There's No I In Team (A Drarry FanFiction)

Chapter Seven

   Harry beamed at him. "Congratulations," he said. It could have been a tease, but as he knocked his knee affectionately against Draco's, he felt maybe it was more than that. "You've just officially come out."

Draco shook his head. "I wouldn't say that. It must have been much harder for you?"

He'd come to realise in sixth form that he wasn't entirely straight, but he figured that wasn't all that unusual for boys at boarding school – he'd not had a lack of friends to mess around with after all. But at uni he'd found he'd had several flings with girls too, and thought maybe it had just been a phase due to an excess of hormones and only one gender to chose from. And then there had been Astoria and that had been that.

But he couldn't deny the depth of attraction he'd been quietly cultivating for Harry over the past year or two, and he had wondered where on the spectrum he stood exactly.

But Harry was completely gay, he was very vocal on that front, and Draco wouldn't want to compare his experience to someone who had had to officially come out of the closet. That seemed selfish to him.

Harry though was looking at him fondly. "So that was easy was it?" he said. "Realising you weren't straight, weren't normal?"

"You're normal," Draco snapped heatedly, a flare of anger surging through him at the kind of language he'd fought against for years, regardless of the fact he might not have been open about his own preferences.

Harry's eyes, if possible, grew softer. "Thanks," he said quietly. "But not everyone feels like that."

"Anyone who thinks there's anything wrong with you can fuck off," he said, feeling his cheeks heat up as his stubbornly turned back to watch Scorpius as an excuse not to look at Harry. "Anyway, that's my point. Society still makes it necessary for you to announce that you're gay, risking people rejecting you solely on that one part of who you are. I was married – to a woman – I have a son. As far as I go, I'm just a little bit gay, and people will probably find out only if I date a guy, or if I tell them, which I'm probably too cowardly to do without cause. So no, I don't really see this as anything half as brave as what you had to do."

Harry barked out a laugh, making him jump. He hadn't been expecting that. "My 'coming out'," Harry cheerfully announced. "Involved me at the age of fifteen telling my parents that I was gay at the dinner table, then asking my mum to pass the butter."

Draco stared at him, horror struck. He tried to imagine a similar scenario at his own home, and failed quite miserably. His parents had no idea he'd ever shagged any boys whilst away getting educated. In fact, he felt they had probably obstinately convinced themselves that he had been a virgin until his wedding night.

"What did she do?" he asked, feeling a little sick.

Harry smiled warmly. "Passed the butter," he said, rubbing the material of his trousers between his thumb and fingers. "Then my dad groaned and announced he had a bet to pay my godfather, and told me off for not waiting to come out until my next birthday party, when he'd had his money firmly placed on."

Draco sat back. "Wow," he said, blinking and looking over the playground again.

He started fractionally when he felt Harry's warm hand press on his knee, his attention drawn down to the point of connection. "I'm not saying it's like that for everyone," Harry said sombrely. "In fact, quite the opposite. But that's why you shouldn't undervalue what you just did. You came out to me Draco, that's important."

"But you're gay?" he countered. "You understand."

"And you're arguing you're not 'gay enough'. I think you think I'm judging you on some level."

Draco stared at him shrewdly. "Don't take this the wrong way," he said, hoping he wasn't going to shatter the moment. "But since when did you get all mature and understanding? Where's the bloke who cackles at fart jokes and alphabetises his porn collection?"

"Oh," said Harry, devilment back in his eye in a heartbeat. "He's definitely still in here, don't you worry. I'm a fascinating, multi-layered creature, you just have to get to know me is all."

"Is that right?" Draco asked, his throat dry.

Harry nodded. "I have a feeling there's a lot more to you too than meets the eye, Draco Malfoy," he said, and licked his bottom lip.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Scorpius chipped, and the spell between the two men was broken as Draco found his lap suddenly full of his son. "Daddy I met a dog, look! Yellow dog!"

Draco turned his head to see the golden retriever he was pointing at, and its owner waved back in a friendly fashion. "Oh," he said, swallowing and trying to clear his head from his intense conversation with Harry. "That's lovely."

"Can we have a dog?" Scorpius asked, turning his big blue eyes up to his dad. "I love dogs."

Draco stroked his soft hair. "I don't think so pumpkin," he said with a sigh, almost cringing at the idea of having to manage a pet as well as a child. "Maybe when you're a bit older and Daddy doesn't have to work so much?"

Scorpius deflated, his bottom lip sticking out.

"I have a dog," Harry piped up.

Both Draco and Scorpius both straightened and looked at him.

"Really?" said Draco.

Harry nodded. "Maybe one day you could come over and play with him?"

Scorp clapped his hands. "Yes please!" he cried, not forgetting his manners which made Draco proud.

Harry lifted his eyes to Draco. "You're welcome to come over whenever you want," he said.

Draco felt electricity flare through him. He's just being polite! one side of his brain insisted. He is blatantly flirting, argued the other.

Draco nodded and cleared his throat. "That would be lovely," he said as evenly as he could. "How about we take a walk around the woods Scorp, then you can maybe meet some more dogs?"