Title: Talk Is Cheap
Author: GrapeSmshr
Rated: PG-13
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness
Disclaimer: These things are really pointless... Charas aren't mine; the song is Something To Talk About by Bonnie Raitt
A/N: It took me a little bit longer than expected to get this latest chapter out... I wasn't anticipating an onslaught of homework like I had. Not to mention I've been doing other things... Last night I got to see Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie (from "Whose Line is it Anyway?") perform live with an improv goup we have down here... It was pretty awesome. So yeah, I've been keeping busy. But I *am* still writing, so I hope you're still reading! If you are, read on and enjoy!
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Draco hadn't shown up for lunch. He wasn't at dinner, either. Harry had expressed his worries to Hermione, but she assured him that Draco had not been upset about anything that morning. Still, Harry didn't like the fact that he was being avoided; that's what it felt like to him. But he didn't know why Draco would be avoiding him. Unless...
He somehow found out that Harry liked him! He knew, and he was so put off by it that he couldn't bring himself to even look at Harry. How could he have found out, though? The only other person who knew besides Harry himself was Hermione...
Narrowing his eyes, Harry shook his head in unfathomable irritation. He knew she was up to something, but he didn't know what at the time. Apparently she had been tipping Draco off in her copious amounts of meddling. But it wasn't just that, though. Harry had noticed that the rumors were still circulating as strongly as ever. Even if the rumors were about the two hottest guys in school (according to Ginny), they still should have slowed down. Unless, of course, they were being fueled.
What a mess. A huge, horrible mess. Harry needed to go find Draco, and fast. Maybe their friendship could still be salvaged. This depended on what Hermione had said to Draco. And he knew she said something, but he didn't have time to seek her out and ask.
Flying down the stairs, Harry pushed past a couple of second-years in the common room, hastily throwing an apology over his shoulder as he dashed into the halls in search of Draco.
.
.
He wasn't in his common room. He also wasn't in the library, the Great Hall, Astronomy tower, or down by the lake. It was official.
Harry was avoiding him.
That had to be the only explanation for his disappearance. Not even Ron and Hermione had seen him. So, Draco only naturally reached the conclusion that he was being avoided. And damnit, just when he needed to talk to the other teen!
The only logical explanation was that Harry knew. His thick skull had finally used some of that dormant knowledge and figured out that Draco had a crush on him. It must have really startled him. Apparently Hermione had been wrong, and Draco was a first-class fool to indulge her words.
Here he was, wandering around aimlessly on the second floor, looking for someone who obviously didn't want to be found. Growling in frustration, he swiftly turned a corner and smacked straight into another person, sending them both crashing to the floor.
Opening his mouth to retort, Draco's insult died on his tongue when he saw that the other person was Harry.
Climbing to their feet, both simultaneously accused, "You've been avoiding me!"
Harry smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. His gaze met Draco's briefly before he looked at the ground. Now what? He had found the person he was looking for, but he didn't know what to say. This seemed so much more planned out in his head.
Luckily, Draco was the first to break the silence. "Harry, we need to talk," he blurted out, then took a step back. He almost looked surprised at the words.
"Yes, we do," Harry agreed. He glanced around quickly, then gestured to a nearby classroom. Leaning up against one of the desks once inside, he watched in amusement as Draco began to pace. He recognized it as one of the blonde's nervous habits, and then his stomach began to churn as he wondered what could possibly be making Draco so nervous. Other than the fact, of course, that he had no romantic interest in Harry.
After a couple of minutes, Harry murmured, "No one is talking."
Startled by the break in silence, Draco tripped and caught himself just before he slammed into a desk. Deciding that pacing was not such a good idea after all, he took a seat on top of the desk next to Harry's, long legs dangling over the side. Even thinking this for so long, he still didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound pathetic. One wrong word, and he could lose the friendship that he had grown to cherish. That was the last thing he wanted.
With a sidelong glance, he saw that Harry was lost in thought. What he wouldn't give to know what he was thinking. But since his telepathic skills were less than stellar, he deemed it up to himself to get the confrontation over with. "People," he snorted with derision, then mentally smacked himself for such a mediocre comment.
"Yeah, people," Harry echoed. It seemed Draco had noticed the rumors not dying down as well. "Do you... wonder who started them?"
"Well, of course!" Draco said vehemently. "What I wouldn't do to the person who started them..."
"Oh. Uh, me too." Harry's heart sank. So much for Hermione's female intuition. Draco really must not like him like that to respond so strongly. Well, maybe he could get out of this with minimal humiliation. "They are quite insane, aren't they?" he forced a laugh.
Draco's gaze flew to Harry in surprise. If he didn't know any better, he would think that Harry was more disturbed by these rumors than he let on. Not in a disgusted way, either. It almost sounded like he was... nervous.
All the gears in Draco's brain were turning furiously as he began to entertain thoughts he had previously accepted as impossible. And he didn't like indulging in flights of fancy. He was a doer, not a thinker, and he was finished thinking.
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, he quickly shut it again. He couldn't do it. He didn't want to say anything to upset Harry. He would have to handle this delicately.
So he was quite thunderstruck when Harry asked suddenly, "Do you have feelings for me?" Then his hand clamped over his mouth, eyes wide at the question he obviously hadn't meant to ask out loud. But there was no taking it back now.
Draco regarded his options at this point. He could do the obvious, lie, and things would go back to the way they were before, even if that way was unappealing when compared to the possibilities of how things could be. That was the safe option. Or he could admit his feelings and risk shattering *any* type of relationship with Harry.
There was no choice, really. He was a Malfoy, and Malfoys never ran away from terrifying situations. Well, except for that one time in the Forbidden Forest. But that was justified. There were creepy things in there!
Apparently he had taken too long to answer. Pushing himself away from the desk, Harry apologized, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."
"No, Harry, you deserve an answer in words," Draco spoke up once he gathered his wits enough to form a coherent sentence.
"You don't owe me any--"
"Yes, I--"
"No, really, it's not necessary--"
"But I want--"
"No, it's all right if--"
"Harry, will you let me get a bloody word in!" Draco shouted in exasperation, effectively stifling Harry's interruptions. He gestured for the other teen to sit down, then he resumed his pacing. He couldn't help it; bloody nerves.
How to say this, how to say this... Clearing his throat, he began, "We haven't been friends for a long time, like you and Hermione and Weasley. In fact, we were the complete opposite to the extreme, abhorring each other with a passion." When Harry went to interject, Draco held up a hand to silence him, stopping once again in his pacing.
"I know, we didn't really hate each other, but we didn't realize that then. But there *were* a couple of other things that I realized after all that time."
Draco had been staring at the ground during this last bit, and Harry could see the blonde's breaths were quick and shallow, a surefire indication of nerves. But Harry was going through the same thing, as he so desperately wanted to hear what Draco's revelations were. "What other things?" he asked in a whisper, unconsciously leaning forward.
"That there may be some truth in the rumors," Draco murmured. Then he cleared his throat. "Obviously not in the part about our dating, but in other... implied... feelings."
Harry froze, quite unable to comprehend this. Was Draco admitting that he had feelings for Harry, or was he revealing that he knew Harry had feelings for *him*? The only way to get an answer would be to ask... "Are you saying that... you *do* have feelings for me? Non-platonic feelings?"
"Yes," Draco whispered. Then he squared his shoulders and repeated more firmly, "Yes. That is what I'm saying. Salazar help me, I'm smitten by The Boy Who Lived."
As he said that, his eyes widened. That was the first time he admitted his crush out loud, not to mention the tiny fact that he admitted it to said crush, who currently happened to be gaping at him. And while he knew it, knew that he had these feelings, there was just something so concrete about saying it aloud. There was no denying it now.
But he didn't want to. His feelings were real, and he was tired of keeping them bottled up. If Harry couldn't handle it and he severed their friendship, then so be it. It would crush Draco to pieces, but he would accept it. After all, he couldn't force the Gryffindor to feel something that he didn't. Judging from the look on Harry's face, Draco didn't know what to think.
It was quite easy to see that Harry was in shock, and he definitely was. Draco had feelings for him? They weren't one-sided? Harry didn't think he could have been happier if he tried.
Lucky for him, he didn't have to.
He mumbled something under his breath that Draco didn't quite catch. "What was that?" he prompted.
"I said, good," Harry repeated, his face expressionless.
"Good?"
"Yes, good... I'd be embarrassed for you if you made a confession like that when I didn't feel the same way." Harry paused a moment, letting his words sink in. He watched as a myriad of emotions flitted across Draco's face, from concentration, to confusion, to comprehension, and finally settling on disbelief. Harry smiled.
He couldn't believe it. Harry liked him back? Draco was quite taken aback. Well, Hermione *had* hinted at it, but he just figured she was crazy. Apparently she wasn't, but maybe he--Draco--was. What if he had just misunderstood Harry's words? What if Harry didn't in fact like him back in the same way?
The panic must have shown on his face because Harry stood, crossing the short distance between the two. Eyes dancing emerald fire, he said, "Godric help me, I'm smitten by a Malfoy."
All at once Draco's face lit up. Then his lips curled into a smirk. "I hope you mean me?"
With a silent nod, Harry reached over and placed a hand in Draco's blonde hair, pulling their lips together. He was greeted just as eagerly, lips meeting over and over again as neither wanted to pull away.
Hands tentatively exploring Harry's back, Draco sank deeper and deeper into the Gryffindor's touch. He had dreamt about this but never believed it would happen, so that only made it that much better. He pressed himself closer, hands now stationary on the small of Harry's back, mouth gliding comfortably and heatedly over red, luscious lips that returned his kisses with equal fervor. Draco let out a blissful sigh.
When Harry heard this, his lips curled into a smile. He, of course, knew exactly how the other teen felt, and much of this was elation. But most imminent on his mind was the heat being generated from their bodies touching. Harry felt as if all of his nerve endings were tingling, making his entire body hum. It was quite a delicious feeling.
Placing a kiss at the corner of Harry's mouth, Draco leaned back. He smiled at the tiny moan of protest that Harry let out. "Wow."
"Wow is right," Harry agreed breathlessly, mind still a bit fuzzy. He gave a lopsided grin, and Draco burst into laughter.
"How did we miss this?" he asked between chuckles, arms resting loosely around Harry's waist.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm going to thank Hermione the next time I see her." At Draco's questioning look, he explained, "She was the one who got me thinking about my feelings. Apparently she knew I liked you even before *I* knew."
Draco's eye narrowed. It seemed Hermione was just meddling all around. The girl was too observant for her own good. Then again, had she not said anything to either of them, they would still be dancing around their attraction to the other. Grinning wickedly, Draco said, "Maybe we should give her a run for her money."
Harry raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "What did you have in mind?"
"We'll teach Miss Granger how nice it is to spread rumors. This is what we're going to do..."
******
Hoping that you feel the same way
Now that we know it, let's really show it, darlin'
******
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.
.
.
Finally some fluff! I figured I had better get to it before some of you decided to riot against me. Hope you weren't disappointed! The next chapter will be the last one, methinks. I'll keep busy writing on it, but it may be a little bit before it's posted... I have finals a month from now, a Sensation and Perception test next Thursday, a Sociology of the Family paper due the Monday after that, and my Experimental Psych project due the Thursday after that. Busy little bee, I am!
Anyway, please review! I do so love the support. I thrive on it. It's my honey, my essence. I love you guy!
Author: GrapeSmshr
Rated: PG-13
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness
Disclaimer: These things are really pointless... Charas aren't mine; the song is Something To Talk About by Bonnie Raitt
A/N: It took me a little bit longer than expected to get this latest chapter out... I wasn't anticipating an onslaught of homework like I had. Not to mention I've been doing other things... Last night I got to see Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie (from "Whose Line is it Anyway?") perform live with an improv goup we have down here... It was pretty awesome. So yeah, I've been keeping busy. But I *am* still writing, so I hope you're still reading! If you are, read on and enjoy!
.
.
.
.
Draco hadn't shown up for lunch. He wasn't at dinner, either. Harry had expressed his worries to Hermione, but she assured him that Draco had not been upset about anything that morning. Still, Harry didn't like the fact that he was being avoided; that's what it felt like to him. But he didn't know why Draco would be avoiding him. Unless...
He somehow found out that Harry liked him! He knew, and he was so put off by it that he couldn't bring himself to even look at Harry. How could he have found out, though? The only other person who knew besides Harry himself was Hermione...
Narrowing his eyes, Harry shook his head in unfathomable irritation. He knew she was up to something, but he didn't know what at the time. Apparently she had been tipping Draco off in her copious amounts of meddling. But it wasn't just that, though. Harry had noticed that the rumors were still circulating as strongly as ever. Even if the rumors were about the two hottest guys in school (according to Ginny), they still should have slowed down. Unless, of course, they were being fueled.
What a mess. A huge, horrible mess. Harry needed to go find Draco, and fast. Maybe their friendship could still be salvaged. This depended on what Hermione had said to Draco. And he knew she said something, but he didn't have time to seek her out and ask.
Flying down the stairs, Harry pushed past a couple of second-years in the common room, hastily throwing an apology over his shoulder as he dashed into the halls in search of Draco.
.
.
He wasn't in his common room. He also wasn't in the library, the Great Hall, Astronomy tower, or down by the lake. It was official.
Harry was avoiding him.
That had to be the only explanation for his disappearance. Not even Ron and Hermione had seen him. So, Draco only naturally reached the conclusion that he was being avoided. And damnit, just when he needed to talk to the other teen!
The only logical explanation was that Harry knew. His thick skull had finally used some of that dormant knowledge and figured out that Draco had a crush on him. It must have really startled him. Apparently Hermione had been wrong, and Draco was a first-class fool to indulge her words.
Here he was, wandering around aimlessly on the second floor, looking for someone who obviously didn't want to be found. Growling in frustration, he swiftly turned a corner and smacked straight into another person, sending them both crashing to the floor.
Opening his mouth to retort, Draco's insult died on his tongue when he saw that the other person was Harry.
Climbing to their feet, both simultaneously accused, "You've been avoiding me!"
Harry smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. His gaze met Draco's briefly before he looked at the ground. Now what? He had found the person he was looking for, but he didn't know what to say. This seemed so much more planned out in his head.
Luckily, Draco was the first to break the silence. "Harry, we need to talk," he blurted out, then took a step back. He almost looked surprised at the words.
"Yes, we do," Harry agreed. He glanced around quickly, then gestured to a nearby classroom. Leaning up against one of the desks once inside, he watched in amusement as Draco began to pace. He recognized it as one of the blonde's nervous habits, and then his stomach began to churn as he wondered what could possibly be making Draco so nervous. Other than the fact, of course, that he had no romantic interest in Harry.
After a couple of minutes, Harry murmured, "No one is talking."
Startled by the break in silence, Draco tripped and caught himself just before he slammed into a desk. Deciding that pacing was not such a good idea after all, he took a seat on top of the desk next to Harry's, long legs dangling over the side. Even thinking this for so long, he still didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound pathetic. One wrong word, and he could lose the friendship that he had grown to cherish. That was the last thing he wanted.
With a sidelong glance, he saw that Harry was lost in thought. What he wouldn't give to know what he was thinking. But since his telepathic skills were less than stellar, he deemed it up to himself to get the confrontation over with. "People," he snorted with derision, then mentally smacked himself for such a mediocre comment.
"Yeah, people," Harry echoed. It seemed Draco had noticed the rumors not dying down as well. "Do you... wonder who started them?"
"Well, of course!" Draco said vehemently. "What I wouldn't do to the person who started them..."
"Oh. Uh, me too." Harry's heart sank. So much for Hermione's female intuition. Draco really must not like him like that to respond so strongly. Well, maybe he could get out of this with minimal humiliation. "They are quite insane, aren't they?" he forced a laugh.
Draco's gaze flew to Harry in surprise. If he didn't know any better, he would think that Harry was more disturbed by these rumors than he let on. Not in a disgusted way, either. It almost sounded like he was... nervous.
All the gears in Draco's brain were turning furiously as he began to entertain thoughts he had previously accepted as impossible. And he didn't like indulging in flights of fancy. He was a doer, not a thinker, and he was finished thinking.
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, he quickly shut it again. He couldn't do it. He didn't want to say anything to upset Harry. He would have to handle this delicately.
So he was quite thunderstruck when Harry asked suddenly, "Do you have feelings for me?" Then his hand clamped over his mouth, eyes wide at the question he obviously hadn't meant to ask out loud. But there was no taking it back now.
Draco regarded his options at this point. He could do the obvious, lie, and things would go back to the way they were before, even if that way was unappealing when compared to the possibilities of how things could be. That was the safe option. Or he could admit his feelings and risk shattering *any* type of relationship with Harry.
There was no choice, really. He was a Malfoy, and Malfoys never ran away from terrifying situations. Well, except for that one time in the Forbidden Forest. But that was justified. There were creepy things in there!
Apparently he had taken too long to answer. Pushing himself away from the desk, Harry apologized, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."
"No, Harry, you deserve an answer in words," Draco spoke up once he gathered his wits enough to form a coherent sentence.
"You don't owe me any--"
"Yes, I--"
"No, really, it's not necessary--"
"But I want--"
"No, it's all right if--"
"Harry, will you let me get a bloody word in!" Draco shouted in exasperation, effectively stifling Harry's interruptions. He gestured for the other teen to sit down, then he resumed his pacing. He couldn't help it; bloody nerves.
How to say this, how to say this... Clearing his throat, he began, "We haven't been friends for a long time, like you and Hermione and Weasley. In fact, we were the complete opposite to the extreme, abhorring each other with a passion." When Harry went to interject, Draco held up a hand to silence him, stopping once again in his pacing.
"I know, we didn't really hate each other, but we didn't realize that then. But there *were* a couple of other things that I realized after all that time."
Draco had been staring at the ground during this last bit, and Harry could see the blonde's breaths were quick and shallow, a surefire indication of nerves. But Harry was going through the same thing, as he so desperately wanted to hear what Draco's revelations were. "What other things?" he asked in a whisper, unconsciously leaning forward.
"That there may be some truth in the rumors," Draco murmured. Then he cleared his throat. "Obviously not in the part about our dating, but in other... implied... feelings."
Harry froze, quite unable to comprehend this. Was Draco admitting that he had feelings for Harry, or was he revealing that he knew Harry had feelings for *him*? The only way to get an answer would be to ask... "Are you saying that... you *do* have feelings for me? Non-platonic feelings?"
"Yes," Draco whispered. Then he squared his shoulders and repeated more firmly, "Yes. That is what I'm saying. Salazar help me, I'm smitten by The Boy Who Lived."
As he said that, his eyes widened. That was the first time he admitted his crush out loud, not to mention the tiny fact that he admitted it to said crush, who currently happened to be gaping at him. And while he knew it, knew that he had these feelings, there was just something so concrete about saying it aloud. There was no denying it now.
But he didn't want to. His feelings were real, and he was tired of keeping them bottled up. If Harry couldn't handle it and he severed their friendship, then so be it. It would crush Draco to pieces, but he would accept it. After all, he couldn't force the Gryffindor to feel something that he didn't. Judging from the look on Harry's face, Draco didn't know what to think.
It was quite easy to see that Harry was in shock, and he definitely was. Draco had feelings for him? They weren't one-sided? Harry didn't think he could have been happier if he tried.
Lucky for him, he didn't have to.
He mumbled something under his breath that Draco didn't quite catch. "What was that?" he prompted.
"I said, good," Harry repeated, his face expressionless.
"Good?"
"Yes, good... I'd be embarrassed for you if you made a confession like that when I didn't feel the same way." Harry paused a moment, letting his words sink in. He watched as a myriad of emotions flitted across Draco's face, from concentration, to confusion, to comprehension, and finally settling on disbelief. Harry smiled.
He couldn't believe it. Harry liked him back? Draco was quite taken aback. Well, Hermione *had* hinted at it, but he just figured she was crazy. Apparently she wasn't, but maybe he--Draco--was. What if he had just misunderstood Harry's words? What if Harry didn't in fact like him back in the same way?
The panic must have shown on his face because Harry stood, crossing the short distance between the two. Eyes dancing emerald fire, he said, "Godric help me, I'm smitten by a Malfoy."
All at once Draco's face lit up. Then his lips curled into a smirk. "I hope you mean me?"
With a silent nod, Harry reached over and placed a hand in Draco's blonde hair, pulling their lips together. He was greeted just as eagerly, lips meeting over and over again as neither wanted to pull away.
Hands tentatively exploring Harry's back, Draco sank deeper and deeper into the Gryffindor's touch. He had dreamt about this but never believed it would happen, so that only made it that much better. He pressed himself closer, hands now stationary on the small of Harry's back, mouth gliding comfortably and heatedly over red, luscious lips that returned his kisses with equal fervor. Draco let out a blissful sigh.
When Harry heard this, his lips curled into a smile. He, of course, knew exactly how the other teen felt, and much of this was elation. But most imminent on his mind was the heat being generated from their bodies touching. Harry felt as if all of his nerve endings were tingling, making his entire body hum. It was quite a delicious feeling.
Placing a kiss at the corner of Harry's mouth, Draco leaned back. He smiled at the tiny moan of protest that Harry let out. "Wow."
"Wow is right," Harry agreed breathlessly, mind still a bit fuzzy. He gave a lopsided grin, and Draco burst into laughter.
"How did we miss this?" he asked between chuckles, arms resting loosely around Harry's waist.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm going to thank Hermione the next time I see her." At Draco's questioning look, he explained, "She was the one who got me thinking about my feelings. Apparently she knew I liked you even before *I* knew."
Draco's eye narrowed. It seemed Hermione was just meddling all around. The girl was too observant for her own good. Then again, had she not said anything to either of them, they would still be dancing around their attraction to the other. Grinning wickedly, Draco said, "Maybe we should give her a run for her money."
Harry raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "What did you have in mind?"
"We'll teach Miss Granger how nice it is to spread rumors. This is what we're going to do..."
******
Hoping that you feel the same way
Now that we know it, let's really show it, darlin'
******
.
.
.
.
Finally some fluff! I figured I had better get to it before some of you decided to riot against me. Hope you weren't disappointed! The next chapter will be the last one, methinks. I'll keep busy writing on it, but it may be a little bit before it's posted... I have finals a month from now, a Sensation and Perception test next Thursday, a Sociology of the Family paper due the Monday after that, and my Experimental Psych project due the Thursday after that. Busy little bee, I am!
Anyway, please review! I do so love the support. I thrive on it. It's my honey, my essence. I love you guy!