Nowhere Else to Go

Chapter 7

Draco slammed the door shut behind him and burst into tears. He hated how he'd so carelessly dropped his guard and let his vulnerability slip through the cracks in front of Harry. He locked the door and tried to stifle his sobs. He walked back and forth, tears streaming down his cheeks. He fucking hated himself for having snapped like that at Harry. It was just their routine. Harry would make a rude remark, Draco would insult him back. It was never meant to cut this deep.

He heard footsteps approaching from the staircase and he stopped his pacing. He stood silent, holding his breath as he heard the knock at the door. He waited a while, before hearing the clatter of pans down in the kitchen when he finally let himself breathe again. He sat down on his bed and hid his face in his hands, trying to contain his frustration. He felt so weak, so juvenile. He was far too mature now to be having breakdowns like this right? He should have a better handle on himself, especially given that he had just blown up at the only person who would willingly house him.

He knew Harry deserved an apology, he just could hardly bring himself to face the guy. He settled on regaining his emotional disarray tonight and he would apologize in the morning. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky sigh. Speaking the truth had never affected him to this extent. Likely because not only was he sharing his situation with another person, but it was the first time he had ever admitted to himself that he was lost.

Draco didn't bother changing his clothes. He didn't bother showering, or getting food. He stayed on his bed, trying to get familiar with the new space whilst trying not to get his hopes up about staying for too long. He had a strong feeling Harry would be sending him back to the streets after that mess of a dinner.

He laid down in the bed and tugged the blankets over himself to stay warm, slowly but surely crying himself into a gentle slumber.

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Harry had finished cleaning the kitchen, and his third glass of wine. He turned off the lights downstairs and made his way up to his room, seeing the food that he'd set out for Draco sitting still, untouched. He let out a soft sigh and picked it up, carrying it down to the kitchen and tossing it. They had enough leftovers in the fridge anyways.

He walked into his room and closed the door behind him. Guilt was eating away at him. The guilt of so carelessly speaking to Draco that way, and not knowing what to do to fix it. He thought for a moment that maybe he could offer Draco some alcohol, but Draco was on quite the empty stomach and he didn't necessarily want to apologize by giving him the gift of a horrible hangover in the morning.

He changed into comfortable pants and pulled off his shirt before laying down in his bed and letting out a stressed sigh. He had no idea what was going on in Draco's life, and it was time to stop thinking that he did. He just wanted to talk with him, tell him that everything would be fine and that Harry would make sure nothing bad happened to him again. However, he could already foresee that going horribly. Draco would certainly get angry and argue that he could take care of himself, that he didn't need to rely on anyone. He just wished Draco would accept a bit of support.

If it wasn't for the alcohol, Harry would never have fallen asleep. He woke in the morning and pulled on a hoodie, heading down to the kitchen to make himself and Draco a bit of breakfast. He may have let it slide last night but he was not going to let Draco skip another meal, especially in the state he was in. He cooked some eggs and bacon, setting out a plate for Draco.

Draco had woken up at around 8:00 in the morning. He was dreading the conversation that was bound to happen between himself and Harry, but he found that he trusted Harry enough to feel comfortable walking down to speak with him. Not to say that he trusted Harry, because he certainly didn't, but he knew that he at least trusted Harry a little more than others. That was a start.

He walked down the stairs, quite timidly, and showed up at the doorway, looking over at Harry who had just set out the plate. Harry gave him a small smile, and it made Draco's heart start beating just a little bit faster. He let out a soft sigh and opened his mouth to start. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" he looked down at his feet, at a loss for words.

"You don't need to apologize" Harry spoke casually, pouring a glass of water. "Just eat some food, you wont heal any faster by starving yourself. And I should be the one apologizing to you. You had every right to get upset like that, what I said was insensitive, and I'm sorry" he said sincerely.

Draco clearly didn't know how to take this information. He looked both confused and a bit lost. He had no clue where to even start, he had never received an apology like that in his life.

Harry quickly picked up on Draco's discomfort and set the glass of water down. "Come eat. And let me heal you, alright? you must be in a shit ton of pain. Not to mention, we can't have that pretty face of yours broken and bruised can we?" he smiled a little at Draco's glare. He did miss that. Draco's deadly glares from across the dining hall. Those cold, steel eyes that pierced right through his heart.

He leaned back against the counter and ate his own food, glad that Draco had actually started to eat. He wanted to make it clear that Draco could stay for as long as he needed, without coming across as pitiful. He wasn't quite sure how he'd pull that off, but he would at least start with giving Draco a hand in fixing up his wounds.