Ink / Draco Malfoy (18+)

"Bonded"

"Bonded"

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"Fred! You fucking idiot!", the door bashed open, "I swear to god-", Hermione yelled angrily as she stumbled into the room, "Bloody hell.",

her sight lowered onto George's bed as she studied my dirty clothes, "Liv?", she looked over to Fred and George, almost sceptical,

"Yes, it's Liv.", George giggled, amused by the way she acted. I noticed how Draco's hand clenched around my thigh the second Hermione threw herself into my arms,

"Where have you been?", she buried her face into the side of my neck, making it harder for me to breathe, "We missed you so much, you have no idea.", I heard Fred and George chuckle as she nearly suffocated me,

"I missed you too.", I muttered into her thick her, the smile on my lips growing broader with every second, until she pulled herself out of my grip to kneel in front of me.

I watched her eyes move over to Draco and lower onto his hand on my thigh, causing her to furrow her brows in disgust. I glanced at Draco just to see that he had already noticed, but none of them dared to say a word.

Draco cleared his throat, and I studied the way his leg bounced up and down, I could tell how nervous he was. He knew how poorly he had treated them in the past- but little did they know how different he was now. Unfortunately, they weren't capable of seeing him the way I did,

and a part of me ached to show them just how beautiful he truly was.  If I could, I would have shown them the way his hands held my skin- the same way he held a glass of wine, gently, as if I could break at the tips of his fingers.

I would have shown him the way he looked at me, constantly, and how his eyes would light up with every smile that climbed upon my lips.

I would have shown them all, just how broken he was.

But another part of me wished to keep it a secret, to be the only person to know his soft soul, just so I could keep it forever. To be the only one to get a hold of his heart, to make sure I would always be the one it's beating for. To never lose him again.

"You were with him the whole time?", Hermione asked quietly, careful not to sound upset, and I noticed how Draco's jaw clenched,

I nodded slowly, letting my fingers slip over my knee just to find his skin again, "We were together. But I can't tell you more than that.", my eyes found his soft features, just to see that he had already been looking at me.

"You look tired, did you sleep at all?", she studied the bags under our eyes, and the way we struggled to keep our eyes open, "Not really.", Draco breathed out, quietly.

Hermione looked at him again, and for the first time there was a hint of compassion in her eyes- for the first time she looked at him like he wasn't a monster.

It was silent in this room, awkward almost. We hadn't seen each other in a long time, and I missed them terribly, but the one thing I truly wished for was to be alone with him-

to finally rest with him in peace.

I hugged them all goodbye while Draco waited for me at the door, he couldn't wait to finally leave. I noticed how George hugged me just a little tighter than the others did, and he didn't let go of me until I did.

I knew I would give in eventually, and tell him about the things we had to go through, but for now I needed to forget about last night.

"Thanks for coming with me.", I said after the door closed behind us, and we started walking hand in hand, "Of course.", Draco used his thumb to stroke the back of my hand, and I found comfort in the feeling.

We entered his room quietly, the air had turned colder- it was always cold in there. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when he used a spell to light up the candles on his desk. Once again, I caught a glimpse of his eyes in the strokes of moonlight.

Draco opened his dresser, pulling out a grey t-shirt for me to wear, and after I had put it on I laid down next to him. He stared at the ceiling, blinking slowly as I buried my head in his chest- inhaling the scent that never failed to make me feel a sense of belonging.

"What are you thinking?", I whispered, and he gripped my shoulder a little tighter, "Everything.", his tone was low, and I felt him breathing under the palm of my hand.

Something in his eyes had changed as he came to rest, and he couldn't bring himself to look at me, "I'm scared.", he whispered.

"He is dead now, you know he can't hurt us anymore, right?"

His eyes fluttered closed, that's what he always did before speaking the truth, he always battled his demons behind the thin skin on his eyes,

it was easier to fight them in the darkness.

"But father can.", he let out a shaky breath,

"I'm scared of him."

His fingers tapped my skin, to make sure I was still there, "Your scars-", he squeezed his eyes shut as I mentioned them, "He hurt you, didn't he?"

His silence was deafening, because it was his way of approving, and it hurt. I had seen his scars many times, and I could never really take my eyes off them. I studied every single mark on his chest, and deep down I always knew where they came from.

I just didn't want that to be true.

My heart ached for him, for every scar that was carved into his skin and bones- every act of violence that was brought upon him by the hands of his own father.

Draco always seemed to be a little lost when it came to physical affection, but he always needed it the most. His way of showing affection and love was through touch, yet it scared him.

I pulled him closer at the thought of it, my heart broke for him.

"I'm sorry.", I whispered to myself, I had no idea what to do, how to comfort him, "I dream of him sometimes.", he responded quietly.

"Is he hurting you in your dreams?", I asked carefully as I remembered how he woke up from a nightmare once, I already knew he had dreamed of his father that night.

And suddenly I started thinking of all the nightmares I had around the time we grew closer. I remembered the astronomy tower at night, the person dressed all in black, aiming his wand at me. I gulped the second I remembered the ink dripping from his arm.

It was him all along, a part of me knew it from the very start.

"Worse.", he whispered, and I stared at his eyes in confusion, but he didn't move a single muscle, "He's hurting you in my dreams."

I knew we both had nightmares sometimes, but little did I know they were the same. As if a part of his wounded soul bonded with mine the second I looked into his eyes for the first time- I took all of him with me that night, his pain, his demons,

his nightmares.

My soul knew who he really was before I knew it, and it eased the pain a little, knowing that our souls were meant to find each other all along.

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