Nowhere Else to Go

Chapter 15

Harry paused for a moment, stopping right beside Draco's room. He knew Draco needed space, but he also knew he had to help Draco with changing his bandages before sleeping. He picked up a fresh roll from the bathroom and knocked, before gently pushing the door open.

He saw that Draco had eaten a bit, and seemed to have made use of the extra blanket he was given. Harry walked over and gently brushed Draco's hair out of his eyes. A gentle gesture, which Harry hoped was small enough not to upset Draco. He glanced over his head wound and noticed the developing bruises over his eye, jaw, and likely the rest of his body too. Draco's eyes were fixated on the wall in front of him, a shell of a gaze. He was clearly either lost in his own teeming thoughts or he was simply too emotionally drained to interact properly with Harry. Either way, no words had to be spoken for there to be a mutual understanding that Harry was here to help Draco heal well.

Harry tentatively began to lift Draco's shirt, and Draco raised his arms to help Harry take it off. Draco was still zoned out, almost entirely unaware of everything aside from where Harry was touching him. He undid the old bandages and tossed them in the rubbish. The wounds were healing well, and Draco's need for bandages would likely cease in a day or two. Harry was laser focused on rewrapping Draco's wounds. He hardly noticed that Draco's gaze had shifted from the wall to Harry's efficiently working hands, and soon enough, to Harry's face. Harry only really realized Draco was looking at him when he pulled away to put the bandages back. He smiled a little and tucked a lock of Draco's hair behind his ear, which only slipped right back to the front of his face.

Harry stood and picked up Draco's dishes, leaving without a word. Words to him seemed more unnecessary than ever before with Draco. The two had enough of an understanding to recognize what they needed from one another without directly communicating that, which was especially fortunate due to Draco's state of shock.

After washing the last of the dishes, Harry returned to his own room and shut off his lights. He laid in bed for an hour at least, unable to sleep. Just as he began drifting off, he heard his door creak open. He glanced up at the entrance and saw Draco silently walk into the room and over to the bed.

Draco climbed in beside Harry and faced away from him, seeking nothing but warmth, and maybe just a small bit of comfort. He closed his eyes and curled up a little, resting for a few moments before receiving the familiar feeling of Harry's arm slip around his waist. His heart started racing, and his cheeks flushed a soft red.

He then felt Harry move closer, his body now flush up against Draco's back. Draco honestly couldn't help himself from leaning into Harry a little bit, enjoying the warmth and safety he provided. Mostly the warmth of course. Draco was colder than he had been in ages.

Harry had pulled Draco into his arms, more willingly than ever before. He knew the boy was hurting, anyone could see that. He adjusted the blankets so they were properly covering Draco, before letting himself fall asleep. Draco was still awake, soaking up as much of Harry's warmth as he possibly could without making the situation too weird. He did eventually let his eyes fall closed, and he drifted into a peaceful slumber.

----------------------------------------------------

Harry was the first to wake in the morning. Draco was asleep soundly, his face gently pressed against the pillow. Harry's hand was resting on Draco's belly, and Draco's shirt had ridden up a little in his sleep. Draco's skin was actually incredibly soft, despite all of the beatings he'd received. Harry smiled to himself, grateful that he could be of service to Draco in some way, even if it was just to warm him up a little. He slid his hand up under Draco's shirt a bit, letting his hand rest on Draco's chest. He enjoyed having Draco beside him more than he thought he would; especially since he was constantly reminded of that night Draco had come home with him from the bar.

He couldn't lie, Harry had thought of that night more than just occasionally in the past few weeks. The desperation and undeniable passion between the two left him aching for more, but of course he couldn't just fuck Draco out of nowhere. Especially not with all the shit he'd been through recently.

Harry slipped out of the bed while Draco was still asleep. He had a feeling Draco was growing tired of wearing Harry's clothes all the time, especially since they were a bit too big to fit comfortably. Draco always had his pants cinched as far as they could go, and they often hung a little low around his waist even then. The shirts weren't as big of a deal, since they at least stayed on his body, but winter was approaching and Draco was clearly getting cold at night.

After tucking Draco in and making sure the blankets covered him, Harry went downstairs and started on breakfast. He left Draco a plate, of course, and changed into warmer clothes to go out and shop. He let Draco sleep in seeing no need to wake him, and left the apartment to take a cab to the nearest mall.