#ellastag

“No, he certainly hasn’t, now that you mention.” August came closer and took a look out the little window to the ice-cream bar. He put a hand on Florean’s shoulder and looked excited as he turned around to smile at him. “They’re sitting really close, don’t you think?”

“That boy looks like you, August!” Florian chuckled. “The blond hair, the eyes… although you only have one.”

August did, in fact, have two eyes. But only one eye that was blue. He blinked slowly at the sun, like a cat, and peeked out again. Only his brown eye was visible to Florean from this angle.

“You’re right. He does look a little like me! Only sixteen, and Harry already has good taste in men!”

Florean scoffed, nudging his boyfriend’s shoulder. “We have ice-cream to sell.”

“We have no customers except those two lovebirds anyway!”

Florean rolled his eyes and leaned onto August’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

“If I’m right and that is the Malfoy boy that Harry has been talking about, he surely has a lot more in common with me than just looks”, said August softly.

“Florean! Get over here! Harry just dropped his ice-cream!”

“Did he catch it in time?” Florean rushed over to the window, looking worried.

“Yeah, but that’s not the point, get over here now!”

“I am here!”

“Look, then!”

Harry, the boy Florean had grown to treasure the most after his boyfriend, had just straightened his back and leaned against the bench he was sitting on, holding the cup of ice-cream in his palm. Florean let out a sigh of relief, but he quickly breathed in again as Harry turned to face the blond boy, Draco, and smiled at him. Lo and behold, the other boy smiled back. Just a quick smile, then he turned his face down.

Florean was reached by a distant “Are you… laughing, Malfoy?”, and he saw the blond boy shake his head a few times, still laughing.

It was a drastic change to what Florean had witnessed a few weeks ago, when a grumpy blond boy he’d never seen but heard a lot about sat down in front of Harry at his favourite table, slamming his hand next to Harry’s open schoolbook.

“Am I imagining this, or does that look exactly like when you and I became friends years and years ago?”, Florian teased, and August’s head snapped up.

“I did not blush like that. Ever.”

“Well, my memory must be playing tricks on me then.”

Harry and Draco were blissfully unaware that anyone was watching them. So they kept meeting up at the ice-cream bar, day after day.

“Oh Merlin, this is the best one yet!”

Draco rolled his eyes. “It’s an ice-cream, Potter. Why so excited?”

“This flavour is the best. I don’t even know what I took, I just snatched something from the van. I love the colour!”

Draco watched him in silence as he kept talking.

“… here, do you want to taste it?” Harry held up a spoonful of his ice-cream to Draco’s face. Draco wrinkled his nose.

“That’s your spoon, Harry. I’m not exchanging germs with you.”

“Suit yourself. You’ll have to offer me your own spoon, then.”

“Well then my germs will still be in your ice-cream.”

“Don’t be such a wuss”, Harry said dramatically, snatching Draco’s spoon from his own cup of vanilla ice-cream. “It’s some sort of fruit. I don’t know which one. Go on”, ha said as he took a scoop and held up the spoon again. “Taste it! I swear it’s worth it!”

Draco leaned back a bit. “I’ll take the spoon myself, thanks. You don’t need to feed me.”

Harry grimaced. “You’re so grumpy today. You’re no fun.” Then he tilted his head, and his grin widened. He reached forward, still holding the spoon full of colourful ice-cream in his hand. Draco stared, not sure what to do.

Harry glanced down at the spoon and up again, scooting across the bench to be even closer to Draco than before. Draco still didn’t move, just kept his eyes locked on Harry’s own. When Harry’s hand with the spoon were close enough for Draco to reach out and eat the ice-cream, he suddenly reached out and steered it aside. Harry’s eyes widened.

They were both quiet, so quiet, and Harry was just about to ask what was going on when Draco suddenly snatched the spoon from his grip and put one hand behind his head to hold Harry still as he shoved ice-cream into his face.

“Draco!” Harry spluttered, letting out a shocked laugh. “What was that for?”

“Because you’re a git!” Draco seemed delighted by the sight of Harry’s nose and cheek covered in ice-cream. He laughed until he barely could breathe anymore. Harry laughed too, and scooped up more ice-cream.

“I’m going to make you do it if it’s the last thing I ever do! Got me?”

Draco raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him, staying still and completely silent again as Harry came even closer and nudged the corner of his lips with the spoon. Then he moved again, lifted two pale, slender fingers and moved the spoon aside. Harry sighed, but the sigh got caught in his throat when Draco whispered:

“Aren’t you going to stop me?”

Harry blinked at him, and swallowed.

“I’d rather just let you. See where it leads to.”

“See where it leads to, huh?” Draco suddenly seemed to lose his composure, his eyes flickering as he took hold of the spoon and put it aside. He held his head low as he reached for a napkin, lifted his head again, only slightly, to dry off the ice-cream from Harry’s face. Harry let him.

When he was done, he dropped the napkin and looked back into Harry’s eyes. They were still very, very close.

“Hey”, Harry mumbled. “I’m nervous too.”

Draco didn’t know what to respond to that. All he could do was cup Harry’s check in his hand, and lean forward.

Harry’s lips grazed his, and Draco stiffened and closed his eyes, his heart almost beating out of his chest. He couldn’t manage to do anything more at the moment. Harry had closed his eyes, Draco felt his eyelashes on his cheek, and he smiled.

And then…

“Shit”, Harry cursed before pulling away. “Draco, they-“

Draco’s head snapped towards the little van that was the ice-cream bar, and he groaned and hid his face in his hands.

“Has he been watching the whole time?”

“I think so”, Harry said, his voice strained. “Oh, and his boyfriend too.”

As if the happy smile on Florean Fortescue’s face wasn’t enough, another head appeared behind him. A blond guy Harry knew very well. Harry groaned and turned to face Draco, letting him hide his face in the crook of his neck.

“Embarrassing”, Draco hissed.

“At least they’re not even close to being homophobes”, Harry chuckled, his face hot.

“But still embarrassing”, Draco choked out.

“Okay, er”, Harry said quickly, standing up. “Let’s just go. Like. Right now.”

“Right.” Draco stood up too, sliding his hand into Harry’s and turning around to grimace at the two men in the van. The two were smiling even wider now, and Florean looked excited as ever.

Harry and Draco started running, but when they were out of sight from the van, Harry couldn’t wait anymore. He tugged at Draco’s waist and pulled him back again, trapping his lips in a kiss, a real one this time. And Draco kissed him back, letting himself relax against the arm Harry had wrapped around his lower back.

They couldn’t contain themselves for long. Harry started laughing first, Draco shortly after. They soon collapsed against each other, and Harry leaned his chin against Draco’s shoulder and whispered: “I’m sorry it turned out like that.”

“It was perfect, you git. Don’t apologise.” Draco paused for a moment, pulling away to look at the other boy. He smiled warmly. “That ice-cream must have tasted pretty nice. I doubt your lips taste of…” He leaned in and whispered in Harry’s ear. “… naturally.”

Harry blinked. “So that’s what it was, then.”

Draco had to kiss him again because of that stupid look on his face.

“I knew it!” Florean placed a kiss on August’s lips. “I knew that there was something between those two!”

“I think we embarrassed them. Did we embarrass them?”