𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐆𝐎

Part 10

Part Ten

They wind up being very nearly late for their shifts—something that horrifies Draco even after their decidedly satisfying breakfast in the townhouse kitchen. As Draco runs around his much neater bedroom, picking out clothes to lend out and hurling them at Harry, Harry considers telling him about the enormous hickey on his neck, or about the fact that his hair is sticking up Harry-style, but decides against it. He figures the staff of Bugs is going to talk anyway; might as well give them something to talk about.

Draco must realize what it looks like when Harry follows him out of his office first thing in the morning, having Flooed there straight from the townhouse. Harry takes his silence and acquiescence as a statement of sorts, and flushes with the pleasure of knowing that Draco doesn't want to hide this.

He does heave a huge sigh when everyone stops their morning work and turns to stare at them, before immediately breaking out into loud, not even remotely discreet chatter. Ginny grins broadly at the two of them and Corner wolf-whistles loudly. Draco glares at them for a minute and then, to Harry's utter shock and delight, a very small smile appears on his face, and everyone starts laughing at him.

Suddenly it's one of those gossip sessions that work to just bring everyone together, and Harry feels a burst of warmth and affection for everyone on the floor.

It's probably one of the best mornings he's had in recent memory, and the short, firm and reassuring kiss Draco gives him before retreating back to his office is just the icing on the cake. So of course it stands to reason that things start to go south soon after, because that's just the way things are.

Sometime before mid-morning rounds, Draco joins Harry and Ginny at Station One, rolling his eyes when he realizes that Ginny's badgering Harry for details of the night before and Harry won't budge. He holds up a piece of parchment and waves it to catch their attention.

"Hi, yes, remember we're at work? I know, it's a difficult concept for you to grasp—"

"Don't start, Draco, you got laid last night," Ginny moans. "That gives us all amnesty from bitchy Draco for a few days, at least. Please."

"Nurse Weasley," Draco intones in an overly clipped, formal voice that has them both rolling their eyes. "Please ask Healer Crowley to conduct rounds this morning, I have to go to an emergency board meeting—"

"What? Why?" Ginny demands, losing all the humor in her face and voice. Harry eyes them both worriedly.

"Are you in trouble?"

Still frowning, Draco shakes his head, and Harry notes the uncertainty in his eyes, despite his words. "No, I don't think so. Honestly, it makes sense that this is finally getting board attention—losing a high profile patient like that wasn't going to go unnoticed for long. I'm actually surprised they didn't do this yesterday. Not to mention the issue of Zacharias—that will definitely come under review, though I doubt they'll challenge my decision much."

"You were right, Draco," Ginny tells him firmly, and the way Draco glances up and nods at her gratefully tells Harry how much he needed to hear that. "Zach was out of line. He's—he's my friend but I understand why you had to do that. If it were one of my nurses I'd have done the same."

"Thanks, Gin. So, yeah, just hold down the fort while I'm gone. It should be fine." He squeezes Harry's arm and gives them both a small smile, before turning to head towards the lifts. Before he can get far, though, Harry grabs his elbow and stops him.

"Hey. It'll be fine, right?" He searches Draco's face, watching discomfort inch into the uncertainty already there. He knows that despite the pleasantness of the morning, Draco is far from being totally without reservations about what they're doing together, especially in public, and Harry's okay with that. But he likes that Draco won't flinch away anymore, and he likes that he can touch him and look at him like this when he's upset or nervous. He hopes that Draco likes it, too.