Struggle
Magic flowed around them. The lights flickered as Harry moved forward. He struck against Neville. His magic flared. The spells cast between the two were more powerful. The shields stronger and the throws more dangerous than they would have been between regular wix. Draco watched the fight. He felt the shifts in the magic around him. It was clear to him that Harry was training Neville to fight, that Harry was the more experienced combatant. It just made him want to fight Harry himself.
He rose slowly and moved down. His magic followed out around him, and he cast towards Harry.
The shield that blossomed between them was bright. He cast through it with his next attack. His magic was a lot more volatile than Neville's magic was, and he had been trained to hurt people. He might not have wanted to hurt his fellow students, but he had long since accepted that he was not a nice person when it came to certain people. His magic was cold and harsh. It was meant to tear things apart if he let it out. The only reason it came out gentle around Harry was because of his feelings for him. He could move past that and attack fully, though. Mostly because Neville wasn't pushing Harry enough. He wanted to see just how far he could push his lover. How dark could Harry become?
Neville moved back and observed the other two. He was glad that these two were compatible because this would have been damaging to his duelling room otherwise. He and Draco were not compatible, the same way they could both connect to Harry. The only reason they weren't having issues both being released in the same house was because Harry melded between them.
Then Harry's magic flared and cracked as he struck Draco down swiftly and harshly. He walked up to Draco, and Neville almost worried he would hurt Draco when he reached out and pulled his lover up from the floor.
"Did you learn what you hoped to?" Harry asked as he hugged Draco close. His magic settled again, calming Draco's magic as it did so.
"I know messing with you is a bad idea," Draco said softly. He chuckled. "I also know that if we didn't have an audience right now, we wouldn't just be standing here."
Harry laughed. "Hold that thought until we get home," he said.
Neville shook his head. "You two are a force to be reckoned with," he said. "I wouldn't want to face you."
"You are not bad either, Neville," Draco said. "I just wanted to dig into the magic he doesn't use when fighting you. The magic he used to claim the Lordship. If he didn't hold such a broad base of knowledge, he wouldn't be Lord of the Black family."
Neville sighed and shook his head. "The two of you are insane," he said. "You deserve each other." He looked at Harry. "You are bringing him?" he asked.
Harry nodded. "I am," he said.
"Good," Neville said. "It will be better for everyone involved. I want to go another round. Now that I know Draco isn't going to break, how about we go all out this time?"
Harry grinned. "Oh, you are on, brother," he said.
…
Draco ran his finger's through Harry's hair later that evening as they lay together in bed. "Harry." He tapped Harry's shoulder and tired green eyes looked up at him. "Yeah, Dray, what is it," Harry said.
"I've meant to ask for a while now… but you. Are you satisfied with how we do things?" Draco asked, knowing just how vague that question was. He would specify if Harry didn't catch on.
Harry was trying to decipher Draco for a bit. "You mean who tops whom?" he asked. "And how much, I guess." He hoped he had nailed it. It wasn't like Draco had given him much to go on.
Draco nodded. "Ever since the first time, I feel like you have been catering to what I want," he said. "Back then, that was good. Now I… is this what you want?" he asked.
Harry snorted out a peal of laughter. "Oh, Draco, if I didn't like what we do together, I would have told you so. I don't do things I don't want to do. If you want me to take command when that is what I feel like, then I will. It isn't going to change much because I enjoy the way you dominate me. Now, if you want me to take command more than I do, then you will have to show that is what you want. I will do it happily, but it isn't what I do naturally," he said as he pulled himself up over Draco.
Draco reached up. He had worried about nothing. He should have guessed. Harry was straightforward enough with everything else that it made sense he would be so in this as well. Harry let him up and he leaned against the headboard. He ran his hands along Harry's chest. "So you enjoyed being dominated?"
Harry smiled at Draco. "Yes," he said. He felt Draco push him forward as magic pushed into him, and he gasped. He felt Draco grab his neck and raise his chin so he was looking at him.
"You will be good for me, won't you, Harry?" Draco asked.
"Yes, Dray, I'll be good," Harry said breathlessly.
Draco kissed him, deepening the kiss as he grabbed at him desperately.
…
Harry rolled his shoulders and looked at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. "You did a number on me last night," he said.
Draco placed his hands on Harry's hips and rubbed salve into them slowly. "Most of it will heal easily enough," he said. "As long as you are enjoying yourself. I like marking you, but you better tell me if that isn't what you want. You better let me know if something hurts. I don't want to hurt you."
Harry smiled. "I know," he said. He turned around, and Draco spread salve over his shoulders and along his neck and throat. "I promise I will stop you if you do something I don't enjoy," he said before kissing Draco.
"Good because I would not enjoy being on the receiving end of a lot of the things you seem fine with," Draco said.
"And that would be why you do them to me and not the other way around," Harry said. He pulled a t-shirt with a Nundu on it, and Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, you really thinks so, huh?" he asked as he read the text on the back of the shirt. "I'm pretty sure I could manage."
Harry laughed before heading out of the bathroom. He walked into the kitchen and pulled things out. Teddy was spending the weekend with Andromeda and Oscar at Ferngale. "Did you want my help, love, or would you rather do this on your own?" Harry asked as Draco walked into the kitchen.
Draco paused. Then he sighed. "I would rather you are there," he said. "I don't like the place. It feels dead. At least with you there, I know we aren't staying."
Harry nodded. "No problem," he said.
Scorpius joined them, and they made sure all three of them hand plenty of breakfast before heading out. Harry looked around the flat. He could see what Draco meant about the place. It was kind of lifeless somehow, tough, he wasn't sure why. He went with Scorpius and helped him with his bedroom. "How do you feel about this little sprout?" he asked.
"Dad and I will live with you and Teddy in Blackbird now," Scorpius hissed. "I like it. It's much better than here. Dad is happier, and I have cousin Teddy and my Angel." He smiled at Harry and received a smile in return. They filled a box with his things. He wasn't sure if he wanted all of this, but he was better off deciding that later. One box filled up and then another. He looked up after a while. "Grandmother is here. She is screaming at dad," he said.
Harry rose from the floor. "Stay in here, Scorpius," he said as he teleported over to Draco's room. He pulled his shirt off and threw it aside. He looked over at the mirror and his eyes turned brown. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down just a bit before getting rid of his shoes and socks. He wanted the implication to be clear. "Dray whatcha doin?" he asked as he pushed the bedroom door open. He limped out to the living room, where both Narcissa and Draco had turned to look at him. "S lonely wakin up without you, Dray," he whined as he reached out to grab Draco's shirt. He felt how Draco pulled his pants up properly and buttoned them again before wrapping an arm around him. Still, he had achieved the desired effect.
"Who is this?" Narcissa asked. She saw the bruising on his body. No wonder, Draco couldn't keep a partner if he treated them like this.
"My boyfriend," Draco said calmly. He raised Harry's chin and noticed the discoloured eyes. So no names then. "Pet, go put a shirt on," he said.
"I thought you preferred me without, Dray," Harry said.
"My mother is here. Go put a shirt on, pet," Draco said, maybe harsher than intended, but it didn't matter much since Harry couldn't hear him anyway.
Harry laughed as he limped back to the bedroom. Step one complete. Narcissa was now too shocked to continue screaming.
Draco shook his head, wondering what Harry was really up to.
"You have that around Scorpius?" Narcissa asked. She gave her son a disbelieving look.
"At least he knows when dinner time is," Draco said scathingly, none too pleased with his mother's tone. She was making assumptions. He turned as Harry stepped into the room again. "Come here, pet," he said. He was kind of glad Harry had switched his shirt from the one he had worn earlier. "This is my mother, Narcissa," he said as Harry reached him.
"Madam," Harry said as he bowed.
Narcissa shook her head. "Draco, this is in no way appropriate," she said. "What will people think."
"I gave up on catering to others a long time ago, mother," Draco said. "Go make sure Scorpius is still packing, love," he told Harry.
Harry walked into Scorpius room and sat down.
"What did you do?" Scorpius hissed.
"I set your grandmother off balance," Harry said. "She didn't expect there to be someone else here. Now she feels like she needs to be a bit more careful withwhat she says to Draco, so I don't overhear something."
"But you can't hear," Scorpius hissed.
"No, but she doesn't know that," Harry said. "Call me Angel instead of my name right now."
"Are we tricking grandmother?" Scorpius asked.
"We are giving you and Draco enough time to figure out how you really want to do things. So in a way we are tricking her, but we are using half-truths," Harry hissed. "We aren't lying to her, just not showing everything."
"So I can say that we are moving in with you," Scorpius hissed.
"But don't say Blackbird," Harry hissed as he nodded. "And no more parseltongue."
Scorpius nodded. They finished packing the box. Harry grabbed it and moved out to the living room to put it with the rest. "Do you want me to make lunch for us, Draco?" he asked as he placed the box down.
"Go ahead," Draco said.
"Where are you going?" Narcissa asked. She smiled as Scorpius walked out of his room. It was good to see him again. It had been a while. "I doubt you are coming home."
"We are moving in with, Angel," Scorpius said happily. He could tell that his grandmother wasn't happy about that, but he was, so it didn't matter. She didn't need to live with them.
Narcissa wore a tight smile. "I see," she said. "Does Angel have a nice home?"
Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, there is forest and a big garden," he said. "The house is big and old. Angel says it has been around for a really long time."
"Are there any neighbours?" Narcissa asked, hoping to gain an idea of what Draco was up to with this.
Scorpius shook his head. "No," he said innocently, while wondering why that mattered. Sure, neighbours might have been nice, but they had those at Ferngale if they really wanted neighbours.
Narcissa looked over at her son as Scorpius headed back to his room so he could keep packing. "So no one around," she said. "That is very convenient for you, isn't it."
"I don't know what you are implying with that," Draco said, while suppressing the wish to roll his eyes.
"I do hope you and your plaything can at least behave in front of your son," Narcissa said.
"I am fully capable of making sure that Scorpius is entirely unaware of what I do with my partners, mother," Draco said. He glanced back at Harry, who was just cooking at this point. "Would you like to stay for lunch, mother?" he asked. "I'm sure Angel is making enough for all of us."
"I'll have to decline," Narcissa said. "I should head home. I really do wish you would just come home. You could keep that in the kennel where it belongs." She looked at Harry with distaste, and he turned around slowly to meet her gaze rather than look at her through a reflection.
Harry made sure Scorpius, who had moved back to his room, couldn't hear them before walking up to her. "I'm not a dog, ma'am," he said. "You are just pissed of because I convinced Draco to move when you couldn't do it."
"Why, you little unruly mutt. You will learn the hard way that you can't speak to me that way," Narcissa said angrily. Why had her son found some muggle whore? He could do so much better.
Harry smiled softly. "Afraid I will steal them and never give them back, ma'am?" he asked. He was pushing buttons, and it was interesting to see just which ones to push with Narcissa. He had never imagined he would get that chance and hadn't really wished for it either, but he didn't like they way she was speaking right now so he had no problems pushing her a bit.
"That's enough, Angel," Draco said, fully aware of the fact that Harry couldn't tell that he had spoken.
"Draco is mine," Harry said possessively. He was yanked back so hard he hit the floor by Draco's feet. He looked up.
"Enough," Draco said.
Harry got up slowly and returned to the food while rubbing his neck absent-mindedly. At least now, he knew there was a point when he didn't enjoy pain any more. Better learn that now than while they were in the middle of other activities.
"We shall see when we feel ready to invite you over, mother," Draco said. "It might take a while. I will no longer be needing your help with Scorpius, so no need to complain about my inconvenient timing. Angel will take him when my Master calls." Not that he would just show up just because his Master called any more.
Narcissa wished there was something, anything that she could do, but there wasn't. Unless this muggle cretin actually did something unseemly, there was noting she could do. She walked over to Scorpius room. "Hey sweetie, remember that you can always come home to your grandfather and I if you are scared, okay," she said.
Scorpius nodded. She usually said that, but he really didn't like the manor. If he was scared of anything, his dad or Angel could fix it for him, he was sure. "Okay," he said. "See you soon, grandmother."
Narcissa smiled gently at him before she looked over at Draco, wondering where she had gone wrong with him for him to be this bitter, this angry with her. She shook her head in a pained manner and apparated out. There was nothing else she could do. Not right now at least.
Draco walked back to Harry once his mother was gone and wrapped an arm around him as he turned him around so they were facing each other. "Where did that come from?" he asked.
"Scorpius said she was screaming at you," Harry said. "I just wanted to defuse the situation. I needed enough of a wow factor to stop her from continuing."
Draco shook his head. "Well, you got that, and now she thinks you are some muggle I'm enslaving," he said. At least that was what he assumed his mother had seen with that display, since no self-respecting wixen would allow themselves to be treated that way. The things his mother knew nothing about…
"Are you angry with me?" Harry asked. He needed to know if he had overstepped so he didn't do it again. He didn't want to make a mess of things for Draco. If he was displeased with this, he wanted to know. It wasn't like they had talked about it beforehand.
Draco shook his head. "No, I'm not angry with you. You threw some truths in her face. She will be pissed about those, but I think it might be something she needed to hear. Most of the things she thinks about you are entirely circumstantial, based on the way we acted now." He reached out and raised Harry's chin. He saw an angry purple mark forming around his throat. "I hurt you," he stated. Maybe he had yanked a bit too hard.
"Yes," Harry said. "Please never do that again."
Draco nodded as he stroked Harry's cheek slowly. "I'll go home and get you a healing potion," he said. He returned a moment later to find Scorpius and Harry by the table eating. He handed the potion to Harry who drank it down, glad that Scorpius couldn't see the mark this time.
They continued packing after they had eaten until everything was in boxes, then they brought it over to Blackbird.
Draco wasn't sure how he felt about the way they had handled his mother, but frankly, the worst of it would be her assumptions about them. He looked at over at his aunt as she returned home. He could always have her check the memory. Another opinion would be nice.
Andromeda left the memory a short while later and looked at her nephew. "The leash at the end might have been a bit much," she said. She shrugged. "The rest really just looks bad if you want it to look bad."
Draco nodded. That was the conclusion he had reached to. "She will be hurt that we tricked her," he said.
"You didn't lie, though," Andromeda said. She shook her head. "If she wanted honesty, maybe she shouldn't have been treating you like an unruly child." She squeezed Draco's shoulder. "You are breaking free, and that will hurt for a bit. Mend bridges once you feel ready to do so."
Draco nodded. "I will," he said. "I do love my parents, I just don't want to live my life in accordance with their rules."
Andromeda smiled at him. She wouldn't argue with him about that. Nymphadora had broken free too. It happened. Draco had just spent a lot of years not knowing exactly what he wanted and dependent on his mother for the care of his son. That wasn't the case any more. He wasn't dependent on Harry the same way. The two of them helped each other.
…
Harry blinked sluggishly when his alarm went off. He groaned and pushed himself up. He checked the time. "Shit," he exclaimed as he headed for the shower.
Draco pulled himself up and looked after Harry. Andromeda had taken the boys for the day, so it had just been the two of them, and they had taken the opportunity to get to know each other very intimately. Harry had a get-together to get to, though. He checked the time and snorted. He still had fifteen minutes to be there, and Draco knew for a fact that most of the others were always late. It wasn't like they hadn't spoken about these things. He considered getting up and telling Harry to calm down when Harry made his way out of the bathroom fully dressed. "What were you going to do today?" he asked while looking at Harry's attire. He was wearing all black. He usually didn't do that.
"Airsoft. We are playing against a mixed puff and raven team," Harry said as he grabbed the bag he thankfully had the forethought to pack earlier.
Draco nodded. "So the one time people have to be on time, you mean," he said. He chuckled as Harry glared playfully at him. He shuffled over to the edge of the bed. "Kiss good luck," he said. He kissed Harry. "Now off with you." He slapped Harry's arse before his lover teleported away.
Harry was hissing curses as he landed, mostly aimed at a certain blonde and his obsessions. He headed over to the range and walked inside.
Neville smiled at him and Ernie looked up.
Harry shook his head as he walked up to Neville and held his arms out so he could help him gear up. He did not need questions right now.
"Do we need to worry about the two of you," Ernie asked as he looked between them, knowing they were both mages.
Harry shrugged. "Considering I can't use my hearing to find anyone, I don't know if you really need to be that worried. This was a points game, right," he said.
"Yeah, so every time you get hit you need to add a tap to your counter," Ernie said.
"Shit, Harry, you look like you'll just disappear out there."
Neville had tapped Harry's arm and signed for him before pointing over at Justin and Terry.
"Yeah, well, I believe in preparing properly," Harry said. "This isn't the first time I do something similar to this. I might be deaf, but I know how these things work." He took the gun Neville handed him and checked it over.
"Will your team even get here in time, Neville?" Terry asked as Michael walked in and got help from Justin to gear up.
"We're waiting for Ron and Seamus," Neville said. "If you want the advantage, how about we set a timer, and you can head out."
"Sure, we're all for that," Justin said. "Let's go." His team left and Neville sighed.
"I really hope they get here soon," he said. "Two against four will be rough." He looked at Harry.
"Gives us sign advantage," Harry said.
Neville nodded. "Yeah, I know, but still," he said. He looked towards the door as it opened. "Thank Gaia, you are here finally," he said as Ron and Seamus walked in. He walked up to Seamus while Harry walked up to Ron, and they helped them gear up.
Harry put the helmet and mask on.
"Well, he is gone," Ron said. "How are they supposed to see him?"
Neville chuckled. "That is the beauty of this. It will be hard," he said. He signed to Harry and Harry signed back before taking off. "He is going to create problems for them so it will be easier for us."
"Sounds good," Seamus said. He followed Neville in and they split off. It had been awhile since they did one of these. They used to do them a lot back in the day before Harry joined up with them. They moved where there was cover at first. The problem was that there was an abandoned building that was great to hold, and chances were that Justin had taken his group there.
"Is that Harry?" Ron breathed as they reached the clearing.
A black shape climbed up on the roof of the building and moved carefully once up there. Harry drew his gun and aimed down. He fired twice before moving to the other side of the building and slipping in through a window.
"Spread, he will force them out," Neville said. He followed someone as they disappeared in the shadows of the trees. He tagged his dial and kept moving. Someone had hit him. He turned and aimed as someone landed next to him.
'Straight ahead behind rock,' Harry signed. 'You left. I right.'
Neville nodded and took a left. They rushed up, fired and disappeared again.
The bell rang eventually and Neville pulled his helmet off. He shook his head. He knew Harry had set a timer for himself, so everyone should be heading back now.
"Damn it, was it Harry who was that slippery?" Justin asked. "How many hits did you take?" he asked as Harry pulled his helmet and mask off. He waited so Neville could translate, and Harry checked his dial. "Seven," he said. He placed his hand against his side. "Some of which did not hit the vest," he said.
"Yeah, that happens," Terry said. He checked the score. "Looks like food is on us this time," he said. "We can head to my place." He gave everyone the coordinates and headed over. "The pool is out back," he said. "I'll be out in a moment."
Harry threw up privacy wards for everyone so they could change. Considering his own preferences, he thought it was best to be on the safe side. He paused as he was about to pull his shirt off and felt how the rest signalled that they were done. He dropped the wards. He had just remembered what he had been doing before the Airsoft, and he knew he had plenty of marks from that. He hadn't stopped long enough for Draco to fix those. Maybe he should have.
"Hey Harry, it is fine. You were hit a couple of bad ones. Trust us, everyone has bruises," Terry said. He had made sure Harry was looking at him before talking, so Neville didn't have to sign.
Harry sighed. "Yeah, this isn't quite the same," he said. In the end, he grabbed the hem of his shirt. He didn't regret the marks Draco had left on him. He wasn't going to hide them, damn it. He would have cared at all if it was his regular group. They would be a bit weirded out, but they wouldn't judge him. He had no idea when it came to the other guys. He sighed again as he pulled the shirt off and sat down next to Neville. He leaned back and watch the others. There were too many of them for him to keep track of conversations.
"The hell is wrong with Harry's shoulders?" Michael asked after a while.
Ron moved over to Harry and pulled himself up next to his friend. He tapped Harry's knee, pulling his attention to him. "Hey what is up with your shoulders mate?" he asked.
Harry sighed and let his eyes sweep over the rest of them.
'You don't have to answer, Harry,' Neville signed. He would deflect if needed.
Harry shrugged. "My partner likes leaving marks and I like having them," he said simply.
"Those are bites?" Seamus asked.
Harry shrugged. "Normally we heal them and the infusion marks are all that is left, but… ah, we might have been running a bit late today," he said. He shrugged. "They'll heal me when I get home."
"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Terry asked.
Justin rolled his eyes. "If that is part of their ritual, he isn't going to do that," he said. "Things like that can be important. I think we should stop talking about this because it isn't any of our business." His eyes narrowed as Michael opened his mouth. "Change the subject away from Harry," he said, and Michael's mouth slammed shut, almost like they had talked about something similar before. That was both interesting and unimportant. At least it meant no more questions.
It was later, after people had eaten, and Justin walked up to Harry. "You okay?" he asked. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention earlier. I could have nipped it before it started."
"So could Neville," Harry said. "I chose to answer." He looked at Justin. "You seem more bothered than I am," he pointed out.
Justin sighed. "If people stared at my sub the way they were doing with you earlier, I would have got a lot more than a little miffed with them," he said.
Harry chuckled. "Assuming that I'm a sub, Justin," he said. He wasn't sure if he cared to be labelled that way. Not that it really mattered to him. What he did with his partners was between him and them, no one else.
Justin looked at Harry. "If your partner had been here, and they had asked those question would you, or they have answered?" he asked.
Harry snorted. "They would have told everyone that it was none of their fucking business," he said, and Justin grinned. "That's what I would have said too," he said.
"Yeah, well, that doesn't really prove anything one way or another. Besides, forcing people into boxes has never sat right with me," Harry said. "We do what we feel like and we communicate. Isn't that really what is important?" he asked as he pushed away from the table they had been standing by.
Justin looked after Harry. He wanted to see Harry with his partner because that promised to be an interesting experience with the way Harry spoke and acted. It was a shame he wasn't interested in discussing these things, but pushing would get him nowhere.
Harry arrived home late enough that everyone seemed to have gone to bed. It would seem Andromeda and the boys had returned home since he could feel the lot of them though the wards. He headed into his bedroom and rolled his shoulders.
Despite the things he had told Justin, having that many guys just staring at him wasn't his idea of a good time. Sometimes it took a bit for things like that to sink in for him, though. He walked into the bathroom and threw his shirt in the hamper. He touched the bruises and pulled a jar of salve out of the cabinet. He snorted. In a way, Justin had been right. He never healed his bruises and he didn't like the idea of doing it either, even if he should. He walked back to the bedroom and reached out for Draco's shoulder. Was he right to wake Draco for this, or would he get angry? He pulled his hand back, suddenly very uncertain with himself. Slowly he slipped into a state of mind, he could do without, one he had experienced before and had a very hard time pulling himself out of.
Draco groaned as he came to. Harry's side of the bed was still empty. He sighed. How long was he usually out for these things? He turned to reach for his wand and brushed his fingers against a warm back. He moved up. Why was Harry just sitting there? He shifted and sat up while wrapping his arms around Harry so he could rub his fingers over his chest slowly.
It took a while before Harry seemed to notice that Draco had moved. "I didn't know if you would be okay with me waking you," he said softly to Draco's unasked question.
Draco pushed Harry down on the bed gently. "What is wrong, Harry?" he asked. He blinked as Harry's magic rose and pulled him into a memory. He stumbled slightly as he saw the two interactions from earlier that day. He looked at Justin as he spoke. Then he shook his head. He agreed with Harry. He didn't really want to be put into some box. He was pushed back out of Harry's mind. He looked down at Harry. His shoulders and neck were bruised, just like the guys had commented on. "You want me to heal you?" he asked.
"Feels wrong to do it myself," Harry said. "I did the bruising from the Airsoft… but the marks you leave. It…" He sighed. A part of him was worried Draco would just think he was silly. He felt himself being pulled up, and he helped Draco.
"You keep drifting like this is something that worries you," Draco said. He smiled. "You are looking for someone to take care of you because you never had that. You let me mark you or beg for it even, but you want me to be responsible for healing them too. That is a lot of trust you want to hand over to me, and I'm grateful for it." He opened the jar Harry had brought with him. "If you give me this responsibility, I will do it, even if I have to stop you from leaving."
"I understand," Harry said. "You will tell me if I'm asking too much of you?" He looked up at Draco's face as Draco rubbed salve between his hands to heat it up before applying it.
Draco smiled. "I promise," he said. He pushed Harry back and pulled his underwear off so he could get at the bruises and marks along his hips. He looked into Harry's eyes. "As for waking me. I would rather you wake me than lose sleep yourself. If I had not woken up, how long would you have stayed next to me?" He lay down and pulled Harry with him until they were laying together in the centre of the bed.
Harry looked at him. "All night," he said. "I wasn't quite here any more. I have spent enough sleepless nights sitting in a sort of half trance that I slipped there without really thinking about it. It isn't a good place for my mind to be, though."
Draco rubbed circles over Harry's back slowly. He wished he could say more, but he had a feeling this information was guarded by the Nation, so he was lucky to know this much. At least he knew that should they stay together, he would learn. "If you need to wake me, then do so. I don't want you hurting yourself. As for everything tonight. You were right about everything you said, but it is your right to answer questions if that is what you want to do."
Harry smiled softly. "Thank you," he said.
"We are exploring and doing things neither of us have done before. We'll need time to figure things out," Draco said. "I rather you speak to me when needed than shut yourself off."
"And you keep wondering what I see in you. Foolish Draco, listen to yourself. No one has ever cared this much for my well-being before," Harry said. His arms protested the way he was laying, and he tried to move, but Draco held him in place. He relaxed down instead and sighed happily as Draco's sleep ridden warmth seeped into him. He didn't want this to change.