Just a little something that was written when I am clearly meant to be doing homework. It's loosely based on the song Need You Now by Lady Antebellum, which is currently playing and re-playing on my iPhone as I speak. I'm going to (try to) get straight back to my homework right after I publish this terribly unoriginal story, so I won't be checking and re-checking (or re-re-re-checking) my words, and any mistakes are mine- please feel free to point them out.
And please, please leave a review. My last one-shot has no reviews yet, and I have no idea if you guys like it or not. I want to at least know about this one.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Need You Now or Lady Antebellum.
"Please," Draco rasped. "Please. I need you now. Just this once."
Harry looked down at the pathetic figure sat, or rather slumped all alone at the counter of the bar. A single empty glass lay in front of the figure's head. It was a quarter after one in the morning, and most of the patrons were either passed out or heading back home. They were the only two (somewhat) awake people in this place, and Harry wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.
Draco's left cheek was pressed flat against the countertop. His left arm dangled uselessly by his side while his right one was feebly outstretched towards Harry, mere centimetres from reaching his shirt. Draco was way too sloshed to know if this was another of his drunken hallucinations. He figured he was also too far gone to care. But if this wasn't real, if he actually closed those last few spaces to clutch at nothing but air, he didn't know what he'd do.
Harry was at a loss of what to do. Here it was, the object of his dreams, right here and willing to be whisked away to any place that Harry would take him. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to just kidnap the Malfoy to a place where no one would ever see him again, except Harry. But what about his family? Being the aristocrats they were, they wouldn't exactly approve of a partner that couldn't produce an heir to their bloodline.
Harry already knew Draco was pushing his parents' patience, from one of their many after-work drinks. Working as an Auror instead of becoming Lord of the Manor, Draco had a lot of pressure on him, and that was excluding the people who didn't accept him at the Ministry. Even after his position as a spy within the Death Eater ranks had been revealed, Draco's fate had been akin to that of Severus Snape, to be forever scorned by the majority of the Wizarding World.
Harry also knew that Draco fancied him, just as much as he fancied him back. That was the result of one too many drinks, and unfortunately Draco managed to retain the memory of his drunken confession the next day, though Draco was slightly skeptical as to what was real and what was not. When their drinking sessions had been cancelled abruptly, he knew what had happened and decided to just suck it up and ask Harry for a chance. Ever since then, Draco had been pestering Harry (though not during work, he was too professional for that) for just one date, or even a simple dinner. Harry kept declining, even though he so badly wanted to say yes.
"Please Harry. Just one night and I won't bother you at all. Not anymore." Draco's fingers inched closer and his eyes widened marginally when he felt the fingertips brush against fabric. Was this not a hallucination after all? He stared hard at Harry, who wore a pained expression and shook his head slowly, mumbling, "No, I can't. I-I can't."
Draco's gaze grew more forlorn and he withdrew his hand, cradling it to his curved chest. His eyes watered slightly and he laughed, the harsh sound conveying his self-loathing. "Of course not," Draco muttered as he tried to stand steadily by himself, and failed spectacularly. As soon as his feet touched the ground, his legs bent at the knees and sent him straight down. Harry caught him with one arm and noted alarmingly that he was so very easy to hold now; he was already more on the thin side but this… this was just... he didn't know what to think of it.
Draco kept muttering to himself even as Harry hooked Draco's arm around his shoulders and steered them out of the bar, an easy task made much more difficult due to the fact that Draco's legs were simply being dragged along and Harry had to take care not to let them bump into any chair legs on the way out. "Well I'm sorry about that, I know you must have been very uncomfortable with my unprofessional behavior. I should have more decency than that." Draco laughed again, the sound nothing like how he laughed after a particularly successful case. He pointed to a random spot on the road and said, "Well Harry, you can just drop me off here and be on your merry little way. Don't worry about the transfer papers, I'll take care of that. As for my stuff, it'll be gone in the morning."
Harry looked down at Draco, who was now talking to himself about getting paperwork for a replacement of partners and forcing his shaky legs to keep him upright by himself. One of the blonde's hands was discreetly wiping away at unshed tears, the action masked by looking as though he was simply rubbing at his face. The other hand had removed itself from Harry's shoulder and was searching in his robes for his wand. Harry secretly mourned the loss of the warm limb, but said nothing.
This was his final chance. Take Draco back with him and change their lives (for better or worse, he didn't know) for good, or let him go and lose him for good.
"Draco," Harry said and Draco replied with a, "Hmm?" without looking up. His blonde hair was all Harry could see of the slightly shorter man, but the small sniffling noises told him enough.
"I'm taking you home with me."
"Oh, there's no need for that Harry, I'll just Apparate home and sleep there. I'm not too worried about Splinching myself and I wouldn't want to intrude-"
"You're mistaken Draco. I'm taking you home, but you won't be sleeping."
Draco's head snapped up, but Harry wasn't worried about bruising his chin; Draco wasn't tall enough for that even when his legs were threatening to buckle at any given moment. Harry watched Draco's frighteningly blank face, scrutinizing the features for any reaction. Nothing on his face gave anything away, even the newly formed tears at the corners of his eyes.
Then without warning, Draco's face crumpled as if he were in immense pain and those tears slid down his face slowly, making him look like an angel shedding liquid diamonds. The sight was tragically beautiful, and Harry wished never to see it again.
"Thank you Harry," Draco whispered, " thankyouthankyouthankyou, just this one time and I will never ask it of you again, you can even forget it afterwards, gods I need you so much…"
He had made his choice. This wasn't going to be a one-time affair, he would make sure of that. He wasn't, he shouldn't, he couldn't go back on it now.
Harry placed Draco's arm back into its spot, keeping the pale hand firmly on his own shoulder and Apparated them back to his house.