The Morning After, part three
Title: The Morning After (part three): The Night Before
Pairing: Harry/Cedric
Written for: risingphoenix22 at twoseekers
(Request was for a "morning after" story with "walk of shame" humour)
Rating: R for swearing, adult situations and awkward circumstances
Disclaimer: All characters and the HP universe belong to J.K. Rowling. She would probably not approve of what I've done to them here.
Part One: The Morning After
Part Two: The Longest Work Day in the History of Work Days
The Morning After, Part Three:
The Night Before
Cedric arrived back at his flat with arms full of take-away. When he saw Harry waiting outside his door, he nearly dropped it all.
“Er… hello,” he said. What did it mean, Harry being here? What did he need to say that he couldn’t have said at the office?
Harry smiled sheepishly. He had cleaned up and changed since Cedric saw him last. The Muggle jeans and jumper suited him. “I thought I might have the wrong address. I had Ron look it up, but I was getting worried.”
He’d had Ron look it up? Why? He’d been here just this morning. “Stay for curry?” Cedric asked, not sure what else to say. He wasn’t about to explain why he’d been late.
Harry followed him inside. If he’d noticed Cedric’s hand shaking slightly, or the amount of difficulty Cedric had with a simple unlocking charm, he didn’t say anything.
Cedric set the take-away down on his kitchen table and went to find plates. He considered drinks, but settled on water for both of them. He doubted that Harry was any more ready to face a beer than he was.
Harry smiled his thanks when Cedric set the water on the table.
And then, once again, Cedric found himself sitting across a table from Harry. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” he said.
Harry looked at his hands, folded on the table. “I want to apologize,” he said.
Cedric stilled.
“I’m not sure what I… to be honest, I don’t remember much about last night,” Harry said. His face flushed. “Nothing at all, really, between being at the bar and waking up in your room this morning. But I gather… well, I think we…”
“Yeah,” Cedric said. “We did.” Harry didn’t remember any of it? Really? Cedric wasn’t sure how to take that. But at least it meant that Harry hadn’t left because of Cedric’s confession.
It meant that Harry didn’t even remember Cedric’s confession. He had no idea that Cedric had been lusting after him for years. He thought it was just a one-night stand.
That wasn’t as much of a comfort as Cedric would have expected.
“It’s nothing about you,” Harry said. He cleared his throat. “I mean, I’m sure it was good.” Cedric had never seen anyone turn that shade of red before. Harry’s face practically radiated heat.
“It was,” Cedric confirmed, resisting the urge to smirk. Unfair, he knew, but didn’t Harry deserve some payback for leaving?
“I just thought… you looked so peaceful, sleeping, and I felt like absolute crap, and I didn’t want you to wake up to that, and… I didn’t even stop to think that you might need to be at work, or what it might look like, disappearing like that.” Harry played with the tines of his fork. He looked miserable.
Cedric slid his hand across the table to capture Harry’s. “Don’t,” he said. “It wasn’t all you. I’m a grown man, I know better than to drink that much on a work night.” He didn’t add that it was his excitement at spending time with Harry that had gotten the better of his judgment. “Besides, I could have set the alarm. I had… other things on my mind.”
Harry had looked up at Cedric’s touch. Even haggard and hung over, he took Cedric’s breath away.
Cedric drew his thumb over the back of Harry’s hand. His skin felt slightly dry, his hand nearly as broad as Cedric’s. Cedric flashed back to last night-Harry’s hands running over his body, exploring...
Harry’s breathing hitched. His eyes, darker now, studied Cedric.
“I think I remember something,” he said.
“Yeah?” Cedric whispered.
Harry nodded. He tugged at Cedric’s hand, never breaking eye contact. Cedric started to pull free, to move around the table, but suddenly the table was gone. It reappeared several feet away, take-away and all, leaving Cedric and Harry holding hands across the empty space between their chairs.
Cedric laughed. “That was-how did you-?”
“Never mind,” Harry said. He tugged Cedric’s hand again. “Come here.”
It was awkward. Cedric straddled Harry’s lap, hoping that the wooden chair would hold their combined weight. Then his lips were on Harry’s, and all awkwardness was forgotten.
“Mmm,” Cedric protested when Harry finally pulled away.
“That,” Harry said, his mouth close to Cedric’s ear. “I remember that.”
“There was more,” Cedric said, lifting off Harry’s glasses. “I can remind you, if you want. Only we were in the bedroom, I think.”
Harry smiled. “That can be arranged.”
The tug of Apparition didn’t surprise Cedric at all.
* * *
“Do you know,” Harry said later, sounding close to sleep. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very, very long time.”
Cedric laughed.
Before they both drifted off, he remembered to set the alarm.
-end-
Pairing: Harry/Cedric
Written for: risingphoenix22 at twoseekers
(Request was for a "morning after" story with "walk of shame" humour)
Rating: R for swearing, adult situations and awkward circumstances
Disclaimer: All characters and the HP universe belong to J.K. Rowling. She would probably not approve of what I've done to them here.
Part One: The Morning After
Part Two: The Longest Work Day in the History of Work Days
The Morning After, Part Three:
The Night Before
Cedric arrived back at his flat with arms full of take-away. When he saw Harry waiting outside his door, he nearly dropped it all.
“Er… hello,” he said. What did it mean, Harry being here? What did he need to say that he couldn’t have said at the office?
Harry smiled sheepishly. He had cleaned up and changed since Cedric saw him last. The Muggle jeans and jumper suited him. “I thought I might have the wrong address. I had Ron look it up, but I was getting worried.”
He’d had Ron look it up? Why? He’d been here just this morning. “Stay for curry?” Cedric asked, not sure what else to say. He wasn’t about to explain why he’d been late.
Harry followed him inside. If he’d noticed Cedric’s hand shaking slightly, or the amount of difficulty Cedric had with a simple unlocking charm, he didn’t say anything.
Cedric set the take-away down on his kitchen table and went to find plates. He considered drinks, but settled on water for both of them. He doubted that Harry was any more ready to face a beer than he was.
Harry smiled his thanks when Cedric set the water on the table.
And then, once again, Cedric found himself sitting across a table from Harry. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” he said.
Harry looked at his hands, folded on the table. “I want to apologize,” he said.
Cedric stilled.
“I’m not sure what I… to be honest, I don’t remember much about last night,” Harry said. His face flushed. “Nothing at all, really, between being at the bar and waking up in your room this morning. But I gather… well, I think we…”
“Yeah,” Cedric said. “We did.” Harry didn’t remember any of it? Really? Cedric wasn’t sure how to take that. But at least it meant that Harry hadn’t left because of Cedric’s confession.
It meant that Harry didn’t even remember Cedric’s confession. He had no idea that Cedric had been lusting after him for years. He thought it was just a one-night stand.
That wasn’t as much of a comfort as Cedric would have expected.
“It’s nothing about you,” Harry said. He cleared his throat. “I mean, I’m sure it was good.” Cedric had never seen anyone turn that shade of red before. Harry’s face practically radiated heat.
“It was,” Cedric confirmed, resisting the urge to smirk. Unfair, he knew, but didn’t Harry deserve some payback for leaving?
“I just thought… you looked so peaceful, sleeping, and I felt like absolute crap, and I didn’t want you to wake up to that, and… I didn’t even stop to think that you might need to be at work, or what it might look like, disappearing like that.” Harry played with the tines of his fork. He looked miserable.
Cedric slid his hand across the table to capture Harry’s. “Don’t,” he said. “It wasn’t all you. I’m a grown man, I know better than to drink that much on a work night.” He didn’t add that it was his excitement at spending time with Harry that had gotten the better of his judgment. “Besides, I could have set the alarm. I had… other things on my mind.”
Harry had looked up at Cedric’s touch. Even haggard and hung over, he took Cedric’s breath away.
Cedric drew his thumb over the back of Harry’s hand. His skin felt slightly dry, his hand nearly as broad as Cedric’s. Cedric flashed back to last night-Harry’s hands running over his body, exploring...
Harry’s breathing hitched. His eyes, darker now, studied Cedric.
“I think I remember something,” he said.
“Yeah?” Cedric whispered.
Harry nodded. He tugged at Cedric’s hand, never breaking eye contact. Cedric started to pull free, to move around the table, but suddenly the table was gone. It reappeared several feet away, take-away and all, leaving Cedric and Harry holding hands across the empty space between their chairs.
Cedric laughed. “That was-how did you-?”
“Never mind,” Harry said. He tugged Cedric’s hand again. “Come here.”
It was awkward. Cedric straddled Harry’s lap, hoping that the wooden chair would hold their combined weight. Then his lips were on Harry’s, and all awkwardness was forgotten.
“Mmm,” Cedric protested when Harry finally pulled away.
“That,” Harry said, his mouth close to Cedric’s ear. “I remember that.”
“There was more,” Cedric said, lifting off Harry’s glasses. “I can remind you, if you want. Only we were in the bedroom, I think.”
Harry smiled. “That can be arranged.”
The tug of Apparition didn’t surprise Cedric at all.
* * *
“Do you know,” Harry said later, sounding close to sleep. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very, very long time.”
Cedric laughed.
Before they both drifted off, he remembered to set the alarm.
-end-