Written for Sing-Me-A-Rare: Gone Country.
Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this creation.
Song Prompt - Heads Carolina, Tails California - Jo Dee Messina
Runner Up - Best Fluff
"Malfoy, I know you're there. Answer the damn Floo."
After all these years, Draco really should have known better than to leave his Floo unlocked. This was only one of too many thoughts running through his mind as he crossed the room and dropped to his knees in front of the mantel.
"To what do I owe the displeasure of this disturbance, Potter?"
Harry was his partner, not his boss. Anytime he called after hours, it meant Draco wouldn't like what came next.
He really, really wouldn't.
"Actually, no. I don't want to know."
"Malfoy, that's not how this works."
"It is tonight, tosser. I just need one more night before you fuck up my peace for the foreseeable future."
"Bu—"
"I wish you a terrible evening, Potter, just as you've ruined mine. See you tomorrow."
Draco swiftly locked the Floo and went in search of the two-finger pour waiting for him in the study.
It took three days, two arguments, and one bottle of top-shelf Firewhisky for Draco to accept the still-mysterious assignment.
He should have been more suspicious when Potter waited until five seconds before his Portkey activated to tell him the name of his contact for the assignment.
Charlie Weasley.
And that was how Draco found himself in fucking Boston, Massachusetts, with the very last person he wanted to see.
"We're in America!"
"No shite, Charlie," Draco deadpanned, regretting that he hadn't brought the bottle along.
"We could lose ourselves here and never go back. Think of all the possibilities."
"Lest you forget, I'm only here because you need protection from the hatchling smuggling ring you've managed to piss off. Nothing more."
If he hadn't known Charlie better, the emotions briefly dimming his hazel eyes would have gone unnoticed.
Of all the times Draco could have ignored Harry, this was the worst possible outcome. While scatterbrained at best, after being partnered for a decade, Harry knew this could be detrimental to his progress when it came to leaving Charlie where he belonged.
In the past.
And yet.
Draco shut out his attempt to warn him like the fucking ray of sunshine he was not.
Especially after — no.
If he wanted to make it out of this situation — unscathed and unattached — Draco had to keep his thoughts on the straight and narrow.
No falling into old patterns.
No letting Charlie's zest for life and all it entails suck him back in.
"Did you hear me?" Charlie's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"No, sorry. Zoned out there for a moment."
"I said, I'll address the situation. That's why we're here, as you've so not so gently pointed out. The dragon populations for the most trafficked breeds will continue to decline if their hatchlings are stolen for potions or territorial breeding wars."
"We'll figure it out, Charlie."
"I hope so because it's my job on the line."
Of course, Draco would have liked for this situation to resolve itself post-haste, but he felt the truth in his bones: it would be long and drawn out. This hatchling chase had no end in sight, leading them from coast to coast and back again, without rhyme or reason.
One thing he knew well was Charlie's dedication to his work.
It came at a rather high cost, but he was the best Dragonologist around. Everyone wanted Charlie to visit their reserve or join them for an extended stint — and he did.
Not that Draco was bitter about it.
Definitely not.
Charlie continued to chatter away about Ginny's most recent antics as they approached the boarding zone of the Greyhound bus they were taking to their next stop on the investigation. Draco had a long list of concerns, but kept them to himself.
To his horror, America had certain restrictions that prevented them from magically manoeuvring to the next stop on their list. The antiquated laws established by the American Auror Division required them to adhere to outdated and inefficient transportation methods, as the department considered the chain of custody "broken" if an object or person moved through magical means.
It was the biggest crock he'd ever heard.
As they navigated to their seats, Draco frowned at the well-worn amenities of the bus; his nose scrunched involuntarily. "What is that smell?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Urine, Charlie. It smells like fucking urine. I know you're not that daft."
"Oh… that. Well, yes, due to the proximity of the onboard loo, it seems appropriate for the scent to waft a bit."
"A bit," Draco repeated. "A bit? Did you just say a bit with a straight face? It's as if we've sat in the goddamn loo. What have you done to me?"
"It's just a short trip. You'll make it through. You have me, that's for certain."
"Urine, Charlie. I can't." As Draco continued to posture, he couldn't help but feel somewhat appeased when Charlie shifted his leg a little closer and left it to rest against his thigh.
"Yes, you can, or well, you must." With a strained chuckle, Charlie turned his gaze towards the staff loading their bags just out the window. "It seems appropriate to mention, now that the doors are closed, we won't arrive in Charlotte until this time tomorrow. Imagine all the interesting things we'll see on the way!"
A not-so-quick-as-expected trip to the Carolinas, it was, apparently.
Time seemed to blur as Charlie dragged Draco from place to place in search of the missing hatchlings. It felt much longer than how much time had actually passed, but Draco was more than amenable; it was his job, after all.
Wherever Charlie believed the ring was transporting the dragon eggs, he followed. While Draco was confident that there was no need for his presence, the Ministry had other opinions on the matter.
The proximity to Charlie was the easiest yet most complicated part of the assignment. Reminders of who and how they once were plagued Draco, impeding on his ability to keep a cool head as the threat of danger loomed.
Tangled sheets.
Entwined limbs.
Days lost to the enigma that was Charlie Weasley.
A quiet murmur cut through the silent night, "I know these few weeks have been hard on you. You've always been a shite liar but great at projecting a facade. Do you think we'll ever be the same, Draco?"
Shaking his head to clear the memories, Draco rolled to face away from Charlie in their shoddy mountainside tent and let out a long breath. "I'm not certain I can be."
This day found them in a studio flat overlooking the Pacific Ocean with actual amenities. Draco had never been happier to see a washing machine in his life, and he'd been through some challenging assignments over the last few years.
There was just one slight problem that Charlie had failed to mention.
"Excuse me, but it appears there is only one bed in this flat, Charlie."
"Ah, yes. But you see, the deal we got on the place was fantastic."
"The Ministry is covering the costs of the investigation. Who cares about a deal!" Crossing the room and back again, Draco raked his hands through his hair. "Only. One. Bed. Charlie."
"It's not so bad." Peeking up through his eyelashes, he added, "Nothing we haven't done before."
"It's different now. We're different."
Sensing the panic, Charlie made his way over and wrapped his fingers around Draco's wrist. "I didn't realise you would be so upset by this. I thought… nevermind."
"You left. You had a choice, and it wasn't me. You shouldn't 'have thought' anything. I'm here, doing my level best to keep my head on, do the job as assigned, and get home with my heart in one piece. End of."
With an aggrieved look of understanding, Charlie used his grip on Draco's wrist to drag himself closer. Twisting his hand over with care, Charlie brought his lips to Draco's hand and pressed a lingering kiss to his palm before turning to leave the flat.
That kicked Draco into gear.
Moving through the small room, he gathered the items that had mixed together from their last location.
He couldn't believe that Charlie had done that.
Well, he could, considering Draco was the one to end things and not the other way around.
As Draco was sorting their apparel, a small creased scrap fluttered to the ground. The parchment was covered with Charlie's impeccable script.
How to win my dragon Draco back Boston, Massachusetts - Heads De Moines, Iowa - Tails Bend, Oregon - Heads Houston, Texas - Tails Charlotte, North Carolina - Heads Cambria, California - Tails Buffalo, New York - Heads Las Vegas, Nevada - TailsDraco couldn't believe his eyes. A million things ran through his mind.
First of all, what in the actual fuck was this?
Had Charlie dragged him all over the goddamn United States and subjected him to that god-forsaken bus for nothing? Well, seemingly not nothing, but still.
Did he really want Draco back?
Fucking Potter.
He had to be in on this.
When Charlie returned later that evening, he found a stern-faced Draco waiting for him.
"What's going on here? Why are you sat like someone stole your chocolate frog?" Glancing around the room nervously, his sight landed on a certain list that should not have been anywhere near the man in front of him. Clearing his throat, he forced out a strangled, "Ah, I see."
"Mmm. Yes. So glad we're both on the same page now," Draco said with alarmingly forced cheer as he gestured his hand toward the single offending sheet of paper. "Pray tell."
"Well, you see. You know I'm not great at admitting I'm wrong, most certainly worse about mistakes. And that's exactly what I did. I made a mistake leaving you after Neville and Pansy's wedding. I was scared and should have said as much, but I realised I had finally found something more important than the work, and I don't know…"
"You freaked out and left for three months, Charlie. Without a single word. I woke up, and you were gone."
"I'm sorry."
"You've said as much before. You know, in the letters upon letters you insistently sent."
Charlie's smile ticked to one side. "You got them?"
"Of course I did."
"But you never responded."
"I did not."
A thick silence filled the room. Flicking his eyes down to the paper, Draco asked, "Did you mean it?"
"Yes. A thousand times. And most emphatically, yes."
"How long would you have let this go on?"
"Until you broke down and gave in to my wiley charms."
"And the dragons?"
"You were the only dragon I was chasing. The Ministry is only involved insofar as applying the leave hours Harry requested and approving the hatchling exchange program I've been setting up along our travels." Continuing in a whisper, "I felt your façade begin to crumble while we were up in the mountains, and now we're down by the ocean, a place we've always loved. There was always somewhere greener, somewhere warmer, somewhere to provide another opportunity for you to come back to me. After all this time, I realised it doesn't matter where I am, as long as we're together."
"You always were a sucker for an adventure-based grand gesture. I should have known you were up to something."
Charlie reached into his pocket and retrieved a Galleon. "What do you say? Heads, we travel back to London; tails, we stay here for a while?"
Dropping a soft kiss to the side of Charlie's jaw, he said, "Tails. Don't put me through this again. I won't do it another time. The third time is not a charm."
"I have it on good authority there's only one bed in this joint," Draco said slyly as he backed Charlie closer to the mattress.
"And to think, just this morning, you were scandalised at the thought."
"I'm uncertain what you're talking about, Mr Weasley. Sounds like a tall tale to me." Bringing their lips together, Draco and Charlie got lost in each other for the last first time.
