“potter,” he said s his heek with his thumb. “take off your jumper.”
“otter didn’t just look surprised, he looked paniked.
drao leaned loser. “do you trust me?”
& answer, his expressi more painful. drao let out a sigh before he pressed their foreheads together.
“are you really that stupid?”
potter sowled at him but said nothing.
“fuk, i an’t believe y me do this,” drao muttered.
“i’m not making you do a ulled away, removed his hand from his heek and got up. slowly, with eye ontat, drao started unbuttoning his shirt.
“what—what are you doing?”
“listen arefully, potter, beause i’m only going to say this ohe shirt off of himself ahe floor. “you uand?”
&ared at him, wide-eyed. it took a few seonds before he slowly ook a deep breath. he had more vulnerable i oe literally, expositer, he was about to expose erately been tryi he had a feeling it was now or never.
& down on the bed, fai before he ould say anythi a dreadful gasp, his eyes fixed on drao’s hest.
“drao, this—this—fuk!” he threw bak the duvet a of bed as though he had just been bitten by an aromantu. one hand ed over his mouth, his eyes full of horror. “i did this to you,” he whispered.
shit! drao hadhought this through, had he? of ourse potter would bme himself for this.
“potter. potter!”
& seem to be listening. his mio be somewhere else. drao got up, takio him.
“potter!”
he was shaking his head furiously. he looked like he was about to be sik. drao gritted his teeth. potter would be the death of him. seriously, how muh more of himself osed to expose? ugh!
“harry,” drao said quietly. potter stilled. his eyes finally foused on drao. “e here.” he strethed out his hand. “please.”
it took an agonisingly loil potter put his trembling hand in drao’s. he let himself be tugged bak to the bed where they both sat down.
“i’m n to torture you,” drao said softly, squeezing potter’s hand. “i just want you to realise—hey.” he put a fier’s hin, unwilli him avoid his gaze. “do you know how ironi this is? i’m the oh all the fws.” his fae twisted in disgust at his own words. “i’m the o deserve you.”
potter made a hoking sound.
“yes, you gave me those sars,” drao ontinued, his hest tightening as potter let out a muffled whimper, “but you did it beause of this.” he held out his left arm where the dark mark was still visible. it had faded after the dark lord’s death, but there was no way of hiding it. “this is a onstahe mistakes i made. i have to look at this every day. but i a. it took me a loo uand that. and it took me eveo realise i doo. building a new life, when all you have as a foundation are ruins, is it’s not impossible.”
this time, it was drao who ouldn’t haze. he stared at their joined hands in his p, feeling like a fool.
“you sound like a heesy motivatioer muttered, and drao ould almost hear a hint of a smile in his voie. “i’m sorry, drao,” he said after a moment, sounding muh gloomier. “i’m sorry for…what i did to you.”
“i know you are. i’m sorry, too.”
“um…” potter hesitated, but drao notied his hand io his. “bsp;i— bsp;i touh them?”
drao felt an instant rush of pani shh him. ouhed his sars befiveo him, there robably er person but potter to be the first. it was almost as though they had ome full irle.
keepioi as possible, he nodded.
potter was hesitaed his hand. with a touh so feathery it almost tikled, he traed the lo sar on drao’s hest.
“i thought s didn’t sar,” he muttered quietly.
“i guess it would have been worse if he hadn’t—” he broke off whehed away his hand a him in horror. “sorry. but i guess there’s n it. but hey, at least you did my fae. you nearly did, though.” drao turned his head and pushed his hair out of the way. he knew you ould o if you looked losely. that sar had faded the most and it was tiny. but it was there, ht heek, right to his ear.
drao shivered ieer’s finger brushed his skin.
“yoi yourself up about this again, are you?” he muttered, suppressio lean iouh.
“it’s hard not to,” potter retorted.
“like i said, potter, these sars are part of the past. but they’re also part of who i am today. they’re a good reminder, you know.”
he hoped potter was able to hear the finality in his voie. as muh as he wao help him, he didn’t want to talk about this anymore. he had already told potter he didn’t deserve him. what else was there to say?
he drew his lower lip betweeh wheed loser. for a breathtakihought he was going to kiss him. ier ran his fihrough draave him a piering look.
“i do thiiful, but…” he twisted a strand of hair around his finger. “i like you beause you’re you.”
it’s funny, isn’t it, how you an gh life, ma eah day pass aerms with the fat that no one will ever feel a ertain way about you, aept that your deepest desire is out of reah, not yours to have. so what do you do when that sudde