Title: You Smell Nice

Author: Erik deSoir

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and to various publishers including but not limited to Scholastic Books, Raincoat Books, and Bloomsbury Books. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended

Pairing: H/D

Warning: None, really.

Note: I received an email that had been forwarded to me. It contained a list of things a group of 4-8 year-olds said about what love means. I was inspired to write a story for each one:

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"If you don't hurry your arse up, we'll be sodding late!"

"Harry, I really can't find anything to wear!"

Harry, who had been ready for over twenty minutes, pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Draco did this every time. He took half-hour showers then complained he had nothing to wear for the next half-hour. The thing that got Harry aggravated was that Draco started this process about forty minutes before they were supposed to leave, which made them late to everything.

"Just throw on a sodding shirt that has buttons going down the front of it, put on pants that are black, and let's go!" Harry shouted. He hoped his frustration rang out with his voice.

Ah ha, it did. "No need to get snippy!"

Harry clenched his teeth to keep from just screaming. He stalked back into the bedroom to find Draco surrounded by clothes but only wearing pants.

Harry snatched a blue shirt off the top of a pile. He held it out to Draco, "How about this one? I rather like it."

Draco wrinkled his nose at it saying, "No, I don't want blue."

Harry threw it down and picked up a green one just like the first, "This one? Makes you look incredible."

Again Draco wrinkled his nose, "I've never liked that one."

It was thrown down and a grey button-up was selected. Harry moved toward Draco and pressed his body against Draco's saying, "This one brings out your eyes."

Draco's breath hitched and he grinned, "Yeah, alright."

Harry moved away from Draco to find black shoes and a black belt. He snorted to himself thinking that he'd never have known to match the shoe and belt colour before having Draco around.

Harry turned to face Draco holding two pairs of shoes. He still didn't understand having more than one pair of the same colour shoe. Draco pointed to the pair in Harry's left hand and Harry went to hunt down some black socks. Another thing he previously would have missed.

Finally, finally after another five minutes, they were out the door and apparating from the alleyway near their apartment building.

They walked into the restaurant only ten minutes late. They spotted Ron's red hair first and then Hermione's brown mane.

"Ah, there you are!" Hermione exclaimed as she saw them making their way to the table.

Harry grinned, "You know we're always late. Draco cannot be seen until after everyone else has been."

Ron snorted and Draco elbowed Harry, which made Ron laugh out loud.

Dinner was a pleasant event. They chitted and they chatted. They smiled and they laughed. They ate and they drank. It was a good time had by all.

Eventually the evening would down. The checks were paid for, and the couples separated at the door.

Harry leaned his head on Draco's shoulder as they walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk. Draco could faintly smell the wine Harry had at dinner on his breath.

"You smell nice," he murmured into Draco's neck. The breath sent a shiver down Draco's spine, and he squeezed Harry's hand.

"It's the cologne you gave me at Christmas, you know."

"Hmmm," Harry murmured, "well, it smells nice."

Draco chuckled a little and pulled them into the alley they used to apparate home. He pulled Harry flush him and apparated them both home.