Chapter 16
Harry apparated to the same place he left Draco after their last drinks, under strict instructions from Draco to wait for him there. Harry was a bit early, and wandered round a bit, admiring the gorgeous architecture of the bristol townhouses, but then the time they agreed to meet came, and then it passed, and it kept getting later. Harry didn’t really know what to do- he had no way of contacting Draco to ask what was up. No way was he apparating into the living room again, but he also didn’t want to leave. Draco had been many things in their childhood, but late was rarely one of them, and he had never been late for any of the appointments for Scorpio, so this couldn’t be the sort of scatter-brained personality that led people like Ron to be half an hour late for everything, no matter how early he began getting ready.
Harry was just about to turn around and wander round the neighbourhood, nursing the hurt of rejection when he heard the echo of running feet on pavement and-
“Harry! Fuck, please! Harry! Wait!”
Harry turned and Draco was full-on sprinting down the street towards him, his shirt billowing in the wind and his trousers clinging to his thighs. He looked like Heathcliffe if Wuthering heights had been a porno and Harry felt his mouth go dry.
“I am so- fucking- sorry.” Draco heaved out between pants when he finally reached Harry, placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder to steady himself whilst he caught his breath. The warmth from his palm bled through Harry’s entire body.
“I was all ready to leave, and Maryam was coming over to watch scorpius and he just threw a massive tantrum and wouldn’t let me leave and it took me forty minutes to get him to calm down. I totally understand if you would rather go home, I cannot apologise enough-”
“Draco.” Harry interrupted firmly. “You are a father. Your son will always come first. I wouldn’t have asked you out if I didn’t feel able to handle dating a parent, okay? It's fine. We’ve missed the dinner reservations, but I am happy to go for a walk and find a bar?”
Draco was just staring at Harry, jaw slightly open. He looked- shocked, though Harry couldn’t figure out why for the life of him. He opened his mouth to say something else when Draco grabbed him by the front of his jumper and slammed their faces together.
As first kisses go, it was messy, and wet and sloppy and there was no finesse, but it was hot and intense and in the middle of the street and Harry’s hands were grappling for purchase on Draco’s waist and he never wanted it to end.
Draco cleared his throat after pulling back, face pink under the streetlamps.
“Sorry. I should have asked first. I just didn’t think I’d ever find anyone who was so understanding of what it's like to be a parent. A bar sounds lovely. I know just where to go.” Draco slipped his hand into Harry’s and tugged him down the street, and Harry was helpless to follow.
The two of them ended up squashed together in the booth of a pub called the mother’s ruin, and drank pint after pint as they discussed what felt like everything in the world. By the end, Harry was much, much too drunk to apparate, and the two of them ended up stumbling back to Draco’s house, fingers interlinked, sharing sloppy kisses on dark street corners and giggling like teenagers.
Draco led Harry into the living room, a finger pressed to his lips as he pulled a bottle of red wine from the rack in the corner of the kitchen and grabbed two glasses, pouring them both a healthy amount. Harry sat on the sofa and tucked his legs underneath him, gratefully accepting the glass held out to him, even though he definitely didn’t need any more to drink.
Draco turned on a lamp next to the sofa and the room was bathed in gentle yellow light. His cheeks glowed pink and his eyes were alight with drunken mirth and Harry almost couldn’t reconcile the man before him and the boy he knew at school. It showed immense strength of character, to grow that much in such a short space of time, and Harry supposed they had both done it, and it led them to being here on Draco’s posh sofa together, drinking posh wine and giggling like school children.
When they were down to the dregs of the bottle and Harry’s eyes felt like they were closing of their own accord, Draco stretched in a way that was entirely too alluring and uncoiled his body from the sofa, reaching a hand out to Harry.
“Bed time.” He whispered as he pulled Harry to his feet, both of them stumbling as the room tilted sideways. The two of them battled the stairs and the stairs very nearly won. Draco’s room was first, with the spare room being at the top of the house. Harry left him there with a kiss that started chaste and ended up with a string of saliva stretching between their mouths when they pulled apart, flushed and panting.
“Goodnight, Draco.” Harry whispered into the dark corridor before turning and fighting his way up the next flight of stairs, stumbling and slipping over the carpet in his socks. He didn’t even remember taking his shoes off. There were three doors and he tested two before he finally saw a bed. He stripped all the way down to his pants and fell on his back onto the bed, only just having the presence of mind to tug his glasses from his face, but he fell asleep with the frames still clutched in his hand.