alisanne

Title: Making Space
Author:

alisanne
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Severus Snape/Harry Potter.
Word Count: 740
Warnings: None, mild angst.
A/N: Written for

enchanted_jae/

enchanted_jae's Monthly drabble challenge # 143: passion, pillow, proper, and for

hp_coffeehouse/

hp_coffeehouse's January prompt # 10: Aroma.
Beta(s):

sevfan and emynn.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.

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Making Space

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Severus wakes, inhaling the most delicious aroma. For a moment, he thinks all is well, Harry’s there making breakfast, but then he remembers and he opens his eyes to see he’s alone. There’s no Harry-shaped indentation in the pillow beside him, no scent of sex pervading the air, no delicious aching in his body indicating he’s recovering from a night of passion.

Groaning, Severus rolls onto his back. Someone is making Harry’s favourite coffee nearby and it makes his head hurt. Climbing out of bed, he walks past the window then pauses, backtracking to look outside.

There’s a crowd gathered, and, frowning, Severus stares at what appears to be a new coffee shop that has opened seemingly overnight. A coffee shop next to his potion shop could prove…advantageous, if distracting.

Severus snorts. He could use a distraction. He’s missing Harry more than he thought he would, and it’s only been a week. Which is all the more disheartening because he’s the one who told him to go.

Getting dressed, Severus walks downstairs, slipping out his back door to walk around and check out the new shop.

An even larger crowd has gathered, and huffing, Severus nevertheless waits ten minutes to get into the place, which is packed.

Inspecting what’s on offer, Severus’ mouth begins to water. He hasn’t been eating especially well since he drove Harry away, telling him (foolishly) that he needed to date other, younger men before settling down with Severus. “I’m an idiot,” he mutters.

“Sorry, I missed that. What’s your order?” The girl behind the counter looks about twelve, although she seems competent enough as she takes Severus’ order for a raspberry croissant and a cup of arabica.

He gets the pastry immediately, while the barista, whose back is turned, makes his coffee. When the man turns around to hand him his cup, however, Severus’ mouth drops open. “Harry?”

Harry, looking annoyingly gorgeous, smiles at him. “There you go, Severus. I made it just how you like it.”

Severus shakes his head. “What…? How…?”

Harry smiled gently. “Anna, can you take over for a minute? I need to speak with a customer.”

“Sure, boss,” says another girl, sticking her head out from the back.

“Boss?” asks Severus as Harry comes around the counter.

“Yeah, I own this place.” Clasping Severus’ arm, Harry steers him towards a table. “Let’s sit.”

“When did this happen?” Severus asks once they were sitting.

“This is our opening day.” Harry looks around. “Not too bad, right?”

Severus carefully puts down his coffee and glares at Harry. “What are you doing here, Harry?”

Sitting back in his chair, Harry regards Severus thoughtfully. “I’d have thought it obvious. I’ve opened a business.”

“Right next to mine!”

Harry’s lips twitch. “You know, I think you’re right.”

“You said you would— that we were going to take a break, date other men so you could get more experience.”

Leaning forward, Harry clasps Severus’ hand. “Actually, you were the one who said that. I said I already had the man I wanted, but you seemed adamant, so I figured I’d give you some space to miss me.”

Severus, unable to help himself, clings to Harry’s fingers. “You call opening a coffee shop right beside my home giving me space?” He snorts.

Harry flushes. “I never claimed I’d be good at giving you space.”

Severus clears his throat. “As it turns out, I’m not especially good at wanting you to date other people, so apparently we’re even.”

Slowly, Harry smiles. “That’s okay. I’m pants at finding other people to date. I haven’t managed it yet.”

Raising Harry’s hand to his mouth, Severus kisses it. “Good.”

Harry’s eyes glow. “Does this mean our separation is over now? Because I have to tell you, Severus, I want you so much I—”

Standing abruptly, Severus herds Harry toward the door. “Tell your staff you’ll be gone for the rest of the morning,” he says.

“I will? Why’s that?”

“Because I’m about to take you up to my flat, strip you down, and take my time relearning every inch of you before giving you a proper fucking,” Severus says, voice dark. “Is that all right?”

“Fuck, yes,” Harry whimpers. Licking his lips, he says, “Anna, I’ll be back in a few hours. You okay?”

“We’re fine.” Anna waves. “Take your time, boss.” She winks. “Have fun.”

They do.

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