Title: Of Automobiles and Puppydogs.
Author:
screaminglungsRating: PG
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Summary: Harry questions his parenting skills.
Warnings: MPREG
Info: This is a drabble set in the future of the
Snuffles Universe you don't need to read any of the other stories to get this but they can all be found at my journal.
Happy New Year!!
Draco stood in the doorway, watching as Harry washed the dishes. Harry’s shoulders were hunched with tension and as he stared at the solid line of his back, Draco could tell he was shaking. Harry picked a coffee cup out of the sudsy water and Draco frowned when it rattled against the draining rack from Harry’s shivering hands.
After a few moments Harry pulled the plug from the hole, leaned heavily against the cream porcelain sink, and stared down into the diminishing water. In all the years they had been together, Draco hadn’t seen Harry this way and as his partner gasped and the shaking intensified, he rushed forward, swiftly wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face between Harry’s shoulder blades.
“It’s okay, Harry, everything is going to be okay.” Draco’s reassurance was muffled by the soft blue jumper Harry was wearing, but Harry reached up and squeezed Draco’s hand in answer, tangling their fingers and holding Draco’s hand against his flat stomach.
“He just... oh God, Draco, he just ran, and the car, it appeared out of nowhere; one minute, he was holding my hand so tight…” Harry’s voice cracked and Draco squeezed his hand more tightly. “And the next, he was gone…” Harry’s voice hitched and a sob he had obviously been trying to suppress made it out of his throat.
Before he’d even really registered what he’d done, Draco had tugged hard on Harry’s hand he was holding and pulled his husband around to face him. Though Harry was bigger than him, he crushed the taller man to him and they sunk to the floor together. Harry clutched at Draco as if he were helping to anchor him, almost as if he didn’t hold him close, then he would drift away.
Draco whispered soothing words to his husband, words he would later not be able to recall, and when the quivering began to subside, Draco lifted Harry’s chin to stare into alarmingly watery and bloodshot eyes.
“He’s fine, Harry. He is upstairs sleeping soundly; our little boy is just fine.” Draco pressed his lips to the end of Harry’s nose and held his head firmly in both his hands as he pressed their foreheads together in a gesture of comfort.
“But what…”
“But nothing, alright?” Draco said forcefully as he broke away and stared intently into Harry’s eyes.
“I’m a bad father. I should never have let go of him. I should have…”
“You are not a bad father! Alex is five years old; he saw a dog across the road and had tunnel vision for it and ran! You couldn’t have predicted that!”
“You would have.” Harry sighed miserably and looked up at Draco when he snorted, wondering what exactly was so funny.
“Really? Don’t you remember the time I was in the supermarket and I was so busy trying to find stuffed olives that I didn’t notice Alex pushing a grape up his nose? I had to take him to Healer Montgomery!” Harry chuckled as he remembered how embarrassed Draco had been.
“I remember.” Harry smiled sadly. “But he didn’t almost die because of a grape, Draco! He was nearly run down! I was so scared, Draco. The car missed him by what seemed like an inch. God, I thought he was going under the wheels.” Harry shuddered again and Draco tightened his arms around his broad shoulders as much as he could.
“Well, he didn’t and that’s the main thing, okay? And maybe we should get him a puppy. He’s so bloody fixated on dogs at the moment that maybe he won’t go running after one across busy roads if he’s got his own to play with.” Draco smiled as Harry nodded in agreement.
“That sounds like a good idea, and I promise to pay more attention.” Harry sighed and wouldn’t meet Draco’s eye.
“Harry, stop right there. You do the best you can. We both do and that’s all we can, alright?” Harry nodded and pulled Draco to him so the blonde buried his face in Harry’s neck.
“I love you,” Draco whispered and Harry held him tighter.