Nowhere Else to Go

Chapter 12

Harry woke late again. Another late morning, without Draco. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his glasses, looking around the room. Draco had hardly even made it his own; which was to be expected seeing as he had nothing to his name besides the clothes on his back. He noticed that Draco had kept most things the way it was before he started sleeping in here.

Harry didn't even know what time it was. He got out of bed and went down to the kitchen, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down by the counter. He honestly didn't know what to do without Draco now. It had only been a day and a half of his absence but Harry was spiraling.

He was worried. Wouldn't Draco have left a note at least? He couldn't have gone too far either right? He had hardly made the time to take care of himself having been so caught up in his own head regarding Draco. It was already noon and he'd done nothing at all. He couldn't even think about writing at this point. He just wanted the comfort and security of knowing where Draco was.

He pulled out his phone and searched for Pansy's number. He wondered if she'd even pick up, and if that, would she have a clue where Draco went?? Draco didn't have a phone, or any money, or any connections. Harry was sure if Draco had anyone else around other than Harry, he would never have shown up at the doorstep that night. He huffed and settled on taking a long shower to relax himself a bit and ease his nerves regarding the blond Slytherin.

——————————-

9:25 pm, and Harry was laying in his bed, wearing a simple black shirt and dark grey plaid sweatpants. He was reading a book, trying to get himself to fall asleep. He heard a soft knock at the door and furrowed his brows. It couldn't possibly be Draco; there was no way in hell that he would come back for a visit if he'd gone off to do well for himself. But who else would it be? Ron for a surprise visit?

He got out of bed and went to the door, opening it to find none other than Draco Malfoy, standing before him in Harry's clothes, which were dirty and bloodstained. Draco's eyes were glued to the floor, and he looked both cold and shaken. Harry didn't get a chance to look over the rest of his appearance before tugging Draco into his arms and bringing him inside. He let the door swing shut and he breathed a sigh of relief, finally having Draco back. But what the hell had gone on? Why was he so injured yet again? Part of him wanted to scold Draco for leaving with no more and putting himself in such reckless danger, but he mostly just wanted Draco to feel okay.

Draco surprisingly hadn't fought his way out of Harry's arms. In fact, he was even leaning into his hold ever so slightly. Harry held him there for a long while before finally speaking. "Where the hell did you run off to, Malfoy?" He asked, still holding him against his chest. He didn't receive a response. He frowned and pulled back a bit, and reached to turn on the kitchen light to see better.

As soon as he flicked the light switch, Draco's tears became apparent. Harry's heart sunk. He could see the anguish behind Draco's eyes, and the dark circles under them. He had quite a few cuts on his face, and a black eye too. He didn't even want to imagine what the rest of Draco's body looked like. All that mattered to him in that moment was Draco's state of mind.

"Malfoy?" He asked again, to which he got no reply. He shook his head "come on let's get you fixed up" he said quietly, wrapping an arm around Draco's waist and guiding Draco's arm over his shoulder. He let Draco lean most of his body weight on him, and helped him get to the bathroom. He turned on the light and had Draco sit on the counter beside the sink.

"Who the hell did this to you?" He asked, this time not even expecting a response. He used a washcloth and gently cleaned off the dried blood on his cheek. "Can't have anyone getting away with damaging your gorgeous face now can we?" He said with a small smirk, but he received no reaction from Draco whatsoever.

He finished cleaning off Draco's face and he gently toyed with the hem of Draco's shirt. "I need to take this off to see the rest of you. Is that okay?" He asked, looking at Draco. He hadn't said a word since he returned. He lifted Draco's chin up and asked again, to which Draco gave no more than a small nod. Harry's heart broke seeing Draco like this. He gently lifted off Draco's shirt and tossed it in the trash. It was certainly far too stained, and Harry had plenty of other clothes to offer Draco.

Harry's eyes grazed over Draco's chest and stomach. Draco had new bruises scattered across his torso, and two large cuts across his body. Harry felt utterly destroyed seeing Draco so hurt. He dropped his head and rested his forehead on Draco's shoulder, with a hand placed on Draco's waist. He felt tears brimming at his eyes but refused to let them fall. He didn't want Draco to feel guilty about any aspect of this. He took a deep breath and lifted his head, immediately starting to clean off Draco's cuts.

Once he finished, he helped Draco down from the counter and turned off the lights, walking with him up the stairs to Draco's room, sitting him down on the bed. He grabbed a new shirt, clean pants, and boxers. He brought them to Draco and bit his lip. "I'll get you some food in the morning alright?" He said, placing a glass of water on his bedside table. "Don't hesitate to wake me if you need anything" he said. He was sure Draco heard him, but again, no answer.

He closed the door and went to his room, getting in his bed and hugging a pillow gently. He had a feeling Draco would be needing space. Just under a week ago when he'd shown up the first time, Draco had looked humiliated and embarrassed. He could only imagine that's how he felt now. He was glad Draco was back, of course, but he looked like he'd been given the beating of his life.

He decided he would check on him again in the morning, and hopefully by then he'd be well enough to speak and have some food.