heyheyhey

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Glowing embers illuminated the surrounding trees of an open clearing that was seemingly placed perfectly on top of a cliff. Just under the cliff, it had to have been 30 metres in the air and overlooked the deep, blue water that was colliding against the rocks at the bottom which was releasing a classic summer smell that you were all too familiar with. What was once your “family’s secret hideaway” was now something you decided was time to share with your significant other.

It’s been three years since you have met the mystery man, who you now know by Draco Lucius Malfoy, at a local pub. Or what he lovingly called it upon your first encounter “a muggle sweat tavern”. Despite the abrasive and confusing remarks he made that night, you soon learned the truth behind his complex façade. 

Being a “muggle”, as he calls it, you had no idea what he was talking about for the first month or so. All you could grasp was that he was utterly lost in his morality (thanks to his upbringing) and needed an outlet. You didn’t think much of this the first time you talked to him. In fact, you didn’t even think you would see him again after this first interaction. But, what you now realize was luck, fate to some, you bumped into him every Friday after work. He was always seated at the same table which was pushed up against the west wall of the club — far from both the bartender and others. 

You sat and listened to everything Draco had to say while he sat taking sips and bites at whatever drink and meal he decided to indulge himself with that week. That went on for a month before he suggested that you have more formal meetings. His exact, partially slurred, words were, “I don’t understand why you keep coming to this filthy mug- … filthy pub. I found this restaurant down the street, just two blocks over, and I think- I think we should at least take a look at their menu.” 

To which you replied, with a loving smile, “I’d be honoured.”

The night Draco took you to the restaurant marked the first of many dates, as you would later call them. Three years after that night, you now laid peacefully in his arms, gazing over the water below and up at the stars. His head rested peacefully against your shoulder, and his soft hair was pushed against your face, calling you to run your fingers through it. As you reached out to place your hand on his head, a quiet hum echoed from his throat, causing you to pause.

“Don’t you just love summer?” He happily breathed out, slowly lifting his head off of you so he could stare into your eyes. You met his gaze and saw how gently his eyes blinked — fluttering almost, his eyelashes were barely touching. “I love it so much, it’s so… nice. Summer is so nice, but not as nice as you-” he continued, dragging on the “you”, and ended by booping your nose with the tip of his index finger. 

“Go to sleep you big, oaf,” you teased, his finger still pressed against your nose.

He furrowed his eyebrows and shifted his eyes off of you. To anyone else, they might have thought that was a sign of discontent, but you knew this was his way of teasing back. “You’re rather mean, you know,” he puffed, “I wouldn’t even be out here in this excuse of a forest if it weren’t for you.”

You laughed at this. He was the one who begged you to finally show him your family’s secret hideaway. You smiled at Draco and shook your head before replying, “Then I guess you won’t mind if I pack up our belongings and-”

“That’s okay,” he said before standing up and whipping off his pants, “I was kidding.” He reached down to grab your hand and pulled you up into him. He delicately planted a kiss on your lips, followed by your nose, and then your forehead before whispering an ‘I love you’ into your ear. 

“I love you more, darling,” you whispered back. He gave you yet another kiss before dragging you back to the tent that was placed away from the cliff and near the tree line. You nearly forgot about the fire that was ever so brightly glowing in the background. Fallen leaves and sticks crunched heavily under your feet as Draco pulled you closer to the makeshift fire that was dying down. He let go of your hand to blow the fire back to life.

He looked so at peace. So tired, yet so happy. He found his home. He knew it. Anyone who knew the couple knew it. Even if you denied it to all his old peers from Hogwarts, you also knew that you somehow managed to bring his withered soul back to life. 

“Dance with me,” he mumbled, stuffing his face into you. The two of you swayed back and forth for what felt like an entirety. The sound of the waves, fire, and forest filling the silence.

“You- you are so entrancing, y’know?” Draco asked, his arms wounded tightly around your body. 

“No, tell me,” you replied.

“You’re so amazing and wonderful, and I love everything about you-”

“Even if I’m a filthy muggle?” you asked while trying to repress a giggle, causing him to groan. He was silent for a few seconds, as he released his tight grasp on you to spin you around, he finally spoke–

“Shut up,” he pulled you back into him before he went on. “I love you, the beautiful (A/N: or handsome!) muggle you. And I’m going to marry you one day too — don’t you dare forget that.” His eyes were — lovingly —  boring into your soul. 

“Dray-”

“I’m going to wake up beside you every day and make you breakfast and kiss you before we go off to work and kiss you when we return home and I’m going to love you for every little bit of you. Flaws and all,” he rambled. “If you would let me, of course.”

You rested your hands on his cheeks before putting a finger to his lip.

“Why wouldn’t I let you?” He opened his mouth to respond, but you cut him off before he could drone on with his self-deprecation. “Don’t answer that. You’re worth every star in the universe — you’re worth everything to me, now come lie down. You look exhausted.”

“‘M not ‘ired,” he halfheartedly replied, not on purpose, of course. But he had been grasping for energy since the sunset, so it came to no surprise that he lost all effort to talk properly. 

You led him to the tent where you managed to tuck him in after struggling for several minutes. Following suit, you lifted the blankets on the loose end and snuggled your way in between his arms. Before drifting off to sleep, you felt your lover pull you deeper into his chest before mumbling a ‘thank you’ into your hair.

“Thank you,” you breathed out, reaching behind him to finally play with his soft hair. 

I knew they was still talking, but I couldn’t listen anymore. Their voice faded away as my eyes darted from their eyes to their lips that just wouldn’t stop moving. A smile found its way to my face and I felt my cheeks become wetter and wetter as time went by. The only thing that was on my mind was the promise they made me. The wording always varied, but it always meant the same thing, ‘I love you and I would do anything for you,’ I just hoped it would stay that way for the rest of their beautiful life.

I let a breath escape my lips, it turned into a silent sob and I watched their lips stop moving. They watched in silence, not daring to make another move; I appreciated that. Sometimes words can’t always do the talking for you, however, your actions can.

“My love,” I breathed out, “this is the end of the line for me.” I knew that they found us. They wanted to burn us. The building was already on flames and y/n would be too if I didn’t do anything. This was just their warning sign. I knew if I didn’t bring myself to them there would be severe consequences.

I watched y/n’s every move, they seemed less elegant; it was as if they had lost balance. Their head began shaking back and forth and they fell into my arms. Tear filled eyes met my own as their whole body began shaking, “you-I… No. No, no, no, no. The universe is made of lines. You know this! I can make another line we can follow. How does that sound? I can make a whole new world for us; we can run away. But we must get going.”

They got off of me and acted as if all the wrongdoings of the universe just aligned themselves. The smile never left my face, as long as they were alive I knew I would be perfectly happy with my fate. The sound of wood dragging against wood made me snap my eyes back to his figure. They clumsily fumbled through the crate that carried the only belongings we still owned.

“The shark always finds the blood, y/n. There is no point in fighting it, I have no more fight left in me,” I explained. My convincing didn’t seem to work. y/n started dragging the crate to the door and I simply stood in the same spot. It was now or never, if I didn’t leave now y/n would probably find some way to keep me from sacrificing myself.

As I walked to y/n all I could wonder was if they would remember me as well as I would remember them. They bent over and tried to pull the crate, but abruptly stood up and slammed the door open, I put my hand on their back and spoke softly, “look at me.”

y/n looked down at me. It made me feel like a child again. That made me think of my mother. Perhaps she would be waiting on the other side. Maybe she’s watching from the other side. Out of all the things she had taught me, not one of them was how to gather the courage and say goodbye. It’s quite hard to say goodbye to a loved one. That’s something I’ve always known. But sometimes it is for the best.

y/n’s checks had tears falling down them that made their skin shine in a way no one should ever have to see.

“Hi,” they croaked out, “you gonna help me?”

“Of course I will, love. I will always help you,” my smile grew as I spoke.

Yet again, I found myself staring at y.n’s lips and eyes. However this time they weren’t talking, y/n was staring right back at me with a look that I couldn’t identify. All I knew was their eyes started to slowly close and their face was getting closer. I could make out all the blemishes on y/n’s skin when we were this close. Following suit, I could nearly taste the saltiness that seemed to have dripped down and onto their lips. y/n’s arms moved to pull me in closer and I followed through with their flow, they seemed to know what to do; I clearly didn’t. I let my eyes close and my guards down. That was my first mistake.

Just as our lips touched, I felt a sharp pierce through my back I automatically pushed y/n forward; I didn’t want them in harm's way. Unfortunately, that was my second mistake. I could feel the sharpness leave my back, but it was replaced with a feeling of great agony. I had nothing left to fight for, this was for the best.