Harry was cutting tomatoes sitting in his wheelchair at the table while Martin and Thomas were in the hostel kitchen, trying to figure out how the oven worked. Although he preferred walking around on his crutches, inside a house it was much easier to navigate with the wheelchair. He looked up when a pair of cucumbers were thrown on the table top before him.
"Mind if I join you?" Draco asked, suddenly seeming timid, his eyes flipping from Harry to the wheelchair back and forth.
Harry shrugged and went to arranging the tomatoes on already cut pieces of bread. Draco pulled out a chair and sat down at the other side of the table.
"Look, Harry, I am sorry for what I said before", Draco began. Harry looked up again at the blonde, who was now playing around with the vegetable before meeting his eyes. This time he did not look away. "It must have sound really insensitive with you… well…"
"With me what?" Harry asked, lowering the knife with which he had started to cut slices from cheese. He was tired and had no intention to make this easy for the blonde man.
"Well, you know… what I said about hitting the road whenever you want and working and stuff… that's-"
"I can drive. And I actually do work, you know", Harry hissed, his hand starting to tremble with suppressed anger.
Draco looked shocked and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. It came out all wrong. All I wanted to say is sorry. For being a self-centered dick."
Harry laughed out before he could stop himself. "Yeah, well… you actually were a dick", he said, but he smiled. Draco grinned back at him relieved. Harry indicated to the cucumbers on the table. "You wanna trade your vegetables against some cheese and tomato bread grilled in the oven?"
Draco beamed. "That'd be great, mate. Shall I-"
"No thanks, I got that", Harry said, placing the tray of bread with tomate and cheese on his lap and, turning the wheelchair around, wheeled himself into the kitchen.
Dinner together with his two companions and Draco turned out to be quiet enjoyable. Draco knew a lot of funny stories and liked telling them at length, turning bottles and salt shakers into characters of the plot. Harry studied his face, how it changed when the emotions washed over them, alternating between sorrow and anger to joy in seconds, small lines around his eyes crinkling when he laughed.
After eating, Thomas and Martin volunteered to wash the dishes in the kitchen and Draco and Harry found themselves alone in the sitting room once more.
"Hey, you mind sitting over there?" Harry asked, nodding towards the group of plush sofa and armchairs at the window facing the sea. Draco shrugged and they moved over. Draco let himself fall into one of the armchairs and Harry navigated his wheelchair alongside one of the sofas.
"I have been sitting for too long. I really need to stretch out a bit", Harry explained while he put on the brakes on the wheels. He put down his legs from the feet rest of the wheelchair and leaned forward towards the sofa. Fortunately it was less soft than he had anticipated. He pulled himself out of the wheelchair, supported by his arms as much as his legs and turned, letting himself plop down on the sofa. Draco stared at him but caught himself quickly.
"Wow, that was impressing", he said.
"Yeah, I am awfully proud of myself, not falling down all the time I am doing this. That'd be pretty annoying", Harry said. There was a moment of silence when Draco stared at him before they both broke out in laughter.
"I am sorry", Harry chuckled and pulled his legs on the sofa by his trousers, straightening them.
Draco just shook his head, mopping tears from his eyes. When he had himself under control again, he eyed Harry from his armchair.
"What is it that you have, actually?" he asked, sitting up straighter. "I mean… is it a spinal cord injury or something… If you don't mind me asking", he added hastily.
Harry turned a little, facing Draco. "No, it is not a spinal cord injury and no, I don't mind you asking. I have Multiple Sclerosis." Seeing Draco's shocked face he continued: "But it is not mortal, contrary to what most people believe and it will probably not get any worse".
"Probably?" Draco asked.
"Well, yes, you never know. It usually only affects my legs but on bad days it can be my arms and hands, too. Normally not, though".
Draco nodded, trying to regain a straight face. At that point Thomas and Martin came back from the kitchen and settled down on the other armchairs.
"You two up for a game?" Thomas asked.
They went to bed rather late that night.