Two days later, Draco was still incredibly tired all the time. He pouted at Harry from where he was curled on the bed."I really don't like this, Harry. Makes me feel like I did when I was five and I had a fever, and I couldn't come play with you." They both looked startled at his words.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I feel like I did when I was a child and couldn't come play with you," Draco said slowly. "But why would I say that? It-"
"Because it was me, Co. I didn't realize it was you until you told me about your friend at the park, or I'd never've pushed you away. After you disappeared, I repressed a lot of our time together, because I felt like you abandoned me. It's coming back some now, but not a whole lot." He grinned at Draco. "Then again, most people don't remember a whole lot from before they were 7. Or so I've heard." Draco sniffed superiorly at him.
"I can remember back to when I was 1," he said haughtily, expecting Harry to make some kind of comment either about his words or his attitude. To his surprise, Harry blanched. "What? What is it?"
"I can remember something from when I was one," Harry whispered.
"What?" Draco asked, more confused than ever.
"I can remember when my parents died. It used to be just when dementors were close, but now I can remember it any time something triggers the memory." Draco shivered, and wrapped his arms around Harry comfortingly. "I can hear my dad yelling at my mom to get out, and get me out, and I hear my mom pleading with him not to kill me, and him laughing when he kills her. He told her she needn't die; he'd have let her go if she hadn't been trying to protect me." Draco rocked Harry slowly back and forth, arms wrapped tightly around his chest. They fell asleep like that, Draco holding Harry to his chest, one hand tangled comfortingly in the messy black hair.
Harry woke to Draco's pained whimpers, and uncomfortable shifting. 'He's gonna wake up soon,' he thought absently. Draco's eyes opened slowly, and he winced at the light, which Harry hurriedly turned down.
"Harry- it hurts." Harry stroked his hair soothingly.
"I know," he said softly, trying to comfort the blond. Draco wiggled into his arms. "I think we can safely say that you are actually sick.
"You think you could eat something, Co? You must be hungry." Draco nodded slightly, and Harry slipped out of the bed, hurrying to the table where Dobby had left a large assortment of foods, magicked to stay fresh and at the proper temperature, gathering some that he thought Draco would be able to keep down in his currently weakened condition onto a tray, carrying it over to the blond, who reached for it with shaking hands. Harry frowned and sat on the bed next to Draco, and proceeded to feed him, despite his protests. "No. Your hands shake too much, you'll get it all over the bed, and you." Draco rolled his eyes, but accepted the fact that his protests were getting him nowhere.
After they had both eaten, Harry looked up at Draco with a frown. "How are you feeling, Co?" he asked softly. Draco snorted.
"Other than the fact that my muscles ache from the spasms or whatever earlier, I'm tired as hell, and can't fall asleep, and my entire body feels like it has fallen asleep, I'm fine," he said in a sarcastic tone. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Don't be that way, Co, I'm just trying to help." Draco sighed. He knew he shouldn't take the way he was feeling out on Harry, as it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't seem to help it. Their rivalry was much more recent than their past friendship, no matter how close they had been as children, it was hard to forget all the spite that had arisen between them at school. And he was an awful patient anyway. Harry walked over to sit beside him again, and started lightly rubbing the muscles in his arms. Draco raised an eyebrow. "Well, you said your muscles ached. Rubbing them helps." Draco nodded, falling back onto his pillows, pulling a surprised Harry with him, grunting when Harry fell against his chest. Harry lay there for a long moment, his face pressed against his chest. Draco didn't say anything, floored by the sudden, intense realization that Harry found him attractive. Then Harry sat up, a slight blush across his cheeks. Draco grinned at him.
"You're awful cute when you blush," he teased, earning a gentle punch on the arm. "Oww, be gentle with me! I'll have you know, that hurt!" Harry had the audacity to giggle. "If I could move, I would get you, but my limbs seem to have a total lack of blood flow to them." He sighed. "It feels really weird, and it gets worse when I move at all," he pouted.
"Dammit, Harry, I don't want to sleep any more!" Draco exclaimed impatiently, fighting against Harry's arms, which were wrapped around him. He yawned hugely immediately after eyes drooping slightly before he caught himself. Harry chuckled.
" I don't think you'd make it anywhere to do anything else at the moment. You're sick. You need to rest and heal, and if that means more staying in bed than you want to do, so be it. You can do whatever you want once you're better." Draco sighed petulantly, but Harry held firm.
"Fine then," he huffed, clenching his jaw.
Harry roused to soft sobbing; he had fallen asleep with his arms still firmly around Draco, who was once again crying gently on his shoulder. He reached up to pet his hair, drawing his fingers gently through the silver locks.
"Does it hurt again, Draco?"
"No, it doesn't hurt exactly, but it feels like . . . like when your leg's fallen asleep and you didn't realize it, and you get up and walk on it. Only a lot worse that that." Personally, Harry thought the description sounded bad enough; he hated that feeling. "And it's all over, not just in one leg, or whatever. My whole body feels like that." Harry said nothing, but continued to card his fingers slowly through Draco's hair, lightly brushing against his neck as he played with his now shoulder-length locks.
'He must have grown it out over the summer,' he thought absently. Draco shivered, and Harry's hand stilled suddenly.
"Gods, Harry, don't stop," Draco gasped. "That feels so good . . .." He pressed his forehead against Harry's chest, inhaling deeply. Harry bemusedly continued his gentle stroking of Draco's silver-blonde tresses.
'This is nice. I could get used to this.' Draco's warm body curled up next to him, and the trusting weight of his head on his chest sparked a very pleasant feeling in his chest, warm and soft, like a heated fleece blanket wrapped around his heart. He pulled Draco minutely closer, and Draco shifted to press his body against Harry's. Harry blinked, startled to feel Draco aroused and pressed up against him. Sensing his hesitation, Draco tilted his head around to press kisses into Harry's neck. Harry pulled back. "No, stop Draco."
"Please Harry? Don't stop. I don't want to feel the tingling! Make it go away!" Harry shook his head.
"If we do this, I don't want it to be for any reason besides that we want each other."
"But I do want you!" Harry shook his head firmly.
"You also want a distraction, and that I will not be. I will not give my body for a distraction," Harry said sternly. Draco's eyes closed. "And you're still sick, which I suppose is part of why you're so sensitive." Draco nodded slowly. The faint touch of light fingers in his hair wasn't usually enough to turn him on. A good head massage, or having his hair pulled though....
"Will you keep touching me?" he asked, rather plaintively. Harry hesitated, and Draco grabbed his hand and drew it back to his hair. "Please? The tingling is driving me mad." Harry hesitantly slid one hand across Draco's hair, freezing when Draco moaned approval. Draco picked his head up, and touched his lips to Harry's softly. "Or we could do this, if you'd rather." He pressed in fiercely for a moment then pulled back, hovering his lips just above Harry's. "I would like that too. You're damn beautiful, Harry." Harry felt that he should be offended that he had been called beautiful, and not handsome, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to care through his pleasure at the complement, especially with the soft and thoughtful voice Draco had given it in. Harry darted his head up and gave Draco a peck on the lips, then drew his head back down to his chest, gently running his fingers up and down the side of his neck. Draco moaned and shivered again, but this time Harry didn't even pause in his ministrations.