Rating:
PG
House:
Astronomy Tower
Characters:
Draco Malfoy Harry Potter
Genres:
Romance Slash
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 10/07/2004
Updated: 10/07/2004
Words: 1,327
Chapters: 1
Hits: 1,102

Late and Lonely

Lily Michelle

Story Summary:
Draco can't make it home, but he doesn't really want to.

Posted:
10/07/2004
Hits:
1,102


Late and Lonely

"I was out the other night
And I saw you so we had a fight.
It was late and I was lonely,
And it was such a long way home."

~Somewhere In The Middle, Dishwalla

Draco stumbled out of the club and tried to make his way down the street. Through his drunken haze, he recognized the enormous indignity of having to use garbage cans and lamp posts to keep himself upright. After a minute or two, he stopped in the entrance of an apartment building and took several deep breaths.

He couldn't be sure of the time, but he knew it was late. The man that approached his spot must have been on his way home. Still, Draco was unconcerned with him, until the man spoke.

"Malfoy?" The voice sounded shocked and disbelieving.

Draco gathered his strength and lifted his head. He forced his blurred eyes to focus and was met with a piercing green gaze. Only one person he knew had eyes like that.

"Potter? What the 'ell are you doing 'ere?" he slurred.

Harry frowned slightly and pointed at the building Draco was leaning on.

"I live here."

"I-" Draco began, but his inebriated mind was slowly clearing and it processed the information. "Oh."

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. Draco wasn't sure if it was the combination of liquor he'd been drinking, but he thought that Harry sounded genuinely concerned.

"Clubbing, drinking, dancing," Draco managed to say. "None of your business anyway, Potter."

"Fine, whatever." Now, Harry sounded annoyed. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"Home."

Harry rolled his eyes, but Draco couldn't rouse the will to get insulted. "Where's home, Malfoy?"

Draco waved a hand vaguely along the street. "Near Diagon Alley."

"What!" Harry exclaimed. "You'll never make it like this."

Draco managed to draw himself up into his usual stance of intimidation. "I can make it fine." His credibility was slightly diminished by the fact that he slumped over on the wall immediately after speaking.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Do whatever. See if I ever try to help you again."

"Who asked for your help, Potter?"

Harry scowled. "Obviously, not you."

He turned away from Draco and pushed past him. His keys jangled as he looked for the right one to open the door. The door was just about to close when Draco spoke, making Harry catch the knob and hold it open.

"Wait, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened at the familiarity of his name coming out of Draco Malfoy's mouth.

"What?"

"Help me?"

Draco's voice was small and vulnerable, and Harry could not ignore it.

"With what?"

Draco looked up at him with large, grey eyes that spoke of the isolation and pain that Harry could feel inside himself.

"It's late and I'm lonely. I don't want to walk home."

Despite the sadness implicit in the uncharacteristically soft voice, Harry raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you could anyway?"

Draco shook his head. "Not the point. I don't want to go home."

Harry realized that Draco must have been much more drunk that he'd originally thought, or else he'd never have said these things.

"What do you want me to do, Draco?"

Draco's eyes flicked up to Harry's in shock. "Don't let me be alone," he said simply.

Harry nodded, and not really knowing why, he reached out for Draco's arm and tugged him gently inside.

After four flights of half leading, half carrying Draco, they arrived at Harry's flat. Harry struggled to open the door without letting Draco fall, but eventually, they got in. Harry helped Draco take off his coat and boots and led him into the sitting room.

"You can kip on the sofa for the night, I guess."

Draco flopped down and looked up at Harry. "Sit with me," he said, and pulled Harry down onto the sofa too.

Harry tried to get up, but Draco had wound his arm across Harry's chest and was snuggling himself in. Yup, Harry thought, definitely way drunker than I'd thought.

Harry wasn't quite sure what his next move would be, when once again, Draco's voice cut the silence. "I don't feel so alone now."

The words were spoken with a soft tone that tore through Harry's chest and ripped away the loneliness that resided there. However temporary the relief, Harry was grateful. He'd been trying so hard to rid himself of it. Apparently, cuddling with a childhood rival was the cure, and not burying oneself in work and other friends' lives.

"Me neither," he whispered.

"I've been waiting for you," Draco murmured, half asleep. "I missed you."

Harry's half-closed eyes snapped open, but he didn't move from his place. "You what?"

"I missed you," Draco repeated. "We graduated and, suddenly, you weren't there anymore."

"Oh." Harry didn't really have another response to that.

Slowly, Draco lifted his head and his unfocused eyes met Harry's. "I wanted to be your friend, you know."

"When?" Harry asked softly, trying not to break whatever spell was inducing Draco's confession.

"Since forever. Since the beginning. On the train. But you didn't want me."

Draco's voice sounded so sad and hurt that Harry felt guilty over doing the right thing almost nine years ago. "You were mean," he said, giving his only excuse.

"I didn't know now to be otherwise," Draco admitted. "But I've wanted to do this for almost as long."

"Wanted to do wh-" Harry began to ask, before Draco's lips covered his.

Harry was too surprised at first to do anything. But Draco's lips were incessant and demanding. Harry soon found himself kissing back with equal fervour. Draco's mouth was hot and wet and screaming desire. Draco wanted Harry. That's what Harry could tell from Draco's kiss. What he didn't realize was that he'd feel the same. Harry wanted Draco. That's what he could tell from his passionate response.

They pulled apart, panting and stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. Then, Draco's head fell softly to Harry's chest, his body giving in to drunken stupor.

As he drifted away, he whispered, "Am I alone, Harry? Will you leave me?"

"No," Harry whispered with a softness he'd never been able to conjure before. "You're not alone. I won't leave you."

With that, Harry joined his unlikely companion in slumber.

~*~

When Harry awoke, it was to two grey eyes staring at his curiously. It seemed Draco was up and had spelled his hangover away. The question was, why was he still here.

"Er, hello," Harry said uncertainly. He wasn't quite sure that the Draco he'd spoken to last night would still be here this morning or if he'd return to the Draco he'd known in school.

"Good morning."

Harry stretched and looked at Draco from the corner of his eye. The other man seemed to be gazing at him rather like Hermione used to gaze at a particularly tough Arithmancy question. As if he were a puzzle and a challenge. He was just about to ask what Draco was still here for, when Draco spoke first.

"Did you mean it?"

His voice was not the kind, soft voice from last night, but Harry heard the slightest trace of it under the no-nonsense tone. When he met Draco's gaze, he saw the same emotions from the last night in them, glittering slightly behind a veil of distrust and caution.

Harry wasn't sure if Draco was asking about the kiss or about the promise he had made. He found he didn't care.

"I meant it."

And for the first time in years, Harry found he was able to be absolutely and completely sincere. The small smile that crept on to Draco's face proved that his sincerity had shown.

"Good. You wouldn't be much of a Gryffindor otherwise."

Draco's good natured, but entirely Draco, comment brought out something in Harry that he thought he'd lost forever, and he expressed it in the only way he knew how.

Harry laughed.