In his arms by ladytypist33
Pairing: Harry/Blaise
Genre: romance, hurt/comfort, stressedBlaise, topHarry
Warnings: dubious consent, past Draco/Blaise
Rating: Mature
Summary: Harry finds that he can't stay away from a certain slytherin and Blaise learns that sometimes help can come from the unlikeliest of places. Draco reluctantly finds himself playing matchmaker and thus learns to let go of what is no longer his.
Chapter 1 - Realizations
I am more tired than I previously thought. In fact, I am convinced that I might still be half asleep even as I make my way to the kitchen. I go to put on some coffee, but apparantly some coffee has already been put to brew. Strange, I don't remember putting the coffee machine on. I am too tired to figure out just how that happened so I just shrug and take a seat at the counter with every intention of reading the paper.
I can't remember what I've read or if I even got past the first word, what I do know is that I apparently must have dozed off for a bit because my head is on the counter, my cheek pressed against its cold surface and someone is saying my name and I am gently being awoken. I open my eyes blearily and look up to see Draco staring down at me, a sympathetic smile on his face. Confused, I am about to ask him how he got here when he pushes a cup of hot coffee towards me. The cup is warm to the touch and heats up my cold hands and I am grateful. I inhale the deep rich scent of my Kopi Luwak coffee, a gift from pansy, before taking a sip, liking how it almost burns my throat. I don't realize that I have closed my eyes until I hear Draco speaking and I open them to look at him. He is watching me with a look of concern.
"You work too much Blaise. You barely sleep and you barely get out. Pansy has become concerned."
I hear what he doesn't say; that he has become concerned as well or he wouldn't be here in my bloody kitchen so early in the morning. I don't want him or Pansy worrying about me though so I force a smile on my face.
"I am fine Draco, I just have to work this last shift before my weekend break. I'll get enough sleep then," I tell him.
He is unconvinced and raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me letting me know without words just what he thinks. I raise my eyebrow back at him while I continue to sip my coffee, daring him to voice his opinion. We have been through this before, many times and I can only hope that he has grown tired of broaching the subject of my lack of self care. Him and Pansy takes turns in this.
"I can see that you are dead on your feet and yet I know you will still push yourself to work these long and unforgiving hours. You are such a stubborn git!" He admonishes. I can tell that he is more angry then he is letting on and I wonder just how long he has felt like this. I shrug helplessly because I am too tired to argue with him and when he narrows his eyes at me I avert my gaze because his concern and anger on my behalf is too much to deal with right now.
"You know my work is important to me Draco." I say quietly. I close my eyes because my head ache has come back.
"I know that" he says. I startle a bit when I feel his hand at my neck. I hadn't even realized he'd moved, but now he is standing beside me looking down at me with a mixture of irritation and exasperated fondness.
"you have a headache don't you." He says. I groan involuntarily when his fingers start to knead the back of my neck.
"Yes," I admit reluctantly. I hear him sigh.
"It's your fault you know, what with the amount of stress you put your body through-
"Draco please-
"Shut up Blaise. " he says. His fingers are still working at the back of my neck and I can't help but to sigh as some tension is released from between my shoulder blades. He's always been good at giving massages. My eyes have closed again and I am startled when I feel something cold being pressed to my lips.
"Open your mouth Blaise" Draco says from above me.
I open my eyes and see a vial in his hands. I look up at him questioningly. He says nothing, instead I feel his hands go in my hair and then my head is being yanked back and I am surprised by the force. I stare up at him in surprise and see the determination in his face before he presses the vial to my lips again. I try to turn my face away, my chest tightening, but he doesn't relent.
"Drink it Blaise," he orders, voice hard and fingers tightening painfully in my hair. My mouth opens automatically and the contents of the vial is poured down my throat. It is thick and syrupy and the taste is a mixture of something sweet, tangy and bitter all at once and I swallow it down. Only when the vial is empty does he release me and takes a step back giving me space. The anger is immediate and the feeling in my chest tightens further as I breath heavily. He knows dammit. He knows of my aversion to potions and the reason behind it.
"Why the hell would you do that?!" I ask him.
He crosses his arms and looks at me, his expression hard.
"You left me no choice. You refuse to take care of yourself and you refuse to listen to advice. Pansy is worried and frankly so am I so I took matters into my own hands. You and I both know that you would never willingly drink a potion on your own even if you needed it. Am I wrong?" He asks.
I ignore his question and just glare at him and he glares back. When he doesn't relent I sigh heavily and look away. I close my eyes and try to focus on taking deep breaths to ease the tightness in my chest. I force away the memories that his actions have triggered, memories of what happened to me during the war. It doesn't take much, I've had 2 years of practice.
" I'm sorry." I hear him say and I can hear the genuine concern and regret in his voice. I nod tiredly.
" What did you give me?" I ask him, curious.
"It is a special brew, something I created. It gives you at least 8 hours of physical energy and mental clarity. Takes about 15 minutes before it kicks in though. " he says. I nod again. I open my eyes and look at the clock hanging against the wall. If I don't leave now I am going to be late for work so I stand abruptly, grabbing my jacket on the way to the floo.
Before I access the floo I turn to Draco.
"I appreciate that you care Draco, but don't think for one minute that I am not still angry at you for what you just did." I tell him.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He responds, sitting in the seat that I had vacated. His attitude irritates me.
"I'm not going to let you do that again." I add for good measure, because really, Draco can be forceful sometimes.
He looks back at me and there is an expression on his face that I can't read. He crosses his arms and shrugs and after a moment he speaks.
"Of course," is all he says before he picks up my half finished coffee and begins to sip it while he picks up the daily prophet that I had attempted to read earlier.
His face is now covered by the paper, hiding his expression from me, but I am not fooled in the least. I know he has more on his mind, more that he wants to say, but that he keeps to himself. I let it go for now and turn away. I enter the floo, mentally preparing my self for the work that lay ahead of me.
Draco
I watch as Blaise disappears through the floo and only when he is gone do I sigh heavily and set the paper down. He is perhaps the most stubborn man I ever had the pleasure of knowing and it irks me that he won't take care of himself as he should. Pansy is also worried and has become a consistent nag on his behalf, forcing me to notice it as well. As if I hadn't already noticed. As if I could ever willingly not notice anything about Blaise. We've known each other for a very long time, 17 years to be exact, and dated for 2.
We broke up about a year ago and all the awkwardness and resentment has passed and we are back at the stage of being best friends again. And if I still feel a little something for him, well so what? That door has closed and the last thing he needs right now is the knowledge that his best friend, whom he trusts, sometimes thinks about him in less than platonic ways. Besides it was me who broke it off with him. Stupid decision that, but I am a Malfoy and Malfoys don't live with regret. I should get up and report back to Pansy since she will want to know if I was successful in giving him the potion.
The day that I told her I was thinking of making something for Blaise she had been delighted and even gave me some suggestions. Admittedly I feel a little bit guilty since I did not tell him what else the potion does, but he will soon find out once he goes to sleep tonight. I tell my self that it is necessary and for his own good because the potion will make him sleep and leave him incapacitated for 12 hours straight and that will be the most sleep that he has gotten in weeks.
I should get up, but instead I stare at the vial in my hands and try not to remember how soft his lips felt against my fingertips as I pushed the vial to his mouth. Or how good it felt to have my fingers in his hair. And I definitely try not to think about how the sound of his moan had shot straight to my groin or how much I had wanted to lean down and kiss him. I tell my self not to think about any of these things and I force myself to get up. Right, now it's back to my own place to shower and get changed out of yesterday's clothes before I engrossed my self in my potions lab. Pansy's update could wait. I needed a cold shower.
Blaise
I am half way through filling out a patient evaluation form to post to the bulletin board when Matilda walks in. She is my co-worker and friend and I like her mainly because she is nice and considerate to almost everyone and never thinks twice about helping someone even when it isn't her job to do so. Sh is also funny and has kind eyes and most people call her red, because of her large curly hair and the light dusting of freckles that decorate her cheeks. I am always comforted by her presence.
"Hey." She says.
I take a brief moment to look up from the sheet in my hand to smile at her
"Hey." I say back, before resuming my writing. One of the patients that I am covering, whose sheet I am currently filling out has been suffering from gradual energy depletion, most likely from some kind of spell damage and she has been prescribed a daily dose of replenishment potion until the cause of the problem can be ascertained. I am scheduled to check her magic levels soon because if she is suffering from magic depletion then that could be the reason for her energy loss. My mind is working through all the possible causes when Matilda speaks.
" I swear some patients make me question why I ever wanted to go into healing." She says shaking her head. I look up and smile. She has her own papers in her hands and I can see the mild irritation in her light blue eyes.
"That bad huh?" I ask. She smiles ruefully.
"You have no idea. Anyway I came to give you a heads up that there is going to be a staff meeting in about 20 minutes down on level 3. All staff from levels 3 and 4 are to be there, something about new management and what not." She says. I raise an eyebrow in mild concern not sure whether this is a good or bad thing. New management could mean changes and that could be good or bad.
"Thanks." I tell her.
"Sure." She smiles before leaving, and starts muttering to herself. Fourth flour spell damage is often busy and today is no exception. The halls are filled with healers and patients and they frequently pass by the room that I currently occupy, no doubt in a rush to tend to their various needs and obligations. We are slightly understaffed and I know that this is the main reason why I have been dumped with extra hours and extra patients, more so than any other healer on my floor. When I had first learned of this I visited Head Healer Monroe to inquire upon why I seemed to be getting most of the work load. She'd looked at me from behind her round spectacles and informed me that it was because I was one of her best healers.
I knew that I was good, but surely there were others that were as good as I was. When I voiced this she simply shook her head and said that there wasn't and that she wasn't going to change the schedule so I should just accept it or find some place else to work. I'd looked away then, not wanting her to see the anger that I knew must have showed on my face, and left. That was 3 months ago and now here I was still working extra hours with Pansy and Draco none to happy. Even now I can feel the exhaustion wanting to take over, and the only thing that must be keeping me up and alert being Draco's potion.
I sigh wearily finally finished filling out the last form. Tucking my papers into a folder I briefly mark the bulletin with the updated information, looking back to make sure that my patient Sara was still sleeping peacefully. Pulling out my wand I cast a brief diagnostics spell. Her magical levels are at least for the moment stable so I cast a monitor spell over her, wanting to be alerted if she experiences any serious pain or distress. Satisfied, I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that I had just enough time to make it down to level 2 for the meeting.
Folder tucked under my armpit I exit the room and head towards the elevator.
"Hey Blaise."
Shit.
Not today, please not today. I keep walking and try to pretend that I don't hear him, quickening my steps. He only yells louder across the hall.
"Hey Blaise wait up, you heading down to the meeting right? Give me a minute so I can walk with you"
Its healer Sebastian and I turn reluctantly in the middle of the hall way though I do not stop walking, but instead take steps backwards as I call back to him.
"Sorry Sebastian I'm kind of in a hurry." I tell him shrugging my shoulder.
I can see the disappointment in his eyes just before I turn back around and collide with something hard.
"oompf!" I exclaim, the force unbalancing me. My folder slips from under my arm as I grab at air. I am convinced that I am about to experience a nasty fall where either my head or my arse is gong to collide with the hard hospital floor when I momentarily feel a hand grab at my left bicep before I am pulled forward with too much force. The result is me once again losing my balance and falling against a rather large someone, a man I realize, and my hands are flat against his chest, my face in his neck. I unintentionally inhale a lungful of his scent as I struggle for balance. It is masculine and earthy and reminds me of fall. I feel both his hands gripping my biceps as he helps steady me on my feet.
I look up, an apology already forming on my lips, but when I see just who it is that I have bumped into I inhale sharply, surprised and the words are forgotten.
Harry Potter is looking down at me with an equal mixture of amusement and concern swimming in his green eyes.
HARRY
Blaise Zabini is looking up at me in surprise and I can't help but be amused. He looks so surprised, as if he never expected to see me in a million years standing here in St. Mungos hospital in Cathill where he works. Actually that might not be too far from the truth now that I think about it. His momentary surprise is gone and he is staring up at me as if waiting for something and I can practically feel his growing discomfort as I stare back at him. I realize then that I am still gripping his biceps and release him from my hold immediately, my hands tingling, and he frowns in embarrassment and takes a step back.
"Sorry about that, should have watched where I was going, thanks," he says then kneels down to pick up the mess that is his papers on the otherwise pristine hospital floor. I shrug and kneel down beside him to help him, still amused.
"Don't worry about it, happens every day." I say.
"What does?" he asks, distracted.
"Men falling at the sight of me." I say with a slight smirk. I mean it as a joke to ease the slight tension that I can tell he is feeling, but he just looks back up at me in surprise before he frowns again in mild confusion. He says nothing and continues to gather up his fallen papers, some of his dark curls falling in his face. I can't help tracing the lines of his sharp cheekbones and the smooth caramel skin with my eyes. He is rather pretty despite the obvious fatigue that I can see on his face and I find myself wanting to run my hands through the man's soft and silky looking curls. I grab the last of the fallen papers and we both stand up.
I straighten the papers that I have gathered and then hand them over to him trying to think of something further to say. He takes them, thanking me again and seems to hesitate as if he wants to ask me something but aborts the idea. He is about to walk away when I notice a bloke coming up behind him, the same one that was trying to get his attention earlier. He is tall and slim with dark blond curls and grayish blue eyes. He seems to assess me for a brief moment before turning his attention to Blaise. His name tag says Sebastian.
"All done Blaise, I guess we can have that walk together after all." He says placing a hand on Blaise's shoulder. He sounds too hopeful and one look at Blaise tells me that Sebastian's company is unwanted.
Blaise's sigh is nearly inaudible but I hear it.
"Fine Sebastian, sure lets go before we end up being late." He says reluctantly. Sebastian smiles and I watch them for a moment as they walk down the hall towards the elevator. Blaise says something to Sebastian and then Sebastian looks sheepish and removes his arm from Blaise's shoulder. I snort and turn away deciding to take the stairs, confident that I will reach level 3 before them.
Initially I hadn't wanted to transfer from my old hospital, having worked there for a year and a half, but when I heard that a position for head healer had opened up and that the hospital had put in a request for me I couldn't deny the offer. Not when the position offered is one that is higher up than my old position. As head of the department for both 'Spell damage' and 'potions and plant poisoning' I would be able to decide my own hours and that was definitely a bonus. As I neared the exit door to the stairwell I realized that another unexpected bonus would be getting to lay my eyes upon Blaise Zabini.