affection
/əˈfɛkʃ(ə)n/
a feeling of liking for a person or place.
Aurora and Draco had been lying in bed all day. They had talked about Aurora, but also about Draco. He had let her know that she could always talk to him. Even when he was asleep, he allowed her to wake him up. Aurora could wake him up after she had a nightmare or when she heard the voices again, or when she just wanted to talk to him, so basically she could wake him up whenever she wanted and he wouldn't mind.
Draco had told Aurora about his nightmares, he did not have them very often nowadays but he did have them a lot in his past. He thought that maybe when he had told Aurora what was bothering him she would tell him what was bothering her. Draco was right, Aurora was now telling him what had happened in her past and what had happened last night.
Draco and Aurora almost knew everything about each other past because they had been friends for so long, but they still realized that there were some things they had never talked about before. Draco told her about his father, how hard he was on him. How he sometimes had to watch his mother getting beaten. How his father would also beat him whenever he would try to stick up for his mother.
Draco loved his mother deeply so it had traumatized him to see her getting beaten. His father was cruel– he never cared about anyone but himself. Always pretended to be so good to his family but in reality, he was not. He saw his wife as nothing more than someone who should do as he pleases. He wasn't any good to Draco or his mother.
Aurora knew that Draco's father wasn't kind-hearted, but she never would've guessed he was this vicious. She felt awful for Draco and his mother but she was grateful that Draco dared to tell her this. She knew it meant a lot to him. Draco and Aurora realized that they were pretty similar.
They were now growing pretty close to each other. Both of them had caught feelings. They didn't talk about this although they had shared a few kisses. Draco skipped his classes today so he could stay with Aurora. So they were now standing in the bathroom and Draco was going to let Aurora know how beautiful he thought she was.
He was standing behind her with his hands on her hips. There was only a dim light from the candles which were lit. When Aurora looked into the mirror the only thing she saw was a darkness, which was also known as herself. The darkness is suffocating, then the silence is deafening and the thoughts are overwhelming.
She is not quite sure yet if she is scared of the dark or if she's scared of how welcoming it is to have her demons put right in front of her instead of in her mind. Her mind haunts her and the dark welcomes her.
When Draco looked into the mirror he saw something so different; a pure reflection of his deepest desire. Her flawed skin, unkempt hair, thick thighs– he sees every flaw she has and he accepts them. Every scar and freckle, every strand of frizzy hair, every single stretch mark that appears, he sees them all and he still worships her. the clumsy was she walks. The way she sings too loudly with the radio. The sparkle in her eye every time she saw a flower. He sees her, and he loves her. Her flaws become his obsession and no matter how she appears to the world, to him, she is nothing but perfection.
Aurora saw herself as a darkness, the light had gone from her, her days were now lonely and dark. She needed a new light, a new moon. And now she had found Draco, he was her moon.
Aurora didn't need a sun who would throw the morning in her face, and who would remind her that she needed to go out of bed. She wants someone who lets her know that it's time to relax. She does not want somebody who could burn her eyes or her skin, she wants somebody who is never capable of hurting her. Someone like the moon who would want to illuminate her soul.
Draco was everything she wanted. He is the moon– In the midst of a black sea; a spark of silver, a flash of hope in the vast darkness of this world.
Aurora looks into the darkness, not knowing what lies ahead. She dares to take another step into the unknown, hoping this isn't the conclusion of their journey. She secretly wants Draco to lead her. But don't be mistaken and take it as weakness, she can't face the dark on her own.
Draco was leaving soft, tender kisses on the base of her jaw, just above her neck. They were still looking in the mirror, occasionally reassuring each other. "Dray," She said quietly, tilting her head a little so she could look into his eyes. "Yes, love,"
"You...you make me feel good and special and things I still don't have the words for– things I don't fully understand yet," Aurora looks into Draco's eyes, waiting for his answer. Her heart pounding like the thundering hooves of a thousand wild stallions. "Mhm, do you think that's a good or a bad thing?" Draco replies as his hands start to fiddle with her hair. Almost as nervous as she was. "It's a good thing, I'm just scared,"
"You don't have to be scared, Aurora. We are in this together, I won't let you fall on your own, I'm falling with you," He says as he leaves another couple of kisses on her neck and jawline. His hand was still fidgeting with Aurora's hair as he looks back into the mirror so he could have a better view of her. He saw the teardrop leaving her eyes, his hand coming to a halt and leaving her hair so he could wipe her tears away.
Draco's hands come to lay on Aurora's shoulders so he could turn her around. Her hands grab the bottom of his shirt and she holds tight onto him, almost like she needed to prevent him from leaving. He wouldn't leave her, not in this state, not ever.
