Headaches

Rating G with implied slash.

Summary: a tiny bit of fluff that came out of left field to tackle me with tiny but rabid nearly unplottable bunny.

Headaches

When Severus reached his apartments, he was stunned to find Harry pacing in front of the door and worriedly rubbing his forehead.

"I was under the impression that you were going to attend a celebration at the burrow."

"Yes." The young man confirmed anxiously, hiding behind his fringe.

"Is it customary for the Weasley's to end their parties so quickly?" Severus prompted with seeming curiosity – knowing full well that the opposite was true.

"It's not: can we please take this inside?" Potter almost begged.

"Of course." Severus responded with an arched eye as he muttered the ward counters and waved the young man in ahead of him. After closing the door and resetting the wards behind them, Severus turned back to find Harry once again pacing anxiously. Both of his hands were worrying his hair until he realized that Severus was watching.

"Sit." Severus ordered as he retrieved a headache potion from his personal potions store.

Returning to Harry's side, Severus pushed the vial into Harry's hand and ordered, "Drink."

"Oh… uh. No, that's alright. Nothing's hurting."

Noticing Severus's arched eyebrow, Harry promised, "I swear. It's nothing like that..." but his hand went back to worrying his hair as he trailed off instead of explaining.

"Harry.What is upsetting you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"You're behavior suggests otherwise."

"huehhh!"

"Pardon me?"

"Damn it. This is harder than I thought. Look, I wanted to do this at the burrow, but I get why you didn't want to come: they're really more my friends than they are your's, but it might have made this easier, at least I think it might have." Harry babbled as if the rambling sentence explained things. In truth, were it not for certainty that Potter would not be so uncaring as to break up with him Christmas eve, Severus might have as easily interpreted the explanation as an attempt to end their relationship.

"Harry, slow down. Take your time."

"Oh, okay. I should probably do that." Harry calmed taking his instruction with the same trusting acceptance that he did everything that Severus advised. There had been times, before Harry had vanquished the dark lord that his easy acceptance and seeming malleability had disconcerted Severus incredibly. And Severus wasn't the only one: as he had once over heard the youngest Weasley remark that if the potions professor asked Harry to slit his wrists, their friend would probably ask which one to cut first.

At least this time, his former student seemed aware enough of consequences to be nervous of Severus's response, though, Severus, himself, wasn't entirely certain whether that was an improvement or more proof of the overly strong influence that he had over the young man.

"It's just a little hard you see, cause I want to ask you something that I kinda hope you will agree to, but even I can see it won't necessarily be in your best interests, and I don't have an awful lot to offer in return. I have both the Potter and Black inheritances to back me, but other than that… there's not much of anything I can give you… other than a bunch of headaches from having to deal with reporters all of the time and weird fans who don't get that I'm not interested in someone who wants me just because I'll get them in the headlines."

Harry stared at him as though that rambling statement had explained his difficulty clearly – which, though Severus felt he had some inkling of the topic – was far from clear. Pausing thoughtfully, under his lover's expectant gaze, Severus bit back on his habitually acidic retort, and merely gestured for Harry to continue.

"Well, you see what I mean don't you? It's just a little daunting because you shouldn't need to settle. What I mean to say is that you're a war hero, right? And a Potions Master. And, bloody smart, to boot. And, then there's this whole James Bond – dangerous, mysterious, spy allure that you've got going for you. And, I've seen how people watch you when we go to the pub in Hogsmeade, like they're just waiting for me to pack up so they can be alone with you. You could have the pick of any of them that you want. Against that, I just don't really add up to much more than a decent bank account and a parcel of headaches."

"Harry… I have no idea where this is coming from, but surely you realize that I see you as more than a bank account."

"I know, I just don't know why you do." A glint of uncertainty lingered in the young man's emerald eyes as he studied Severus, before continuing: "I noticed you didn't say anything about the headaches."

Shaking his head wryly, as he gave in to a rare moment of whimsy on realizing what Harry had been trying to ask him in such a roundabout stumbling manner, Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as though a severe headache was rising just from Harry's mention of it. Ever the typical Gryffindor, as soon as Harry saw the gesture, he left his well worn path by the fireplace to join Severus as his mentor staggered to his knees.

"Severus," Harry cried in alarm, "What is it? Are you in pain? What can I do?"

Barely containing the gaiety in his tone as he turned his gaze up to meet Harry's concerned and loving eyes, Severus asked in a falsely piteous tone, "Harry…."

Maintaining his soft pathetic tone, Severus dropped his head slightly so that his love had to lean in closer to hear as he murmured softly; "Harry…"

"Yes, love. What can I do?"

"Marry me." Severus whispered throatily in his ear, shocking Harry severely.

"What?!?"

"Marrry me," Severus almost demanded as he straightened and continued, "Marry me, and let me spend the rest of my life showing you what I see in you."

"Severus!" Harry's voice grew upset as he realized that his sympathies had been played on. Pushing Severus's hand's off of his arm, he started to walk away in a huff, then stumbled to an awkward stop a few feet away when what his mentor had asked of him finally sunk in.

Turning on his heel, Harry stared at Severus in shock and then launched himself from where he stood into Severus's arms with an astounding leap that rocked Severus back onto his heels.

"I take it that's a yes?"