The ferry sways from side to side, rolling over white capped waves as the rain splatters against the windows. Harry stands under the shelter, the wind and rain soaking his jacket as he stares at the view in awe. Draco, on the other hand, is looking decidedly green. The sea is a dark, furious grey, the sky is thick with stormy cloud and icy rain pours down in sheets. The only noise above the roaring wind is the squawk of seagulls and the smack of the boat hitting the incoming waves. They are the only people out on deck, everyone else is hidden in the cabin lounges to avoid the abysmal weather. Not that it matters, Harry is delighted to be out in the open, even if he's struggling to see past the raindrops on his glasses. He steps forward, out from under the shelter, directly into the wild weather and puts one hand on the railings to steady himself before the wind sweeps him off his feet. Draco lets out a squeak as Harry leans precariously over the rail, staring down at the boiling mass of water below. When Harry straightens up, he turns to Draco, smile quickly fading as he notices the look of pure terror on Draco's face.
'You ok?' Harry asks, rather stupidly.
'What do you think, Potter?' Draco replies, the comment lacking the bite it was meant to contain.
'You're not...scared, are you?' Harry says, trying to hold back a rather mean snigger.
'No shit, Sherlock,' Draco mutters grumpily, before the ferry lurches, throwing Harry backwards against Draco, who is now pinned very unceremoniously against the dripping wall.
'C'mon, let's go inside,' Harry says sympathetically, after seeing a look of pure disgust pass over Draco's features.
Inside, it's considerably better. The heat instantly steams up Harry's glasses as they stumble towards a couple of seats facing the windows. Draco looks much happier, now that there's a much less chance of drowning in stormy waters. It's been a long day for both of them. Harry had been dragged out of the house at an ungodly hour and into a waiting taxi after a fleeting goodbye from a sleepy Ginny. Draco had then proceeded to refuse to let him get coffee (a serious crime), insisting that they were going to be late and that they needed to get their tickets. And once on the train, when Harry was finally coherent and wanting to say a proper hello to the torturer who had woken him up far too early, Draco had promptly fallen asleep, leaving Harry with nothing to do except catch up with Supernatural on his phone.
The train to Glasgow was long, with lots of rain-drenched scenery and brown fields passing by. Once off the train, when Harry had, rather grumpily, shaken Draco awake, they trekked through the inclement city to find a Starbucks, only to realize that their train was leaving in ten minutes. This resulted in a mad dash to the Queen Street station, pulling their bags along behind them. The train coffee was shitty and mainly scalding water but at least Draco was awake, and happy to chat. This time, the two hour journey flew by as they got closer and closer to their destination. The weather in Oban was even worse, a storm brewing over the water. Draco took one look at the swelling waves and promptly refused to get on the waiting ferry. It took Harry a good ten minutes of cajoling and some whispered promises before they proceeded onto the boat. It had been Harry's idea to stand outside for a while, which resulted in an unhappy Draco, something Harry doesn't want on their first trip together.
'We're almost there, I think,' Harry says, leaning over to brush Draco's hair off his forehead.
'We better be almost there. I'm sick to death of being on this boat. It feels like the Titanic!' Draco grumbles, reaching over to grab Harry's hand.
'Poor baby,' Harry teases, winding his fingers with Draco's and leaning over to peck him on the forehead.
'Shut up, or I'm going to start regretting all of this,' Draco growls, waving his free hand at the interior of the boat, his face becoming more and more pissed off. Harry sighs, rolls his eyes and presses his lips against Draco's, who lets out a muffled 'mmph' as his tirade is interrupted.
There's a crackly announcement over the tannoy and they make their way to the lower cabin, bags in hand. Once off the ferry, Draco breaths a sigh of relief, his body visibly relaxing as his mood rockets up, despite the awful weather. As planned, there's a hire car waiting for them, a little red ford fiesta with the keys sitting on the dashboard. Harry loads the bags into the boot as Draco slips into the driver's seat, turning on the windscreen wipers in an attempt to actually see the road. The heating comes on, Harry breathing a sigh of relief as it starts to dry his damp curls, shedding his damp jacket onto the back seat. Draco, also, has a small smile on his face as he sets up directions to their rented cottage in his phone. Harry leans forward to fiddle with the radio, starching through station after station of static until he finally hears Ed Sheeran playing softly through the speakers. Draco starts the car, pulling out onto the river-like road and Harry leans back, contented.
It's dark by the time Draco's phone indicates that they have arrived at their cottage. Harry sits up, gazing into the total blackness surrounding them as gravel crunches under the tires. In the headlights, a small, whitewashed cottage is illuminated. Draco stops the car and grabs his jacket, gesturing for Harry to do the same. The rain has lessened but the wind is still fiercely strong, catching the edges of Harry's jacket and causing it to fly open. Draco walks up to the blue-painted front door, using his phone to check under the rock just to the left of where Harry is standing. Straightening up with a look of triumph on his face, Draco waves a set of keys around before fitting them into the series of locks on the door. With a click, the door swings open, revealing a pitch black interior.
Harry steps in, fumbling for the light switch and suddenly, the hallway is brightened. The room they are standing in is a porch, hooks adorning the wall for wet jackets. Draco stands beside Harry, closing the door softly behind them and shrugging off his jacket. Harry mimics him, kicking off his black converse and grabbing Draco's chilled hand, excitement coursing through his veins. Draco steps forward to lead the way, stepping onto wooden floorboards and opening the first door on the right. Door by door, they explore the little house with quiet comments and secret smiles. They discover a wetroom, a blue tiled bathroom, a kitchen/dining room with french doors leading out onto a patio and small garden, and a living room complete with a fireplace, a tv and a piano. Up the creaking staircase is another bathroom (this one tiled in green), a open-plan central study with floor to ceiling windows and a small bedroom tucked under the low roof. The entire house is nattily decorated, the lighting soft and inviting and Harry starts snapping pictures on his phone to send to Ginny. It's a perfect little hidey-hole.
Draco stands at the bedroom window, looking out over the darkened landscape. The view veiled, not a shape can be distinguished in the heavy darkness. Harry watches him, the light catching the tips of Draco's hair, happiness glowing in his grey-eyed gaze. This is good for both of them, escaping the city for a short while, getting their thoughts together. Harry has never been happier to spend a long weekend in solitude. Draco turns to look at him, laughter in his eyes as Harry captures his gaze, confused. Draco stalks towards him, body as lithe as a hunting tiger, while Harry stays rooted to the spot. When Draco is flush against his body, Harry gazes at his lips, relishing the feel of Draco's arms around his waist. Draco leans in, closer, closer and Harry's desperately waiting for that eclectic moment when their lips meet. Which never comes. Draco shoves Harry backwards and Harry falls, pulling Draco with him. They land on the bed, deep in the thick feather duvet, a tangle of limbs. Draco's giggling madly at Harry's shocked expression. The giggles are abruptly cut off by Harry pinning Draco to the be with the brunt of his body weight and proceeding to silence Draco with his mouth. They're both happy now.