Snarry-A-Thon FIC: In Sickness and in Health Title: In Sickness and in Health Author:inoru_no_hoshi Rating: NC-17 Wordcount: ~1,400 Warnings: (highlight for spoilers) *Wall!sex, AU* Prompt: 179 - White Healer robes, wall!sex, and a half drunk glass of wine. Summary: Prenuptial agreements don't get any better than this. A/N: This was the fic that refused to be written. Seriously. I've got like eight different beginnings, ranging from a partial sentence to a few hundred words, running around. I just knew calling this a “nice, short prompt that would allow me to snag another” would come back to bite my arse. :P Thankies muchly to the mods for so much patience, my beta, whitecotton, without whom this fic would be rather worse than it is, and to torino10154 for correcting my mistaken impression that this was a no-extensions fest! ♥!
In Sickness and in Health
'In sickness and in health' was a part of their marriage vows that meant a great deal to both Severus and Harry. To be truthful, the only part of their vows that either of them had disagreed with was the part about obeying, and that only because it was a word that reminded them far too much of the war against Voldemort. Everything else about their marriage had been fair game, however: the date, the guests, garb, location, and even the exact shade of the punch bowl at the reception had all been argued over; sometimes repeatedly, and often vociferously.
Although neither Severus nor Harry was a good patient, both seemed to have similar ill luck regarding their health. It was therefore a comfort to know they had someone with a personal investment in their well-being (which also could be phrased as someone to keep them from being too stupid while ill). On the other hand, they were both busy men too stubborn to concede the facility to ask for a bit of help when it was needed. An agreement had been made to the effect that whoever got ill would later make it up to their spouse. And, much like making up after a nasty argument, making up for illness was hardly unpleasant: it usually involved bringing a sexual fantasy into reality, or exploring something mutually arousing.
The agreement was the reason Harry had hurried to Diagon Alley as soon as his shift at St. Mungo's was over. He had recently had the cold from hell - between magic only being able to do so much for colds and his dislike of Pepper-Up, he knew he'd annoyed Severus almost to the point of being cursed, ill or no. So, his plans for the evening involved good wine, good ambience, and himself in nothing but his Healer's robes.
Harry raked a hand through his hair, muttering an apology as he squeezed past a woman with a couple of young kids. At the end opposite of the entrance, where the more upscale shops were located, there was a wine shop. It was small, and tended to have exclusive custom, but it also stocked nothing but the best of wines.
Bells chimed a tune he almost recognized when he pushed the door open, and he flashed a smile at the assistant behind the counter, wondering what to do next. Severus was usually the one who bought the wines - mainly because, Harry not being too big a fan of any sort of alcohol, Severus did most of the drinking of said wines.
Apparently, his ineptitude was apparent, because the assistant immediately adopted an encouraging and patient look, flipped up a part of the counter and walked up to him.
“May I help you?”
“Yes, please,” Harry answered. “I don't actually drink much, but my husband does, so…” He shrugged a bit self-consciously. “I guess you could say I'm shopping for him.”
The assistant smiled, cheeks dimpling in a manner even he could determine was attractive, if only from a dispassionate viewpoint.
“In that case, I have two questions, Healer Potter: what's the occasion, and does your husband know wines well?”
* * * * *
As the Potions Professor, most of the students may have hated him, but at least he'd had more time to himself. However, as Headmaster of the school, Severus found he was lucky if he returned to his quarters before the students' curfew. Before Harry had come back into his life as something rather more than a particularly pest-like student, it hadn't bothered him so much. These days, however, it annoyed him a great deal more.
Especially when he suspected that Harry was ready to make up for his illness.
That day, he had been lucky enough to have the night free after supper, barring emergencies. It was therefore, in his opinion, exactly the wrong day for a pair of students to decide that after supper was the perfect time to hex one another into the hospital wing in full view of several teachers, himself included. He wasn't sure what had precipitated the event - and given that the two students in question were about as much oil and water as his husband and Draco Malfoy had once been, he doubted there was a clearly definable reason - but he was certain the two would be at least more discreet in their altercations. Two week's worth of detention, effective upon leaving the hospital wing, would see to that.
The corollary was that he returned to his quarters later than he had intended. Severus scowled as he shoved the door shut behind himself and hung his outer robes on a hook by the door. Then he turned and strode into the sitting room.
The first thing that registered was the dimmed lights, toned far from their normal brightness and somewhere closer to a deep glow. The next was the flickering flames of the fire, limning a figure seated in his favourite chair and glinting off a wine glass in an extended hand.
“You're a very hard man to catch at home, Severus Snape,” Harry murmured, rising to his feet.
“I was unfortunately delayed,” Severus replied. A smirk slowly curved his lips as he watched Harry walk closer. “Students have become no less foolish since your schooldays.”
“Poor you, never having relief from idiocy and ignorance.” Harry stopped in front of his husband and smiled up at him teasingly. He raised the wine glass and offered it to Severus, adding, “For your troubles, Headmaster.”
“It never fails to amaze how you have managed to become more bratty than you were when a child,” Severus commented, accepting the glass.
He grinned cheekily. “I make it worth your while these days, though. How's the wine?”
Severus ignored the first statement as being unworthy of reply - it would just encourage the brat far too much. “Excellent. Surprisingly so, considering I know well your lack of knowledge on the subject.”
“The assistant helped me choose it. Far better than me just picking something at random.”
“Undoubtedly.” Severus swirled the remaining wine gently, and quirked a brow at Harry. “Surely a fine wine is not your idea of full payment?”
“Oh, no.” Harry took Severus's free hand and tucked it under his white robes, then looked up at him through his lashes. “It's just the appetizer.”
Severus arched his brows at the feel of smooth and decidedly unclothed skin under his fingers. He brushed the fabric to one side, and grasped one of Harry's nipples between thumb and forefinger. The slighter male sighed in appreciation, and Severus bent to kiss him, twisting the nipple gently.
“Mmm,” Harry moaned, arching into the touch. “You know, I've been waiting for you for hours.”
“Oh?” Severus queried, smoothing his thumb over Harry's abused nipple.
“Yeah. It didn't take me long to set up the sitting room the way I wanted it. Then I just sat here, waiting.” He pouted at Severus, wrapping his arms around his husband's neck. “I could've fallen asleep.”
Severus slid his hand around Harry's back and pulled him closer. “But you did not.” His hand slid lower as he asked, “So how did you manage to stay awake?”
“I kept myself entertained,” Harry replied with a sly smile, lifting one leg and curling it around his husband's hip. Severus obligingly cupped his arse to steady him. “Want to know how?”
“Enlighten me,” he agreed, bending to nip at Harry's neck.
Harry moaned softly and lingeringly into his ear, then whispered, “I made myself ready for you.”
Severus' brows shot up, and he moved his fingers down just a few inches. It was his turn to moan when he felt exactly what Harry meant.
“See?” Harry asked breathily as Severus sank two fingers into his arse.
The wine glass slid from his fingers, shattering on the floor, forgotten, as Severus turned and pressed Harry against the cool, stone wall. He kissed him, hard. “You do know how to catch a man's attention,” he growled, sliding a hand down to free his cock from his trousers.
“I'm horny, sue me,” Harry replied with a smirk.
Severus growled and hoisted him up, pushing his hips between Harry's thighs and leaning in for another deep kiss.
Harry wrapped his other leg around Severus and locked his ankles together. He groaned into Severus's mouth as he was filled in one, quick stroke, the thickness feeling much more satisfying than his own fingers had. “Or don't,” he added, lifting his legs and curling them around Severus's waist. “This works better.”
Severus snorted, pulling back and thrusting himself deeper. “Shut up and enjoy me enjoying you, brat.”
-end-
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