Temptation on the Warfront

26

Harry Potter is all wide green eyes and arm muscles as he trains his wand on Draco. And Draco just takes him all in — the crooked glasses, the tousled hair that is like spilt ink, and the lips that Draco can't stop staring at, can't stop imagining running his tongue over, drinking in everything that is Harry.

But then Harry's arm drops, and his voice is anguished as he says, more to himself than to Draco, "this was a set-up." He looks wildly around the hotel room, tugs helplessly at his hair, and suddenly his distress turns into anger and there is a fire in his eyes that Draco has missed so much. "This was a bloody set-up!"

And Draco doesn't know what to say, doesn't know if he can say anything at all, because his tongue feels heavy and his heart is too loud, and Harry is here — Harry is safe, right where he should be — with Draco.

"Dammit Malfoy, say something!"

But then Draco's whole world comes crashing down at his feet, threatening to pull him under the surface of his short lived relief and everything he has hoped to be. Because he is Malfoy, not Draco, and something bitter and painful begins to tighten in his chest.

"Harry," His voice is croaky, both a plea for something Draco can't identify and a reprimand for Harry being different to the person Draco thought he knew.

"ANSWER ME!" The tendons in Harry's neck pull taught as he shouts, and he's right in Draco's face, so close that Draco can feel the warmth coming off his body — heady and exhilarating. There's something different in the line of Harry's jaw — beneath the dark shadow of several days worth of stubble, it is as if Harry has become someone dangerous, and it makes Draco dizzy. "Where are the others? Are they back there!? Are they being ambushed?!"

Draco swallows, too focused on the crescents clinging to Harry's eyes, and the thick brows which are pulled together in their intensity. "What have you done!? WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE!?" And then Harry's shoving Draco's shoulders, again and again, and Draco can't even bring himself to care, because Harry is touching him, and it's been so long and Draco just wants to grab him and never let go —

"Was it a lie? Has it all been a lie!?" Harry's furious whisper is hoarse and right next to Draco's ear, and while it sends shivers down his spine it also makes him snap.

Draco retaliates, lets go of all the anger he has bottled away until now, lets it pour out onto the person he loves, onto the person he hates. "You left me! You fucking LEFT ME!"

And for a second Harry seems stunned, stands unmoving where Draco's sudden outburst has pushed him, and Draco just keeps going, letting all the hurt and the betrayal flood through him until it leaves him trembling.

"You left me behind! You left me with them! You fucking le—"

"I did what I had to!"

"You never cared — you never fucking cared and you just — you just left!" Draco's voice cracks and splinters out of his throat, and he is horrified to find his eyes stinging with unshed tears.

"You know nothing — you —"

"I know what I saw!" Draco spits, quivering in the face of Harry's rage.

"Yeah?! Well so do I! I saw you Malfoy, I saw you —" Harry breaks off, livid and pained, and his chest heaves.

"What? What did you see?" Draco all but whispers, because he knows the answer, he knows what Harry saw, and he hates it more than Harry does.

"I hate you," Harry breathes, and then he's kissing him.

I hate you, I hate you because I can't stop loving you.