Elrond
T.A 3001
Draco looked up from his book as he heard the light footsteps walking into the room.
"Pleasant afternoon Lord Elrond." Draco dipped his head in greeting after he had set his book aside, never let it be said that his pureblood upbringing didn't bring anything good into his life, if there was nothing else going for him at least he still had his manners.
"A pleasant noon, Draco." Elrond greeted the boy back, smiling as the boy put down his book and pulled back the blankets to allow Elrond to go through the usual checkup for his patient. When the lord was done, he pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and sat down.
"All seems to be well, your body seems to heal quicker than usual men, I trust that is no cost for concern?" Elrond looked up at the boy with eyebrows raised.
Draco shook his head, "That'd be my magic working."
Elrond nodded, he gestured to Draco's wrist, "You may try to move your wrist more freely, it will aid your muscle in movement recovery."
Draco lifted his right hand up and slowly rotated it, he winced, the lord noticed the reaction immediately.
"If you will allow my touch, I will guide you." Lord Elrond offered.
Draco had never liked being touched, it just sort of always felt… disturbing, he had expected his skin to raise in goosebumps at the thought of physical contact, but it didn't, and that puzzled him, in fact, he felt like his skin was welcoming the healer's touch. 'Must be something to do with him being a healer.' Draco reasoned with himself, 'Magic healer hands.' He then noticed the Lord was still waiting for him to give an answer, he quickly nodded.
"Slowly and steadily." Elrond muttered as he moved Draco's hand around, working his wrist.
Draco let himself relax at the healer's touch, the pair of hands on his were warm and calloused, gentle in his ministrations and comforting when his wrist protested with jabs at his pain receptors. His mind started drifting as the motion of his wrist became soothingly slow.
Draco wondered at why Lord Elrond visited him as often as he did, surely other healers could see to him with such minor things as routine checkup and rehabilitation. Though Draco would not complain as his time spent in the room was not often dull because Lord Elrond would visit him at the very least once a day or every alternate day, even if it was just for a short morning greeting or to inquire after his wellbeing. Only very rarely would he miss a day but he would be there the next day bright and early. They would talk of everything and anything that came to mind, discussing the custom and cultures or Earth and Middle-Earth, sometimes the Lord would bring in a chess set and they would play, other times Elrond would tell Draco of stories of Middle-Earth.
Even when Lord Elrond did not visit or after he had gone to attend to his duties, either Arwen or the twins or all three of them would visit him, Draco felt bad for taking up that much of their time, and he had said as much to them but they had shrugged it off and reassured him that they liked spending time with someone who was clueless to the ongoings of Middle-Earth, like he was a breath of fresh air, Draco didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not, he had let it slide.
"What is on your mind?" Draco jumped at the sudden voice cutting through their comfortable silence, wincing as his body let him know that that was not a wise move.
"It would be rude of me to ask." He grimaced as he rephrased the question he had wanted to ask in his head over and over again.
"Worry not, I will not be offended if that is not of your intention." Elrond smiled reassuringly at the boy whose face was pinched in frustration, he reminded Elrond of a cat in concentration.
"I was wondering why you visit me so much. Not that I do not appreciate it, but aren't Lords of a realm supposed to be busy with paperwork and trade agreements and the like?" Draco furrowed his brows at how unplanned his question sounded, despite him rearranging it over and over again in his mind.
Draco looked up when a hearty laugh filled the room, it only served to deepen his blush and furrowed brows, was he that silly that it reduced the lord to laughter?
When Elrond saw Draco's red tinted face and furrowed eyebrows, he coughed to stop his laughing, when he was settled down enough he told the boy, "My advisor had brought to my attention my recent propensity to avert work by visiting you and proclaiming it as an interest of being a Lord and getting to know a highly regarded guest of my realm. He is of course, right. Nevertheless he has allowed it so long as I complete my work on time."
Draco snorted as he tried but failed to hold in his laughter, who knew the courteous and conscientious Lord had a childish side of him that ran away from work, he supposed no matter how diligent the person, one will always run from responsibilities when it proved to be too much and too tedious.
"I am pleased you take joy in my expense of being reprehended for wanting of time spent with you." Elrond said, sarcasm dripping from every word as he mock glared at his laughing patient.
"Oh sweet merlin, I suppose Elf-Lords are people too, I'm sorry for laughing, but know that I'm happy to spend time with you, thank you for caring."
Elrond watched as Draco's eye turned soft and his smile sincere, the rare moments where the boy allowed his true feelings to show in his words and face, Elrond placed the moment at the back of his mind for analysing at a later date, for now he entertained his young and oh so scarred guest with stories of mishaps during merrymakings and pranks played by the twins over the years. He strove for the young wizard's clear and ringing laughter as he talked.