Summer Rain

Chapter 5

Draco emerged from the bathroom wrapped in nothing but a red fluffy towel around his waist. Harry looked up from the bed and couldn't help gaping openly at Draco's very gorgeous, very familiar body. "Do you have some clothes I can borrow for now? Mine were sweatier than I realised. I don't really want to put them back on after showering," Draco asked as he stood awkwardly, holding his towel up and wrapping his other arm around his chest, feeling self-conscious. Harry stopped staring at Draco and snapped his mouth shut.

"Oh, um, sure," Harry squeaked and cleared his throat, "help yourself to anything in the wardrobe. Do you want me to apparate over to your hotel and get some of your clothes? I'm guessing you will be unwell for a couple of days yet. That cough you have is hellish." Draco ruffled about in Harry's wardrobe and pulled out a pair of worn, grey tracksuit pants and a black t-shirt and walked over to the bed.

"Are you sure you want me to stay here?" Draco asked with a sigh as he slipped the t-shirt over his head. "Your boyfriend doesn't like me. It's just going to cause you problems."

"You're sick, Draco, bad enough to have passed out. You can't be lying around an empty hotel room alone. It's best you stay here. I can take care of you and keep you company." Harry pulled back the bed covers and indicated that Draco should get in. Draco obeyed.

Harry tried to keep telling himself that he only asked Draco to stay so he could look after him while he was sick, but there was a taunting voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Sirius telling him that he really just wanted to cut to the chase and shag Draco silly, ten times over. Harry bit his lip and tried to banish those embarrassing thoughts.

"Harry, we should talk," Draco said softly as he settled back against the pillows. "Will you sit here on the bed next to me?" Harry nodded and climbed up onto his bed next to Draco with his back against the bed head.

"How did you find where I lived?" Harry blurted out, and cringed slightly when he heard how snappy he sounded.

"I used my Slytherin cunning," Draco teased lightly which only succeeded in earning a glare from Harry. Draco sighed in defeat. Banter wasn't going to work with Harry right now. "You had one of your payslips in your jacket pocket. Your address was on that."

"Hmmf," was Harry's reply, satisfied with Draco's answer. He was planning on yelling loudly if Draco had indeed used some Slytherin-type tactic to locate him.

They sat in silence before Harry got up the courage to ask the question he had waited five years to ask.

"Why did you leave me, Draco?" Harry asked quietly, sadness echoing in his voice. "I thought after everything we'd been through, we'd be together forever." Draco exhaled heavily which sent him into another coughing fit. Harry just patted Draco's back softly to try and ease the coughs. Draco swallowed thickly a few times before answering.

"I thought so too, Harry," Draco murmured. "I left for reasons out of my control."

"Why couldn't you have taken me with you?!" Harry cried. "Or at least told me where you were going so I could visit!"

"Because they threatened me," Draco finally admitted. "I was to leave you, or they would ensure that you turned against me. I didn't want you to be played for a fool."

"Who threatened you?" Harry asked incredulously. "Everyone was happy we were together!"

"No, babe," Draco said, reverting back to his pet name for Harry unconsciously. "Everyone merely made you believe they were happy. I was fed entirely different opinions. They knew you were happy, but felt I was bad for you. They hoped I was just a phase. When it became obvious I wasn't, it seemed they decided to take action."

"Who threatened you?" Harry repeated with a sharp edge to his voice.

"Does it really matter, Harry?"

"Of course it fucking matters! They ruined my life!" Harry shouted and Draco winced as Harry's voice pierced into his aching head.

"It's only going to hurt you, Harry. Just let sleeping dogs lie. I'm back now."

"Why did you come back to look for me if you knew they threatened you to stay away?" Harry asked with a frown.

"I got sick of being manipulated. There has been someone manipulating me for just about my whole life, and I didn't want that anymore. I left five years ago because I was frightened of what they would do or say in an effort to make you leave me. It all happened at Ron and Hermione's wedding, after you had passed out drunk. At the time, I was rather shocked by what they were saying to me and wasn't thinking of all the consequences. It was stupid, and done in the heat of the moment, but I literally got on the plane to Australia the next day, and the only person I told what had happened was Severus," Draco explained and took Harry's hand for comfort.

"Didn't you think how I would feel when I woke up and found you gone without a trace?" Harry whispered.

"Of course. I thought about it numerous times, over and over again until my head nearly exploded. I had to see a psychologist just a few weeks after arriving in Sydney because I was such a mess. I was physically sick over it. The only thing I could think of at the time was that maybe they were right; maybe I was such a huge prick and would only hurt you eventually. You had been through enough hurt, and you would be better off without me around. They literally made me believe that, Harry," Draco said miserably with a shake of his head. "By the time I realised that maybe -- just maybe -- you would be happier with me, I felt it was too late and the damage was done. You'd never want anything more to do with me." Draco brushed some tears from his eyes and looked at Harry sadly. "And now, after just going along for five years trying to pretend I was happy, I came back with far-fetched hopes that we might have another chance, and I see that they were right all along -- you are better off without me..."

Harry bit his lip as a wave of emotions swirled through him. Before he realised what he was doing, he spun around kissed Draco desperately on the lips. Neither were surprised when their tongues met and they melted into a deep passionate embrace just like those the last five years had never happened.

Surprisingly, it was Draco who pulled out of the kiss and gently pushed Harry away. "This is not right, Harry. I think Lucas is a prick, but I won't let you hurt anyone on my account and you don't want to hurt him either. From what I have understood, he's been good to you for a year and a half, and he doesn't deserve to be cheated on." Harry dropped his head into his hands and started crying. He sobbed out a response to Draco but it was muffled and Draco couldn't understand him. "What's that, Harry?" Harry looked up at Draco with tear-filled green eyes.

"I don't want Lucas, I want you!" Harry sobbed and buried his face again.

"Oh, baby," Draco sighed and pulled Harry into his chest and hugged him. Harry continued to cry into Draco's chest, not really sure of what else to do. Draco ran his hand through the back of Harry's hair and rubbed his back lightly. When Harry's tears subsided, he remained in Draco's arms. "I shouldn't have come back. You need to stay with Lucas, Harry. He's good for you."

"But he's not you, Draco. I always wanted you," Harry insisted. Draco swallowed heavily.

"Harry, babe, please don't take this the wrong way..." Draco paused and swallowed again "but, I'm about to throw up and you need to move quickly!" Harry scrambled off Draco and Draco practically threw himself into the bathroom.

This time, Harry didn't hesitate and he followed Draco. Draco was already busy revisiting his honey and lemon tea by the time Harry got to him. Harry quickly wet a face cloth with cool water and draped it around Draco's neck and then pulled Draco's hair out of his face and held it back, while he wiped his own tears hastily off his cheeks. "I'm sorry," Draco choked out between heaves. "That was a really bad point of the conversation for me to --" he cut himself off as he gagged and more vomit poured into the bowl, "-- decide to puke." Harry chuckled softly as Draco moaned miserably.

"Shush you. Concentrate on the job at hand. You always did have a short attention span," Harry scolded. Draco gave a final, particularly forceful retch and fell exhaustedly back against Harry and groaned.

"My throat hurts so much. It's agony to puke," Draco croaked. He rubbed at the base of his throat as if it would soothe the pain. "Ah, fuck it, I just ache all over. Who am I kidding?" He broke off into a hacking cough.

"How the hell did you manage to get so ill, Draco?" Harry asked as he helped Draco up off the cold tiles.

"Urgh, you could really use one of those little mats in front of your toilet, babe. My knees have tile burn I think," Draco complained.

"There's no such thing," Harry scoffed, "and don't change the subject. Tell me how you got so sick. Flu doesn't progress into something this bad unless you haven't been taking care of yourself." Harry bent down into the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a brand new toothbrush still in its wrapper and handed it to Draco with the toothpaste.

"Um, I got caught in the rain one day," Draco said evasively, he took the items off Harry gratefully and started unwrapping the toothbrush.

"I know you're lying. You still do that little eye thing when you lie."

"I do not do any 'little eye thing'!" Draco scoffed around a mouthful of toothpaste. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and Draco snorted and went back to brushing his teeth.

"Draco..." Harry warned, indicating he wanted an answer to his question. Draco quickly spat and rinsed his mouth out and plopped his toothbrush into Harry's toothbrush holder. Harry felt a warm feeling rush through him when he saw Draco do this, like the toothbrush belonged there or something.

"Alright, alright," Draco relented, "but I'm only telling you because I don't have the energy to deal with you nagging me. I sat out in the rain on Monday in Diagon Alley hoping you might walk by." Draco started coughing again.

"Draco, that was stupid!" Harry snapped. "You could end up with fucking pneumonia! You were the top student in out year, why did you do something so fucking idiotic? Did it cross your mind to consider the possibility that I might I hardly ever go into Diagon Alley?! Right, back to bed! Now!" Harry took Draco's arm and led him back into the bedroom and pushed him gently into the bed and tucked the thick covers right up around his neck.

"Harry... Harry! It's warm in here and I have a fever! Please don't suffocate me." Draco pushed the covers back down and smiled at Harry, whose face was red from his ranting. Harry just looked at him for a few moments before looking away. Seeing Draco sitting there in his own bed, in his own clothes, wrapped in his own covers was getting to Harry, and the first pangs of guilt over Lucas were nibbling in his stomach.

"It's late, but I'm just going to pop over to the all-night chemist and pick up some cough medicine for you. You should get some rest," Harry mumbled and avoided Draco's gaze. Draco frowned at Harry's abrupt change of demeanour. "I'll pick you up some lemonade also. You should be drinking some fluids even if you don't feel up to eating." Harry's tone was almost professional, as though he was dealing with one of his patients.

"Harry..." Draco said softly.

"It's late, Draco, you need rest. We'll talk more in the morning, ok?" Harry looked up and smiled at Draco and hoped it looked reassuring. "There are some pyjamas in the wardrobe if you want them. If you're asleep when I get back, I won't wake you."

"Will you, um, still sleep here in your bed?" Draco asked hesitantly. "I'd like you to. It's been a long time since I slept beside someone." Harry bit his lip.

"I guess I will still sleep in my bed then," Harry said with a tiny smile. "Get some rest, Draco. I won't be long." Harry's eyes lingered on Draco briefly before he gave him a small wave and left.