desire .

About Time

ao3 author: JulietsEmoPhase

summary: On his birthday, Draco lets Harry take him on a walk in the park, even though he doesn't want any fuss. Not really.

 Draco Malfoy let himself be jostled along the tourist laden streets of Greenwich, London, keeping a firm eye on the head of black hair bobbing in front of him.  “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” he asked, stepping around a woman clutching onto several excitable children, dripping ice cream down their hands in the hot June sun. 

   Harry glanced over his shoulder with that smile that still made Draco’s insides flutter, and pushed his glasses back up his nose.  “Yeah I’m sure,” he said cheerily, delving back into the crowd, attention once more on the A-Z map book in his hand as they pushed towards the old naval collage.  He obviously couldn’t get his wand out in front of all these Muggles, but Draco was still a little dubious that they were really going the right way.

   Harry, probably sensing his hesitation, reached back instinctively and laced his fingers with Draco’s, pulling him along in his wake.   Nerves gave Draco’s gut a little tremor, but no one seemed to mind the two men holding hands.  Never the less, Draco kept his eyes open.  Harry was so cavalier, so understanding, he didn’t seem to grasp that even in this day and age people weren’t always kind to guys like them.  But Draco guessed that was just one of the many things he loved about him.

   “Look,” Harry beamed, pointing over at the grand old building.  “That’s where they filmed bits of the last Thor, and Pirates of the Caribbean.”

   Draco rolled his eyes.  Trust Harry to be thinking about Johnny Depp and Chris Hemsworth.  “You know they also had the Equestrian events of the last Olympics here too,” he said scornfully.

   Harry tugged his hand and grinned back at him.  “That’s why we’re going to the park,” he said, turning them right, past a couple of waiting red double-decker busses and a fish and chips shop that smelt wondrous.  The throng of people had thinned along this road a little, and Harry dropped back to walk side by side with Draco, A-Z still an inch in front of his nose, Draco’s hand gripped possessively with his.  Draco rubbed his knuckles with his thumb, enjoying Harry’s enthusiasm.

   No matter how hard he tried, Draco just couldn’t convince Harry that he didn’t want a fuss made on his birthday.  No party, no presents, no nothing.  But every year since they’d been together Harry had given him puppy dog eyes, distraught at not being able to spoil Draco the way Draco spoiled him, and every year he found himself relenting to something simple.  A dinner, a trip away, little but thoughtful presents.  He knew Harry was only doing it out of love, so he was able to lessen the tightening in his chest at the prospect of being centre of attention, of being worthy of such affection.

   But only because he loved Harry back.  Everyone else had been scared off over the years, and that was the way Draco liked it. 

   They crossed the road and headed towards a large pair of wrought iron gates set into high fencing, Greenwich Park visibly sprawling out behind them.  Draco figured there were many worse ways to spend his birthday than a walk in the sunshine with his keen but over-animated boyfriend, so he inhaled the air fragrant with food from the market, and relaxed. 

   “There we go,” said Harry triumphantly as they passed by the gates and the swarm of people queuing up at another ice cream stall.  He shoved the A-Z into his back pocket and gave Draco’s hand a squeeze as he looked over at him proudly.