Better Ridiculous Than Boring (Drabbles)

Draco thanked the gods daily for his life and what it had turned out to be like. Having come out of the war with next to nothing, he was not ungrateful for the things he had, as his childhood self likely would have been. All of the choices he had made were completely worth the monthly howler he received from his father in Azkaban, and he had come to see the letters as a sign that he was on the right path. If Lucius was disappointed, Draco was doing something right. 

It had been pointed out to him several times that it was beneath a man of his standing to be in trade. That knowledge was, firstly, utter bullshit, but also did nothing to quash the love he had for his little tattoo shop. The Snake Pit was the only thing he’d ever built by himself, for himself, and he adored it. Well, not entirely by himself, he supposed.

“Are you going to hire Longbottom to do the window for Yule?” Theo asked him, not looking up from the parchment he was scribbling on. 

“Pans will burn this place to the ground if you don’t.” Blaise pointed out, reclining in his chair, feet up on the client couch. 

“If he’s got time. McGonagall’s getting more insistent now that Sprout’s finally retiring.” Draco replied, setting out his inks for his next appointment. 

“Look who’s been chatting with his brother-in-law again.” Theo looked up and smirked. “Did you send Professor Potter our regards?” 

“I absolutely did not and never will.” He shot his friend a withering look. “I honestly don’t know how you have the energy to be this much of an arsehole all of the time.” 

“It’s taken many years of practice.” He smiled innocently. “But you love it, really. Who would do your accounts if you didn’t have me?” 

“I’d hire someone less annoying.” Draco replied immediately. 

“Someone better at doing them, too.” Blaise added with a smirk. “I’ve been saying we should take advantage of Padma’s period of unemployment.” 

“Because you want to take advantage of Padma.” Draco said.

“Gods, don’t phrase it like that.” He grimaced. “I’m going to marry that woman one day, mark my words.” 

Theo snorted. “And I’ll be Minister for Magic.” 

“I’ll be sure to vote for you, mate.” Blaise shot back. Draco hummed. 

“Depends who else is standing.” 

“Yes, yes, we know. Your girlfriend is deeply impressive and has lofty political goals. I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t stand against her, my ego would never recover.” Theo said. Draco simply smiled, as he usually did whenever anybody brought up the subject of his witch. He did his best not to be smug, but it was terribly difficult considering the way in which he’d pulled off the impossible. “What time is that bloke in?” 

“Quarter to.” Draco replied, checking the clock. “It shouldn’t take that long. He just wanted a gap filled on his arm.” 

“And then the big meeting tonight.” Blaise waggled his eyebrows, moving one of his feet and nudging Draco in the thigh with his toe. 

“Meeting the parents already.” Theo shook his head, wistfully staring off into the middle distance. “It only seems like two seconds since we were in nappies.” 

“Well, it did take you until 21 to master the toilet, mate, so I can see why you’d feel like that.” Draco smiled, before heading to prepare for his client. 

“That is slander! I’ll see you in court!” Theo screeched indignantly after him. 

Draco slid his notebook across the table, eyeing the huge bald man with trepidation. Heavily tattooed men that looked like him, he’d come to learn, could be the fussiest when it came to tweaking the design. The client, Drew, studied the flowers carefully, giving nothing away as he traced the petals with a stubby finger. He then looked up at Draco, and there was a second where he idly wondered if he was going to crush his head with his huge hands and even bigger biceps, but the man smiled instead. 

“It’s perfect, mate. You’re a real talent.” He said. “Exactly what I was after.” 

“I’ll go ahead and get the stencil then.” Draco replied, his shoulders relaxing. “Asters are for September, right? Is it for family?” 

Drew nodded. “My wife and daughter were both born in September.” 

“My girlfriend was, too. Popular month.” He smiled, applying the stencil and letting Drew appraise the positioning in the mirror. 

“Is that who they were ribbing you about when I came in?” Drew nodded his head towards the door, where Theo and Blaise were sitting in the next room. 

Draco huffed as he set up his work station. “Yeah. I’m meeting her parents for the first time tonight and I’m nervous. They think they’re helping by taking the piss.” 

“Have you got any reason to be?” Drew smirked. “Are they against those of us with ink?” 

“I don’t know, actually. They’re both doctors, so maybe?” Draco shrugged, before settling on his stool and starting the outline. “I just don’t want to fuck it up. We went to school together and I bullied her, so they’ll know who I am in that context.” 

“Not being funny, mate, but I think everyone knows who you are.” Drew replied. “If they’ve been paying attention to the Prophet, that is.” He added, and Draco let out a breath, hating the drivel Skeeter still made up about him. “People know you’re trying to do better, though. Maybe just let them see you’re worried about it going well. That’ll endear you.” 

“I hope so.” He said. 

“You don’t need to worry, you know. You seem like a stand up guy.” Drew insisted. “More money than God, but you’re still working because it’s your passion. Handsome enough to have anyone you like, and yet you go after someone you know you’ll have to be better for. I can’t see them objecting to that.” 

Draco wiped his arm down. “She deserves far better than me, and I’ve told her that more times than I can count, but she doesn’t listen. On one of our first dates, she said that I’d just have to be better because she wasn’t going anywhere and what I felt like she deserved was my problem, not hers.” 

“And are you? Better?” He asked. 

“I’m not sure yet. I’d like to think so, at least.” 

Drew hummed. “That’s as much as anyone can ask for, I’d say. You’re trying, you can’t do any more than that.” 

“If only her parents had that kind of mindset.” He smirked as he finished the last of the shading. It was a fairly small tattoo, so it hadn’t taken long. 

“You don’t know that they don’t, mate.” Drew pointed out. “This is one of my favourites now, you know.” 

“Considering how many you have, I’ll take that as a huge compliment.” Draco smiled. “We’re all done here if you want to head out to Theo, he’ll sort payment with you.” 

“Thank you, Draco. I really do love it.” Drew stuck out his other hand, and they shook on it. “I’ll be back in the future, I would imagine. If nothing else, I want to know how tonight goes for you.” He smirked, and Draco grimaced. 

“Yeah, we’ll see.” 

“Good luck, mate, but you won’t need it. It’ll be fine.” He insisted with a warm smile, before heading out to see Theo. Draco whipped off his gloves before dragging a hand through his hair, hoping that the man would be right. 

“Dad’s been weirdly excited about this all day. Like more than a normal person should be.” Hermione said as they walked up to her parent’s house. 

“Is that a good thing?” Draco asked. 

“I think so? He doesn’t usually text me this much.” She replied as she pressed the doorbell. “To give you some idea of what to expect, Mum would absolutely have been a gryffindor, she’s quite similar to me in most ways. Dad, I think, would be a ravenclaw, but he does have some moments where I wonder if he would have been at home in-” 

The door opened, and Draco immediately huffed out a laugh. “Slytherin. He’s definitely a slytherin, Granger.” He chuckled, as Drew smirked back at him. 

“Told you it would be fine, didn’t I?” He said. 

“That you did, Dr Granger.” 

“Dad, what did you do?” Hermione huffed. 

“Research, love. Don’t worry about it.” He replied, as he stepped aside to invite them in. “Welcome to the family, mate.” He muttered in Draco’s ear as he passed. Draco’s mind was uncharacteristically empty at that moment, except for one thought. He must have been a fucking saint in a past life to have the things he had now, and Merlin, was he grateful for it all.