Always Remember

XII.

[Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long :(. I'm going to try and write and publish much more often from now on. Also, sorry for this chapter, it's a little weak. Story development, you know how it goes.]

I can tell that Draco is still embarrassed about the night before by the way he avoids my eyes as he got ready for the day. Everything he did– getting dressed, brushing his teeth– was done silently. He even refused to eat.

"I made some breakfast for us," I tell him when he walks into the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry," he replies, trying his best to sound casual and sincere. But I know better. 

"Well, I made too much for just myself anyway and you know... breakfast is the most important meal of the day..." I go on but he just sighs.

"Really, I'm not hungry."

I finally turn away from the stove to confront him but when I lay my eyes on him I can't bring myself to say anything. I saw the fatigue, not from the lack of sleep but from something that was eating away at him, that I recognized from when I first met him at the Ministry. His under-eyes were darker than they have been for a while and his eyes themselves seemed empty. Panic rises in me when I recall that he had been skinnier too, perhaps from a habit of skipping meals.

"Please, just have something," I say too quickly to think about the obvious worry in my voice. Draco finally looks up at me, his eyes widening in surprise, and he slowly walks over to my fruit bowl and takes out an apple. He takes a bite and looks up at me again to see if I'm satisfied. I allow myself a small smile of relief before turning away again. So, even after everything, this was still new territory. Night terrors I never knew he had, ones that he was determined to keep hidden from me for as long as he could, were something I would have to learn how to help him through. 

I ate as much food as I could although my worry for Draco suppressed my appetite a bit, and look at the clock. I would have to be at the Ministry soon but when I look at Draco, I see that he's sitting on the couch, staring off rather than flipping through channels like he usually would in the morning. I can spare a few minutes.

I walk over to the couch and sit down next to him, as close as I can get, and place my hands on both sides of his face and gently guide his face to look at me. His eyes are soft and I see the pained expression that he gave me last night. 

"You know you can help yourself to anything while I'm gone and... I can come home for my lunch so we can eat together," I suggest and to my surprise, he lets out a strained chuckle.

"You don't have to take care of me, Y/N," he says and I shake my head.

"I want to. Besides, we take care of each other, okay?" I reply and lean forward to kiss his cheek. It let my lips linger against his skin for a while before pulling away.

"Okay, we take care of each other, but you don't have to come back for lunch. You should spend it with Granger or something..." he suggests and I actually laugh.

"Oh! You don't want to see me?" I tease, trying to lighten the mood, and he rolls his eyes.

"That's not it. I just don't like that I've taken you away from your friends for so long," he says. 

"I think it's safe to say my friends are also your friends, we could all go out together," I reply and he makes a face.

"What?" 

"Potter, Weasley, and Granger? My friends? That's funny," he says and now I make a face.

"Well... you're getting there! Besides, don't pretend that you don't enjoy their company from time to time," and when he smiles I lean in again but this time to kiss his lips. I can see that his mood is lifted and it lifts mine too. He kisses me back, wrapping his arms around my body and pulling me into him. We spend a few more minutes like this before Draco kisses my forehead and leans back.