He surveyed the room, silently looking down at his project of the past hour with a gleeful smile on his face. A table with two places set perfectly. Fours forks, three knives, two spoons, three Crystal glasses. At least the etiquette classes he'd been cornered into taking had paid off. His smile faded as he looked down at the place setting closest to him. Picking up the offending piece of silverware, he clutched it in his hand and attempted to polish it on his shirt.

The big grandfather clock from the lounge began to chime. It beat loudly six times and he waved his right hand carelessly above his shoulder. A soft classical music began to play and he smiled again. Just what he knew his husband would like to come home to. Right on cue, the front door opened. He quickly put down the fork and ran to greet his spouse.

Wringing his hands nervously under the table, Harry's eyes slowly lifted, daring to look at his husband's face for a fraction of a second before darting back down to look at his plate.

"I set the plates, well, the table, the way you asked me to." He said quietly and gave Severus a weak smile. Severus didn't meet his eye, but looked at the cutlery in front of him, no expression other than disdain crossing his features.

"The fish knife is supposed to be one place to the right. The napkin is folded wrong and" He picked up the cake fork, examining it closely. "It seems one of my forks is dirty. Looks like those lessons were a waste of my money."

"But I was the one who paid for them." Harry said and regretted it as Severus stood up angrily.

"I will not argue with a mere child. I will be in my study." He said and turned around, walking out of the dining room without looking back.

"Child? I'm your husband!" Harry shouted to him, but he knew it was too late. Picking up his napkin, he held it to his eyes and tears came. He hastily wiped them away. He might be gay but he was not a woman and Severus would berate him if he ever saw.

Looking at food that had taken him an hour to prepare, he stood up, the way his stomach was sitting in his throat making him unable to eat, and went to find Severus.

Severus was sitting curled up in his chair when Harry arrived fifteen minutes after, the tears gone and his cheeks still pink from the cold water that he had splashed on his face. He didn't bother to stop reading and Harry ignored the rudeness.

"You are forgiven Harry, now go off to bed and leave me to my reading."

"No, I didn't come to apologise, I just wanted to talk to you." He blushed and Severus sighed, closing the book and placing it down upon the table the next to his armchair.

"About what?" In a bold move, Harry approached him, sitting the armrest of the chair and staring into his eyes.

"Well, I was thinking you could join me tonight. I'm tired of being asleep by the time you come upstairs…" He brushed a hand across Severus' cheek and for a hopeful moment, Harry thought he was going to say yes.

"Not tonight, I'm tired." Harry stopped touching him and frowned, feeling put out.

Harry thought he was going to sas

"We've been married three weeks tomorrow and we've only…well, only had 'it' once."

"We didn't marry for that. You I know only agreed to this to stop your constant nagging." Harry couldn't help it this time. First it was just two tears, but it soon developed into a full sob fest. Severus lifted his chin with his hand and Harry sniffed. Instead of a cuddle, no, Harry knew he wouldn't ever get that; he received a sharp hard slap across his cheek.

"You will not cry. Are you a child?" Harry didn't answer. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION. ARE YOU A CHILD?"

"No Severus, I'm not a child." Severus pushed him off the armrest and he fell to the floor.

"Now get out of my sight."

Harry got up and left the room as graceful as he could in the present situation and went to their bedroom (he'd insisted on it, despite Severus wanting separate ones). He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair had finally been controlled by a potion rubbed on it everyday and now was gelled back, much resembling Malfoy's.

His face was gaunter than ever. The evenings often turned out this way and it was a rare occasion that he ate dinner any more and his mornings were filled with doing the list of chores Severus set and he usually missed breakfast doing this. He sighed. He wondered if Severus would miss him if he got so thin that he just, disappeared.

He was just falling asleep when he felt the bed move as someone else got onto it. He ignored Severus, pretending to be asleep.

"I know you're awake Harry." Harry still didn't move. "I know I'm harsh, but it's for your own good that you learn." He turned to look at his husband, who for once seemed to be focusing all his attention on him.

"But why will you refuse to even talk to me? Even just touching me seems like a major effort for you." Severus gave a deep long sigh.

"I'll explain to you exactly why. It's a very personal reason that I have never mentioned to anyone before…"

This one's for Tiger of the Fire; friend, muse and part-time beta. Thanks for all the help :-)