For LSS, round 6. Prompts are (AU): Squib, (word): praise, and (word): sweet.
For Battle of the Black Lake, CharlieDraco. No extra word prompt.
For OTP bootcamp with prompt: drawn.
Charlie is talking as he cleans the dishes, which isn't unusual; the redhead spends a lot of his time talking about nothing and everything at once. Draco can't concentrate on anything Charlie is saying tonight, though. All he can think of is the way the dishes are done by hand, has always been done by hand and not magic.
"Why don't you use magic?" Draco asks, interrupting.
Charlie drops the dish back in the sink and turns around. He is frowning as he searches Draco's face. "Are you mad I don't use magic at home?"
"Only if you're doing it because I can't use it," he replies. There's a dull ache in his chest when he says this. There was a time when Draco could barely admit his lack of magic to himself, much less out loud. It has gotten easier to say every time.
"I like doing the chores the Muggle way," Charlie says as he dries his hands on a towel.
Draco snorts. "Muggles don't even like doing chores the Muggle way, and they don't really have the choice in the matter."
The redhead scrubs at his face. "I just figured I wouldn't rub in the fact that I…" he trails off, gesturing around.
"I grew up in a wizarding family," he reminds the other man. "I've seen magic used my entire childhood."
"But that doesn't mean I have to rub it in," Charlie argues heatedly.
There's a small part of him that thinks the idea is sweet. The larger part, however, is mildly annoyed. "I'm not a child. You don't have to coddle me."
"Jesus, Draco, I wasn't trying to coddle you," he says.
Charlie looks likes he's debating himself before heading towards the bedroom. Draco briefly wonders if he should follow when Charlie emerges a few seconds later. He has his wand in hand. It's the first time that Draco's seen it. The redhead seems to hide it from sight every time he comes over.
He once dreamed of his own wand, of Hogwarts, of earning his parents' praises after years of not showing any magic. That dream came crashing around him when he turned eleven with no letter.
Charlie points it at the dishes, muttering a spell, causing the dishes to wash themselves. He turns to face Draco, pocketing it. "Happy?"
"Look, I know you are trying to be kind when you don't use magic. But you can't change the fact that you have magic anymore than I can change that I don't," he says.
The redhead crosses the space between them and kisses Draco softly. Charlie pulls away and whispers, "I can't promise that I won't still do some things the Muggle way, but I'll use more magic, if that would make you happy."
"It would," Draco confirms.
He may not have magic, but he has something that close - Charlie. Maybe that's why he was drawn to the redhead. Either way, not having magic may have been the best thing that happened to him.