November Sun

November Sun

By stitchesandlace

Draco slumped across the couch in front of the television half asleep, nursing a large mug of tea that had been charmed to stay warm and bottomless. November was his least favourite month. Without fail, as soon as the weather turned, he came down with the same mind-numbing cold that left him stuffy, achy and miserable. Dealing with anything less than perfect health pleasantly was not something Malfoys were known for.

He was debating whether it would be worth the effort to reach across the floor to where he had dropped the remote (A Makeover Story had been entertaining, but A Wedding Story was now starting and the sappy brides made him nauseous) when he heard the lock click behind him and Harry stepped into the flat.

Draco tilted his head just enough to look towards the door, careful not to over exert any other part of his body. He frowned. Harry's cheeks were bright red and his hair was even messier than usual. Once he had dropped his bag, much to Draco's dismay, he pounced towards him and flung himself directly into the blond's lap.

"Urrrnnoiouuchh!" Draco struggled as Harry knocked the wind out of him and wrapped him into a bear hug. "Harr-ge'oooff!" He finally let go and sat up, glasses askew and tomato-red face beaming. Draco gave him the nastiest look he could manage, but Harry's smile only grew.

"What in Merlin's beard are you so happy about?! I'm sick, you fool, you'll catch it."

"Sod that. It's Friday!" Harry pressed his cold cheek against Draco's, who responded with curses and flails, pushing him off. Harry laughed. "I left you sitting on this couch this morning, whining about your runny nose, and you haven't moved since."

"S'not true!" Draco pouted. "I've been to the bathroom several times, and even made some soup for lunch." He nodded towards the remnants of his meal on the kitchen counter.

Harry smirked. "Mmmhmm, I see... impressive."

Draco frowned again. Harry was still perched on his lap and was giving him the oddest look he'd seen in awhile. Something glittered behind those dark lashes. "What are you staring at me like that for?"

As quickly as he had hopped - rather, landed on, Harry jumped off Draco's lap and took his hands, tugging him to stand. "Quit it, Potter! I was comfortable!" Draco fought against him, but Harry was significantly stronger, and soon he held Draco against him protectively. Draco cursed himself. While he quite enjoyed Harry's displays of dominance in the bedroom, he hardly appreciated being thrown around like a rag doll. Despite this, Draco snuggled into Harry's warmed up arms, and Harry set his chin on the heap of blond hair.

"Still feeling ill, love?" Draco nodded in response. "Poor thing. Well... I think it would do you good to get out of the house." Draco stiffened, but if Harry noticed, he didn't react, and continued. "Why don't we pop out for a bit? Get something to eat. You must be hungry if all you've eaten today was some soup. Let's go out for burgers. I found a great place a block down Hampton."

Draco grunted. He was absolutely not going anywhere in his weakened state. And judging from Harry's earlier appearance, the weather wasn't pleasant.

"Come on, love, it would be good for you!"

Draco frowned and attempted to push Harry away. "I'm not going out! It's cold! And miserable! And I'll get sicker! And-"

"Oh, quit your whining," Harry interrupted. "Why won't you listen to me? It's not that bad out. It's sunny! I promise you'll feel better after."

Draco shoved against Harry's chest. "I am listening, and all I hear is some crazy banter about how you want to drag a suffering man out into the harsh elements! We are not going anywhere!"

:::::::::

Half an hour and several snarky exchanges later, Draco huffed and sighed in resignation while he purposefully trudged extra slowly along the busy street. Harry practically bounced, walking just slightly ahead of him, holding his hand tightly and looking back every few seconds with a smirk.

The weather wasn't nearly as bad as he had thought, Draco noted, though he would never admit it aloud. It was windy, but the sun was still shining, its rays sparkling off the golden leaves and shallow puddles from an earlier rainfall. Despite the pain of annual colds, this season was his second favourite next to summer, as far as nature went. Draco loved watching the trees change colour and the thick grey clouds shift across the sky, every so often breaking to let the last bits of a dying season's sun shine through.

Lost in his reverie, he barely noticed when Harry turned and led him through the dark mahogany doors of a local pub, but once inside, his eyes lit up. Draco recognized the place instantly - it was Hunter's Inn, where he and Harry had come for their first dinner after deciding to be an exclusive couple. That had been four years ago, and they hadn't been back since - frankly, he didn't even know that their new flat was anywhere near this pub, but he hadn't forgotten it. The room was small, and intimate booths flanked the walls with a large bar taking up the centre floor space. It was darker than he remembered, and quieter - only a few customers sat at the bar watching some American football, and more than half of the booths were empty. It was still early, and business would likely pick up within the next few hours.

Draco turned to Harry questioningly, but as soon as he caught a glimpse of the man's fogged up glasses, he snorted. Harry grinned. "Recognize this place?"

"Of course I do," Draco answered. "I had no idea it was around here. When did you find it?"

The gleam Draco had noticed earlier in Harry's eye returned. "Well, I found it a little while ago... while we were looking for a place, actually. But I thought I'd save it for... ah, here's a nice spot. Fancy a Guinness?" Draco frowned, eyeing Harry suspiciously. Something was definitely up, but he was interrupted from inquiring further when the waitress arrived to take their drink orders.

Ten minutes later, Draco had leaned back in his chair, feeling much better than he had felt all week. Harry had been right, he admitted, the short walk did clear his head, and the apartment had been getting rather stuffy. In fact, Draco told himself, he probably would have gone out on his own, if Harry hadn't beat him to it.

The easy conversation reached a lull, and Draco noticed Harry playing with his napkin nervously as they waited for their food. "What's up, Potter? You've been acting oddly ever since you got home."

Harry bit his lip, and grinned. "Do you know what day it is, Draco?"

"Er... no..." Draco wracked his brain for what it could be, but he came up empty.

"Today's our anniversary, you prat!"

Draco frowned apologetically. "Shit, I'm sorry Harry, I completely forgot... I am a prat! I'll make it up to you, I promise." He looked down and sulked into his beer. He had been so focused on himself and his cold in the last week that he had no idea that such a significant date was anywhere near.

Harry merely smiled and reached across the table to lift Draco's chin with two fingers. "No need to apologize, you haven't been well. You've made that pretty clear for the last few days!" Draco huffed. "I have something for you anyway," Harry continued. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small black box.

He pushed it across the table towards Draco, who looked at the tiny thing questioningly. "What's this?"

Harry smirked. "Just open it."

Draco took the box in his hands and lifted the lid. Inside, sitting on some cotton batting, was a small, silver circle. A ring, he realized with a start. He looked up at Harry. Could this mean what he thought it meant?

Harry's grin had vanished and he looked at Draco imploringly, biting his bottom lip. He appeared to be terrified. "We've been together for a long time, and I love you, Draco. So I was wondering, would you marry me?" He spoke so fast that Draco barely caught the words.

A lump quickly formed in Draco's throat, and he looked back down at the silver ring sitting in the box. He picked it up and slid it on his finger - it was a simple, buffed silver band, and the metal felt cool against his skin. It fit perfectly.

Before he could get a hold of himself, his eyes threatened to spill over. He raised his head back up to Harry, who now looked as if he was going to pass out any second. Draco's face broke out into a huge smile. "Of course I'll marry you, you idiot!"

Harry let out an audible breath and smiled back, taking Draco's hands in his own and kissing the ring. He's so beautiful, Draco thought to himself, and a single happy tear slid down his cheek. He sniffed. Perhaps those sappy brides weren't so awful after all.

Finis