Harry walked down a London street he had never been to before, looking for the address. It was a lower class neighborhood, with small simple flats and lacking the architectural flourishes of the city's nicer areas. At least it seemed quiet and orderly.
Finding the right building, Harry felt odd buzzing the flat. He had lived in the wizarding world so long, muggle technology felt foreign.
"Come on up," a scratchy voice intoned from the speaker, and the door gave a long buzz. Harry yanked it open and jogged up the stairs.
His heart was pounding from more than the light exercise. It had been almost two weeks since they had seen each other. Harry had been pleased to get the invitation to Draco's flat...a chance to know more about the mysterious man. He tapped lightly on the door.
"Potter..." Draco's light eyes scanning over Harry quickly. His lips curved up a little on one side, and Harry's gaze was drawn there. He found it hard to look away, the urge to step closer and kiss him hello almost too strong to resist.
Harry entered, brushing against Draco lightly in passing, but kept going until he was in the living room area. It was a small, simple flat, with a sofa and a club chair near the fireplace. Harry could see a small kitchen around the corner and a hallway leading to the bedroom and bathroom.
The most amazing thing was all the books. Bookshelves seemed to line most of the walls, stuffed full. Harry scanned over the titles, seeing a mixture of non-fiction and fiction. A wide range of topics. Titles Harry recognized from his childhood.
Harry turned to Draco with wide eyes. "You read muggle books too?"
Draco just shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. He motioned Harry to follow him to the kitchen, and put the kettle on for tea. "All these years, there wasn't a lot I could do when I wasn't working. I didn't have much money or muggle friends. I kept to myself mostly, and got into reading."
"Every book there ever was, apparently," Harry chuckled, glancing towards the stack of books near the small kitchen table.
Draco finished preparing the tea, and carried a laden tray back to the living room. "Hardly," he seemed a little embarrassed, having Harry see such private things and asking him about them.
Harry poured out the tea once it had steeped. "There must have been more to all this reading than just filling the time, Draco." He used his best auror look, calmly waiting for an answer.
Tilting his chin up a little defiantly, Draco took a sip from his mug. "I liked school. I couldn't go for further studies after the war...so I just got books on whatever topic interested me and taught myself."
Sensing there was more to it than that, Harry let it go for now. "So, how was the trip? How is your mother doing?"
The natural, wide smile that took over Draco's face left Harry breathless. He looked so young and handsome in that moment. "It was fantastic. A real eye-opener."
Harry couldn't help but give a pleased smile in return. "In what way? Did you two go to the peak of some mountain?"
It was a weak joke, but Draco chuckled all the same. It was amazing to see him in such a happy mood. "Well, my mother took me on a gondola up a mountain. There was lots of snow up there and we had a bit of a snowball fight."
Harry tried to picture that, Draco and Narcissa acting like tourists, riding a gondola just to enjoy the scenery. He couldn't help but grin at the thought.
"What?" A look of insecurity flashed across Draco's face, and his smile dimmed a little.
Reaching over to Draco, Harry gave his shoulder a comforting pat. "Nothing, nothing...it's just odd to think of you two doing something that is so...so...," Harry struggled to find the right word.
Draco crossed his legs, arching an eyebrow at Harry to finish his sentence.
"Um...normal." Harry shrugged, taking a sip of tea to avoid saying more.
The comment didn't seem to bother Draco. He nodded, sipping his tea while he gazed out of the window, seeming lost in thought for a moment.
He looked back at Harry. "You know, that was how it felt. Normal. Like we were regular, ordinary people. In both the muggle and wizarding areas. It was so strange."
Harry chuckled, feeling relieved. "That's how I feel when I'm in muggle areas. It's so nice not being recognized or treated differently than anybody else."
"I think vacations are meant to be eye-opening. Show you how things could be different, let you try on a different lifestyle for a little while. See what you like, and what you don't. See what you miss from back home." Draco's mood had mellowed a little, seeming more introspective.
"Get a fresh perspective on everything." Harry nodded in understanding. "So, what did you miss?"
Draco scoffed, shifting in his chair. "Well, I didn't miss our rainy, cold winters. Snow is much prettier. And I didn't miss my work." He sighed, looking out towards the window again.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I gave you a very leading question and you answered wrong."
That got him a smirk in reply. "Oh, really? What is the correct answer?"
"That you missed me, of course," Harry said, going for flirty and hoping it didn't come across as desperate.
Draco gave Harry a slow smile, his voice dropping lower. "Come here, and I'll show you how much I missed you."
Harry moved fast to sit beside Draco on the sofa. They both leaned in, for a good, deep kiss, that lasted far longer than Harry thought it would, with Draco's hand digging into his hair and keeping him close.
Harry felt a bit dazed when Draco finally let him go. "I missed you too. Missed this."
That led to more kissing, hungry and increasing in intensity. Within a few minutes, Draco was lying half on top of Harry, his hair messy and lips a bit swollen. He tucked his face against Harry's neck, breathing faster.
Harry wanted more, but didn't push for it, simply running his hands over Draco's back. He was hard, and thought he had felt that Draco was as well, shifting against each other.
Eventually, Draco sighed, rolling on to his side so they weren't in contact as much. "I'm sorry...things with you... having you as a client, our past, everything...," he said softly, his troubled eyes catching Harry's before looking down at the top button of his shirt. "I'm kind of mixed up about everything."
Harry felt a bit disappointed, but tried to understand. "Is that why you said we couldn't continue with the rest of the sessions?" The abrupt way Draco had declined the idea last time had stung.
Nodding, Draco shifted to be sitting up, running his hands through his hair to straighten it. "I've been a dom for years, but never had a client I knew so well in the past."
Harry sat up too, wanting to touch Draco to comfort him but unsure if it would be welcomed. "I don't want to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."
Catching his gaze for a long moment, Draco seemed to be trying to tell if Harry was sincere in that. He eventually sighed, looking away. "You can use the rest of the sessions with someone else. I don't want you to miss out just because of me."
Harry scoffed at the thought of going to another man. "I couldn't care less about the rest of that package. I'm just interested in you, Draco."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Like I have so much to offer. A fucked up ex-death eater dom with no money and no life."
Taking Draco's hand, Harry leaned in against his side. "You are so much more than that."
Not seeming too convinced, Draco at least didn't argue the point or pull away. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
Eventually, Draco let go of Harry's hand, and dug into a nearby messenger bag. "I want to show you something." He pulled out some papers and shoved them at Harry with no explanation.
The documents were obviously old, the paper brittle and the edges curled. Harry scanned over them, seeing mentions of the name Rosier and a property appearing a few times. "What is this about?"
Draco took the sheets back, looking down at them reverently, and setting them down on a nearby table. "My mother and I had some long talks, and she could tell I wasn't happy. So, she gave me this...," he waved towards the papers. "It's the deed for an old property that she recently inherited from an uncle on her mother's side. A Rosier. Some reclusive relative of hers that she only met a couple times."
"And you are going to move there? Where is it?" Harry was alarmed. They were just starting something here, and Draco was going to move away?
Draco chuckled, putting an arm over Harry's shoulders and giving him a comforting half-hug. "No, no...nothing like that." He left his arm there, and Harry loved the casual touch. "I'm going to sell the property, and use the money to start a new life."
"So, you are going to quit your job?" Harry was rocked by this revelation. His mind was a whirl of possibilities.
Nodding, Draco's wide grin was back. "A few clients have only a couple sessions left, so I'll finish up with them. The rest will likely stay with the co-workers who covered for me while I was away. The other doms don't have the no sex rule."
It was great seeing the spark of excitement and possibility in his eyes, and Harry squeezed his hand. "I'm happy for you, Draco. You deserve this."
Draco squeezed back. "I need to go up there this weekend, and get it ready to sell. Take anything I want to keep, clean up the rest."
"Need any help?" Harry offered impulsively. It was mostly selfishly motivated, not wanting Draco to be away again so soon.
Draco's eyes widened a little in surprise, and he looked a bit pleased. But then he sighed, his eyes falling to his lap. "You mentioned last time that we should be discrete. I don't think traveling together is the best idea."
"I'm sure we can figure something out." Harry said quickly, not willing to give up on the idea yet. A whole weekend together? Just getting to be alone with Draco, getting to know him better, was a very tempting thought.
It took a bit of discussion, but by the time they shared a quick goodbye kiss, they had a plan in place. Harry walked home in a daze, feeling more excited about the trip than he had been about anything else for years.
...
Harry had always enjoyed muggle travel, looking out on the scenery and feeling the anticipation building with the slow pace. They had taken a portkey most of the way, and were now on a thirty minute ferry to a small island.
Turning towards Draco, he admired how relaxed and happy he looked, dressed in a thick, dark red jumper, black jeans and a knit cap over his hair. He truly was a handsome man, his slim frame making him look taller than he actually was.
It was good seeing him away from the city, out in this lush, green rugged landscape. Some areas reminded him of Hogwarts, and the raw beauty of the Scottish highlands where they had spent so many years.
"We better get back in the car,"Harry pulled the keys out of his pocket.
Nodding, Draco turned and followed Harry to the blue Mini Cooper. He had been quite amused when Harry had rented the vehicle, and watching him drive it to the ferry terminal earlier. But now, he simply got in and did up his seatbelt.
It wasn't long before the ferry docked and they were driving on to the island. "You will have to direct me," Harry carefully maneuvered the car along the narrow road.
"What? How?" Draco seemed thrown by the request.
Chuckling, Harry grabbed a map of the island from the pocket on his door, and passed it to Draco. "Do you know how maps work?"
Traveling with someone really showed you a lot about each other. Harry had never realized how much he understood the muggle world from his early childhood years. There were many things he took for granted as common knowledge that totally threw Draco, who had lived most of his life in the wizarding world.
Snatching the paper, Draco practically snarled at Harry. "Yes, I'm sure I can figure this out."
But after seeing how Draco kept rotating and squinting at it, Harry finally pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Give it to me."
The blond huffed, but didn't argue, passing the paper over.
Harry quickly got his bearings. "What was the address again?"
In this, Draco was helpful. They figured out the route on the small island and were soon heading west.
Harry parked the car, and they got out, eagerly looking over the grey stone cottage. It was small and simple, obviously quite old. The garden was overgrown, with ivy going a bit wild on one side of the building. A cliff dropping off to the turbulent sea was close enough they could hear the waves pounding onto the rocks below. Sea birds swirled and cawed, diving often to catch fish.
They entered, looking around curiously. It was a cozy space, with a large fireplace on one wall with an old sofa close by. A beat up wooden table with a couple chairs was in a basic kitchen area. Harry opened another door and saw it was a tiny bathroom.
Draco was at the base of a rickety wooden staircase, looking upwards towards a loft area. After gingerly going up a couple of steps, he seemed to find it structurally sound and climbed to the top. Harry heard him walking around up there while he took a closer look at the main floor.
It was a little cluttered and messy, but he could see it was a comfortable home for a man on his own. Someone who liked his own company. The island had only about a hundred residents, with houses nicely spread out. It was probably a five-minute walk to the closest neighbor.
Harry grinned at Draco as he came back down the stairs. "This man was definitely a relative of yours." He nodded towards the bookshelves that stretched high on every available wall, packed full.
Draco chuckled. "There's even more piled up next to his bed."
"It's not in that bad a shape. I was expecting it to be more run down."
Nodding, Draco wandered over to the bookshelf, and started scanning over the titles.
Just smirking at his clearly distracted friend, Harry went out to the car to get some boxes. He could already tell Draco wouldn't be leaving the books behind, no matter how crowded his flat already was. "Look, how about you work on packing up the books? I'll pack up his clothes and other things you don't want. Maybe there is a thrift shop in the town we can donate his stuff to."
Leaving some boxes for Draco, Harry went upstairs. The loft only covered one end of the cottage, above the kitchen and bathroom area, and only had a double bed, a bedside table covered in books, and a wardrobe. Harry found his eyes drawn to that bed, wondering what the sleeping arrangements would be later on. His breath came a little faster as that started a whole series of new fantasies.
...
A few hours later, the car was full of boxes of clothing and kitchenware for donation. Boxes of books were stacked near the cottage doorway. Both Draco and Harry were a bit dirty from the work, feeling tired and hungry.
"Come on. I'll treat you to lunch at the pub." Draco pulled his jumper back on, and headed out to the car.
Harry drove them back towards the ferry dock area in the center of the L-shaped island. There were a few buildings clustered there. "We should pick up some groceries for dinner and breakfast before we head back." Unfortunately, there hadn't been that much work to do at the cottage, and Draco had said they might as well head back the next day. If it had been up to Harry, they would have stayed longer just to enjoy the island.
It was a quick drive, and they enjoyed the lush green scenery in silence. Harry liked that they were getting comfortable enough around each other to not feel the need to constantly talk. He just liked being around Draco.
The pub was small and ancient, but the food was tasty and filling. Draco chatted with their server about his relative, and asked about where to take the donations. Harry was content to sip his lager and relax. He hadn't been away from the city for ages and was enjoying the laid back, friendly manner of the locals.
Afterwards, they dropped off the boxes at the church, for their next fundraising rummage sale. They bought food at the grocery and stashed it in the car. Harry liked doing these simple things with someone else, and chuckled a little at the thought of being so 'domestic' with Draco Malfoy. A big enemy of his school days. His dom until a few weeks ago. And now? What were they? Friends? Something more than that?
Maybe by the time they left, they could be more than that. Lovers. Harry swallowed hard at the thought, pushing down the immediate rush of arousal that came with it. Since they had agreed to go on this trip, Harry's imagination had been in overdrive. Even Ron had commented on how distracted he was at work.
Draco hadn't given any signals that he was thinking similar thoughts though. He had been friendly and seemed to be enjoying the trip, Harry's company and his help. But he hadn't touched or kissed Harry at all.
Harry had been often tempted, but had held back. Was Draco acting like straight friends for the locals? Was he still interested in Harry, or had his feelings faded? Although he seemed to like what they had done the last couple of times they were together, he had always been the one to pull away first, to slow things down when Harry would have let them continue. Was he just not feeling it as much as Harry was?
As much as he wanted more, Harry was still feeling cautious, not wanting to go too far and have Draco leave like he had at their last session at the brothel. He would be friendly and flirt a bit, go very slow for anything more.
"Let's go in here." Draco's voice broke through Harry's musings, and he followed his friend's gaze to a used bookshop.
Harry groaned. "Really? You've just spent half a day packing up boxes of books, and you want more? I wonder if there are any 12 step programs out there for book addicts."
Smirking, Draco dragged him into the shop. It was small but well organized, the tall bookshelves neatly labeled with categories. Draco seemed enraptured, his attention fully focused on scanning every title.
Chuckling to himself, Harry left him to it. He smiled at the older woman behind the counter, and casually perused in the fiction area. He really hadn't had the time to read books for years, maybe since Hogwarts. Maybe it was something he could get back into now.
It was a muggle island, and he ended up with a few paperbacks before heading to the cookbook section. He had continued cooking most days, often inviting various friends over to share the food, finding he remembered most of his rusty cooking skills.
Draco appeared at his side, looking down at the old edition of 'The Joy of Cooking' Harry was flipping through with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" Harry asked, feeling a bit defensive. "I like cooking. I did most of it at the Dursley's before I went to Hogwarts."
Leaning closer so they wouldn't be overheard, Draco spoke softly. "Wizards don't cook, Harry. It's a house elf job."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'd starve to death if I waited for Kreacher to feed me. Besides, I'm a good cook. How do you think my uncle and cousin got so fat?"
Draco grinned, and took the other books Harry was holding, making disgusted noises at each one. "Tom Clancy? Stephen King?"
Harry grabbed them back. "Oh, and I'm sure you only picked out Pulitzer Prize winners?"
"No, but I think you can aim a little higher than that." Draco said, before carrying his armload of books over to the till.
Shrugging off Draco's critique of his book selections, Harry continued to poke around the shop. He saw a book that had been popular in recent years, and added it to his purchases.
Draco only rolled his eyes at it, making Harry chuckle as he paid the shopkeeper.
...
"Hmmmm...this character has just said he is 'fifty shades of fucked-up'. Would you say you were like that too?" Harry lowered his paperback enough to look over at Draco.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Merlin, please don't compare me to that drivel." He went back his Cormac McCarthy novel. The nearby fire flickered, highlighting his silver eyes, his messy blond hair.
Harry grinned, feeling good and just wanting to tease Draco some more. "I'm learning a lot about dom and sub rolls here. He's also saying there is a very fine line between pleasure and pain, one not existing without the other."
They had eaten the sandwiches and salad they bought for supper, and had been reading in front of the fire for a while now. It was so peaceful, the sound of the ocean waves outside, the crackle of the fire, and Draco's company.
Draco sighed, and put his book on the table next to the sofa they were on. Reaching over, he took the book from Harry's grasp, and looked it over. He didn't seem impressed. With a quick flick of his wrist, the book went flying, landing right in the middle of the fire.
Harry just stared at the book for a moment in shock before a bubble of laughter rose up in him. "I can't believe you just did that! You love books!" The book was burning fast, the flames licking across the cover and curling the blackened edges of the pages.
"There aren't many books I would burn, but that is one of them." Draco showed no remorse, a slight grin curling up one side of his mouth. "At least now I won't have to hear you spouting off bullshit for the rest of the night."
Harry was more amused than irritated. "You could have shut me up other ways."
Draco gave him an assessing look, before gazing back into the fire. He sighed. "Yes, but I didn't bring a ball gag or anything else with me."
The image sent an unexpected pang of arousal right through Harry, and his breath caught at the images that flashed through his mind. Harry, stripped down to his underwear, ball gag in his mouth, sitting on the rug on the floor in front of the sofa, reading. Draco, stretched out along the sofa, wearing a silk robe with little underneath, reading his book. One hand stroking and playing with Harry's hair, petting him.
Harry swallowed hard. "Um...no...I meant by kissing me." He had behaved all day, keeping his distance when there had been a thousand times when he wanted to touch Draco. Wrapping his arm around his waist when they were on the ferry, cuddling against his side. Taking his hand in the pub while they waited for lunch, wanting to explore his long fingers. Pinning him against the door of the cottage when they returned later, kissing him until they were both panting and needy.
He waited, heart pounding, watching for Draco's response. Had he said too much, making it awkward when they had enjoyed the day so much?
Draco gave a small, pleased smile, leaning in to Harry. Closing his eyes, Harry let Draco take the lead, wanting him so much but wanting to go at Draco's pace.
Soft lips touched Harry's, warm from the fire, dragging and teasing gently. Draco's hand came up to cup along Harry's jaw, as the kiss deepened. When Draco nudged Harry to lie down, he eagerly stretched out, watching with hooded eyes as the blond laid on his side beside him.
Harry expected things to heat up then, already so aroused, but Draco stayed with the slow, thorough kisses. His hand rested on Harry's chest, not moving to undo the buttons of his shirt. He seemed content to just kiss, and Harry relaxed into it.
They shifted a little after a few minutes, Harry turning on his side also so they could face each other. He ran a hand through Draco's hair, moving it back from his face, liking the silky texture of it. Draco was kissing down his neck, his breathing a little faster. Nuzzling close to Harry's ear, he could definitely hear it, and it was so erotic knowing Draco was affected by all this too.
After another ten minutes or so, Draco pulled back, and reached for a throw pillow. Harry obligingly lifted his head so Draco could put it in place, and they both rested their heads on it, faces only a couple inches apart. Draco traced over Harry's face lightly with his fingers, along his brow, over his cheekbone, feeling the slight whiskers along his jaw.
"Is this OK? Going slow?" Draco's voice was barely a whisper, his eyes dark grey in the shadows and hard to read. He seemed younger like this, nothing like his dom demeanor. Just Draco, being himself, and Harry felt privileged to see him this way.
Harry gave a small nod followed by a light, reassuring kiss. "I love this. Just being with you."
Draco chuckled slightly. "I drag you off to some secluded cabin and don't even have the decency to shag you rotten. I'm not living up to my bad reputation at all."
Laughing along, Harry knew there was some truth beneath the joke. "You don't have to be the dom or the ex-death eater with me. You are just Draco, and I want to get to know you as you are now. Let's leave the past behind."
"But is that really possible?" Draco sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how much of why we are drawn together now is because of those years of being on opposite sides at Hogwarts. The war. And then having you as a client..."
Harry felt concerned, worried that Draco was going to pull away again. Think this was all too much bother, too messy. "Most of that was over ten years ago. I think we have both had time to come to peace with it, have seen it with more mature eyes."
Draco shook his head. "But it's still affecting us everyday. I work in a brothel. You are still recognized and asked to give speeches."
"You know, getting the package might have been a gag gift, but the minute you pulled back your hood in that room, it was like I woke up from sleep walking. I had been living day to day, working hard, long hours, and going to charity events often. Helping however I could. Trying to get the world back into a good place." Harry looked up at the ceiling, piecing things together in his head.
Draco scoffed. "And I knocked some sense into you?"
Harry gave a little shrug and smirked. "It certainly shook me up. You crashed into my life and stirred everything up. You made me question everything. I finally realized that the world had settled down to normal, and I don't need to work so much."
"Whatever will people do without Harry Potter to save them?" Draco smirked a little.
Knowing he was just teasing, Harry chuckled. "Get along fine without me. The big question is what I want to do with all my free time."
Draco nodded. "Tell me about it! Things have changed lots for me as well. You crashed into my life and stirred it up too. Sent me on that Swiss trip and here we are now. What will I do when I'm not at the brothel anymore?"
"Do you think you will make enough from selling this place that you won't have to work again?" Harry glanced around the room, trying to think of how much the place was worth.
Chuckling, Draco shook his head. "I wish! Nah, but enough that I can take off a few months and figure out what I want to do next. Maybe put money down on a new place to live."
"Any ideas for the type of work you want to do? Go back and become a teacher at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, thinking of Neville working there in Herbology. Draco had always done great in Potions.
Draco rolled his eyes at the suggestion. "I doubt they would let me near students with my past. I really don't know what I'll do yet. It's exciting and a bit scary."
Taking a chance, Harry leaned in to give Draco a kiss. "Well, you know I have lots of time on my hands. I'll help you any way I can."
He hoped the kiss would lead to more, get things started again. Instead Draco sat up and stretched, arching his back.
"Thanks, Harry. Well, I'm going to go to bed now. Are you OK sleeping down here?" Draco stood up, and grabbed the pillow and thick blanket from a nearby chair to pass them to Harry.
They had briefly discussed the sleeping arrangements earlier in the day, when they had packed everything up. Draco had left enough bedding for both of them. Harry had hoped the extra blanket wouldn't be needed. Had hoped he would be going up the stairs with Draco, sharing the big bed.
He was a bit disappointed, but didn't let it show. "Of course, Draco. Goodnight."
Draco used the bathroom first, exiting in a baggy t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms. Taking his book with him, he went upstairs, and Harry could hear him settling into the bed as he went into the bathroom himself.
By the time he was done, the fire had burned down to glowing embers. He banked the fire, making sure it would release enough heat to keep the small cottage warm overnight. It gave off a faint glow.
Arranging the pillow and blanket on the sofa, Harry was comfortable enough, and tired from the busy day. But as he tried to drop off into sleep, his thoughts kept running over everything that had happened. Thinking back on how Draco had looked, what he had said, how he had reacted to being around Harry. It had been a good day, getting along easily, joking and teasing each other often.
Harry thought back on making out with Draco, loving all the slow kisses even though they had left him unsatisfied. They were so different than the hot, rushed kisses from the muggle guys he had hooked up with, the focus in those times more about quickly getting each other off.
With Draco, kissing was the focus. It was amazing how good they were, unrushed, lingering, teasing. Letting them both savor brushing their lips together, feeling the slight rasp of whiskers, bumping noses, breathing faster. Incredibly intimate, aware every second that he was kissing Draco. Opening his eyes a crack between kisses just to see Draco so close, his eyes usually closed, getting lost in it. Beautiful.
Harry hadn't been sure if gay men did things like making out. Any gay porn he had occasionally viewed on his rickety computer seemed to be more similar to his drunken hook-ups. A few fast kisses to get things going and then getting right into sex.
He had never read a book featuring a gay relationship, couldn't recall seeing anything about it on the telly when he had lived at the Dursleys. They usually watched programs in the living room, chatting with each other, when Harry worked in the kitchen. He caught the gist of the shows from the audio he could hear.
He hadn't been around many openly gay men, besides Charlie at holiday meals. Charlie never seemed to be in a relationship, so no opportunities to learn much about them there either.
Things so far with Draco felt like the early stages of relationships he had had with women in many ways. Getting to know each other, flirting and teasing each other, long lingering looks on both sides making it obvious there was more to it than just being friends. Definitely mutual attraction, Harry was relieved to find.
While kissing Draco seemed a little like his first, fumbling kisses with girlfriends, taking things slow, that was where the similarity ended. Harry had always been fine with a slow pace with women, enjoying being with them, feeling mildly aroused but not overly eager to move things along.
But with Draco, as much as he loved kissing, being close and intimate, he burned for the man. Just being near him, smelling his light cologne or soap, hearing his voice, looking his fill, Harry reacted like he never had before. It felt like he had a low, constant awareness of the man, a buzz of arousal that surged up at the tiniest things. A sexy half smile made a pang of pure desire shoot through his body, usually right to his cock.
Now, thinking so much about the man, it was no wonder he was rock hard, throbbing after a long day of being around Draco so much. Harry bent his knees, letting the blanket tent over his body, and eased his loose pajama bottoms down. He almost groaned, wrapping his hand around his erection.
His eyes flicked up to the loft, where it was dark and quiet. It was open to the rest of the house, with only a railing instead of a full wall at the top of the stairs. Was Draco fast asleep up there? Could he hear Harry at all?
Was he doing the same thing up there?
Harry had to bite down on the blanket to keep from making a noise at that thought. Imagining Draco lying on the bed, hand around his own cock, thinking about Harry.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...
A quietly mumbled spell and Harry was fucking up into his own fist, the lube making it slick and so, so good. He couldn't hold back, too horny after being around Draco all day. The old sofa creaked softly with his motions but he was too far gone to care. He could only keep from groaning, trying not to loudly pant. He came faster than normal, the orgasm intense.
As he cooled down and cleaned up, he wondered how loud he had actually been. Had Draco been able to hear him? Would it turn him on if he had?
He had watched Harry jerk off during their last session, and he had quickly left the room before Harry could tell what had happened. Had it been disgust at Harry's brazen behavior that made him go like that? Had he been aroused at all by it? That whole session had been different from the others, Draco taking his shirt off, touching his back in the cool down. Harry's obsessed mind had taken them as signs of interest from Draco, when they might not have meant anything at all.
Maybe things between them would continue to progress at this slow pace, and eventually they would have sex. Perhaps, they would be comfortable with each other by then to discuss it, joke about it. Hey, remember that time I wanked in front of you and you escaped as soon as you could and didn't talk to me for weeks? Did you find it at all hot?
Chuckling softly to himself, Harry rolled on to his side and went to sleep.
…
-A/N: Ahhhh…the fragile start of a new relationship…
Thanks for reading this odd story! The boys are on a rocky, twisty road.
-Rathlin Island: The stone cottage is on the west side of Rathlin Island, off the Northern Ireland coast. Beautiful and rugged. Game of Thrones films a lot in this gorgeous area. The Fairhead cliffs are across the water from Rathlin Island, rising 600 feet tall.
-Fifty Shades of Grey: Harry buys a used copy of the paperback from the bookstore to bug Draco. Draco ends up burning it because he is a bit of a book snob.
I liked the book series overall and found it inspiring as a fanfiction writer that the books have done so well, coming from Twilight fanfiction. Ironically, I found the relationship somewhat irritating when they were outside the 'red room of pain', with Christian controlling Anastasia in a stalker-ish way that is very similar to how Edward treated Bella.