Ride or Die

Make Your Peace

Chapter 23: Make Your Peace

"Draco," Theo called, knocking twice before unlocking the door and motioning with a quick jut of his chin for Fleur to follow. "Get your ass out here, you fuckstick - "

He stopped abruptly, blinking, as he registered the clothes strewn on the floor.

"Hey," Fleur said, running into his back and stumbling. "What are you - " she stopped, her eyes widening as she noticed the discarded garments, and then promptly narrowing disdainfully as she considered their implications. "That little shit," she declared. "I swear - "

There was a motion from the kitchen and then Draco turned the corner, shirtless and thoroughly mussed, his hair swept rigorously back from his face in what Theo unfortunately knew to be its most coitally suggestive iteration.

"Well," Draco ventured uneasily, glancing over his shoulder. "This is - "

"Where is she?" Theo demanded, tearing through the living room and leaping over the couch to turn the corner. "And who is sh-"

He broke off, meeting the eye of the doctor who'd operated on Mulciber.

"No," Theo said flatly, shaking his head as her cheeks flushed scarlet, perched on the counter in one of Draco's t-shirts with a plate of scrambled eggs balanced somewhat precariously on her lap. "Are you," he sputtered, "is this - "

"Hungry?" Draco asked weakly, and Fleur brushed past them both, picking up the doctor's fork and promptly helping herself to a bite.

"So," Fleur said, nodding once in approval of the eggs before handing the fork back to the doctor, "this is why you're not answering your phone, then, is it?"

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but Theo held up a hand.

"Hold on," he snapped, glaring between Draco and the doctor, whose name - Granmer? Gretser? - was inconveniently escaping him. "This," he said, accusatorily brandishing a finger between them. "How long has this been going on?"

"Um," the doctor said, her eyes darting to Draco's. "Well - "

Draco cleared his throat, his hand twitching towards the scar on his left shoulder. "Look," he sighed. "We were just - "

"Wait a minute," Theo said, staring, and then let his mouth fall open, registering the cause for Draco's involuntary motion towards the wound. "This is - you've been - " he grimaced and drew back, affronted. "You know what? Fuck you, Draco," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as the doctor blinked, astonished.

"Excuse me?" Draco snapped, and Theo glared at him.

"This," he said, gesturing to her and throwing his hands up. "This is how you got your shoulder stitched up after Greyback shot you?" he demanded brusquely. "This whole time, this is who you were - "

"You were shot?" Fleur interrupted, seemingly unaffected by the doctor's apprehensive sidelong glance as she leaned against the counter, casually brushing up against the other woman's leg. "Were you cockblocking him, then, too?"

"What do you mean too?" Draco snapped, glowering at her. "I wasn- "

He stopped, catching Theo's combatively widened stance, and reluctantly recoiled, appearing to recall his priorities. "Yes - fine," he muttered to Theo, though he did not look nearly chagrined enough for Theo's tastes. "You're - you're right."

Draco paused, glancing experimentally at the doctor. She gave him a hesitant shrug - sort of 'what can you do' motion that seemed to serve the purpose of re-inflating Draco's lungs, soothing him, as though he'd done nothing wrong - and for whatever reason, Theo promptly felt the urge to make a mess.