Eighth Cup
Burning Hope
Blaise's apartment was heaven compared to Harry's old place. It was easily twice the size of Harry's old apartment, With a large modern looking living room, and a kitchen that was an actual room instead of a small corner, Harry was in awe and amazement as he looked around. "There's two bedrooms," Blaise said. "I've been looking for a roommate recently, but no one I've met with really connected with me."
"Two bedroom?" Harry gasped. "Blaise, this place is amazing!"
"It's not much, but it's home," Blaise smiled, looking a little smug that he's able to show off. "Come on, I'll show you to your room Harry. And where the bathroom is because you look like you need that and a nice glass of wine."
"Cheers Blaise, but I'm not fond of drinking," Harry said. "Viktor had a problem with that."
"Then I'll see whatever I have, how about a bath and a cup of tea?" Blaise asked.
"That would be lovely, thanks," Harry smiled. He took his overstuffed bag and followed Blaise through the main room of the apartment towards a small hallway with three doors, one at the end and one on either side. Blaise pointing to the door at the end, "That's my room, feel free to bother me whenever you need to, the door on the left is our bathroom, and this one right here is your room." He opened the door to their right and they both stepped inside.
The room was spacious but bare of any personality. Kept strangely clean, there was a wooden dresser and wardrobe sitting next to each other in the middle of the wall to the right. On top of the dresser, in the middle of it, was a television that was a good size connected to a cable box. Opposite it was a small double bed, with two empty nightstands on either side. On the wall directly in front of them were two windows that had only blinds.
"It was decorated like this," Blaise explained. "The building's owner just loves double beds. I got the televisions, got them on Black Friday so each of them was half off… and I got a good deal with the cable, but all the televisions are connected to the internet, and I have a Netflix account."
"This place must cost a fortune," Harry breathed, "the rent must be enormous!"
"It's not that much," Blaise shrugged. "But if we were working at any other café but Sirius's there would be no way we could afford this. Not without getting a second job."
Harry turned around quickly and pulled Blaise into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered softly. "Thank you Blaise… you're my best friend."
"Anytime Harry," Blaise said softly, squeezing Harry in the hug. "Now come on, let's get you settled."
Feeling a sense of relief, as though for once in his life his lungs was full of nothing but fresh, invigorating air, Harry nodded and the two went inside the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Harry placed his bag on the bed and opened it. The two spent the next hour taking out Harry's clothes and laying them out on the bed before Harry decided how he wanted to fill his new room. Blaise took out his pictures and diploma from college and laid them to the side for Harry to move later. When the clothes were done, Blaise showed Harry the bathroom, which had a regular side shower/tub hybrid.
"Shame it only fits one person," Blaise sighed, "but I asked the landlord and she approved of me extending it. It can fit my tall body laying down, and it can easily fit yours Harry. I have some herbal soap and shampoo that I use for relaxing, feel free to use those. So just relax in your bed, I'll draw you a bath, make your tea, and call you when they're ready."
"I… how am I ever going to repay you Blaise," Harry asked.
"You can begin by healing," Blaise said, looking at Harry with a rare serious look. "Whether you acknowledge it or not, your relationship with Viktor had damage you. You loved him, yes, but the way he treated you is inexcusable. So for now, I want you to work hard to move pass that mindset and admit to yourself that 'yes, Viktor treated me badly and I deserve so much than him.' After that, and only after, we can start about talking rent."
Harry smiled. Tears welled in his eyes again, but this time of relief. Smiling, he nodded at Blaise and went to his room, can't believing that the room was his, and he laid on the bed. It felt so soft under his body, not a lump in sight. He moved his arms and legs slowly around it, caressing it as though he was making a snow angel on it. A great tiredness overwhelmed in as the day's events crashed upon him. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but they drifted close and his soft snoring filled the room.
He woke ten minutes later to Blaise holding a mug full of tea. "Bath's ready," he said softly. Groaning and not wanting to get out of the comfortable bed, Harry rolled until he reached the edge of his bed. Blaise laughed, amused by his antics, and Harry regrettably slipped his lower half off, his feet touching the smooth wooden floor. Getting up fully, Harry accepted the mug of tea from Blaise and made his way to the bathroom where he saw that Blaise had laid out the scented soaps and shampoo, he talked about.
There was a drink holder in the tub which Harry placed his tea, taking a sip before doing so. "Ah! Forgot something," Blaise said. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a bath pillow that he placed at the edge of the tub. "There you go," he grinned. Now you can lay down comfortable."
"Thanks Blaise," Harry smiled. The older man left the bathroom, and Harry began to undress. Naked, he slipped into the tub, it's water a perfect warm temperature. "Ahhhh," he moaned loudly as the water lapped and licked his skin.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the water to soak his tensed, knotted muscles. The pillow formed to support his head and neck, feeling as though Harry was resting on a cloud instead of the tub. When is the last time I got to relax like this? He thought to himself. He frowned as his mind started winding back, going over the months and years until he found his answer.
Four years ago, he and Viktor were a year into their relationship… I was still in college then… an English student with dreams of big novels and poems. When was the last time I've ever written any? Harry frowned. Not that I've written much, he shrugged to himself, yet I was always fascinated by point of view. On how a story could be sharpened, changed, by the point of view. … But that was a long time ago. Back where Viktor and I were happily in love, madly even. He knew that I wanted to learn how to swim but was too scared to take lessons with others so he bribed the entire swimming team to use our school's pool. It was a total disaster, Harry chuckled softly to himself. That's the first time we had sex too… the day we took each other's virginities.
Harry smiled softly at the memory. A feeling of bittersweet reminisce filled Harry. He reached for his tea and took a long, slow drink, as though he was trying to drown his memories. Giving an annoyed grunt, Harry reached for one of the scented soaps and started washing himself. He sunk deeper into the tub, closing his eyes as his thoughts moved around in a spiral as he tried to make sense of the day's events. He frowned and squeezed his eyes shut before slipping his head underwater, holding there for three seconds, then coming back up to rest on the bath pillow.
I need to push Viktor out of my head, he thought to himself. He can do fine on his own, he'll live… this will hurt both of us but he'll find a new princess, a boy worthy of him… a boy who can handle him, succeed where I failed in changing him. He sighed. For some reason, his thoughts did drift from Viktor, moving to Draco Malfoy.
We have a date… or at least an outing Sunday. Will he hear about Viktor and I? Will Blaise tell him? No… I should be the one to do it. He thought about calling out to Blaise but decided against it. The two will talk when he is done with his bath.
With that in mind, Harry focused on cleaning himself. The water started to turn, but Harry stood up quickly and used the showerhead for his hair. When he was done, he stepped out and let the water drain. He looked around and found a towel and a bathrobe hanging on the door that he somehow missed. He took the towel and dried up before putting on the bathrobe. It was a deep emerald color and felt soft against Harry's skin.
Making sure he had his glasses on, he walked out of the bathroom, a little self conscious about his damp feet.
"Don't worry about making a mess," Blaise said, "this is your apartment now too, you know. Come over here, I want to talk with you."
Harry found Blaise sitting in a couch watching the television. He looked relaxed, as he looked over his shoulder to smile at Harry. "Come on," he said.
Harry moved towards his friend and sat down in an armchair near the couch. "What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked.
"Are you okay?" Blaise asked. "I'm sorry but I just wanted to check up on everything. After what happened today, I'll understand if all you want to do is scream."
Harry frowned. He looked around the apartment, and felt a sense of confusion. "I just… everything seems to be going too fast," he said. "This entire day. My parents, Draco and I having a second chance, Viktor…. I don't know what to do Blaise. Viktor's been my main support, my everything, for the last five years. My dream was his dream. I don't know if I can have any ambitions without him…"
"Well," Blaise said slowly, "I don't have all the answers Harry, I'm sorry, however… I know I can't give you a drive… but I hope to be your support until you learn to stand by yourself."
"Thank you Blaise," Harry said, "but I don't know how long that'll be…"
"You don't have to," Blaise said. "You know when you know. It takes everyone a different amount of time."
Harry nodded. He gave his friend a small smile and couldn't help but ask, "How do you know all this?"
Blaise's face turned into a complicated feature. Staring straight at Harry, the younger man could see that Blaise was having an internal conflict inside based off of the question. He opened his mouth, about to tell Blaise to forget it, when Blaise said, "My mother… she had a few relationships that reminded me of your situation with Viktor. I've lived through all of them… that's how I've learned how to deal with this situation."
Harry nodded quietly. He was relieved, honestly, to have someone like Blaise, yet he couldn't help but feel absolutely awful. Already his heart missed Viktor. He wanted to run back, to talk to him, to apologize and promise that he'll fix him… even though his brain is yelling at him to stop this line of thinking.
"Hey, Harry," Blaise said, getting the boy's attention. "Right now, you need a busy mind, I think. You need something to do to just get your thoughts off of Krum. Is there anything going on? Any events or stuff that you can focus on instead of Viktor?"
"Well… there's my folks, obviously, and on Sunday… on Sunday I promised Draco to go out with him—on a casual friendly thing!" Harry said, rushing to add the ending. Blaise smiled and nodded approvingly.
"Good, that should keep you busy for this weekend at least," he said. "And after that? Do you have anything?"
"Just work," Harry said. "That's it…"
"Right," Blaise said, he thought for a minute before smiling at Harry, "Well, let's just get through this weekend first, huh?"
"Okay," Harry nodded softly.
"Excellent. Now, I don't know about you Harry, but I am absolutely starving. Want pizza for dinner? My treat," Blaise said. Harry looked at Blaise and smiled softly. "Yeah," he nodded.
"Great, get dressed then, or stay in that robe, I don't mind, and I'll order for us and find something good for us to watch. Tonight's all about staying in and relaxing!" Blaise declared, smiling widely as he jumped to his feet. Harry couldn't help but giggle at his friend's antics.
He nodded in agreement and relaxed in his chair while Blaise went off to order their pizza. The night was spent with total relaxation for Harry. Deciding to stay in the bathrobes, Harry and Blaise spent the hours away eating and talking while a movie played in the background. Harry's troubles seemed far away by the time he retired to his room, undressing for bed. With the lights off, and the comfortable mattress underneath, Harry's mind turned to Viktor for only a moment before he drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Harry woke up expecting to see the massive sculpted back of his lover. Instead he woke up alone. It took him a moment to remember what happened yesterday, and he couldn't help but feel awful as he slipped out of his bed and slipped on a pair of underwear. Blaise was already dressed for work when Harry shuffled out of his room.
"Good morning Harry," he smiled. "A quick day's work then we have the rest off! Do you know what you and your folks are going to do?"
"No, but we are going to have a bit of a talk," Harry sighed. "How about you?"
"I have a date," Blaise hummed. "Hopefully he likes me and just doesn't want sex like the last… five."
"Ouch," Harry frowned.
"A plague of our community," Blaise sighed. "We're all behind developmentally because we are forced to pretend to be straight during our teenage years. Sometimes I really hate straight people for that…"
"And other times?"
"Other times I just want a good fuck which none of the boys can give me," Blaise said. "I cannot tell you how many times these boys swear they can take a big dick but wimp out when they actually see mine…"
Harry blushed and bit his lip. "Viktor and I… he's big, but sometimes it wasn't enough… didn't feel enough, so a few times we tried fisting… It was surprisingly easy."
Blaise let out a low whistle and smiled, "Damn Harry… I need a boy like you." Harry's eyes widened and his blush deepened which caused Blaise to laugh. "Not you of course! I like you too much of a friend to do that! Besides, going after you after such a nasty break up? Not my code."
Harry smiled softly. He looked around and said, "I'm going to get dressed… is it okay if I shower?"
"Of course! My bathroom is your bathroom too Harry," Blaise smiled. "Unless you have a very disgusting cleaning ritual…. Do you?"
Harry shook his head, "No, I shower like normal people," he said.
"Then you should be good," Blaise said. "I'll be waiting here for you, take your time and when you're dressed, we'll go."
Harry took his time in the shower, enjoying the feeling of hot water raining down on his skin. When he was done, he dressed for work and joined Blaise in the main room. The two left silently and Blaise drove them to the Three Broomsticks where they saw Sirius unlocking the door. Their boss greeted them happily, Harry was grateful that he did not bring up his parents as the three walked inside. As always, Remus arrived later to make breakfast for the workers and the day started.
Since they were only opened for four hours, the café was always packed. Harry was so busy taking and making orders that he didn't have time to create a concrete thought. He serviced every costumer with a smile, even the rude ones, and by the end of the four hours his feet were hurting like hell, his hair smelled of coffee, and his cheeks were getting sore from smiling so much. By the time his last costumer left, his face drooped dramatically, and he rubbed his cheeks. "How do people smile all day is beyond me," he grumbled to himself. He looked at his friends to see that they too looked exhausted.
"I love that we only have four hours today but bloody hell they're a tough one," Ron complained. "Seamus, you and Dean got any plans today?"
"Nah, why?"
"There's this movie that I thought the three of us would like that just came out," Ron said.
"Sounds like fun, want to join Harry? Blaise?" Seamus asked, looking at Harry and Blaise.
"Can't," Blaise smiled apologetically. "I have a date today."
"Shame, well good luck, how about you Harry?"
"I'm spending the day with my parents," Harry said.
"Well… more popcorn for Ron and I, I guess," Seamus shrugged. He looped an arm around Ron's shoulder and pulled his tall friend closer. "So what was the name of the guy you like? Cormac or something…"
"Harry!"
Harry turned to see his parents walking in. He didn't know how to feel about seeing them, he wanted to blame them for causing the fight that broke him and Viktor up, however he knew deep down that it was just the inevitable. "Hello Mum, Dad," he said.
"We found a nice place to have lunch," Mrs. Potter said. "Sirius and Remus showed us it last night. We can… catch up there. Harry honey, are you alright?"
"I'm… I feel fine, Mum," he said, however from the look from his mother, Harry knew that she knew he was lying. "Seriously," he added.
"Hmm… anyway Harry, we will be waiting in the car for you," Mrs. Potter said. "See you in a bit." Harry nodded and bit his lip while Mrs. Potter and Mr. Potter turn to leave.
"Well, that was awkward," Blaise commented from behind Harry.
"We haven't talked in years because of their disapproval of Viktor," Harry said. "I guess… we sort of just forgotten how to talk with each other… and I think they're afraid."
"Of what?"
"That I'll shove them completely out my life and run back to Viktor," Harry shrugged.
"Will you?"
Harry frowned. "I don't know," he said. "I'll never run back to Viktor but… I don't know if I can forgive my parents. It just hurts so much right now, everything now seems too soon."
Blaise nodded. "I understand that, but can I also say something?"
"Yes, of course."
"Don't push everyone away," Blaise said. "They're your parents. Yes, they fucked up, but that doesn't change the fact that they are your parents. And that they love you. Some people don't have that luxury… Draco doesn't at least."
Harry nodded gently, remembering Draco telling him how much he hated his father. "I guess that's true," he said. "But still… I don't think I can forgive them today."
"Then don't, just don't push them away," Blaise said. He gave Harry a small smile and dug into his pocket. "Here," he said, producing a key. "when you're done, you can just let yourself in back home. Don't worry, I have a spare, but this one is yours."
Harry took the key and smiled. "Thank you Blaise."
"Don't mention it," Blaise said. "Ah—" Harry rushed into him, hugging the bigger young adult with surprising strength that the two stumbled backwards into the counter. Blaise wrapped his arms automatically around Harry. "Hey now, don't cry," Blaise chuckled, "or your parents will think I'm a bad friend."
Harry chuckled and shook his head, "Never," he said. "You're the best friend I've ever had. I just… ever since I started working here you've got my back."
"Of course," Blaise chuckled, "I wasn't going to let a sweet innocent thing like you drift around."
"Thank you, Blaise, I just—thank you, seriously, for everything you've done," Harry said.
"You're welcome Harry," Blaise smiled. The two squeezed each other in the hug, Harry not wanting to let go but know that he had to eventually. When they parted, it was with gentle friendly smiles on both lips. "I'll see you at home Harry," Blaise said.
Harry nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you at home."
A/N: Ok so honestly I am getting more invested in Harry and Blaise's friendship than Harry's romance with Draco someone stop me before I do something crazy!