Laughter
Author's Notes: Dedicated to all the wonderful folks at the lj community of snape_potter who reviewed my fanfic “SLATE” and inspired me to write this one. Also, thanks to Satori, who had the brilliant idea that I write something *happy* for a change. Inspired, in part, by “Shade More Than Man” by Acamar ... which is actually Sirius/Severus, but close enough. If you’ve read it you’ll know why. If not, then I can’t help you… ^_~
Laughter
"Stop it!" Severus hissed through his teeth, a look of pained frustration and almost comical restraint on his finely carved features. Harry loved the way that he could see everything in the tilt of the man's eyebrows, in the corners of his mouth that were struggling so hard not to stretch into a smile.
Harry continued to giggle unrestrainedly, and Severus let out a short, measured sigh. He was poised above Harry, his body naked and cut from shadows and glistening pale skin. In the back of his mind Harry noted that it bothered him how thin Severus was. His hipbone stuck out painfully against Harry's palm: the Gryffindor could have counted the man's vertebrae as he stroked his back.
The boy pulled his lover closer, splaying his legs wide in invitation. He was still laughing, the tears dancing in his green eyes like liquid diamonds.
"I fail to see, Potter, what you find so amusing." Severus hissed, and his voice was all sibilants and hot velvet against Harry's neck. Harry let out a large chuckle, wrapping his lithe legs around the Potion master's slim waist and locking them there.
"Now really, Sev." Harry objected, trailing his hand down and encircling the base of Severus' arousal for a moment, stroking in slow circles, "Don't you think this is a - a first-name sort of situation?" He squeezed a bit, just then, grinning wickedly.
Severus gasped, a curtain of dark hair falling across his face. Harry paused in his ministrations to tuck it behind the man's ears: he wanted to be able to see his face.
Severus ran his fingertips over Harry's clavicles, allowing them to dip lower and trace across Harry's small chest. The look in his eyes was something close to reverence. When Severus' nail scratched across Harry's nipple the boy once again broke into hysterical cackling.
"Gryffindors" Severus quipped as though it were a nasty insult, "No control at all." He aligned himself with Harry's entrance, shaking his head in half-feigned sadness.
"I can't help it," Harry answered earnestly in between panting gasps for breath, "I'm sorry - it just...."
Severus arched one eyebrow, "Yes?" he half-purred.
"It feels so funny...." Harry insisted, and his cheeks were starting to ache from grinning so much.
Severus said nothing response to this, just pursed his lips and kept one eyebrow aloft.
"Oh come on, Sev, just put it in already...." Harry wriggled his hips against Severus' to emphasize his request. The older man gritted his teeth and did as he was told (much as he hated thinking of it that way). Harry let out a moan that slowly dissolved into hiccuping laughter, and Severus growled low in his throat. Out of spite he pulled out and slammed into Harry, hard, not caring for a moment if he hurt the boy.
To his surprise Harry did not scream, or pull away. Instead, he continued to titter insanely, his face flushed and openly gleeful.
"Impertinent brat." Severus punctuated each syllable with a deep thrust.
"Greasy old git" Harry responded affectionately, writhing and giggling like a schoolgirl.
And then Harry's ears were greeted by something utterly foreign - the sound of Severus Snape, his lover and teacher and enemy, laughing.
Harry felt his heart stumble a bit: it sounded utterly beautiful. Severus’ laughs were short and quick - like he was trying to hold them in but he couldn't quite do it. And his face was so different when it was split in half by that smile – honest, trusting, and yet wonderfully cynical.
Harry kissed him, then, and they laughed into each other's mouths.