For OTP boot camp with the prompt morbid.

For A Very Slashy comp with Charlie/Draco and the prompts gravity and intimidating.

For the Stretch Your Limits comp (round 3) – easy: write about/from the perspective of Draco Malfoy.

Also, this was inspired by the song: "I'm not what you need" by Joe Purdy.

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"In Between The Lines"

It's two o'clock in the morning, in the middle of an empty street, where there's nobody around to witness. Draco's been fighting it since the beginning, fighting the emotions and the chemistry between them. He's been trying not to fall in love with Charlie because it's unknown, it's new, and it's terrifying.

But his logic isn't winning the war. He's tried to stay away from Charlie; but he always seems to end up in the tiny out-of-the-way coffee shop that Charlie just loves – even though Draco doesn't drink coffee – because Charlie usually is there after his shifts.

And as he walks toward their flat building with Charlie, he starts to think that he should've Apparated back instead of walking. Because the tension between them is so thick that it can be cut with a knife. It's been growing between them for weeks, ever since Draco came back to Romania and took the Potioneer position on the Reservation.

Draco's been trying to deny the building tension, like it isn't happening, because he shouldn't feel this way about the enemy. But the more time he spends with Charlie, the less he views him as the enemy. He's becoming an equal in Draco's eyes, and that terrifies him when he thinks about it.

By god, though, there are times when Draco has the urge to kiss Charlie senseless, when the tension becomes suffocating, and the only way to breathe is by attaching his mouth to Charlie's. And it's one of those times. Draco can taste the tension.

Charlie stops in the middle of the street and pulls Draco towards him. Draco forces himself to look Charlie in the eyes because it's only proper. And the emotion that is swirling in Charlie's blue eyes is almost breathtaking. Draco can read everything in his eyes, and it's hypnotizing and thrilling.

Suddenly, lips are on lips and the tension has never tasted better. And Draco can't remember exactly who started the kiss. His mind sort of, kind of, just maybe, short-circuited as Charlie's lips brushed his, where the only thing that matters in that moment is the feeling of lips upon his own. As he feels Charlie coax him into deepening the kiss, Draco finally realized how he shouldn't be doing this because he's not supposed to care about Charlie.

He pulls back suddenly, leaving Charlie to give him a questioning look. But Draco refuses to meet Charlie's eyes, because he remembers the gravitational pull he feels when he does. As he turns to leave, Draco murmurs, "My apologies."

"Wait!" Charlie exclaims, as he grabs at Draco's upper arm. "Where are you going?"

Turning back and withholding a sigh, Draco faces Charlie again. He should've known that Charlie would never allow him to walk away after something like that. "That shouldn't have happened," Draco replies, as if it answers Charlie's question.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Charlie gives a sound of disagreement. "And what if I wanted to kiss you?" Charlie demands. When he demands something – whether it is an answer to a question or a task to be completed – his voice takes on an intimidating tone. It's something that Draco has learned to ignore.

"You shouldn't," Draco replies easily.

It doesn't answer Charlie's question, but Charlie's used to Draco particular way of skirting around a proper answer when he doesn't like the question asked. Charlie is sure that it's because Draco's usually frightened by the truth, even though Draco would never admit it.

And Charlie can hear all the unsaid things in his answer, all the things he'd never admit to, let alone say aloud – you shouldn't care; you shouldn't kiss me; you shouldn't want me. Those unsaid things make Charlie smile.

He leans toward Draco, who attempts to move away but cannot because of Charlie's grip on his upper arm. "It sounds like you're trying to dictate who I do or do not care about, Draco," Charlie whispers, his breathe tickling Draco's ear.

If the limited distance between them is bothering Draco, he doesn't show it. Instead, he coolly replies, "I don't know what you're talking about, Weasley."

Charlie raises his eyebrow, but a small smirk plays at the corners of his mouth. Draco's use of his last name shows Charlie how affected Draco really is. "Well, then. Why don't you tell me why I shouldn't want to kiss you?" There's no mistaking the demanding tone in Charlie's voice. He wants an answer, and he'll get one.

Draco contemplates not giving Charlie a direct answer. He decides against it because he knows Charlie won't let him leave without having a full-blown discussion. Internally, he sighs. "I'm not what you need." The words are measured, chosen perfectly to where Charlie has to read in between the lines to understand them completely.

Charlie cocks his head to the side, believing that finally they're getting somewhere. And, as usual, Draco leaves things unsaid, but it doesn't really matter. Because in that moment, Draco left himself a little vulnerable to him, and Charlie is happy about that.

"Emotions can't be dictated, as much as you would like them to be," Charlie informs him. "And hearts certainly won't be commanded by needs. A heart want what it wants, and there's really no changing that."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the Gryffindor-ness of Charlie's exclamation, Draco wants to make him see that Charlie deserves someone better than him, better than he could ever be. "I'm morbid, insalubrious, noxious, morose," Draco starts to list. He uses as many complicated words as possible to show the difference between them.

But he's cut off when Charlie presses his lips against Draco's. As before, Draco loses all sense of right and wrong. His mind goes completely blank, except for the thought that he really enjoys kissing Charlie. When Charlie pulls away, he's smiling.

"You're also good and clever and strong. And you do care about people other than yourself; I know you do," he says. He knows that Draco cares enough to try and force Charlie out of his life because Draco doesn't believe he's good enough. He can see it in Draco's eyes even though he tries to hide it. "And I'll be damned if you're not good enough for me, because I want to be with you."

Draco blinks a few times. He's not used to people trying to fight for him, to make him see the good inside of him instead of just the bad. That's why he's drawn to Charlie, because he doesn't give a damn about the past. With him, Draco has and always will have a clean slate that's not contaminated by the wrong-doing of his past.

A/n – Oh my god, look at that! Clara finally let me write another Charlie/Draco. It's been far too long.

So many thanks to l0stinl0ve for beta-ing this super quick for me!

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