Cigarette butt falls on the ground. Damned be his shaking cold hand that was steady and warm just a few minutes ago when he succeeded in lifting perhaps the strongest curse Manchester has seen in a century.
It's not work, it never is. It's Harry fucking Potter. As always.
Last time Draco smoked was during his talk with Potter when he got out of Azkaban, just turned twenty. Harry picked him up personally – young to-be-auror, veteran, the Hero. A hero who seeked company of an ex death eater because they had the same depth, degree of knowing how much certain experiences suck. Harry had friends, but their parallels are different. They weren't bound by anything except fate back then and it made the talk easier. During said talk Draco realised Harry needed mind healing aid. But the hero can't even pee in peace, less so afford news of his state to slip through the cracks of someone's moral code.
Back then he smoked to share the poison with Harry.
Now Draco lights up second one to beat one drug with another – years have passed and he still gets hopeful when they work together, a great team. Like today.
"Weird".
Harry almost forces him to jump and block. Sneaky soundless bastard learned how to conceal presence well.
"What exactly"?
"You don't usually smoke according to your friends. Hiding?"
"More like your company and the shit we do makes me want a cigarette and some hot chocolate".
"So I'm special to you"?
Idiot.
Draco breathes in the nicotine and pushes out the smoke, his wind magic gently brushing Harry's hair and face. Caress, feather light kisses. Pure love with a hint of salt and hope yet bitter.
° Yes, yes you are. °
"Am I?"
"I've reached your consciousness a few seconds ago. Use your legilimency skills. Besides, why question something you know the answer to".
Harry smirks, hand covering his, warming it up with a spell. Steals his cigarette and breathes out a tiny dragon made of smoke. Asshole. Brilliant one at that.
"You are truly special, Harry Potter. The boy who lived, our saviour and a massive butt! The most insufferable man in the Universe and my personal curse I haven't found the cure to. Happy?"
"Pretty much".
"What the hell could you possibly want with me after this shameful confession?"
"A kiss would be nice".
Harry beams with an unbothered smile and laughter in his eyes and Draco snaps his new dose in half. Scoffs. Sighs.
"Some day you'll learn manners to break their rules with style, but as of now we'll concider your audacity cute. No kisses until the paperwork is done".
Harry pouts and leaves him alone for now. Draco sighs again. When has he fallen in love with a man that can't even be patient?
It's supposed to be ancient history – the stolen glances and dancing in the dimly lit kitchen, coffe with dark chocolate, some liquor and cream in it on a winter night. Joy of not having to explain the pain or be in it, but have acceptance and understanding. Something they shared for almost three years before Harry decided to move on.
Move on.
Like he ever could!
It's not that the relationship was bad, quite the opposite and that's the problem. They were great together. Draco made him feel safe and welcomed, as hillarious as it is in their context. Harry didn't ask him to be anything he's not. They had just as many reasons to laugh and love as to cry and hate. On some days the latter won, but they always made it through.
It's supposed to be ancient history, because Harry ran from the depths and intensity of their surprisingly harmonious union. He did it himself. Draco has a wife and a kid now. He shouldn't be jealous of Astoria's smile and Scorpius recieving the hug. But he is.
"If you want to say something, spit it out already".
Draco points out in the kitchen after the official part of Hermione's birthday party is over. Sips his tea from the same mug he always took here when they were dating. He still wears the necklace, caught his eye.
"You never striked me as a family person. Not in the sense– you know what I mean".
"And you never striked me as someone incapable of being honest with yourself. Here we are".
Harry smirks and sighs, shaking his head.
"I don't know what to tell you. It was all... Stupid. I know. It's just the thought of you being any closer and me staying so lame was appalling".
Draco thinks for a few seconds, then places an empty mug on the windowsill.
"You are the most arrogant, stubborn and charming asshole I've ever met. I am perfectly aware of your worst qualities, believe me. They could never outweigh the kind, glowing ones".
"Glowing?"
Harry smiles with a sharpened gaze.
"More shining, actually. You're the light in the dark. Cookie?"
"Yes, please".
You, Harry thinks, witnessing his lover (ex doesn't really matter) explain to the kid the concept of duality in very simple terms
A very niche DGM post but I think the poker pair/tyllen would be a fantastic duo in modernAU for the Security Service. Org.Crimes Unit Chief Tyki Mikk and his favourite Agent Walker. Whenever the higher ups ask if they know something about the shady methods of the other and bending the rules they're both like "in fact, I'm blind and deaf AND dumb, what are we talking about". Because one thing they hugely respect about the other is getting the job Done. As in dealt with thoroughly. They also have an usaid consensus over never dropping the children involving cases unless they can't do anything about it. They also agree on shitting back on mysoginistic cops and their own coworkers (they wouldn't been half as effective without Lenalee, Lulu and forensic pathologist Road).
Do they break the rules sometimes? For sure.
Do they break the law? Occasionally. Carefully.
Do they gaf? Not if it gets them to their goal.
Tyki knows damn well Allen sometimes will punch a bitch and get him in trouble, but he also knows Allen WILL solve the most deranged case with his foresight, profiler skills, quick reaction and restlessness.
"Agent Walker, was it necessary to break the inspector's nose?"
"He called our youngest a poser-whore".
"... Next time, deal in couple of ribs to. Although I hope there won't be a second time".
And Allen knows damn well that behind that shady smirk and sometimes outright terrifying cold-blooded attitude is someone who deeply cares about the victims and their families and doesn't want to see the country in complete chaos because it steals Joy. From everyone.
"You're saying, you have no idea of Chief Mikk's dealings with the government?"
"I'll tell you more – I don't think our Chief would ever enjoy speaking to these people outside of work necessity. That man hates the government he works for with a passion. Quite controversial he is".
.
If you imagine them as a couple with a middle-burn-ish dynamic it is also quite hillarious. Allen joins the unit at 26, they work together for +-3 years and then suddenly BOOM catch feelings at +- the same time, although the jokingly flirty communication was always there. Along with the "he's attractive" kind of statement internally but it used to be more matter-of-fact.
Tyki falls first but Allen almost quits the job because of the intensity of the feelings until they talk it out. Tyki's like yeah NO you're damn good at the job. If it's impossible for you to not have clouded judgement and you suddenly care about the rules you can change units but you love helping people.
They figure it out eventually. And all is well (as it can be with that shithole of a job but they're into it).
Harry sighs, putting the pen aside. Kingsley's trying his best to make him reconsider the dates of his vacation but Harry won't be swayed this time – he can feel the burnout chewing on him for the past few months already.
"Where will the Head Auror rest? Not trying to get your location, pure interest. You usually stayed in the country with Ted and friends".
"Ironically, my ex's place".
Kingsley realises it's better not to ask any further questions an leaves him alone, singing the form.
In a day, Harry steps foot onto the grounds of Draco's summer house in Provence.
The pool greets him with too cold yet water but he heats it up a bit with a spell and dives in. Then has coffee on the terrace with some pastry and fresh fruits. Oh how he missed peace.
The rustling of the leaves, the sun dancing on his skin as their shadows move. The songs of the wind and the birds, the quiet joy and love in energy field here.
Harmony.
Draco's surprisingly good at it. Maybe because he spend most his youth in distress.
The owl arrives half an hour before the owner of the house does.
"Need to grab an artifact, in-and-out. Don't hit me with a spell on the doorstep".
Harry laughs and then decides to make dinner for two. This idiot. He's the only one who's been awkward since their breakup.
Draco makes little to no sound as usual, gliding through the corridor and fetching something from the study. Then finally meets him in the dining room.
"Evening, Harry. Smells delicious, enjoy your meal".
"I was kind of hoping you'd stay. For dinner".
Harry admits, smiling a little shy. Draco presses his lips together. He catches up immediately.
"An emergency?"
"Someone broke through the Ministry's vault defences. This thing", Draco shakes a pendant in his hand, "Can detect who's been in the vacinity through energy traces, made it on an especially boring night. So yeah, we're kind of in a haste".
"Grab something to go then, you look harcore sleep deprived".
Draco shakes his head, but then freezes. Sighs.
"Do you have something sweet? I'm near fainting, if I'm being honest. Three days of curse lifting in Leon and now this. I was supposed to sip cocktails in a bar, what the hell".
Harry knows exactly how that feels. He makes Draco drink some herbal tea mixed with mind-clearing potion, eat a chocolate filled croissant and packs his part of the meal with some additional snacks.
"For the team".
Harry clarifies, seeing him startle a little. Draco can't help but smile.
"As caring as always, golden boy. Have fun here. At least one of us should rest for the balance of things".
"Draco. Do you need help? I'm already bored, to be honest".
"Sit this one out. For me?"
Harry feels a strange chill around his heart but nods. Draco puts on a mask and walks out, waving a hand in thanks for the food.
Something's off. Harry feels it in his bones.
They haven't seen or kissed eachother for three years. And he knows something's not right. He's damn sure he can still read him like an open book.
The robbery incident turns out to be just the begging of France's biggest security problem in the last decade.
He's already back at work in England for two months when the charms sealed letter appears through his chimney.
"Well, hello there", Harry blinks in surprise and catches the flying envelope, giving Hermione the "no idea" look.
His hand turns into stone for a few seconds when he reads the contents. In a too familiar handwriting.
"This letter finds you in case I'm injured to a point of not regaining consciousness. The charms are perfected by yours truly, binded to my energy. This is not a goodbye (I have that one written too), but a wish stated. There's an ornated long needle in my study, where we kept your amulets. If the healers can't do shit and your experience clearly shows I've been cursed, it may help to pierce me right in the eye with it. The needle is created to break any mind and energy related curses.
It supposed to only be used by me, you, mother or Teddy so that no-one decides to un-curse a prisoner or so. Mom's out the picture now, so. Sorry".
Harry jumps portkey to summerhouse as fast as he can after dealing with immediate business in England. He finds the needle, almost burns himself on the protection charms and then quickly finds which hospital Draco's in.
They might be exes, but he haven't signed the divorce. Neither of them did.
The healers indeed can't do shit. The cruse holds Draco in a half-alive state, slowly chipping away his life, blood rushing out of the cuts and back, circulating by the reversal charm's order. This madman has practically saved himself twice. So he does usually...
Draco has forseen this, hasn't he? Someone's been after the leading curse breaker for a long time. And Harry's gonna find out who that is very soon.
Right now he scares himself, channeling the energy through the needle, putting it in Draco's right eye.
The second the thick long needle looses all of it's golden ornaments, the curse breaks. The sound of shattered glass reverberates the room, fills it with a faint white glow. Harry notices a tiny snake slip out of the hole he made and the eye immediately heals.
A slight headshake and then a blink. Harry finally breathes out.
"Draco. Hey, no, don't move yet! Deactivate your own circling charms, the cuts I'll deal with".
In twenty minutes, when Draco has had some rest and all his wounds are healed, Harry carefully takes his hand.
"Don't scare me like that, you idiot. I really thought you'd die out here while I'm away".
"Shouldn't broken up with me then".
Draco scoffs and quickly shuts up, averting his gaze.
He really shouldn't. Concidering he loves him still and won't ever stop, that's one thing he's sure of.
"Why?"
Draco asks faintly, like it takes all of his power to do so.
"I was loosing my mind to anxiety and you deserved better".
"Don't fucking start this shit again! I told you I want to be with you through anything. After fucking Voldemort won't you concider I'm genuinely not scared of most things, less so your bad side I've seen enough of?"
It's perfectly sensible. Yet Harry would rather drown himself than allow someone to see him in the state he was back then.
"Just find the courage to properly state you fell out of love. Don't give me this crap".
Draco says tiredly, closing his eyes. Harry kisses the back of his hand, making him feel the sincerity through the touch of his magic.
"I've never stopped loving you".
Minutes go by in silence. Until Draco pulls him with unexpected force, making him fall onto him.
"You're such a disaster, Harry Potter. Now kiss me before I reconsider taking you on a date".
Harry kisses him without a doubt.
"A dinner date?"
"Fair. I kind of owe you one anyway".
Draco shrugs and hugs him tight, looking rarely content.
"Don't move. You're my pillow today".
Harry laughs and adjusts his position just a little so the both of them would be comfortable.
"I'm free till six in the morning London time".
"Well then, it's a breakfast date. As soon as my limbs start feeling like they're not trying to fall apart".
Harry falls asleep first. Something about Draco's herbal and woody scent – basil, sage and pine – always makes him drowsy in seconds.
Harmony? Maybe safety. Or love. Doesn't matter right now.
Hermione pinches his nose when he gets back.
"Never thought I'd say this, but how about you get back with your ex? You two really make eachother happy. Unfortunately".
Harry beams a dashing smile at her.
"Already did".
"Great. Now help me figure out how to mess with our old-fashioned party in a mildly rude way".
"Who are you and what have you done to Hermione Granger? I like my best friend mean and sassy, thank you very much! But on that note... I think you might wanna ask en expert. He visits at Saturday".
"Joy is important but so is the knowing that you can create it at any given time. Regardless of how small the spark is if it's created it can be enhanced. Sometimes by you, others by other people. But it's definitely possible to ignite".
"They're moving in retrograde", Harry whispers, hand on the wand already pointed at the spheres of the enchanted platform, "why the hell are they moving backwards?"
Draco knows the answer. It's circle three. As soon as the ninth will be completed, they're dead.
"No idea".
"Aren't you supposed to be the best curse breaker in France?"
He places everything on the last trick which encapsulates the entirety of his hope and audacity.
"I am".
Harry doesn't get the chance to fire a spell. Draco's magic, slowly scattered around the room for the last ten minutes in tiny portions so to not alarm the protection enchantments, forms into a white snake of light and smoke and bites down on the energetic links between the spheres.
Fast enough they won't send the "explode the abandoned temple immediately" signal.
Draco draws his wand and dashes forward, freezing Harry in place with a touch of his hand on the stern shoulder.
The snake transforms into arrows that he hand-points to the trembling and buzzing spheres.
When they hit the targets, everything is heated and filled with white light. He throws a protego over himself, knowing Harry's runic defences will hold for now.
The dragon stone shatters and the shards attack him in their last dying cry, attempting to slice his body.
He lets them.
As soon as one hits the throat, Draco internally screams in victory. It spills on the platform, warm and red, dark and innocent.
The old stones light up by the sacrifice and everything immediately calms down. His magic wears off, Harry unfreezes and takes a few steps towards him until he sends a gust of wind his way.
Harry watches as his body fully heals, thanks to the stone plate underneath him. Draco closes his eyes, whispers gratitude in old gaelic. Allows the soothing force also take away a portion of pain in his heart.
The artifact head auror is here for emerges from the underground with a whistle. Harry carefully takes it off the pedestal, puts it in a special case.
Draco sits up slowly, checking himself with a spell and casts an energy stabilization one next. Stands up feeling better than he came.
"We're done here. Tell the International Security Council they might want to reconsider that awful pay, ain't no way people die for this nonsensical sum. I do it for the love of the game, there's not much idiots like me left. They'll have a shortage soon".
Harry seems to have lost the ability to speak. Draco raises a brow at him near the exit.
"The fuck you staring at?"
"That was hot".
Harry states, unwavering.
Draco lets out a nervous laugh. Figures he's not joking. Looks at the time on his watch. Technically...
"We have two more hours before the set deadline".
"Is that an invitation?"
Draco sighs, pressing fingers to his temple in annoyance.
"Potter, I nearly died just now. Can you show some initiative and boldness you're so good at usually? I'm not in the mood for making any more hard decisions today".
One thing about Harry Potter is that he can Act.
They end up in a coastal hotel in less than ten minutes, Harry peeling his clothes off in the shower, already naked himself.
Draco doesn't even shy away, looking over the delicious canvas. He's twenty eight, there's no way he's getting embarrassed seeing someone's dick.
"Using your words, the fuck you staring at?"
Harry smirks, gliding his fingers over the sectumsempra scars. They haven't seen eachother for five years since he left England, but damn he only got more handsome. Golden boy till he dies.
"My payment".
Harry laughs, pulling him under the shower. Heat eases the last bits of pain from the curse lifting in the temple.
Lips on his feel way too right to belong to rival-enemy-love of his life. Too soft and sweet to pull away. Draco slides his fingers into messy dark hair, deepening the kiss. A shy moan makes him shiver.
"You sure? About going further".
He checks in before the sanity leaves him completely. Harry smiles with a hint of grief about the unsaid, unlived things they both wanted for years life got in the way of.
"I'm always sure about you. For better or for worse".
They're not letting it take anything away from them from now on.
Another thing Harry's good at is playing by his own rules.
The new ones include confessions during nasty sex and a asking him out on a date after.
Draco smirks, brushing his own hair after they've been made a complete mess.
"You got the order in retrograde. But yes, I'll have you over for dinner".
"At yours? Not a fancy restaurant?"
"Fancy restaurant doesn't make pepper sauce steak like I do. Trust me on this one".
"After what I've seen today? If you say you're the expert I'm inclined to believe".
"Saturday, nine o'clock. Go now, they're waiting for you".
Harry steals a kiss before leaving and Draco allows them both a touch of vulnerable gentleness. He doesn't want to let go of his hand.
"Draco", Harry whispers with the kindest expression on his face he's ever seen, "I'll visit you at your office tomorrow. Promise. Don't worry about me".
"Okay".
He whispers back, letting go.
The apparation sound snaps him out of the trance-like feeling he was holding onto, like it could replace the beloved hand.
Harry does visit him indeed. At ten in the morning, in a leather jacket with croissants and hot chocolate in hands.
"What can I help you with, Mr. Potter?"
"Hmm, was thinking of cursing one of my ex-bosses".
"You mean Kingsley? Yeah no, I'll pass on this one".
"Coward".
"Proudly so".
Harry wins him over with a dashing smile and his doe green eyes. Draco wants to slap himself across the face – nothing, absolutely nothing changed since he was a teen, in that regard.
"Can you enchant a bracelet for me? With good luck and protection. Was planning on gifting it to someone I love".
Draco stares at the amethyst and moonstone bracelet until Harry puts it on his wrist, pressing a kiss on his temple.
"You are the best curse breaker in France. And my boyfriend. If you want to be".
"Consider this an answer for any type of proposal except for double suicide – yes. I want to".
Anything you want, Draco thinks hopelessly-hopeful, wrapping his hands around Harry's neck, breathing out into the kiss.
Everything.
Harry only asks to have breakfast together. And isn't that a wonderful start.
The love you give is never wasted and finds it's way back to you in other forms in the future. No matter how much you regret giving it to places, things and people who didn't deserve it, you're going to see it flourish in your own life.
If today is especially hard and feels unbearable, please just keep breathing. The world needs more people like you. And you need a chance to see how it can get better. Because it can and it will. Sometimes it just takes too fucking long but it's worth it.
If you're able to write a few kind words back I would appreciate it today. It feels dark for me lately.
By the way, I’ve recently gotten into the Drarry ship again; I’ve always wanted to be able to draw them, but for a long time I didn’t like my style, and even ten years ago, I still couldn’t do it 🤣
