Draco Malfoy, Broken

Chapter 24 - Please

24 - Please

"Please..." Draco pleaded. His heart nearly stuttered to a halt when he whispered the words that went against everything he wanted. "Please... stop...."

Harry didn't move any closer. His eyes flickered with pain and Draco felt a dull knife slip though his rib cage, just watching his reaction.

"Don't Harry, please... it's hard enough."

"Why?" Harry asked, grimacing. He didn't move from his very forward position. "You don't want...."

"I want to, Harry," Draco whispered. Harry's glistening eyes narrowed. "But we can't."

"The hell we can't!" Harry growled, anger finally coming.

"Where do you think we are going, Harry? They attacked and taunted you while you were at Hogwarts... what do you think they'll do to me? We can't do this!" Draco said, still staring into Harry's torn and vulnerable eyes.

"You're saying no, because you're worried about what everyone will think?"

"Not think... do... what they will do... to both of us," Draco said, tears coming out.

Harry took his arms off the counter and pulled him into a hug. "I'll protect you, Draco."

"And who's going to protect you... Harry?" Draco whispered into his ear. "I certainly can't... not without a five year trip to Azkaban. They'll hate you. I'm an ex-Death Eater, Harry. You can't align with me. They'll never accept it... even after they accept that I'm... gay."

"Draco... I think I can take care of myself."

"No... you can't. You were chugging bottles of firewhiskey not a week ago and not eating. You need companionship."

"You can provide that... you can make sure I eat," Harry said, still refusing to let go.

"I'm one person, Harry. We'll be trapped in a school of hundreds who would stop at nothing to break us apart. You can't fight them all. I'm not your equal, Harry. I'm not even a half a person."

Harry pulled back to look into his eyes. "That's not true."

"Your veggies are burning," Draco replied and Harry cursed and flipped the burner off.

"You're enough for me... I want you, Draco," Harry said, his face red.

Draco cried more tears at the words he so desperately wanted to hear, but it was all for nothing. "I want you, too... but no, I'm not enough for you. You deserve someone that can bring you happiness, not more problems. You deserve to be with your family. I'm not going to keep you apart anymore... I'm not going to make you choose."

"This is about what Ron said, right?" Harry said flatly. His temper held in by the thinnest line of restraint.

"Not just. But they want you back."

"He's the one forcing this!" Harry yelled.

"Yeah... but not without reason. I hurt him, Harry. I might not have broken any law, but it was wrong and he's entitled his recompense."

"Don't think like that... revenge is a selfish desire. Nothing "evens" out."

"That's not for you to decide."

"It doesn't matter, I'm not going to let them have you!" Harry said, his voice staying at a loud volume.

"I didn't say that that you would. But there's a big difference from stopping people hurting me and walking the halls side-by-side, hand-in-hand."