A/N: I've never done the SFW alphabet template before, but I know generally it's supposed to approach it from a Character/Reader standpoint, but I've missed writing these guys (the AU version of them in HTWA not counting, as this here is strictly about Muggle!Marilyn/Draco), and this seemed like it would be fun, and as good a way as any to get back to grips with them. I'm thinking of doing the NSFW alphabet for them next! (Also doing these for James/Theodora for those who read my POTC stuff.)

Didn't mean to leave Live Forever untouched for so long - I'm sorry about that! It's not abandoned, I've just been preoccupied with other things.

SFW Alphabet

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Many would think that Draco wouldn't be affectionate at all - maybe in private (in secret, more like), but never in public. Which is probably why those who know him by reputation are always so stunned when they see him with Marilyn. But he fought like hell to be able to marry her - to be able to be with her, publicly, and he plans to take full advantage of it now. Not least because he wants to show all of the sorry fools who cannot have her that he can. He does. He's well aware that they make for a hell of an attractive couple, and he doesn't mind flaunting that a little - within the bounds of tastefulness. He's not really one for words of affirmation - mostly because they embarrass him and he hardly knows what to say even if he'd feel comfortable voicing it in the first place. But gifts, physical touch, and making damn well sure that others treat Marilyn with the respect she deserves are all how he shows his love.

In Marilyn's case, she loves who she loves and she doesn't care who knows it. She shows affection more freely than Draco might, but similarly to him voicing it isn't her preferred way of expressing it. She can, she's not embarrassed by it, but it's just so cheesy - and anybody can say all sorts of very nice sounding words, so she prefers to let her actions speak for her. Small touches,

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Marilyn is a ride or die friend. Whatever you need - wine and ice cream at 2am, a place to crash, an alibi, she's your gal.

With Draco, it's a bit more complicated. He had to learn what being a proper friend was long after most people do - relearning it as an adult after the transactional nature of it all when he was a teenager. He may not be very good at the emotional side of things, he has little patience for listening to people vent, and doesn't really know how to "check in" on friends to see if they're doing okay, but he will help them out when needed if he can use his family's money or sway to do so. So long as the friend doesn't mortify him by trying to make a big deal out of it afterwards.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Marilyn once compared Draco to a very posh housecat who hisses at everybody but purrs at her. That analogy holds up here. He likes being fussed over - having Marilyn comb her fingers through his hair, having her rest her head on his chest in bed and trace invisible lines across his skin, all of it, but if anybody ever asked him to admit that, he'd rather die. Trained Aurors couldn't pry that information out of him.

For her part, Marilyn loves to cuddle - and she admits it much more freely than Draco does. Because she's an athlete, she needs her rest so there might not always be time at the end of the day - often she falls into bed and passes straight out after a long day - but first thing in the morning, while she's waking up and adjusting to the day, she loves it. When she loves it most, though, is when she and Draco both have a day off (they do whatever they can to coordinate their days off so that they get them together, just to counteract their workaholic streaks, but it's pretty easy in Draco's case because he's self-employed so his schedule is less rigid) and they can spend the day cuddling while they watch movies, read together, or listen to music.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Yes - for both of them, as far as settling down is concerned. In Draco's case it's partially because he was raised with the expectation that he'd marry and father heirs, but in both of their cases, they both genuinely want to have a partner in life, as well as a family - eventually. They've both dated a bit and dabbled in casual sex, but mostly to scratch an itch and let off some steam, with neither of them really finding the sort of thrill and fulfilment in that as others might. Mostly, neither of them really are the type to have the patience for dating around and all that entails, just for the sake of not being alone, and would rather be single than stuck with the wrong person for the sake of company.

Draco cannot cook or clean. Mostly because it's servant stuff, and also because he relies on magic for basically everything. His time with Marilyn among her Muggle friends necessitated his learning how to make tea and coffee the Muggle way (aided by a curiosity over the tech in the kitchen, although he wouldn't admit it at the time), and he could stretch that to toast and simple things like that if he really tried, but he has little desire to. He knows he can pay for meals ten times better and not have to do it himself, so why bother? Sometimes Marilyn ropes him into helping out with whatever she's cooking (because she can cook, and she enjoys it), and when he complains about it she points out that he's boasted before about his good grades in Potions. He can't dither with his alchemical ingredients and then say cooking is vastly different. At one point she even asserts that it means he'd probably be a very good baker, which is more precise chemistry than cooking. The look that earns her both amuses her, and stops her from ever suggesting it again.

As far as cleaning is concerned in Marilyn's case, though, that's definitely one of the perks of living in a magical household once she and Draco move in together. She can do it, before she knew about magic it was just part and parcel of being a functional adult, but unlike cooking, if she can get out of it, she absolutely will with no regret.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

They would never break up with each other, but if we're speaking hypothetically. Draco would be very avoidant about the whole thing. He'd avoid her for as long as possible, until given no choice but to confront the issue, and then he'd get it out as quickly and as bluntly as possible before leaving again so he wouldn't have to see her cry, or give her a chance to talk him out of it.

Marilyn would be less avoidant but just as reluctant, eventually taking a "rip off the band-aid" approach, sitting him down and just forcing it out. Although she'd probably be less convincing at pretending to be unbothered than Draco would be, and end up crying somewhere during it.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

For Draco it's always been a given - it's his duty as Malfoy heir. The tricky part has always just been finding the right person. When he finds Marilyn, though, and they no longer need to keep their relationship secret, it absolutely becomes a matter of when rather than if. She's stood by him through this much, Muggle or no, so what challenges could marriage present that they haven't already been through?

In Marilyn's case, marriage is much less of a no-brainer. Yes, it's an ideal, and she'd very much prefer to get married and have children one day, but only if she finds the right person to do that with. She's not the sort to settle, and is fine enough on her own that she wouldn't marry anybody just for the sake of being able to say she did get married in the end.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Learning how to be gentle emotionally is…a work in progress with Draco. Although that suggests he actively works on it much more than he does. With Marilyn, he does. He grew up saying whatever he damn well pleased and not caring how it might make others feel. That was their problem, not his. He's not an idiot - he does know how to keep a lid on the worst of his nastiness (he was hardly strutting about being an arse to his parents when he was a teenager), but there are times when a bit of snippiness slips out - a thoughtless comment when he's in a mood - and where Marilyn is concerned, he always feels bad about it after the fact. She knows he doesn't mean it, and that his prickliness isn't personal, but she's only understanding about it because he is sorry for it. She's not a doormat.

Physically speaking, though, there's not an issue there at all. He'd rather die before he laid a hand on her that wasn't gentle. Well, unless it's something she explicitly and enthusiastically requests, but that's an entirely different matter. The same goes for Marilyn in that regard, too, she doesn't go about laying hands on people (except for when they're trying to kill her, but there's not much of that going around after Little By Little). Emotionally speaking, she's more emotionally intelligent than Draco (or maybe emotionally mindful is the correct phrase), so she's less likely to be an asshole for no reason…although it takes a lot of self control for her not to snap back and escalate arguments when he's the one who starts it by being snide, especially when she's had a long day of rehearsals.

Not that they don't make up fairly quickly afterwards - and enjoy the process of doing so, no less.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Draco enjoys hugs, but they have to be from the right person, at the right time. He can't abide people clinging to him when he'd rather be left alone, or when he's busy. He's also iffy about initiating them - only doing so if the situation is emotionally charged enough (happy or sad) to overshadow his own awkwardness about it. Mostly, he prefers to approach her from behind and wrap his arms around her, probably muttering something dry and sarcastic in her ear as he does so, to detract from the fact that he's actually seeking out affection. Despite all of this, though, he gives great hugs. Although those blessed enough to discover this are sworn to secrecy.

Marilyn, meanwhile, is a hugger. Although not the kind who tries to make a whole ass personality trait out of that fact. She'll hug anybody - nights out, ballet fans who recognise her, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and they're always filled with warmth.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Draco thinks it long before he actually says it. Even were it not for the complications between him and Marilyn, it's something he'd keep to himself for a long time before he voiced it. In part because conversations around sentiment aren't something he takes a lot of joy in, but also because he's not used to being scared of rejection - or the possibility of rejection at all, for that matter.

Marilyn is much more likely to say it not long after first feeling it, but everything in the way between her and Draco would give her pause in this particular case, especially when they're pretending that there's still any hope of keeping this thing casual in the beginning.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they're jealous?)

It's a mixed bag - for both of them. These are two people who absolutely know their worth, and their strengths. They're hardly the insecure types, by any stretch of the imagination - even though they're both still human, and do still have weak spots.

In both cases, they know their own strengths, they don't have any of that "you're too good for me, I don't deserve you", they know their worth, they know what they bring to the table - and, most importantly, they know how well they work together. They're not entirely joking when they refer to themselves as a power couple. After everything they had to fight through to be together, they know neither of them is going to throw that away for the sake of what? A flirtation?

When Marilyn spots Muggle women staring at Draco (because that's the only time she can be sure it's only his looks drawing the stares and not his reputation), she finds it funny. She doesn't blame them, either - he's very handsome. And when Draco finds others staring at Marilyn? Well, that just makes him smug.

But they're both human, and there are exceptions. To Marilyn's relief, Draco really doesn't get jealous where her dance partners are concerned. Okay, he nearly had an aneurysm when he first saw her dance in Mayerling, but he sees the logic in it when she insists there's nothing sexy about it from the dancers' perspectives - not when they're rehearsed it to death, and they're solely focused on getting everything right from a technical standpoint. That, however, doesn't mean that some of the men in her company don't get a bit big for their boots - or ballet slippers.

Whether it's her skill or her beauty that grabs their attention, every so often one will come along and get it in his head that he has a chance - despite the fact that she has a husband. As he hears it from Marilyn, some think dancers can only successfully navigate relationships with other dancers thanks to the schedule constraints their line of work places upon them. Whenever some poor sod gets that in his head, she disabuses them of that notion very quickly, but Draco still takes great joy in making sure they get a front row seat to his showering her with expensive flowers and jewellery on opening and closing nights.

For Marilyn, it's a bit more complicated. There are a number of Pureblood women (not the more fanatical ones, but the social climbers certainly) who still consider Draco a catch purely because he's a Malfoy, and like to think they're the key to his social salvation - and a more natural fit solely through virtue of their blood, and their ability to perform magic. That is more of a loaded topic for her than differing career paths, and not something that can be so easily disproved.

Every so often, some elegant, aristocratic bint will approach Draco at some business party or another, and try to flirt. Covertly, when Marilyn isn't around, or - perhaps worse - when she is, approaching and shamelessly making a pass at him while she stands right there at his side. It's not so much that Marilyn thinks the other woman has a chance - but it's that the woman thinks she does. On the worst occasions of that happening, Draco drags Marilyn into a private corner and shows her just how misguided that notion is, trying not to let her see how her jealousy riles him up (in a good way). If the source of that annoyance happens to come across them in that compromising position, all the better.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Draco's kisses are gentle - and filled with all of the love and tenderness he might otherwise struggle to voice. Marilyn's are similar, intense but not as fierce as others might guess. Draco's had his fair share of casual sex, and Marilyn has had more than a few encounters with guys who just wanted to say they'd slept with a ballerina, so before they get together it's been a while since either have them have really just kissed for the pleasure of kissing, and they take full advantage of that when they are together, often joking that they feel like they've gone back to their teen years where kissing alone was a big deal.

Marilyn loves to kiss Draco's neck, because he all but melts into that, as well as his chest, down to the waistline of his trousers, taking great joy in watching as he grows more and more impatient with her progress. It's okay, though, because he gets his revenge by doing the same, all the way up those long, lean legs of hers that he loves so much.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Draco has little time for children that aren't his own, although Marilyn takes great joy in when they choose to disregard that and follow him around anyway, usually those of Harry and Ginny, or Ron and Hermione. Mostly he ignores them and hopes they'll leave him be. With his own, though? With his own he resolves to be the father that his was not - he'll never rule by fear, even if out of him and Marilyn, he's the stricter of the two. When he has the heart to be.

Marilyn is good with kids - and far more willingly than Draco is, when they're not her own. When it comes to her own, though, she's oddly less comfortable, at least in theory. Much like Draco, she hardly has an example that she can learn from, so she's winging it as she goes and just sticking to her best judgement, which means she often worries that she could be doing better.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

On their days off, if anybody wakes either up before nine am, something better be on fire. Marilyn usually ends up waking up before that anyway, lounging around in bed with Draco and chatting quietly if he's already awake. She'll go through her stretching routine on the bedroom floor before she even does anything else, because it feels good and it sets her up for the day. If Draco's awake, she might chat to him as she goes through the motions, or else she'll either do it in silence or with earbuds in, finding it meditative. Only after that will she attend to everything else - washing, dressing, breakfast, the works.

Draco, however, is one of those people who can barely function without his morning coffee. That's his first port of call every morning, usually rolling out of bed around the time Marilyn is done stretching, so that they can drink coffee together in the kitchen and work out their schedules for the week ahead, planners in hand, ensuring they can find a bit of time together in the midst of their work lives.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

On their days off, they have date nights - Draco's ability to Apparate coming in very handy here, meaning they rarely have two in a row in the same city. Draco's fascination with Muggle cinema never goes away, either, even if his taste becomes a bit more discerning as time goes on (he never gets into the MCU, but he's a fan of the Nolan Batman trilogy, even if Marilyn teases him a bit for that, so on nights when they're both wiped out, takeout and movies are always an option. Whether or not they actually watch the movie or just make use of their ridiculously big sofa depends on just how tired they are, and how good the movie is.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Gradually, for both of them. Especially in Draco's case, given everything Marilyn doesn't know about him in the beginning. Draco doesn't open up easily, and Marilyn doesn't like dwelling on the past. Neither of them much like being vulnerable, either. They both like to appear as perfect and put together as possible, and emotional baggage that comes with wars or pasts containing abusive parents doesn't exactly fit that bill. It's usually at night when they start to open up - maybe after a drink or two, or after sex, lying in the dark. One will ask a question, and the other will answer it. A shred of vulnerability - especially one that isn't rejected by the other - prompts a bit more, and maybe the other person reciprocates it, until they're curled up and having a conversation far more deep and sincere than they'd anticipated. They always feel better about it after the fact - even if they don't rehash it all again in the light of day the next morning.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

It depends. Draco has a foul temper, and a tongue sharp as a razor to match. Marilyn knows better than to take it personally, but she also won't abide him taking it out on her, either (and he does his best not to, always feeling guilty and apologising once he's calmed down - while she gives him space when he needs it). It's not really a hair-trigger temper, though. Incompetence annoys him - as does disrespect, especially towards his wife (even when their marriage is just a cover), but he's not as bad as he was when he was a teenager. If he knows somebody is purposely setting out to goad him, the last thing he'll do is let on that it's working. In those cases, he might even crack a smile just to really annoy them. When sparked, though, his anger burns hot. It might be tempting to say he's all bark and no bite, but in reality he's bark and bite.

Marilyn is less easily angered - but she's still no pushover, her overall motto being more or less do no harm, take no shit. If she stands up for herself when somebody's being a prick, it's more or less 50/50 on whether she's standing up for herself on pure principle, or because they've actually angered her by what they said. Contrarily to Draco, though, her anger burns cold - and lasts a bit longer than the fiery burst that his shows up in. She's also a bit more forgiving, though, depending on the person. But they can both hold a legendary grudge…except where the other is concerned.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Draco is far more of a sweetheart with this kind of thing than he'd ever let on. Especially because he's well aware of what a prick he can be at times, so he tries to make up for it where he can - remembering little things so he can use them at a later date. If Marilyn mentions her favourite ice cream, next time she's sick he'll have a vat of it brought to the house. That sort of thing. Sometimes dates go over his head (nothing too important, not anniversaries and birthdays) because he's just so busy and work-focused, but he remains as organised as possible so he doesn't miss things like opening nights and such.

Marilyn has much more of a head for that sort of thing, and she often jokes that she doesn't know if it just comes with being a woman, or with being so entirely responsible for herself at such an early age. The main difficulty she has with remembering things about Draco, though, is the culture gap between his world and hers. It's harder to remember favourite Quidditch teams than it would be Muggle football teams, and so on. But she does her best, and she's not above making note of things to either research later…or call Hermione to ask about, if it's nothing too personal.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

For Marilyn, it's London - that first trip, back before she knew the truth. Admittedly, her view on it changed a little bit for a while after she did learn the truth, but in her mind it was where things really began. Where she had to acknowledge that she was falling, hard. Once her emotional wounds healed from discovering the truth, she could look back on it without the knowledge of what she hadn't known at the time ruining it. Other than that? When he returned to her, after everything went public. When he chose her. Her breath always catches in her throat if she looks back on that for too long. And then he accuses her of being sentimental.

Draco is too plagued with guilt by what happened so quickly after London to look back on it with too much joy. Some parts, yes, but not enough for it to be his favourite moment. Showing her Hogwarts was really up there - having his two worlds collide like that. Being able to walk through his world with her beside him, no longer cowering and looking around for onlookers. Mostly, though, when he got her knee fixed. It was a relief to him, to finally be able to provide her with some sort of good for everything she had to go through in being with him. Being with a Malfoy was supposed to carry considerable perks, and it made him happy to finally be able to show her that.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Draco is very, very protective. He has to be, there's no question - not just because Marilyn can't do magic, but because of the threat he knows she faces. There's no amount of money he wouldn't spend, and nothing he wouldn't do, to keep her safe. The memories of the times he almost failed to do so haunt him, and he refuses to allow any repeats on that score.

With Marilyn it's trickier. She's just as protective - there's nothing she wouldn't do to keep Draco safe, but there's also a whole lot less she can do, and that frustrates her to no end. She refuses to see herself as inferior for being unable to use magic, and she doesn't even wish that she could. Her introduction to it was too sour for that. But that doesn't mean it never frustrates her. So she makes up for it where she can - and God help any poor soul who makes the mistake of badmouthing him around her.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Draco is all about the grand gestures. Gifts worth more than some make in a month (or a year), lavish dates, the works. Not just because he wants to do that for Marilyn (again, harkening back to the knowledge that there are some downsides to being with him, so wanting to make up for that) but also because it sends a signal to onlookers, too.

Marilyn isn't averse to making an effort, either, but she's much more about sweating the small stuff - what Draco might brush off as small stuff, anyway, that he would ordinarily see as just something to get through. Celebrating his hitting milestones at work, turning a casual night at home into a memorable date in its own right, convincing him to climb out of the skylight and up onto the roof during summer so they can watch the stars.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Draco is a right prickly little sod when he wants to be, and sometimes when he doesn't want to be. He's so used to saying the worst thing he can possibly think of in an argument just to win the argument, and that's something that he has to actively unlearn.

They're both fiercely independent, too, and not completely used to having to look to a partner to discuss things, or even just keep them in the loop regarding what they're doing.

Marilyn is also very bad at admitting when she's struggling - if she's stressed or feeling low, so on. She's so very good at convincing everybody around her that she has absolutely no insecurities whatsoever, that if something does snag in her mind and bother her, she'd often rather die than admit it.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

They both know they're good looking people, and they don't exactly make a secret of that. That being said, there's a certain level of maintenance that goes into it. Draco is far more concerned with expensive clothing than Marilyn is - brands, designers, that sort of thing, purely because he comes from wealth. Marilyn cares much less about how expensive something is so long as it looks good (although she doesn't complain about the great pleasure Draco takes in buying her expensive jewellery and clothing), and falls more onto the side of putting time into her appearance rather than money. It's part of her career to do so, anyway, so she can't not be concerned with her looks - her figure, her skin, her hair, it all adds up. That does lead her to be a bit more self-critical, especially where her perfectionism seeps into her work, but she tries to at least stay aware of that so it doesn't drag her into unhealthy habits.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Once they're in love with one another, there's no going back. They could never move on from each other.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Marilyn absolutely sends Draco risque photos when they're apart to rile him up. Hell, maybe not even when they're apart - when he's across the room, and then she sits and waits for him to see it and react.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn't like, either in general or in a partner?)

Mind games. In Marilyn's case, any sort of fuckboy behaviour - negging, possessiveness, that sort of thing. In Draco's case, somebody who tries to make him jealous, or tries too hard overall to "win" his attraction or his attention. It just seems desperate, and it's a turn off. In both of their cases, clinginess is also a no-go. They love one another deeply, and prioritise each other, but if the other couldn't handle it when one needed space to work or get something done, they'd struggle to have the patience for that.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

They have a massive bed, and move around a lot throughout the night - sprawled on different sides, spooning, stretched out with only one limb touching, all depends on how hot it is, how tired they are, so on. They also both prefer to sleep naked, so long as they're the only ones home.

A/N: I'm thinking of writing a whole ass chapter about some of these scenarios.