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#but it'll have a happy enjding
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Against an Endless Tide
Draco squared his shoulders, straightening his robes as he looked in the mirror. He looked good, his hair was clean and tidy; it just brushed his chin now, and he'd left it down. His face was freshly shaven, nails trimmed, a bit of concealer under the eyes to hide the exhaustion from being a single dad chasing around a two year-old.
"We can do this," he whispered to himself, before heading into Scorpius' bedroom where Harry was still trying to wrestle him into his clothes for the day.
He stood in the doorway, watching Harry laugh at Scorpius' antics as he chased him around with a tiny pair of trousers. "Scorp," he said, grabbing at him and eliciting a delighted little baby giggle when he didn't manage to fully capture him, "We've got to get your trousers on! You can't go to Memere and Grandfather half dressed."
"Perish the thought," Draco said, startling them both.
Scropius came running over, that sweet toddling run that made Draco's entire bone structure turn to goop. "Dada, dada, dada, dada!" he chanted! "Less run!"
"I can’t run right now, my darling," he said, scooping his squirming little body up and squatting as he took his trousers from Harry so he could wrangle him into them.
"Sorry," Harry said apologetically, "We were just having too much fun."
Draco looked up at the other man, it was still fairly new, this thing between them. They'd dated for four months before he'd even let Harry meet Scorpius, and it had only been a couple of weeks since he'd started letting Harry spend the night a few times a week. Harry was fantastic but he hadn't wanted Scorpius to get attached unless he felt like this might work. "Don't be sorry," he said with a little smile. "A month ago, I would have been getting both of us ready at the same time."
He released Scorpius and let him run over to the corner of the room where his toys were.
"Alright?" Harry asked softly, brushing a thumb over Draco's cheek.
"Fine," he said. Then he corrected himself, "Well, not really." They'd been working on this, telling the truth about their emotions, being honest about what they were thinking and feeling. "I honestly hate seeing them. But Scorp adores them and they adore him, so I can put it aside for the morning."
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Harry hummed sympathetically, "Want me to come with you?" he asked.
He shook his head, "I haven't told them about you yet."
"Oh."
"Not because I'm ashamed of you," he hastened to add, looking away from Scorpius working on building a tower with his blocks (a very short tower, but a tower nonetheless) and over at Harry. "The expectations have just always been a lot, and I-"
"It's okay," Harry said earnestly, glancing over at him with warm, understanding eyes. "You don't have to justify it. We said we were taking this slow. There's no rush to tell them." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Draco's cheek, "Although, I have told my parents," he said lightly.
He laughed and leaned his shoulder against Harry's as they watched Scorpius play.
"I actually did," he confessed softly, in the intensely honest way he had when he was talking about something difficult, Draco had a hard time looking straight at him in moments like this. "I sat down on a blanket in front of their grave and chatted for a while. It's different though," he added softly. "They've got the benefit of a better perspective than your parents do, seeing as they're dead and all."
Draco shook his head, "Bit dark," he commented lightly, "even for you."
He shrugged, "Death isn't all that dark. Not when you get to the other side anyway."
"Someday," Draco said, bumping Harry's shoulder with his, "I am going to make you tell me all about your particular brand of madness surrounding death."
"I'll let you," Harry replied, catching his hand and bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to his palm.
And the easy way that Harry showed affection snagged and tugged at something behind his breastbone, leaving him a little breathless and dizzy.
"You should go," Harry said softly, "or you're going to be late. And while I certainly wouldn't mind spending the morning with my two favorite humans, I'm sure your parents would."
His heart rattled around in his chest, and surely it mustn't be normal for a heart to feel like it was a bludger ramming against its case. He sighed, "We should get going, you're right."
"Would you two like to go to dinner tonight?" he asked. "There's a great muggle diner a few blocks from my flat, the pancakes are to die for."
"Pa-cakes?" Scorpius asked, attention successfully taken from the blocks as he walked straight through them and over to Harry, grasping his trousers in his chubby little fists. "Pa-cakes?" he repeated eagerly.
"Oops," Harry said, scooping Scorpius up. "Maybe later, if it's okay with dada."
"Dada, pa-cakes?" he asked, turning his pleading, grey eyes on Draco, bottom lip protruding slightly. "Pease, dada? pa-cakes, boo-bebes?"
"Pancakes and blueberries?!" Draco said in mock outrage, "Pancakes and blueberries?!" he tickled Scorpius' tummy and he burst into peals of giggles. "Do you think I love you enough to give you pancakes and blueberries?" he asked, letting the sound of his child's laughter wash back some of his own anxiety.
"Yah!" Scorpius cheered.
"Well," he said as he scooped Scorpius out of Harry's arms and balanced him on a hip, "I suppose you're right. I do love you enough to give you pancakes and blueberries for dinner. You're on, Potter."
He glanced over to see Harry watching him with the softest expression and something in Draco melted completely, "What is that face?" he asked.
"I think I love you," Harry said, like it wasn't something absolutely fucking earth shattering.
"Lub you!" Scorpius repeated to Harry, "Lub you!"
"Love you, buddy," Harry replied with a little smile, tousling his hair.
Draco stared at him, "Do you really think now was the right time to say this?" he asked incredulously.
"It wasn't planned," Harry said. "You asked, though, and I just," he shrugged, "I've never felt like this. You make me feel like every inch of me is sunshine."
Draco spluttered at him, "You can't just say things like that!" he protested.
"Yeah!" Scorpius agreed. "No say things!" he added, shaking a finger at Harry.
Laughing, Harry asked, "Why not?"
"Because I'm supposed to be going to my parents and I have a two year old in my arms and all I want to do is drag you to," he paused and covered Scorpius' ears, "my bed," he whispered, before uncovering his ears again, "And make you keep saying lovely, beautiful words to me."
"Lob wors," Scorpius added.
"Just saying lovely, beautiful words?" Harry teased, green eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Among other things," Draco sniffed.
Harry leaned in and pecked a kiss on Draco's cheek, resting his hand on Scoprius' back as he did. And for a heart-stopping moment, it felt just like the family that Draco had always dreamed of having. It was exhilarating.
It was terrifying.
"Go," Harry's said softly. "It'll keep."
He sighed. "Ready to see Memere and Grandfather?"
"Mehmeh! Granfavah!" he exclaimed, bouncing in Draco's arms.
"See you later," Draco said, peaking around Scorpius at Harry.
"See you," Harry replied.
"Ug! Ug!" Scorpius cried, whining as he reached for Harry.
"Yes, hug," Draco conceded, handing him over and letting him wrap his arms around Harry's neck.
Harry squeezed him tight, "Thanks, buddy. See you later, yeah?"
"See you!" he said, reaching for Draco again.
With one last backward glance, Draco stepped over to the fireplace and took a breath, putting on his mental armor before dropping a handful of floo powder in the fireplace and stepping through.
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To be continued...
Part 2
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