July 1: Fairytale (Also going to use it for Day 187: Fairy Godmother of my 100 drabbles in 100 days prompts)
Draco had given up on his life being perfect. Hell, he’d given up on his life being tolerable. But today, today his life felt like a fairytale.
Blaise had shown up at his tiny, ugly flat, like a fairy godmother who wore muggle suits from Saville Row, and invited Draco to a ‘cruise on the river’ assuring him that it was mostly just some muggle friends of his. He’d handed him a box with a pair of coral shorts, a white polo, and a pair of designer boat shoes that probably cost more than Draco made in a month, and handed him an address. “It’s a river boat,” he said, “you’ll love it. And maybe we’ll connect you with someone who can get you a better job.”
He hadn’t been too hopeful on that front, but he was very much looking forward to an evening of drinking and eating without worrying about how expensive food was. After using the wifi at the library to connect his phone (the only luxury he allowed himself) to the internet and figure out which bus line would get him closest to the address Blaise had handed him, he went off to work and tried to keep that at the front of his mind while he was being shouted at by customers.
By some miracle, everything went right; the bus was on time, it was sunny out so he didn’t get soaked by the rain, it wasn’t too hot so he didn’t sweat on his walk from the bus station to the dock, and Draco couldn’t have been more pleased. Blaise handed him a beer as soon as he stepped on board and started introducing him to people. Honestly, though, Draco was less interested in them than he was in the massive buffet just across the deck.
It wasn’t too long before Blaise was disappearing to get the trip underway and Draco was free to ponder which food to eat first. He’d just finished picking out a selection of what he figured was most calorically dense, without making it look like he was gorging himself, when a voice he’d recognize anywhere said, “I wouldn’t recommend the crab cakes.”
He spun around, “Potter?” he asked incredulously.
The other man gave a little wave and Draco stood frozen to the spot. While his voice may have been the same, nothing else was.
Potter seemed to have grown significantly more handsome since the last time he’d seen him. Gone was the scrawny, messy, boy he’d known. In his place stood an Adonis of a man, long curly hair pulled up into a bun, a well kept beard covering his strong jaw, and prescription sunglasses in place of the broken spectacles he used to own. He was wearing a white button down with three too many buttons undone, revealing far too much of his bronze, muscular chest. His shirt was tucked carelessly into a pair of navy shorts that rode low on his narrow hips. And his feet were stuffed into a pair of well loved Birkenstock’s.
He looked like a fantasy and Draco’s mouth couldn’t find any words.
“How’ve you been Draco?” Potter asked, like this was something that they did; like they called each other by their first names and caught up over lobster and drinks.
“Sorry?”
Potter smiled at him, his dimple showing itself, and Draco had never imagined that such a smile would be directed at him. “Can I be honest?”
“Uhh,” he managed ineloquently. “Sure.”
“I’m pants at these things.”
Draco stared at him, “What things?”
“Marketing,” he said, gesturing to the party around him, “networking and making connections,” he shrugged. “Blaise thought it would be good PR.”
“For what?”
Potter quirked an amused grin at him, like he thought Draco was making a joke. “I make beer,” he said, nodding to the bottle in Draco’s hand.
“You,” he looked down at the beer he’d been enjoying, “you made this?”
He nodded, “maybe I should have gotten your opinion first.”
“It’s good.” Draco looked down at it again, “surprisingly.”
Potter laughed, “Can I join you?”
“Haven’t you already?” he asked, wondering at how easy it was to banter with the other man, to tease him.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to over stay my welcome.”
He hummed, “Can I be honest?”
“I wish you would,” Potter said, taking a step closer.
“I’m not even sure why Blaise invited me. I think he’s trying to set me up with a new job,” he said. “Or a sugar daddy.”
Potter promptly choked on the beer he’d been sipping as Draco talked, coughing and spluttering and Draco couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that something you’re interested in?”
“Why?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Potter, “are you offering?”
“What? No!” he spluttered, trying to backpedal.
Draco laughed, “you’re still just as easy to wind up as you always were.”
Potter huffed, but the corner of his mouth was ticking up into a crooked little grin. “Tell me about your life since Hogwarts.”
“Tell me about yours,” he countered.
“Must you be so difficult?” Potter asked, but he was still smiling.
Draco hummed through a bite of kebab, enjoying the tender steak on the end of the stick. “It’s part of the charm.”
“I can see that,” Potter said, but his voice sounded more sincere than should be possible. “A trade,” he proposed. “I’ll tell you something, then you tell me something about you.”
“That is how conversation often works,” Draco replied.
Potter laughed, “You should tell that to the blokes I go on dates with.”
He processed that little tidbit before pushing it away, it didn’t matter, he and Potter lived in completely different worlds. “Tell me where you went when you left the wizarding world.”
“Wisconsin,” Potter replied, sucking Draco into an entirely captivating story about how he learned to make beer.
———————
“You’ve let me talk too much,” Harry accused when the boat was docking for the night.
He couldn’t help the little smile that tipped up the corner of his mouth, that had been the goal. “Maybe I like listening to you talk.”
Harry bumped him with his shoulder as they slowly meandered toward the ramp. “I really enjoyed this.”
“Me too.”
The other man paused and took Draco’s hand in his, tugging him to the side as the other passengers walked past. “Could we do this again sometime?”
And as much as Draco wanted to say yes, he shook his head, “I don’t think so.”
“Oh,” Harry said, sounding crestfallen. “That’s oka-”
“Not because I don’t want to,” he said, “but we just don’t make sense together. You’re growing this great business and you’ve got so much going for you. But I-” he broke off. “I’m nobody.”
Harry’s hand cupped his face, tilting it up so they were looking at each other, “that is the furthest possible thing from the truth.”
“It’s not, though,” he confessed. “I work at a coffee shop and I spend my day getting yelled at by customers and mopping floors. I live in a tiny flat and I can barely cover my rent,” he shrugged. “I only came here tonight because I wanted a free meal,” he finished, voice low and eyes closed so he didn’t have to see the disgust on the other man’s face.
“You’re really brave.”
He blinked his eyes open to stare at the other man, “what?”
“You’re really brave,” he repeated. “And I really like you.”
He huffed, “you don’t know me.”
“Yeah, I do.” Harry took a breath, “Come work with me.”
Draco rolled his eyes, “I don’t need your pity, Potter.”
“No,” he said quickly. “It’s not pity. I looked you up on social media while you were in the loo. Everyone’s been hounding me to get someone to do our social and you’re really good at it. I like your aesthetic. I think you could really help us grow.”
He stared at him, not sure what to say.
“We’ll give you benefits,” he said, “retirement, sick time, vacation time, the works.”
“Why?”
Harry scratched his beard, “because that’s how working full time works? It’s the law-”
“No. Why me?”
He hummed, “why not?” He took Draco’s hand in his again, “say yes.” Harry squeezed his fingers, “what have you got to lose?”
That was the question. And if Draco was being honest he couldn’t think of anything. “Alright.”
Harry grinned, “and maybe say yes to a date?”
He tilted his head, “isn’t it against company policy to date your boss?”
The other man waved him off, “I’m not your boss. I’m the guy who brews the beer. I technically own the company but I play no real part in running it.”
Draco laughed, “fine. I suppose I could be persuaded.”
“Yeah?” Harry asked, voice soft and eyes bright.
He nodded.
“Can I kiss you?” Harry asked, like it hadn’t only been one night spent together.
But how could Draco refuse? After all, what kind of fairytale didn’t end with true love’s kiss.
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July 2: Garden Hose
Read more of my gentle July ficlets
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