A/n: OTP bootcamp - fascinated. Thanks to Bex for being there for me while I figured this one out.
"How are you sure that it's me?" Draco asks softly.
Charlie grins brightly. "I just have a feeling," he answers. "I haven't had this much trouble keeping it from manifesting since it first appeared. But there's really only one way to know for sure."
Draco frowns. "Are you sure that you want -"
He's cut off by Charlie kissing him quickly. "Whether or not our spirit animals match, I will still love you. This is a confirmation. Nothing is going to change how I feel about you," Charlie says when he pulls back.
"Okay," Draco agrees. "You first."
Charlie snorts at him. "Of course."
It doesn't take much to allow it manifest since that's what it wants anyway. The raven that has been with him since he was almost eight appears, taking perch on his shoulder. It's wispy and has grown with him over the years into an adult raven. Although, instead of it's usual white-blue color, it is black; a change that only happens when someone comes in contact with their soulmate.
The raven takes flight from Charlie's shoulder and flies through Draco's heart, before reappearing and landing on his shoulder. Charlie can't contain his happiness; he breaks out into a large grin.
"Does that reassure you?" Charlie asks.
Draco doesn't answer in words. His reply is his own spirit animal manifesting. A dragon manifests around Draco's leg. It's small, the size of a dragon only a few months old, and it's one of the most beautiful dragons Charlie's ever seen. It's scales are golden and it's eyes appear like molten lava.
It detaches itself from Draco and flies around the room. Charlie follows the dragon's movements with fascination. It rises and falls and barrel rolls. It blows white-blue wispy fire at Charlie and at Draco. It's showing off, he thinks.
After it finishes its show, it angles itself and flies through Charlie's chest as Charlie's raven had done to Draco. In the split second that the spirit animal and Charlie are one, he feels a rush of emotion - Draco's emotions. When it's over, the dragon wraps itself around Charlie's leg.
Charlie pulls Draco towards himself. "You knew," he says with conviction. "You knew your spirit animal was me. And you were worried that mine wouldn't be you."
"It's not unheard of," Draco says. "My father doesn't have one."
Charlie's grin softens. He understands this. Fred and George had the same soulmate; Charlie remembers the cheetah that would run between them when they were young, chasing them as they squealed in delight. And Percy has eagle and a swan, though Charlie still doesn't understand how that works. All he does know is that sometimes it works out and others time it doesn't. He's glad that now is one of the times that it did work out.
"Well, now you have proof," Charlie tells him. "Though it wouldn't have changed a damn thing even -"
Draco cuts him off. "I love you."
Charlie can't mask his surprise. "Not to be weird about it but I've been telling you that for weeks. Why now?"
He's quiet for several long moments. "It makes it real," Draco says, "saying it out loud. I wanted to be sure about it before I admitted something I couldn't take back."
"You wanted to make sure that you were my soulmate," Charlie says but it sounds more like a question.
Draco nods.
Charlie kisses him again, hard. "I love you too."
As Charlie pulls Draco towards the bedroom, the dragon detaches itself from Charlie's leg and curls up just inside of the bedroom. The raven lands on the dragon before folding its wings and laying down with the dragon.
Charlie decides that he'll keep the raven out whenever he's home with Draco, to remind Draco of his love.