Our time is running out

Draco sighed deeply and leaned his head backwards against the locker. His teammates had just left the locker room and he finally had a chance to take a deep breath. On the outside, nothing had changed, but on the inside, he was falling apart.

Draco put his head in his hands. He had never felt such immense loss. He hadn't even realized he had become so attached to Harry, until the gryffindor had finally done what Draco had been fearing all along. He had pulled away.

He ran his hands through his hair and stood up. He picked up his bag and headed out after his teammates.

He had originally thought it was because he had pushed the gryffindor too far. That the sex had been too much and Harry had freaked out. He had waited for him by the stairway again after the Gryffindor quidditch practice. He knew that Harry couldn't blow off a 'professor's request' in the company of his friends. And sure enough, Harry had agreed to follow him to the dungeons.

'Harry, I'm sorry-' he had begun to apologize for pushing it too far.

But Harry had immediately cut him off. 'Why? You didn't do anything wrong' he had said.

Draco had just stared at the boy, trying to understand why Harry had took it all away.

Harry had studied the dark walls for a moment. Then he had turned back to him.

'I'm going to die and you're going to become a Death Eater' he had said bluntly. 'We were both setting ourselves to get hurt. It's better to end it now, before...' Harry's eyes had dropped to the floor and Draco had been left to wonder what the gryffindor had been about to say. Before Draco had managed to say or do anything more, Harry had looked up again and whispered a quick 'Bye' before walking away.

Draco had tried to understand Harry's reasoning, he really had, but all he could feel was his loneliness. He didn't want to let go, but every time he cornered the gryffindor these days, the boy was with company. Company that would automatically start jeering at him. And Harry would just stand in the background without a word, looking at him with his big, sad, green eyes. The gryffindor would look at him in the eyes, see his soul and broken heart and still stand behind his words.

He would try to get Harry to talk to him again Thursday, after the Gryffindor quidditch practice.

He was already entering the dungeons. He hadn't felt like going back to second floor, alone, after everything. He instinctively glanced to the side corridor where he and Harry had twice spoken in secret. He came to a halt when he heard muffled swearing from it.

He glanced around to make sure no-one saw him and entered the dark corridor. He walked along it without lighting his wand and saw a figure sitting against the wall, his head in his hands. The figure looked up and Draco knew it was Harry.

He dropped his bag on the floor, cast a Lumos and walked closer. Harry followed his movements silently with his eyes. Draco squatted in front of the gryffindor. He looked at Harry's eyes and saw that the familiar wall was up. Harry hadn't changed his mind.

Draco focused on Harry's hands and ran his finger along Harry's. "What are you doing here?" he asked the gryffindor gently.

Harry looked at their fingers for a moment too. "I had a fight with Ron and Hermione" he admitted finally. "And I just wanted to see you." Harry didn't look up. "I knew you would be walking past here after your quidditch practice, so I came to wait. I thought I had missed you go by."

Draco didn't know what to say. Harry had come to see him. He should have been happy that the gryffindor still cared about him like that. But during the last week, Draco had realized that it wasn't the lack of caring that was their problem. They were happier together than they were apart. They both knew it, but still, Harry was keeping them apart.

"I should go now" Harry said and stood up.

Draco followed his example, and stood up too. He looked at Harry and Harry looked at him. After a moment, Harry let his gaze drop and started to leave.

"Please don't do this" Draco called after him tiredly. He couldn't watch Harry walk away from him any longer. "You don't have to do this."

Harry stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to look at Draco. "I know what it is like to loose someone to Voldemort" he said to the slytherin. "I don't want to do that to you. You may hate me now, but it will be for the better in the long run."

Draco got the feeling that Harry was even more frightened about loosing someone himself.

"What an amazing load of bullshit" he commented on Harry's statement.

"You don't know what it's like..." Harry said, exhausted, leaning against the wall. "'To love and to loose', remember? You didn't believe in it" he reminded Draco.

Draco walked up to the gryffindor, who immediately stood up straighter and faced him properly. "Can I change my answer?" Draco asked and continued without a reply. "I think, no I know now I'd rather love and loose, than just loose."

"I don't think you know what you're saying" Harry whispered.

"That has to be one of the most hurtful things you have ever said to me" Draco accused and Harry had the decency to look down in shame. "Don't you understand, Harry?" he went on. "I have finally found my passion."

Harry looked up, uncertainly. "What is your passion?" he asked.

"You, us and this" Draco answered without hesitation. "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I'm not giving it up." Harry didn't say anything. "This is my decision. Don't steal it from me."

Harry kept the eye contact. "I'm sorry" he whispered.

"You said I was lucky to have that choice" Draco said, pushing Harry against the wall. "This is it. This is it!" he tried to convince the gryffindor.

Draco kissed Harry with all the passion he was feeling, not wanting to let him go, now that he had him where he wanted.

Finally he released Harry's lips, but continued pinning him against the wall. He rubbed his temple against the skin on Harry's cheek and jaw. He didn't want to let go.

"I'm sorry, Draco" the gryffindor gasped again.

Draco felt a weight being added on his heart, he knew that Harry was about to pull away once more. "What are you sorry for?" he whispered into Harry's ear.

First Harry didn't say anything. "For seeking your friendship and making you feel these things for me" he then whispered. "For walking away from you and making you sad... For being weak now and setting us both for heartbreak again..." Harry paused for a moment and Draco felt a new hope rise. "And for making you jump through all these hoops for me. You don't deserve this shit."

Draco slowly pulled back, fearing that Harry would tear away at any moment. "All will be forgiven if you just... Come back to me" he said carefully.

Harry let his forehead rest against Draco shoulder for a moment. Then he put his arms around Draco's waist and hugged the boy. "You don't know how much I have missed you" he whispered, and it was the sweetest thing Draco had ever heard.

The slytherin wrapped his arms around Harry as well, and held him close. "It will be all right" he promised.

Title of the chapter from Time is running out by Muse
A/n: Yeah yeah, I know... For the flow of the story, there should have been at least one chapter of angsty longing, but... Well, I just didn't want to write it. I didn't feel I would have had anything to contribute to the subject, and it would have been complete crap. So... It happens. What, shit? Sometimes.