For @drarrymicrofic prompt: "18" by One Direction. I went through like four different ideas/drafts for this prompt but this is what I got lol
"Did—did you know?" Draco asks, eyes downcast like he’s talking to the sidewalk.
Harry's throat is tight. "No," he says. "I didn't."
Draco presses his lips together and nods. He still doesn't look at Harry. "I see."
It’s quiet in the dark alley behind the pub, but Harry’s ears are full of static. He knows he needs to talk more; needs to stop Draco from filling in the blanks of Harry’s silence with his own assumptions. He knows Draco's guard rises with each second he lets pass without saying some version of what he’s thinking, which is, ‘I didn't know. But god, I wish I had.'
"It was Eighth Year, for me, " Harry says instead.
At that, Draco looks up sharply. Their eyes meet, and Harry sees the flare of hope on Draco's face; feels it in his own chest. "What?" Draco whispers.
"That's when I realized. For me, I mean," Harry blushes. "I obviously didn't know about you until, er, now. Like I said."
Draco blinks. "You mean to tell me you've been—"
"So all this time we could've—"
Draco closes his eyes and looses a sigh. When his eyes open again, he looks at Harry like the snitch in a tied Quidditch game. "Can I—?" His voice breaks, and his eyes fall to Harry's lips, and that's all he needs to say.
Harry sucks in a breath, and nods. Draco strides towards him and pulls him into a bruising kiss.
When they finally pull apart, Draco presses their foreheads together. "Will you say it?" He whispers. "I said it. And I know you implied—but I need to hear—"
"I love you, too," Harry murmurs. He presses a kiss to Draco's parted lips. "I'm in love with you."