Love Me Back Together.
Chapter Four: The Strain.
The night had long since gone and the sun had risen, shining in all it's glory. He was sure the sunrise had been quite the spectacle but when pitted against his lover, it just couldn't compare. He'd been sitting in the same spot lovingly gazing at the sleeping face of his boyfriend of barely a year, close yet so far away. He didn't dare lie down completely because he knew that if he did, the flashbacks would come back full force. But he was content to just lean against the headboard and look, drinking in the sight and never getting his fill.
It wasn't until around noon that Harry finally began to stir and Draco watched fascinated. Harry sighed slightly, not from depression or sadness but from complete satisfaction. A yawn escaped his lips and he stretched a little before unconsciously moving closer to Draco, grasping his pajama pants with one hand and snuggling into his thigh for a few more moments of sweet slumber. Draco's hand hovered uncertainly over the top of Harry's head, so desperately wanting to run his fingers through those silken locks but afraid of the painful reaction he'd receive should Harry awaken. In the end, he settled his hand beside Harry's head and stared longingly. Harry made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat and clutched at him tighter. Draco bit his lip and blushed.
Oh what you do to me, Harry…
Harry's eyes finally opened and the first thought of awareness was; my, what a soft pillow this is.
"Good morning, love." Harry blinked and jumped away from the fleshy pillow but he relaxed almost instantly once his blurred vision recognized the blonde hair. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Good morning." Draco handed him his glasses and he smiled gratefully once the world came into clear view. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"Since before dawn, I think."
"What? Where you having trouble sleeping? Was it the couch?" Draco shook his head and laughed a little at his concern.
"I went to check up on you last night because, you know, I worry," He flushed a little. "And…well, I just remember feeling like I never wanted to take my eyes off you again."
"Oh." Harry said dumbly, blushing as red as the flower on the nightstand. Draco had always been romantic but he couldn't help but get the feeling that perhaps, he was becoming even more romantic. Is it the Island?
"So," Draco sighed, breaking the silence. "Why don't we get showered and dressed and go for brunch? I don't know about you but I'm famished." Harry smiled and nodded.
"There are so many things to do. I'm not sure what to do first." Draco mumbled, reading the brochure later that day at brunch. Harry set his glass down and plucked the brochure from Draco's hand.
"Well, do you want to start out light or heavy?" Harry asked. His eyes lit up with interest at some of the things, having never done them before. Whatever Draco had been about to say died on the tip of his tongue, when he saw the sparkle.
"Whatever you want, Harry." He said distractedly. Harry looked at him weirdly and he forced himself out of his stupor. Get a hold of yourself, man! "I mean, what would you prefer?"
"We have a lot of time, I think. Maybe…today we could just explore, by ourselves?" He asked unsurely. Of course, this was fine with Draco. He much rather preferred not to be disturbed by other tourists anyway.
"Sounds splendid." He shot him a brilliant smile and Harry could only smile back, assured.
"Well, it's better than the damn Airport." Ron muttered, dumping his suitcase onto the hotel bed.
"You could be a little more enthusiastic, Ronald." Hermione scolded from the adjoining room. Ron rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me, either." He really wished he could get away with throwing something at her.
Sirius gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Welcome to the dating life, my good fellow." Remus, however, could get away with throwing things and gladly pelted Sirius in the back of his head with his own toothbrush. "Ow, come on, Moony! I was only kidding!" He whined, running over to the gentle faced man with a great, child-like pout. Remus chuckled and closed his eyes contentedly when Sirius wrapped his strong arms around him loosely. "You know I like it when you predict what I'm going to say." He murmured lowly.
Ron froze in sifting through his suitcase. No…
"And you know I like throwing things at you." He quipped back. Sirius buried his face into Remus' neck and inhaled his masculine scent deeply.
"Is that so?" He purred, planting a chaste kiss on the junction between his shoulder and neck. Thank God for v-neck t-shirts.
Remus shivered as Sirius' arms tightened around him and he had to bite his lip, lest something extremely enticing escape from between them.
"Blimey, you two; do you mind getting a room that isn't occupied by under-aged, clearly heterosexual teens!?" Ron screeched in a panic, without even turning around.
"Sirius, Remus, behave!" Lily scolded, poking her head into the room with a glare, which didn't even falter when she saw just how intimate they were with each other. "Or Do I have to stick my mother in here to keep you two in line?"
"Please." Ron mumbled helplessly.
"No, no, we'll behave." Sirius grumbled, reluctantly pulling away from his companion. "Spoilsport…"
"What was that?" Her glare turned deadly and Sirius laughed nervously.
"Nothing at all, Lils!"
"I'm sure it wasn't. Just behave; you're not exactly on a romantic getaway for two here."
"Yes, mother." He muttered.
"Keep it up, Sirius…" She said threateningly before going back to the other room. She shared the room with Rose, Narcissa, and Hermione while the boys shared the other room. It was a bit crowded but seeing as they could only get last minute rooms, it would have to do.
"Lily, what was the name of the resort they were staying at?" James asked, sifting through a pile of brochures on the table. He was being of no use, as usual when his mind was pre-occupied.
"Matangi, dear."
"That's not too far away… I don't think." He hummed thoughtfully. "How about we go look for them later? Just to see how everything's going?"
"Let's give them the first couple of days to themselves at least." Rose said, peering out the balcony windows with interest. "That way we can enjoy the vacation as well."
"I don't know mom—"
"Sounds wonderful! We can go snorkeling later." Richard piped in loudly from the bathroom.
"H-hey, Da—"
"We haven't eaten yet, Mr. Potter." Hermione reminded him. He walked out of the bathroom, adjusting his belt.
"We'll eat first and snorkel later then."
"Perhaps visit a few souvenir shops." Narcissa pondered, from her bed.
"Hey are you guys list—"
"Oh, I saw the most adorable little t-shirt when we walked past the gift shop! It was perfect for Eve." Lily cooed.
James growled with frustration as his entire family pointedly ignored him. Honestly, what were they thinking? Harry was at risk and they were talking about souvenirs and snorkeling! Weren't they even the least bit worried?
"James." He was pulled out of his sulking by an empathetic Remus. "We're all worried about Harry but obsessing over him won't do anyone any good. Enjoy spending time with Lily for a couple a days; Lord knows you two need the relaxation." He smiled softly and gave his shoulder a squeeze.
He was right, as usual. Harry wasn't the only one suffering from his ordeal. There had been many sleepless nights over him, worrying and comforting one another; when they weren't consoling each other, they sometimes found themselves fighting, over trivial things mostly. They needed to relieve their own tension before trying to do anything about Harry's.
"Fine." He said, defeated. Remus smiled, satisfactorily. "But can I at least call them? They never called yesterday."
"Oh! I'd completely forgotten!" Lily gasped, finally tuning into her husband. "Call them, call them now!" She urged. Needless to say, he didn't need to be told twice.
After realizing that they were both wearing sandals, which weren't exactly good for exploring, they returned to the Bure to switch into a more comfortable pair of shoes. It was on their way out of the door again, that Harry's cellphone rang.
"Harry speaking."
"Harry! You didn't call us yesterday." His mother scolded. He slumped guiltily and Draco put a concerned hand on his shoulder. Harry mouthed 'My mother' and Draco relaxed.
"Sorry, mum. I completely forgot and by the time we got to our Bure, we were both exhausted."
"Well, I guess that's alright…just don't do it again!"
"I won't, I promise."
"I'd talk longer but I have a feeling you're busy. Are you and Draco about to go out?"
"We're just going to explore the island a little. There are a couple of nature trails we wanted to explore. I'll take some really nice pictures for you." He blinked in confusion when a chorus of 'Aw's' sounded in the background accompanied by something getting smacked. "Where are you, mum? It's kind of noisy."
"O-oh, we're over your grandfather's house. They're watching…a movie."
"Oh…" He paused for a moment, hearing shushing sounds and another smack but shook his head. His family really was a little odd at times. "Well, I don't know if the phone works further up the mountain. Do you want to talk to Draco before we go?"
"Oh no, don't let me keep you from your fun. Just tell him we said hello. Have a good time, love!"
He smiled and pocketed his phone again; turning to Draco he offered a slight smile. "They said hello." Draco raised an eyebrow and they descended the steps.
"Are they all sulking together because we're no longer there?" He mused. He wouldn't put it past Harry's family to sulk like three-year-olds at his absence.
"I guess. It sounded like they were having a lot of fun."
"Of course they'd have all the fun while we're gone." Draco sighed dramatically. Harry laughed and with minimal hesitation, gently laced his fingers with Draco's. Draco was surprised enough to stop in his tracks. Harry rarely took the initiative for physical contact these days.
"It's not true." Harry said softly, his eyes shining up at him. "We'll be having our own fun, here—together." Harry blushed, mainly because that was the cheesiest thing he'd ever said.
Draco blushed because he had taken the statement the completely wrong way.
He cleared his throat, "You're right." And they continued walking.
Now, he didn't like to doubt things, though it happened from time to time but he couldn't help but wonder if vacationing with Harry alone was really such a good idea. He had completely forgotten how utterly unintentionally, irresistibly, seductive Harry could be. He always said the right words at the wrong time and perhaps had this been a time before March; they'd be making passionate love somewhere on this white sandy beach, the sun beating down on their naked skin relentlessly, making them hotter…sweatier…
"Are you okay?" Harry pressed a hand to Draco's forehead. His blonde boyfriend was incredibly flushed and his eyes were glazed over. He looked like he had heatstroke! "Do you want to go back? You don't look to good." Draco managed to bring himself out of his most vivid daydreams long enough to hear the last thing Harry said.
"No! No, I'm fine." He assured him.
"You're all flushed, Draco. You put sunscreen on, didn't you?" He asked warningly.
"Yes, mother." He rolled his eyes but his grin betrayed his apparent annoyance. He could tell Harry was about to repeat himself so he silenced him with a slender finger. He tried not to pay too much attention to the softness of the lips he'd been denied for some time, knowing that if he did, he'd only drive himself insane. "There are only so many hours in a day; let's get going." With that said, he gently tugged Harry forward.
The scenery was breathtaking. Luscious trees and exotic flowers and fruits surrounded the narrow path. Brightly colored birds were perched comfortably along some of these trees and a butterfly or two flitted past. Harry found himself almost constantly taking pictures a small smile on his face with his eyes wide as they took in everything around him with surprising velocity. So absorbed was he in his picture-taking that he didn't notice Draco's unwavering gaze until he had turned around to snap a picture at a bird in flight.
"What?" He asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about himself. He wondered if maybe he had a tear in his white t-shirt that he didn't know about.
"It's just…ever since we got here…you've become even more irresistible than you were before." His voice was husky and his eyes a deep, cloudy gray that Harry hadn't seen in a long time. "You go very well with nature, Harry." He breathed, unconsciously stepping closer. Harry's heart thumped painfully in his chest and his eyes widened fearfully for a fraction of a second before he regained his senses. But it was enough for Draco to call back his raging libido once more and the small fire that had begun to grow between them died out to a smoky, incense-like burn. Harry sighed and peered up at Draco with apologetic emerald eyes as his heart slowly but surely slowed to a more normal beat.
"It's not that I don't want to." Harry whispered, staring at the dirt path. He gripped the camera tightly. Draco smiled sadly.
"I know."
"I want to try though." He said fervently, his eyes taking on a fiercer green as they snapped up to meet his. Draco blinked, surprised but remained silent. Then Harry deflated again with a loud sigh. "Just not now." He finished lamely.
"There's no rush, Harry." He laughed, to try and ease the tension but he knew that Harry knew that he wasn't exactly at ease with his own assurance. Being alone with the love of his life and unable to touch him in any way he pleased was definitely torture in its finest form. He didn't know about Harry but his body was burning.
"If you say so." Harry said softly before he resumed taking pictures. Draco stared longingly at the back of his head.
I don't, I don't, I don't….
A/n:dodges deadly weapons Once again, I rear my head after two long, agonizing years. I'm surprised any of you reviewers haven't kicked me off your alert/favorites list yet! I'm grateful that you haven't though. Alright, now for the explanations.
School does play a major factor in this, as well as a few domestic related issues I'd rather not go into detail about. But I think a major, contributing factor is that I had a total lack of interest for the entire two years; in just about ANYTHING that I was writing. I even tried to do some one shots, you know, to jump start? But that didn't work very well. So basically the confidence I had in my writing abilities had dwindled to almost nothing. Now, this is going to sound mean but, my fervor for writing….didn't return until after my Spanish 102 class was told our teacher was in the hospital. (She's fine by the way) my lovely, adorable, cute, loyal, respectable little reviewers—I was in a state of euphoria afterwards. A burden had been lifted off my shoulders and I stayed up all night just to write this.
Also, I want to say that the next chapter will most likely be up in 1-2 weeks (infinitely better than 1-2yrs, right?) Sorry for the shortness but I felt that this was a good place to stop. Chapter lengths will vary from now on, unfortunately (I did love writing those 10 page chapters though…) I hope this doesn't disappoint ya'll too bad.
For this chapter, I think I really just wanted to focus on Draco's frustration and the fact that they are still very much in love but so cautious that it's almost impossible for anything other than hand holding and loving gazes to occur. Does that make sense? I hope so. Hm…I think there will be some covert operations in the next chapter…maybe a certain elder Malfoy? evil grin