Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Lifetime Decisions	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 11408 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor make any profit from it. J.K. Rowling owns it

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Author's note: I didn't expect so many reviews, guys :O Not that I'm complaining of course - keep them coming, I'd say ~ Think we can beat the record of the previous chapter?
Thanks to the following reviewers: djaddict (What would my stories be without angst? LOL); Starr; Jan; Hestia; Anon (Lucius doesn't play a big role in this story, though he will show up briefly in the next); Outlawgal
Warnings: as mentioned angst; time skips; more explanation regarding the birth
I hope you'll like this chapter - despite the angst.

Chapter 6
Whether it was because of the hormones rampaging through his body, bringing everything out of balance or deep, underlying feelings that rose up to the surface at last, breaking through violently, Harry found himself kissing Draco back urgently. Their lips slid across each other, their noses bumped gently and he raised his hands to burrow them through fine, blond hair. The hand on his back firmly pressed him closer to the blond and the gentle swell of his belly rested against a hard stomach. The taste and scent of Draco surrounded him, drowning him in a musky haze. A tongue pushed against his closed mouth and without hesitation, his lips spread open, welcoming the foreign intrusion in his mouth.
A voice in the back of his mind was screaming at him, demanding him to stop, pull away, push Draco away – do anything that would stop this madness from continuing, but he was helpless, washed away by the burning fire that was steadily building up between them, as their breath mingled together and their lips bruised and swelled underneath the desperate touch.
Had a kiss always felt like this? This overwhelming? Making him feel helpless and weak in his knees; his heart thumping too quickly inside his chest while butterflies raced through his stomach? He had kissed other people before – he had enjoyed kissing with his former boyfriends, but he couldn't recall ever feeling this affected by a simply kiss.
It was as if time was suspended between them; they being the only beings in the universe.
The hand on his cheek slipped into his hair, fingers gently threading through the locks and his head was pulled back a bit, giving the older man the chance to deepen the kiss more, ravish him completely.
A moan of pleasure rose up between them and it was that sudden noise, coupled with their harsh breathing that snapped Harry out of the daze he had fallen into when those soft lips had captured his and horror filled him instantly at the realisation of what had just happened.
Panicking, he pushed against Draco's shoulders, harshly shoving him back, ripping their mouths apart.
Draco stumbled back and stared at him with dark silver eyes, pupils blown wide. His blond hair – immaculate when he had entered the room – was completely messed up, courtesy of Harry's wandering hands; a rose flush covered his chiselled cheekbones and his mouth was red, swollen, and parted while he panted loudly.
Harry himself was trying to get his breathing under control, while his heart madly pumped inside his chest. Shocked he stared at the carpet and tried to get his head around the fact that he had just been kissing Draco Malfoy. His best friend, father of the baby growing inside of him, and most importantly: the husband of Astoria. He didn't know what was worse: the fact that he had kissed his best friend back, destroying the boundaries that had been between them, or that he had been kissing a married man.
Fuck, fuck, this wasn't supposed to happen! Why the hell had Draco kissed him? Why the fuck hadn't he stopped him? He should have stopped him, should have pulled away, but instead he had returned the kiss and his cheeks seemed to burst out in flames when he recalled how thoroughly he had enjoyed the kiss. He had never been kissed like that before; their kiss had started out gentle, but it had grown until it was hungry, passionate, possessive. His knees still trembled when he remembered how thoroughly the blond had snogged him.
Oh god, they were in deep shit.
"Harry," Draco breathed out and slowly the realisation of what had just happened seemed to settle in his brain, for his eyes grew wide in shock.
"This – this wasn't supposed to happen. Why did it happen? We shouldn't have kissed," Harry babbled and ran his hands through his hair distressed. "It wasn't … I didn't …" He looked at Draco accusingly. "Why the hell did you kiss me?! You're married for fuck's sake!"
"As if I don't know that!" Draco snapped and ran his own hand through his hair, tugging at it harshly. "You kissed me back! You could have pushed me away and you didn't! So this is as much your fault as it is mine!"
"I know, but you're the one who fucking kissed me first!" Harry snarled and clenched his hands around the edge of the windowsill. "Why the hell did you do that?!" His anger – which had been building up, fuelled by his shock and distress – abruptly left him when he was faced with the look of utter helplessness on Draco's face.
"I – I don't know," Draco whispered and stared at him destitute. "I just …" He visibly swallowed. "I just … wanted to kiss you. So I did."
"But why?" Harry asked bewildered and his fingers slowly unclenched; they felt slightly cramped from the tight grip he had had on the windowsill.
Draco shrugged and the helpless look changed into a weary one. "Why did you kiss me back?" he shot back.
"I …" Harry looked down, not knowing what to respond. Why had he kissed him back? Because he wanted to. That was the simple reason. As soon as Draco's lips had descended upon his, a feeling of … rightness had fell over him. It just felt right to kiss him back. He hadn't thought at all of the consequences that would result from their kiss. What on earth were they supposed to do now? They had kissed each other. This time they didn't have the excuse of being overwhelmed by lust like when they had shared a kiss when Draco had impregnated Harry. They had just kissed. Just like that.
And with one simple kiss they had forever changed their relationship. How could they go back to being friends when the memory of their kiss would hang over them like a dark cloud?
What would happen now? Would Draco tell Astoria what had happened? If so, what would happen then? She barely tolerated his presence as it was – how bad would it become if she knew he had kissed her husband?
How furious would she be if she knew that he wanted to kiss Draco again? His emotions and thoughts were all jumbled up, but one thing was clear: he had enjoyed kissing Draco. He wouldn't be opposed to doing it again.
But it couldn't happen, right? Draco was married. Harry was carrying his child – a child he would have to give up once he gave birth to it. A child that would be brought up by Draco and Astoria. Not Draco and Harry.
There wasn't any place for Harry in Draco's life aside from his best friend. It could never be more. Draco was married and soon he would be caring for a child together with his wife. Harry would be demoted to best friend and uncle of the baby. Nothing more. It could never be anything more.
The sharp pain that shot through his chest at that realisation made him clench his shirt; his fist absurdly warm against his rapidly beating heart. He clenched his eyes shut and cursed himself. Cursed himself for being so damn stupid. Cursed himself for becoming way too attached to Draco in a span of just a couple of months. He had been so damn stupid – how could he have ever thought he could remain detached? No wonder his friends had tried to dissuade him from becoming Draco's surrogate. He had fucked everything up and he had no clue what he should do to rectify this mess.
"Harry …" Draco murmured and from the corner of his eye he saw a pale hand reaching out to him, intend on touching him.
He couldn't deal with it now. His life had just become a giant mess and he didn't know how to deal with it.
Shaking his head, he stumbled out of Draco's reach, keeping his eyes averted from him. "I'm – I'm sorry. I – I need to be alone. I'm sorry."
Ignoring Draco's demand to stay, he fled out of the room; his skin way too hot, pressure stinging behind his eyes and his heart racing as if he had just run a marathon. His legs felt odd, as if they were made out of jelly and it honestly surprised him that he hadn't collapsed yet. He couldn't be near Draco now. He needed time to think. Time to figure out just what the hell he was supposed to do now.
Before he could turn into the hallway that would lead to his wing, he bumped against someone and he would have toppled over if hands hadn't gripped his arms to steady him. With a shock he realised he hadn't put his belt back on; his belly was displayed for everyone to see.
Fortunately for him, the one he had bumped against was Hermione, who regarded him with concern lurking in her warm, brown eyes.
"Come, let's go to your room," she murmured, evidently having read the distress on his face and he half stumbled, half walked to his wing.
Both relieved and hurt that Draco hadn't chased after him. And that particular combination scared the hell out of him.

"I have no idea what to do now, Hermione," Harry ended his recollection of what had transpired between him and the blond wizard.
Hermione was seated on his desk chair while he had been forced to recline on his bed. Her elbow was resting on the desk and her head was supported by her hand as she silently listened to what had made Harry upset enough not to realise he had been about to bump against someone.
"You've got yourself a big mess, Harry," she sighed and straightened her back. Her skirt rustled faintly when she brought one leg over the other.
"Don't I know it," he grumbled and rubbed over his eyes. "It wasn't like it was my intention to kiss him."
"No, but you did," she retorted calmly. "I'm not going to say 'I told you so', but you're playing with fire. I hope you know that."
He grimaced and looked down at his rounded stomach, rubbing the bulge anxiously. He had no idea what to do now. The cowardly part of him wanted to hide out in his room for the rest of the pregnancy or escape to his own home and close down the Floo connection to Malfoy Manor. How the hell was he supposed to act around Draco now? This whole situation was beyond awkward.
Hermione clucked her tongue. "What did Malfoy say?"
He hesitated, but answered with burning cheeks, "That he wanted to kiss me, so he did."
"Okay, that was not the answer I was expecting," she replied and blinked surprised. "I'd say it was maybe a heat of the moment thing with him talking to the baby, but …"
"But what?" Harry asked sharply and stared at his friend with narrowed eyes. His hand stilled and he received a weak kick as retribution.
"But maybe it's more than some heat of the moment thing," she admitted and bit her lip.
His incredulous laugh left him in a sharp bark. "Yeah, right," he snorted and shook his head. "Like what? Like he has feelings for me?"
"Why not?" Her brown eyes were uncomfortably intense as she regarded him calmly. "Why would it be ridiculous to assume that he has feelings for you? You had sex, you're expecting his child, you're here every day … Not to mention you two have always been ridiculously obsessed with each other."
"I was not obsessed with him!" he said defensively and brought his legs up. "And expecting his child doesn't have anything to do with him developing feelings. Not to mention he's married!"
"We both know it was a marriage out of convenience, Harry, and not out of love," Hermione retorted with an exasperated sigh. She waved her hand around. "It's not that odd to imagine that he ended up developing feelings for you. The only thing that ties him to his wife is the marriage contract. They've never acted like they were in love."
"That doesn't mean I'm going to have an affair with him," Harry hissed and his fingers clenched around his knees. "He's still married and he will be raising his son with her. There's no place for me in his life aside from a good friend."
She leant forwards, pursing her lips contemplatively. "You know, we've been arguing about Malfoy's feelings for you, but you haven't said what you feel for him. Why did you kiss him back?"
The dark haired man spluttered and stammered and he felt his cheeks flaming up. It wouldn't shock him if he resembled a tomato right now.
"I – I … You know … Spur of the moment thing," he ended up stammering and he absolutely despised the knowing look in Hermione's eyes.
She stood up, smoothed the lower part of her dress, and raised an eyebrow. "Spur of the moment thing, huh?" she repeated sceptically. "I suggest you'll try to be honest with yourself from now on, Harry. Before you land yourself into a bigger mess. I'll tell the rest you felt too drained from working and decided to rest in your room."
Before Harry could argue, Hermione practically flaunted out of the room, closing the door behind her with a resounding 'click'.
With a groan of exhaustion, Harry fell back against his pillow and stared moodily at his ceiling.
Being honest with himself now, huh?
That had to be one of Hermione's crappiest advice so far.

Harry liked to think that he was a true Gryffindor in all aspects of his life, but the truth was that at times he preferred to ignore a problem and avoid it at all costs instead of facing it heads on. It wasn't a trait he was proud of, but it was how he was.
That was why a week after having kissed Draco at Teddy's birthday party he still hadn't talked to Draco or even looked at the man. He had taken to eating breakfast earlier than Draco and dinners were spent talking to Narcissa about all the items the baby would need. It wasn't as if he was particularly invested in buying baby stuff, but it allowed him to not look at the blond man across from him and every excuse to not discuss that kiss was a good one in his opinion. He had even told one of the house elves to turn away Draco should he come to his room during the evening with the excuse that he was too tired to speak with him.
Shame burned inside of him at the manner he was handling this situation, but he couldn't help it. That kiss had thrown him completely off balance and it made him question just what kind of feelings he had for the blond.
Possible feelings that couldn't be allowed to flourish, because Draco was still married to Astoria and wouldn't divorce her. Feelings that would throw their friendship in jeopardy and mess up their lives more than the kiss already had done.
Not for the first time since the kiss Harry wished he had never thought of becoming Draco's surrogate. This whole pregnancy was messing with their heads and it left a bigger impact than Harry could have foreseen.
Like the fact, for example, that Harry found himself slowly becoming attached to the baby growing inside of him. Although it still felt odd to feel someone moving inside of him, kicking him, he discovered that he looked forward to feeling the baby fuss around and he caught himself talking and cooing to the baby during the evenings in his bed. That was something else that scared him; he couldn't become attached to the baby. That was a dangerous thing to do and it wouldn't end well at all. Because even though the baby was biologically his as well, in the end it would be Astoria who would raise him. Harry was merely the vessel for it and would have no legal ties to the baby at all.
Growing attached to the baby would only end up in heartbreak. And though he knew this all too well, he couldn't stop himself from enjoying the tumbling and fussing that happened regularly in his belly.
Merlin, he was really screwed, wasn't he?

May had announced itself by the time Draco managed to speak to Harry privately. It had been two weeks since they had kissed and ever since then Harry had done a remarkable good job of avoiding him, despite living in the same manor. If Harry avoiding him didn't piss him off so much, he would actually be quite impressed by it, because it took some skill to avoid a person entirely when you lived with them in the same building.
After two weeks, though, Draco had figured out Harry's new routine and, determined to talk about the kiss and what it exactly entailed, he woke up extra early on Saturday to make certain he would catch the dark haired wizard on time before he left to visit his friends.
The startled, dark green eyes that stared at him as he walked into the dining room that morning made him smile grimly and he saw Harry swallow nervously as he lowered his spoon.
"Draco! I … hadn't expected to see you so early," he mumbled flustered and glanced down at the bowl containing his half eaten cereals. He glanced furtively around the room, as if he was expecting someone else to pop up.
Most likely mother, so that he can rope her into a conversation to avoid talking with me, Draco thought sardonically.
"Is your mother still asleep?"
Casually Draco sat down and nodded in thanks to the house elf, who popped up next to him with a steaming plate of scrambled eggs and two thin slices of perfectly cooked bacon. "She decided to have breakfast in the Star room to enjoy the view of her garden," he replied nonchalantly. She might have come to that decision after Draco had discreetly asked her to leave him alone with Harry this morning, but that was something that the green eyed wizard didn't need to know.
"That's … surprising," Harry muttered and cleared his throat. "So any plans for today? I'm leaving in a bit to visit Hermione and Ron. Did you hear something about the Wooden Doll case? Apparently Ron was on the team for that one and it turns out that …"
"Yes, I do have plans for today," Draco cut his rambling off abruptly. "My plans of today consist of looking over some documents for work, discussing the nursery with my mother and oh yes, talking to you about our kiss."
"Oh, just look at the time! I'm afraid our talk will have to wait, because it's getting really late, you know," Harry babbled and shoved his chair back; his eyes averted from Draco's face like they had been since he sat down.
Fortunately for Draco, Harry couldn't be that quick anymore with his protruding stomach and so by the time he had regained his balance, the blond was already standing next to him, gripping his arm.
"Harry, we need to talk," he said forcefully and without even giving the pregnant man a chance to protest, he closed off the door with a Silence Bubble and a Lock charm. That door would only open again after they had finished their conversation. It was long due by now.
Harry looked ready to protest, but his shoulders sagged and he let out a sigh, leaning back against the table. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he looked away and muttered petulantly, "There's nothing to talk about."
A blond eyebrow rose up in incredulity. "Nothing to talk about? Harry, we kissed each other," Draco stressed and shook his head. "That's nothing to talk about? I dare say it is."
"Look, what do you want me to say? We kissed and we shouldn't have done that. End of story. There's nothing to discuss," Harry bit out and scowled at him heavily.
"Ignoring it won't make it as if it never happened," Draco pointed out exasperatedly. "We need to talk about why we kissed each other."
"But why? You'll only end up making it more complicated," Harry snapped and raked a hand through his hair, clearly becoming agitated. "Look, it was just a spur of the moment thing, okay? Let's just keep it at that and move on with our lives."
"Why are you refusing to discuss this seriously?" Draco asked frustrated and took a step closer.
"Because there's nothing to discuss, Draco!" Harry cried out and looked at him with troubled eyes. "You're married, for Merlin's sake. Whatever we discuss, it doesn't change the fact that you're married to Astoria. We already screwed up once – let's not make it worse."
"Why did you kiss me?" the blond pressed, not willing to give up on this conversation after finally having caught the dark haired man.
"Merlin, you're starting to sound like a broken record," Harry bit out. "What does it matter that I kissed you? Need I remind you that you were the one who started kissing me?"
"No, you don't need to remind me." Draco scowled. "I just want to know why you kissed me back when you know I'm married."
"Like I said, spur of the moment thing," Harry replied through gritted teeth and glared at him.
Before he could think twice about what he was about to do, Draco bent down, cupped Harry's cheeks and kissed him fiercely. Only a couple of seconds were filled with struggle before the other man kissed him back with equal intensity, as if this was some sort of competition and he didn't want to lose. Hands landed on his arms and squeezed down and Draco felt Harry's rounded stomach press against his own flat one when the man closed the gap between them.
Draco pulled back with a soft gasp and stared at Harry, who looked back at him with a resigned look etched on his face.
"Still a spur of the moment thing?" Draco remarked sceptically as he tried to regulate his breathing again. His heart seemed to skip a beat when glowing emerald green stared back at him.
Harry heaved a sigh and burrowed his face in Draco's shoulder. "I hate you," came the muffled, petulant reply.
Wearily Draco shook his head and they remained standing in that position for a while. Draco thought he should push Harry away – this position wasn't helping their whole kiss dilemma at all – but he couldn't bring himself to do it and instead his hand drifted down to rest on Harry's back.
Well, they had seriously screwed up things now, hadn't they? The blond didn't even know why he had had the marvellous idea of kissing Harry again. They hadn't even discussed the first kiss – bar Draco admitting that he had wanted to kiss the Saviour – and they had already kissed for the second time.
Blankly he stared at the opposite wall and wondered where they should go from here. Maybe it had indeed been a spur of the moment thing for Harry the previous time, but now he didn't have that same excuse. He had kissed him back just as fiercely as Draco had done and there was no denying that.
Now the question remained: what were they going to do about this? Where would they go from here? Ignoring the two kisses was simply not an option. Especially not with this odd tension hanging between them.
A tension that had started developing ever since Draco had felt the baby kicking for the first time. Was this merely an issue of hormones and the sudden intimacy that had grown between them thanks to the baby?
Or was it something more, something deeper, like hidden feelings that were finally bursting through the surface?
Draco didn't know, couldn't find the answer and that aggravated him immensely.
"What are we going to do now?" Harry asked resigned and pulled back, forcing the blond to loosen his embrace.
"Well, it's not like we can ignore the fact that we kissed. Twice now," Draco added and withdrew a bit, leaning with his arse against the table. His mother would probably have a fit if she saw him in that position, but he couldn't care about that now.
Harry's scowl made it quite clear that he thought that ignoring their kisses would work out just fine. Unfortunately for him, Draco wasn't about to ignore their kiss.
"Fine, not ignore then," Harry acquiesced grudgingly. "But what do you propose we do then? You're still married, Draco."
As if he could forget that. For the first time since he had married Astoria, though, he found himself doubting his decision to marry her. That particular thought process was something he would have to come back to later, though, because he had now more pressing matters to attend to.
"Why don't we start first with you saying why you kissed me back? Twice," Draco added pointedly.
Immediately Harry's cheeks heated up as if they had burst into flames and it wouldn't surprise the blond if he would feel the heat exuding from Harry's face should he stick his hand out.
The dark haired wizard glanced away and crossed his arms on top of his stomach. "Because I wanted to, all right?" he mumbled almost inaudibly.
Even though it was undignified, Draco's mouth dropped open as Harry's reply fully registered in his mind. Well, he certainly hadn't expected to hear that particular reply.
But Harry's answer didn't help their issue at all. So they both had wanted to kiss each other – what would they do with that knowledge?
"We have screwed up, huh?" Harry sighed despondently.
Draco couldn't disagree with that notion. "What do you want to do now?"
Green eyes stared at him shocked. "What? What do you mean?" Harry questioned perplexed and took a step back.
"We've just admitted that we both wanted to kiss each other," the blond explained and rolls his shoulders, feeling tension sneak up on him. A flush crept up from his neck to his cheeks, colouring them a faint red. "I'll be honest: I wouldn't mind continuing whatever this is."
"But you're married, Draco," Harry stressed and he made a sweeping motion with his right hand.
"Is that your only objection?" Draco inquired curiously, thinking it was interesting how the other man had offered no explicit objection against taking it further between them.
"My only … Draco, that is not something we can ignore," Harry snapped and his eyes glowed with anger. "I don't even know what I really feel for you. Maybe it's just the hormones messing with me."
"Do you think I know exactly what I feel for you?" the blond retorted frustrated and shook his head. "I'm as confused as you are. That's why I want to continue this – whatever this is. To figure out what I really feel for you."
Harry bit his lower lip. "But what about Astoria?" he asked uncertainly and shifted his foot. "It wouldn't be fair to her if we go further with this."
Astoria … Draco didn't know how she would react. She had expressed her wish that Draco wouldn't attempt a relationship with Harry, but lately she had grown quite distant and cold – even worse than before. There was no real love lost between them; their marriage was an arranged one.
"Astoria … I'm not sure how she would react, but it's not as if we're in love with each other," Draco murmured and shrugged. "As long as we don't know for certain what we feel for each other, I don't see the point in discussing this with her."
"So you want to find out what we feel for each other," Harry said carefully and appeared to be wavering.
"Yes and once we know for certain what we feel for each other, we can decide then what we'll do," Draco stated and started to feel more confident now he knew what they would do. They could do this; they could figure out their feelings this way.
"Do what? Like you getting a divorce?" Harry snorted and eyed him sceptically.
"If it turns out we really have deep feelings for each other? Yes," Draco replied calmly.
The sceptic look was quickly replaced with one of surprise and Harry opened his mouth, but before he could say something, the door suddenly opened and Astoria strode into the room, annoyance written over her face, as she pocketed her wand.
"Why was the door locked with a spell?" she demanded to know and narrowed her eyes when she took in how close both men stood.
"I needed to discuss something with Harry and I didn't want him to leave before our discussion was over," Draco answered blankly and returned to his seat.
"I need to leave," Harry mumbled and left without deigning Astoria worthy of a look.
"What did you need to discuss?" she pressed and sank down on a chair; her blonde hair glistering in the sunlight, that peeked through the large window.
"I just wanted his opinion on a pressing issue; nothing special," he murmured and sipped from his tea.
"What? Who you need to bet on in the upcoming Quidditch game?" she sneered derisively and spread some butter on her toast.
He smiled affably, recognising the hidden stab at Harry's intelligence. His wife seemed to have the assumption that Harry was incapable of having a discussion that didn't revolve around Quidditch. "Something like that, yeah," he responded, deciding to ignore her rude remark for now.
Astoria seemed satisfied with his answer and they had breakfast in silence.
When Draco made his way to his office, he couldn't suppress a smile of excitement. He couldn't wait to find out what really was going on between him and Harry. He wouldn't allow Harry to ignore this strange thing between them.

He wondered where his morals had gone as he tilted his head back to give the blond currently teasingly biting his earlobe more space.
They were hidden in an alcove on the third floor where Draco had dragged him off to when he had caught Harry wandering through the corridor.
It had been two weeks since their tense discussion about their kisses and since then they had been sneaking around, finding private spots to snog as if they were still a pair of teenagers who were going behind their parents' backs.
A choked moan tore through his throat and his hands clenched down on firm biceps when lips suckled at one particular spot right underneath his ear. Damn it, he hadn't known he was this sensitive.
A breathy chuckle against his damp skin made him shiver and soon his lips were captured in a deep kiss, which pushed his back even closer to the wall. Hands clutched almost desperately at each other's bodies as their kiss deepened even more, their tongues coming into play; they tentatively brushed across each other, curling around the other one's tongue.
Merlin, how could something so wrong feel so right? He knew he should feel guilty, should be ashamed, but he felt delirious, his mind cloudy with want. Even though he had sworn to never start something with Draco, he couldn't help but press closer, wanting to feel more of the blond.
"Do you regularly ambush people in corridors?" he asked and sharply breathed in when devious fingers slipped underneath his shirt, trailing light circles on his back.
A smirk flitted over the aristocratic face before the man nuzzled his cheek. "Only if they are really special," he whispered and Harry's cheeks heated up.
It was far too easy for Draco to make him blush; it shouldn't be so easy, the dark haired man figured.
Harry's own hands wandered underneath Draco's light blue shirt, tugging up the thin cloth; muscles tensed and shifted under his fingers. A quick grin flitted across Harry's face as he heard Draco exhale in surprise.
He wouldn't let himself be the only one to be affected here.
Right when his fingers dipped between warm skin and the waistband of charcoal grey trousers, a popping sound caused the blond to rip himself out of Harry's arms – making the pregnant man momentarily mourn the lack of touch – and they stared startled at the house elf standing two feet away from the alcove.
Two large, dark yellow eyes gazed at them remorsefully and the raffled, floppy ears quivered as the elf bowed deeply until his pointy nose nearly brushed against the dark green carpet.
"Pinkie sorry, Master Draco, Master Harry Potter!" the house elf squeaked in panic. "Pinkie not want disturbing Masters! Pinkie be punishing himself, he wills!"
"That's not necessary," Draco retorted sharply, tugging down his shirt.
Pinkie instantly froze; one of his small feet remain extended in the air as he had been on his way to bash his head against the wall.
"Do you need something?" Draco asked brusquely and ran a hand through his hair, causing it to look slightly dishevelled.
Harry wanted to scold Draco for being rude to the poor house elf, but once he caught sight of the blond discreetly adjusting himself, he couldn't help but chuckle amused. Not even the scowl the other man threw at him could stop him. Instead he winked and had the pleasure of seeing Draco blush lightly.
"Owl come and giving letter for Master Harry Potter, sir," Pinkie explained and help up the letter.
The sight of Saint Mungos' emblem made Harry blink in confusion and he stepped forwards to accept the letter.
"Thank you," he murmured and Pinkie bowed again before he disappeared with a soft 'pop'.
"Since when does the hospital send you letters?" Draco furrowed his eyebrows in bemusement.
"It's from Lyrian," Harry mumbled and opened the letter.
'Dear Harry
It slipped my mind today unfortunately and as I will not be present next week, a letter will have to do. My apologies.
As you are nearly eight months pregnant, it is time for another check-up. We also need to discuss the potions you will need to ingest when you enter your last month.
Will the first of June be acceptable for you?
Sincerely
Lyrian'
"That date isn't a problem for me," Draco remarked and his arms slipped casually around Harry's waist, caressing his belly.
"I'll let her know," Harry replied, a bit distracted. Aside from the regular check-up and the discussion about the potions, he would probably be told as well that he couldn't work anymore for the remainder of his pregnancy. Normally that would annoy him to no end, but now he would be a bit relieved. The pregnancy was starting to wear him out bit by bit and it was becoming more of a hassle to keep his magic under control. Just three days ago he had nearly set his desk on fire when he had merely wanted to cool down his tea.
He was pulled from his musings by lips pressing a soft kiss in his neck.
"What do you say of continuing from where we were interrupted?" Draco breathed and a hand cupped his arse, squeezing it firmly.
Before Harry could reply, chiming resounded through the corridor: dinner was ready.
"Damn it!" Draco swore frustrated and even Harry grimaced in annoyance.
"Let's go downstairs," he sighed and extracted himself out of Draco's embrace.
"Fine, but we're going to continue this after dinner," Draco promised and the glint in his eyes made the dark haired man swallow.
When had it become so hard to reject the blond?
More importantly: when had his morals degraded so much that he no longer objected to having an affair with a married man?
As he followed Draco downstairs, he tried to ignore how guilt seemed to have left him almost completely.

The first of June was quite a warm day; the sun beat down almost mercilessly on anyone who even dared to set foot outside, making Harry grateful for the existence of Cooling charms.
As it was, even with the renewal of the Cooling charms, his shirt stuck uncomfortably against his skin and he was itching to get rid of the damp cloth.
"All right; it looks like your baby is healthy," Lyrian commented as she peered at the screen. "You don't have any deficiencies either, so that's excellent as well."
"That's good to hear," Harry smiled and as if in agreement, the baby kicked in response; the outline of his tiny foot was visible for a few seconds, as Harry's skin dented out a bit right above his bellybutton.
"So everything is all right with the both of them?" Draco looked relieved at Lyrian's reassurance.
The days leading up to the check-up had seen Draco quite anxious, despite Harry's reassurance that he felt well. He doubted whether the blond man had slept much last night, judging by the light bags underneath his eyes.
Lightly Harry touched Draco's inner wrist and the man gave him a faint smile.
"Here, you can clean your stomach with this," Lyrian murmured and handed over a couple of paper towels before she set about creating copies of the ultrasound. "Will I meet your wife before your baby is born, Mister Malfoy?" she questioned casually.
Harry froze for a few seconds before he finished wiping off the blue gel; all the while with a faint tremor in his hand.
Draco answered blandly, "I doubt it; she's rather busy and this is still a rather sensitive issue for her."
"Yes, I understand," she mumbled and for a short moment a peculiar look crossed her face. It was gone quickly, though, and she beckoned both men to follow her back to her desk.
Harry sank down on his chair carefully and did his best to ignore the heavy feeling in his stomach that had sprung up after Lyrian's question.
Lyrian clapped her hands together briefly and stated briskly, "Let us discuss the potions now."
"How do the potions exactly work?" Harry inquired, putting the surge of guilt aside for now. He hadn't yet read about the needed potions and so was completely clueless.
"You'll need to ingest two potions in about four weeks' time," she started and began writing something down. "The first one will connect directly with your magic and will ensure that your body is capable of creating a new opening: your temporary birth canal. The second potion will become active once your contractions start. It will complete your birth canal and you'll be able to give birth in a 'natural' way. Not to worry: the canal will disappear once you've given birth and the womb has dissolved."
His cheeks felt on fire and he refused to even glance at the man next to him. He hadn't known how much his body would actually change. He definitely hadn't expected this particular explanation.
"You, Mister Malfoy, have to be with Harry during the birth as well," she continued, leaving her quill in the inkwell.
"I was already planning on doing that," Draco assured and gave Harry's knee a discreet squeeze out of Lyrian's sight.
"No, Mister Malfoy, it is very important that you are present then," Lyrian stressed and frowned, tapping her nails on the parchment. "Your magic needs to support Harry's magic during the labour; it will ease the process."
"What happens if Draco is not present?" Harry asked apprehensively and his fingers twitched in a fold of his shirt.
"While giving birth would not be impossible, his absence would make the process a lot more difficult and more painful as well," she answered gravely.
The dark haired man grimaced; that didn't sound pleasant at all.
"I'll be there," Draco insisted and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"See that you are," Lyrian replied calmly and handed Harry the parchment she had been writing on. "These are the potions you'll need to brew. It's best to brew them this week, because they need some time to become stable."
"Not a problem," Draco muttered and accepted the parchment when Harry gave it to him.
Lyrian smiled. "All right, then I'll see you again in just over a month when I'll give you your last check-up, Harry."
"Thanks, Lyrian," Harry smiled and stood up.
"Oh, and Harry? I have cleared your schedule for the upcoming three months." She looked at him meaningfully and he grinned bashfully.
"Thank you."
"What does she mean with that?" Draco asked perplexed when they left the office and closed the door behind them after Harry had put his belt back on.
"It means that you'll have to put up with me the entire time for the next two months," Harry murmured and waved at a Mediwizard they passed by on their way back to the Floo. "If I want to avoid having my magic act up, I can't work anymore."
"And you're really going to follow her advice?" Draco looked quite sceptically as Harry threw the dark green powder in the fireplace.
"Of course I am. I'm not going to risk the baby," Harry murmured and then let himself be whisked away by the fire back to Malfoy Manor.
Astoria was in the foyer when he stumbled out of the fireplace. She regarded him with cool eyes; not even glancing once at his midsection when he fumbled with the belt to get it off.
"How did the check-up go?" she asked idly and stroked down a miniscule fold in her pale blue dress.
"It went fine. The baby is growing as he should," Harry replied and eyed her cautiously. This was the first time Astoria had shown any interest in the baby, but he didn't think she suddenly had had a change of heart.
"That's all we want," she smiled icily and before Harry could form some sort of retort to the odd comment, she turned around and disappeared into the corridor. Her footsteps fading out quickly in the distance as the fire behind him spit out Draco.
"Harry, is something the matter?" Draco asked surprised and approached him after carefully brushing off any particles of soot that had attached itself to his trousers.
"Not really," Harry muttered, while he still stared contemplatively at the door. "Astoria wanted to know how the check-up went," he answered and bit the inside of his cheek.
"Really?" Draco said surprised and clucked his tongue. "Well, there's a first time for everything, I suppose."
The heavy feeling of guilt that had settled back into his stomach after seeing Astoria made the dark haired man sigh and turn out to face the blond. "Do you really think we should keep this thing between us going? It's …"
He was cut off abruptly by a chaste, but surprisingly tender kiss, that caused him to gape bewildered at the other man.
Something stirred inside those silver grey eyes and a strange, melancholic smile played around pale rose lips. "I respect Astoria, but I don't love her. Maybe I would have felt something akin to love for her after a while of being married to her, but I very much doubt that." Draco raised his hand and caressed Harry's cheek and the dark haired man barely dared to breathe out. "Such a scenario would probably only have been possible if you and I never had any sort of interaction."
"What exactly are you saying?" Harry's throat felt parched, as if he had been wandering in a desert for hours without any water. The words somehow hurt to get them out in the air.
"I think you know what I'm saying," Draco murmured and with one last lingering kiss, he left the room.
Leaving Harry standing there while a poisonous mixture of guilt, shame and elation swirled around inside of him.

The now twenty-third year old Draco accepted the hug his mother bestowed upon him.
"Did you enjoy your day, my Dragon?" she asked with a faint smile as she pulled back. Her long hair, curled for the occasion, fell across her shoulders like water.
"I did, mother, thank you," he smiled genuinely.
His birthday party hadn't been as extravagant as some he had had in the past, but he had been more than happy with it. Even Astoria's demeanour had thawed enough for her to wish him a happy birthday.
More than seeing his own wife acting friendlier towards him, more than seeing his friends again on the party, even more than hearing his father tell him quietly he was proud of what his son had become, he wanted to be with one person only now. One man in particular who had excused himself earlier in the evening to retire to his room, because he became a bit too tired.
There was only one person he wanted to see and spend time with.
His mother seemed to pick up on that desire, because she gave him a peculiar smile and removed her hands from his shoulders.
"Should you want to retire, nobody will hold it against you," she murmured and her eyes glittered in that peculiar way they always did when she knew something other people didn't.
He gazed at her uncertainly, wondering how much she knew exactly, but she patiently looked back until he bowed his head and turned around; hoping that it didn't look like he was running away from his own party.
It was difficult, though, to pace himself with every step that took him closer to the man waiting for him in his room. All day he had been waiting for this moment and he had become too impatient to walk at a moderate pace. The couple of house elves he passed on his way to Harry's room didn't look up from their work of dusting the portraits – they knew better than to question why one of their masters had forgone attending his own birthday party.
The door to Harry's room was left ajar and Draco opened it soundlessly, captivated by the sight that met him.
The dark haired man was seated cross legged on his bed; his belly cradled by his thighs. He was dressed in nothing more than his underwear and a large dark blue shirt and his hands were splayed on top of his protruding stomach; one hand was rubbing circles over his belly.
"Kicking my kidneys won't solve the problem that you hardly have any space left in there," Harry murmured amused as he looked down at his stomach, where the outline of something small pressed back momentarily against his hand.
The tender look in green eyes made Draco's own face soften and his heart seemed to skip a beat. This was the sort of scene he had envisioned whenever he thought of having his own children. A scene that could put him at ease instantly, caused him to feel calm and filled with adoration for his partner. It was so easy for him to imagine him and Harry sitting together on the bed they shared, feeling their baby move underneath their joined hands … So easy to realise that Harry was everything he had ever wanted and more …
Not for the first time since he had kissed Harry did he mourn how their situation had turned out so far. If only he had waited to marry, maybe he and Harry could have tried out a relationship sooner. But …
"Draco! How long have you been standing there?" Harry's surprised exclamation tore him out of his musings and he blinked, coming back to the present. Harry's cheeks were stained red and he seemed a bit embarrassed.
Draco smiled and closed the door behind him, before sauntering over to the bed. "A while," he admitted and sank down on the bed. "You'd make a great father," he remarked softly.
The flush spread out to Harry's neck and he ducked his head. "Sorry, I was just trying to calm him down a bit," he murmured and his hand stilled.
"Why apologise? It's your child as well."
Immediately Harry's head shot up and he frowned heavily. "No, this is your and Astoria's child," he corrected warily. "I'm just your surrogate, remember?"
Was Draco just imagining the faint trace of bitterness in Harry's voice? "If you had the choice – so disregard the current situation – would you want to keep the child?" Draco asked; the sound of his heart beating ringing loudly in his ears. His hands felt clammy on top of the sheets.
Harry stilled and his eyes darkened, shuttered. "What kind of inane question is that? I'm not going to take away your child, Draco, so asking me that is …"
"I want to divorce Astoria," Draco blurted out; not able to contain himself any longer.
The other man stared at him with open mouth. "What? Are you – are you serious?" he asked faintly and he seemed frozen in shock.
"Yes, I am," Draco replied calmly, but his hands shook as nerves raced inside of him. "Being together with you has made me realise how stupid I have been in accepting the engagement with Astoria. I shouldn't have married her at all. What I feel for you is something completely different; something I hadn't dared to think I would ever feel. I'm a selfish man, Harry; I don't want to give you up or our baby. I don't want to keep you as a secret."
Harry offered him a trembling smile. "We really screwed up, huh?"
The blond reached out and grabbed Harry's hands, enclosing them in his own. "Yes, we did, but I don't want to relinquish what we have. You?"
Harry sighed and looked away for a moment, before he returned his gaze to Draco. "I must be mad, but no. No, I don't want to give you up … or, or the baby." He visibly swallowed. "But a divorce is not … She's not going to take this well, Draco."
"I'll handle her," Draco promised and softly pushed Harry down on his bed. A quick flick of his wand and his own clothes dissolved and reappeared on a chair next to the window. Another harsh swish of his wand and the curtains closed, leaving them in the dark.
"Draco?" Harry's breath washed over his collarbone and he felt his fists resting against his chest.
Never before since they had started this secret relationship had he stayed the night with Harry.
"I just want to stay with you for a bit longer before I go back," Draco whispered and buried his face in soft, black hair.
Yes, just a bit longer and then I go back, he thought drowsily.
Despite the heavy decision they had both just made, it didn't take long for both men to fall into a deep slumber; their arms wrapped around each other as if they didn't want to let go.

AN2: I'll admit that writing this chapter and the next one took quite some time. Writing the transition between them being friends and them becoming lovers was more difficult than I anticipated. Nevertheless I hope I didn't screw it up too badly.
Please let me know what you thought about it in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
Next chapter will contain the birth and more drama.
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Lifetime Decisions