Hi! Good to see you again. Here's another update while I tend to the rest of my fics. I've decided to move things about a week later so the plot info fits. I figured it was about time to take it up a notch. It's a bit shorter than the other chapter but I hope that's not much of an issue. Enjoy!
Chapter Seven-Cormac's Realization
February 13th...
"Yes! A nice, even golden brown. Mmmm...and they smell delicious, too. See?" Colin held out a piping hot muffin for River to see as he observed from his highchair, idly kicking his feet. "Once you get a little older, I'll make these homemade pumpkin-spice treats for all of us to share. 'Us' as in you, also."
He sighed after kissing the top of River's head. ''It sucks they don't make pumpkin-spice flavored formula. They should so you can at least get an idea of how amazing it is."
Across from them, Cormac shuffled hurriedly through the kitchen, nearly tripping over his own feet. Colin raised an amused eyebrow, popping the rest of the muffins out of the pan. ''In a hurry?"
"Remember when my coach decided to start practice at a later hour today?"
"I do."
"Well, instead of 11:00 am, he made it for 10 and it's nine forty-two. If I don't apparate now, I won't be able to properly suit up in time. And I fucking have to miss breakfast, too."
"No, you won't. Here, and be careful. Don't accidentally splinch yourself." Colin tossed one to Cormac. He shoved it in his mouth with a muffled 'thanks' and got the hell out of there.
"Looks like it's just you and me going to Nev and Hannah's, eh?" River responded by knocking his bowl of applesauce into the floor. "...Right after I clean this up. Messy lil' midget.''
Neville and Hannah's penthouse/Leaky Cauldron, around 1:00 p.m.
"I'm coming! I'm coming! Hang on a second..." Hannah treaded quickly across the living room as Devon screamed from inside his playpen. "Colin! Great to see you. Come on in."
"Thanks.." Colin gave her a warm smile, trying not to wince at the volume emanating from the mini-Longbottom. "Somebody's fussy today."
Hannah drooped her shoulders unceremoniously and hung her head. ''Ugh, tell me about. He's been crying for over an hour. I dunno what's wrong with Devon. He's not sick, he's not gassy, he's not hungry, he has a fresh diaper. I honestly haven't a clue. I've tried everything."
Colin nodded, keeping River upright in his carrier. "I'm probably taking a gamble here but why don't we try this?" Unlatching his son, Colin placed River inside the 'warzone' and the most magical thing happened...a thing so glorious, parents of infants everywhere would kill to have this happen instantly- Devon stopped crying.
Jaws open, eyes wide, Hannah gaped. ''What the fuck?"
Colin started snickering when she shot him an evil glare.
She stabbed him in the arm with her finger. "You. How? Tell me. Now."
"I think Devon was suffering from 'lack of River' syndrome. They haven't seen each other in a month so I thought this might work. And it did, so yay us!"
"You're an arse."
"How am I an arse?"
"You did it and I couldn't."
"I think River was the one who really did it."
Hannah peered at the playpen. Devon rolled himself over and placed one tiny hand on River's face and kept another on a stuffed bear which River tried to steal, while babbling something that they both could have sworn sounded like 'butthead'.
"Did you hear that?"
"You too?"
"Wow...we should tell Neville about this."
"It's almost his lunch break so we will. This is an amazing day. First, River miraculously quiets Devon, now we're hearing near-words from him.'' Hannah continued, leading Colin into the kitchen to prepare tea. Neville arrived in the living room shortly after they brought tea and muffins. Immediately, Hannah told him all about Devon's suspicious babbling.
''Whaaaat? Was that really his first word?"
"Presumed word, actually. He's not old enough for it to be clear."
Neville grinned, taking a muffin. "Still. 'Butthead'? Why couldn't it have sounded like 'Dada' or 'Mama'?"
Colin smiled, gazing back at the babies. "Considering how River tried swiping the bear, I think it was an appropriate choice."
Neville laughed, fighting to avoid choking on a morsel. ''Yeah, sounds like it. So, how's living with Cormac? You two getting along?"
"Ooh! I've been meaning to ask you about that." Hannah added, her curiosity piqued.
Colin replied, reclining further upon the couch. ''Wonderful. Absolutely the best room-mate ever, besides you guys."
"What all have you been up to?"
"Well, a good bit can happen in a little over a month."
"Give us the rundown."
Colin did, flying through the uninteresting bits and saving the best details for last, laughing along with Neville and Hannah once they heard about Cormac's mum paying them a visit and how he nearly got his ass kicked. Hannah held her stomach as she fell onto Colin's side, picturing the look on Cormac's face.
''S-She thought Cormac had a secret lovechild? Oh my god, that had to be priceless! I wish I was there!"
"Haha, you think you wish you were there for that? You should have been at the park when some girl thought Cormac was River's father."
"Whoa!" Neville exclaimed humorously. "Seriously? She thought Cormac was his...wow. Now THAT is priceless."
"What's even more hilarious is that River's the main reason why all those people flirted with him that day." At the mere notion of a baby having way more game than Cormac, they all burst into laughter once again.
Catching his breath, Colin continued. ''Oh yeah. It was great. What's even better is that Cormac's adjusting very well to having a baby in the flat. He's been helping me feed him, bathe him, everything."
Neville grinned. "So, River didn't drive him nuts?"
"Nope."
"Has Cor kept his playtime in the bedroom?"
"Of course. We agreed on that before I moved in. So far, Cor's kept his word and River has not seen a penis that wasn't his own nor any tits. And hopefully we can keep it that way for a long while. I know River has to learn about sex someday but I'd rather him not witness it from Cormac."
"Isn't that true. How are his dates? How many have you seen?"
"Eh, they're ok I guess. He hasn't had many since I came around. A few were decent and one wasn't. I have never thought I'd see the day Cormac would actually let a date go unfinished."
"Really?" Hannah was quite surprised to hear this because out of all his dates she knew of, both parties went home happy. "What happened?"
"This woman called River disgusting and complained that he was ruining their date."
"What a bitch."
"That's what he said. Once she said that, he yelled at her to leave. When I came back from getting a package, he told me everything. He defended my baby, you guys."
Hannah gushed. "Aww...that's so sweet. Cormac being all protective like another papa bear, almost."
"Yeah, almost." Colin smiled, recalling that fierce look in his eye and how he held River close as if that woman's insult was a real threat. He had to admit he's never witnessed him being this concerned over anyone else, not since they were back in Hogwarts facing bullies. It was actually quite wonderful and something Colin deeply admired.
"Speaking of papa bears.." Colin's serene visage took a downward turn. "..I ran into Draco in Diagon Alley last Friday."
Neville's ears perked immediately and earthy-brown orbs darkened. ''You did, huh?"
"Oh yeah."
"Oh, boy.." Hannah exhaled slowly. "How did it go?"
"Before I go into that, it turns out Draco's new wife is going to be Astoria Greengrass. Found out on Wednesday when Narcissa flooed in."
Neville nodded, remembering when she stopped by the Leaky Cauldron. "Greengrass? I thought it would have been Pansy."
"Cormac assumed the same but no, she was one from a line of Lucius's choosing. Anyway, when I finished up shopping I saw the two of them strolling along. I couldn't get away without Draco noticing me. We talked briefly and he expectedly gave me an excuse to why he hasn't seen River and yes, I do know part of it is because I never told him. Basically, we both got defensive and it didn't end that well."
"We figured as much."
"Afterwards, I got food and went home. Once I checked on River, I got to thinking and the next thing I knew, I ended up bawling in my room with Cormac's arms wrapped around me."
"Oh, Colin.." Hannah tenderly rubbed his back, laying her head over his shoulder in sympathy.
"I didn't think seeing Draco again would make me do that. It shouldn't have but it did."
"You loved him. What could you expect to do?"
"I expected I could keep it together after the fact."
"Colin, honey. You can't always force yourself to hide what you're feeling. It's going to come out one way or another. You haven't cried since the night you left so it was about time you did. It's just another part of the healing process and once you've gone through all the stages, you can move on. It's better that you do."
"Heh, Cormac said the same thing."
"He did, eh?" Hannah shot Neville a knowing wink, which Colin didn't notice.
"That and he wants me to be happy. He also said River's more important than finding another man at this point in time."
"Wow, Cor's really grown up. That's the most mature thing I've ever heard him say."
"I was just as surprised as you, even more so with how he's acted the entire time we lived together. First, he totally wanted to help care for River and now he's doing an amazing job, he chooses my baby over a short skirt, and then he comforts me during an emotional episode. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better friend.''
Neville suddenly snorted. "Think anyone else is going to believe this?"
Colin joined him in the small burst of laughter. "With his reputation, probably not...but they would just have to look deeper, now wouldn't they?"
Another hour passes and Colin bids his friends goodbye with River snoozing contentedly in his carrier. Reaching the apparition point, a sentence from the earlier conversation re-entered his thoughts.
' "Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better friend.'' ' An unknown pressure bore into his chest at the word 'friend'. He had no idea where it was coming from. For the slightest of seconds he almost assumed, then he brushed it off. With a faint 'crack', they headed home.
Valentine's Day...
River sat proudly in his highchair, calmly mouthing his tiny fingers after digesting a lovely meal of mushy sweet potatoes and carrots his daddy fed him not even a half-hour ago. He gazed to his right at a vase of fresh roses, curious over the silky-looking red blobs on green sticks that smelled so interesting. To his left, a shuffling sounded and a tilted smiling face peeked at him from around the corner. River turned at the noise.
''Heeeyyy. I see you." Colin grinned, straightening himself upright with his arms behind his back. ''Guess what I have? Come on, it's for you.''
River smacked his lips, staring at him blankly. 'Tell me.'
''Awww...all right. Look at this." Colin withdrew a Gryffindor red teddy bear and held it out. ''Happy Valentine's Day, lil' guy.'' River's mercury eyes glowed at the new toy and his mouth opened in awe. Colin let him bat it with his hands before lifting River from his chair and covering his face with kisses. River giggled loudly and buried his face in his daddy's hair, almost nuzzling into him. Colin stroked his soft locks and murmured. ''You're welcome.''
''That was adorable.'' Cormac smirked, standing in the kitchen doorframe.
Colin rolled his eyes. ''Gee...you're still wearing clothes after practice? What's the occasion? Oh, a hot date?" He noticed Cormac's form-fitting black slacks and powerful crimson button-up dress shirt with just the top three buttons undone, which honestly made him look devilishly good. Whomever he was seeing tonight would be a very lucky guy or gal indeed.
He smoothed his combed wheat-toned hair. ''Nope.''
''No?" Colin raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lip curled up in amusement.
''No. Staying in."
"Then what's with the seductive beast get-up?"
"Can't a man look good for his friends?"
"Never said you couldn't but why today of all days? Thought you'd already have a date or try to get one."
Cormac shrugged. "Felt like spending it with you two. I don't want you to be alone on Valentine's Day."
"Cor, you don't have to do this. And besides, I have my valentine right here." He playfully tickled River's tummy under his red shirt.
Cormac grinned, walking over and giving River his own little tickle. ''I insist. Besides, there's no rule that says your best friend can't be your valentine. Come on, I have chocolate...lots and lots of chocolate. I also have a nice bottle of vintage red wine which we'll both only have ONE glass of and we can sit around, watch movies and bullshit for the rest of the night. River being here will only add to the fun. I'm claiming him as my valentine too and there's nothing you can do about it."
Colin snorted. ''Persistent, much? All right, as long as we don't watch some crappy rom-com flicks.''
''Pssh, please. I've got the Expendables ready to watch. You can't get more manlier than that.''
''Can I pick a comedy to start off with?"
"Sure. This night is yours too."
Valentine's Day passes smoothly late into the night. Two men laid upon the couch as the end credits of the Expendables flick came on the screen. River was fast asleep in his playpen, resting a foot on the stuffed rabbit Cormac bought him as a present. Reaching out for the remote and turning off the entertainment system, Cormac turned to his left and smiled. Colin was also asleep from the long day, laying his head on his shoulder. It was just like they were in school again, lounging against one another after watching movies late into the night on weekends when they, Hannah, Neville, and Draco would sneak off.
It never failed. He would look so peaceful, so content, as he does right now. Cormac gazed at River beside the table. That baby really could stay up late if he wanted...without crying. It wasn't all that long until he finally got tuckered out. The Keeper then faced the mess on the table in front of him. Two empty wine glasses, two empty plates that formerly held a delicious steak dinner, and two giant boxes of both Swiss and Belgian chocolates in which half was completely devoured.
'Tonight was a very good night', he mused. 'Much better than all the ones I've had in a long time.'
Indeed it was. Cormac used to think that a great Valentine's Day would consist of a either a very hot guy or girl, a night at the club or a restaurant, plus a roll in the sheets then a half-hearted promise to meet up again later. No, not this year. Instead, he had his best mate, River, and no sex whatsoever. It was new and yet, it felt warmer and more meaningful. More right in a sense. He couldn't explain it but he had this sudden idea of wanting to have this again with River and...with Colin. Cormac sighed softly, not wishing to wake the man next to him. He observed his face. That beautiful bone structure, those pale eyelids that housed clear and shimmering sky blue eyes framed by dark lashes, his full and pouty, rosy lips that would give way to a gorgeous white smile when he'd laugh...
His heart pounded faster, he licked his dry lips. It was no secret that Cormac thought Colin was extremely attractive. He thought all his friends were then and now. Seven years back when they were in early fifth year, he'd fantasize about all them on occasion in between many others. (He's Cormac, don't ask why.) Although, he actually fantasized about Colin the most. Colin was the main one out of the gang he'd flirt with and once upon a time, he really did want to sleep with him even if it was only one night.
Cormac would have followed through like with any other person until his senses steered him from making a big mistake. Colin wasn't the guy for one-night stands. He's heard him say long ago that it wouldn't have been right for him to have a single night of passion with someone who wasn't looking for anything long-term. That crushed Cormac's spirit slightly but he understood. Deep down, he found it admirable and decided to back off.
Not long after he did, Colin and Draco officially became a couple. And eight years later, River was born, Draco left and completely devastated him.
'So much for staying for the long-term.' Cormac thought, gingerly removing a few stray golden strands from Colin's face. 'You shouldn't be dealing with this. You don't deserve it, neither of you do. What you do deserve is someone that will stay by your side. Someone that will do everything they can to make you happy. To help provide for you, to care for you...to love you.'
The odd tingling that burrowed into his chest a week before returned with a vengeance. This has been happening since that night when he held Colin in his arms. Every time he's near him or hears his name. He's never let it show, fearing there would be a misunderstanding between them given the reasons he's known before and Colin's friendship was something he didn't want to lose. Colin is precious to him. He always was.
Still, he couldn't help what he's beginning to feel. He couldn't help that the attachment strengthened when Colin moved in. He couldn't help but to admit that maybe his mother was right. About his relationships, about Colin, about everything. Oh, how he honestly hated that. And if he wanted to keep being honest, he was getting tired of all the dates that were going nowhere.
Sure, they were great and great-looking but most of them had no depth. It was getting repetitive and almost mind-numbing. He couldn't see himself dating like this for the rest of his life. Cormac truly longed for something more even if he never admitted it often. He wanted love too. And maybe, if there was a ghost of a chance, he could find it in Colin.
'That's if you would give me a chance. I want to try. I just hope you would. But for now, I won't push. I won't mention it. Maybe in time you'll see this wouldn't be a bad idea.'
Rising carefully from his seat, Cormac made sure to gently lower Colin so that he would lay across the couch. He pulled the blanket from across the back and draped it over his resting form. Quietly, he crept towards River's playpen. Slowly reaching down, he picked him up and carried him off to the nursery praying River would remain asleep. He was difficult sometimes to put to sleep and Cormac wanted Colin to have a little break. Thankfully, River never woke. He just gasped and murmured.
After Cormac laid the infant inside his crib, he propped his body against the wooden side and stared down at River. He silently marveled over this bundle of sunshine, every inch of him - from the silky platinum and blonde hair to his tiny toes. He was a little angel. An angel with a bright pink-gummed smile, a musical laugh, and mercury eyes that never lose their sparkle. As Cormac continued observing River, he noticed he was a spitting image of Draco, except he had Colin's lips and ears.
It was going to be a few years before he could tell if he'd have more of Colin's features but as of right now, it wasn't much. Especially those eyes, those were all Malfoy. River also sported some of Draco's attitude in the way he tried claiming dominance over his and other children's toys or how he'd ''glare'' or ''respond''. If he could walk, Cormac was sure there would be a slight swagger as well. Now, none of this in any way upset Cormac nor did it deter him from helping raise and love River. This in fact made him determined to help ensure River would know right from wrong and to never forsake family for money.
'Colin and I will both see that you learn and we pray that you never do. We want you to know just because you're Malfoy's son, it doesn't mean you're genetically predisposed to make his mistakes. I know you'll be better than that and if he hasn't lost all his sense, he'll want you to better than him too.'
He sighed and stroked River's head. 'I wonder how much of Colin is in you. You're sweet and bubbly like he is and you're quite the observer. You're so fascinated by the world around you and you're funny. Maybe you'll turn out more like him as you get older. Who knows? What I do know is that you'll be handsome just like your father. Your wonderful, amazing father...'
Cormac stopped himself in mid thought. It was past midnight and he needed rest.
'Goodnight, River. Sleep tight, munchkin.' Kissing his forehead, Cormac left to his room, got under the covers and with the image of Colin's soft smile, he drifted off to a sound slumber.
Finally, some insight into Cormac's growing affections. What you all think? :)
*Expendables: That action film is solely the property of their creators, film corporations, etc.
