Stuck With You / drarry

Aphrodite's Fountain

Harry was staring at his reflection in the mirror of the guest bathroom. He had been going over the contents of his bag, and realized that he hadn't packed anything nice to wear. In the midst of leaving, he hadn't even thought about the possibility that they would actually go on a date, if this even was one. Was this a date? They were going out together, was that a definition of a date? Whatever it was, Harry was underdressed for it. The only thing with collars he'd packed was a wrinkled denim shirt, which he had managed to iron, after minutes of rummaging around his brain, trying to remember the correct spell, that wouldn't turn the piece of clothing green, or accidentally wash it. So, Harry was wearing a white tee, over which he had thrown the denim shirt, unbuttoned, paired with some new black jeans and the sneakers he had on before. The only shoes that he'd brought.

It wasn't hot in the house, but it was warmer than what Harry was used to, and he was already breaking a sweat from the hot air of the hair drying spell. Harry thought he looked... passable. He had done his hair very carefully, shaved closely, and now he was evaluating the result through a very clean mirror. Harry had even brought a toothbrush, which he had now hopefully placed next to a water glass already in the bathroom. Maybe he would stay for a while.

"He cleans up well, who would've known?" Harry spun around when hearing Malfoy's voice from behind him. He had appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, Harry hadn't even heard him coming down the stairs. Harry wasn't sure what the man meant by 'cleaning up', since Harry didn't think he looked very different from usual. The same couldn't be said for Malfoy: he had shaved, already looking much more like his former self, his hair was styled back, and he was wearing a neat dark blue button-down, tucked in his black slacks, which also made him resemble, well, himself, much more. Harry didn't feel like he was with a stranger anymore. And the man looked good, really fucking good.

"Er, thanks," Harry said awkwardly, desperately trying to figure out how to return Malfoy's careful compliment, "you too." Maybe it was too obvious a reply, but the man seemed to take it well, at least he was not rejecting Harry's cautious attempt at approaching him. It was definitely a start.

"Are you ready?" Malfoy asked, extending his arm, and it took Harry a second to realize that it was in offer of a side-Apparition. Harry was still a tad groggy from his long nap, and reckoned that Apparition would probably make him feel worse, but he swallowed any argument he might have had, and grabbed Malfoy's arm firmly. The last thing before they sent off swirling through space, was Harry's realization that he could feel the man's bicep under the shirt.

They arrived at a side-alley of a busy street. A promenade. The sounds overwhelmed Harry for a second, after the silence of the house, even though his ears were a bit clogged from the Apparition. That didn't usually happen, but he soon realized that it was most likely because of the difference in altitude between Malfoy's place and the beach. The seagulls were now having a full concerto, taking daring plunges at people's food. There were hundreds of people strolling the street by the beach front, all painted golden by the setting sun. Someone somewhere was playing the guitar and singing, but mostly the air was filled with people speaking Italian and laughing. It was one of those moments when one forgets all about their problems, for just a second.

The pair joined the stream of people. Harry's head was turning left and right in awe, which seemed to amuse Malfoy, though he didn't say anything. They saw street performers, each more fantastic than the last: there were children dancing, a person making magnificent paintings of the setting sun and of the people, and Harry could swear that somewhere in the distance, he saw an entire sword disappear down a man's throat. The warm wind was getting cooler, making it more comfortable for people to be outside, spending their summer weekend with their friends. Harry thought of how much he wanted to bring Ron and Hermione here, and little Rosie.