A/N: Yes, it's been almost a month since I last updated this story? Or was it three weeks? Anyway, here's the newest chapter :D School (college) hinders things…

Thank you for the reviews!! :D

Let's look into the lives of Harry and Draco… In Harry's home. I'll pick up from where I left off in the last chapter: Same day, but during the nighttime.

Warnings: Somewhat weak!Draco. Er… Yea. Lol Harry is just Harry. Okay, that wasn't really a warning but I just wanted to make that clear.

Chapter 6

Awkward Affections

"Do you need any help?" Draco asked from the entryway of the kitchen.

Draco watched as Harry bustled around in front of him, preparing their evening meal. The corner of his mouth quirked as pots banged, bowls clinked, and of course there were the occasional sounds of Harry chopping. The brunet stopped—he was cutting up some celery it seemed—and turned to smile at the blond.

"It's alright… But if you don't mind, can you set the table?" Harry asked. "I've labeled the cabinets and drawers for you since you've never been here before…"

Draco chuckled and made his chair float inside to the kitchen. "That's very thoughtful of you, Potter." He stopped right in front of the counter, where a drawer was labeled with 'utensils'; Draco looked up and found a cabinet door labeled with 'plates and bowls'. "You actually etched the words right into the wood? I thought you would just stick a piece of paper."

Harry cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. I thought the pieces of paper wouldn't go well with the whole… look you see." Draco snorted and opened the drawer to take out two forks, knives, and spoons; Harry continued with his explanation. "And I didn't just label the kitchen. I did it for the bathroom, closets, or wherever things are kept. If I used paper… I would need loads of it and that's just killing trees."

"Of course, Harry," Draco drawled and floated up in his chair so that he could reach the cabinet. "What are we having? Something smells good; I didn't know you can cook." Draco looked over to the stove where a pot of something was cooking.

"Something light. I'm making Minestrone because I didn't want anything too heavy. You've been eating hospital food and I know how awful they can be. We'll gradually work our way up." Harry took a handful of chopped celery and dropped them into the steaming pot. "As for me knowing how to cook… I learned when I was living with my Muggle relatives. I'm not good, but I get by."

Draco was… touched. Harry had actually thought about his wellbeing. He smiled softly to himself and opened the cabinet. He gawked, unattractively if Harry saw him, at the huge variety of plates and bowls stacked inside. There were crystal made ones, some porcelain and ceramics, and some that looked plastic. Draco gazed at those with something close to disgust.

"Uh… should I get the porcelain bowls?" Draco asked, not even bothering to ask about the plastic ones; his hand was itching to reach for the crystal ones, but sadly there weren't any bowls. Draco didn't think eating soup from a plate was a good idea.

Harry laughed outright as he stirred the soup, having added the chicken stock. "Those are fine and you didn't even mention the plastic ones."

Draco sniffed and took two white porcelain bowls. He drifted to the dining table and did the settings.

"Why do you have plastic bowls and plates?" Draco asked offhandedly as he put the silver utensils down.

"Well… Don't you think using my fancy bowls for breakfast is a bit much?" Harry asked; his back was facing Draco so the blond couldn't see the brunet's expression.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. He could hear a teasing tone to Harry's question. "Potter, you're the first person I know that uses plastic bowls for breakfast."

"I don't make extravagant breakfast, like what you're used to eating," Harry sniffed, "I wake up early sometimes and don't have time to make anything. I usually just grab some fruit or have a bowl of cereal."

"Serial? What?!" Draco blurted out, his eyebrows hidden behind his fringe. "Serial killers? Numbers? What the hell, Harry?"

Harry snorted, trying hard not to laugh at the way the Draco cried out. The green-eyed man faced Draco with a smirk. "Malfoy! It's cereal, not serial… Cereal is this Muggle thing… they eat it for breakfast. They're little balls made out of wheat or flour. I drown them with milk… some people might prefer eating it dry."

"Uhg… I don't think I want to try them thank you very much." Draco grimaced. "They're dry and sound awful. I'll just stick with pancakes coated with syrup; they're good enough."

"Do you know how to make them?" Harry asked; he had turned back to the pot of soup. Harry threw some carrots in as he waited for Draco's answer.

"Of course; I've been living by myself for the past eight years…" Draco trailed off and picked at the tablecloth. "One has to learn when they're alone…"

Harry just nodded; he wasn't even sure if Draco was looking at him. Living by yourself was pretty lonely, Harry knew. He lived alone for the past seven years. It got too quiet around the house and that was why he got Storm. Even though he was just a little puppy, Storm kept Harry company. But Draco… Draco wasn't in contact with any of his old friends. Harry was sure it would've been too dangerous to write to them, after all, some were loyal Death Eaters and Draco was a traitor.

Not to mention many of them died that night… All that were left were probably families of the dead. Families that would love to seek out Malfoy and have their revenge, saving the 'Boy-Who-Lived-Twice' and all.

"Well, you're not alone anymore…"

Draco looked up from the tablecloth; he winced when a piece of string came off.

"Excuse me?"

Harry sighed and stopped stirring; he turned around and smiled lightly at the blond.

"I said you're not alone anymore. Do you need your ears checked?" Draco scowled at Harry when the brunet waggled his eyebrows.

"No, I don't need my ears checked," Draco grumbled. "I-I'm just… surprised. That's all." Does he mean it? I don't think I can bear being alone… Not now…

"No need to be, Draco," Harry said softly. "I said I will take care of your needs. I'm not going to back out. Trust me. Please."

Draco looked into Harry's eyes. Even though he was more than five feet away, Draco still saw the sincerity shining in those emerald orbs. Harry didn't pity him, Draco knew for certain; Potter wasn't the pitying type. Draco would've hexed the man seven ways to Sunday if he did. The blond saw that the other man really wanted to help him, out of friendliness or whatever it was. As much as Draco didn't want to admit, he liked having Potter around. It was nice to have somebody to talk to, instead of walls and shadows.

Potter and his untamable mop of hair. Oh how Draco wanted to comb his fingers through it…

His bright smile… bright enough to light up a whole room.

His gentleness… gentleness that Draco didn't know Harry possessed.

Harry's laughter.

Harry's acceptance, despite their past.

And did Draco trust him? Yes. The reason Harry was doing this…

Draco slowly returned the smile. Harry grinned just a bit wider before turning his attention back to the boiling soup. Malfoy looked down at his lap.

Maybe because he actually care.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" Draco cried.

Harry looked away from the telly and stared at Draco. "What is it, Draco?"

The blond let out an exasperated sigh and threw his hands up. "Potter! We left straight from St. Mungo's this morning, zoomed all the way here in your little sports car and that was it! Are we forgetting something?" Draco sneered at the brunet. "You, Healer Potter, did not go by my flat. I have no clothes! No skin care products! My hair products! My toiletries! I am not going to sit around your flat naked!"

Draco ranted on and on; Harry rolled his eyes and turned off the telly. There wasn't anything good on anyway. Potter calmly stood up from the sofa and looked down at a distressed Draco. He held his arms opened and Malfoy stopped talking to glance at him.

"I want to show you your room," Harry said; Draco scoffed but held out his hands anyway.

"My empty room you mean. I swear, Potter, I am not going to wear your clothes."

"My shirts and trousers are too big for you! And maybe a tad short, I might add," Harry said amusingly. He bent low and snaked one arm behind Draco's back while the other went under Draco's knees. Harry lifted the slender man almost effortlessly; he took three steps and carefully put Draco into the wheelchair.

"You are taking me shopping tomorrow, Harry," Draco declared as Harry guided his chair towards a hallway. "You owe me."

"Mm…" Harry hummed. When they reached the second door on the left side of the hallway, Harry stopped in front of it and turned to look at Draco. "Don't kill me when you see what's inside alright?"

Draco sighed. "Why would I kill you?" Draco then glared at Harry and crossed his arms. "Why, do you not have a bed either?! How dare you make me sleep on the floor! If you think this is a way to make me sleep with you, you got another thing coming!" Draco growled, too angry to realize what he had just said, and slapped his palm onto the armrest of his chair.

Harry blushed at Malfoy's last comment. "Draco, calm down!" Do I need to put him on Calming Draughts?

"I will not!"

"Draco…"

"Potter! Open that door this instant! I swear I am going to smack you silly once I see the extremely empty room! That is not how you treat your guests! Not to mention I'm also your patient!"

Harry huffed, knowing quite well that Draco would not stop yelling at him. He opened the door and stepped inside, bowing low and swept his arms, gesturing to Draco to come in. Malfoy drifted past Harry, glaring at the green-eyed man as he went by. Harry rolled his eyes and followed, putting at least a good three feet between him and Draco.

"Can't you at least turn on the lights?!" Draco snapped; he smirked when he heard Harry sigh somewhere behind him. With a sharp snap of fingers, the whole room lit up. "No need to hide the room in da—"

Any scathing remarks Draco had died behind his lips as grey eyes scanned the layout of the room before him.

Harry gulped; Draco was saying something and now he was quiet. Did he over did it? Harry bit his lips as he stealthily made his way to Draco.

'I took the courtesy of moving his clothes and personal items without telling him… Hope he's not too angry at me.'

"D-Draco? Are you alright?" Harry stood at the side; he didn't want to stand right in front of Draco, afraid that the blond might send a straight arm punch right in his stomach.

'Maybe he's going to ask why I have the bed right in that corner. Or why his 'lotions' are all placed based on the size of the bottles.'

"Harry…"

'Oh, here it comes…'

"… You… Thank you. This is simply marvelous," Draco gushed; he turned his head and looked up at Harry's wide green eyes.

"Er… You're welcome," Harry replied uncertainly. That was unexpected. 'This isn't the calm before the storm is it?'

Draco gave Harry one of those smiles before making his wheelchair move towards the bed. "You had me worried! This bed looks so comfortable…" Draco reached out and smoothed his palm over the bed sheet. "It's silk… This is almost the same as the one I have at my flat."

Harry let out a whoosh of breath. He smiled at Draco and walked over to him. "Well, I know you don't like coarse cotton or things like that. I have another set actually; Egyptian cotton."

"Do you really?" Draco asked excitedly. Slender fingers wrapped around Harry's wrist and squeezed. "Why didn't you say so? Now I feel really bad for screaming at you five minutes ago." Draco looked down and released Harry's wrist. "I'm such a bastard while you're being so hospitable."

"Hey…" Harry whispered and knelt down on the floor. He took Draco's hand and patted it comfortingly. "It's alright, Draco, don't think too much about it. It was my fault for not saying anything. I thought you would be angry at me for moving your things here without asking for your permission."

Two pairs of eyes met and both men looked at each other. Silence stretched between them until Draco smirked.

"You didn't rip anything did you?"

Harry laughed; the tension was broken. He knew Malfoy wasn't the type to be all mushy. That was why Harry liked him so much… so much that he might even love him more than before.

"I have no say in this, do I?"

Harry was holding Draco's pajamas in his hand, along with a pair of boxers. He shook his head and placed the clothes onto the bathroom counter.

"I told you before. I am not going to let you take a bath by yourself," Harry said calmly. They went through this before. Twenty minutes ago actually.

.: Swirly, swirly… Twenty minutes ago :.

"Potter! I am NOT going to let your eyes roam around my body!"

"Well, I don't care, Malfoy! The last thing I want is for you to crack your head open on the side of the bathtub! I am not going to staple your skull back together if that happens."

Draco snarled at the brunet and tried to swipe at Harry's head. "Why I oughta… YOU are not going to be inside while I am shirtless!"

"That's too bad because I didn't know you take a bath with your clothes on," Harry smirked. Draco turned red in the face. "The nurses at the hospital saw you naked and they were women! I'm a guy! I have the same anatomy as you… So what's the freaking problem?!"

"The problem… Problem…" Draco sputtered. "You're my healer, not a nurse!"

Draco couldn't come up with a better comeback.

"Really? Oh for Merlin's sake… Draco, please… Just let me help you," Harry pleaded. "I swear I'm not going to touch… Well, I have to touch but you know what I mean."

"Harry…" Draco growled.

"Alright! I'm going to turn my head the other way, if that makes you feel better." Harry pouted at the blond.

Draco groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine! Fine, Harry! I admit I need help to get in and get out… But can't I wash myself?"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fuck… Why do you make everything so hard, Draco?"

Malfoy shrugged. "If anything, I think we just love to argue with each other."

"Merlin knows you're right…"

That was what happened twenty minutes earlier, in the bedroom. Now that Harry finally got Draco to let him strip him down, he was getting fidgety. It would be the first time Harry saw Draco naked. No clothes, all skin.

Harry swallowed painfully.

"What are you waiting for? I got the water ready." Draco's voice broke through Harry's thoughts.

Harry steeled himself and made his way over to the sitting man. He told Draco to take off his shirt; Harry didn't need to help the blond with that. Draco only struggled a bit, being in a confined chair and all. Malfoy grunted as he pulled the collar over his head; he tossed the shirt unceremoniously onto the ground. Harry sighed and held out his hand; the wrinkled shirt flew into his waiting hand.

"Don't toss them; just give them to me and I'll wash them."

Draco wrapped his arms around his waist; it was a bit chilly in the bathroom. "You have elves?"

"No, I have a Muggle appliance called a 'washing machine'."

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. "Washing machine? That sounds like a weapon."

Harry snorted. "Anyway. Just put your dirty clothes on the counter from now on. I'll take them once you're inside the tub and start washing yourself."

Harry went down onto his knees and started on unbuttoning Draco's fly. The blond stiffened when Harry's finger touched his trousers.

"You know when I was rummaging through your closet at your flat I tried not to take any trousers that were too tight. All I got were sweats, dress pants, and some baggy jeans that you have. I hope that's alright." Harry popped the button and had unzipped the zipper.

"Oh. That's fine," Draco murmured. "It's not like my bottom half matters…" When Harry looked up at him, frowning, Draco smiled. "What I meant was that I'll be sitting in this chair; people wouldn't really notice, would they?"

"I guess not," was the quiet reply. Harry got off the ground and stooped low. "Draco, I have to uh… I have to lift your bottom up… I need to take off your trousers." Harry was now flushed red.

Draco smirked; it seemed Potter was just as embarrassed as he was, maybe even more so. He nodded and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck. He sighed softly when he caught a faint whiff of Harry's scent.

"Harry, do you use apple scented shampoo?"

"What?" Harry jerked his head up so that he could see Draco's face; he was about to pull the waistband of Draco's trouser down.

"Do you use apple scented shampoo, I asked."

"Oh… Yeah… It's on the ledge of the tub… You can use it if you like," Harry smiled crookedly, "do you like the smell?"

"It's fresh…" Draco pulled himself a bit closer to Harry. "Alright, Potter, take off my trousers."

"So demanding," Harry chided.

With difficulty, Harry wrapped one arm around Draco's waist and lifted his whole upper body, taking Draco with him. The blond was like a weight but this was the only way he could take off Draco's trousers and pants. With his other hand, Harry quickly yanked the trouser down; he blushed when his hand skimmed across the soft skin of Draco's bottom. Malfoy moaned and buried his face into Harry's shoulder.

It was so… awkward.

"No worries, Draco, I promised not to look," Harry said as he lowered Draco back down into the chair. He patted around until his fingers came in contact with the bunched up trouser and pants, thanking every god and deity that he didn't touch… there. "I'm going to er… straighten your legs now.

Draco only grunted in reply and Harry pulled everything down the slender legs. Potter cleared his throat and placed the clothes onto the counter.

"Alright… Uhm, just put your arms around my neck again. I'll put you into the tub now," Harry muttered.

"Look, Harry… It's okay. Just… I rather have you look than dropping me because you weren't looking at where you are going." Draco put his arms around Harry's neck again; he pressed his cheek on the brunet's shirt-covered shoulder. "Don't drop me."

Harry was taken aback; he was shocked for maybe two seconds before he smiled and gently nuzzled the side of Draco's head.

"I won't."

"I hate that you're seeing me like this… I hate it that it had to be you," Draco whispered brokenly. Harry wisely stayed silent. "I don't like people seeing me weak. I'm not weak, Potter."

"I know you're not, Draco…" Harry slowly lifted Draco out and carried the lean man to the bathtub. His heart clenched when Draco actually let out a choked sob.

"I don't know how much more I can take… I'm not used to having someone wait on me. I was so independent…" The dam was broken and Harry felt his shirt getting wet at one spot. "Why… Why does it have to be you, Harry?"

When Draco's body started shaking, Harry held the blond tighter against him.

"I don't know…" was whispered. "I don't know…"

"… I don't hate you… I was just—"

"Shh… it's alright, Draco. I understand."

When the first sob sounded, Harry knew he couldn't leave Draco alone. He stepped into the water-filled tub, clothes and everything, and sat down with Draco still in his embrace. He leaned against the back with Draco placed between his legs. Malfoy turned his upper body and cried fully into Harry's chest, now wet because of the bath water. Potter did not utter one single word; he just held Draco, rocking them both. Somewhere along the way, Harry started petting Draco's head and placing soft kisses.

Neither of them noticed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: That's chapter six :D So how did I do? :) I know updates are really slow… I'm trying to be as quick as I can :x I'll see ya soon! ;P In my other story haha

Thanks for reading! :D