A Ballroom Dance

Five months, three weeks, and five days had come and gone since that fateful day Draco had shown up in Theo's apothecary. And in that time, Theo had met with his fiancé and broke off the engagement. Well, that was just the night before, but regardless, the wedding was canceled.

At the very least he'd not waited until they were standing at the altar. He was a gentleman after all.

By a clever trick–if he did say so himself–he'd managed to charm Draco's wedding invitation so that he believed the rehearsal dinner was now to be held at Cercle de l'Union Interalliée. It had cost Theo a pretty knut to rent out the entire building for the night, but Draco was worth it.

The clicking of his dragonhide dress shoes could be heard coming down the hall, and Theo straightened his posture, brushing at his dress robes in his nervousness. Aside from Draco's steady steps, there wasn't another sound to be heard. Draco, of course, would assume that silencing charms had been put in place for the occasion, not the truth being that the event had been canceled.

The sound ceased directly outside the door and Theo could picture Draco letting his pureblood mask fall into place as he braced himself. They'd known each other since they were boys, and the blonde, while he thought he was sly, was rather predictable. Theo envisioned Draco taking one last deep calming breath, and then the door swung open.

Theo kept his gaze on Draco's face as the brunette stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a single rose held in one, the flower hidden by his body. Draco's dress robes made him look as if he were going to a funeral instead of a rehearsal dinner, making Theo smirk as he took a step forward.

"Dragon."

"What's the meaning of this, Nott?" The use of his surname cut, but Theo wasn't going to let it deter him.

"I'll tell you, but only if you allow me a dance," Theo held out the hand holding the rose. Draco's eyes flickered from his hand to his face, and back around the empty ballroom they stood in.

"I'd rather not, thanks. I'm not particularly in the mood for your games tonight, so if you'll excuse me." Draco bowed his head and turned, readying himself to leave. The panic in Theo's chest began to rise, this was not how the night was supposed to go. Draco was supposed to dance the night away with Theo before they fell into a marathon of makeup shagging in the expensive suit Theo had rented. They were to drink the top shelf champagne in their mimosas the following morning, and then ride off on Draco's broom and live happily ever after.

"I called off the wedding!" Theo yelled in alarm as Draco's hand touched the doorknob, "I couldn't marry her."

Draco froze, his shoulders stiffening, and though he didn't turn back around, he didn't continue his way out the door either.

"One dance, please, Dragon." Theo didn't even attempt to hide the desperation in his voice as he called out to the blonde. "Please," Theo whispered the final plea, not knowing if Draco had even heard him.

Draco's exhale could be heard echoing through the room before he swiftly moved back towards Theo, roughly pulling him into his arms. "I lead," Draco growled out before he waved his wand, and the music filled the room, and they were off in a Viennese waltz.

The way Draco held Theo in his arms was how one would dance with a great-aunt who smelled slightly moldy and went on and on about her porcelain doll collection. You didn't truly want to be dancing with them, but after your mother had told you to dance, you did so, reluctantly. It didn't matter though; Draco was a beautiful dancer. His skills were unmatched, making even the most uncoordinated of partners look graceful.

"I burned all our bridges - not knowing that love knows how to swim." Theo said as they twirled past the champagne fountain.

"Laura Chouette?"

"It's the truth though, Draco. I thought I could let you go, but I can't." Throughout their entire dance, Draco had managed to not once look down at Theo, but now Theo lifted his hand to his love's cheek and pulled him so that he was forced to look Theo in the eye. "I love you, Draco Malfoy, it's always been you. You're in my every breath, the fire that fuels my soul. Dragon, I can't live without you." The tears pooling in Draco's silver eyes let the flicker of hope build in Theo. He felt the same, even after all this time, their love for each other had survived.

Except, mid dance, Draco released Theo and stepped away.

"You're too late." If Theo hadn't been standing so close to Draco, he wouldn't have heard his love's next words. "I've met someone, do you remember Astoria Greengrass?"

A furry unmatched built in Theo's chest at the name, "Daphne's little sister?" Theo asked, even though he knew exactly who Draco was talking about. Afterall, they'd all grown up together, Daphne forcing them into having tea parties, wearing the ghastly feather boas and matching tiaras. Truth be told, Theo had never minded the boas or the tiaras, but Astoria had spilled tea on Theo's lap on more than one occasion and eaten all the biscuits he liked on the others. Yes, she'd only been a child at the time, but Theo wasn't above admitting that he was petty and held grudges.

"I like her, and I'm planning on asking her to marry me." It was as if his entire world had shifted, and the ground had opened to swallow him whole at Draco's confession. "She comes from a respectable family, she's smart and accomplished, she'll make the perfect bride and next Lady Malfoy," Draco continued, not realizing the turmoil Theo was going through.

"You can't," Theo croaked out, wrapping his arms around his midsection and bending over desperately trying to breathe. "You can't marry her." Theo reiterated, looking up to meet Draco's eyes, the tears spilling over.

"I can and I will, Theo. It's my duty as the Malfoy Heir to find a proper wife who can give me children."

"Oh, fuck right off, Draco! I know you believe in that just as much as I do!" Theo shouted, standing up straight so that he was looking the other man straight in the eye. "I know you don't want children just to fulfill some bullshit duty to your father."

"How dare you claim to know what I do and do not want, Nott!" Draco shouted back at him, his anger finally matching that of Theo's. Even though he knew he shouldn't continue the argument, Theo was too angry to stop.

"Oh, fuck right off, you know that neither of us wanted to continue our family lines of hate and bigotry. That's why as soon as Thoros got thrown in Azkaban for tax evasion of all bloody things, I called off my fucking wedding!"

"Well, maybe you should have gone through with it!"

"I'm not going to marry someone that I'm not in love with unless I have to! Can you say the same, Malfoy? Can you say that you're truly head over heels in love with Astoria Greengrass?" Theo spit out her name, as if it were something nasty in his mouth.

"I care about her," Draco answered, squaring his shoulders.

"That's not what I asked, Malfoy. Do. You. Love. Her."

"I'm positive that it will come with time," Draco answered, taking a step away from Theo. "I've got to go…"

"Oh, is she here in the city with you? Why didn't you bring her with you, Draco? Didn't want to have to sit next to the woman you're lying to while you thought you were going to watch me with my bride?"

"Fuck off, Nott. You don't know anything!" Draco shouted as he turned on his heels and stalked towards the door.

"I don't know anything? I know that you'll never love her! I know that you'll never be happy with her!" Theo bellowed, tears streaming down his face.