Favoring The Brave {Drarry}

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DL Black was standing on a platform that was slowly winding up towards the rest of the stage. Music was streaming through every crevice of the muggle building and in his ear, the guitar man, Dan, was strumming out the melody to the first song he was going to perform.

The higher he rose the more he could see the fog covering the stage billowing out of the smoke machine. The crowd was yelling excitedly and once the platform clicked into place they got even louder. Sure, he loved sharing his music with the world, but he really liked this part too.

--:--

Harry Potter is at work doing his level best to not have a mental breakdown. When he finally gets the chance to go on break, the coffee machine is broken beyond average magical repair, which means he has to wait for the maintenance wizards to come and give it a once over. There were DL Black posters outside, around the muggle entrance to St. Mungos when he came in and a stack of flyers sitting on a table in the lobby. Draco had dropped them off on an off day and a feeling of anger prickled at the back of Harry's neck at the thought of the blonde git showing up and not staying to talk things through. It'd been years for Merlin's sake. Surely he could at least listen to Harry's apology. Hear an explanation? The anger fizzed out almost as quickly as it came. Draco didn't owe him anything. He was stepping up and being a dad and that's the best the darker man could have hoped for. Especially knowing how much of a pain James Lucius was being whenever he was around his father.

The boys were heading off to Hogwarts tomorrow and Harry didn't think Draco would miss James' first day even if he had missed Teddy's because he was on tour.

Teddy isn't Draco's only responsibility, Harry reminded himself. Neither of the boys are.

He and Val and the boys had spent the last week camping out in a muggle area together. Val hadn't said much and neither had he, if he was being honest with himself. She was looking put out and try as he might, he would only get a small chuckle and a shake of her head. When he had asked her what was wrong she had only brushed him off.

--:--

"We can talk about it when we get back," she had said. "Let's not ruin the boys trip. Let's all just relax. Space, remember?" She had went swimming in the lake without him after that. He joined a few muggles from a nearby campsite on a hike and she was asleep by the time he had come back to the tent. Once they had gotten back home the boys were a lot calmer and Teddy was doing his best to try and keep James from freaking out over the prospect of starting Hogwarts.

"Are you going to tell me what's been going on with you now?" Harry remembers asking when the boys had gone upstairs.

"Draco- He...You know he loves you, don't you? He loves you and James and Teddy. He loves you guys more than- well probably more than anything in this world or yours."

Harry looks away, not wanting to look at her as she told him this. Things he knew were true. Things that Teddy had screamed at James about a week ago. Things he was sure of with every fiber of his being.

"Then why'd he leave?" Harry asks, because it's the only argument he has to dispute what she was trying to tell him. It was the only thing that made what she said seem less important.

"When I woke up in the hospital...you were there and you had gotten there so fast and you were by yourself and I thought that meant you had chose me. You said that in that moment I was what was important and I missed that. I missed how when you care about someone you give them your full focus and- I didn't realize you and Draco had become an official thing. Hare, if I would have known I wouldn't have kissed you..."

"I don't understand..."

"Draco was bringing the boys to see me in the hospital and he saw us kissing." She was sitting in the armchair near the fireplace with her head down in an equal mix of shame and guilt. "He left because he thought you were choosing me over him. He thought you were cheating on him and he thought he deserved it and it's all my fault-"

"I didn't have to kiss you back. I was just so relieved that you were okay," he said sinking onto the couch and rubbing a hand down his face.

"Harry, I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have led you on. That wasn't my intention. I should have told you I was with Draco...He and I were taking the boys out for dinner and a movie and I should've just brought them with me but I was so worried."

He laid his head against the back of the couch and when he opened his eyes and angry James stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"This is all your fault then? You're the reason he left? Because you wanted her? You said you loved him! Are you just going to get rid of me and Teddy too, huh? Once you get tired of loving us, just going to send us off to live with him so you two can start a new family?"

"James it's not like that, and you know it," Harry said sitting up and turning quickly to face his youngest son.

"I'm leaving!" He said angrily before storming out of the door and heading off to his father's house.

Harry sighed.

--:--

The maintenance wizards fixed the coffee machine and Harry poured a huge cup for himself in order to take his mind off of his troubles. This was the 22nd time he had thought about calling Draco Malfoy in as many minutes and that just wasn't the most ideal plan.

Or at least it didn't sound like it, until Harry got paged to leave the pediatric ward and head down to spell damage only to see Draco sodding Malfoy lying on a gurney and being wheeled into an operating room.

-&-

boom baby! im back.
how's it going my futher muckers?

d'ya miss me?
lol. probably not because i was still doing other stuff...what i really meant was, did you miss my boys?

as promised, book 2 of the "Family of Favors" series:
Favoring The Brave

chappie one.
love it? hate it? lemme know please.
hope you enjoyed it nonetheless

love y'all

-- angel janeé xoxo 💋