remains of a Christmas Cracker, confetti spilling over his hands as he stared at the tiny, animated phoenix about to let out a squawk. He pinched its beak together to thwart the sound, the same way he'd pinched Harry's nose a while ago.

A glass stirring rod from his lab…. Snape frowned again. Why in the world…?

This next object was familiar, he thought, as he turned it over. My Order of Merlin. He remembered the last time he'd looked at it, just before he'd skipped it out over the lake.

He slowly worked his way through the small, insignificant items, his lap becoming full of the things Harry had saved. More photos and notes, a pressed valerian flower, an empty potions phial, an ornament from their first Yule tree, a class syllabus of Snape's, on which he'd written Harry an impulsive, 'I'd rather be fucking you,' across the front of it. He smiled as he remembered the look on Harry's face, there in the front of his Charms' students…

Why did he have this strange feeling in his chest? And what the hell was Harry doing, pack-ratting such stupid, silly…

At the very bottom of the box, there was one last item. Wrapped in some sort of clingy film was something dark and weightless. Carefully unwinding the paper, Snape stared down, stunned, at a long, carefully coiled lock of his own hair. When did he do this? he wondered. Harry would never have done such a thing without his permission, and yet, here it was… Ah…that disastrous haircut he gave me five years ago….

Snape sat for a moment and let his hands wander over the jumble in his lap, then one by one replaced them into the box, trying his best to put them back into their original disarray.

All evidence of his intrusion set to rights, he lifted the coverlet and slipped into bed, lying on his side to face the still snoring Harry. He studied his face for a moment, then, caught unawares, he succumbed to the urge to move close and wrap the hated sleeper into his arms.

Harry snuffled softly in his sleep, but didn't resist. Snape burrowed his face in the soft hair at Harry's neck, and wondered, Why do you save all these things? You must have your reasons, I'm sure, but…

And then he remembered how important souvenirs were to Harry—anchoring him to his past, to the people and places and things that were most important to him. Didn't the man still have every single jumper Molly'd ever made for him?

And if Snape died before Harry did (and he probably would be, it only made sense, given that he was a bastard who was living on borrowed time, but then again, so was Harry—not a bastard, but living on borrowed time—so who the hell knew?), he could see it so vividly in his mind's eye. Harry, sitting in mourning, with that box in his lap, smiling and crying as he relived each of those memories. With me. Severus Who-Hated-Harry Snape.

He didn't really hate him, he knew. He'd married the man, for pity's sake. Harry was a sentimental fool, who often (in spite of, and probably because of the fact that he knew it made him squirm) told Snape he loved him. At odd moments, at inopportune ones, sometimes predictable (these Snape handled very well), but often at very unexpected times when Snape was at his most vulnerable (He hated the way the words made him feel guilty and flush so that he had to get up and take off his jacket, both to distract from his embarrassment and because he was warm, of course). And Snape never ever had said it back. He supposed that Harry knew, though, because Snape did show it, he was sure, in his actions and deference (rare that it was), but he'd never say it, of course not, no.

As he thought of his and Harry's life and that damnable box and all it represented, his mouth relaxed, he yawned, and he felt a warmth that made his eyelids heavy and his breathing even out.

This was it, then. He was about to fall asleep.

Pulling the familiar body in his arms closer, he knew he didn't hate Harry. He loved him.

He wondered what it would feel like to articulate the words, let them burble up in his throat and roll out over his tongue. But no, he'd never…never….

Swallowing hard, they just slipped out, almost inaudible, mostly a whisper, at Harry's ear.

"I do love you."

He was almost asleep, which is why he was fairly certain he imagined it when Harry shifted in his arms, draping an arm around Snape's back and rubbing a small circle on his shoulder, mumbling, "I know."

fin



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[info]magic_helmet
2009-08-22 07:29 am UTC (link)
Oh that was lovely!!

Truly!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:46 am UTC

[info]soberloki
2009-08-22 07:31 am UTC (link)
Damn, that was sweet.

Grumpy old bugger. Of course Harry keeps mementoes. And of course you love him. But it's still good to hear it now and again.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:47 am UTC

[info]alexis_sd
2009-08-22 07:37 am UTC (link)
That was perfect. In so few words you told so much of them, their relationship and their characters. I loved it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:48 am UTC

[info]hergunfight
2009-08-22 07:57 am UTC (link)
That was beautiful. :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:48 am UTC

[info]vividzephyr
2009-08-22 08:19 am UTC (link)
Oh, wonderful! I love the small details of all the trinkets Harry'd saved and Snape's confusion and subsequent understanding. The confession at the end was so sweet and absolutely perfect. :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:50 am UTC

[info]sra_danvers
2009-08-22 08:28 am UTC (link)
My heart is singing...

I loved the daily way Snape think of Harry at the begining of the story. I loved every piece of their life Harry keep in his box.
And I loved that "I lo love you"... And that thougth Snape has about when he dies...

I Keep that phrase: A wank? Well, no, that was Harry's job. And besides, Harry did that better than Snape. XD

Thanks for make me laugth and almost cry, and move me like ever!

Kisses,
MARTA

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:51 am UTC

[info]atypicalsnowman
2009-08-22 08:30 am UTC (link)
I adore fics like this. Established relationship fics are best when they're romantic in a realistic sense. Of course Snape would hate Harry a little, and for silly reasons. And you (as always) kept him wonderfully in character.

But I love Harry's box. It's something that Harry the wonderfully stable would do. And his last line, how he knew Severus loved him, was just so right, so well-written.

I know I'm gushing but I can't help it. This fic touched all the nice, wonderful places with me and I'm just so happy you wrote it.

*bookmarks*

*rec's to the madhouse*

-- snow

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:53 am UTC

[info]thesewarmstars
2009-08-22 08:33 am UTC (link)
Awwww. How completely lovely. Funny and cute and sweet and so very Severus. Wonderful work!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:54 am UTC

[info]lilyseyes
2009-08-22 09:00 am UTC (link)
What a wonderful, wonderful story! I loved it!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:54 am UTC

[info]liz-mo.livejournal.com
2009-08-22 09:28 am UTC (link)
Aww! That was SO Severus ;-) I'm glad Severus had the courage to say it after all!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:55 am UTC

[info]lazlong
2009-08-22 09:55 am UTC (link)
Established relationships with all its history: tiny quirks and quarrels, and unexpected comfort found (in a box;) ).
Thank You.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:56 am UTC

[info]ashenv
2009-08-22 09:58 am UTC (link)
Absolutely loved it!

There is nothing more brilliant than fics like this - realistic to the core, Severus was so him here, but that is what gives it beauty. In a way, Severus being who he is, even makes you a little sad perhaps, but that just emphasizes the rest of it, his happiness and love with Harry.

Thank you so much, this is definitely going on my fav list ... along with all the rest of your fics! :D

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:57 am UTC

[info]mnema
2009-08-22 10:05 am UTC (link)
I like this. It’s really giving a warm feeling.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-23 09:57 am UTC

[info]lotrwariorgodss
2009-08-22 10:08 am UTC (link)
Very sweet! I can definitely see Harry keeping a box like that; poor thing doesn't have mementos for many good memories, but it seems like he's made a lot with Severus. Lovely story!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:02 am UTC

[info]fancypantsdylan
2009-08-22 10:14 am UTC (link)
That was truly lovely, a wonderful look at their lives together, I chuckled over this line Tonight Snape hated Harry Potter because he slept. as I can sympathise with Severus, I'm not the best sleeper myself and get irritated at people who can fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:03 am UTC

[info]whitecotton
2009-08-22 10:31 am UTC (link)
I adore inner monologue fics and this example is a true treasure. As always, your writing is easy, accomplished and witty, yet the irritation Severus is feeling shines through wonderfully. It is the ending that made me smile the most, being one who likes their romance served in small, reluctant doses. Wonderful, wonderful work.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:09 am UTC

[info]irenahani
2009-08-22 10:55 am UTC (link)
This is just lovely! I love how The Box allowed Snape to utter the dreaded words. I think Harry was very sly by hiding the box in plain sight. It shows he knew Severus couldn't resist snooping!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:16 am UTC

[info]sneakypoo2
2009-08-22 11:14 am UTC (link)
This is really beautiful. It's so sentimental and loving and funny. I laughed out loud when Severus pinched Harry's nostrils closed. How silly and Snapey - all snarky, all the time!

Thanks, luv, for such a thoughful and loving piece of writing.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:19 am UTC

[info]snarry_fan7
2009-08-22 11:41 am UTC (link)
I love how Harry has collected so many things of Severus and the ending is lovely. Well done!~Sophia

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:19 am UTC

[info]synn
2009-08-22 12:03 pm UTC (link)
Ah, that was lovely. Snape is great here. love when he pinches harry's nose, and all the little things in the box. what a perfect ending : )

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:20 am UTC

[info]torino10154
2009-08-22 12:20 pm UTC (link)
Wonderful! I just love seeing Severus like this. And Harry's box is fantastic. Gorgeous work.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:20 am UTC

[info]brissygirl
2009-08-22 12:22 pm UTC (link)
Severus is such a grumpy bugger when he is sleep deprived. But then again I'm sure he's like that anyway and Harry loves him for it.

The little box of momento's was so sweet. I'm with Severus on the peach pit. Why keep a peach pit?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:30 am UTC

[info]sweetmelodykiss
2009-08-22 01:05 pm UTC (link)
Oh, that was just beautiful!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:31 am UTC

[info]anoncomment7.livejournal.com
2009-08-22 01:45 pm UTC (link)
Gorgeous. I love simple, realistic romance. And your Snape is just perfect.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:32 am UTC

[info]megyal
2009-08-22 02:15 pm UTC (link)
Oh this was heartwarming, even with Snape so IC!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]joanwilder, 2009-08-24 03:33 am UTC

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