Title: Hero
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy x Harry Potter
Rated: T
Warnings: light M/M, but Harry is of age at 17.
Summary: Lucius greets the savior of the wizarding world right after the death of Voldemort
Disclaimer: Not my men, obviously. I doubt JK would ship this pairing. XD

(*)

He heard the crunch of marble and debris under shoes- Lucius cringed. They had taken nearly all the other captive death eaters out- leaving him for last, by his count. It sounded as if there was only one person coming, but one was all it took. He was huddled up with his family, he wasn't ready to be taken away from them yet. Hopefully, they would just take him and leave Draco and Narcissa out of this. He clenched his eyes shut. "Please- just… a minute more."

"Er, okay. I just wanted to say that there's food- you guys aren't hungry?"

Lucius opened a bleary eye, looking up at Harry Potter. Alone- with no aurors. "I… well… yes, but—what about the aurors? Aren't they coming to…" He trailed off when he felt Draco clinging harder to him. He put a hand on the back of his son's head in an attempt to comfort him.

"No. I explained to the ministry what happened. That… that you didn't fight because you were looking for Draco and Mrs. Malfoy helped save my life." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I told them to pardon your family. You won't be going back to Azkaban."

Lucius looked up to him, completely grateful and unable to hide it. "Thank you." He rasped letting out a long sigh he wasn't aware he was even holding. He couldn't stop looking up at Harry, completely in awe at the insurmountable task he had completed. "It's over, isn't it? You did it, didn't you?"

Harry looked uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Yes. I… everyone's celebrating. S-so many have died, I just…"

Lucius nudged Draco and Narcissa. "Go- go get something to eat. It's been awhile since any of us have eaten." He murmured to them. "I will join you soon." They nodded to him, heading over toward the rest of the group- leaving Harry and Lucius amongst the rubble. He had to lean a great deal over to see them- but still heard the jovial sounds of the party. "Please sit." He said quietly, patting a space beside him. "We will have a few brief minutes of privacy to chat before they will come to look for us."

Harry wordlessly sat beside him, running a hand through his dirty hair. Bits of rubble fell out of it. He flushed, feeling slightly embarrassed by his shabby, battle worn appearance in front of a man he knew prided himself on personal appearance.

Lucius gave him an amused look, rather than one of disgust. "It's difficult being you."

"Understatement of the year, really."

"It's going to get worse. No one will leave you alone now. You will be everyone's hero—tenfold of what you're used to. Women will throw themselves at you. Men will give their wand arm to be you." He gave him a sideways glance. "The first time… you did nothing but survive him, Harry Potter. You did not have my respect. However, you do now- you fought and bested him."

"…You're not going to give me your wand arm, are you?"

Lucius chuckled. "No. I said respect, not undying salivating worship. …I am not sure if my respect will mean anything anymore. But I would rather have that uncertainty than the other option if you hadn't won. You have done well. Your friends whom you have lost along the way are proud of you. You need to celebrate what you have done. If not for your sake, but for theirs."

Harry nodded, glancing over to the group- he felt the liveliness pouring out from them. "Not… not yet. I don't take the praise well. Not in a group like that. It's overwhelming." He glanced to Lucius's face. The black eye was still visible, the bruising going down his jaw. He reached out, reaching out toward the other man. Lucius flinched hard and away from Harry, a bad habit he had picked up over the past few months. He saw the guilty look on Harry's face and frowned. It was just a touch. Harry wasn't going to strike him in anger. The older man looked apologetically to Harry, and quietly accepted the hand with some level of caution reflecting in his grey eyes.

The stubble on the older man's face felt as if it didn't belong there. Harry figured it might have been to hide some of the bruising from his family. He gently traced his thumb over the fading bruise under his eye, then over the rest of it along his jaw. Harry wasn't sure what he was doing, and the confusion he saw reflected in Lucius's eyes didn't help much- but he couldn't stop. His hand drifted down toward his neck, letting it rest there. He brought himself closer to Lucius, their faces nearly touching.

"Potter-"

"Harry." He corrected quietly as his hand slipped from his neck to the back of his head. His fingers slipped through the blonde locks, not roughly- but exploratory. The strands felt like silk. He couldn't help but curl his fingers into it.

"Harry-" Lucius rasped out. He wanted to jerk away, but the hand on his hair remained firm. He felt Harry's warmth- he was so close. It was comforting to be handled this way. The flight or fight notion hadn't dawned on him like it did with Voldemort. The defensive posture he had immediately thrown up when Harry went to touch him slowly relaxed- his shoulders slumping to a more natural position. Harry's hand was on the move again. This time Lucius welcomed it, quickly learning that Harry was not going to hurt him. The pad of his thumb trailed over his bottom lip- stroking the firm bit of flesh in curiosity.

And there it was- the kiss. Harry kissed him. A fast peck at first as if to test the waters of what he could do. When he got no resistance from Lucius, he followed the original by planting a longer, more firm kiss on his lips. It grew deeper, his tongue sliding in past Lucius's lips- allowed to do so due to the older man's pliancy. His fingers sought out Lucius's hair, gripping it gently while his other arm wrapped around him.

The kiss ended, leaving Harry flushed and Lucius speechless. He cleared his throat. "Mr. Malfoy, I'm-"

"Lucius." He corrected. "You may call me Lucius, Harry."

FIN