Landslide

Chapter 1

Blaise was fucking with him. That was Draco's first assumption. The Blaise Zabini he knew was entirely unsentimental – he got uncomfortable even when exchanging Christmas cards – and he had never been in a relationship with anyone for more than one month.

"I'm sorry" Draco said. He dabbed at his mouth from where he'd almost spat out his drink. "Did I just hear you say that you have a boyfriend?"

Blaise barely even rolled his eyes. "Don't be a prat, Draco."

"I think my hearing must be betraying me. You're telling me that you, Blaise Zabini, are in an actual committed relationship."

"That's what I said" Blaise said sharply. He was trying really hard to be patient, Draco could tell, but his fingers were twitching against the table.

"Oh my God" Draco said. "Oh my God. Merlin. This is—a boyfriend. You. When did this—how did this...? I thought you were, you know, allergic to monogamy."

"Well it hasn't exactly been a walk in the park" Blaise said stiffly. "It's taken some... getting used to, I'm not going to lie. But I want this to work, hence the, you know, telling you. I'm trying to be serious about this."

And he was, that much was true. Blaise was rarely serious about anything. Cynical, sure, and always vaguely droll, but never serious. The fact that he wasn't cackling along with Draco about the absurdity of the situation was, in itself, indication of his sincerity.

The realisation sobered Draco immediately.

"Oh" Draco cleared his throat with a cough, and when that didn't seem to rupture his speechlessness, he said again, "Oh."

Blaise took a sip of his cappuccino. He looked just as uncomfortable as Draco felt. "Yeah."

"Right. Well, then. Who's the lucky guy?"

Blaise looked down but Draco didn't miss it. The tiniest hint of a fond smile. Fuck, Draco realised. Blaise was being serious. He genuinely liked this person.

"Well, that's kind of the thing" Blaise said, and if Draco didn't know him better, he would say that Blaise looked embarrassed. "Promise you won't overreact."

"Overreact?" Draco repeated, outraged. "Why would I overreact? When have I ever overreacted in my entire life?"

"Swear it, Draco" Blaise said, and he stuck out a pinky finger which, Draco noted, was both petty and juvenile since Blaise knew full well of Draco's loathing for making promises.

Draco took said pinky with a begrudging sigh.

"Fine, I swear. Merlin, just spit it out already."

Blaise took a deep breath and when he answered, it was with the exact same tone of wonder and awe that came from just about every wizard's mouth that had haunted Draco ever since his very first day at Hogwarts.

"It's Harry Potter."

Draco blinked. "Where?"

He even looked around as if said bumbling fool might have stumbled into their vicinity. It wouldn't have been entirely out of the realm of possibility; Draco had heard, from various sources, that Potter had retreated back into the Muggle world after the war, which made sense to Draco, since Potter practically was one.

Still, that was one run-in that Draco could gladly do without. He hadn't seen Potter since the war and he didn't plan on changing that any time soon.

He turned back to Blaise to find him watching him in a mixture of impatience and amusement.