Someday ⚡ Draco Malfoy [4/4]

21

Emma sat awkwardly on a stool that she dragged away from Astoria and Draco, putting a decent amount of distance between them. She could sense that her presence made Astoria feel better in case things got out of hand when it came to words exchanged, but it wasn't like that at all. Draco was quiet as Astoria told him everything and explained that this was why she was trying so hard to talk to him. That she didn't know what else to do but show up at this point. Draco sat there with his chin in his hand, eyes distantly staring at Astoria's baby bump. 

Emma stroked the puppy's head as she sat there, wanting nothing more than to leave. She felt like this was an invasion of privacy. Draco's eyes suddenly met hers. Nothing else about his face changed, his chin was still in his hand, and though his eyes were looking at hers, they still looked distant. 

Astoria finished talking and waited in silence for Draco to say something. It took him a moment. 

Chin still in his hand and eyes still distant, he said, "I don't know what to make of this."

Astoria looked panicked for a moment. "But what does that mean?"

"It means I don't know how to feel right now. I need a bit to process this," he said, lowering his hand and exhaling. 

"Are you upset?" Astoria asked quietly. 

Draco shook his head, his eyes focused on the marble island. "I'm shocked, that's all."

"Very well," Astoria replied in the same mousey tone. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she kept quiet. Draco brought his head into his hands and breathed loudly. "I would like to owl you a bit more about this-- to talk about circumstances and how we're going to do this."

Draco said nothing, only nodded. 

"I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you."

"Don't be," Draco said without looking up. He shut his eyes. "It's my fault for shutting you out."

Astoria looked down for a moment. "Why did you do that? Shut me out, I mean."

Draco didn't say anything for a moment, and Emma felt this may have been a good time to leave them to it and retreat back to her room. But then Draco spoke, halting her. 

"After our night together... I wanted to leave it at that, but you were so persistent I thought you wanted something more. If I'd had an inkling, I wouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, Astoria. I'm so sorry."

Emma stood from the stool she was sitting on and slowly left for her room, clutching the puppy in her arms with tears in her eyes. She had no right to feel any type of way... but yet she did. She quickly blinked the tears back before opening the bedroom door, where she found Mia was already awake, sitting in her cot and playing with her toy ladybug. 

Emma smiled and held out the puppy. Mia beamed instantly, gripping the bars of the cot to stand herself up to get a better look. 

Dinner that evening was quiet. The silence was sounded with cutlery hitting plates and loud heartbeats, and the occasional snore from Chip the beagle. Emma had asked Mia what the puppy's name should be, and for some reason Chip was what came to the little girls mind. Emma wasn't complaining, she really did look like a Chip. 

Draco looked stressed and torn, like he was forcing himself to eat. He cut into his meat so brutally against his plate that it scared Emma a little bit. She inhaled deeply, reminding herself that she didn't have to tread on eggshells as this was not Colton. It was Draco. He wouldn't take a bad day out on her like Colton did. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emma asked, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. 

The sound of a knife digging into a plate stopped before it started again, but quieter. 

"Should I? Will it really make me feel any better?" he said, but not unkindly. He exhaled loudly, shutting his eyes for a moment before opening them and meeting Emma's. He looked so stressed and tired. 

Emma pursed her lips for a moment. "I think it might."

There was no expression on his face so Emma could not tell what he was thinking, what he was feeling, what was going on in his head. 

"I wanted to be with you so badly, Emma," he said in a quiet voice. He turned his fork over in his hand, twisting it as he stared distantly at the puppy on the floor. "I really wanted you. This kind of prevents that."

Emma swallowed as Draco went back to cutting up his dinner. "I promise all you're feeling right now will wash away when you have your son in your arms. None of this will matter. He'll be your whole world and nothing else will matter to you."

Draco stopped what he was doing and slowly looked up at Emma. He was quiet and anxiety sparked in Emma's stomach, thinking it wasn't something she should have said and that she should just shut up now. 

"I'm sorry, I won't say anything else," she said quickly, returning to cutting up hers and Mia's dinners. 

"Astoria's not the one I wanted any of this with," he finally said, a far away look still present in his eyes, even as he looked at her. "It was always you I imagined this stuff with."

Emma leaned forward after handing Mia her dinner, disinterested in cutting her own meat anymore. "I can promise you this, Draco. You will be happy."

He looked down for a moment, glum and lines clearer on his face than ever before. "So this means you and I... we can never be together?"

Emma didn't know what to say to this. She wanted him so badly too, but things were a little complicated at this moment and will be forever. "I..."

"Can't I have you both? A son-- and you? Would that really be so wrong?"

"Astoria doesn't expect a relationship from you, Draco. She just wants to know how to co-parent with you, come to terms and an agreement."

Draco shook his head. "You keep avoiding answering my question. Forget I said anything."

Emma frowned at him when she realised he was right. Could she really be so honest with him right now? Right after the news they'd both learnt today? She felt a simmer of courage and yanked onto it. 

"I want you too," she said firmly, causing the man to look up from his dinner with a spark in his eyes that had been so dull beforehand. Emma's heartbeat quickened. "So much, I do. But we have priorities now, things to deal with. We... we wouldn't have weekly date nights or... or be able to go out and spend time together... we couldn't. And I don't know how long I'll be here since--"

Emma jumped at how quickly Draco shoved his chair back, the loud scrape sending uncomfortable shivers down her spine. Her heart raced as he approached her, and he held her face in his hands, leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. His hands were so warm on her face, and his lips so soft. He kissed her with such passion Emma never wanted him to pull away, but he did with a bashful smile when Mia started cackling at the pair, chucking a small square of meat with her fork and clapping. 

"We don't need to go anywhere yet. I'm quite happy to come home to you everyday, in your tracksuit pants and your t-shirt that I'm confused about why you even have since it's so big on you."

"It was my maternity shirt. It's comfy."

Draco huffed and chuckled, bringing his face close to Emma's. The grey of his eyes were really quite beautiful to her, like a captured image of lightning, both bright and dark. 

"We can make up for dates later, Freckles," he whispered to her, taking her hand in his. "So...what do you say? Are you mine?"

Emma pursed her lips at him, gripping his hand. "I think I always was."