i don't normally go for soulmate AUs but i'm sleep deprived and supposed to be working so this one really called to me
give me a snape who has a soulmate mark on his hand
a kid/teen snape who sulked because his mark never changed colour the first time he and lily touched hands
a snape who kept trying to subtly move their hands together up to the point the friendship ended
snape who was livid when her mark lit up for james
snape who donned gloves because he couldn't bear to look at it when she died.
snape who wore the gloves religiously every day since, because he couldn't ever love anyone the way he'd loved her
snape who kept the gloves for over a decade because he didn't deserve love, even with someone else
snape who kept the gloves because it was too dangerous to risk finding someone after voldemort returned
snape who survived the war, but it didn't matter now, because nobody could ever love him in return
snape lying awake at night thinking he'd missed his chance, berating himself for his sentimentality
snape donning the gloves again anyway, because believing he's unloveable is better than having it confirmed
snape returning to work at hogwarts and thinking no more about it, because nobody here is his soulmate, he can tell you that for free
snape scoffing when a former know-it-all student is now a professor, his colleague and his peer
a snape absolutely horrified when they have to work together, or end up on patrol...