Author's Note: Remember that time I was supposed to update and then I didn't? Oh, yeah, this time. Ahem. This is awkward. But here you go. I'll post two chapters since I'm a lazy bum who forgets to update. In any case, I love you all!

Chapter Twelve

Harry was barely up when there was a knock on his door. Cautiously, he peeped through the eyehole first, only to find Draco fidgeting on the other side. With a grin, he flung open the doors. Draco gave something between a smile and a smirk before rushing inside and closing the door behind him.

"Do you mind?" Harry asked, and he motioned to his hand, mimicking interlacing fingers. Draco shook his head and offered his hand. Harry eagerly took it, feeling a thrill run through him. This was a fantastic start to the night. Yet Draco still seemed twitchy, oddly enough. It didn't seem to be because he felt uncomfortable about them holding hands, either.

"Look, I held back something from you, yesterday." Draco's lips twitched slightly, and Harry couldn't help but think he looked sweet when he was bashful. "See, I'm going on a business trip..."

"What!" That wasn't what Harry expected at all. He wasn't really sure what exactly he had expected, but that... "You were just gone. When are you leaving?" Harry pulled his hand away, feeling stung. Did Draco come back only to rub it in his face that he would go insane? It sure seemed like it. Maybe the blond really hadn't changed. A pout formed on Harry's face and he attempted to glare at Draco.

"I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you were happy. I know that doesn't happen often. I didn't want to spoil it." He nervously glanced at Harry, and although his blue eyes were sincere, Harry couldn't help but doubt him. Slytherins were good at masking feelings and manipulating people.

"Right, and pigs fly."

"Well, some do." Draco looked confused.

"It's a Muggle phrase. That's not the point. It's trying to – Oh, never mind. It's not like you even give a damn." Harry paced back and forth, but Draco's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

"No, really, Potter, I want to help you. I'm leaving in three days, and I plan to spend every moment you're awake here. I don't want you going psychopath on me and killing people while I'm gone." He smiled slightly then added, "Not that it would particularly surprise me."

"You came because you care?" Harry asked, shocked. Whether or not Draco had some major scheme, Harry felt the urge to give in. Hell, if Draco might change, it would be best if he just took advantage of this newfound, nice Draco. "Alright, you can stay. But you'd better be here until I fall asleep like you promised."

"So demanding Potter." Draco rolled his eyes and dropped down on the couch, propping his legs up on the table. "By the way, nice boxers. I like the hippogriffs." Shite, he hadn't had the time to change into decent clothes. He was still in his boxers. They were just a pair he had thrown on, and he couldn't help but be embarrassed.

Draco cocked and eyebrow, and Harry nervously bit his lip. He wanted Draco to stop licking his lips. Just looked at his tongue and tracing them, Harry felt his cock twitch. He knew he had to change the subject before silence descended, and he was left awkwardly gawking.

"So – err – girlfriends? Do you have one? Or, I guess I've already asked you that," Harry stumbled, and moved away, shaking his head.

"Merlin, you're thick. Do I have to spell it out for you, Potter?" Draco rolled his eyes dramatically.

"What?"

"I'm gay. I like to shag blokes. My feelings toward women are nothing but friendly. I suck cock..." Draco smirked with the last word. He clearly enjoyed watching Harry squirm, his fingers curling into tiny fists. It was astonishing how quickly he changed from shy, angry Draco to a complete wanker.

Yet Draco was crossing dangerous lines without even realising it. Venom flowed into Harry's mouth. He was testing him in more than one way. And Harry had no wand. He wouldn't be able to stop himself if he tried to attack. With Draco's constant provoking and his way of languidly leaning back and smirking, it wouldn't take much to drive Harry over the edge. That wasn't something he wanted to happen.

"Draco!" His voice was tight, and his hands moved from their strategically placed location in his lap to the armchair, as he gripped the armrests, feeling the wood splinter. Yet with his hand removed, his erection was revealed. Draco merely wet his lips and leaned forward, further taunting him.

"What, you like that thought, don't you? Sucking cock? Imagining it's yours, for sure." His eyes were almost cold as he relished in the power he held so easily. Moving closer yet, he let his breath waft over Harry, pausing mere centimetres away. Harry choked back a moan as the armrest shattered completely, slicing his hand open.

"Draco, please, I don't want to hurt you." Draco immediately withdrew, and he blushed.

"I'm sorry. I forgot... I kinda thought you were someone else for a moment." He straightened up, yet he still refused to meet Harry's gaze. "You have an odd way of reminding me about him." Was that bitterness Harry heard?

"I'm sorry. It didn't work out with an ex-boyfriend or something?"

"You could say that." That was definitely bitterness in Draco's voice. There was no mistaking it this time.

"Must have been a rough break up. I hope he didn't hurt you too much." Harry attempted a smile.

"He didn't break up with me."

"You with him, then?" Harry was confused. If he didn't break up with Draco, why was Draco so hurt by it?

"He's dead, Potter." Blunt as always. Harry felt a drop in his stomach, and he started to stutter half-formed apologies. What was he supposed to say to that? "Don't apologise. Just let it drop for now. Maybe later. Now is... It's just not a good time."

Harry's comfort instinct kicked in as his desire for blood decreased. He got up and sat next to Draco, pulling him in for a light hug. Draco stiffened, but he didn't pull away. In fact, after a moment or two, he even eased into Harry's grip, and Harry felt his muscles relax.

"I hate to do this, but I don't want you to get angry at me. If you stay any longer, I might kiss you. Maybe you should leave." Harry regretted each word, but knew the worst would be if Draco again blew up at him. If he lost control...

"Don't take this the wrong way. And don't try to read too deeply into this." Harry was about to ask what he meant when Draco turned around and leaned forward. And then Draco Malfoy kissed him.

Harry felt his skin tingle. Leaning backwards, he let Draco take control. Fuck, Draco was actually kissing him! Through his lips and beyond the mint flavouring, Harry could feel Draco's heartbeat, feel him hum with life. Harry's fingers moved upwards and matted themselves in Draco's hair. It felt soft, and there wasn't a single knot to be found. But besides moving closer to Draco, he continued to let the blond dominate the kiss. Draco's tongue pried open his lips, and he delved inside. Behind the mintines – had Draco brushed his teeth anticipating this? – there was a hint of chocolate.

Harry couldn't help but imagine Draco indulging in chocolate, his fingers sticky and his face red as he blushed from the guilt. A thrill rode through Harry as a possessive growl broke through his throat. Draco responded by letting his hands flicker across Harry's chest, flitting across the sensitive nubs. Harry arched upward, pulling Draco closer and grinding against him. The warm pit grew in his stomach, and Draco's fingers pinched lightly as he bit on Harry's lower lip. Harry moaned as he felt something hard against his inner thigh. Apparently he wasn't the only one enjoying this. Draco's tongue dragged down from his lips, and he went to his neck, nipping lightly. Harry couldn't help but chuckle quietly – a human biting a vampire's neck.

"Oh, my..." Draco tore away as Ron spoke. He gaped at the two of them, and Harry couldn't help but lick his lips with the fresh taste of Draco on them. Despite the feeling urging him that this wasn't completely alright, Harry smirked, feeling smug.

"This isn't what it looks like, Weasley..." Draco stuttered, no longer as confident and suave as he had been while kissing. Instead he looked around the room anxiously. His legs crossed and he winced, glancing over at Harry, looking for support.

"Then, what the hell was that? I'm pretty sure it was snogging, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Enlighten me what it was you were doing."

"I choked on a piece of Drooble's and Draco was simply helping me dislodge it from the back of my throat." Harry's self-satisfied composure simply strengthened when Ron began a coughing fit. Draco looked panicked.

"My next guess," Ron choked. For a moment it was completely silent. Harry practically radiated happiness, but even he couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. In any case, Ron was definitely angry.

"Look, Weasley, I –"

"Harry, would you mind if I borrowed your precious mate for just one second? We'll just be in the kitchen." Without waiting for an answer, he glared at Draco and stormed into the kitchen. The blond meekly followed. But Harry knew that he could at least hear everything going on in there. They weren't being quiet by any means. I just hope they don't get too angry.

"I didn't mean any harm. Potter didn't mind, and I most certainly didn't either. I don't see why it's a problem." Draco sounded uncertain of himself.

"I don't care what you meant. If –"

"But –"

"No buts!" Ron stomped his foot. He could imagine the ginger fuming. "Whether he wants to or not, Harry has you as his mate. He's devoted to you. You can't be a slimy git in his mind no matter what happens."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with me snogging him?"

"If you kiss him, no matter what your intention, he will only be more attracted to you." He was speaking at a whisper, but Harry could still hear Ron. "When you get bored with whatever little game you're playing, Harry's going to be devastated." True, he knew that Draco hadn't really meant this kiss, but he still felt like there was something more behind it than that Draco was just bored. "If I saw him crying, if you hurt him – you're dead, Malfoy."

"Oh, yeah, what are you going to do? Are you going to run and tell Shacklebolt? Oh, wait, you can't because he would kill Potter." There was a sudden shout, and a crash. "Get your filthy hands off of me, Weasley?"

"Why? You said you wanted to help; I never should have believed you. I know we all sacrificed ourselves in the war, but Harry did especially. He died to destroy Voldemort. He walked in – Oh, you don't like his name – Voldemort? Voldemort!"

It was a bit like Hogwarts all over again. But then he pictured Ron touching his mate. Harry shivered, barely keeping from running in and teaching Ron a lesson. It would be over soon. "But he didn't die. He had a choice. That's more than you people. And yet you still treat Potter like some sort of God." With those words, Harry knew that they would never settle it themselves. If he didn't get in there quickly, all hell would break loose.

"If you're talking about Crabbe –"

"Among others. What about your brother, Weasley?" Harry burst in to find Ron with his wand pointed at Draco. Harry snarled and barely resisted the urge to lunge at his best friend. "Ron, put that down." He stood in front of Draco, serving as a shield. Even if Draco looked smug, a part of him knew that Draco was just as much to blame for this disagreement – possibly more. "Please, I don't want either of you to get hurt." But Ron continued holding his wand, fingers twitching around the handle. "Ron, please, you're putting me in an... uncomfortable situation. I can't pick you over Draco. He's my mate!" Ron resigned, finally, sighing and lowering his wand.

"Seems like Potter's chosen, huh, Weasley?" Draco's arms wound around him, and Harry suddenly felt elated, as he leaned back into the other boy's grasp.

"If you hurt him, you'd better hide where even a hungry vampire mate can't find you." The threat made Harry shiver, but he knew how Ron could be; with an effort, he kept quiet.

"I don't plan on hurting him, but I'll keep it in mind." There was a final, semi-hostile glare between the two, and Ron stormed out of the room. Unhappily, Harry broke away from Draco's grip. He felt a tug at his heart, but he knew Ron had come for a reason, even if it was now lost.

"Ron, why did you come?" With one more wobbly breath, Ron decided to turn around and face Harry. His arms were crossed, but upon seeing Harry's concern, he relaxed and shook his head.

"Ginny came to us sobbing. I guess she saw you at Vogue from what I understood. I came to tell you that she was going to be okay. I imagine she was upset at Vogue." Harry nodded; she most certainly had been. "Look, I didn't mean to snap at Malfoy, but I'm stressed."

"I get that." And he truly did. In his glee about Draco's return, he had forgotten his frustration and guilt. In a way, that almost made him feel just as bad. Why couldn't things just be simple – just for once? "I didn't mean to be mean, either. I can't help it. Vampire emotions and all..." It was Ron's turn to nod. "Thank you. Was she angry at me?" After a pause, Ron nodded again.

"She certainly wasn't happy. She thought you were crazy not to have told her. She's not going to tell anyone, but her main protest is that we didn't trust her."

"It's not exactly any sort of secret. It has nothing to do with her, and who are we to put her in that kind of a situation? What if someone tells and then they know that she knew but didn't inform the Ministry?"

"That's what we told her. 'Mione is still fairly upset, but I think she's going to be fine, too. She mainly just felt bad."

"Look, I should get back to Draco. But thank you so much, Ron. I'm sorry." He was. How much of a burden was this for them? His life had been stacked with problems since the beginning, and they had always been there to help him. It was more than Harry could have asked for.

"See you later." He watched Ron disappear into the flames before he walked into the kitchen. Draco was sitting in the chair, head resting on the table. He was clearly asleep, and he looked so serene that Harry felt bad waking him. His lips were barely parted, and he mumbled quietly. If the smile was anything to go by, Draco was having a good dream. At least someone could be happy. At least he'd managed to accomplish one thing worthwhile.

Lightly, he brushed Draco's hair aside and ran to his room, grabbing his sheet to cover Draco. The blond shifted slightly as the weight fell on his back, but he didn't wake. The uneasy twinge hit his heart. That was an awful way to sleep. Harry picked Draco up with ease, walking over to the couch. Draco's eyes barely opened.

"William?" he asked before burying his head in Harry's chest and falling asleep again. William, of course. Was that the boyfriend he had mentioned before? It probably was. No wonder he looked so happy. It had nothing to do with him. The reminder was like a slap to the face, but he still kissed Draco's forehead before walking off to his bedroom.

Having given up his own sheets to Draco, he had nothing with which to cover himself. Still, Harry made-do, curling up into a ball. It was still slightly chilly, but he wanted to keep his mind off of that. Instead, he let it drift. Images of Draco whispering his name in his sleep popped up in their places. It was to these thoughts he fell asleep, shivering. It was to the thoughts he also woke up. There had to have been dreams between those two points, but he forgot upon waking up.

"You're lucky I have no work today." Harry pulled himself up, wondering who was speaking. "Also, you're an idiot for freezing yourself." Ah, yes, Draco had slept in the apartment. That brought a smile to his face. Harry shifted right as Draco threw the blanket at his face. Laughing, he grabbed it and wrapped it around himself. It was already warm, and better yet, it smelled like Draco. He couldn't help but take a deep breath into the cloth.

"Oh, sod off, you prick. At least you got a decent night's rest. By the way, you're kind of cute when you sleep." He smiled and would have blushed had he been able to do. But his expression was bashful and said it all.

"Ugh, you're so sweet. It's disgusting. I hope I can take my coffee with less sugar." He sauntered off to the kitchen, Harry following.

"You know what coffee is?" Somehow that shocked Harry. It didn't seem like Draco would know about a Muggle drink. It wasn't very – well – Malfoy-ish.

"How do you think I survive the photo shoots? I'm not completely oblivious to Muggle culture, even if my father wants me to be." Clenching his fists, he let out a frustrated sigh. Quickly, he rearranged his face into a smile. "Well, travelling sometimes does expose me to it as well. I've done a handful of Muggle shoots as well, not that my father knows about those."

"You've done Muggle shoots?" Harry chuckled, trying to imagine Draco's frustration at the inability to fix incompetence with magic.

"What, some people pay really well. Oh, and that coffee –" Draco cut off as his eyes lay on something. "Oh, my sweet Merlin, you have an espresso machine."

"What, oh, yeah, I do. I can fix some up for you if you'd like."

"No need to play house elf, Potter. I prefer doing things on my own."

"So you don't have a house elf, then?" Draco paused and shook his head before he continued running about the cupboards, opening and closing doors.

"Thank Merlin you have preservation spells on these things. And, no, my father wanted me to have one, but I refused." Draco settled himself in the chair and smiled.

"Oh." There was so much he had to learn about Malfoy still."

"You're surprised?"

"I don't know. You don't seem to like your father too much, Draco."

"That's something I'm not willing to discuss with you, Potter," Malfoy suddenly snapped. He coughed before relaxing. "I've told you; he meddles with everything."

"So I've heard." Perhaps he was trying his luck, especially so early in the morning, but Harry needed to ask. "Is there any chance you might – you know – let me snog you senseless anytime soon?" He gave a hopeful grin and nervously fiddled with his thumbs. As long as Draco didn't get angry...

"Merlin, Potter, you're so needy. Maybe. I'll think about it."

"You can call me Harry. We're not enemies anymore. At least, I don't think we are." It was irritating that Draco separated himself so much that even a first name was too much to ask.

"You're asking for a lot of favours... Harry." A grin spread across Harry's face. "Now, let's find out a little about you."

"About me?"

"You seem to be awfully fond of asking questions about me, so I thought I'd put the pressure on you. Weaselette must have been annoyed with this."

"Ginny? Yeah, I mean, she's angry. I didn't tell her, but she's fine now. It was actually why Ron came yesterday."

"Wait, you didn't even tell your own girlfriend about this? And she didn't notice that you happened to disappear and become a bloodsucker?"

"Who said anything about a girlfriend?" Harry chose to ignore the other comment.

"You two broke up?" It wasn't a joke. Draco's face showed actual surprise. Harry barely kept his jaw from dropping. Draco honestly thought they were still together? And the blond had called him thick.

"You're not the only gay guy in the room. Why do you think you're my mate?" This was almost funny. How was he really that oblivious?

"I just thought you were bi or something... I don't know!" He looked away, his cheeks turning pink. "You must have a lot of guys kneeling at your feet. Plenty of boyfriends to choose from..."

"No, I'm not out yet. Hence the fact that you and the rest of the wizarding world doesn't know." He handed Draco his finished – and now slightly cold – espresso, and sat down next to him. While he did look uncomfortable, Draco didn't pull back.

"Me too. My boyfriend –"

"William?"

"How did you know?" Draco pulled back, looking bewildered.

"You were muttering it in your sleep yesterday." Harry's face fell with the memory, but he quickly pulled a reassuring smile back on his face for Draco's sake.

"Oh, well, William was my only one. I – This is supposed to be steering clear of my personal life." Harry nodded absentmindedly.

"William was a lucky guy."

"Less than you'd imagine, Po – Harry. If he were luckier, he never would have died." Draco's smile was bittersweet. Quick, comfort him, Harry thought. He leaned forward, but paused. Kissing was his automatic instinct to comforting Draco, but was that really what he needed? His arms instead wrapped around Draco's shoulder, but Draco shook his head. "It's okay."

"No, it's not fair that he died. It's never okay when someone dies."

"Not that. I'll agree that isn't okay. It's okay for you to kiss me."

"I never –"

"Don't lie. Like I said, it's okay." Draco closed his eyes as Harry closed the gap between their lips. This wasn't about him; it was about Draco. His hand cupped Draco's cheek, and he tilted his head back, letting Draco rest against a wall. The blond shuddered, and Harry tasted saltiness as Draco's tears seeped into the kiss.