Healing the Heart (Dramione)

39 || Long Overdue

Blaise yawned as he walked back to his flat. He was still helping with the recovery and some days didn't get home till well past midnight. Today was no different. Work was a good excuse though, not to spend time in his flat. Living with, essentially, a moody teenager had become a little draining to Blaise. Draco had been rather mopey since France and had grown progressively worse since Hermione had woken up.

Most nights, Blaise found Draco sitting on the couch or in the chair, staring out the window into the darkness and not once had Draco acknowledged him when he'd come home. It wasn't as though he and Draco talked excessively, but they did speak about conversational items: work, women, why Blaise couldn't figure out how to pick his boxers up off the washroom floor. Three days had passed and not once had Draco mentioned the growing mountain of socks and underwear Blaise was creating behind the door of the washroom.

He sighed as he came to his front door. How pouty would he be tonight? As he unlocked the flat and stepped inside, a palpable difference could be felt in the air. "What the?" His eyes scanned the flat. Draco wasn't sitting in his normal chair by the window. Blaise cautiously stepped further into the living room and glanced down the hallway. Draco's light was off. Blaise was pretty sure Draco had given up sleep entirely so why was he in his room with the light off? Scratching the back of his neck, he kicked off his shoes and stopped. A pair of plain brown flats and a damp blue jacket were sitting by the entryway. He knew that jacket anywhere. He ran his fingers over the sleeve before he paused. Draco's black shoes were near the brown ones and his jacket, which was also wet, hung next to the blue one. If her shoes were here and Draco's light was off...

Blaise quietly ventured into the hallway. Just as he was about to creep to his own room, the door to Draco's room opened and a figure strode into the washroom. She didn't seem to notice him, standing at the end of the dark hallway with raised eyebrows. Oh Draco, you didn't. Blaise hesitated before he moved slowly to Draco's door, and peeked inside. From what he could see, the room was a mess, an odd thing for Draco. Pieces of clothes lay strewn across the floor. Maybe this is how Draco got when he was depressed. Or... His eyes found their way to the bed and eventually rested on a large lump in the the middle of the sheets. Slowly, the lump turned and released a deep breath.

When the knob to the washroom began turning, Blaise darted to his own room and slowly closed the door. He pulled his tie off and tossed it onto the ground beside his bed. For a few moments, he sat in silence, in the dark, as he processed what he just witnessed.

Blaise shrugged and commented to no one in particular. "Good to see Hermione's feeling better." As he unbuttoned his shirt, he let out a low chuckle. "Oh... Draco, you dog." He grinned. "It's about time."

~~

Per usual, Draco woke up at 6 am, sharp. He groaned, like he usually did in the mornings, and willed himself to get up and get ready for the day. As Draco stretched and tried to untangle himself from the covers a frown settled onto his lips when his arm didn't come into contact with the body which laid next to him the previous night. "Mione?" He blinked the sleep from his eyes and crawled out of bed. Pulling on his jeans, he made his way to the kitchen to investigate her whereabouts.

A familiar scene greeted him when he arrived but this time it felt different. Satisfaction engulfed him as he noted the complete atmospheric difference between this morning and so many others. She was standing in front of the stove with a teapot in her hands. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rubbed his jaw along hers. "Good morning." He'd waited for this, wanted this for so long and finally, he had it. It felt far more natural and right than he ever imagined it could.

She leaned against him as she poured a second cup of tea. "I was just about to come back and join you."

He ran a hand down her arm. "Are you wearing my shirt?" She had on a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The shirt's hem brushed along her thighs. "And no pants?" She'd worn his clothes before but this, her wearing what he had the night before, felt vastly more intimate.

Hermione turned in his arms and held up a cup. "I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't mind at all." He trailed a finger down the buttons of the shirt. "It looks better on you than it ever did on me."

"I beg to differ." She kept her eyes on him as she took a sip of the tea.

"I actually prefer the shirt off of you, though. I think it looks best on neither of us." He undid the first button. "Maybe we should try letting the floor of my bedroom wear it?"

"You have work today." She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, effectively stopping him.

"Standing out in the rain did me in last night. I think I'm feeling rather feverish this morning. I'm incredibly achy all over."

"I don't think that's from the rain." She smirked.

"I'm utterly exhausted. I should stay home in bed. Maybe you should join me, make sure I fully recover." He solemnly nodded in agreement with himself.

She placed the back of her hand on his forehead before running her palm down his cheek, neck, and chest. "No, I think you feel perfectly normal. Better go get ready."

"Perfectly normal? Are you positive? You don't think I'm possibly running on the hot side?" He backed her against the counter. "Maybe you should examine me further, Healer Granger." Draco pressed a hand flat to the small of her back. His voice dropped. "I could be very ill."

Hermione rolled her eyes and slipped out of his embrace. "I think putting this on was a bad idea. I'm gonna go change. You should put on your work scrubs." She set the teacup on the kitchen table before padding down the hall.

"You're right, putting that shirt on was a bad idea, you should take it off." He raced after her. "Actually, that shirt is rather difficult to unbutton. Let me help. Afterwards, you can help me get dressed."

She ignored his comment and pulled a pair of pants out of her drawer. "Is it cold outside? Draco!"

"Freezing. Better stay inside, warm in my bed." He scooped her up in his arms and deposited her back into the sheets. "I'm calling in sick."

"Draco." She grinned as he sat in front of her and tugged at her sleeve. "You can't call in sick."

"Watch me."

She rose up onto her knees and ran her fingers through his hair. "What if they need you?"

Draco wrapped a hand around the back of her thigh. "They won't." His eyes danced as he looked up at her.

In Hogwarts, the smell of Amortentia reminded her of freshly cut grass and mint toothpaste. If she smelled the potion now, she was positive it would resemble peppermint, raw sugar, and rain. Why did it take her so long to accept this? Him. Everything that they could be. "You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." He rose up onto his knees and ran his hands up her sides. "Come on, let's play Healer and Patient. Examine me thoroughly to make sure I'm not sick." He grinned wickedly.

Brushing her fingers over his lips, she let out an exaggerated sigh of defeat and pulled him closer. "Maybe you can be just a little late to work?"

"I'm thinking," He slowly backed her into the pillows. "maybe I'll be extremely late to work."