Draco woke up feeling strangely comfortable and warm. He was getting used to awakening with a sense of disorientation, thanks to all the travelling and strange, uncomfortable beds, but this felt like paradise. When he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings, he realized it was paradise.
He was in Harry Potter's bed. And he was wrapped around Harry Potter. His chin was nestled against Potter's neck and soft curls tickled his face as he breathed. His arm was draped over Potter's ribs and his buttocks rested firmly against Draco's groin - a very promising position, indeed.
Draco lifted his head to try and gauge the time. It seemed early, hopefully early enough to avoid a blaring wakeup call from Jordan. Satisfied, he dropped his head back to the pillow and let his hand roam over Potter's flat abdomen. The hero was a marvel and Draco had a hard time believing it wasn't all some elaborate dream. It was difficult to accept that Potter wanted him.
Draco wrapped a hand around Potter's flaccid cock and slid his fingers along the length before returning to the base and repeating the motion. After a few strokes, the soft flesh began to harden. Potter made a soft huff and turned toward Draco. Still asleep, Draco noted with a grin, but not for long.
Still stroking, Draco shifted away and moved beneath the covers. Potter unconsciously rolled onto his back to Draco's coaxing touch. Draco put his lips over Potter's cock and wet the warm shaft with his tongue, licking his way up and sucking at the head before cupping Potter's balls and rolling them in his fingers.
Potter made an unintelligible sound, muffled by the blankets. His hips moved upward, driving the tip of his cock into the roof of Draco's mouth. The motion spurred Draco to more elaborate efforts and he moved faster, tonguing the vein and alternating with suction.
The blankets jerked away suddenly, allowing Draco some much-needed fresh air.
"Oh god," Potter said. "If this is a dream, please don't let me wake up."
Draco didn't bother to stop; he just tipped his head until he locked eyes with Potter and winked. Potter's head fell back against the pillows and his hands moved down to touch Draco's head gently.
Once awake, Potter came rather quickly, pumping into Draco's throat in a stream that was surprisingly sweet. Knowing Potter, his flavour probably resulted from a steady diet of treacle tart.
Draco released him with a smug grin and then crawled upward to share the taste with Potter, morning breath notwithstanding.
"That was brilliant," Potter said when he pulled away.
"I know," Draco said and laughed when Potter pinched him.
"Egotist. But in this case, well warranted."
"Flatterer. You just want a repeat."
"I'll certainly never say no to that," Potter admitted. "And I think you deserve the same treatment." With that, Potter rolled him over and sprawled partially atop him before kissing a path over Draco's throat and torso, moving quickly lower until he reached his destination.
He threw Draco a wicked look and then took Draco's already-hard cock into his mouth. Potter's inexperience was evident - several times he nearly gagged, but in a typically Gryffindor fashion, it seemed to make him more determined to take Draco even deeper and suck even harder. Draco knew it wouldn't be long before Potter was just as good at sucking cock as he was at everything else. The very thought made Draco hot - and just a bit annoyed at the idea of Potter doing it to anyone but him.
Draco curled both hands into Potter's hair and tugged downward while thrusting. Potter nearly choked and sent Draco a warning glare, along with a tiny scrape from his teeth. Draco chuckled and relented, although he didn't remove his grip from Potter's hair.
Potter's tongue swirled over the crown once more and then he sucked like it was the finest lolly he had ever tasted - and Draco exploded, partially in Potter's mouth and partially over his lips and chin.
"Fuck!" Potter said, although he didn't seem irritated, but rather somewhat awed. "That was incredibly..."
"Rude?" Draco finished. "Sorry about that. I didn't expect you to be quite so good at this."
"I was going to say hot, actually," Potter finished, wiping his mouth with his fingers and then licking away a drop he'd missed. Draco's cock twitched and gave up a final spurt that hit Potter on the throat. "I am?"
Seeing Potter glistening with his come was doing strange things to Draco's insides. It was incredible that the idiot had no idea how ridiculously attractive he was. Draco thought back to the times when both women and men had been clustered around Potter, vying for attention, and Potter looking oblivious to it all and slightly uncomfortable. He knew Potter thought they only wanted him due to his celebrity status, but Draco knew differently. The man was fucking gorgeous.
Draco dragged him upward by his hair, earning a surprised yelp, and then kissed and licked every bit of flavour from his mouth and face. Potter had a dazed look by the time Draco was finished and his hands were beginning to roam again. Draco was almost ready for a second round when a card popped into the room, followed quickly by a second. Both of them opened like Howlers and began to blare Lee Jordan's preferred annoying wake-up music, just out of synch enough to be more maddening than usual.
"Fuck," Draco said.
"I don't think we have time," Potter replied.
Draco laughed to cover his astonishment. He cupped Potter's face. "Later, then?" he asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
"Yeah." Potter nodded solemnly, his jaw shifting in Draco's hands. "Yeah, later for sure."
"Shower with me?" Draco asked instead of trying to find a response to Potter's amazing affirmation.
"Brilliant idea." Potter's smile lit up the room.
ooOOooOOoo
The shower took much longer than Harry had intended, mostly due to his inability to keep his hands away from Malfoy's soap-smeared wet body. And vice-versa, apparently. By the time they finished another mutually-assisted wank under the guise of washing up, they had to rush through the remainder of their toilette.
"My clothes are still in my room," Malfoy muttered as he tugged on his shorts from the previous night. They were clean and dry thanks to a judicious application of Cleaning and Drying Charms, but he still needed to get back to his own bungalow to change.
"I'll stop by yours and toss everything back into the knapsack, yeah?" Harry asked. "I doubt they'll let us stay another night." He looked around wistfully, knowing he would always have beautiful memories of Bora Bora.
"We should come back after this race nonsense is finished," Malfoy said casually.
Harry's heart leaped, but he strove to remain casual. "Yeah, we'll need a vacation." He went to the door, opened it, and peered out. It was early enough that no one seemed to be stirring. None of their fellow competitors were in evidence. He turned back to look at Malfoy. "Coast is clear, I think."
Malfoy frowned and nodded, then walked to the door. Harry stepped back to let him pass, but Malfoy paused on the portal. He reached up and pulled Harry into a quick, passionate kiss. Before Harry was quite ready, Malfoy broke the kiss and strode away, leaving Harry staring after him with a bemused, and quite possibly smitten, expression. He watched until Malfoy traversed the pier and disappeared into his own bungalow before closing the door and returning to his packing.
ooOOooOOoo
"For our next challenge, our final three teams will be allowed to keep their wands!"
There was a collective sigh of relief amongst the competitors, but Hermione said, "That sounds ominous."
"Well, one thing Malfoy is good at is magic," Ron said grudgingly.
Ginny gasped. "Was that a compliment? For Malfoy?"
"It was just a comment!" Ron snapped. Still, he had been trying to change his mindset in regards to Malfoy. Just in case Harry... Well, that still didn't bear thinking about.
"Rita Skeeter looks particularly smug," Luna commented.
"She's probably planning to cheat," Hermione muttered.
"Participants, get ready to learn a new spell!" Lee Jordan's voice was positively giddy.
"Oh boy," Ron said. Although he was getting better, Harry was no Hermione when it came to new spells.
"He'll be fine," Hermione said confidently, although Ron saw her bite her lip. He put a hand on her thigh and patted and she threw him a soft look and covered his hand with hers.
"Yeah, he'll be fine."
ooOOooOOoo
"This is pants," Harry muttered as the door of the cage closed and the heavy lock clicked shut.
"You're locked in a cage with me. How bad can it be?" Malfoy's voice was teasing and Harry grinned at him. He decided he very much liked this teasing version of Malfoy, even though Harry was having more trouble concentrating than usual, thanks to the sexy timbre of Malfoy's voice.
"You're not helping," Harry gritted.
"Surely the mighty Saviour can cast a simple little Unlocking Charm?"
"It's hardly simple!" Harry protested.
The challenge was easy enough, he supposed. Each team had been secured in a sturdy cage made of reed bars. On the floor of the cage sat a small wooden puzzle box, inside of which was the key that opened the cage lock. The first team to find the key and free themselves would win. The last team would be out.
Opening the box required application of a spell they had just learned, one that was used by the local law enforcement. Harry thought it might come in handy on the job, if he could manage to master it. As soon as they had all successfully cast it once, they had been locked into the cages.
"There are six pieces to the puzzle," Malfoy said, already turning the carved wooden box over in his hands. "Do you want to start?"
They were each required to open three sections. Any attempt to use a different spell would set off an alarm and the team would be disqualified.
"No, I do not."
Malfoy threw him a sardonic look and cast. "Alouverta fortis!"
Nothing happened. Harry thought he might have to snap his wrist just a bit more at the end. Malfoy must have decided the same, because his second try caused one section of the box to open up.
"Yes!" Harry cried.
The wand was slick with sweat in Harry's hand by the time he cast for the last time and the final panel slid open to reveal a small brass key.
"You did it!" Malfoy murmured as Harry snatched up the key and let the box fall. Malfoy's hand squeezed his shoulder and they both laughed for a moment.
"Don't let me drop the key in the sand," Harry warned.
"You'd better give me that," Malfoy said and plucked it from Harry's fingers. He didn't mind; his hands were shaking.
A quick glance showed the other two still inside their cages, although a yelp from Brendan might mean they had some competition with getting the lock open.
"Hurry!" Harry murmured.
"Hurrying," Malfoy replied in a singsong tone. He threaded his arms through the bars and tried to contort them enough to get at the lock.
Harry watched the others nervously, although judging by Rita's frenzied movements, she and Gertrude had not managed to completely open their box. Nigel was at the gate, however, jimmying with the lock. It was a race to see who could open it first.
Come on, come on, come on, Harry willed silently, but he said nothing so as not to distract Malfoy, who seemed incredibly calm as he gently turned the key. Harry heard a click and then his partner's fingers opened the lock, pulled it free, and shoved the gate open, moments before Nigel did the same.
"And the Auror Team wins!" Lee screamed.
Harry whooped, laughed aloud, and threw himself atop Malfoy, hugging him around the neck. Malfoy chuckled and gripped Harry's wrists. "Down, Potter."
"Yeah, okay," Harry said and disentangled himself reluctantly. "That was close."
"I never had any doubt," Malfoy replied.
ooOOooOOoo
"The Dragon Tamers have come in second, which means we will have to say goodbye to our Reporter Team of Rita Skeeter and Gertrude Acrimony. Well done, girls! You made it amazingly far here on The Incredible Race!"
"Fuck yeah!" Ron yelled, leaping to his feet.
"Ron!" Hermione gasped.
Ron coughed. "Sorry. But Rita is out! Out! Out! Out!"
"She's not the only one," Ginny said, staring at the screen with wide eyes.
Ron frowned and followed her gaze. His jaw dropped when the screen was filled with a grainy image of what was obviously Harry kissing Draco Malfoy.
Lee Jordan was talking, though Ron barely registered the words. "As you can see, romance seems to have developed here on The Incredible Race. Will it give our Auror Team an advantage? You be the judge."
The image disappeared to show Rita Skeeter and Gertrude Acrimony seated on a comfortable-looking sofa next to Lee Jordan, obviously footage shot more recently than the race itself.
"Rita, you are the one who took the photos of Aurors Potter and Malfoy. Can you tell the audience why you felt it necessary to invade their privacy?" Lee's voice was only slightly incriminating. Ron thought the prat was probably secretly amused. Everything amused Lee Jordan.
"I don't see it as an invasion of privacy at all!" Rita protested. "As you can see, they were standing outside Auror Potter's bungalow in broad daylight. If they intended their relationship to be a secret, perhaps they should not have been so blatant."
"And I think it's obvious from the early hour that Auror Malfoy did not bother to visit his own quarters that night," Gertrude put forth with a snigger.
Ron clenched his fists.
"Those horrid bitches!" Hermione cried.
"It was a lucky coincidence that my photoglobe caught the picture at all," Rita said in a faux-innocent tone. "I had set it to take a photo of the morning sunrise and it was simply hovering there and waiting to be recalled."
"She's lying!" Ron snapped.
Hermione sat down with a heavy sigh. "Most likely, but we can't prove it. The damage is done, at any rate. Even if we expose her little secret now, the kneazle can't be put back into the bag."
Lee kept talking. "Even though you took this footage in Tahiti, the Auror Team has no idea it exists?"
Rita shook her head. "No. In fact, no one knew until today. Do to the non-compete agreement we signed with the studio, we were not allowed to reveal it until this episode aired. Just think, Lee Jordan, you are part of history now. The Potter Expose'." Rita smiled at him smugly, but for once Lee did not look amused.
"Why is this a bad thing? Harry seems very happy," Luna said.
Ron snorted. "Happy with Malfoy," he muttered. "Imagine."
"I think we're about to find out why it's a bad thing," Hermione replied with her eyes on the window. Ron turned to see owls clustered upon the sill and more flying in the distance.
"Do you think Harry is getting owls, too?" Ginny asked. "It's so annoying that we can't see him until the final episode is shown."
Ron frowned. "Let me get this straight. Rita filmed this in Bora Bora and was booted out. So Harry didn't know about this until just now. He's probably watching it just like us."
Hermione nodded, gnawing her lip and looking at the owls clustering on the windowsill. "I suppose I should let them in."
"So Harry went into the next part of the race without even knowing Rita was going to expose him and Malfoy?"
"Yes, Ron. I suppose we should see what Harry's fans - or anti-fans - have to say." She moved to the window to start collecting the messages. Ron waited with a sour expression. Poor Harry. But Malfoy? He shook his head and wished his friend had better taste in men.
ooOOooOOoo
"More Portkeys." Potter groaned and rolled his eyes.
"At least we're not traversing half the globe this time."
"Weren't we just in Nepal?"
"I think that was Romania."
"Same difference. There are mountains, right?"
"I think you were spoiled by the beach just a bit."
"I miss the beach already."
"We haven't left."
Potter sighed and scowled. Draco realized he looked adorable when he was in a petulant mood, but in typical Gryffindor fashion - or perhaps just Potter fashion - he shook it off. "Oh well. At least Rita Skeeter is gone. That's good, right?"
"Very good," Draco agreed. She had been acting strangely that morning, being extra nice to them both and even bidding Potter a good morning. Draco did not trust her, but now she was gone, so he supposed he could relax.
The Portkey journey to Nepal was nearly a reverse of the method they had used to get to Bora Bora, but there were thankfully fewer delays. It only took them two hours to get to Kathmandu from Papeete, although they left Bora Bora at 4pm and arrived in the Nepalese city at ten o' clock in the morning. The travel lag was going to be terrific by evening.
Lee Jordan met them at the Portkey office in Kathmandu, although how he always managed to reach their destination ahead of them was annoying puzzlement. Draco supposed prearranged Portkeys made all the difference. By the time they reached Nepal, their funds were seriously depleted.
"It's a bloody good thing this is the final bit," Draco told Potter. "We only have 20 Galleons left."
Potter gnawed his lip, an activity that Draco wanted to take over for him. The idea must have been evident on Draco's face, because Potter met his eyes and blushed, making Draco grin wickedly. Potter stammered and then caught himself. "I hope we don't have to purchase much more or we'll be peddling our belongings on the street."
"Peddling my belongings, you mean? I don't think anyone would want yours."
Potter nudged him with an elbow, but Jordan began to speak. "Welcome to Kathmandu! You will be glad to know that there will be no challenges today and, in fact, you will have some time on your own in this amazing city for sightseeing and whatnot. We only suggest that you don't get lost or get into any trouble. As added incentive, we are keeping your wands so that you may interact as simple Muggle tourists."
Draco rolled his eyes, but Potter only shrugged.
"We will first journey to the Hotel Saundar, which has graciously sponsored this leg of The Incredible Race. Be warned that it is largely a Muggle hotel and behave accordingly."
"Difficult to hex them without our wands," Draco muttered and Potter poked him with an elbow again.
"The hotel is only a short walk from here, so if you will follow me, we will check you in and then your afternoon is your own. You will be responsible for your own meals and incidentals today, so spent thriftily. Tomorrow morning will begin the final challenge, so it would behove you to turn in early. I expect you all to gather in the hotel lobby at 6am to begin the next leg of our exciting competition."
Four voices protested the earliness of the hour, but Jordan only held up a hand with an irritating grin and beckoned them to follow.
The streets of the city were narrow, crowded insanity. The foot traffic was immense and the primary means of travel, other than walking, was by bicycle. Mobile peddlers carried great baskets of fruit, hawking their wares as they parked in the street before moving on. Potter was agog at the huge loads carried by many travellers, hefted on their backs with a single strap around their foreheads. Draco saw one man walking with three massive boxes upon his back, his calves and thighs straining with effort. His feet were bare.
Another man threaded the crowd with a tray full of coconuts perched upon his head and a gigantic tureen in the centre. He walked with casual grace, not touching the tray with either hand, calling out to patrons as they passed.
"Amazing," Potter muttered.
As they entered the milling crowd, Draco stuck close to Potter. The sea of humanity, coupled with the narrow streets and overshadowing buildings, led to an immediate feeling of claustrophobia.
Muggle cars appeared now and then, honking pathetically, trying to urge the pedestrians to move aside and let them pass, but few of the walkers acknowledged them at all.
"This is crazy!" Potter said and wrapped a hand around Draco's wrist to pull him out of the path of a motorbike. "Oh shit, let's not lose sight of Lee. We'll be lost forever." He pushed through the crowd, not letting go of Draco.
Thankfully, the hotel was only a short jaunt, masked from Muggle eyes by masquerading as a souvenir boutique, complete with colourful t-shirts that said MY RELATIVES WENT TO KATHMANDU AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT. Draco knew all of his relatives would rather die a slow, gruesome death than be seen wearing the garish monstrosity.
Once through the fake wall in the back room, Draco breathed a sigh of relief. The noise, the crowd, and his sense of being strangled diminished instantly upon entry into the cool marble lobby of the hotel. A peaceful fountain splashed to their right and spelled windows showed a lovely, if fake, view of a palm-lined garden and still pool.
Jordan checked them in, gave them a few final admonishments, and warned that the Watcherbees would be actively filming them until the local time of 4 pm, in order to provide some interesting footage for the final show when it aired. They were taken to separate rooms and Draco sat on the bed and looked dismally around his colourful room. It was nice enough, he supposed, even though his room did not adjoin with Potter's.
As if called by his thoughts, there was a knock on the door and Draco opened it to admit his sheepish-looking partner.
"Want to come sightseeing with me?" Potter asked with a grin.
Not many things could have dragged Draco back into the manic streets of the Nepalese city, but Potter's hopeful look had no trouble persuading him. Draco worried about his sanity now that one smile from Potter could cause him to do very stupid things.
Cognizant of the lurking Watcherbees that tracked their every movement while remaining hidden from Muggle eyes, Draco and Potter threaded through Kathmandu and headed for the shopping district.
Potter was like a kid in a sweet shop. He goggled at nearly every display, from the colourful fabrics whipping in the wind to the street-side butchers hacking up cuts of unidentifiable meat. They both shuddered at the lack of hygienic concerns - the meat lay in the dirt of the street and the vendors' hands were coated in half-dried bloody grime.
Paper goods were everywhere, as were prayer wheels and flags, hats and jackets and jumpers made of wool, khukuri knives, and jewellery of every sort. Most unusual were the string puppets and masks.
They made their way to Durbar Square, which was actually a multitude of squares linked together, and located with assistance of one of the brochures Potter had snagged from the hotel. Once there, Potter challenged him to a race up the steep steps of a pagoda temple. Potter won - barely - but laughed so hard because of the other tourists staring at them that Draco could only laugh with him.
They wandered to another temple that was filled with pigeons and an occasional wandering cow. Draco had a good time pointing out erotic carvings to Potter, most of which alluded to threesomes or moresomes, much to Potter's astonishment.
At one point, Potter stood with his forearms resting on a railing, looking at a pure white temple that lay in the centre of a calm pool while Draco watched him. Potter stood transfixed for so long that Draco thought he might have been entranced. He debated waving a hand before Potter's face and then Potter's green eyes swung to his and he smiled wryly.
"Before this competition, I'd never really been anywhere," Potter admitted. "Outside Britain, I mean."
Draco slung an arm around his neck in what he hoped seemed a friendly fashion. "I can tell," he said. He wanted to say more, but he was cognizant of the surveillance spell following them, so he only scrubbed his knuckles through Potter's hair. "Come on. Let's see if this place has any decent tea."
Potter quickly checked his paper guide and led Draco on a roundabout route to a rooftop tea shop run by a cheerful Irish witch named Cleona. She poured them local chiya tea and sat down with them, chattering happily about Nepal and soaking in news from home, making even Draco feel nostalgic. She had been in Kathmandu for four years, after marrying a Nepalese man she had met on holiday.
The cafe had a stunning view of the Himalayas, gleaming white in the distance and slowly turning orange as the sun set. Cleona leaned toward them and patted Potter's hand. "If you two like dancing, you should go to the Disco Underground. You can even dance with each other and no one will bat an eye." She winked and got to her feet. "I'll write the directions for you dears, just in case."
Potter blinked at him. "Are we that obvious?"
Draco smiled lazily. The Watcherbee had dissipated twenty minutes prior - Draco had become adept at spotting them and had kept half an eye on it. He and Potter were now officially on their own time and Draco planned to make the most of it. "Well, you have been ogling me most of the day."
Potter flushed and took a gulp of his tea. "Sorry, I..." He leaned forward and smiled disarmingly before whispering, "I can't help thinking about last night."
Draco's grin faltered. The words had sent an explosive rush of heat through his midsection. In truth, he had thought of little else, himself. Even Potter's touristy delight hadn't diminished Draco's desire to shove him up against a temple wall and snog him senseless.
"Want to go check out this club?" Draco asked, striving for casual.
"Like a date?"
Draco rolled his eyes. Trust Potter to make it difficult. "Is it necessary to quantify this... thing between us?"
"Quantify? What does that even mean?"
Cleona's return prevented Draco making an even bigger fool of himself and she waved off Draco's attempt at payment while pressing a bit of parchment into his hand. "Be off with you. It was worth a bit of tea for news from home. Good luck to you, boys." She insisted they each take a small cake she called "peda" and gazed at them fondly as they left the shop.
"That was a bit surreal," Draco said and bit into the pale cake. It had a smooth texture and tasted of pistachio.
Potter ate half of his and gave the rest to Draco. "I'm really starting to miss treacle tart. And Yorkshire pudding."
Paper lanterns lit several businesses that were still open. The street traffic had thinned and the pace seemed more sedate. Music blared from several venues and the bright signs gleaming between flags were more distracting than they had been in the daylight.
After some puzzling over Cleona's directions, and due to the fact that most of the streets in Kathmandu had neither names nor numbers, they finally reached a door with a sign that read, FOREIGN TAX OFFICE.
Potter snorted. "Hiding in plain sight, yeah?"
Draco chuckled. "Not many people would willingly enter a tax office." The door was unlocked and when they pushed inside, a man behind a single counter stared at them from beneath bushy brows without bothering to ask their business.
"Um... Disco Underground?" Potter asked.
The man stood up and looked them over for a moment before slapping a wand on the counter with a bang. He said something unintelligible. At their blank stare, he sighed and tried again. "Light wand," he said in English.
Draco figured it out and walked forward to pick up the wand. "Lumos!" he said. Although sluggish, light gleamed from the tip of the wand.
The man nodded as if satisfied, took the wand back, and gestured toward the wall with it. A door appeared and opened of its own accord. The man sat down once more, ignoring them. Draco walked forward and pulled it open to reveal a set of rickety-looking wooden steps that led down to another door. The muffled sound of music thumped through the door.
"After you," Draco said and Potter tromped down the stairs.
Opening the second door nearly deafened them. It was practically pitch-dark in the place, except for brightly coloured swirling globes floating around a dance floor. Against one wall sat a bar and several tables with tall stools decorated spots near the other walls.
Potter made a beeline to a table nearest the door and grinned at Draco. "I'll get us a drink, yeah?" Without waiting for an answer, he trotted off. Draco sighed and sat down before turning to watch the dancers. Most of them seemed to be in their teens or early twenties. The music was a curious mixture of traditional Nepalese and rock n' roll. Both boys and girls gyrated with abandon, but at least two couples were same sex - two dark-haired boys were wrapped around each other and a pair of slender girls danced while holding hands.
Potter returned with two glasses. "The water isn't safe to drink here, so I opted for no ice. At least they have Ogden's."
Draco lifted his glass, which was filled nearly to the brim with amber liquid. Draco raised a brow at Potter, who sipped at his own glass. "Are you sure you're not trying to get me drunk?"
"Will it allow me to take advantage of you more quickly?" Potter asked teasingly.
Draco took a quick swallow lest he twitch and betray himself by spilling. The alcohol burned a welcome path down his throat. He set the glass down carefully. "Is that the plan, then?"
Potter's glass joined his and then he moved quickly around the table to place his lips close to Draco's ear. "Yes, it most assuredly is. Would you care to dance?" His fingers curled around Draco's wrist and his thumb stroked Draco's pulse point. The heat in Draco's veins made him wonder if the Firewhisky was working already. Potter stepped back and tugged. Draco allowed himself to be led onto the dance floor.
The other couples smiled at them and moved aside to give them room, displaying the same friendliness they had witnessed throughout the city. The song was quick at first, so they danced without touching. After the first few awkward moments, Draco lost himself in the music and found himself actually having fun. He seldom let himself go at home. He was always cognizant of his status, of who he was, of those who would look down upon him or his family, or those who would run to the gossip columns the moment he did anything remotely newsworthy.
But here he was only a faceless tourist. No one special. Not a former Death Eater turned Auror, and not someone who should never be allowed to socialize with Harry Potter.
The song slowed and Potter stepped forward to put his hands on Draco's hips, holding lightly as Draco swayed. Draco dropped his hands to Potter's shoulders and smiled seductively. For one night, in this place, Draco was free. He took a step forward in order to murmur in Potter's ear.
"Your plan seems to be working," he said and chuckled.
Potter's grip on his hips tightened almost painfully. "Just let me know when you're ready to go back to the hotel."
In the end, Draco was having far too much fun to abandon the dance floor, and Potter seemed more than willing to indulge him. They finished their first drink and had another before waving goodnight to their new friends and taking a rickshaw back to the hotel.
~TBC~
Author's Note: Kudos to those of you who sensed that trouble was coming, although you probably didn't foresee the direction. *giggles* I know, it's shocking that our boys are still getting along. They really seem to like each other. Kathmandu is fascinating and the temple where they checked out the erotic stonework actually exists. And only two more chapters to go, I think, since it's down to them and the Dragon Tamers! You knew that would happen, right? *grin*