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Draco walked as fast as his feet would carry him down the street, letting the chill in the night air cool his heated face. He wrenched the scarf from around his neck, letting the air hit him there as well. He could hear Harry's footsteps behind him, catching up. Normally, he supposed, this would be endearing--but not this time. Tonight it just made him even angrier. He had had enough.
He just rounded a corner when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and then heard Harry's voice from behind saying, "Draco, stop." He was breathing heavily.
Draco paused before saying, "No."
He meant to keep walking, but Harry grabbed his forearm tightly, spinning Draco around to face him.
"Draco, stop a minute," he said, doubling over, breathing hard. "Talk to me. What in the bloody hell is going on?" Harry bent at the waist and held a stitch in his side with his free hand.
"That's funny," Draco drawled as lazily as he could manage. "Five minutes ago, it seemed the very last thing you'd have me do was talk." Draco pulled his arm out of Harry's grasp. He took only a second to take in the look of confusion on Harry's face before he turned to start off again. He did not want to discuss this right now. He wanted to get away from Harry, away from Harry's friends, away from everything.
Unfortunately, Harry was as quick as he'd ever been, and within seconds, he had found Draco's arm once again, pulling him to a stop. Rather than submit, Draco spun around violently, grabbing Harry by the lapels of his coat, bodily pinning him against the side of a handy bus stop, startling the waiting Muggles sitting on the bench inside.
He brought his face inches from Harry's, who was still panting from exertion. Draco could feel breath on his face with every huff.
"I don't want to talk about this right now," Draco growled, quiet and low, shoving Harry into the smudged glass a little more firmly. "I am angry with you, if you hadn't noticed, and I'd like to go on a damn walk without you following me like some sort of puppy."
Harry let his shoulders fall, and Draco looked briefly at the Muggles waiting on their bus, who seemed to be watching them with great interest.
"I..." Harry began. "Fine. Go on your walk."
He looked positively defeated, and Draco was not ashamed that he felt a surge of triumph in his gut at that. He let go of Harry's coat, but before he could go, Harry had put a hand again on his arm--this time, though, it wasn't firm. It wasn't holding him back or demanding anything. It was a question.
The gentleness of it made Draco pause. He found that his feet would not carry him away this time, and for a long moment neither one of them moved or spoke, but Harry took a tentative step closer, sliding his hand from Draco's arm down to his hand, where he gave his fingers a light squeeze before letting it drop.
Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Why must you always do that?"
"Do what?" Harry said. "I have no idea what this is about!"
"Every time we go out with your friends, it is always the same. You won't let me talk. Any time anyone says anything about Auror training or the war or the remaining Death Eaters, you talk over me--defend me--before I can say anything."
Harry looked like he was trying to say something. His mouth kept trying to form words, though nothing was coming out.
"I know who and what I am," Draco spat. "I know I'm the son of a murderer and a former Death Eater myself. I know what I did, and I know what my family did. But, I've done a lot to make up for that. I've done quite a lot to be with you, and still... you--" Draco took a deep breath, not knowing whether or not he should say the thing that bothered him the most. "Are you ashamed of me, Potter?"
In an instant, Harry hands were at both sides his face, fingers brushing his neck, his ears, thumbs swiping his cheeks. "Draco," he said. "No. No!"
Harry stopped for a minute to shake his head slowly from side to side, dropping his hands down to rest just below Draco's shoulders.
"No. I had no idea that's what you thought. Of course I know who you are and what you did. I also know that the man in front of me is a far different person than the boy at school. I love who you are. I could never be ashamed of you. I..." Harry brought his face so close, Draco could feel the brush of his lips as he spoke. "I just have a hard time not bragging about you."
Draco let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Harry's face was close enough that he could only see his eyes. They were sparkling at him behind his glasses, and that is how he knew Harry was smiling at him. He let himself smile a little, too, and he closed the distance between them, kissing Harry on the mouth, threading his fingers through course strands of hair, pulling him closer and closer.
The sound of the bus coming to the stop caught Draco's attention, and he broke the kiss to notice the Muggles still staring at them, slack jawed.
"Oh, go on," he told them, jerking his head in the direction of the bus, slinging an arm around Harry's neck. Harry's arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him close, and Draco pressed a kiss into Harry's neck before they began the leisurely walk toward home.
~End~