A Weekend in February

Saturday evening.

Harry lay on his side on the carpet in front of the fireplace, his bare feet peeking out from the hem of his long jeans. He stared into the fire, relaxed and sated from the morning’s activities.

“You’re blocking all the heat,” Draco said from somewhere behind him.

Harry rolled over onto his back and groaned. Draco stood in the doorway to the living room running a hand through his soft, blond hair and smiling down at Harry.

“You slept for a long time,” Harry said.

“Yeah,” D ans answered groggily. “Guess I needed it, though.”

Harry stretched along the floor and ran his hand over his chest and stomach, causing his t-shirt to rise slightly, exposing his navel.

“No more sex, Harry,” Draco groaned.

“What?” Harry asked, laughing.

“Stop exposing yourself. If I get hard again today I might die,” Draco said.

Harry laughed and pulled his shirt up, revealing his nipples. He writhed on the floor and batted his eyelashes at Draco.

“Good LoPottPotter,” Draco sighed and plopped himself down onto the soft, overstuffed cushions of their sofa.

Harry smiled and pulled his shirt back down, rolling over to face Draco on the sofa.

“So,” Harry said.

“So,” Draco echoed.

“So I have this little memento for you,” Harry said.

“Ahh, yes. The annual Valentine’s Day exchange of the gifts we promised we wouldn’t buy each other,” Draco responded, grinning.

“Yes, that one,” Harry replied. “This is our sixth time doing this, you know.”

“I know,” Draco said. “We’re getting terribly predictable.”

Harry smiled. “Well, let’s see if anything’s different this year, shall we?”

Draco bit his bottom lip.

“You first, then,” Draco said.

Harry stood up and strode across the room, retrieving a small green box tied with silver ribbon from the desk drawer. He tossed it nonchalantly to Draco, who was still lying on the sofa.

Draco inspected the box and smiled.

“Lovely box. Excellent choice of colours,” he said.

“Go on, it, it,” Harry said, smiling.

Harry sat down at the end of the sofa, picking up Draco’s feet and placing them into his lap. Harry watched closely as Draco untied the ribbon.

Draco removed the lid from the box slowly. His eyes widened imperceptibly as he saw the gift inside – a beautifully handcrafted ring made of two bands, one silver and one gold, intertwined. The silver band was shaped like a serpent and knotted with the gold band in the shape of a small figure eight.

Draco sat up straight, drawing his feet out of Harry’s lap and folding them beneath him.

“Oh my God,” he whispered, staring at the ring in the box.

“Wait, Draco,” Harry spoke softly. “Before you say anything, I want to tell you something.”

Draco looked up at Harry, his eyes a bit shinier than usual.

“The ring – it doesn’t mean – I mean, it can be whatever you want it to be,” Harry said. “I love you completely and I can’t imagine not having you in my life, for the rest of my life.”

Harry rested his hand on Draco’s ankle.

“You mean everything to me, and I don’t want to lose what we have,” Harry said, his eyes beginning to water. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get all sappy.”

Draco stared back and forth between Harry and the ring, dumbfounded. Harry sighed and wiped his eye with the back of his hand before any tears could actually fall.

“So, anyway,” Harry said, trying to sound casual. “I just wanted you to know exactly how much I love you and what you mean to me. The ring – it can be whatever you want it to be.”

Harry laughed softly and shook his head.

“There’s something underneath it there,” he said.

Draco removed the ring from the box and lifted the velvet material that held it in place, revealing a black suede choker in the bottom of the box.

“You can wear it around your neck if you want,” Harry smiled and shrugged.

Draco nodded slowly and pulled the necklace from the bottom of the box. He held the ring in his left hand and dangled the choker in front of him with his right.

Harry sighed dejectedly.

“Right. Well, let me help you put it on then,” Harry said.

Draco sniffed and blinked his eyes a few times.

“No,” he said. “I’ve got it, thanks.”

Draco inspected the choker a final time and unclasped it. And balled it into his fist. And chucked it across the room into the fireplace.

Harry watched the necklace fly into the fireplace and gasped. When he turned back, he faced Draco, lying back on the sofa again, smiling at him with the ring held between his thumb and forefinger.

Draco handed the ring to Harry, stroking his hand with his thumb when he took it.

“You tell me what it means,” Draco whispered.

Harry drew in a ragged breath. Draco extended his left hand toward Harry. Harry slid the ring onto Draco’s ring finger, and then laced his fingers between Draco’s.

Draco squeezed Harry’s hand and pulled him down on the sofa. Harry leaned forward and kissed Draco delicately.

Draco started to laugh, and wrapped his arms around Harry tightly.

“Harry, don’t you ever, ever doubt how much I love you,” Draco said and smiled. “Wear it around my neck, honestly.”

Harry buried his head into Draco’s shoulder and laughed, and cried. Draco stroked Harry’s hair with his left hand and kept his right arm wrapped tightly around him.

For the better part of an hour, Draco held Harry on the sofa in front of the fire, whispering affirmations and making promises he knew he’d never break.