Chocolate & Pastry (Drarry)

Chapter Five

Summer was fading, the green of the leaves changing to a striking orange. Draco let his hands trail along the wood of the park bench, stretching his arms out along the back of it as he sat and waited for Potter to show. There was a family of ducks waddling across the grass in front of him, intent on their foraging. Every now and then one of the ducklings would escape and go tearing toward the water, wings outstretched for balance as it stumbled and tripped its way along the lawn.

He'd only been back in England for three days, and in that time he'd already been accosted by Pansy and Blaise on no less than four occasions. Pansy had been easily mollified with the boxes of jewelry, but Blaise had been harder to deter. He'd popped around every morning since Draco had arrived, bringing with him a box of pastries and strong coffee which he traded for Draco's vulnerability. At least insomuch as Draco was prepared to give it.

Over their breakfasts, he managed to find a way to thank Blaise for everything he'd done—not just for himself, but for Potter too. He still didn't know how to truly show his gratitude, but his words were enough for now—particularly as it was the first time he'd ever seen Blaise's dark skin flushed with pleased embarrassment.

He'd written exactly one letter to Potter and received one in response. He'd asked Potter to meet him at the lake on Saturday, and Potter had said yes.

Draco's legs jiggled with nerves, and his grip on the park bench was getting tighter and tighter with each passing minute. Potter was late. His mind began to whir with old insecurities, old fears, but he was stronger now, better equipped to handle them. Not that he had ever been weak—that was one of the first things Eleanor had made him understand. He hoped Potter understood it about himself too.

The sound of a foot scuffing across the path came from behind the bench and startled him. When he turned to see piercing green eyes staring back at him, for a single moment, he froze in fear. But then everything else faded away and he remembered he could do this. It was only Potter.

He stood and closed the distance between them, shoving his hands awkwardly into his pockets. He noticed Potter did the same.

"How are you?" Potter asked, a hint of breathlessness in his voice.

"Well," Draco said. "You?"

Potter laughed. "All right, considering."

Wordlessly they fell into step beside each other, joining the rest of the people who were going for walks or runs around the lake. The little ducklings waddled along the path in front of them, and the two of them slowed down until their pace was more of an amble, allowing the ducks to race around their feet. Even in the chill of autumn, the sun was warm against their necks. It made Draco realise that he couldn't recall a time from their recent relationship when he could actually remember the world around them. He'd been so utterly absorbed in the slow, downward pull of it all that he'd let himself get lost along the way.

"We were a bit stupid, weren't we?" he said suddenly.

He felt Potter relax beside him, like he'd been waiting for a different sort of acknowledgement altogether.

"Me more than you," he admitted.

"I don't know about that. I had reservations from the start and I still went ahead with it." He gave a wry smile. "Can't blame you for being an idiot; we've known that for years."

"Oi." Potter nudged him lightly, an affectionate smile on his face.

They fell into a comfortable silence, shoulders brushing against each other occasionally but for the most part they were separate, enjoying the company but lost in their own worlds.