Chapter Text
The calming waves of the ocean on the shores of Long Island, New York city was exactly what Draco needed to relax, forget and just be. Laying on his foldable deck chair, which was one of his lovely muggle purchases, along with a cute rose tinted sunglasses he bought at a souvenir shop. His first break from work abroad in America was a good distraction as is the work itself from his problematic life back at home with his now ex-boyfriend, Harry Potter and his never ending pathetic excuses.
Harry I’m-don’t-think-I’m-ready Potter.
Harry I’m-kind-of-busy Potter.
Harry I-just-don’t-think-people-are-gonna-accept-us Potter.
Draco can already feel a headache coming in as he wonders why he ever settled for something less than he deserved. Draco lost count of how many times he thought about ending their relationship because it was becoming dysfunctional and blatantly one-sided. The blonde just thought that Harry was insecure and so he helped build his lover’s confidence on par with his. Then he thought they needed to take things slow, so he gave him his own space and let him breathe; Draco managed his company in his free days instead of being with him. And what did that bloody git do? Date that red-headed bitch behind his back. Harry didn’t even have the decency to hide it from others, clearly it was evident from the Daily Prophet with a photo of his supposed boyfriend and the Weaselette holding hands in a restaurant in broad daylight.
‘Boy-Who-Lived with his Girl-To-Be?’
Draco sighed. He remembers never being so livid in his entire life, the wooden floor from their shared apartment started to rot from his magic alone. The morning paper vibrated in his palms before turning into ashes on the floor. Draco saw red, he was seething, but ever the snake he is; he waited for his lover to return to their home and show him what karma is really about. He sat in that living room for hours, waiting silently as the clock ticked by. And when Harry finally came back.
Harry Potter then learned to never anger his Slytherin lover who knew him like the back of his hand. To say that Draco broke him was a mere understatement. The man was sobbing on the ground, babbling words of nonsense; distant eyes searching for him when he was already long gone. Confidence crushed. Self-love gone. Regret practically came off of him in waves. He reeked of sorrow. But Draco couldn’t care less, just because he looked pitiful now doesn’t mean he didn’t deserve it. It meant that that was exactly what he deserved.
Draco simply gave him what he deserved and effectively severed their relationship. His way.
Draco wasn’t even sad, he felt relieved and the lingering feeling of anger was still there but relieved nonetheless. He knew this was going to happen, but sadly he didn’t think that Harry would ever cheat on him. He even thought that maybe they could’ve stayed mutual friends after they broke up on peaceful terms but Potter, of course, ruined every form of communication or neutrality in any relationship they had.
Good riddance, Draco thought. Draco wasn’t one for opening up about feelings, his friends offered moral support, albeit a little awkwardly, none of them were really ones for opening their hearts out so he just accepted a night of bar hopping with his closest friends for the first time in his life. Waking up to a massive headache was not fun, he silently questioned himself if the experience was worth it. But something about the unorganized chaoticness of the whole thing was somehow liberating. And so, an idea formed in his head.
With the new founding power of freedom, Draco thought about a change of lifestyle and possibly scenery. With his growing appreciation with muggle inventions, including a specific taste in muggle clothing. Draco found that he loved high waisted jeans, crop tops and a variety of canvas shoes. It was a stark contrast from his wardrobe at home filled with different shades of expensive dress robes. Muggle fashion was quite broad, and Draco enjoyed trying out all kinds.
Not even a few days later after the break-up, Draco moved to America, continuing a long awaited project of his to expand his company’s reach in not just Britain but in foreign countries, namely the U.S.; a company that he built from the ground up right after graduating, not bothering to tell anyone except his mother and a few close friends. Pansy, his best friend and secretary, ended up giving him a dragon necklace imbued with a protection spell last minute before he flew abroad because she found out about “ flashers ” in New York City. Suffice to say, Draco took the gift out of good will to his mothering friend even though he explicitly said he was more than capable of stunning a perverted muggle, he also does quite like the design so he promised to wear it. Draco decided that booking a plane ride the muggle way just for the experience, expected it to be fun, and he found out that riding a broom and riding the plane are two completely different concepts. Draco absolutely hated the long houred flight, wondering with each minute when they’ll land. On the bright side, first class was extremely accommodating and had a variety of snacks that kept him company.
Booking a hotel surprisingly took him a long time to consider, he was torn between the one near the beach or the one that was somewhere more central. He decided on the one next to the beach in the end and did not regret his decision. Waking up to the cool ocean breeze never failed to make his morning a delight, finding himself quite satisfied with how the luxury suite faced the view of the sea.
Draco hummed, content and comfortable in his shaded spot on the shore, nearly falling asleep when all of a sudden he heard a loud yelp in the distance. He opened his eyes in confusion and nudged his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose.
In the distance, a tanned man on a surfboard can be seen riding the waves as if the water was his to command, every swerve and glide he made, the water almost looked like it assisted him as it matched his every move; balancing him on the flat board. Draco watched mesmerized at the man as he danced with the waves so elegantly, with such precise and controlled movements that he must be a professional. Draco barely cared that he was staring as said man was also unbelievably attractive, half naked and wet. A smile slowly formed in Draco’s face as he leaned back on his chair and drinked in the sight.
The mystery man eventually walked to the shore and immediately spotted Draco. Now, the blonde couldn’t properly see the man’s face from a distance but he could tell that he was attractive. But with the close up view that Draco now has, Draco swears on his magic that this man was sculpted by god himself. Wavy raven hair, those mischievous sea green eyes, and that jawline that looked like it could cut steel. And that build…is that a tattoo?
“Oh hi, you saw that, huh?” The man sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.
Oh come on, he cannot be hot and cute at the same time. That’s just not fair.
“Yes, it was a spectacular display of skill. I quite enjoyed the free viewing” Draco doesn’t even care that he was blatantly checking him out.
It seems that the mystery man felt the same as he raised a single brow but made no comment.
“I’m Percy by the way” Percy sat down next to his chair, setting his surfboard down. Ruffling his now dry hair. Draco silently questions how that happened but pushed it to the back of his mind in favor of eyeing tattoos and flexed muscles.
“Draco. Draco Malfoy”
The two talked until the sun went down and found that they enjoyed each other’s company and the subtle flirting and they quickly became friends. He realized that it was easier to be completely open about himself to this man than he just met today, compared to any of his pureblood friends and/or acquaintances. Maybe it was because they were all taught to keep their cards close to their chest but even as they grew to be adults, it was hard to train that habit out of their systems, but there was just something about Percy that made him lower his guard and trust him. He just doesn’t seem to be the kind to exploit anyone like that. Draco found that he loved the way he smiled, the way his lips went up that looked like he was up to something bad. They even made a boundary line for something they don’t like to talk about, to which they both smiled at. Draco doesn’t point out the scars that criss crossed each other all over his body; Percy doesn’t question the skull tattoo on Draco that he keeps hiding with his other hand.
If this wasn’t the epitome of a healthy friendship, Draco doesn’t know what is.
They talked about everything, laughed at stories, vaguely sharing about their problems and helping the other out to the best of their abilities; just basking in the other’s presence and enjoying their company. But there was one conversation that really changed Draco in how he saw Percy, something that showed him that Percy was the most wholesome and supportive person he’s ever met. They talked about Harry…
“I-I just don’t understand, I gave him what I thought he needed—what our relationship needed. Granted, he never specified or talked to me on how to make it better, our communication was just never the same after we graduated. So I just always made decisions based on assumptions” Draco sighed heavily.
“I gave him everything that I was and in the end, he just wasn’t satisfied with me. And I had to find that out through the morning papers with a photo of him with a woman that he knew I hated. He was a sort of celebrity, you see” Draco snorted. The day that the Daily Prophet stopped stalking the Boy-Who-Lived was probably a few decades after the war.
Percy just listened. Nodded a couple times. Not a sight of judgment behind those sea green eyes. He just simply…listened.
“So I confronted him after he got home. I was so tired of everything, I just screamed, I broke that day and he probably doesn’t even know that in the end of that—talk, that I was the one who was hurt the most. I’m not really the type to show my feelings because that’s how I was raised. I berated, asked, begged, but it wasn’t obvious, it just looked like I was screaming at him and I don’t think he even noticed how I let a few tears flow because for that entire time… He didn’t even have that Gryffindor bravery of his to look me in the eye and explain. He just…stood there”
Percy didn’t comment about the Gryffindor thing and Draco appreciated him for not pointing out that one slip of his. His voice was breaking and he was too caught in the moment of releasing his feelings for the first time in months.
Draco was quivering on the chair, he didn’t notice until Percy silently sat closer next to the chair, leaning closer to him for moral support but not close enough to invade his personal space.
Merlin, how can this man read him so perfectly when he needed it the most? He’s too good to associate himself with a broken man like myself.
“Was —Was I the one in the wrong? He was always the perfect saint in the relationship, even before that he was always the good guy—”
“Don’t even go there” Percy interrupted his long winded rant.
Draco broke his eyes away from the horizon, blinking at Percy as he looked back at him with steady eyes.
“...What?” Draco didn’t even remember what he said, he was just ranting at this point.
“Never undermine yourself or your feelings because someone couldn’t see or appreciate what you did for them” Percy almost talked like he was speaking from experience.
“You did that because you loved him, because you wanted to help him, it’s his fault for betraying your feelings and not even having the decency to fight for your relationship. That was all on him, don’t sell yourself short just because he did that to you. You have the right to your feelings and the right to scream at him all you want. Because besides the fact that he cheated on you, you’re the one that tried to make it work, you’re the one who helped him become a better person, and you have the right to feel exhausted and question him for betraying you like that”
Draco was effectively crying at this point.
“Look, you said something about him being the good guy between you two? I think you got that wrong, completely. After everything he put you through? He’s obviously not as good as you thought he was or if he was good at all at the start. Maybe you weren't good at expressing yourself but that’s not your fault, you’re the one who helped him be better, and the fact that he didn’t thank you or give you back even a single amount of help that you did for him, speaks volumes that you're obviously the good guy and that he doesn’t deserve you.”
Percy cautiously cups his hands. “Draco, for the few hours we’ve talked, I know that you're an amazing guy. And from what I just heard now? An even amazing boyfriend. Just because you can’t see how good of a guy you are, doesn’t mean it’s not true, because you are; and I’m going to stay in here, for the rest of your life, convincing and helping you see that you are…”
“...Why?” Draco couldn’t help but ask. This man…Percy, was just too good for this world. Too good for him.
“Why?” Percy scoffed. “Because that’s the very least that you deserve for being who you are. You’re one the strongest people I’ve met you know, I can’t believe you kept it all in all this time”
“I—I—Why would you—I don’t” Draco didn’t even know what to say. No one’s ever said this to him before and he can’t help but crave these words of affirmation because no matter how much he’s denied it, this was exactly what he needed to hear. Draco thought he moved on, but apparently his heart was still just as bruised as it was on the night he broke up with Potter.
“Draco, whether you like it or not, you're my friend now, and you’ll quickly notice that I would do anything for the people I care about and if all I need to do is say that our feelings are valid for the rest of your life? Then say less” He said effortlessly. Like it wouldn’t hinder him at all. Like he didn’t just change Draco’s life in a matter of a few words. Like he just held up his whole sky for him to share the burden and had the audacity to ask him if he was ok with it.
The blonde let out a laugh. Out of pure incredulousness of the whole situation and out of pure happiness that this man is now his friend.
They agreed to meet again the next day and Draco thought to his head that it was a date. Draco didn’t even notice until during his nightly facial cleanse that the man resembled Harry. But the semblance can only be seen in the face, the black hair and green eyes was all there was and it ended there. Draco realized that Harry didn’t have Percy’s carefree nature. Harry didn’t have his honesty. Harry didn’t make time for his own boyfriend of three years, unlike Percy who instantly agreed to hang out with a man he just met the same day. Draco cut his thoughts to a stop. Harry’s in the past. Hopefully, Percy will be his future.
The moment Draco opened his eyes the next morning it was like a giddy 15 year old girl possessed him and fussed about like it was his first date. Not that it was even specified as one, Draco merely hoped. It was a hang-out , Percy said. And a hang-out it shall be.
The two agreed to meet at a local coffee shop that Percy knew well at around lunch so Draco only had five hours to be prepared and he didn’t even know what in Merlin’s name to wear. It was a disaster. In the end he chose something casual but pretty. A brown high waisted wide leg jeans that hung in the right places, matched with a light gray off shoulder with long sleeves that bunched on his wrist; and plain white Nike shoes. Draco wore a necklace with a cute silver dragon that Pansy gave him before he took his flight to America. Draco looked at the time and swore, he only had 30 minutes left to go to their meeting place. The blonde almost forgot to bring his keycard with him in his haste lest he locks himself out of his suite.
Draco thanked his lucky stars that he bought a phone during his stay and opened Google Maps to find the coffee shop, as if he’ll ask people for directions, over his dead body. Draco reserved the talking to strangers option for people like Percy. Which means, just Percy because he’s one of a kind.
He made it with 10 minutes to spare and quickly searched the shop for a hot but cute boy with the build of a model and a personality of a saint. Finding none in sight he sighed in relief and found a cozy booth at the end without much people around. He ordered a chamomile tea as he waited and tried to calm his over anxious heart. He kept tugging at his sleeves, fussing over his hair that he decided to just brush and let it be; it definitely was a first but he thought that Percy wouldn’t mind what he looked like now as he was a mess the day before. He found it comforting to just look natural to him and not cover it up with products and glamor as he already saw all of him.
Just as he finished his cuppa, he heard the bell of the door swinging open and his heart hammered once again, undoing the tea’s effort, as he found that it was Percy that entered those doors. He swooned for him all over again as their eyes met and both smiled at each other.
He was wearing a faded purple shirt with a dark blue windbreaker jacket. Black ripped jeans and some casual sneakers. Adorable. How can he make any fit work?
“Hey” Percy sat down opposite of him while Draco tried not to squirm in his seat.
“Hi, how have you been?” As if they didn’t just meet yesterday but Draco didn’t know what to say.
“Great, even better now actually” Percy looked at him almost knowingly, with a sweet smile plastered on his face.
Percy ordered their drinks because Draco kept trying to hide his blush with his hand as he subtly rested his chin on his palm.
The two continued their talk from yesterday and as time passed by, Draco felt completely at ease again and felt slightly embarrassed at why he was nervous in the first place when Percy was the first person to make him feel completely relaxed in a matter of seconds.
Percy talked about how college was going for him and how stressful it was to which Draco found that he was actually older than the raven haired man. He was only 19 while Draco was in his early twenties.
“So, Draco. I can’t help but ask if that’s a shorter term for something else.” Percy wondered.
Draco sighed. “Draconis. I was named after the latin word for Dragon and also named after the dragon constellation in the northern sky, which is Draconis, the genitive form of Draco. Constellation names were a family tradition from my mother’s side” Draco traced the cup of his latte, which came in blue but Draco didn’t question Percy.
Percy leaned back on his seat. He looked like the whole world unraveled in front of him. “Cool, mine kinda sucks but I’m not about to say that to my mom so, I just ask people to call me Percy.” He sipped on his can of coke.
“Wait, Percy isn’t your full first name either?” Draco smiled at that.
Percy grimaced, half regretting about bringing it up. “Perseus Jackson, at your service”
“Oh, from Greek Mythology?” Percy nodded. “I can understand how obnoxious that might be”
“Thank you, I mean, I love my mom, but being named after a famous guy from the Greek Myth? No thank you”
Draco laughed.
“Actually now that I think about it, Dragon is a cute nickname for you”
Draco didn’t hide his blush this time. “Oh, actually only my mum calls me that”
“Oh, I mean if you don’t —”
Draco cut him off. “No no no! It’s fine, you can call me that” Percy was taken aback but smiled in the end.
“Alright then, Dragon it is”
Moving on from that topic, Draco asked him what course he took and he was quite fascinated when he said it was Marine Biology.
“Truly? You know for some reason, I don’t find that surprising. With how the water almost bent to your will yesterday” Draco teased.
Percy simply smiled and talked him through the wonders of oceanic life. Draco has never been more concerned with ocean pollution and made a note to remember to invest in a few muggle ocean conservation organizations later.
Draco made a passing comment about how he’s never swam in his entire life in anything bigger than a jacuzzi but Percy looked like Draco just offended his entire family.
“You’re telling me you didn’t swim yesterday and were just chilling on the sea shore?” Percy whispered with a tone of such disbelief that it almost pained Draco to say no.
To which Percy promised that he’ll be taking him back to the ocean after they finish up in the coffee shop and Draco immediately accepted, not that he was antsy to see him shirtless, merely excited to be swimming for the first time.
“Before you even throw to the ocean, and I know that you will, you’re giving me that look that's up to anything but good, I will tell you now that I don’t even know how to swim” Draco pointed out before he drowned later this evening.
“Oh, no worries, I’ll teach you” Percy waves his hand like it was nothing.
Now that the blonde said that, he imagined them close together as Percy caresses his body in all sorts of ways as he guides him to float on the water. Draco went red in a matter of seconds to the point that it concerned his dear friend.
It was adorable of him really, his smile disappeared and his brows knit with concern as he leaned closer to the blonde which only worsened his already unbecoming state.
“Hey, you’re looking a bit red, you feel alright?” he sees Percy’s hand inching closer to his face and Draco suddenly veered his head back and looked away to calm his damn heart.
“I’m fine, it’s nothing, just the heat I guess” Draco weakly excuses and Percy doesn’t seem to buy it as the coffee shop was air conditioned. Merlin, if his mother saw in this state, she’d throw him back to his etiquette lessons.
As his blushing finally subsided, he fanned his face as his cheeks went from red to a flushed pink shade. Percy seemed to remain dense as he tilted his head with such an innocent expression that Draco scolded himself for such thoughts in the first place.
“Uh, should we go? Honestly, I just really want to show you the ocean at this point. I suppose that there’s not really a lot of beaches at your home?” Percy asked.
“Oh no, Britain is more land than water” Draco cleared his throat as he got up.
“Yeah, I figured. So are you here on a business trip?” Percy opened the door for them. Ever the gentleman.
They both walked side to side in the busy streets of New York.
“I am. I’m expanding my company here in the U.S.” Draco has never seen so many buildings in one place, but he finds that he likes it; the lights, the cars and the sound of it all. Makes him feel alive.
“Wait, your company? As in you’re the CEO of said company?” Percy asked nonchalantly.
“Yes, I’d hope so, after all I build the damn thing from the ground up.”
Percy smirked. “So, what do you guys do there?”
“Well” Draco wracked his brain to convert everything in muggle terms. “I’m something of a chemist, I make products and medicine that range from general uses to medical uses but mainly I make them for medical use. I then mass produce that product and sell them to hospitals and some of the over-the-counter medicine to the pharmacy”
“Huh, so, how’s it going so far?”
“It’s going smoothly. I’m actually taking a break from work right now” He takes a deep breath.
“Oh, so how are you liking NYC? Do you like it better here or back in your hometown?” Percy gently circles his hand around his waist as he brings him closer to avoid a running person that passed by them.
“Here, definitely here” He finds himself genuinely smiling as he looks at Percy, with a protective arm around him.
Draco is silently regretting this swimming lesson, as he doesn’t feel too good about being shirtless and he doesn’t even have any swimwear. Also about the fact he’s too conscious about the damn dark mark being exposed for anyone to see.
“...You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. You know that right?” Percy looked at him with such gentle eyes as Draco stayed firmly at the shore.
“No, not really, I want to swim with it’s just that…” He scrubbed at the dark mark irritatingly. Percy stops his hand.
“Don’t, it’s gonna bleed at this point if you do that” Percy used his hands instead to cover it, slightly caressing the skin, and knitting his brows together as he thought of something deeply.
“Be right back” Before Draco could do anything Percy ran inside the hotel, and asked the front desk for something and walked away from his field of vision. After a few minutes had passed, he walked back to his side and sat down on the sand, patting the sand next to him; signaling Draco to sit down.
“What did you do?” Draco asked with such curiosity he forgot about the mark.
Percy simply smiled and said “You’ll see, they’ll be here any minute now, they’re fast”
True to his word, a mere few seconds after he said that, a bus that said Hermes Express stopped at the sidewalk and honked at them. A blonde man went out of the vehicle and winked at Percy, a package in hand.
“Delivery from my favorite nephew, Perseus Jackson!” The man shouted from the sidewalk. He could hear Percy groan in annoyance as he heard his name. Draco suppressed a laugh.
Draco can’t help but compare that his uncle looks absolutely nothing like him but kept on watching them with an amused expression. Percy speed walked to his supposed uncle and snatched the package as they shared a quick exchange and the man laughed. He spotted Draco and gave Percy a look, to which the other waved his hand to his uncle’s face and the two parted ways. The other with the same smile on his face and the younger one with a scowl.
Percy stomped almost sulking and cleared his throat as he gave Draco the package.
“For you” Percy scratched the back of his neck, a habit he seemed to have when he’s embarrassed.
“Wait, for me? What is it” He opened the package warily and blinked at what he’s looking at with confusion.
Percy took the content of the package and explained. “So, this is called an arm sleeve. It’s usually for athletes and sports stuff but I used to have one as a kid when I was skating since mom didn’t let me skate without one. I used to do some pretty complicated tricks so I bruised a lot. Now, though I can skate whenever—” Percy shook his head.
“Anyway, I bought one for you, I pitched in a favor with my uncle to customize one that’s for swimming. Also it can cover that tattoo, mainly”
Percy used the opportunity of Draco’s silence to wear the arm sleeve on Draco, which completely covered the dark mark.
“Ta-da!” Percy had his bloody jazz hands out and Draco let out a small sob.
“Thank you…I—You honestly didn’t have to go out of your way to do all of that” Merlin, Draco has never met a man more considerate than this angel before him. He felt the polyester fabric and it had that spandex feel that wasn’t too tight on his skin but gripped his arm just right.
“Nah, I also bought this because I really wanted to see you swim. So it isn’t all that of an innocent gift as it is.” He chuckled. Draco let out a wobbled sigh as he waited for the knot on his throat to subside.
Once again, Draco questioned what kind of good deed he did in his past life for him to meet someone like Percy Jackson.
“...You’re too good for me” Draco whispered.
“Hmm? What was that? The wind is kind of loud here around this time of day” Percy asked louder and quickly found the head tilt to be an adorable habit of his.
“Nothing, I said I think I can swim now” Percy let out a blinding hundred megawatt smile that Draco had to look away.
“Awesome! Okay” It took exactly five seconds for the younger adult to strip to his boxers and another ten for him to undress Draco along; and tossed all their clothes to his deck chair. The blonde didn't even have time to react or have the decency to look away as he was dragged closer to the salty waters. Good thing Draco’s underwear was somehow aerodynamic and appropriate for
“Wait—Percy, I’m scared” Draco tightened his grip on Percy’s forearm and started to hyperventilate once the water reached his abdomen.
“It’s okay, right here. I got you” Percy had a firm grip on Draco’s arm and back as he taught him the basics on how to float.
He guided Draco on his back, kept his hand on the small of the blonde’s back to which he tried with great effort not to squirm.
“Okay so relax your body, keep your hips above the water but don’t be stiff about, try to elevate yourself using your arms by keeping them wide—”
Percy corrected his posture and guided his arms out. The water was neck deep at this point so it was all or nothing.
“—not on your sides, but wide open. Let the water support your weight and just relax and let it happen”
Draco took deep heavy breaths. He noticed that with each breath he took it was harder to inhale, was it because of the water?
“Hey, I’m right here okay? I won’t let anything happen to you, you can count on that” Percy noticed that Draco was almost hyperventilated once again. He moved his hand and supported the back of his shoulders, the other hand on the small of his back.
“Okay, on three, I’ll slowly let you go,” Percy warned. “One—Two—Three”
True to his words, Draco felt the hands supporting him slowly fade away and it was just him and the ocean.
He can hear the sound underwater as his ears were submerged, it was weird but it wasn’t scary, he hesitantly motioned his hand to push the water and pull them inwards.
Draco kept his eyes closed the entire time, just feeling water and keeping himself afloat. After a few attempts he tried to propel himself forward with one hand, with a small swoosh of the water he was slowly navigating his way around, keeping a steady rhythm of alternately moving his hands in a circular motion, his feet making small but determined paddles matching the pacing of his arms.
After a few strokes, Draco slowly opened his eyes to be greeted with a warm orange shade of the sky. He enjoyed the serenity of it all for Merlin knows how long, but it felt amazing.
“I did it, I swam” Draco murmured to himself in disbelief. He didn’t even wobble all throughout the process. It was smooth, relaxing and surprisingly calming. Like Percy.
The thought made Draco chuckle. The water was so much like the man now that he thought of it; if Draco had to think of an earthly element he had to possess, Percy would be water.
The peace was interrupted by a sudden large fish that grazed his feet. Suffice to say, Draco went from calm and serene to panicking and terrified in a snap.
“Percy!” Draco screamed for his savior and immediately found those comforting hands on his back and Percy came to his field of vision.
“I’m here, I’m here, I got you, Dragon” Comforting hands lovingly caressing his skin, pulling him close, almost to his chest. But Draco didn’t have the time to appreciate the closeness of their persons when there was a Merlin-knows-what that interrupted their time.
“What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it?” Draco practically crawled into the man’s arms, hugging Percy’s upper body for safety and protection.
Percy’s grip was firm and tight as he hugged the man close, one arm around Draco’s waist, and the other around his shoulders. Draco had his eyes closed shut, hiding in the crook of Percy’s neck.
“It’s a whale shark, they’re one of the harmless types of shark there is, you got nothing to be scared of” Percy whispered in his ears comfortingly, rubbing his back in the process.
“I—It’s not going to bite? You promise?”
“I promise” Percy’s lips were touching the helix of Draco’s ear.
The blonde slowly extracted himself from the raven haired man and kept his eye on the whale shark. It was swimming in circles around them flicking its tail at them, spraying water. Granted it was big, but it looked like a big softie.
Percy chuckled as the whale shark nudged its sides, he petted its head as the whale shark swam even closer, sticking to Percy’s side, rubbing against him.
Draco just watched in awe throughout the entirety of what just transpired in front of him. It’s like they already know each other. They already have a bond. Or more like, Percy could just easily affect marine life the way he affected Draco for the first time.
“...How are you doing this? It’s like you just have this innate ability to make any being like you” Draco hesitantly patted the creature’s head and gently rubbed its head when it came closer to him.
‘Well, I don’t know about any being, trust me, I don’t even go along with most of my relatives but the ocean is kind of my thing, ya know?” Percy still hasn’t let go of Draco, and he doesn’t point that out—partly because he likes him close and mainly because he just realized they were so far away from land that he noticed that Percy was the only thing keeping themselves afloat.
“Yeah, I guess now I know why you picked Marine Biology, it just looks so natural for you” The whale shark seemed to feel like it was being ignored and felt the need to open its mouth, in all four feet wide of its glory.
Draco gasped, and surprisingly instead of feeling the need to swim away, he slowly reached his hand closer to its mouth; feeling the edges as the whale shark shuddered.
Draco giggled. “It feels so weird” He laughed. Draco was too absorbed in what he was doing that he missed the loving look that Percy sent him.
“ Θεέ μου, μόλις σε γνώρισα αλλά σε αγαπώ ήδη ” Percy whispered as he covered his mouth.
Draco froze. He looked at Percy who looked away with flushed cheeks. “What was that? It definitely wasn’t English”
“Ah no, it was Greek, I just usually just speak Greek whenever I panic or say something…really stupid” He ducked his head as he bit his lip. Percy shook his head as if he tried to dismiss what he just said.
Draco looked back at the whale shark who was still looking at him and they both shared a look.
“Well, whatever it was, I’ll take it as a compliment” Draco preened but Percy burst into laughter.
“Yeah, it definitely was, ο δράκος μου”
Draco didn’t feel the need to point out that he learned plenty of languages as he grew up as the Malfoy heir. From the many languages that he excelled in was Greek along with Latin and French; but Percy doesn’t need to know that now.
They swam back to the shore when the sun went down, Draco asked Percy to get a towel for him in the reception area of the hotel, knowing that Percy was already dry by the time he came out of the sea. Draco was most certainly not going anywhere else in his boxers and stayed on his deck chair.
Neither one of them questioned how the raven haired man was already dry and clothed. The blonde silently dried himself and hesitated if he should ask Percy to turn around but decided against it since it’s already too late for that; he just dressed up in front of him. Noting that way that Percy’s eyes followed his every move.
He huffed as he sat and hung the damp towel on the chair to dry out. Expecting for them to just relax until they went their separate ways later.
“Hey, how long are you staying in this hotel by the way, because I’ve lived in NYC for my entire life and I know for a fact a single night costs more than my arm and leg”
Draco took a moment to respond “Umm, well, I will be staying in this country for about a few years. Should I just get my own flat?”
Percy took a step back and had his hands out “Wait a minute, so originally, you thought you could just stay here for a few years?”
Draco blinked at Percy’s wide eyes and re-thought exactly how expensive this trip was in muggle terms. Because in galleons, it wasn’t much. But Draco wondered how much it was in muggle currency—dollars, actually.
“Y—Yes?” He answered with uncertainty.
Percy had his mouth gaping like a fish gasping for air and finally shook his head. “I mean, seeing as you are a CEO, I guess, that doesn’t really put a dent anywhere in your bank account. Still, I wanna ask....”
Draco lifted an eyebrow up. “What?”
“Nah, nevermind, it’s kinda dumb since you can just rent your own or something…”
“No no, please, I want to hear your offer” Draco gazed up at him amusingly.
Percy sheepishly ducked his head, and started to frown. “Well, I was gonna ask you to room with me in my own apartment but it kinda seems—”
“Sure” Draco stood up stretched, leaning side to side, after seeing that frown on his face Draco never wanted to see such a thing on Percy’s face again.
Out of all the possibilities that he could’ve thought of what Percy could’ve offered, a place to stay in his home was beyond the realm of Draco’s understanding. But that doesn’t mean he’d be against it.
“Oh” Percy started to smile. “Great, actually, you wanna go room with me now?” Percy stood up straight, with a hand in his pocket. Like he was just asking him for a stroll in the park.
The blonde knew that he was not about to pass up on this opportunity.
“Βέβαια” Draco replied with a grin and walked back to his hotel to check out, leaving Percy to question and realize what he just said and missed out on the reddening of Percy’s whole face.