![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rarepairs_mod posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
rarepair_shortsAuthor: ???
Recipient:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dracogotgame
Title: Sting of Jealousy
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Sirius Black
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~2.500
Summary: Sirius’ plan was to get Draco out of the house after the war, not to shove him into some random guy’s arms. Not that he’s jealous. Not at all…
Author's Notes: Dear recipient, I hope you have at least as much fun reading this as I had writing it. Thanks for the prompts and opportunities, and have a merry Christmas! :D Thanks and cookies to K. for the beta!
The Leaky Cauldron was half-full. Witches and wizards with and without offspring occupied the tables. The dusty corners were left empty, except for one table next to a darkened window that hadn’t seen a cleaning spell in years. A man with long, dark hair sat there, reading a long roll of parchment.
Sirius Black spent a lot of his afternoons here with a glass of Firewhiskey, while working on Ministry paperwork – something he didn’t need to do, but the war had left the Ministry in turmoil, and Kingsley was a little in over his head.
After Voldemort’s end people finally dared to come out of their houses again. Voices and laughter filled the pub. Loud droning that died suddenly. Sirius looked up, wondering whose silencing charm had gone wrong, and found everyone staring at the entrance to Diagon Alley.
A young man with pale skin and very white blonde hair stood in the doorway, judging everyone in the room out of his cold grey eyes.
“Draco!” Sirius rose from his chair and waved at the young Malfoy.
After the final battle, they had been forced to share a room in St. Mungo’s. Sirius had suffered some burns from dark charms that people claimed were serious and almost fatal, and Draco had gotten a bit too close for comfort to a Fiendfyre. No one had been happy about the arrangement in the beginning, but the war had left too many injuries to be picky about rooms. Harry had spent a lot of his days glowering at Draco, stroking the wand he had ‘borrowed’ from him, and Draco’s parents had hardly left his side, Lucius muttering under his breath that he still knew the right people and Narcissa telling Draco Sirius was allergic to daffodils, placing them all over the place. When they were alone at night, Sirius had told Draco that he’d used this daffodil-excuse just once as a teenager to get away from a certain wedding. They’d laughed, and from that moment on they’d made the best out of their situation.
“Black.” Draco joined him at the table, shifting rather uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “So Potter did indeed leave you here to take a trip down under?”
“He’s not going surfing, if that’s what you mean. Sit down.” Sirius grabbed Draco’s arm and pulled him onto the seat next to him. People started minding their own businesses again. “I’m surprised to see you here. Guess it’s possible to leave the house after all.”
Draco rolled his eyes at him. Sirius had visited him once or twice in the last weeks, only to find Draco hidden away like a dusty old picture. He’d tried to get him out, told him there was work for everyone at the Ministry or Hogwarts, that there were peacocks to feed outside, but the Malfoy’s ruined reputation kept him inside.
“Mother asked me to get some things for her,” Draco said.
Sirius looked into Draco’s empty arms. “Invisible things?”
Reddish spots appeared on Draco’s cheeks. “Is this an interrogation? I didn’t get what she wanted. That’s it.”
Sirius smirked. “Then you’ve got time for a Butterbeer, right?”
Draco looked around as if he was expecting someone to jump out and curse him. “You’ll pay.”
Sirius gave Tom a quick sign and not a minute later they had two Butterbeer to chink, rather unenthusiastically in Draco’s case. It took him several sips to lay a little back, get a bit chattier but not any less grumpy.
“It’s not that bad, right?” Sirius asked eventually. “Nobody’s trying to kill you.”
“I chose the perfect protection,” Draco said, looking at Sirius. A mean curve lifted his mouth into a smirk. “I’m sitting right next to a villainous mass murderer after all.”
“Ha, ha,” Sirius said dryly. “I shouldn’t have told you about that old lady throwing Puffskeins at me.”
“Of course not,” Draco said and actually chuckled softly. He scooted closer until his shoulder pressed into Sirius’ and lowered his voice to an almost conspiratorial level: “It wouldn’t hurt you to get a haircut. I’m sure you can spare one of these afternoons you like to waste in this dilapidated hovel.”
“Ouch.” Sirius pressed a hand against his chest. “Would it hurt you if I don’t get a haircut?”
“I won’t dislike you even more because you don’t look like a human being.” Draco tucked at one of the longer strands of Sirius’ hair, curled it around his index finger. Sirius was too busy staring at Draco’s slender hand to notice the footsteps drawing closer.
“Sirius?”
He looked up to find two redheads standing at their table, one also desperately in need of a haircut, and the other with several burn scars on his arms.
“Bill, Charlie.” Sirius reached over Draco’s head to shake their hands. “How’re you doing?”
“Great, great,” Bill said. “I see you’ve got company?”
“That’s Draco. You surely –”
“Quite surely. We’ve just met at Gringotts.” Bill bit back a small smile and reached his hand out. Sirius gave Draco a nudge and only then did he take Bill’s hand, shook it and let go as quickly as possible. Bill pretended not to notice. “This is my brother –”
“One of them,” Draco muttered.
“Charlie. Charlie, this is Gringotts’ biggest vault.”
“Hi.” Charlie just grabbed Draco’s hand, shaking it in a cage of both his hands. “Draco, that’s a really pretty name.”
“Go send my parents flowers,” Draco replied, but he didn’t pull his hand immediately away.
“My brother likes his dragons no matter what form they come in,” Bill said with a twinkle in in his eyes. Quite possible that they were tears because his brother had stepped right on his foot.
“I study dragons,” Charlie explained. Sirius noticed that his eyes never left Draco, strangely gleaming. “Gorgeous creatures, really. Do you like them?”
“Hey, why don’t you two talk a little, while Bill and I get another round? The more the merrier, right?” Sirius squeezed out of his corner of the table, having the strong impression Draco made it even harder for him, and followed Bill to the counter. He kept his eyes on Draco, now huddling into the corner and listening to an enthusiastic speech by Charlie. “That’s great, isn’t it? Draco needs some friends on the right side of the law.”
“Yeah, but Dad’s gonna throw a tantrum comparable to an earthquake,” said Bill. “At least my blonde’s not going to be the main discussion at family dinners anymore.”
Sirius frowned at him, then watched Draco unsuccessfully supressing a laugh about whatever stupidity Charlie had just said. “Huh…”
~*~
The next day, same place, same time, and Sirius actually wasted his time. He blankly stared at the damn paperwork and cursed his altruistic past-self for offering help. He hated paperwork and he didn’t need any money, although he wasn’t the bloody biggest vault in that cursed hole of Gringotts. And Kingsley was big enough to take care of his incompetent Ministry employees himself.
“Why so grumpy?”
Sirius looked up. “Draco.” He felt a small smile tugging at his lips at the sight of Draco’s bright grey eyes. “I would’ve never told you to leave the house had I known you’d end up stalking me.”
“Now you know how that feels, right?” Draco smirked at him. There was something about the look in his eyes, as if they were glowing from the inside. His robes and hair looked even neater than usually. “Actually, I’m meeting someone here. Just wanted to say ‘hi’.”
“Oh.” Sirius’ smile dropped. He followed Draco’s gaze to a table on the opposite side of the pub. A man with red hair and freckles waved at them. Charlie Weasley. “Oh. Well… Don’t wanna hold you up. Have fun.”
Draco looked at him for a long moment that felt way too short. His eyes seemed darker. He nodded and gave Sirius a weird wave that looked like it was intended to touch his shoulder. “Let’s hope your mood isn’t contagious, Black.”
Sirius had to force a laugh and watched Draco join Charlie at the table. They sat on the same side, just like the last time. Today Draco’s grumpy expression was immediately replaced by a haughty confidence, soon shattered by a laugh he couldn’t suppress. Charlie wasn’t that funny. He talked about dragons. A lot. He had trouble believing that Draco would enjoy such conversations, let alone be amused by them.
Sirius stared stubbornly over to them, his paperwork long forgotten. He’d hoped for Draco to get outside again, to enjoy himself, to find some proper friends, but this… Something wasn’t right about this. He was pretty sure Charlie had more in mind than being friends. Draco was vulnerable, lonely, and Charlie maliciously took advantage of that.
Sirius stroked his wand under the table, suppressing a strong urge to make tentacles sprout from Charlie’s face. Then he noticed Tom walking by, carrying a plate of his thick, slimy pea soup. Sirius gave his wand a spontaneous flick and the plate sprang out of Tom’s hand, spilling its contents right over Charlie’s head.
Charlie jumped from his seat, green soup dripping from his hair and shoulders as if one of his beloved dragons had vomited right onto him. Draco turned away, face twisted in disgust. A blush crept on his pale cheeks as every pair of eyes focused on them.
Charlie excused himself and hurried to the bathroom, almost slipping on the soup that also covered the ground. Tom sent a broom to clean the mess and went for another plate of soup. Draco was left all by himself, but not for long. Sirius walked over to him.
“Well, well,” he said, casually leaning against the table. “Looks like that’s the perfect opportunity to run off. I’ll make an excuse up for –”
“I’m not leaving,” said Draco, still red to the hairline. He wasn’t looking at Sirius. “Charlie’s quite alright. I enjoy his company.”
“You enjoy him ogling you. That was pathetic, Draco. Since when do you –”
“He’s a war hero,” Draco snapped. “That’s exactly the kind of people I need to befriend. Even if they’re covered in soup.”
“Befriend?” Sirius snorted. “You mean that, to save your reputation, you let him get into your pants.”
Draco shot straight up and for a moment he looked as if he wanted to spit at Sirius. He swallowed whatever instantaneous remark had tickled his tongue and took a deep breath. Face red as a tomato but with a very calm voice he said, “Maybe.”
“Fine,” Sirius growled rather like a dog. “Enjoy your mistake.”
If it ever came to that…
He took a sharp left turn to the toilets. Charlie stood there in front of a sink and examined his reflection in the mirror for any soup stains he might have missed. He turned a smile on when Sirius entered.
“Hi, Sirius. Little accident. Did you –”
Sirius grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him into the wall. “I swear,” he spat into Charlie’s shocked face. “If you touch him, it’s the last thing you do.”
“What? Sirius, I don’t understand.”
“I know what you’re up to. Very honourable.” Sirius didn’t let Charlie object. “Draco’s lost and alone, and he’s not some flirt that makes your vacation more interesting.”
Charlie’s smile returned as a smirk. “I see. Invading your territory, am I?” He blandly ignored Sirius’ confused outburst of incoherent syllables. “You fancy him.”
Heat pumped thickly through Sirius’ veins, uncomfortable and enraging. “Oh, please. I’m worried. Draco deserves better than a man who scoops dragon dung for a living.”
Charlie stared at him, shocked, on the verge to wrath. “Fine, then. I almost thought I should back off, considering he talks about you most of the time. But if you’re not interested…” He shrugged. “I do have another week to spare before I’m heading back to Romania.”
“I’m warning you…”
Charlie shoved him away, straightening his wrinkled shirt. “You can try your luck when I’m done. If you’re still relevant then, of course.”
He left Sirius alone to scowl at his reflection in the mirror. An old and broken man who had wasted a third of his life in Azkaban. Draco couldn’t want that. No one with a sane mind wanted that.
~*~
The following night Sirius camped out on Malfoy Manor’s doorsteps. Not literally, but close enough to see figures moving behind the illuminated windows. He hadn’t seen Charlie, what didn’t mean anything if he came over the Floo Network.
He didn’t know what he wanted to do when Charlie arrived. Punch him in the face, maybe. He still hoped he wouldn’t come and that Draco wouldn’t make a mistake – and enjoy that in the end.
A door closed somewhere behind him and footsteps crunched over the gravel. “How long do you plan on sitting here, Black?”
Draco stood on the driveway, arms crossed, head slightly tilted.
Sirius jumped to his feet and stepped out of the two shrubs he’d been hiding behind. “Draco! I was just… I think I lost my… thing.”
Draco raised his eyebrows. “Your invisible thing? Since four o’clock in the afternoon?”
“Been checking the window, apparently,” Sirius said. “Are you expecting someone?”
“If I wanted a watch dog, I would’ve gotten one. One that would bite you right in the arse. That’s embarrassing.” Draco came closer with every word and stopped sharply in front of Sirius. He looked ready to punch him. “Charlie told me about your bathroom-encounter.”
Sirius made a mental note not to apologise to Charlie. “Draco, I’m just worried. That’s all.”
“You’re jealous,” Draco said and pushed his flat hand against Sirius’ chest, hardly making him stumble. “Just admit it.”
Sirius burst out laughing, and this time, Draco shoved him with both hands.
“Great! Then sod off! You have no right to do this. To invade my privacy.”
“Normally you’re not that protective of your privacy if you let Charlie into your bed after two dates!”
“I called it off! I never wanted to… to… Do you really think I’d be dating a Weasley? I’ve met him and he’s alright, but I’m not that desperate. There’s…” Draco hesitated, stumbling over his words. “There’s someone else –”
“Another war hero?” Sirius asked coldly. “Good company these days, or so I heard.”
Draco looked as if Sirius had slapped him straight across the face. “A jerk. A complete arse,” he said, breathing hard. “For months he’s been telling me to come to that place, at that time, and when I do he’s pushing me at some random guy.”
“Sounds like a huge idiot,” Sirius said.
Draco’s grey eyes gleamed like freshly polished knives. “I just wanted to know if there’s… if it means…” He ruffled his hair in a sudden outburst of frustration, and something inside Sirius’ snapped.
He grabbed Draco by the shirt and pulled him into a kiss. This time, Draco really punched straight between the ribs, but the shock wore quickly off and he wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius’ back. His body was warm, his lips soft and shaky, yet eager.
When Sirius pulled away, it was because he really needed to get a question out: “Do you want to have dinner with me?”
A smile, small yet real, brightened Draco’s face. “You’ll pay.”
Recipient:
dracogotgameTitle: Sting of Jealousy
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Sirius Black
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~2.500
Summary: Sirius’ plan was to get Draco out of the house after the war, not to shove him into some random guy’s arms. Not that he’s jealous. Not at all…
Author's Notes: Dear recipient, I hope you have at least as much fun reading this as I had writing it. Thanks for the prompts and opportunities, and have a merry Christmas! :D Thanks and cookies to K. for the beta!
The Leaky Cauldron was half-full. Witches and wizards with and without offspring occupied the tables. The dusty corners were left empty, except for one table next to a darkened window that hadn’t seen a cleaning spell in years. A man with long, dark hair sat there, reading a long roll of parchment.
Sirius Black spent a lot of his afternoons here with a glass of Firewhiskey, while working on Ministry paperwork – something he didn’t need to do, but the war had left the Ministry in turmoil, and Kingsley was a little in over his head.
After Voldemort’s end people finally dared to come out of their houses again. Voices and laughter filled the pub. Loud droning that died suddenly. Sirius looked up, wondering whose silencing charm had gone wrong, and found everyone staring at the entrance to Diagon Alley.
A young man with pale skin and very white blonde hair stood in the doorway, judging everyone in the room out of his cold grey eyes.
“Draco!” Sirius rose from his chair and waved at the young Malfoy.
After the final battle, they had been forced to share a room in St. Mungo’s. Sirius had suffered some burns from dark charms that people claimed were serious and almost fatal, and Draco had gotten a bit too close for comfort to a Fiendfyre. No one had been happy about the arrangement in the beginning, but the war had left too many injuries to be picky about rooms. Harry had spent a lot of his days glowering at Draco, stroking the wand he had ‘borrowed’ from him, and Draco’s parents had hardly left his side, Lucius muttering under his breath that he still knew the right people and Narcissa telling Draco Sirius was allergic to daffodils, placing them all over the place. When they were alone at night, Sirius had told Draco that he’d used this daffodil-excuse just once as a teenager to get away from a certain wedding. They’d laughed, and from that moment on they’d made the best out of their situation.
“Black.” Draco joined him at the table, shifting rather uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “So Potter did indeed leave you here to take a trip down under?”
“He’s not going surfing, if that’s what you mean. Sit down.” Sirius grabbed Draco’s arm and pulled him onto the seat next to him. People started minding their own businesses again. “I’m surprised to see you here. Guess it’s possible to leave the house after all.”
Draco rolled his eyes at him. Sirius had visited him once or twice in the last weeks, only to find Draco hidden away like a dusty old picture. He’d tried to get him out, told him there was work for everyone at the Ministry or Hogwarts, that there were peacocks to feed outside, but the Malfoy’s ruined reputation kept him inside.
“Mother asked me to get some things for her,” Draco said.
Sirius looked into Draco’s empty arms. “Invisible things?”
Reddish spots appeared on Draco’s cheeks. “Is this an interrogation? I didn’t get what she wanted. That’s it.”
Sirius smirked. “Then you’ve got time for a Butterbeer, right?”
Draco looked around as if he was expecting someone to jump out and curse him. “You’ll pay.”
Sirius gave Tom a quick sign and not a minute later they had two Butterbeer to chink, rather unenthusiastically in Draco’s case. It took him several sips to lay a little back, get a bit chattier but not any less grumpy.
“It’s not that bad, right?” Sirius asked eventually. “Nobody’s trying to kill you.”
“I chose the perfect protection,” Draco said, looking at Sirius. A mean curve lifted his mouth into a smirk. “I’m sitting right next to a villainous mass murderer after all.”
“Ha, ha,” Sirius said dryly. “I shouldn’t have told you about that old lady throwing Puffskeins at me.”
“Of course not,” Draco said and actually chuckled softly. He scooted closer until his shoulder pressed into Sirius’ and lowered his voice to an almost conspiratorial level: “It wouldn’t hurt you to get a haircut. I’m sure you can spare one of these afternoons you like to waste in this dilapidated hovel.”
“Ouch.” Sirius pressed a hand against his chest. “Would it hurt you if I don’t get a haircut?”
“I won’t dislike you even more because you don’t look like a human being.” Draco tucked at one of the longer strands of Sirius’ hair, curled it around his index finger. Sirius was too busy staring at Draco’s slender hand to notice the footsteps drawing closer.
“Sirius?”
He looked up to find two redheads standing at their table, one also desperately in need of a haircut, and the other with several burn scars on his arms.
“Bill, Charlie.” Sirius reached over Draco’s head to shake their hands. “How’re you doing?”
“Great, great,” Bill said. “I see you’ve got company?”
“That’s Draco. You surely –”
“Quite surely. We’ve just met at Gringotts.” Bill bit back a small smile and reached his hand out. Sirius gave Draco a nudge and only then did he take Bill’s hand, shook it and let go as quickly as possible. Bill pretended not to notice. “This is my brother –”
“One of them,” Draco muttered.
“Charlie. Charlie, this is Gringotts’ biggest vault.”
“Hi.” Charlie just grabbed Draco’s hand, shaking it in a cage of both his hands. “Draco, that’s a really pretty name.”
“Go send my parents flowers,” Draco replied, but he didn’t pull his hand immediately away.
“My brother likes his dragons no matter what form they come in,” Bill said with a twinkle in in his eyes. Quite possible that they were tears because his brother had stepped right on his foot.
“I study dragons,” Charlie explained. Sirius noticed that his eyes never left Draco, strangely gleaming. “Gorgeous creatures, really. Do you like them?”
“Hey, why don’t you two talk a little, while Bill and I get another round? The more the merrier, right?” Sirius squeezed out of his corner of the table, having the strong impression Draco made it even harder for him, and followed Bill to the counter. He kept his eyes on Draco, now huddling into the corner and listening to an enthusiastic speech by Charlie. “That’s great, isn’t it? Draco needs some friends on the right side of the law.”
“Yeah, but Dad’s gonna throw a tantrum comparable to an earthquake,” said Bill. “At least my blonde’s not going to be the main discussion at family dinners anymore.”
Sirius frowned at him, then watched Draco unsuccessfully supressing a laugh about whatever stupidity Charlie had just said. “Huh…”
~*~
The next day, same place, same time, and Sirius actually wasted his time. He blankly stared at the damn paperwork and cursed his altruistic past-self for offering help. He hated paperwork and he didn’t need any money, although he wasn’t the bloody biggest vault in that cursed hole of Gringotts. And Kingsley was big enough to take care of his incompetent Ministry employees himself.
“Why so grumpy?”
Sirius looked up. “Draco.” He felt a small smile tugging at his lips at the sight of Draco’s bright grey eyes. “I would’ve never told you to leave the house had I known you’d end up stalking me.”
“Now you know how that feels, right?” Draco smirked at him. There was something about the look in his eyes, as if they were glowing from the inside. His robes and hair looked even neater than usually. “Actually, I’m meeting someone here. Just wanted to say ‘hi’.”
“Oh.” Sirius’ smile dropped. He followed Draco’s gaze to a table on the opposite side of the pub. A man with red hair and freckles waved at them. Charlie Weasley. “Oh. Well… Don’t wanna hold you up. Have fun.”
Draco looked at him for a long moment that felt way too short. His eyes seemed darker. He nodded and gave Sirius a weird wave that looked like it was intended to touch his shoulder. “Let’s hope your mood isn’t contagious, Black.”
Sirius had to force a laugh and watched Draco join Charlie at the table. They sat on the same side, just like the last time. Today Draco’s grumpy expression was immediately replaced by a haughty confidence, soon shattered by a laugh he couldn’t suppress. Charlie wasn’t that funny. He talked about dragons. A lot. He had trouble believing that Draco would enjoy such conversations, let alone be amused by them.
Sirius stared stubbornly over to them, his paperwork long forgotten. He’d hoped for Draco to get outside again, to enjoy himself, to find some proper friends, but this… Something wasn’t right about this. He was pretty sure Charlie had more in mind than being friends. Draco was vulnerable, lonely, and Charlie maliciously took advantage of that.
Sirius stroked his wand under the table, suppressing a strong urge to make tentacles sprout from Charlie’s face. Then he noticed Tom walking by, carrying a plate of his thick, slimy pea soup. Sirius gave his wand a spontaneous flick and the plate sprang out of Tom’s hand, spilling its contents right over Charlie’s head.
Charlie jumped from his seat, green soup dripping from his hair and shoulders as if one of his beloved dragons had vomited right onto him. Draco turned away, face twisted in disgust. A blush crept on his pale cheeks as every pair of eyes focused on them.
Charlie excused himself and hurried to the bathroom, almost slipping on the soup that also covered the ground. Tom sent a broom to clean the mess and went for another plate of soup. Draco was left all by himself, but not for long. Sirius walked over to him.
“Well, well,” he said, casually leaning against the table. “Looks like that’s the perfect opportunity to run off. I’ll make an excuse up for –”
“I’m not leaving,” said Draco, still red to the hairline. He wasn’t looking at Sirius. “Charlie’s quite alright. I enjoy his company.”
“You enjoy him ogling you. That was pathetic, Draco. Since when do you –”
“He’s a war hero,” Draco snapped. “That’s exactly the kind of people I need to befriend. Even if they’re covered in soup.”
“Befriend?” Sirius snorted. “You mean that, to save your reputation, you let him get into your pants.”
Draco shot straight up and for a moment he looked as if he wanted to spit at Sirius. He swallowed whatever instantaneous remark had tickled his tongue and took a deep breath. Face red as a tomato but with a very calm voice he said, “Maybe.”
“Fine,” Sirius growled rather like a dog. “Enjoy your mistake.”
If it ever came to that…
He took a sharp left turn to the toilets. Charlie stood there in front of a sink and examined his reflection in the mirror for any soup stains he might have missed. He turned a smile on when Sirius entered.
“Hi, Sirius. Little accident. Did you –”
Sirius grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him into the wall. “I swear,” he spat into Charlie’s shocked face. “If you touch him, it’s the last thing you do.”
“What? Sirius, I don’t understand.”
“I know what you’re up to. Very honourable.” Sirius didn’t let Charlie object. “Draco’s lost and alone, and he’s not some flirt that makes your vacation more interesting.”
Charlie’s smile returned as a smirk. “I see. Invading your territory, am I?” He blandly ignored Sirius’ confused outburst of incoherent syllables. “You fancy him.”
Heat pumped thickly through Sirius’ veins, uncomfortable and enraging. “Oh, please. I’m worried. Draco deserves better than a man who scoops dragon dung for a living.”
Charlie stared at him, shocked, on the verge to wrath. “Fine, then. I almost thought I should back off, considering he talks about you most of the time. But if you’re not interested…” He shrugged. “I do have another week to spare before I’m heading back to Romania.”
“I’m warning you…”
Charlie shoved him away, straightening his wrinkled shirt. “You can try your luck when I’m done. If you’re still relevant then, of course.”
He left Sirius alone to scowl at his reflection in the mirror. An old and broken man who had wasted a third of his life in Azkaban. Draco couldn’t want that. No one with a sane mind wanted that.
~*~
The following night Sirius camped out on Malfoy Manor’s doorsteps. Not literally, but close enough to see figures moving behind the illuminated windows. He hadn’t seen Charlie, what didn’t mean anything if he came over the Floo Network.
He didn’t know what he wanted to do when Charlie arrived. Punch him in the face, maybe. He still hoped he wouldn’t come and that Draco wouldn’t make a mistake – and enjoy that in the end.
A door closed somewhere behind him and footsteps crunched over the gravel. “How long do you plan on sitting here, Black?”
Draco stood on the driveway, arms crossed, head slightly tilted.
Sirius jumped to his feet and stepped out of the two shrubs he’d been hiding behind. “Draco! I was just… I think I lost my… thing.”
Draco raised his eyebrows. “Your invisible thing? Since four o’clock in the afternoon?”
“Been checking the window, apparently,” Sirius said. “Are you expecting someone?”
“If I wanted a watch dog, I would’ve gotten one. One that would bite you right in the arse. That’s embarrassing.” Draco came closer with every word and stopped sharply in front of Sirius. He looked ready to punch him. “Charlie told me about your bathroom-encounter.”
Sirius made a mental note not to apologise to Charlie. “Draco, I’m just worried. That’s all.”
“You’re jealous,” Draco said and pushed his flat hand against Sirius’ chest, hardly making him stumble. “Just admit it.”
Sirius burst out laughing, and this time, Draco shoved him with both hands.
“Great! Then sod off! You have no right to do this. To invade my privacy.”
“Normally you’re not that protective of your privacy if you let Charlie into your bed after two dates!”
“I called it off! I never wanted to… to… Do you really think I’d be dating a Weasley? I’ve met him and he’s alright, but I’m not that desperate. There’s…” Draco hesitated, stumbling over his words. “There’s someone else –”
“Another war hero?” Sirius asked coldly. “Good company these days, or so I heard.”
Draco looked as if Sirius had slapped him straight across the face. “A jerk. A complete arse,” he said, breathing hard. “For months he’s been telling me to come to that place, at that time, and when I do he’s pushing me at some random guy.”
“Sounds like a huge idiot,” Sirius said.
Draco’s grey eyes gleamed like freshly polished knives. “I just wanted to know if there’s… if it means…” He ruffled his hair in a sudden outburst of frustration, and something inside Sirius’ snapped.
He grabbed Draco by the shirt and pulled him into a kiss. This time, Draco really punched straight between the ribs, but the shock wore quickly off and he wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius’ back. His body was warm, his lips soft and shaky, yet eager.
When Sirius pulled away, it was because he really needed to get a question out: “Do you want to have dinner with me?”
A smile, small yet real, brightened Draco’s face. “You’ll pay.”
no subject
Date: 2014-01-04 12:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-21 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-04 03:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-21 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-04 06:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-21 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-04 08:06 pm (UTC)Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2014-01-21 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-12 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-21 06:08 pm (UTC)