Summary
*Things that throw Harry off balance and things that calm him down are all related to Draco Malfoy.*
Harry threw his quill down on the desk of his office after adding the finishing signature on his report. He checked his watch and suppressed a groan of irritation when he noticed it was 10:30 pm. You wanted this job. You signed up for this, he reminded himself and sure, he didn't hate it. But it was times like these when he was almost six hours late home that he seriously raised the question as to why hadn't he resumed to opening an animal shop so far.
Animals were nice. Unlike most people, like his boss, for example, who felt it appropriate to have him write a long ass report after a tiring and hard day in the field. I'll be damned if I'm not taking Draco and moving to a godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere one of these days, he thought as he stood up. He grabbed his coat from the hanger near the door and walked out, not bothering with the mess he left on his desk. That was something he would worry about tomorrow.
He sighed deeply as he dragged his feet across the polished floor and the trip to the floo hall had never seemed quite so long and exhausting as it felt right then. When he emerged back in muggle London, he cast a half assed look around and apparated on the spot, too tired to walk the short distance to his muggle flat, deciding he had had enough of wintry air and cold winds that day to last him a life time. All he wanted was to go home to Draco.
He apparated straight in the hallway where he messily took off his shoes before he started walking towards the living room, discarding piece after piece of clothing on the way until he was left only in his boxer shorts.
He entered the living room just to find his boyfriend wrapped in a comfy sweater, his sweater, and reading a book which he was thoroughly captivated by, only now noticing the other presence in the room, if the startled look on his face was anything to go by.
A smile crept upon his lips at the sight of his half dead boyfriend, smile that promptly fell when, with a painful squeeze of his heart, he took notice of the bruises on Harry's torso, quickly gathering the man had had another one of those rough days. He opened his mouth to say something and made to stand up, but was immediately stopped in the action when Harry shoved the book in his hands aside so he could collapse on him unimpeded. Draco wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the brunet's naked shoulders and rubbing the bruised skin affectionately.
Harry heaved a deep sigh of contentment and buried his head further in the crook of Draco's neck. He was silent for a long time and Draco was trying very hard to keep his mouth shut, knowing how welcomed silence was to the man after a long day. He wandlessly dimmed the lights around the flat, also knowing that Harry couldn't stand bright lights either in moments like these, then pressed his lips to his boyfriend's temple and tightened his hold on him, careful not to further hurt his worn out body.
Harry inhaled the welcoming scent deeply and finally, finally allowed his eyes to drop closed. The comfort and warmth the pale arms on his back and the steady breathing of his lover brought him could not be compared with anything in this world. Not by a long shot. But he knew Draco wanted answers, wanted to know what he did, if he was alright. He knew it wasn't easy on him, being the boyfriend of an auror. A reckless, self sacrificing auror at that. He never knew wether Harry would be back that night or not, never knew if that was the last time he ever saw the man he loved. Harry knew, knew, understood, how horrible that must feel and for that, he always gave it his best to put Draco's mind at ease.
That's why right then, even though he would want nothing than to fall asleep right there, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Let's take a bath", was all he managed to whisper and he heard a sigh of relief in response.
"I've already drawn one for us", Draco said, not making to get up just yet, waiting for Harry to do it first. But the lazy ass never did. "Harry, baby, you have to get up if you want to have a bath", he gently prodded.
"Mhm, carry me", mumbled a half asleep Harry. Draco stared at him in disbelieving amusement.
"Carry you? You do realise you're a brute of a man and I'm basically a toothpick, don't you? You'd crush me."
"Use light weight charms, I don't know."
"You're a big, spoiled baby, you know that?" Draco half heartedly complained, carrying Harry to the bathroom nonetheless, heart feeling a bit lighter.
They always did this when Harry came home in the state he did that night. Always had a long, almost boiling hot bath and Draco would wash Harry at best he could and then tuck him in and fall asleep with his head on his chest. It was a ritual and the fact that Harry suggested they did it, hinted that he was mainly okay, but Draco knew, could feel it as they sank in the hot water and Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's middle from the back, that something was wrong. Something was different in the way Harry rested his chin on his shoulder, something different in the way he held him, palms gently massaging the flat belly and narrow hips, something in the way he breathed and in the way he generally was. And it worried Draco to no end.
Something that had happened that day had shaken Harry to the core, as very few things did nowadays, and it made Draco shiver with pain thinking what exactly could disturb Harry, who has lived and seen war and horrors, who hasn't known peace ever since he was born, in such a way.
But his question was answered shortly after.
"I caught an ex Death Eater today", Harry started after another few stretched moments of silence, his breath tickling the back of Draco's neck. "We've been trying to get him for some time now. I was chasing him on foot and we somehow lost our wands in a previous duel, so we went down the muggle way. My ankle was twisted and he was getting further away with every passing second. I genuinely thought I was going to lose him, and just then, he looked back over his shoulder, gave me this creeping cold smile and promised you would be the first one he targeted when he got away." Harry tightened his hold on Draco in an attempt to bring him even closer, though there wasn't any space left between them. "Then, I don't know where the strength came from, but I had him cornered and knocked out in a few seconds. Those seconds, though, were the worst I can remember. In those seconds, I thought your life was in danger and it was like an animal woke up inside me."
Draco, with a thudding heart and watery eyes, made to break free of Harry's grasp to turn around. He did not miss the first instinct of Harry's, which was to clutch him tighter when he thought Draco was going to leave. He relaxed visibly, though, when the man just turned to face him and straddled his thighs, cupping his cheeks with gentle hands. Then, a pair of soft, wet lips touched his forehead, his cheeks, his jaw and, eventually, his lips in light, loving kisses, as skillful hands raked through his hair just like Draco knew would calm him down.
When they pulled apart, they locked eyes and Harry's were so full of vulnerability that Draco felt his heart clench painfully.
"I'm here", he assured. "I'm alright. I'll be alright. Thanks to you, I know just as many combat spells as you do, not to mention I've lived around people like these for three years. I know them, their minds. I can take care of myself, Harry. You're not going to lose me at the hands of dirt like them, okay?"
Harry relaxed a little, the hands on Draco's hips tightening again. "I just-" He stopped for a second, reeling his emotions in and controlling his violently trembling voice. "I've lost so much, Draco and I couldn't bare it if I lost you too."
Harry Potter didn't cry often anymore, nor did he lose his head over things that would freak normal people out, and he barely had the energy to be disturbed by horrors that would have others puking their insides out. War had that effect on people. And yet here he was, doing all of the above for one person in the whole world. For the one person that mattered to him the most.
"I know, love", Draco soothed. "Trust me, I know, I feel the same, every time you are even half an hour late from work, every day", he said, cupping Harry's cheeks again and wiping away the salty tears. "But I trust you. I trust you to come back home to me, so you trust me too, okay?"
Harry nodded and visibly relaxed before he pulled the man down for another kiss. It wasn't rushed, wasn't heated, but slow and gentle, the kind of kiss that could heal wounds and soothe hearts.
"Marry me", Harry blurted out before he could stop himself, pulling back to look Draco in the eye.
"What?"
"Marry me", he repeated, searching the shocked, and quickly turning amazed look on his boyfriend's face. "I-I know this isn't right", he started stammering, face flushed. "I don't have a ring yet and I'm-I'm really sorry, I know you would have liked something special, and I was planning on it, but I can't live another second of my life without knowing that I'll wake up to see you every day of it", Harry said, watching Draco with so much love in his eyes that the blond felt like he was going to melt.
"Harry, you're shaken and feel the need to ground yourself. You probably don't mean it-" Draco tried to reason with a shaky voice, but was prompty interrupted.
"No, no I do mean it", Harry was quick to assure. "I-uh, I've been looking for a ring for a few weeks now, actually", he admitted sheepishly, smiling shyly and looking away for just a second. "I got it narrowed down to two I can't choose from. Maybe you'll want to decide which one you like better?"
But Draco didn't care about the rings, or grand gestures. All he cared about was one thing.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, feeling smaller under Harry's suddenly penetrating gaze. "You'll be married into the Malfoy family. You'll be tied not only to one ex Death Eater, but a whole bunch of them. Are you sure you want that?" he asked again, feeling tears pooling in his eyes.
Harry was quick to straighten his back and press his chest against Draco's, holding him in a tight embrace, faces only inches apart. The determination in his gaze was dizzying.
"No, I will not be tied down to a bunch of ex death eaters, I will be tied down to you, Draco Malfoy, the man whom I love with everything I have, the most beautiful person, inside and out, and the only one that makes me the happiest and luckiest man alive to even be able to hold you", he said with conviction, causing a few tears to spring to Draco's eyes. "I love you very much, Draco, and nothing would make me happier than to be able to call you my husband."
Draco had his hands half covering his face in an attempt to wipe the tears with his clenched fists, making him look like a distressed toddler.
"I love you too", he managed to croak between hiccups.
"So?" Harry nervously asked, hands shaking in anticipation.
"Yes I'll fucking marry you, you idiot!"
And Draco was suddenly on his back, an overly excited Harry now on top of him, peppering his face with sloppy kisses, making him laugh through the happy tears on his face.
The next day, Draco was up and about early in the morning, ready to floo in to all their friends and relatives to let them in on the good news, but Harry insisted that they do at least this the right way, and by that he meant for Draco to have a stunning ring to flaunt in the faces of all the tossers that dared say they didn't belong together.
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Wow I swear I meant to make this shorter and I somehow still went over 2k words with it someone stop me pls.