World Cup.

When Draco finally woke up, he felt warm and safe. Alec was still next to him with Draco gripping his shirt and with his own hand deep in Draco's hair, his heartbeat beating steadily against Draco's chest, Draco's face still pressed against Alec's neck.

Draco didn't want to move, he was still way too tired and his body felt too heavy to move it at all, even just thinking about getting up to go to the bathroom made him shut his eyes more tightly.

Alec hummed in his sleep, pressing a bit closer to Draco, his hand started to lazily run through Draco's hair again.

Draco let out a deep breath, pressing his face deeper against Alec's neck, falling back asleep.

He woke again later that day, the sun was shining over both of them, Alec was still playing with his hair, holding a book in the other hand, reading.

Draco huffed out a breath, shifting a bit, making Alec's fingers still in his hair.

- Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead. - Alec murmured in his ear.

Draco just slowly turned around to lie on his back before slowly pushing himself up.

Alec was up right away, helping Draco, holding him still.

Without saying anything else, Alec lead Draco to the bathroom, staying just outside the door in case Draco needed help.

Draco glanced at the bath but he was too damn heavy to actually take it without accidentally drowning himself.

Well, even that didn't sound like such a bad idea.

Draco pushed the thoughts away, dragging himself back to the room into Alec's waiting arms that lead him to bed, pulling a fluffy blanket around him and softly pushing the falling locks out of Draco's eyes.

- You should eat something. - Alec murmured before lying down next to Draco, pulling him close and starting to play with his hair again.

Draco didn't answer, he just let his eyes fall back shut and let sleep take over him.

Draco didn't speak at all through the holiday.

Not even to Alec or Dobby popping by. He just stayed silent, his voice lost with the slaps from Christmas.

Alec stayed with him through another night, keeping him safe and helping him keep calm. But then he needed to go because he was there without permission from Lucius, having told Draco how Dobby simply popped up in his flat and took him right to Draco.

Draco was grateful for that, but he still couldn't force himself to actually open his mouth and say anything at all.

So when Alec was about to leave, he just pressed himself against his chest, burying his face against his neck, placing a small peck right where his pulse was flickering in the main artery.

Alec smiled down at him, placing a soft and protective kiss against his forehead.

- Remember that I am here for you. - He murmured into Draco's ear before letting Dobby take him away.

But still, Draco didn't speak.

It annoyed Lucius but he stayed in his place, not saying anything about it.

So Draco stayed silent.

Even when Lucius handed him a generous christmas present, two tickets to the world cup that summer.

Narcissa was worried, he could see that but he still couldn't force himself to open his lips and form actual words to come out.

Even when Narcissa dropped him off at the Hogwarts express, he just squeezed her hand before going away.

In the express, Lupin was waiting for him already, not asking anything, just giving Draco a piece of homemade chocolate cake and a bundle of different kinds of muggle chocolate.

Draco was grateful for the lack of talking, he was too sad to talk, so after finishing his piece of cake, he let his head drop against Remus' shoulder, his eyes way too heavy to keep open.

Draco went two more weeks without speaking.

It happened without warning really.

He was just sitting in Remus' room, flipping through this comics thing together with Harry, when a big owl landed in front of Remus with a big bundle tied to its legs.

Lupin read through the letter and laughed out loud before rummaging through the bundle and coming over to them, giving Draco a pack of something.

Draco looked down at it, not understanding what it was.

- Gummy bears, Sirius thought that you would love these. - Remus' smile is kind.

- Thank you. - Draco croaked out, getting startled by his own voice after almost a month of not talking.

Both Remus and Harry looked at him before Remus just grinned and went back to his desk and Harry jumped up.

- You're speaking again! - He was like an excited puppy, looking at Draco with his eyes wide and sparkling with joy.

Draco just shook his head, reaching for a glass of juice.

Later in the evening when he walked away, he heard Remus speaking softly with Sirius through the floo.

- Thank you for helping him find his voice again, Pad. He deserves something good in his life. -

Draco turned and went out of the room, he should go down to dinner but without really noticing, he climbed his way up to the astronomy tower, sitting down and watching the stars, turning his mind off and enjoying the silence.

It wasn't until March that he could finally go down to the hogsmeade and meet Alec. Harry and Remus had asked him once again to join their lunch with Sirius but Draco couldn't turn Alec down and he really wasn't sure if he was ready to meet Sirius Black.

It was warm and the air already smelled of spring, the sun was shining, warming their skin, so Draco left his coat inside, going down in a plain sweater.

Alec was already waiting for him at the gates, a big smile spreading over his lips when he saw Draco.

He reached out and pulled Draco closer, running a hand through Draco's hair.

- Gosh, how I missed you! They are getting pretty long. - Alec gripped locks of Draco's hair in his fingers, smiling fondly down at him before letting go.

- I need a haircut. - Draco mumbled, pulling Alec's hand away but keeping it in his grip. - And I missed you too. Sorry for the lack of owls, been busy with studies. -

- It's all okay. Let me see you clearly. - Alec softly pushed Draco away, turning him around, his smile only spreading. - I see that at least you have remembered to eat properly. And I love how my jumper looks on you. -

Alec winked, earning a light slap on the shoulder from Draco, who started to walk away but Alec pulled him back, pressing a soft kiss on top of his head.

- You're an idiot. - Draco just shook his head, starting to walk, letting Alec hold his hand, enjoying the warmth radiating from him.

Alec just laughed loudly, pulling Draco a bit closer.

They spent the day walking around, talking about everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks since they'd seen each other.

In the end, Alec pulled Draco into a hairdressing salon and paid for his new haircut.

- It feels so weird to have my hair so short again. - Draco ran a hand through his hair, feeling how the wind was caressing his skin.

- But it looks good. I don't mind long hair too, I probably could do with a haircut. - he tugged at his own hair.

Draco pushed both his hands into Alec's hair, tugging softly.

- Nah, this suits you. Especially now when it's messy, like you have just rolled out of bed or a wild party. -

- And what do you know about wild parties? - Alec let his hands rest on Draco's forearms.

- That they are wild. -

- Oh yeah? Such a party animal, are you? - Alec smirked at Draco, pecking his cheek before taking him by the hand and leading him away. - Let's get something to eat, I wanna make sure that you are full today. -

Draco let himself be dragged across the street, Alec ended up making sure that Draco actually ate until he was full, leaving him all sleepy, leaning against Alec.

Draco was letting Alec play with his hair while he was looking out the window.

Just then, Harry embraced with Remus and Sirius walked past, Sirius' arm thrown protectively around Remus waist, his hand pushed inside Remus trouser pocket, keeping him close, his hair loose, pecking Remus cheek and earning a soft slap from Remus, Harry walking with them, laughing with his eyes shining as if such adoration and love were something he had seen on daily basis.

- What are you looking at? - Alec's voice came as a whisper against his ear, his lips brushing against the skin there, making Draco shudder a bit.

- Harry with his parents. They asked me to join them for lunch again but I said no. Wanted to spend a day with you. - Draco yawned.

- I'm pleased. You probably should go back too, it's getting late and I don't want you to get into trouble. - Alec pushed a hand through Draco's hair before standing up, pulling Draco with him and walking outside, holding Draco's hand.

They walked almost all the way in comfortable silence, both lost in their minds.

Alec pecked Draco on the forehead when they reached the gates of Hogwarts, smiling sadly.

They didn't need words to say goodbye, Draco breathed in Alec's scent one more time before walking through the gates, but suddenly he turned around.

- Alec, wait! - he ran back to Alec. - Father got me two tickets to the World Cup, do you want to come with me? -

For a split second Draco felt nervous, gripping the bottom of his jumper, afraid that Alec would say no.

- Of course! I haven't been to one before, I would love to! Now, go get to the castle before they hex your arse! - Alec laughed, pushing Draco softly back through the gates.

The rest of the school year went by pretty quickly, in no time Draco was back home.

The first evening back was a bit tense but Lucius was surprisingly calm, talking with Draco about school and how good it was that he had passed his exams, or at least how good he thought it was that he had passed them.

-Draco, before you go, I wanted to ask, where do you want to spend your summer this year? - Lucius turned his look fully onto Draco after taking a sip of firewhiskey.

- I am not sure, father. Can I think about it and give you my answer tomorrow? - Draco's fingers clenched the hem of his robes under the table.

- Sure. - Lucius leaned back in his chair, finishing his glass.

Draco silently slipped away to his room.

He was tired and wanted to sleep so he climbed into his bed and fell asleep right when his head hit the pillow.

Draco chose to stay at the manor to start with. He spent most of his days outside in the garden, whispering silently with Dobby when nobody was looking.

Draco was surprised by how calm Lucius seemed, he didn't raise his voice even once at him in a week.

And where it should have made him feel calm and safe, he instead felt wary and uneasy so when Alec's letter finally came, saying that he would love to spend the summer with Draco, he gladly traveled to France.

He spent days talking to Narcissa, claiming that she could stay home, that Alec was there to take care of him, but nothing that he said could change her mind.

It broke his heart a little to see how sad her eyes were without Lucius nearby so that evening, he sat down next to her, close enough to let their knees bump together.

-You really love him, don't you? - Draco asked calmly, sipping his evening tea with a drop of calming draught.

- Of course I do. How could I not? I know that he doesn't show his love and that he can be cruel but it's just who he is and I love him fully, even all these ugly parts. One day you will understand that. - Narcissa looked at the fire with some deeper emotion dancing in her eyes.

Draco thought about her words, thinking back to all the times that Lucius had shown any love at all.

He could remember some looks he'd given Narcissa and the one time Draco had found them dancing in the moonlight but he couldn't remember a single time Lucius had ever shown him his love.

Or did all the galleon-throwing count as love to him?

Draco really didn't know.

After that, Draco spent most of his days lying around with Alec and Dobby, chatting around, playing games and being just silly.

More often than not he would spend his time in Alec's arms.

Even when he still couldn't bear too much physical contact, Alec always found a way to stay close and make Draco feel protected.

He would lie close to Draco but not really touch him, simply playing with his hair or his fingers.

Draco got so used to his touch that sometimes it was real trouble falling asleep without hearing Alec's breathing somewhere next to him or feeling Alec's fingers on his skin, so most days Alec simply stayed with him.

On Draco's birthday Alec took him to the beach.

He wanted Dobby to come with them but since it was a full-on muggle beach, he couldn't; Dobby reassured him and told Draco to have fun.

Draco was a bit skeptical about it, not understanding what could be so great about sitting by the water while the sun was roasting them like meat in the oven.

But then he stepped onto the white sand with his bare feet and let out a small gasp at the sensation it brought out.

Alec let out a laugh, holding his hand.

Draco looked up with his eyes wide, locking his gaze with Alec's.

And then they were running, running as fast as they could with their feet slipping on the soft sand beneath them.

They didn't even stop at the edge of water where soft waves were licking sand, they just kept on running till they were knee-deep in the water, waves crashing around them.

Draco shivered at how cold the water actually was, chilling his sun-roasted skin.

Alec's eyes were shining with happiness, his lips tinted with a smile.

Another wave crashed against them, making Draco shiver again, but then hot hands were on his sides, warming up his body, flaming it.

He locked his eyes with Alec's shining ones and then Alec was lifting him up and he felt like he could touch the clouds and the sun with the tips of his fingers, so he reached out his hands and closed his eyes.

They were spinning and spinning, Alec was spinning them around, laughing softly, and then they were falling into soft waves of salty water.

And Draco felt pure again.

It was like every salt molecule was purifying his skin, his whole body and his soul.

Draco was buzzing with excitement and just one glance at Alec made him even more excited.

Alec was almost jumping from how pumped he was, his eyes were shining and his lips were curled into an excited smile.

He held a backpack on one shoulder, looking really good in his leather jacket and tight black jeans.

Earlier that week he had taken Draco out shopping in muggle Paris, that ended up being a real adventure.

On that day, Draco fell in love with shopping once again.

Muggles had such a wide range in fashion. With every new shop Draco felt more and more excited.

Alec was enjoying dressing Draco up in all sorts of muggle clothing a bit too much, loving his reactions to different styles so in the end, Draco just pulled on all sorts of weird clothing combinations just to make Alec crack up even more.

Narcissa couldn't hide her surprise when they stumbled through the doors carrying more bags than they could fit in their arms with flushed cheeks and messy hair but with their eyes shining.

They settled on Draco wearing a matching leather jacket and skinny jeans but instead of black, his was ocean blue.

As Alec had let it slip, they brought out Draco's ass pretty nicely.

Draco was surprised by how comfortable muggle clothing felt, that he spent hours and hours ranting about it to Dobby, getting excited answers from the house elf of how he loved socks and hats and basically any clothing he could get on, so Draco give him some of his socks as a gift.

As they waited in line to buy a camping space at the game, Alec was holding Draco's hand in his, looking around with excited eyes.

- I have never been to something like this! - Alec murmured in his ear before running a hand through Draco's hair.

- Me neither, father has taken me to a couple quidditch games but we have never been to a world cup. And I have never ever slept in a tent, haven't even been close to one to be honest. - Draco let his shoulder press against Alec's.

- Really? Never? Draco, how posh can you be? - Alec threw his head back, laughing.

Draco couldn't take his eyes off of him, noticing how perfectly the sun hit his face, making him look like a glowing angel.

So when Alec finally looked back down at Draco with his shining eyes and pink lips, a hot blush tinted Draco's pale cheeks, making Alec chuckle even more and pull him a bit closer.

They didn't have any problem with paying the muggles since Alec was really good with muggle money, amusing Draco every time.

And as he soon found out, Alec was good at setting up a tent.

- How do you do that? How can you know how that thing actually works? - Draco asked, sitting down on the grass with his legs crossed.

- Do what? - Alec stretched, turning to look at Draco.

- All of this thing. - Draco motioned to the tent Alec had finished setting up.

- My parents used to take me camping, now come on, we need to get you something to eat before we go and explore everything around here. - Alec was looking around with excitement dancing in his eyes.

- You know, I am not really that hungry, we can just go now. - Draco pushed himself back up, brushing non-existent dirt from his jeans, but when he looked up he knew that he had messed up: Alec's face was clouded, his eyes blazing fire.

- Yes, you do. You need to eat decent meals At Least three times a day, Draco. And I won't let you skip any damn meals, especially not because of me. Now get your round bum in that tent so I can get you something to eat. - Alec held open the entrance of the tent for Draco.

Draco shivered before slipping past Alec into the tent and stopping right there, looking around the small tent that was so much bigger inside.

It looked like a home, like a warm and comfortable home with everything you need to feel safe.

- Like it? - Alec's hot breath danced over Draco's skin behind his ear, making a soft shiver run down his spine.

He couldn't force himself to speak so he just nodded, earning a chuckle from Alec.

A hot hand slipped over his hip, moving him a bit deeper into the tent before Alec let go and went to the kitchen section, starting to prepare food for them both.

Draco used the time to walk around and simply explore the space around them, feeling calm and sitting down in a comfy armchair, watching Alec move around and get each of them a plate of hot food that made Draco's mouth water.

- You are such an amazing cook. - Draco murmured around a forkful of food, closing his eyes and devouring the rich taste.

After they finished eating, they went out and simply walked around, taking in everything.

Alec was holding Draco's hand the whole time and Draco was grateful for that because he felt a lot safer feeling his touch against his skin.

Alec ended up buying random little things, gifting Draco a ridiculous miniature Viktor Krum that zoomed around on a broom and a play snitch.

- That snitch will actually help you with your motor skills. So another bonus. - Alec mentioned in passing, letting his lips brush against Draco's ear.

They left it all in the tent before walking down to the massive stadium and climbing to their seats in the vip lounge.

Halfway up the stairs Draco stopped, not sure if he would actually be able to climb all the way up, but Alec placed a warm hand against the small of his back and that was all it took for him to keep on climbing. So when they reached the top, Alec placed a soft peck against Draco's temple as if saying how proud he was of Draco.

Before they could get any further, Harry came rushing up to him.

- Draco! You are sitting here too? That's so cool! I am so happy to see you! - He gripped Draco's shoulder, a wide grin playing over his lips. - We are sitting right at the front, wanna come say hi to Ron and Hermione? -

- Hi, I am not fully sure if that's a good idea. Don't want to ruin their day. -

- Oh, don't be silly, come on. - Harry pulled Draco by his hand to where they were sitting, still grinning like a fool but his eyes were an even brighter green from the joy.

One look back and Draco could see how cloudy Alec's eyes had gotten so Draco reached out and took Alec's hand in his free one, pulling him with them.

Alec gripped Draco's fingers a bit tighter, when they stopped he pressed his shoulder against Draco's, staying close as if protecting him.

- Granger, Weasley. Hello. - Draco gave a nod to each of them, earning one back, then he turned to look ahead and felt a bit calmer right away by spotting Remus and Sirius. - Professor Lupin! . -

- Draco, what a pleasure to see you! - Lupin got up and shook his hand with a smile but Sirius' face was cloudy and he stayed sat down, wrapping an arm around Remus' shoulders as soon as he sat back down.

- This is Alec. - Draco turned to face Alec, locking their eyes for a second and placing a hand over his chest.

Alec shook hands with everyone, never letting go of Draco's hand.

They stayed there to chat a bit, Draco found out that it wasn't so bad to actually talk with Harry's friends. Also Alec helped a lot, getting on really well together with Granger.

When it was time, Alec placed a hand on Draco's hip, leading him to their seats, and Draco couldn't hide a sigh when he was finally sitting down.

- If you wanted to get a massage, you could have just asked, not forced yourself to overwork. - Alec smirked, placing a soft peck against Draco's temples right when the game was about to start.

Draco just smacked his hand, making Alec break out laughing.

Just a couple seconds in and Draco was fully concentrated on what was going on in the pitch.

Everyone all of a sudden was acting weird, well, mostly boys and men. Veelas were dancing.

Draco watched how Harry stood up and had his eyes on veelas down below, he stood on the railing and lifted one leg up as if ready to jump but Sirius softly pulled him back, trying to hold back his laughter.

Draco looked over at Alec who looked simply bored but smiled at Draco when their eyes met.

- Veelas have a charm on people, make them do idiotic things just to get on with them. - He whispered to Draco.

Before he could reply, Irish team mascots came out, taking all his attention.

- These are way cooler, don't you think? - Draco murmured in Alec's ear, feeling a rumble of laughter break over Alec.

After that, they both didn't talk for the rest of the game, too caught up in what was happening on the pitch.

With every score and seekers' move, he started to feel some kind of longing to be playing once again, but also that deep feeling of adrenaline that a good game can bring when you enjoy it fully.

After it ended, all players come in their boot, Draco and Alec stood up for them.

Krum was still bleeding and looked bored but then his eyes glanced over Draco and Alec, stopping on Alec, checking him fully out. Then something flared in his eyes, making them not so dark.

Alec just shook his head, a soft smile playing on his lips before he looked down.

A hot flame, something like acid, ran through Draco's chest.

For some reason he wanted to slap that look off of Krum's face and pull Alec closer, hold him and let him nuzzle against Draco's neck.

Draco had no idea what these crazy thoughts were and he really didn't want to let them ruin his evening so he just turned around, facing an excited Harry and his friends, engaging in the conversation about the game that ended a few minutes before.

Draco glanced back and saw Krum grumbling something to Alec who had a soft smile playing over his lips.

Alec nodded, murmured something back, clapped Krum on the shoulder and walked over to Draco with a way too goofy grin on his lips that made Draco just scowl.

Sirius nudged Remus on the side, nodding to Alec, earning a strict word from Remus.

And then Alec was back next to Draco, running a hand through his hair but, for some reason, Draco just couldn't take his touch in that moment so he pulled away, noticing a hurt look sliding over Alec's face with the side of his eye.

They stayed there chatting for a bit longer before everyone made their way back to the tents.

Draco felt pleased but also really exhausted, wanting to get into bed and fall asleep, but when they finally slid into their tent, he found that Alec had other plans.

- What did I do to upset you? - He asked right after the door flap closed behind them.

Draco just groaned, walking over to the kitchen area, looking through the stuff Alec had laid out on the table.

- Draco. Talk to me. Please. - Alec stopped next to him, not moving his eyes off of Draco.

- Nothing. Can we have some tea? - Draco plopped down in one of the soft armchairs, letting his eyes fall shut.

- Of course. - Alec started to make them some tea. - But I can see that something made you upset. It would just be better to tell me straight away so I can fix it. -

Draco groaned again, this time louder, running his own hands through his hair, feeling frustrated.

- I don't know, okay? I have no damn idea! - Alec turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised as if asking: what aren't you saying? - Fine! I didn't like how that Krum was looking at you! -

Draco spat it out like vomiting acid but felt better right away, calm setting over his chest and easing away the burning there.

Alec looked at him a bit surprised for a moment before turning around to fish out the tea bags from their tea and giving one cup to Draco, sitting down next to him.

They didn't talk for a few minutes, simply sipping their tea in silence.

With every passing minute, Draco felt more and more sleepy but then finally Alec started to speak.

- He asked me if I wanted to hang out tonight to celebrate the good game. Have a few drinks, have some good time and so on. - Alec murmured as if ashamed.

Draco turned fully to face him, feeling that weird feeling creeping back into his chest, urging him to spill the remains of his tea on Alec's face.

- I said no, that I needed to stay with you. - Alec looked up at Draco, his eyes looking so sad that they were an even more piercing blue.

- Okay. - Draco heard himself murmur, placing his teacup down and shifting closer to Alec, curling against his side, hiding his face against Alec's neck, letting out a breath he didn't know that he was holding, making Alec shiver.

He pressed a soft ghost-like kiss against the pulse point on Alec's neck, hearing a soft whimper escape Alec, so then he just snaked his arm around Alec's chest, squeezing him even closer.

Alec softly placed one hand over Draco's thigh and moved the other over his shoulders and pushed his hand in Draco's hair, starting to play with it.

It felt so good and relaxing, his fingers massaging Draco's aching skin, that without really realizing, he let out a soft purr.

Alec's hand froze for a second, his other hand squeezing Draco's thigh a bit before relaxing back into the chair.