Empty Spaces

Chapter 29

"If that's what you call careful, we need to have a talk..." Potter muttered.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Draco retorted.

"In a hospital bed!"

"Better me than you!"

"Come on, now, none of that..." Potter's voice softened. "I'm just glad you're okay, alright? Narcissa will be okay, too. That's what matters most right now." Potter reached over and stroked Draco's hair back away from his eyes; a gentle touch that had Draco's breath catching in a way that didn't hurt...

"Thanks..." Draco said quietly, "for everything. You didn't have to do any of that, you didn't have to come, you didn't have to help, you didn't have to–"

"But I wanted to," Potter interrupted. "I've told you before, you're worth it. This is worth it."

He leaned down, kissing Draco; it was soft and tentative, asking permission. Oh, Potter... of course you can kiss me. Who gives a shit if we're in a hospital or if my head hurts or if my father just tried to maim us or...

A knocking on the door had Potter sitting bolt upright while an endearing redness spread over his cheeks. Draco laughed to himself as a healer entered the room, pretending not to notice anything while Potter tried to arrange himself to appear innocently casual as if kissing in the hospital was against some sort of unwritten code of conduct. Potter, you prude...

"Oh, good, Mr. Malfoy, awake at last!" The healer sent a cup of something flying over to Draco's side. She had bright, multicolored hair and lime green robes– Draco didn't know if he'd ever seen so much color on one person in his entire life. "My name is Healer Yamamoto. Here, drink this. And can I have you confirm your relationship with Mr. Potter for me, please?"

Draco was glad he hadn't started drinking whatever was in the cup yet because he was pretty sure he would have choked if he did. Potter, meanwhile, had managed to turn even redder and was now desperately trying to hide behind Healer Yamamoto.

"I'm sorry, what?" Draco managed to get out.

"Does Mr. Potter have your permission to stay in the room while you answer some questions for me?" Yamamoto tried again.

"What?? Er– yes?" Draco replied, trying to ignore Potter's hilariously mortified stance behind the healer's rainbow hair.

"Lovely," Yamamoto smiled, conjuring a chair and taking a seat at Draco's side. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay...?"

"Going to have to better than that, Mr. Malfoy," Yamamoto scolded good-naturedly, "How's the ribs?"

"Er– been... better?"

"Drink that, please," Yamamoto nodded at the cup still in Draco's hand. "Any pain when you breathe?"

In the middle of drinking, Draco shrugged his shoulders. Yamamoto just raised an expectant eyebrow, so Draco swallowed and answered.

"Some...?"

"Mmm... How was it when you sat up?"

"Same... maybe worse...?"

"Can you move your arms like this for me? Turn this way? And that? Ah, good, okay. Look up. Look right. Turn your head, yes, like that, good. How are you feeling, that potion taking effect yet?"

"Erm– yes?" Draco's headache was retreating, in any case, and although his body still ached, the overall pain was beginning to numb.

"Okay, good," Yamamoto added some more notes to her parchment, "We'll just let that settle in so you can sleep tonight, but you should probably be good to go by tomorrow morning. I'll be back in an hour to check on you. See you, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter." She vanished Draco's empty cup and strode out of the room.

"So, 'Mr. Potter'," Draco couldn't help sniggering at Potter's still-red face, "Exactly what sort of relationship was I supposed to confirm, pray tell?"

"I– they weren't going to let me stay with you at first!" Potter said defensively, "Immediate family and significant others only! So I– er– I may have told them– I– we–"

Draco was now extremely thankful for whatever potion Healer Yamamoto had given him, because he was sure laughing like this would have been excruciating just ten minutes earlier.

"Oh, shut up and stop laughing before you hurt yourself," Potter said, blushing again which only made Draco laugh more.

"Aw, but you should have seen your face when she asked," Draco said affectionately. "Does this mean I'm your boyfriend, now that you've made it official on my hospital record?"

"I'm sorry, I should have asked you first–"

"I mean, it's not like you could have–"

"They were going to kick me out! I couldn't just leave you alone–"

"I know! I'm glad you stayed–"

"WILL-YOU-BE-MY-BOYFRIEND??" Potter asked, quickly and earnestly and awkwardly all at once.

"YES." Draco said. You and your ridiculous chivalry, Potter. How on earth does it manage to be this endearing???

"Re– really? Yes?"

"YES, Potter, YES, I want to be your boyfriend!" Draco said, laughing again. "Now, BOYFRIEND, come over here..."

He really had lost everything now– his money, his legacy, his family; Draco's entire world had been stripped away, piece by piece, layer by layer. By all logical reasoning, happiness seemed to be the last thing he should be feeling right now. But what else would you call this thing that was so strange and terrifying and exhilarating and a million other nameless things???

Well. Maybe there is another name for it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Happiness it is, then.