A/N: Thank you to: HPfreakout, Meg Finn, coolmarauders, Ranmas Angel, oliver1234, fifespice, brionyjae, Dezra, MyStOrIeS, glowingXshadow, Tara-Jamima, aishteru,fierysoulgirl, Orontelmi, myca and Dreaming Sensations.

Warning : SLASH! LEMON! I will say no more…you have been warned!

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Chapter 25 – May I Love You?

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For two days and two nights after the first of Harry sleeping in Draco's bed he crawled yet again under the covers and left them and their blonde occupant alone by sunrise. Draco was comforted in knowing that Harry would go no further than to lock his arms around him, hold him close and keep him warm. But somehow, after only two nights (and with only 5 remaining until school began) Draco craved more.

Draco waited until the house was quiet, knowing that only when there was no chance of people creaking up the stairs would Harry crawl beside him. Faithful to this nightly, unspoken deal Harry dutifully slithered under them and held Draco close. This was becoming a comforting routine to him, but he didn't know that Draco had a surprise for him.

Please, please let this go right! God, please let Harry be as trustworthy as I think he is, as he should be. Let this go right; let me be ok…

Draco turned from back to front on his raven-haired companion and kissed his forehead as lightly as could be. In the feathery soft moonlight he could make out the trace of a smile on Harry's lips and continued his kisses down his nose and slowly, onto his lips.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry whispered, his hands clutching the back of Draco's white button up shirt unexpectedly.

"I've been building up the courage to do that for a while now. I felt like tonight was the night." Harry's smile broadened at this, one of his hand surfacing from the blankets to brush some of Draco's silken hair from his forehead.

"No need to build up courage to kiss me Draco. You needn't ask me, even."

Draco pulled Harry deeper into his arms and carefully planned out his next words.

They need to convey what I want and need and not be too childish or whiny or scared or I'll scare him off. How do I put this?…

"Harry, I really want…want to make love with you. I have for a while but I have…trouble with that. I need to be able to trust you to only take it as far as I'm willing ok?"

"Of course." Draco could hear the surprise in Harry's words but plowed on with his own.

"You need to ask before you do anything and should I say no - "

"I'll stop. No questions asked."

Draco hadn't realized that his shoulders were tensed but he felt them slowly relax with Harry's words of comfort.

"And if I tell you to stop at any time, you've got to promise - "

"I'll stop. No questions asked. I promise you Draco; I won't do anything to hurt you. I never will."

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Could something have prepared me for this, is there any way I could make him feel safer or more at ease?….

Harry held Draco close for a moment of silence, his mind swirling with worries and thoughts of what could go wrong. He was so uncertain of what to do, to say, to answer that he decided on one thing only.

Start simple.

"Draco, may I kiss you here?" Harry brushed his fingers on a spot in the middle of Draco's forehead and he heard a quiet 'yes' before he lets his lips brush the same place.

"Here?" he touched Draco's eyelids, forcing his eyes to close.

"Yes." Again, he kissed them slowly and carefully as though they were a thin glass that might be all too easily broken.

"Here?" His jawbone.

"Yes."

"Here?" his collarbone.

"Yes."

"Here?" Up and down his creamy white neck.

"Yes."

Each time Harry asked and kissed Draco's voice got a little stronger, a little more desperate and pleading. Harry didn't understand the thrill it caused him to ask for the next spot since he had already kissed it so many times before.

"Here?" This time he brushed his fingers on Draco's perfect pouty lips and he felt the murmur 'yes' before he had even removed them to move in and caress them under his own.

I suppose that's working well but… how to you navigate uncharted territory? How do I know when I'm going too fast or taking things too slow?

Harry took a deep, steadying breath before continuing on his whole new journey with Draco.

Keep it simple.

"Here?" he whispered, undoing a single button on Draco's white shirt and looking up into his gray eyes, touching the spot where the cloth had once lay.

Draco's wry smile was more than answer enough but Harry kept stock still until the customary answer 'yes' was whispered back. He continued down Draco's perfect creamy chest…and stomach until there were no more buttons to undo.

"May I take off your shirt?" Draco's face broke into a wide smile, his eyes glittering in a way that told Harry he was doing everything exactly right.

"Of course." Draco sat up so that Harry could pull the undone shirt over his head and off his arms.

"And can I take off mine?"

Draco's smile cracked into a tiny laugh.

"Please do."

Harry pulled his own black T-shirt off, feeling for the first time ever self-conscious of his body around Draco. He also immediately became painfully aware that Draco really had excited him in a way he hadn't before.

This, he thought, is about to get a little more risky.

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"Can I keep kissing you?"

I'd love you to.

"Yes."

Harry's warm body on top of Draco's felt so good that he was beginning to wonder why he had taken so long to keep from doing this. Their lips were hopelessly entwined with each other, tongues getting free reign and bare chests rubbing in ways that made Draco's rapidly hardening cock rub with Harry's through the fabric of both their pants and boxers.

Oh god, please don't let this move too fast and please, don't let me get too afraid so that I keep it slow. Don't let this stop…

They both gasped at the moment that they touched, finally breaking the kiss to come back up for air.

"May I remove - "

"Your own pants, Harry. And I'll do mine."

Harry seemed a little stunned by Draco's gradual taking over and a little hopeful that this was a sign that he was more prepared. Draco could only hope that this was the case, that this wasn't about to backfire in his face.

They were both hidden beneath the shadow of the blankets but Harry sat up and pulled them back with him while he fumbled with the tie on his pants.

"Actually, let me do that." Whispered Draco after a few seconds of his own confidence building. He was on his knees, kissing Harry with all his might as his hands slowly undid the tie to his pants and pulled them (with his boxers) and out of sight. Harry was now back on top of Draco, only his own pants and boxers separating them.

Draco pulled his own off with relative ease and threw them over the corner of the bed, a still, calm moment shared between himself and Harry as they both took in and realized the only thing left to do.

"Draco - "

"Harry. I fully trust you; you needn't ask permission any more. But still…be careful. And listen if I tell you to stop, ok?"

"Of course Draco. And if you're not ready - "

"I am. I am, I'm ready. And I want to Harry, I love you and I trust you with all my heart."

Harry leaned back down to kiss Draco, murmuring all the same "Love you too."

Please, don't remember back then, think of now. Be here, right now, with Harry, in this room, in this bed…

Harry's kiss gradually deepened, as did his stance over Draco's body. His hard on brushed the inside of Draco's thigh; their chests met and stayed locked close. Harry's arms enveloped Draco as the blondes roamed his back, holding him closer.

"Draco, are you sure?" Harry pulled away from Draco's kiss, their eyes locking in a moment of intimacy rarely seen in the entire world. For the moment that his emerald and Draco's slate gray orbs met a moment of understanding and unity was achieved that they both needed to continue any further.

"Absolutely, and with no one else."

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Harry lowered and pushed himself into Draco bit by bit, stopping whenever his wincing signaled that it was too much. He pulled out nearly all the way and started again, this time kneading Draco's shoulders and keeping his mouth occupied with his own at the same time.

Oh. My. God.

Nothing could have prepared him for this ultimate feeling: sex. Draco was exponential deals better than his own hand could ever, ever, have been. He was something to hold and squeeze, to kiss and be kissed in return. He moaned and murmured sweet things and other words that made no sense into Harry's ear, his arms held him tight and his nails dug deep into Harry's skin to leave their marks on him.

"You can go…" Draco meant to say 'faster' but Harry was already picking up speed, gradually increasing the pace of his thrusting and allowing himself deeper into Draco's tight folds. Draco's quickly followed Harry's groans when he took his hand and began to rub his lovers mildly forgotten member in between them.

And then, minutes later Harry's finally found the sweet spot buried deep within Draco.

"Oh god Harry, don't you dare stop…" Draco warned and then groaned loudly as Harry hit his prostate again…. and again.

Like I would even if I could…

But sadly, all good things must come to an end. Harry was getting the tingly feeling that signaled his oncoming orgasm. Draco was only seconds behind in his own, rudely biting down into Harry's shoulder to keep from screaming aloud as the moment came. Harry thrust a last few frantic times before his toes curled with pleasure and he came deep, deep into Draco. Draco was only a moment later; the blood rushing from his arms and toes as his sticky mixture spurted between himself and Harry's taut torso.

The two of them simply lay together like that for a moment, both of them trying to catch their breath and revel in what they had just done. Harry pulled out a moment later and rolled off of Draco, vaguely aware on his post coital bliss that he in fact had been nearly suffocating his lover.

"That…was amazing." Draco whispered into his ear. "Thank you Harry, I really do love you…"

Harry could feel the sincerity of this radiating from Draco and in some ways it nearly choked him up.

He really, really does love me. He trusts me now, he knows that he's got me trough thick and thin. And I've finally got somebody, somebody to really be with. I'll show him off to the world, everyone else doesn't know what they are missing not to be with him…

"I love you too. Thank you for giving me a chance and…we'll have to find time to do that again sometime soon."

Draco managed only a halfhearted laugh before letting out a long overdue yawn and curling his head into the crook of Harry's shoulder. He was asleep in seconds, followed closely by his effervescent lover.

How could Hermione and Ron not love Draco when we were meant for each other like this, when this has to be meant to be? How could anyone second-guess him when I love him like this? When I tell the world I'm making it loud and clear that I love Draco Malfoy and nothing, nothing can change that.

Harry's last thought's were among the clearest and most sincerely happy he had ever had as he himself drifted off to sleep, musings of love still dancing through his head straight past the new days sunrise.

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A/N : As always, please review!

mintapotter