Sundays were laundry days for Draco. They usually were, anyway. The previous Sunday morning his washer and dryer had both been occupied and Draco hadn't been able to settle it before his shift at work. So the following morning Draco had none of his preferred items of clothing to wear and had to put on an old short-sleeved T-shirt. He hoped nobody would bother him about his left arm.
He found Potter folding clothes in front of the TV. He had his glasses on and Draco could see his scar for the first time since he showed up at his door. It was a face he hadn't seen in years. In his surprise, Draco stopped and just stood there for a full minute.
Potter seemed to have just noticed him for the first time. He greeted Draco amicably, "Morning. Hermione left out some breakfast on the counter," he looked up then and seemed to realise he was being stared at. "What?"
Draco mentally shook himself. "Nothing. I just thought you got rid of those," he answered, motioning to the other's head.
Potter reached up and touched his scar. "Oh," he finished up folding his clothes, "I do that when I need to be out."
Draco went to the kitchen counter to find the breakfast he mentioned. It was two servings of omelette. "Guess she really likes omelettes?" Potter loudly told him to save some for him.
A moment later, they were eating breakfast together at the kitchen island. Draco was looking at his phone but he noticed when Potter was eyeing his left forearm, which was now entirely black and often covered under long sleeves.
"It's just blackout tattoo," he offered unprompted, still scrolling through his feed, "it's still there if one knew what to look for, and looked close enough."
Potter acknowledged him with a nod. "What do you even do on that?" Potter changed the subject, pointing at the phone in his hand, "you're on it all the time, almost."
Draco paused. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Nothing matters." And since nothing mattered anyway, he just answered him flatly, "I don't know. News headlines. Maybe I'll randomly find something of my father's."
They fell silent and continued to eat, but soon Draco noticed the other man was not eating anymore. He looked at Potter and noticed him making a weird face.
"It's just for no reason," he changed his answer belatedly.
"You… Don't you know? About your father?"
Something like dread began to settle in his stomach. Draco finished chewing and swallowed. "What about my father?"
Potter shifted in his seat to better face him. "They publicized it on the Daily Prophet. A couple of years ago, I think? His capture, and then… execution."
Everything stopped. Even his discouraging brain offered nothing. In the next moment, Draco finished his omelette. Potter was still facing him but was silent. After putting away his dishes, he simply left for work.
Work was a great distraction. He got so much done that day and everything else went over normally. People bothered him about all the things including his arm, and he didn't have to think about the news he'd just received that morning. But soon the day ended and he was meant to be going home.
He stood on the platform staring at a tile in the wall while waiting for the train. But when his train arrived, he simply missed it. He just stood there, stuck in his head.
If his father was long gone, what had been the point in waiting? He could just stop, now.
At some point, his phone rang. He mechanically fished it out of his pocket and registered the name of Helen Brown. "Hm?" he hummed by way of answering the call.
"Aren't you coming home? Where are you?" Granger's tone was worried. She'd never asked these of him before, so Draco guessed his roommates had been talking.
He shrugged, not caring. "Yea I just missed my train is all."
"Which one is your train, let me come fetch you," she started to insist.
Draco's face pulled into a confused look, "huh? No, I'm just waiting for the next one."
"If I remember correctly, your station's the one at-" Draco cut in then, "no, I'm already on my way." He disengaged the call and checked on the time – he'd missed two trains by that point.
He got home eventually and as soon as he got through the door, Granger was on his heels.
"Hey, how was your day?" she asked, pretending this wasn't completely unusual.
Draco made a beeline for his room. "Same as always," he answered nonetheless.
They passed Potter who'd been standing in the kitchen, just watching the scene before him.
Granger followed him until she stood at his bedroom door. "There's some extra left from dinner," she informed him, not letting him shut his door.
"I'm not hungry," he replied as they both pushed on the door against each other.
Granger managed to force herself through and grabbed his arm. As soon as he felt her touch, something inside him seemed to begin to crack.
His head started to throb and he swayed on his feet. "No, don't do this. I don't want to deal with it."
Draco felt himself nearly doubling over before Granger quickly guided him to sit on his bed.
"You're alright. It'll be alright," he heard her say, but more clearly, he felt her hug. It was too much comfort after literal years without so much as touching another person, and it made his throat close up and his eyes sting.
Finally, he was too weak to stop the onslaught so Draco went on to sob earnestly in her embrace.
He had apparently fallen asleep. Presently, he was just coming to and his senses was filled with her. Draco refused to open his eyes but slowly pieced it together.
If he wakes up, he'll go back to waiting. That endless wait for nothing.
But this right then, Granger's well-meaning and warmth, were the only things he wanted. So of course, he snuggled further into her, relishing in the quietness.
He did so because he thought she was asleep and completely unaware. When she brought up a hand and stroke his back, Draco only froze.
"Do you want me to stay?" she whispered into the dark.
He didn't answer her for a while. "But why would you?" he asked back instead.
Granger took his arm and placed it over her body. Draco wanted to melt into her.
"Too much is already lost."
They stayed like that for a few moments. Sleepily, Draco told her, "This doesn't replace rent, either." She almost burst out laughing. But he secretly hoped she would hold him forevermore.