Not your usual Veela mate

Tender Emotions

Harry woke up and immediately knew where he was. There was only one place that smelled the like this. The hospital wing.

For a moment he debated going back to sleep, but he was too well rested for that to be an option, so he opened his eyes instead, intent on sneaking out of the infirmary at earliest opportunity.

Instead of the sharp, bright light that usually assaulted him first thing when he managed to open his eyes in this place, he was faced with a sea of green. Blinking his eyes a few times to see if that made a difference - it didn't - he leaned up on an elbow to try and figure this mystery out.

Then he chuckled. How could he have forgotten Draco? It was his shirt he had been pressed tightly against.

"See something amusing?" Draco asked, having followed Harry's attempts to fully wake up.

"Nah, just trying to figure out when Pomfrey abandoned white for green," Harry replied, sitting up properly in the bed.

Draco looked startled for a moment, and then he laughed. Setting the book he'd been reading aside, he too sat up, allowing the light blanket that had been covering them to fall to the side. "Is there any point of me asking how you are feeling?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Harry said with a giggle. It felt good to have someone to joke around with. To be with someone you could be yourself with; someone with whom you didn't have to watch every word you were about to say in fear of setting them off into a rant if what you said didn't fit their image of you.

Feeling his heart swell with emotions, Harry reached out and gently stroked the back of his fingers along Draco's fine cheekbone. "Thank you," he whispered, knowing the words were woefully inadequate for expressing what he wanted to say.

"You are welcome, love," Draco murmured, afraid to upset the fragile moment, happily drowning in Harry's green, expressive eyes.

Harry had no idea how long they'd been sitting there, gazing into each other's eyes when his stomach suddenly growled, destroying the moment.

Looking down and giving it a glare, he couldn't help but chuckle when Draco's infectious laugh filled the room. "I think someone needs to be fed," Draco said with affection tinged with amusement.

Harry smiled ruefully, "I guess so. What time is it anyway?"

Draco cast a quick Tempus. "Five o'clock. No wonder you are hungry, you haven't eaten since breakfast. I'll call for the nurse and..."

"Do you have to? Can't we just sneak out of here? She will spend the next half hour fussing and scolding. I'm fine. Starved, but fine. Please, Draco?"

Draco looked at his mate and caved. How was he supposed to refuse that look? Besides, both Severus and Pomfrey had stated that all Harry needed was to sleep the effects of the potion off, and he had done that. Add to that the way the nurse had been skulking around, looking like she wanted to do something to the brunet, but unable to due to him being so close to the Veela, and the decision to sneak out was easy to make.

Nodding his head in agreement, Draco slid out of bed, picking up the book he had been amusing himself with while waiting for Harry to finally wake up, and shrinking and tucking it into a pocket. Looking over at Harry, he wasn't surprised to find that the youth was already waiting for him at the door, practically jumping from foot to foot. Snickering softly, Draco hurried over to the other boy, and together they opened the door a crack and slipped through it, never alerting the mediwitch of their departure.