HD500: Since the Age of Eleven
Title: Since the Age of Eleven
Author: enchanted_jae
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): Suggestion
Word Count: 715
Challenge:
- Recipient: lomonaaeren
- Keywords: wait, long, under
- Dialogue: "I'm going to hurt you."
Summary: Draco isn't ready.
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al.
"Are you going to give me an answer, or do you plan to merely sit and gape at me like a fish?"
"You've caught me by surprise," Draco responded. They were seated in their favorite restaurant, at a cozy table in a romantic, dimly lit alcove. Their dinner dishes had been cleared, and they were waiting for their dessert to be served. "This is a big step, Harry."
"I know that, Draco, but I think we're ready for it," Harry countered with a gentle smile.
Draco frowned. "I'm really not sure about this. I would like some time to think it over."
"How long do you intend to make me wait?" Harry sighed, disappointed at his boyfriend's lack of enthusiasm. They had been dating for nearly eight months, after all, and it wasn't as if he had proposed marriage, for Merlin's sake. He had simply asked Draco to move in with him. To Harry, it had seemed like the next logical stage of their relationship. "What is there to think about?" he asked Draco.
The arrival of their dessert gave Draco a moment to consider his answer. When the waiter left them again, Draco fidgeted with his fork until Harry prodded him.
"Would you please just tell me why you're so reluctant?"
Draco raised his eyes to his boyfriend's and admitted, "I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you."
"Kinky," Harry grinned, shifting so that he could rub his foot up and down Draco's leg under the table.
Draco twitched in reaction. "Be serious," he hissed, squirming away from Harry's blatant caress.
"Very well," Harry said, sitting up straight once more. "What makes you think you're going to hurt me?" Frankly, in Harry's estimation, the fact that Draco was worried about the prospect was proof enough that he wouldn't hurt him.
Draco slumped back in his chair, attention focused on the decadent tiramasu on his plate. "Harry, the past eight months have been fantastic."
"But...?"
"But, you're still you, and I'm still me," Draco finished glumly.
"Meaning?"
Once more, Draco met Harry's eyes. "I mean that you're still The Boy Who Lived, at least in the public eye, and I'm still the ne'er-do-well son of a Death Eater. I don't...I don't do well at relationships, Harry," he muttered. "I get restless and bored after a few months, and I bail out. I don't want to do that to you."
"Draco, we've been together for well over three months already," Harry pointed out. "Am I boring you?"
"No, of course not, but-"
"I daresay I can manage to keep things interesting between us," Harry murmured, using the tone of voice that never failed to send a shiver down Draco's spine.
"What about my temper tantrums?" he tried.
"They result in fantastic sex."
"I'm high-maintenance," Draco reminded him.
Harry grinned. "I can afford you."
"My father hates you."
"Perhaps, but he hasn't tried to kill me for nearly two months now."
"The Weasleys hate me," Draco felt compelled to point out.
"Nonsense," scoffed Harry. "They may not like you, per se, but they're slowly warming up to you. Molly knitted you a scarf, remember? I think she may be planning on a jumper for Christmas."
"Oh, dear Merlin," Draco groaned.
Harry laughed, then nicked a bite of his boyfriend's tiramasu. "The point is, Draco, that relationships take work, and I believe ours is worth working on. Are we going to argue and bicker and be rotten to one another? Most likely, but we've been doing that since the age of eleven, and we're still together now."
Draco gave a tentative nod before slapping Harry's hand as it tried to make another foray into his dessert. "I'm not good at sharing," he said with a glare.
"I'm not, either," Harry said evenly. They held one another's gaze as an unspoken message passed between them.
A smile quirked Draco's lips, and he scooped up a forkful of tiramasu and fed it to Harry. "I still want to take some time to consider cohabitation," he said.
"I understand," Harry sighed, delving into his chocolate cheesecake. They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments, then Harry nudged Draco beneath the table once more and asked, "Have you decided yet?"
Cross-posted to hd_500
Author: enchanted_jae
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): Suggestion
Word Count: 715
Challenge:
- Recipient: lomonaaeren
- Keywords: wait, long, under
- Dialogue: "I'm going to hurt you."
Summary: Draco isn't ready.
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al.
"Are you going to give me an answer, or do you plan to merely sit and gape at me like a fish?"
"You've caught me by surprise," Draco responded. They were seated in their favorite restaurant, at a cozy table in a romantic, dimly lit alcove. Their dinner dishes had been cleared, and they were waiting for their dessert to be served. "This is a big step, Harry."
"I know that, Draco, but I think we're ready for it," Harry countered with a gentle smile.
Draco frowned. "I'm really not sure about this. I would like some time to think it over."
"How long do you intend to make me wait?" Harry sighed, disappointed at his boyfriend's lack of enthusiasm. They had been dating for nearly eight months, after all, and it wasn't as if he had proposed marriage, for Merlin's sake. He had simply asked Draco to move in with him. To Harry, it had seemed like the next logical stage of their relationship. "What is there to think about?" he asked Draco.
The arrival of their dessert gave Draco a moment to consider his answer. When the waiter left them again, Draco fidgeted with his fork until Harry prodded him.
"Would you please just tell me why you're so reluctant?"
Draco raised his eyes to his boyfriend's and admitted, "I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you."
"Kinky," Harry grinned, shifting so that he could rub his foot up and down Draco's leg under the table.
Draco twitched in reaction. "Be serious," he hissed, squirming away from Harry's blatant caress.
"Very well," Harry said, sitting up straight once more. "What makes you think you're going to hurt me?" Frankly, in Harry's estimation, the fact that Draco was worried about the prospect was proof enough that he wouldn't hurt him.
Draco slumped back in his chair, attention focused on the decadent tiramasu on his plate. "Harry, the past eight months have been fantastic."
"But...?"
"But, you're still you, and I'm still me," Draco finished glumly.
"Meaning?"
Once more, Draco met Harry's eyes. "I mean that you're still The Boy Who Lived, at least in the public eye, and I'm still the ne'er-do-well son of a Death Eater. I don't...I don't do well at relationships, Harry," he muttered. "I get restless and bored after a few months, and I bail out. I don't want to do that to you."
"Draco, we've been together for well over three months already," Harry pointed out. "Am I boring you?"
"No, of course not, but-"
"I daresay I can manage to keep things interesting between us," Harry murmured, using the tone of voice that never failed to send a shiver down Draco's spine.
"What about my temper tantrums?" he tried.
"They result in fantastic sex."
"I'm high-maintenance," Draco reminded him.
Harry grinned. "I can afford you."
"My father hates you."
"Perhaps, but he hasn't tried to kill me for nearly two months now."
"The Weasleys hate me," Draco felt compelled to point out.
"Nonsense," scoffed Harry. "They may not like you, per se, but they're slowly warming up to you. Molly knitted you a scarf, remember? I think she may be planning on a jumper for Christmas."
"Oh, dear Merlin," Draco groaned.
Harry laughed, then nicked a bite of his boyfriend's tiramasu. "The point is, Draco, that relationships take work, and I believe ours is worth working on. Are we going to argue and bicker and be rotten to one another? Most likely, but we've been doing that since the age of eleven, and we're still together now."
Draco gave a tentative nod before slapping Harry's hand as it tried to make another foray into his dessert. "I'm not good at sharing," he said with a glare.
"I'm not, either," Harry said evenly. They held one another's gaze as an unspoken message passed between them.
A smile quirked Draco's lips, and he scooped up a forkful of tiramasu and fed it to Harry. "I still want to take some time to consider cohabitation," he said.
"I understand," Harry sighed, delving into his chocolate cheesecake. They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments, then Harry nudged Draco beneath the table once more and asked, "Have you decided yet?"
Cross-posted to hd_500