"I really fucked up, haven't I?"
                              
"If Potter's back in your bed, tonight, I'd wager that you dodged a bludger."
                              
Draco grunted. "Thank you... for everything, Blaise."
                              
"It's my pleasure, blondie. I did enjoy kidnapping you, for a change. You still got those hex marks from when you tried to hold me in here?"
                              
"Yes, and I didn't try anything. You were my prisoner, if you recall," Draco drawled.
                              
Blaise smiled and nodded in agreement. "I remember. You saved my life that day, I feel."
                              
Draco grimaced. Talking Blaise out of his drive to self-flagellation via high-risk sex, was not easy. Blaise was mentally drained by that point. His emotions were just gone... empty. He had no fight left in him and he had just come back from the hospital after the whip backs on his back re-opened. Blaise had never been the best healer though he had picked up quite a bit over the years. Draco had overheard Madam Pomfrey shouting at him about broken ribs, infections and possible permanent damage. Draco knew he had to confront him about it all. But Blaise wanted nothing to do with that discussion. He nearly hexed his balls off for trapping him. 
                              
"I'm just sorry I didn't try harder before that, Blaise."
                              
He shook his head. "No, I needed to hit bottom. You picked a good time for an intervention."
                              
Blaise wasn't meeting his eyes. Draco knew that Blaise hated how wild and reckless his past was and felt nothing but shame over what Flint had done to him. Blaise still was recovering from all of it.
                              
Draco claimed that space between them. "None of it... was your fault, Blaise."
                              
"Trying to use my words against me?" he muttered. "That argument might work when I was 12... even 14. But it meant less when I was 15... and even lesser at 16 and 17. I'm a legally responsible adult, now, Draco."
                              
Draco didn't know what to say to that. He knew that the early abuse had really messed up Blaise's understanding of... stuff. Blaise was grown up in a lot of things, but in some ways, he really wasn't. Age really is a number and some people take longer to truly become adults. 
                              
"Blaise..." he started, but Blaise aimed his wand at the door and the locks clicked open.
                              
"We should go eat. Don't you need to look for Harry, too?"
                              
Draco straightened up, but didn't want to end their conversation. They rarely talked so openly. Blaise looked away, a plea to stop. Draco nodded. He had to deal with Harry, too. He couldn't let go of the idea that Harry was hurting over him. Merlin, he had been so stupid. He had really fucked up. Soaked up in his own fucking stupid fear. He'd spent the last week studying non-stop, building his mental defenses back up, and he didn't think he could do it and focus his attention on Harry.
                              
"Fine," he huffed out and they walked out of the loo. 
                              
Theo and Daphne were both awake and looking worriedly at him. 
                              
"Sorry... I've been... out of it," Draco muttered. 
                              
"Don't... you don't need to apologize to us. We're just glad you're better," Daphne said, coming over to him. 
                              
Theo went to Blaise, who was at his wardrobe and not responding to Theo's attempts to reassure him.
                              
"I'm fine," Blaise finally muttered, when he realized that all of them were watching him. He took his clean clothes into the loo to change. Theo watched him go with sad eyes.
                              
"Is he okay?" Daphne asked.
                              
"I don't know. We talked about a lot of things."
                              
"Was one of those things about yesterday morning?" Theo asked.