Chapter 5:
"Are you sure about this, Ron?" Draco asked, lifting an eyebrow at the red head who was smirking at him from the driver's seat. Ron smiled.
"Do you doubt me, Draco?"
"Yes. Yes I do." Draco teasingly responded. Ron shook his head.
"Trust me, you'll have fun. And you need clothes."
Draco put a hand to his chest, feigning indignation. "I need clothes? So says the man who can't even match clothes properly with his fire red hair!"
Ron snorted at him. "Draco, your gay is showing." Draco rolled his eyes.
"Why must we go to a 'mall'? Can't we just go to a small store with less… well, Muggles? Not that I don't like them, it's just that I'm so nervous."
"If you're going to live with me, you need more than jeans and tee shirts." Ron indicated at his layering of a sweatshirt, suit jacket, and a nice tee shirt with a name of a Muggle band on it. Draco looked down at his own ensemble.
"It's not that bad." He mumbled then looked up at Ron. "But, why do you want me to move in again? I can handle myself Ronald."
"Well, Draco, despite your constant whining, I really like you." He smiled, showing that he was joking. "And you're wrong about the 'being able to take care of yourself' bit. How much weight have you gained back just by hanging out with me? How many more hours of sleep have you gotten?" Draco couldn't argue. It had only been a couple weeks, but with Ron practically force-feeding him and sleeping with him every night, he felt much better.
"Are we there yet?"
"As I said, constant whining." Ron laughed and patted Draco's hand. "We're here, Drac." Draco looked through the windshield, and his jaw dropped.
"Bloody hell! This place probably has more stores in it than Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and Knockturn Alley combined!" Draco gasped, in shock. Ron guffawed loudly and got out of the car to open Draco's door for him.
"This way, my prince." Ron grabbed Draco's hand and lead him to the doorway. A bright blush rushed into Draco's pale face.
"B-but Ron, please let go! This is embarrassing!" Draco's cheeks were nearly crimson. "I don't want people to get the wrong impression!" Ron frowned, letting go.
"You're embarrassed to be seen with me?"
"N-no! That's not what I meant! I-I just am still uncomfortable with being g-… Well, you know… But I'm proud to have you as my friend. I'm sorry, Ron." Ron smiled mischievously and grabbed his hand, leading him into the mall. Draco narrowed his eyes at the beaming ginger. "You tricked me." He said, slightly angry. "Asshole." He murmured, smiling slightly, hoping Ron heard him.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Are we going shopping or what?"
Draco smelled a rich, sweet yet bitter aroma. "After we get coffee."
"You really need to hold back on your coffee intake. You've gone right through my supply." Draco stuck his tongue out at Ron and searched for the source of the smell. It didn't take him long to find a small Starbucks coffee shop.
"Have you ever had this before, Ron?" Draco asked, curious to know if it was good or not. Even if it wasn't, he wasn't going to hesitate to get a cup. Ron was right, he was hooked.
Ron nodded. "Just wait here, Draco. I don't want you going in there and having a coffee freak out." Draco nodded, biting his lip. The amount of time Ron was gone wasn't long, but Draco stood outside nervously, looking for him often. People passed him, giving him odd looks, which only added to his nervousness.
"Drac? I have your coffee." Draco whirled around to face Ron.
"What took so long?" Draco asked, angry and still slightly paranoid.
"Calm yourself Draco. I couldn't have been gone more than a minute." Ron laughed, handing Draco a large iced coffee.
"Where are you dragging me to now?"
After a day of shopping, the men came home, exhausted.
"Tell me again why we had to be there all day?" Draco said, falling onto the couch.
"Because," Ron yawned, "You have to try clothes on. You can't just pick random clothes and buy them." Draco rolled his eyes. Ron opened the fridge. "Butterbeer?"
Draco smiled and caught the bottle Ron tossed him. "Even though I don't like shopping, I had fun with you today."
"And I with you, Draco." Ron raised his glass and clinked it with Draco's already empty one. Draco magically made another bottle come, and another and another.
After about five, he turned to Ron. "Wha-what if our lives were just some part of, like, a giant story, and Harry's life was the main focus but people liked US better and they, they, I don't know, wrote spin-offs, and Harry's life was in this big series, like 6 or more books, and it was one of the best-selling book series ever?" He slurred.
Ron laughed, but looked slightly concerned. "That's impossible, love. I think you're drunk."
"I'm not drunk!" Draco protested, hiccupping.
Ron picked him up and carried him into the bedroom, laying him on the bed, kissing his forehead. "Get some sleep, Draco."
"But I don't wanna sleep!" Draco pouted, pulling Ron's face to his, and giving him a long, passionate kiss. Ron pushed him away.
"I'm not going to do anything with you that you might regret. You're drunk, that would be me taking advantage of you. I will wait till you're sober. I know you'll forget this by tomorrow, but I am willing to wait for you. I think I love you, Draco." Ron looked at Draco with a tender look in his eyes, but burst into laughter when he realized the blonde was already asleep.
"Guess someone can't hold their liquor." He rolled over onto his side of the bed and fell into a very bizarre and frightening dream.
He was standing on the beach in a tuxedo, holding the hand of someone in a wedding dress. The veil was too opaque for him to see through. A minister beside him ordered for him to kiss the bride. Ron cast a nervous look out to the congregation. On the side designated for the groom's family sat his parents, Ginny and Harry, and all of his brothers except for Percy. "Figures." He mumbled. But on the side for the bride, they were all Death Eaters. In the front row sat Draco's mum, who was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. She was dressed for a funeral.
Ron finally turned to his bride and flipped back the veil. He had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. It was Draco, but he was dead. He was dead. His skin was a mottled blue color, indicative of drowning. His pale hair was wet. He had deep gashes where skin was pulling away from bone. Draco leaned in, puckering his black lips. "Give your dear Draco a kiss." He hissed, smiling.
Ron sat up in bed, gasping for a breath. He looked down at Draco, who was sleeping peacefully. "At least you're okay." He whispered, stroking his hair. Ron laid back down and fell back to sleep.