In Too Deep (Blairon)

Unrequited Past

Draco tossed the last bullet aside and patched up the mer's wound. He wiped the sweat off his brow and sighed, glancing at the man next to him. Cormac caught his gaze and frowned.

"What?"

Draco cleared his throat and frowned back, ripping his medical gloves off. "You don't seem phased by this-" he motioned to the mer laying asleep on the wet grass. Rain was still drizzling down on them, but it bothered no one. Draco silently waited for Cormac's response, watching the drizzle visibly moisten the mer's skin. Cormac shrugged, uncrossing his legs to lean back on his arms.

A realization came to Draco at the man's nonchalantness. "You already knew about the mers?" He asked and Cormac nodded solemnly, his eyes watching Blaise intently, something that Draco found odd about the ex scientist. The way he could reassure Blaise, talk to him without getting hurt or snarled at. Draco had seen it when they'd arrived. Ron had fainted and immediately Blaise had lunged for him. Cormac intercepted and had knocked the both of them down. Blaise had thrown him off him and it took Harry and Draco all of their strength to hold the mer down.

Draco had gotten punched and kicked, and the deep cut he'd gotten only a week or two ago had slightly reopened after Blaise had freaked out. Regaining consciousness, Cormac spoke to Blaise whilst Hermione handcuffed the mer who slowly stopped struggling at the sound of the young scientists' voice.

So far, Draco hadn't found anything to be fond of Cormac for so he didn't get it. Was it because he'd saved him? Or was it something else?

Draco couldn't keep these thoughts to himself. After such a day, he wanted at least a few things to make sense. So, with a heavy sigh, he asked.

"He trusts you. How?"

Cormac blinked and his eyes trailed away from Blaise and towards Draco. He shifted uncomfortably. "I-" he faltered, his eyes suddenly growing a much darker blue. Draco could easily tell this information weighed heavily on the man, but he let him begin with no interruptions.

"Five years ago, just before I left Finch Labs they brought in the first  mer. The first one discovered and the first one to be examined. I was still in collage and when my dad told me I'd be apart of the mer's examinations I was so ecstatic."

Draco understood the feeling. When he became a doctor, it had been ages before he could even step foot in the operating room. They day he finally became skilled enough to save people's lives was one of the best days of his life.

Cormac traced something absent mindedly in the grass as he spoke. The way he was talking was as if he were reviewing the memories in his head, reliving them almost.

"So, I went to the lab. Walked in and the mer nearly killed me-"

Draco was surprised when he snorted. Sure, he tended to find other people's misfortunes the slightest bit funny sometimes, especially when he was younger, but he didn't know why he found Cormac's statement so funny. Cormac, on the other hand was glaring at him and he shut up. "Sorry," he muttered. "Go on."

"Anyway," Cormac continued, "about a week after the mer was sent to our facility I was working the night shift testing. Simple things like blood samples for if and when he shifted at night. And he did. He didn't try to kill me and we talked for weeks after that first night and-"

Draco stared at Cormac for a long time. The darker-blonde was avoiding Draco's gaze as he told his story. He kept glancing at Blaise longingly, and suddenly Draco thought he knew what was happening after watching Ron do the exact same thing...

"McLaggen," he whispered, trying to get his mind straight. Cormac snorted, already knowing that Draco had guessed it. "Yeah," he grimaced, his voice hoarse. "I fell in love with him."

"But then what happened? Your father found out?"

Cormac let out a gruff laugh, but he winced when he realized that he might wake Blaise up. "No, my father never found out."

"So why'd you leave then?"

The maintenance man sighed heavily and Draco wondered if he was the first person to ever hear this story, after five years. Cormac didn't answer his question. He merely stared at Blaise again, blatant hurt coating his royal features. At that moment, Draco then realized he didn't even have to ask. He'd known the answer all along. He just didn't think he could believe it.

"He didn't love you."