Second Place - Action/Adventure

Draco watched Severus leave before returning his attention to Beck. "Okay, I can do this," Draco said to himself wondering just how in the hell he was going to do this. He ran his hands through his hair as he bit his bottom lip in contemplation. He was usually playing the role of the seducer, not the seducee. Though, he figured that he was the seducer in a roundabout sort of way. "Okay. Short and sweet. That makes the most sense," he murmured. Draco looked at Beck once more before plucking a glass from the table and draping himself on the couch, as if he and Beck had been having a conversation and Beck had merely nodded off. When Draco felt ready to proceed, he drew his wand, whispered "Ennervate," and watched as Beck started coming around. Draco took a deep breath and prepared to play the role of a lifetime. Hopefully his last.

"Beck? Beck? Are you even listening to me?" Draco asked.

Beck felt like shit. Actually, worse than shit. He felt like shit that had been run over by a steamroller and then dipped in worse shit. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. He wondered why in the hell he was practically face down on the couch in the back room. A whiney voice started pinging around the inside of his head like some insane and thoroughly malicious tennis ball. He struggled to sit up�the effort increasing the throbbing in his head. He looked around, bleary eyed, and saw Draco sitting not two feet from him. Beck looked around again. He noticed his glass on the coffee table. Apparently, he was having drinks with Blondie. When had that happened? The last thing he remembered was something about Angel. Severus was going to bring him Angel. "Angel," he murmured questioningly. Cool hands gently pulled his face around.

"Sorry, love, just me," Draco said.

Beck shook his head, and instantly regretted it. Everything felt disjointed. A stab of pain in his right hand and the concomitant flush of arousal at the feel of Draco's ambient magic brought him back to reality. He felt like that goddamned ring was going to squeeze his finger off. It was as if it was prodding him to get closer to Blondie�to his magic. Beck looked closely at Draco. The haze of magic around him looked like a halo�like Angel�only different.

Beck licked his lips. "What happened?" he croaked.

Draco laughed gently. "We were kissing and then you decided to take a little nap. Resting up for more, I hope," Draco said with a throaty purr.

The flood of arousal came back around and hit Beck again. "Oh yeah," he said as he roughly pulled Blondie to him and started kissing him.

Draco rolled his eyes while making the appropriate sounds of enthusiasm. Merlin, Beck was bad at this. Draco's mind wandered to Severus and to Harry. He hoped he'd make it in time. Draco thought about everything he'd just shared with Severus. He'd meant it, of course. But, would he mean it tomorrow? Was he really ready to stop hiding?

Beck made a particularly boorish sound, rousing Draco from his thoughts. Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust. It was bad enough he was going to have to let this creep fuck him, he wasn't going to waste another second being assaulted by saliva and cheap cologne. Draco unbuttoned Beck's shirt with practiced fingers and tore it from him. Beck made an animalistic sound in the back of his throat as he responded in kind. Several grunts, bites and god-awful licks later, they were both naked.

When Beck seemed at a loss as to what to do next, Draco leaned in and whispered seductively, "I want you to fuck me."

Beck groaned and started panting harshly.

"Right here, right now," Draco said as he discreetly muttered a number of charms to make what was going to happen next somewhat bearable.

Beck groaned again and nodded his head vigorously. "Fuck, yes," he panted while scrambling up into a more suitable position. He started maneuvering Draco so that he was on his hands and knees.

"Cast some of those fancy charms, Blondie," Beck said as he pawed at himself.

"Only if we're face to face," Draco said, knowing it would be next to impossible to get the ring from Beck's finger in the position Beck had arranged him.

"Fine, fine," Beck said, eager to move forward. Quickly. "Just get on with it."

Draco made a show of casting a few other appropriate charms. He turned in preparation to slowly seat himself, but Beck had other ideas. Before Draco knew what was happening, Beck grabbed him, lifted him up and pushed him down on his cock, almost impaling him. Caught off guard, Draco let out a yelp of surprise. Beck started grinding his hips. Draco was quickly losing control of the situation as Beck humped, rutted and grunted like a dog in heat. Severus hadn't been kidding when he said Striker was strung out and dangerous. Draco couldn't get his balance�he felt as though he was merely hanging on for the ride. Before he knew it, he could feel poisonous magic swirling around them. It was heavy and cloying and Draco found it difficult to breathe. He tried to push away, to get out of the situation, but he found he couldn't. Beck was digging his hands into his hips, making it impossible for Draco to wriggle free.

Locked in a trance caused by the ring, Beck clamped his meaty hands around Draco's neck, delighting in the shocked expression on Draco's face. Draco's hands reached up involuntarily and started clawing at the strangling hands. The magic was getting heavier, more cloying. Between the magic and Beck, Draco felt himself slipping into unconsciousness as the hands wound tighter around his neck. "Fuck," Draco thought, thinking it was rather ironic that he would be the one to die in this ill-fated assignment after all and just when he'd finally figured things out. Just when he'd finally decided to stop hiding and start living. Blackness pushed against his vision. As he started to surrender, he felt the sizzle of pure, light magic around him. He heard someone murmuring. Draco continued to fight ineffectively against the hands crushing his throat.

"Take the ring, Draco. Get the ring," said a voice through the haze.

Draco noticed that the rutting had stopped. He noticed that the hands weren't squeezing his neck anymore.

"Take the ring, Draco. Come on, you know what to do. Get the ring."

As if on autopilot, Draco wrenched Beck's right hand from his throat and tugged on the ring for all he was worth.

"That's it, Draco. Get the ring. Almost there now partner, but you've got to hurry."

Partner. Only Brian called him partner�some sort of southern expression. "Brian?" Draco wheezed out as a bolt of adrenaline shot through him and he pulled the ring from Beck's hand.

Immediately, the magic surrounding them began churning and whipping itself into a whirlwind until it compressed itself into a focused beam of dark magic. It shot directly into the ring and into Beck. Beck's body went rigid. It arched painfully and Beck's face screwed up in pain. The ring glowed red-hot in Draco's hand before pulsing and going dark and cold. Moments later, the contained magic in Beck rushed out of him and dissipated into a sparkly mass of magical backwash. Beck cried out painfully before letting go of Draco and falling into an unconscious heap on the floor.

Draco immediately fell back onto the couch and started sucking in as much air as he could get. Wizards and witches began pouring into the small room causing a sudden flurry of activity. Still floating and feeling somewhat detached, Draco watched as wizards in funny uniforms scurried everywhere. Two of them levitated Beck away. One took the ring that was still nestled in Draco's hand. Another ran a diagnostic spell over Draco before turning away to another task. Draco closed his eyes for a moment and when he next opened them, it was to see Brian Metts peering down at him in concern. In that moment, he thought back to his discussion with Severus and felt the rush of affection, of longing for this man.

"Hey, Drake, doing okay there?"

"Brian," he rasped, "what are you doing here?" Draco paused. "How did you . . . Who are you?"

Brian smiled warmly and pulled Draco into a sitting position, letting him lean heavily against him. Offering his hand he said, "Brian Metts, American Wizarding Intelligence. Nice to meet you."

Draco stared at the hand for a moment before taking it, a sly grin blossoming on his face as he did so. "Draco Malfoy, Special Operations, British Ministry."

Brian nodded. "Nice to meet you, Draco. Mind if I call you Drake?"

Draco laughed and immediately started coughing.

"Whoa there, partner. Take it nice and easy," Brian said as he turned away and barked at someone to get a healer.

Draco tried to wave away his concern. "I'm fine. Really. How did you know?"

"What? How did I know to come tonight?"

Draco nodded.

Brian shrugged. "Beck was strung out. It had to happen tonight, though I didn't expect that it would be you. Remember the waitress?"

Draco nodded.

"She's one of ours. She's been keeping tabs on Beck and knew from the bartender and the floor manager, that Severus character, that Beck had reserved the back room for tonight. When I saw Severus haul Beck away earlier in the evening, I knew it was going down tonight. That's why I left. Had to get my team in position."

Draco chuckled. "I knew there was something off about you. I thought you might be working with Beck or with someone trying to get to Beck."

Brian flashed that lazy grin that made Draco go weak in the knees. "I thought the same. Interesting interrogation methods we have, huh?"

"Hmm," Draco agreed, "much more fun than the usual methods. I'm curious to see your debriefing technique."

"I think that can be arranged."

Draco nodded as he took a sip of water that suddenly appeared to his left, courtesy of some harried American agent at whom Brian had barked and glared on Draco's behalf.

"Why didn't we know about you?" Draco said.

Brian laughed. "You mean, why no international cooperation?"

Draco nodded.

Brian shrugged. "Since when have we ever been good at that?"

Draco nodded again. "So you, the waitress from tonight and . . . . let me guess, the brown haired guy who was always leering at me?"

"Very good. Yes. All of us, plus everyone you see here. Big team, really. Now, let me guess. You and the Angel kid, but . . . I'm not sure of anyone else. I've heard that you Brits work alone or in very small groups."

"Yes, we do. As far as my team, you've got me, Harry�that's Angel to you�and Severus."

Brian's eyebrows shot up. "Severus? Really? Good to know. We were going to take him down. We were sure he was with Beck in all of this, especially with the way he tore out of here tonight."

"No. He's one of the good guys," Draco said. The earlier events of the evening suddenly came back to Draco in a rush. "Oh, fuck!" he swore.

"What? What is it?" Brian asked.

"It's Harry. He's in trouble. A nasty vamp by the name of Therac has been after him, found him at the club and kidnapped him tonight intending to drain his blood and magic."

"Well, let's go save him. It's not like we're needed around here at the moment. Besides, I've got all this pent up energy I need to work out."

Draco stopped him from running through the door. "Brian! Stop! We can't go help him. Besides the fact that I have no idea where he is, the other vamps would kill us the second we crossed the threshold. Severus made me promise I wouldn't go."

"Snape's a vamp as well?"

Draco nodded.

Brian hesitated. "Why is this vamp after Harry? I've got some contacts�I'm sure I could find him, get us a way in."

Draco shook his head. "No. Severus would kill me. He's . . . he's got to do this on his own. And as for why Harry? Who the fuck knows. It's always Harry," Draco muttered darkly.

"Sounds like the kid gets himself into a lot of trouble," Brain said slowly.

"You have no idea."

"So what do you propose we do?" Brian asked as he leaned casually into Draco's side.

"We wait," he said softly.

"Okay, we wait," he said as he took Draco's hand and gave it a slight squeeze.

Draco looked down at their interlaced hands and smiled.

"I can think of a few ways to keep your thoughts occupied while we wait," Brian whispered in Draco's ear.

Draco turned to face Brian, one his eyebrows arched. "Yes, well you do have all of that pent up energy."

Brian grinned and started tugging Draco away from the club. "Do you need to make a report or anything?"

"No. Not yet," Draco said. "Err, the Ministry isn't really aware of what's going on with Harry�it's complicated. So, no report until that's taken care of."

Brian nodded. "Then nothing is keeping us here at the moment. I think we should start that debriefing a bit early, don't you? For international cooperation, and all."

He felt the warm rush of affection and arousal, but immediately felt guilty. How could he even think about this right now when Harry and Severus were battling for their lives? "That's true," Draco began slowly. He stopped, stepped away, closed his eyes and swallowed. "Listen, Brian. I don't know how much good I'll be until I know what's going on with Harry and Severus," he said apologetically, hoping he wasn't letting opportunity slip through his fingers.

Brian smiled. "No problem. I'll just keep you company then. There's plenty of time later for our debriefing," he said with wagging eyebrows.

"You'd want to continue? I mean, with me? After everything's done?"

"Of course, Drake." Brian winked and squeezed his hand, "now that I know you're one of the good guys and all. Can't let the best fuck I've had in a long time get away, now can I? Especially when I'm quite partial to the guy on top of that."

Draco smiled�a real one, while his mind was screaming holy fuck about the hot-blooded Texan turning Draco Malfoy into a bloody blushing girl. What the hell, Draco rationalized, maybe it was time to get in touch with the real Draco Malfoy.

"Let's get out of here anyway. Nothing much else we can do here."

After making it back to Brian's flat, Draco dropped onto the couch and curled on his side while Brian busied himself in the kitchen with drinks.

"So," Brian began after handing Draco his drink and sitting on the couch, "how long have you worked for the Ministry?"

Draco took a sip of his drink and put it down. "A while now," he evaded out of habit. He shook his head. He felt the strangest need to be absolutely honest with Brian. "Sorry, about five years. Not counting the war," he finished quietly.

"About the same for me," Brian said. "Just out of curiosity, how old are you? I would have guessed that Ang�uh, Harry, was pretty young, and you both seemed close in age. . ." "Twenty-five. I'm twenty-five. Harry is twenty-four."

"Really? Huh. Well, I'm the old man, then. Just turned twenty-seven two months ago."

�You don't look it," Draco said.

Brian snorted. "Neither do you and Harry. I'm sure that's why we were all chosen for this particular assignment. That and I would guess we're all gay."

Draco nodded.

"So, did you know your team before this?"

"What? Severus and Harry? Yeah. I've known Severus since I was born and Harry and I have known each other since we were eleven."

"No shit?" Brian asked, astonished.

"Yeah. Severus is a close friend of the family�sort of like my godfather. Harry and I were school mates."

Draco bit his bottom lip. Brian knew he was worried about Harry and Severus. He was doing his best to distract him. He knew too well the futility of helpless waiting.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Draco," Brian said softly.

Draco sighed. "I know. I just . . . things tend to go pear-shaped when Harry gets involved."

"So I noticed," Brian said dryly.

Several moments of awkward silence passed before Brian tried to initiate conversation again. "Did you go to a Wizarding school?" he asked.

"Hogwarts. Heard of it?"

Brian laughed. "Of course I've heard of it. I don't think there's a wizard in the world who hasn't heard of it. And what went on there. Harry Potter went to school there, didn't he?" Brian's face screwed up in contemplation. "He would have been there at the same time you were, right?"

"Yes," Draco said slowly, just realizing that Brian hadn't connected "Angel Harry" with "Harry Potter."

"That must have been insane! He was larger than life, I bet."

"He was one of a kind," Draco said carefully.

"Were you friends?"

Draco laughed. "No. We hated each other. Mortal enemies and all that. We took every opportunity to hurt, hex, and harass each other."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Though, we're friends now . . ." Draco said, hoping that Brian would make the connection.

"What changed?"

Draco shrugged. "We grew up," he said softly.

Brian looked as though he were about to make a quip of some sort when he stopped dead. "Wait. Angel, Harry. Is that?"

"Yes. He's Harry Potter."

Brian mulled that over for a few seconds.

"What?" Draco said defensively, ready to come to Harry's defense.

"Nothing. He just doesn't look anything like I thought he would. No glasses, no scar. And, no offense, but he's awfully scrawny."

Draco sighed testily. "Permanent vision correction, you dolt; Muggle plastic surgery and who says size has anything to do with power?"

Brian grinned again. "Don't get your panties in a wad, Drake, just making conversation is all. Though, I gotta say, he's seems like a loose cannon. Angry. Tightly wound. I guess I expected . . . I don't know. I don't know what I expected."

"You expected someone like Cedric Diggory," Draco muttered.

"Who? What?" Brian started to say.

Draco waved the questions away. "Nothing. No one�at least, no one you'd know." Draco sighed. "Let's just say Harry is a product of his environment. He lived with abusive Muggles who basically left him completely to his own devices. The only person he ever had to depend on was himself. It's not that he's a team player because he's arrogant, it's because he honestly believes there is no team. Not for him, anyway. He thinks he has to do everything on his own, the stupid prat. Though, it's not like anyone ever gave him any reason to think otherwise."

"You sound close," Brian said softly.

"We are. But, like I said, we didn't start out that way."

"You grew up."

"Yeah, we grew up," Draco said as he stared at the far wall.

"Tell me all about Draco Malfoy, then," Brian asked.

Draco took a long pull from his drink in an effort to stave off the inevitable. "How much do you know about the war? About Voldemort?"

Brian shrugged. "Enough. Well, what the papers reported, that sort of thing. It was like knowing about one of those Muggle wars in far away places. It was hard to put it into context, because we weren't fighting it."

Draco took a deep breath and looked down at the couch. "Ever hear of the Death Eaters?"

"Sure. Everyone knew who they were�they were the enemy."

"Yes. Well, I was almost one of them," he said in a whisper. Draco didn't look up. He didn't have to. He knew Brian was surprised, possibly disgusted. But, Draco refused to hide anymore. Refused to gloss over his past. "My parents were both Death Eaters. I come from a long line of dark wizards who supported even darker lords. I was well on my way�spouting their hateful rhetoric, hating and hurting anyone who felt differently. I was predisposed to hating Potter. Potter made it even easier. Perfect Potter," Draco spat, "He snubbed my hand of friendship, he got everything he wanted, broke the rules and was never punished. I hated him. Everything about him." Draco hesitated. "But then, in my last year of school, I learned what Voldemort was really about, saw his lies, his mania, watched as my friends and family bowed and scraped before him. Watched as my friends, his new loyal followers, were killed, tortured and maimed by him and the rest."

"So you decided to change your path. You decided to be stronger than that. What's the problem?" Brian asked after Draco said nothing more for a few minutes.

Draco laughed mirthlessly. "I wasn't stronger because I believed that Voldemort was wrong, Brian. I just wasn't into pain or groveling. I was a Malfoy. Malfoys don't grovel," Draco said bitterly.

"Something obviously happened, Draco. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, doing this job, worrying about Harry and Severus."

"Hmm, yes. Things did change. First, I learned that Severus wasn't the faithful Death Eater I thought he was, but a spy for the Light. He convinced me to join their little rag tag group of revolutionaries, claiming it was the only way I'd be safe."

"The Order."

Draco looked up in surprise. "You've heard of it?"

"Sure. We studied some of the Order raids in Tactics and Strategy at the Academy."

Draco nodded. "I killed my father in the war, did you know?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Then you also probably don't know that Harry nearly got himself killed saving me after that. I was already stunned that my own father would try to kill me. But, we were on other sides of the war at that point. So, I killed him before he could kill me . . . it was like I couldn't move. I . . . I just stood there. The battle was all around me and I just stood there. Harry, he saw me. He killed two Death Eaters to get to me and then forced me back to headquarters. He held me fast and kept me from destroying my room, destroying myself. I think that was the first time I ever really saw him. And, I realized that we were the same people. Broken, battered, bruised and fucked by life. No one else was going to be there for us, so we decided to be there for each other."

Draco took another sip of his drink before continuing. "I think it was then that I truly began to hate Voldemort. I didn't give a fuck about his political beliefs, but I sure as shite didn't want him fucking up my life, our lives, anymore. I saw so many things I'd never really understood before. I watched as an entire world�an entire world, Brian�shamelessly forced an eleven, now eighteen year-old man�because, let me assure you, Harry Potter never had the chance to be a boy�to save them all. I watched as his friends and family were killed simply because they were his friends and family. I watched as the Light guilted, cajoled, and manipulated him into killing that snake-faced bastard. I watched as he bore it stoically, knowing full well what they were doing, because he had honor, and duty, and a million other things I never really understood before I met Harry. He was like their virgin sacrifice, and he knew it. It made me so angry. I never really knew why, until that first time he turned to me, his eyes bright with grief, confusion and despair, and he silently pleaded with me to help him through it, because I was the only one who understood."

"Wow. I had no idea. Sounds like they really put him through the wringer. I can't imagine having to deal with that." Brian hesitated for a moment. "So are you two--"

"No," Draco interrupted, anticipating Brian's question. "No, we're not together. We have been together. But, we're not like that."

Brian eyed Draco suspiciously. "You know, if I didn't believe that you aren't involved with Harry, I'd seriously think you were involved with Harry."

Draco looked Brian in the eye. "I love him. I do. There was a time when I think we both thought we were in love with each other, but we aren't. Like I said, we look out for each other. Harry is like . . . . hmm, he's like my little brother."

Brian flashed his lazy grin, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Right, because all brothers fuck each other."

Draco sniffed. "I didn't say he was like my actual brother. I just mean that Harry's always running around trying to save everyone else, that he doesn't take care of himself. Instead, he does stupid, reckless, impulsive things that help others but tear him apart. If Severus and I didn't look out for him, no one would, I think."

"I forgot about him. How does Severus fit into all of this?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's not really my story to tell. Suffice it to say, those two prats are going to be the death of me. They are hopelessly in love with each other but have their heads stuck so far up their arses they refuse to see it!"

"Harry and Severus?"

"Yes."

"Isn't Severus like . . . old? And a vampire?"

"Yes, what does it matter?" Draco asked testily. "Harry has an old soul and is a sucker for wounded magical creatures. That's why it would never work out between us. Our house would be filled with every stray wizard, witch, werewolf and kitten that he found. My tastes are far more discriminating."

"Good."

Draco snapped his head around to Brian. "Good?"

"Yeah. Good. I'd hate to think I'd have to fight the �Harry Potter' for you."

"You'd fight for me?" Draco asked in true surprise.

"Of course I would. You're amazing, Drake. What a crazy life you've had, and to come out of it so well is even more amazing. You fascinate me. You have for weeks. You're not nearly as stuck up as you pretend to be."

Draco arched a brow elegantly at Brian's pronouncement.

Brian laughed. "Okay, well maybe you are. But, I like the Draco Malfoy underneath all of that. I like that you protect your friends and that you love and that you're strong and fierce. And that little shimmy thing you do? Good lord, almighty. It's enough to drive a man insane."

Draco smiled, surprised by the warmth he felt creeping up his neck and across his cheeks. Eager to take the spotlight from himself, he asked, "It's your turn. Tell me all about the great Brian Metts."

Brian laughed and settled back more comfortably. Everything about him was open, honest and direct. Draco longed for that. "Not much to tell. Sorry to say I've had a pretty good life. Born and raised in Texas, I'm an only child, my parents were wonderful people, but older. They passed away a few years ago. After college, I was recruited by AWI. I don't know how it works over there, but here in America, the Wizarding community is more open, I guess. We don't flaunt anything, of course, but there's not as much division with the Muggles. When I was a kid, I thought this cloak and dagger stuff would be fun, but now I find it tedious and unfulfilling. I'm burnt out, I guess. This assignment clinched it for me, though. Too much happened this time around. Too many close calls." Brian shook his head. "I'm getting too old for that shit."

"I know the feeling," Draco said.

The silence was back, but this time it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. Brian moved closer to Draco and pulled him in for a possessive kiss.

"What was that for?" Draco asked in a blissful haze.

Brian grinned. "I was thinking about what you were saying about Severus and Harry. Just making sure that your head wasn't up your ass�needed to make absolutely clear how I feel about you. Just in case there was confusion."

Unguarded lust filled Draco's eyes as he roughly pulled Brian to him and kissed him possessively, demandingly. "Got the message loud and clear," he said, panting. "Do you understand my response?"

"Oh yeah. Crystal, Drake. Crystal."

"Good." Draco pecked Brian on the cheek. "So, Mr. Metts, if you give up the glamorous life of undercover rent boy, what, pray tell, do you plan to do?"

"My family owns a huge cattle ranch in Montana that I inherited when I turned 25 and I'm thinking about taking it over. You should, uh, come visit. See what you think. I mean, it's a great opportunity to see a bit of the American West," Brian added hastily, suddenly a bit nervous.

Draco's eyes glazed over in bliss. "Land, lucrative business, money, charm, and a brilliant fuck. I think I'm in love," Draco said before launching himself at Brian, grateful, for once, to be Draco Malfoy.



Artificial Life - Chapter 12

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