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Draco was sitting at his desk. He was surrounded by mounds of paperwork he still had to get done as soon as possible. His supervisor wanted it to be done by the end of the day, though Draco knew that wasn’t possible. Not today at least.
He hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything from the moment he had sat down in his office that morning. Every little sound coming from the hallway into his office was too much. Every flicker of light, every moving shadow was too much. It was impossible to focus.
The only thing that wouldn’t leave his mind was the project he had submitted earlier that day. It was something he had been working on for weeks, months even. He had spent days on end trying to perfect it. He had put so much work into it. And after all that time, it was finally ready to submit it.
Now the only thing he could do was wait for the approval of his supervisors. There had been some responses from his colleagues already. They had been mostly positive, complimenting him on his hard work. But Draco was still waiting.
He was bouncing his leg now, his fingers tapping repeatedly against the wooden top of his desk. He couldn’t take it anymore. When were they going to answer, dammit? The day was almost over already.
He pushed his chair back abruptly and was about to stand up and start pacing around his small office when someone knocked on the open door. Harry walked inside, his face lit up with that very charming smile of his. He carried two large cups of coffee and gave one to Draco, the smile still in place.
However, it only took one look at Draco’s face for the smile to disappear. Harry frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Draco turned the warm cup of coffee around in his hands. He chewed the inside of his cheek. “Nothing’s wrong.”
Harry took a step closer. “Okay, then,” he said, taking a sip from his coffee. “What’s on your mind?”
Sighing deeply, Draco turned away from Harry, avoiding his questioning eyes. “The project.”
Carefully, Harry sat down on the worn armchair in Draco’s office. “You submitted it?”
“Mhm.” With his cup still in hand, Draco leant on the edge of his desk, following the pattern in the rug with his eyes. “I still haven’t gotten any reaction from the higher-ups and it’s driving me crazy!” Draco’s voice rose in volume. He was squeezing the cup now, anxious frustration boiling in his veins.
Harry stood from his chair and walked over to Draco, placing his cup on the desk. “Can I touch you?” he asked softly. When Draco nodded, he wrapped his arms around Draco’s waist, pulling him closer. “It will be fine,” he said quietly, his voice not much louder than a whisper. “You’ll get your answer soon. I’m certain they will approve and then–”
Harry was cut short by a small piece of paper folder like an airplane flying into the room. It landed in the middle of Draco’s desk.
Inhaling sharply, Draco reached for the paper with shaking hands. He unfolded it slowly.
It didn’t take much time for him to read the words that were written on it. And it took even less time for tears to fill his eyes and stream down his cheeks. “They rejected the project,” he whispered, letting the paper fall onto his desk.
His hands were shaking now, his breathing becoming short. “I had already thought of so many ways it could benefit us. It could change some important things! And I thought we could do it and make things better. But they… they just…”
A sob wrecked through his body, his shoulders shaking.
“Hey.” Harry pulled him closer, one of his hands resting at the back of Draco’s neck and rubbing calming circles into the soft skin there. “It’s okay, Draco, my love. Even if these arseholes rejected it, it doesn’t mean you didn’t do a great job! You did an amazing job!”
But Draco shook his head. “It just feels like they don’t care about me. Whenever I suggest something, even if it is as small as more quills to write with, they turn me down immediately. They don’t care. It doesn’t matter how much work I put in every single day, I’m not important enough. I don’t belong…”
“Oh, Draco,” Harry whispered, leaning in and placing a tender kiss on Draco’s forehead. “My sweet, sweet Draco. You are important, to me and to so many other people.” He wiped a tear away from Draco’s face. “I don’t give a flying shit what these heartless bastards think of your project or of you. And, honestly, neither should you. But I know that’s easier said than done.” He huffed a humourless laugh, shaking his head. “For all I care, they can come kiss the great Harry Potter’s arse.”
A quiet chuckle escaped Draco’s lips at those words. He looked at Harry with watery eyes. “Thank you.”
Harry looked back at him, that charming smile appearing once more. “Of course, love. Anytime.” He let go of Draco and extended a hand. “Ready to go home?”
Draco nodded, a small thankful smile playing around his lips. Harry was right. He shouldn’t care what other people think about him, especially not his stupid, annoying supervisors. As long as he could be himself around the people he loved, he had nothing to worry about.
With new growing confidence, he took Harry’s hand, their fingers automatically tangling together. “Yes, please. Let’s go home.”
And if he had any say into it, he would never return.