complimentary colours • drarry •

19: promise?

Monday 11th January 1999

Probably for the first time ever, Harry was awake before Draco. He laid on his side with his arm under the pillow and when he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of Draco sleeping soundly opposite him.

Light filtered through the gap in the curtains, shining a line between them on the sheets. He wanted to reach out, but he wasn't sure how this worked yet. He didn't want to push too far, not now that Draco was finally letting him in. He'd already been the one to climb into Draco's bed in the middle of the night.

After they'd silently got changed on their respective sides of the room, Harry had hesitated by the side of his bed, considering asking Draco if he could sleep next to him. But as Draco finished changing, he had decided against it, muttering a goodnight before climbing into his own bed, attempting to fall asleep on his own.

It had only taken half an hour, lying ridged in his bed, for Harry to change his mind. Are you awake? he'd whispered into the darkness. There had been a pause before Draco's voice came, just as quietly, telling him that he was. Harry had crossed the room and when he'd slipped under Draco's duvet, he had not protested. Instead, he'd made room for him, turning onto his side to face him, and Harry had decided that maybe Draco sometimes needed a little push.

Their usual restless sleep had been peaceful and as he'd slept, he was vaguely aware that for the first time in months, he didn't feel like something was missing.

As he woke up slowly, for once not feeling exhausted, he was surprised to find Draco still asleep. He couldn't remember a time he'd ever seen Draco asleep after 6am, but as Harry woke up fully, Draco's breaths still came in an even rhythm and his eyes did not flicker once.

There was no frown on his face, and he mirrored Harry's position with one hand by his face and the other between them on the mattress. Harry wasn't sure if he was allowed to touch, to reach out and pull Draco into his chest. It was cold in their room and it would be so easy to slot himself under Draco's arm, to bury himself in his warmth.

Instead, Harry settled for sliding a hand over the space between them, the light shining over his fingers, then his wrist and his arm, to thread his fingers through Draco's hair, hand lingering as he tucked it behind his ear. His thumb brushed his jaw as he pulled away and Harry let his fingertips move over his cheek and pass over his lips. Draco was softer than he'd imagined and as Harry traced each delicate feature, he couldn't believe he'd never noticed before.

He hadn't put his glasses on yet but even with his blurred vision, he knew every detail of Draco. He knew, as he traced his finger over the top of his cheek, that there was a mole by the corner of his eye. He knew that when he followed the outline of Draco's cupids bow, the skin would be uneven from a scar that ran to his nose, too thin to be noticeable but deep enough to feel.

The light coming through the gap in the curtains was bright enough that he knew Draco would want him to wake him up. He had probably already let himself lie there a little too long, but he had never felt more content. He wanted to lie in bed with Draco all day.

He dropped his hand back to the black covers where Draco's hand rested over the sheets. His arm was laying with his wrist exposed and Harry could just see the top of the dark mark peeking over the top of his sleeve. He had not seen it since that night on top of the astronomy tower, except through the thin material of Draco's shirts. He always covered it up, not wanting the reminder on display.

Harry ran his finger over the pale skin of his hand, trailing it down to the scarred skin where the Dark Mark had faded, dragging the material of his sleeve down with it. Draco mumbling something incoherent and Harry stopped his movement, eyes flicking back to Draco's face, where a frown had returned. He moved his hand back up, fingertips lightly passing over Draco's pliant hand, turning it so he could thread their fingers together.