Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Warning: Slash.

Note: Written for Animagus Training assignment (Write about someone willingly going through an uncomfortable experience. Be sure to include the why), the 365 Days Prompt Challenge (Day 47: Muggle AU), and the Big Damn Prompt Race Competition ("Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay."- Dali Lama).

WC: 2534

Operation Fake Boyfriend

Harry groaned as he sunk deeper into the chair, taking off his glasses to tiredly rub his eyes. The interviews were a slow process, and he was ready to call it quits for the day. He slumped against the table, nearly knocking over his lukewarm coffee. Cheek pressed against the cool tabletop, Harry forced himself to relax, the atmospheric sounds of the coffeeshop washing over him, the pleasing smell of coffee beans heavy in the air. Every now and then a barista would call out a name, and the soft whirring of the machines and the smooth splashing of coffee filling plastic cups lulled him to a state of calm, frustration bleeding away from his shoulders. He wanted to go home and bail on the rest of the interviews. Who knew finding a roommate would be so hard? Well, to be fair, he had some rather strange requirements. But his parents were visiting in a month, and he needed to fulfill his end of the bargain otherwise they'd drag him kicking and screaming from the university.

"Hello? Are you Harry Potter?"

Harry blearily opened his eyes—when had he closed them?—to see a blurry figure looking down at him. He couldn't make out a face, only blobs of brown, yellow, and blue. Shoving his glasses on his face, emerald eyes blinked rapidly to clear his vision before focusing on the man in front of him.

He was a bit on the tall side, but Harry had encountered taller—nobody had quite managed to beat Hagrid, a giant of a man, although Ron was an anomaly in his own right. A brown, fluffy head of hair sat on top of his handsome head, and his eyes were a stunning grey, the kind of shade that looked cold and intimidating but on this fellow, only seemed to sparkle with warmth.

Handsome slid into the seat across from him without invitation. Harry quirked a dark eyebrow at the bold move. The guy only grinned, either not noticing this unconventionality or ignoring it. Then again, Handsome was wearing a yellow shirt—who in their right mind wore yellow?

"I saw your ad on the school's website," he explained, clasping his hands together on the table in that classic Yes, Professor, I'm paying attention like a good student, please go on look. Harry hazily stared at him, mind not quite awake yet. When the guy flashed him a wide smile, displaying rows of straight white teeth, he raised a hand to swipe at his chin, suddenly self-conscious of his appearance. Was there dried spit on his face? He had a tendency to drool in his sleep. Harry carded his fingers through his hair, wincing at the knots and tangles, trying in vain to tame the wild inky locks.

Harry coughed to clear his throat, and when that wasn't successful, took a sip from his cup, grimacing at the cooled coffee. "So, uh, what's your name?"

"Cedric Diggory. Great to meet you," he said, a charming quirk to his lips. He stuck out a hand toward Harry who extended his own. They both gave a firm shake before retreating to their side of the table.

"You are aware of the requirement, right?" Harry asked cautiously, eyeing him with a wary glint. Although he included the phrase in his post, a few of the hopefuls showed up oblivious to it. There was something wrong with this nation if no one bothered to read anymore.

An awkward flush crept up Cedric's face, and Harry was a bit disgruntled when that didn't detract from his attractiveness at all. Some people were just blessed with good lucks, he supposed. He stomped down the flare of jealousy before it could dig its claws in and fester—he didn't want a repeat of the Ron Incident from last year.

"Yeah, it's not a problem," he assured him, but Harry wasn't completely quelled.

"And you're okay with the whole thing?" Harry asked, eyebrows furrowed as he searched Cedric's face for any tell of discomfort or worse, disgust.

"No, no, I'm completely fine with it!" Cedric rushed to say, waving his hands around, eyes wide with panic.

"It's just…" he hesitated, trying for a half smile, casting an unsure glance at Harry, "it's a pretty strange thing to ask for."

"I could have asked a girl to do it," Harry said, feeling the need to explain himself, wiping his hands on his worn jeans as he looked anywhere but at Cedric. "But I figured I didn't really have anything to offer to her. At least with a guy, I can rent out the place."

Cedric scoffed, reaching over to smack his shoulder. Harry flinched at the sudden contact.

"Don't put yourself down like that! You're an attractive guy; I bet plenty of girls flock to you."

Says the model, Harry wanted to retort back, but instead he just settled for an unconvincing smile.

"So is this it? No invasive, personal questions to peer into my soul or anything?" Cedric asked, eyes crinkling in jest.

"Yeah, that's it," Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Could I get your number?"

"Forward, huh? Well, I expect a dinner before we go any farther, even if we're boyfriends now," Cedric teased, winking at the red blossoming on Harry's cheeks.

He sputtered, tripping over his words as he tried to defend himself. Cedric snatched the phone in Harry's outstretched hand, inputting his number and placing it back in the open palm before he could form a coherent sentence.

Cedric laughed, head thrown back with a happy grin. The girls in the corner of the shop stop chatting and stare at him before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"I'm joking! But feel free to message me, alright? We should go out for a pint and get to know each other before you decide if you want me as a roommate."

He left in a flurry of bright smiles and boyish excitement, and Harry was left alone at the table, feeling an odd sense of emptiness after the high energy whirlwind vanished as quickly as it came. He slowly adjusted to the peace and quiet, breathing a sigh of relief; the interaction left him drained, energy zapped from his body. Harry wasn't a social person by nature, and he cherished the solidarity of his apartment. He took a moment to lament over his decision but prepared himself for the sacrifice nonetheless.

His deadline was coming up, and Harry needed to secure his stay at the university. If some convoluted plan was the way to go, then so be it—even if the thought had his skin prickling in agitation. He unlocked his phone screen, sending a quick text to Cedric to see if he was free Friday.

Operation Fake Boyfriend was ready to commence.

Cedric demanded attention like a little puppy. He was a ball of concentrated energy and sunshine that left Harry amused, exasperated, and downright tired at the end of their interactions.

He moved in by the end of the week.

Apparently his father didn't approve of his career choice and stubbornly refused to help pay the tuition—Cedric sent him a reassuring grin, saying that his dad will come around eventually. And since Harry offered such cheap rent for a minuscule requirement, he'd be an idiot to refuse, especially with his tight budget.

It was strange; the apartment wasn't just his anymore, and having to adjust to another person living in the space was an experience. Some days Harry forgot he had a roommate, startling awake when the shower goes on in the morning. And even though it's summer and neither of them were taking classes, Cedric still insisted on getting up 8 a.m. when he leaves for work at 10, so Harry reluctantly dragged himself out of bed since he can't fall asleep once he woke up. The only consolation was the breakfast waiting for him on the table. Never anything special, but he wouldn't turn away food.

Ignoring Cedric's cheery "Good morning!" as he stepped aside for Harry to enter the bathroom, he mechanically brushed his teeth, blearily staring at his exhausted self, once again cursing his roommate's incessant early bird tendencies. He spat in the sink, rinsing his mouth before straightening up and deciding to forego brushing his hair; it's not like it would accomplish much anyway.

He stumbled into the kitchen, collapsing into a chair, gazing unseeingly at Cedric's back as he worked by the stove. A few minutes later, a plate of scrambled eggs was placed in front of Harry, and he instinctively reached for a fork, stabbing it into the yellow blobs. He chewed, not even blinking at the rubbery texture, although a part of him wondered why they were wet before shrugging it off. He had worse at fast food joints. When he was done with his breakfast, a glass of milk was nudged in his direction, and he downed it without a second thought. He gave a half hearted glare when a hand patted his head in satisfaction.

Cedric was dressed in his work uniform, hair still damp from his shower and dripping water onto the forest green collared shirt. Harry didn't have to look to know that his beige slacks were pressed and wrinkle-free. A matching cap with the golden stitched words Hogwarts Zoo proudly on the front sat atop the wooden surface of the table.

Glancing at his wristwatch, Cedric stood from his seat, bidding Harry goodbye and pulling him into a brief hug. He ignored Harry's tense form and mutters of personal space. Harry grunted, body stiff and unyielding until Cedric left.

Casual touches weren't his thing, but Cedric was a magical unicorn that exuded rainbows and chased butterflies and believed hugs were special beams of power capable of providing love, comfort, and happiness with the sole warmth of one's arms. Harry just did his best impression of a petrified deer until the other retreated. If he so much as attempted to pull away, Cedric would adopt the dreaded I'm a poor defenseless puppy and you just kicked me look. He hardly believed the man was three years his senior. He acted like a child half the time and a disapproving parent the other half.

Harry glanced at the glowing red digits on the stove; he had about two hours before he needed to leave for his shift at the restaurant. Stretching his arms over his head, he released a satisfied moan when his back cracked. He headed to the living room, prepared to kill some time playing on his game console.

"Okay, so let's go over the basics," Harry said, squinting down at the barely legible writing on the paper. Across from him, Cedric had his notebook opened, armed with highlighters and colored sticky notes. They had just over 4 weeks to get this right.

Cedric tapped his ballpoint pen on the table before reading over his notes.

"We met at the coffee shop because you put out an ad for a roommate, and I showed up for that position. It was love at first sight, and we talked for a while but didn't make anything of it since we didn't want things to get all complicated and messy," Cedric stopped, waiting for Harry's nod to continue. "But after a while, our feelings for each other became too apparent and I asked you on a picnic date."

It was short, simple, and easy enough to remember since it built upon a foundation of truth. There was one thing that was bothering him though.

"Change the picnic date to a cinema one," Harry said, already scribbling it down on his paper.

"What, why?" Cedric said, indignation coloring his voice.

"Do you see me agreeing to go on a picnic date?"

"Fair enough," he conceded, reluctantly adding that to his notes. "Alright, what movie did we watch then?"

"An action one."

"Don't couples normally watch rom-coms?"

"Yes, well, I think there was a reason why I had to resort to hiring a boyfriend," Harry pointed out dryly. "We watched an action."

He paused, biting on his pencil pensively. "Is one month long enough, or should we extend it?"

Cedric hummed, staring at the ceiling in thought. "I think it is. We'll be in that honeymoon stage where we just see the good in each other and ignore the bad qualities, and so when we break up later on, it won't be too surprising."

Harry inclined his head to show his agreement.

"Okay, drill time," he declared, setting aside his pencil and paper, watching as Cedric did the same.

"Birthday."

"July 31, 1980," Cedric stated confidently. "Major?"

"English, with an interest in education. Favorite pastime."

"Gaming. Workplace?"

"Hogwarts Zoo," Harry drawled. "Siblings."

"None. Allergies?"

"Cats, but you still like petting them even though you sneeze every 5 seconds," Harry said, tapping his fingers against the table as he slouched in the chair. "Family members, including close family friends."

Cedric exhaled, making a face at the difficulty; Harry smirked at the intense concentration. "Lily and James," he listed, holding up his fingers to help count. "Remus and Sirius. Uh, you have an aunt and an uncle you aren't close to, and a cousin named Dud," he trailed off, glancing at Harry for confirmation.

"Dudley," Harry corrected but accepted the answer. "I think we're done here."

"Cuddle session?" Cedric perked up, sitting up in his chair.

Harry grimaced. This was his least favorite part of their sessions, but they had to be comfortable around each other physically to effectively pull the wool over his parents' eyes.

They moved to the couch, and Cedric flicked on the TV to some show Harry could care less about. They sat close enough to each other that Harry could feel Cedric's thighs pressing against his, a little too warm from their combined body heat, leaving him feeling clammy and sticky with nerves. The arm draped around his shoulders reminded him of the world on Atlas' back, a prison sentence hanging over his head. He heard a soft sigh to his left before Cedric shifted, removing his arm from its position, muting the volume and turning to face him.

"Harry, have you been hurt physically before? Did someone hurt you?" he asked, staring seriously into wide eyes. Harry quickly assured Cedric that no, no one had hurt him before and yes, his childhood had been fine and dandy, trying to dispel any suspicions he somehow developed in their time together.

"Then why aren't you comfortable with people touching you?"

"Should I be?" Harry retorted back. Cedric opened his mouth before closing it, unsure of how to answer. Harry took pity on him.

"I'm just not comfortable with it. I don't like people touching me," he tried to explain. Cedric nodded slowly, leaning back into the couch.

"We'll take it slow, alright?" he said, smiling reassuringly at him. Cedric scooted away from Harry just a tad, giving him some breathing room. "There."

Cedric turned the sound back on, turning his attention back to the show. With his personal bubble now established, Harry gradually relaxed, letting the sounds from the TV wash over him, staring mindlessly at the screen. They could do this. Baby steps.