vices | D.M. + H.G.

six: two more lonely people

A/N: surprise. missed you all.

betawork done by my usual suspects (lost.poetx, LeilahMoon) – and a thank you to malf0y101. so much love to all of you.

xoxo,

carm

CW/TW: panic attacks occur in the third and fourth sections.

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Jealousy was not an emotion that Draco was intimately acquainted with. He'd never wanted for anything. What his name couldn't secure for him, his money could. He'd learned early on that everyone had a price, and everyone could be bought.

However, that didn't really come in handy when the person he was jealous of had no idea. Also, Draco didn't think they would care all that much either. None of this was going according to plan.

That thought stopped him in his tracks as he tipped the remainder of the drink into his mouth and swallowed hard. Plan? What plan? He'd never had a plan – besides hoping to make his way through eighth year (mostly) unscathed, and then fucking off to Europe with what was left of his wealth. There was no 'plan'. He slammed the drink down onto the table in front of him, hard enough to where he thought – for a second – that it might shatter. He jumped to his feet and started pacing.

Granger – Hermione – was never supposed to be a part of this. Was never supposed to be roped into his pathetic longing. But she just had to go and concoct this scheme to get to the bottom of the mindless drivel that was going through the school.

So it was safe to say that he was completely shocked when the white heat that was jealousy seared through him, singeing his veins and leaching into his blood by way of his aching heart. He felt it in the way that it tensed his muscles and caused his breath to catch. That was an entire flood of new emotions that he couldn't – didn't – even want to begin processing.

Heaving a shaky breath, he ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. His pacing had almost certainly worn a trail into the rug that covered their floor, and he was hoping that it would disappear, thus hiding his brief lapse in certainty.

The emotions coursing through him needed some kind of a channel. They were hopelessly swirling, bubbling up and around, dancing in between his cells until he was certain they would bond with the atoms inside of him and alter him forever.

It got so intense, burned so brightly that he could feel it morphing into rage. Now this, this was something he was at least familiar with. Usually, it was directed at Lucius – so having it seek another target was a new experience.

Nott.

Of course. Theo was the obvious choice, what with not only being his best friend, but also shagging Granger. Weren't your closest friends supposed to notice when you stare at someone too long? When the air shifts as they watch someone walk into the room? When they start noticing things and posing entirely new rhetorical questions? It was official – Theo was a horrible friend.

And on top of that, he didn't even bother using a silencing charm? It was a simple courtesy, a favor, but it would have saved him so much agony.

He wanted to be the one to find out what she sounded like when she came.

He wanted to be the one to pull those pretty sounds from her.

A shudder overtook his body, knocking some adrenaline loose. His heart sped up, his blood felt hot, and he was almost certain that he'd find his pupils blown wide and cheeks flushed if he looked.

Draco's eyes flashed towards the door.

Did he go after Theo? Propose a deal of some kind to get him to back off? Or just throw caution to the wind and sock him in the face? There were so many options, and he wasn't sure which was the best option – or even if there was a best option.