lomonaaeren

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Chapter Twenty-One—In One Bed

The snakes having been left firmly downstairs, Harry stepped into Draco’s bedroom and paused, staring around. He had never seen a single bedroom this big, although of course he’d grown up with a skewed sense of that. And the rooms in the Burrow hadn’t been that big, although still large enough to give most people a sense of space.

But this place…

“Do you ever lose your way when you’re going to the loo?” Harry asked, glancing at Draco over his shoulder.

Draco snorted at him as he let the door fall shut behind him. “This is the smallest bedroom in the Manor, I’ll have you know.”

Harry opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. Then he found he did have something to say. “So Scorpius gets a bigger space?”

“Scorpius’s toys take up half his room,” Draco said dryly. He had remained near the door, Harry realized. He was watching Harry stare around with a complicated expression. “Is it too much? I know a little about how you grew up…”

He’s as nervous as I am, Harry thought. As close as they had become, as much as they had overcome to be friends and fellow teachers and Parselmouths together, Draco probably still heard the echo of old insults in the back of his mind.

“I’m glad that you had this,” Harry said simply. “Glad that Scorpius has room for his toys. It’s not what I pictured for myself, but over time, I could get used to it, too.” He reached up and flicked the button near his throat open.

“Yeah?” Draco’s eyes had caught on his hands and seemed unable to move.

“Yeah. If the person who lived in it was worth my time, of course.” Harry smiled and opened some more buttons.

In a way, he thought he might have more to be nervous about, because he’d only ever been with Ginny, while Draco had possibly been with more people than just his ex-wife. But the instant he saw Draco’s hesitancy, then something inside Harry calmed down. He knew how to support people. He knew how to lead by example.

And besides, he was really bloody looking forward to this.

*

Harry had no idea how beautiful he was.

Draco couldn’t take his eyes from Harry’s slim, strong hands as they moved, as his chest became visible while he shed his robes. He wore no shirt beneath them, which Draco had had the impression was unusual for him. But now, there was bright, bare skin there, marked by a dark scar near his heart.

Draco wanted to touch it. Soothe it. Bite it. Go back in time and prevent it from happening.

His breath was rushing as he looked back up at Harry’s eyes. Harry gave him the gentlest of reassuring smiles and went on undressing, sliding his robes down over his body and kicking them away when they caught for a moment around his feet.

He’s magnificent, Draco thought, staring at slim muscles and a taut body that didn’t seem to have gained a pound since their last year at Hogwarts. Maybe it was running around after Jamie all the time that did it.

“Oh, good.”

Harry’s dry voice made Draco look up. Harry was smiling at him, but with a sarcastic edge to it that made Draco narrow his eyes. “Good for what?” he asked, thinking about undressing himself, but he didn’t want Harry distracted by a conversation when he got his first glimpse of Draco half-naked.

Harry looked directly at him. “I have no idea what your caliber of partner usually is, Draco, but I assume I’m different from it. That you still look as if you want me is a good thing.” He shook his head.

“Want you? Sweet Merlin, Harry.” Draco took a long step forwards that he hadn’t actually meant to take, in case it would scare Harry off. But he wanted to reach out and caress Harry’s skin, he wanted to touch his shoulders, he wanted to run his hands down between Harry’s legs and touch his cock.

Oh, right. And he could see Harry’s cock now. Draco made a point of looking into Harry’s eyes for a long moment now, until Harry’s smile wavered, and then he let his eyes dip.

Harry was hard, which Draco had felt before, but never seen. His cock was rich red and straining, and Draco’s arse clenched as he looked at it. His mouth watered a second later. That was frankly ridiculous, but he also couldn’t look away. His hands twitched.

“You do want me.”

Harry sounded a little more confident now. Draco nodded, and decided that Harry was the sort of person who enjoyed straightforward, bold people. So he moved closer and reached out to touch and stroke.

Harry choked a little, and his hand flew out as if he were going to stop Draco. But then his head tilted back, and his hand faltered, and his hips pushed into Draco’s touch as if he had made some kind of decision.

Draco smiled, and bent closer to place his smile on Harry’s shoulder. Harry shivered all over as Draco licked and bit gently on his bare skin. And then Draco stroked Harry at the same time as he moved his mouth over him, and Harry gave a half-strangled shout.

Draco had been hard since they’d kissed downstairs, but now the pressure, the swelling, at his groin was really getting out-of-hand. He shifted a little to ease the constriction of his pants around his erection, and Harry jumped and opened his eyes.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Um. That undignified noise.” Harry was turning so red that Draco wasn’t surprised at the heat when he reached up and cupped one of Harry’s cheeks. Harry’s eyes fluttered shut, but his mouth was still a tense line. “I didn’t even ask you whether you enjoy your partner practically shouting at you.”

“It’s fine,” Draco said. Harry’s mouth was still tight, so he added, “More than fine. Lets me know that they’re enjoying themselves.” And he leaned in and kissed Harry again, keeping up his gentle stroking.

Harry relaxed completely, reaching up to wrap his arms around Draco’s neck. Draco lost himself in the soft rhythm and counter-rhythm of his tongue and hand, and was taken by surprise when Harry laughed, stepped back, and said, “I’m very impressed with how well you multi-task, but when do I get to see you with your robes off?”

Draco smiled, and sneaked another look at Harry’s cock as he moved back himself. Yes, Harry was harder now, and redder, and his cock was glistening at the head. Another moment of Draco’s stroking, and he might have come.

“Now,” Draco said, and raised his wand to cast the charm that would Banish his robes completely to a collection basket the house-elves maintained in the cellars, where all the laundry was done.

Only when he was done did he remember why he might not have wanted to take them off so quickly.

*

Draco was fit.

Harry drank the sight of him in, eyes darting everywhere. Pale skin and curved muscles and broad shoulders and long, slender legs and a cock that was curving towards Draco’s stomach and which made Harry immediately want to touch, and—

The Dark Mark.

Draco seemed to sense the moment when Harry saw it. He folded his arms, which of course only made the Mark stand out more, and stared at Harry as if daring him to say anything.

Harry hadn’t actually thought about saying anything. Draco had been Marked willingly, maybe, but then he’d changed his mind, and Harry knew exactly why. But it seemed Draco needed reassurance for this the same way Harry had needed to know that his shout hadn’t embarrassed Draco.

And Draco hadn’t laughed at him.

Harry stepped forwards, holding Draco’s eyes instead of looking down, and rested his hand against the Mark. Draco seemed to stop breathing, or maybe actually did. Harry reached up with his free hand and gently smoothed Draco’s hair back from his eyes.

“It’s part of you,” Harry said quietly. “I’m not jumping for joy to see it, no, but I accept it as part of your past. Part of your life. The way I’m sure that you can accept my scars. And one in particular.” He flicked his head to draw Draco’s eyes to his forehead without moving his hands. He didn’t want to stop touching Draco right now.

“I—but how can you be that accepting when you know what I did while I was still trying to pretend it was a good thing?”

“It made you a Parselmouth,” Harry said, and watched as Draco shuddered. “I can’t hate who you are, Draco. I meant what I said about accepting it.” And he touched his mouth to Draco’s again, deepening the kiss as Draco relaxed, and walked them both backwards towards the bed.

*

Draco found himself unexpectedly near tears as he knelt on the bed where Harry had lain down and was staring hungrily up at him, his fingers skimming along Draco’s thighs and the edges of his groin without touching him where he most wanted to be touched.

Draco had never had any other lover who had accepted him so fully. Astoria had managed to look past the Mark, but not at it. She usually kept her eyes averted when they made love. And Draco had understood that, and accepted it himself.

But Harry, who had suffered at Voldemort’s hands so viciously, just looked at Draco with clear eyes, and smiled.

Draco hoped that he was keeping most of that off his face, but from the softness at the corners of Harry’s eyes, he wasn’t keeping all of it hidden. And that was all right.

Draco buried a hand in Harry’s hair and tugged his head back to kiss him, then kissed down his throat. Merlin, he was never letting Harry go. Someone this forgiving, who could put any problems he had with the Mark aside? A selfless and generous and handsome lover who loved him?

Draco would walk down the middle of Diagon Alley holding a sign that proclaimed his commitment to Harry bloody Potter if that was what it took.

“Can I try something?” Harry whispered.

Draco sat back on his heels and forced himself to remember that Harry had never been with a man before. “Of course. What do you want to try?”

“Sucking you.”

Draco’s cock jumped in response as his hips jutted forwards. He reclined back on the pillow, trying to hold in his groans, and spread his legs in invitation. “By all means,” he said, and gave up on concealing the breathlessness in his voice the moment he heard it.

Harry slid down the bed and spread Draco’s legs, staring at his cock as if he had never seen one before. Well, maybe not from this close, Draco had to admit, as he shifted his position a little to make it easier for Harry.

Harry stroked him with a series of light, delicate touches that made Draco squirm. He was just about to beg Harry to stop that and get on with things when Harry leaned forwards and put one of Draco’s bollocks in his mouth.

From the ground to the clouds, Draco thought, letting his head fall back with a groan as he was engulfed. He drifted in warmth, his arm over his eyes. He would come now if he looked down and watched what Harry was doing.

“Huh,” Harry said, pulling back, and then he surrounded the head of Draco’s cock with his mouth in the exact same way.

Don’t come, Draco ordered himself, while his body shook with pleasure. Don’t come.

*

Harry had heard from Dean, one of the few people he knew who regularly dated men, that the taste of a bloke’s bollocks was pungent and salty and impossible to get away from. But Draco’s just tasted interesting, not that strong. Harry could have gone on sucking him much longer than he’d done.

But then Draco might come, and there were other things Harry wanted to do before then.

And his cock was wonderful.

Harry let his eyes fall closed as he sucked gently, relaxing his throat and swirling his tongue. For something he’d had absolutely no practice in, he didn’t think he was doing too badly, or Draco would most assuredly have let him know. As it was, Draco was making tiny sounds in his throat, arm still over his eyes, hips twitching with what seemed to be an incredible effort not to thrust. Harry smiled into Draco’s skin.

Draco gave a sudden, hard thrust, and Harry drew back, coughing a little. Draco abruptly took his arm from his face and reached down and hauled Harry up along his body, their chests scraping together in a way that made Harry shiver.

“Was it—” he started to ask.

“It was perfectly great, shut up,” Draco snarled at him, and then settled Harry in what seemed to be the position he’d been aiming for, almost draping Harry’s arms over his shoulders, reaching up so that he could kiss Harry again, and angling his hips so that—

Their cocks were brushing against each other’s. Harry’s eyes shut involuntarily, and he thrust again and again and again before he managed to get control of himself.

“No, no, more of that,” Draco said into the side of his neck. Harry hadn’t even realized when they’re stopped kissing. Draco’s words turned into babbling as Harry let himself move again, let Draco’s erection glide against his, and felt the slight wetness he had left and that Draco was adding to, and the heat building between them, and the fact that he was going to come himself and make Draco come.

The heat was building dizzyingly, and the promise, and the thought of what would happen soon. Harry groaned and dug his fingers into Draco’s shoulders. Draco was swearing now, his voice melting back into audible words, his fingers clutching the nape of Harry’s neck and driving down.

Both their hips drove forwards, and forwards, and forwards.

Harry came.

He felt the warmth flood through him and leave him, and Draco groaned and followed. Harry dug his fingers deeper, and heard Draco huff and sigh against his neck, his hips still stuttering and his cock rubbing maddeningly against Harry’s, and then he slumped forwards. Harry managed to shift so he wasn’t crushed, but Draco still bore him down on the bed.

The huge, silvery bed had sheets so silken that Harry could hardly feel them against his skin. He shivered and pulled Draco closer as the warmth began to flee entirely. Draco curled himself closer still, his fingers scratching at Harry’s scalp for a second in a way that made Harry close his eyes in contentment.

He’d forgotten how intimate it felt, simply to lie here with another person and cuddle with them, and feel them breathing onto his neck, and get his glasses splattered with warm droplets of breath.

Merlin, I didn’t even take off my glasses.

Harry huffed a little breath of amusement, and Draco pulled nearer to him and made an inquiring noise. “I didn’t take off my glasses,” Harry breathed into his ear.

He made sure to keep his voice as gentle as possible, so that Draco wouldn’t think it was some kind of criticism. And in fact, the noise Draco made back to him was sleepy, and smug, and full of his own amusement.

Harry did make sure to cast a spell that floated his glasses off his face and over to a table next to the bed, where it also folded them. No need to break them after they had managed to miraculously survive a bout of sex thus far.

Draco said something about Cleaning Charms. Harry cast one. He also said something about a shower. Harry rolled on his back and yawned, letting his arms stretch above his head and a ripple run down his spine to his legs, which he spread out in front of him, toes included.

“You can do that if you want,” he muttered. “But I am going to sleep.” And he barely managed to toss his wand onto the table beside his glasses before he shut his eyes. It would take him a few minutes to drift off, but with someone he felt as safe around as he did Draco and in a bedroom so saturated with Draco’s magic, not longer than that.

Which frankly was a bloody miracle, with his normal nightmares.

*

Draco stared at Harry. Harry was breathing softly, his shoulders still slumping down in relaxation. He showed no sign that this was the first time he would sleep beside Draco. No sign of embarrassment or discomfort.

He had accepted Draco for far more than just the Dark Mark.

Draco reached out and ran a hand down Harry’s shoulder. Harry didn’t stir, already so asleep or so comfortable that he just accepted the touch. Draco stroked the curly hair at the back of Harry’s neck for a moment, and then he stood up and wobbled to the bathroom.

He stared at himself in the mirror, trying to find the man who had managed to not only attract Harry bloody Potter but win his acceptance so quickly. And discover where that man had been when he’d longed to be part of Harry’s inner circle at Hogwarts and never managed it.

Maybe it was just time. Maybe it changed us both into people who can be with each other.

Draco relaxed with a long sigh as he thought about that. Yes, that was probably it. And meanwhile…

Meanwhile, he was in love, and would remain so.