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Chased by swirling gray clouds, Harry raced up the uneven brick stairs, stumbling in his haste to reach the solid gray door that stood between him and his personal sanctuary and kept him at the mercy of the ominous weather. He quickly raised his fist and pounded on the door.
Pressing his ear against the wood, Harry strained to catch any sign of movement inside, but the chaotic winds howling through the night swallowed any sound that might have reached him. As the rain began to pour heavily, he cursed himself for forgetting his spare key.
"Open up, Malfoy! I know you’re in there!" Harry shouted, competing with the booming sounds of nature as he rapped his fist against the door once more. “I’m freezing my arse off!”
"I’m coming, I’m coming. Merlin, Harry. No need to break down my door. Just wait a second, will you?" Harry impatiently bounced from side to side, anxiously waiting for the door to unlock.
"Finally, I thought I was going to perish out here," Harry grumbled dramatically, watching as the door slowly creaked open, pouring the warm, golden glow of his favorite place into the gloomy outside. Without a second thought, Harry pushed his way inside, hastily stepping out of his uncomfortably wet shoes and shaking off his outer layers.
"I took less than a minute to open the door after you started banging on it like a madman." Draco shut the door and took Harry’s coat and scarf, hanging them on the rack beside the door to dry. Just as he turned to retrieve a towel from the closet, he felt a hand grasp his wrist, halting him in his tracks.
"Yeah, and that was a minute too long," Harry muttered as he pulled Draco in for a hug, sighing into his soft, warm neck and inhaling the spicy aroma he hadn’t realized he was missing. The despondent weight that had tightly enveloped him slowly melted away.
Draco rolled his eyes and attempted to break free of Harry’s grip. "Let go so I can fetch you something to dry off."
"No," Harry let out a muffled protest, refusing to relinquish the comfortable spot he’d found. "That’ll take too long."
"It’ll only take a second," Draco replied, chuckling softly, but the stubborn brunette ignored him, tugging the slim blond man toward the foyer. "You’re going to catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes, you know."
"Then I guess you’d better help me warm up," Harry retorted, swiftly pulling off his sweater, still damp from the rain trickling down the neck of his coat, and tossing it onto Draco’s fuzzy yellow rug. He gave his trousers the same treatment before plopping down on the couch, tugging Draco’s arm until they were seated together.
"Harry! What are you—"
"You said it yourself, I’d catch a cold if I stayed in those wet clothes any longer," Harry interjected, cutting off Draco’s unfinished question. Grabbing a couple of throw pillows and placing them against the arm of the couch, Harry shifted to get more comfortable. Then he wrapped an arm around Draco's waist, and pulled the protesting blond onto his chest as he lay down.
"This is not what I meant, and you know it, Potter," Draco muttered. Nevertheless, he was already adjusting his head to rest comfortably on Harry’s muscular chest. Letting out an indulgent sigh, the blond flicked his wand toward the fireplace, casting a silent incendio to ensure his idiotic, nearly naked best friend wouldn’t succumb to hypothermia.
Finally, Harry relaxed for the first time in weeks. This was what he had been missing—what he needed. His favorite teddy bear in his arms as he basked in the warm glow of the fire. Wanting to be even closer, he reached around and tugged Draco’s leg over his own. Then he turned his head, nuzzling into the soft, golden locks of his friend’s hair and letting out a contented sigh. No one else could help him unwind like this after a long, stressful day—not even his girlfriend. Maybe that thought should worry him, but for now, all he could focus on was the cozy, perfect stillness of the moment. Only one thing could make it even more perfect.
"Harry!" Draco exclaimed, suddenly sitting up and attempting to wriggle free from Harry’s hold.
"Lay back down. I’m getting cold," Harry complained, frowning as the chill began to creep between them. Ignoring Draco’s protests, Harry began sliding his hands up and down the velvety sides of the blond—now clad in his boxers as well, thanks to Harry’s wandless magic—before tugging him back onto his chest and burying his face in the soft, silken locks that brushed against his chin.
"This is improper, Harry," Draco began in a gentle tone.
"Don’t care."
"Harry—" Draco tried again.
"No."
"Harry, let go."
"Shhh."
Draco sighed. "What would Ginny say if she saw us like this? You know she doesn’t approve, especially now that I’ve come out as gay. Speaking of which, what about Charles—"
"You’re still seeing that wanker? I thought it was just a one time thing. What do you even see in him? His eyes are too large for his scrawny face, and his nose makes him resemble a pelican."
"Harry! That’s not nice! I thought you liked Charles." Draco pushed himself up onto his forearms, but Harry stubbornly refused to meet his gaze, fixing his eyes on the fire instead. His jaw clenched as he fought to regain his composure, yet despite the lack of eye contact, his grip on Draco’s waist remained firm.
"Well, that was before. This is now. Can we stop talking about that prat? I’ve had a hard day. Actually, I’ve had a challenging past couple of weeks because my best friend suddenly doesn’t have time for me anymore! Where have you been? I feel like I never get to see you— in fact— the last time we hung out was at Ron and Hermione’s baby shower, and that was ages ago! You’re always busy with that smug, toad-eyed—"
"Harry," Draco warned, but Harry rolled his eyes but stopped with the insults.
"My point is, this is the first time I’ve seen you in two weeks. All I want is to cuddle with my best friend and not think about anything—or anyone—else. Is that so wrong?" Harry finally turned to meet the lovely gray eyes he’d missed so much. Why was his comfort blanket being so stubborn?
Harry wasn’t accustomed to sharing Draco with anyone, and now that he had a taste of it, he didn’t care for the feeling. Sure, he wasn’t entirely blameless for not spending much time with Draco; he had been a little busier than usual with Ginny lately. She had needed him to accompany her to a couple of get together lately, but Draco understood that—or at least, that’s what he had told Harry. It wasn’t as if his relationship with Ginny was new; besides, Draco liked her. Harry had been with her for a long time, unlike Draco and that attention-hogging pillock. If he’d known this Charles guy was going to try to stick around and take up his best friend’s time, he would have chased him away from the start!
After a moment, Draco sighed and rested his head against Harry’s chest again. When it seemed Draco had finally conceded, Harry wound his arms around Draco’s smooth waist, settling them back into the previous position and closing his eyes. He took in a deep breath, inhaling his favorite scent of apples and fresh parchment. The conversation was far from over, but for now, everything could wait until he filled up his Draco-meter.