better off | d.m.

34.blind

Waking up in the middle of the night, with the place next to her cold made an uneasy feeling arise in her gut.

Sage has checked what kind of clothes he put on since he had only a pair of underwear on when they went to sleep, like always. She has found his joggers and hoodie from the evening before missing.

She had nothing else to do than to anxiously wait until he will come back, because she sure as hell can't fall back asleep when he is missing without a warning.

Once the sun has risen, she decided to get ready for class since she has nothing else to do than imagine the worst.

And when he finally comes through the door, relief is washing over her like a gush of rain.

But when he comes over to her as if nothing has happened, all worry simmering within molds into irritation that he had left her without a note or anything.

"Where were you?" She pulls back when he goes in to kiss her cheek. Her hands fall to her side since she finished doing her red and gold tie, turning to face him.

He draws back as well, disappointed by her reaction, but not surprised. "With Blaise."

Like suspected, he is in the black sweatpants from yesterday, only the hoodie is a Slytherin one. And it's not his rich cologne she is getting from him.

Her worst suspicion might have just come true. The one thing that kept her up all night.

Her arms fold over her chest, eyes boring into his. "You're lying."

Something flickers in his eyes, his jaw clenching. "No, I'm not."

Bags rest under his eyes. His whole frame seems exhausted and not just from the obvious lack of sleep. His hair is ruffled and he is sweating.

How she can tell that he is lying? Draco can't look her in the eyes and be untruthful.

"But it's not the whole truth either," she states, her gaze sharp on him, unrelenting. "You smell like that stuff Blaise gave us when we had that ugly night at your manor a couple weeks ago."

A muscle in his jaw twitches.

"I'm asking you again, where have you been?"

He rubs his hands over his face as he changes course to the dresser for his uniform. "No where important."

"Where you at your manor?" She lets her most dreadful suspicion speak. "Did they call you last night?"

The following silence, his tense, frozen shoulders—it speaks for itself.

They did. And combined with the healing treatment he is so strongly smelling like, the knot in her stomach keeps tightening.

Why didn't he come to her for help?

"What did they have you do? Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing to worry about," he disregards the topic yet again, throwing his fresh uniform on the bed to change before taking off his hoodie.

A careless mistake, one could say, since his head knocks back with a groan at the wide eyes she gives him.

"Nothing to worry about?" Her voice is rising in alarm and frustration. Sage is the more stubborn one in their relationship, for sure, but if he really wants to, Draco can be just as stubborn. "You have a huge fucking bruise at your fucking rib like someone beat the shit out of you and you dare tell me I have nothing to worry about?"

Besides that, she discovers a big new scar on his right bicep. Long and thin, but big.

Both injuries are twisting her heart uncomfortably to the point where she is reaching for it over her chest as if to make it stop. Add to that, that he used the healing creme, meaning he has other wounds, too.