laliandra | In which Lal tries H/D and not to hate November...

Pinch and a punch for the first of the month! (and no return)
Merry November. It is not a month I have ever been particularly fond of, containing all the woes of December without any of the joys, bone numbing cold with no snow, Christmas stresses with no Christmas etc. And for half of this one my bf is jetting off to Sydney, which I am trying not be bitter about, but failing. Nevertheless! I am determined to be cheerful. And buy some amazing gloves. And demand a really good present.

I blame frantic_mice entirely for the following. She linked me, well, her flist, to this absolutely gorgeous picture community.livejournal.com/hd_fanart/117259.html of Steampunk Harry and Draco. And then when I told her how much I loved it and what I thought was going on in it she TOTES encouraged me to write a drabble. The fact that it is faaaar too long to be Drabble is no one's fault but mine.
I have never really written H/D before, not proper slash anyway, and there are some connesieurs of the form on my flist, so I am very nervous about posting this. Please, tell me what you think! All opinions welcome, even if its 'please to never be doing this again'.
But I hope you like it *runs off to drink soothing peppermint tea*

Draco had just welded open the last bar of the cage when he heard a swish of wings and an all too familiar voice say “Need a hand, Malfoy?”

That was all he needed.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can break out of my own cages, thank you very much. And I thought we agreed to at least try the first name thing, Harry. School was a long time ago,” he said, without looking up.

“Sorry, force of habit. And I’m impressed, how did you mange to get through those bars, Draco?”

Draco looked up quickly and was just in time to catch a flash of that strange smile Harry always wore when he said Draco’s name. He had been working on Harry’s wings for about six months before annoyance had overcome old ways and he had demanded to be called something other than “Malfoy”. It had been getting a little wearing, seeing as Harry came round to the workshop nearly every day, and Harry had agreed in that earnest way of his, but even now, after a month of use, Harry would get this funny look in his eyes when he said “Draco”, and nearly always looked a little pleased to be called Harry. Draco used Harry’s name in conversation a little more often than was strictly necessary, if he was honest with himself, just to see the odd little smile. He tried not to think about that too much.

“I am a renowned inventor, give me a little credit. I have some, emergency supplies in my boots, plus Cobalt found me here and I was able to send him back to the workshop for a few components, then it was easy to put together a simple welding tool. In short, I was doing fine, there was no need for you to fly in and be the dashing hero in your cravat.”

“Oh, so you think I’m dashing do you?” Harry grinned.

Draco felt himself colour a little “I said your cravat was dashing, not you. You are merely well dressed but ill-timed, as ever.”

“So you have a plan on getting out of this tower? You’re suspended over 200 feet up you know, and I see your wings have been dismantled.”

That had been the worst moment, missing the familiar weight and twisting his head to see his precious creations dismembered, only tiny fragments remaining that flapped feebly when he tried hard.

“We’re in a clocktower, full of spare parts. I would have worked something out. How were you planning on getting me out anyway? Your wings won’t support both our weights. I made them, I should know.”

“I figured I’d work something out when I got here.” Harry said blithely. Typical. “Anyway, there wasn’t much time for a plan. Hermione wired me from the Ministry, there had been reports of prominent inventors being taken by Luddites. I realised I hadn’t heard from you in a couple of days and that ‘Draco Malfoy, inventor and creator of The Wings’ would be a prime target, so I went round. I got in through the broken window and then I saw Cobalt, and he led me here.”

“Traitor.” Draco muttered in the bird’s direction, but Cobalt just twittered in a suspiciously un-sorry fashion.

“It was Luddites then?” Harry asked. Draco took a second to make his voice as calm and as steady as he could, then said, “They broke in, chloroformed me and when I woke I was here, wings all stupidly broken and two men on harnesses outside the cage. They said they were leaving me here, in this temple of un-natural machinery, and I would soon be as cold and lifeless as the metal around me.”

He brought his hand up to gesture at the cogs and gears but realised it was shaking and put it down again. In Harry’s eyes he saw an expression probably more often seen by small creatures just before a quick death by sharp beak and claw, one that said “hunt, kill.” That was the last thing he needed, Harry flying off to confront a group of fanatics wearing what they considered to be blasphemous items, however secretly pleased he was that he wished to avenge him, so he smiled reassuringly, saying “I’m alright. I’ve just been kneeling in one position for too long and I’ve gone all cold and stiff.”

He tried to stand and winced a little as sensation flooded back into his legs and his knees began to protest. He saw Harry draw closer and said “I’ll be fine, just a little rusty. Mother always says I take better care of my machines then myself.” His legs buckled underneath him and he swore under his breath.

“Don’t be an idiot, Draco” Harry said, holding out his hand and hovering effortlessly. Draco took it and as he looked up he was reminded of the first time he had fitted Harry’s prototype wings. Harry had taken off like he had been born to fly and Draco had looked up and for the first time not seen a rival, just strong, graceful lines, a beaming smile and an astounded laugh that tumbled out of his mouth like pure joy made sound.

He took the proffered hand, the warmth of Harry’s skin comforting and unnerving all at once, and pulled himself up, his bones aching.

“See” Harry said, voice low and soft now that he was on the same level as Draco “you did need a tiny bit of rescuing.”

The voice had done funny things to Draco’s insides and he only just managed to keep looking at Harry. He raised his eyebrows and Harry went a little red, clearly he had just realised the seductive undertones of his own voice.

Draco grinned and leant against the bar next to him in a Woeful Damsel pose “oh yes, thank you kind sir.” Then leant forward a little and kissed Harry on the cheek.

“So, that was our first kiss then?” Harry said in a voice that managed to be both amused and bashful.

“No.”

“Um, I think you’ll find…”

“No.” Draco repeated and didn’t even think, just took hold of that cravat and pulled Harry into the cage with him, bodies slamming together, “That cannot be our first kiss. Our first kiss will be the resolution of months of arguing and talking till 3 in the morning and sideways looks while we soar through the air together and yet more arguing and such a kiss should be fierce and possessive and tender, not polite and…”

Harry drew back just enough to speak, still so close that Draco could feel each movement of his lips forming the words, “will that do?” He sounded a little dazed, which Draco thoroughly approved of.

“Not bad.” He allowed. “Now, I’m going to need some parts to fix my wings and get out of here, so off you fly like a good hero.”

“What if I don’t want to fly off right this second?” Harry asked, pressing in closer to Draco again, eyes alight with wonder and desire.

“If it’s incentive you want, I quite fancy doing this,” he kissed Harry hard “but flying.”

I realised when I had it half written and went to look at the picture again that the cage is too small for people to stand up in, but I liked my kissing scene too much!
The Luddites were a group who went round the English countryside in the 18th century smashing up machines they thought were unnatural and taking their jobs.

I need a disclaimer, don't I. The characters are of course, not mine, but JKRs. Cobalt the little blue mechanical bird is, however, mine and the artists, and I'm not sharing him!