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“Harry, for Merlin’s sake.”
Draco’s sigh — half disapproving, half amused — was ignored yet again. Harry just hummed sleepily and turned over on his stomach, burrowing deeper into his pillows. Draco leaned against the doorframe, weighing his options. He was already dressed in his pristine-white Healer robes and it would be the easiest thing to just leave for his shift and let his husband get up in his own time.
Except, by the look of things, Harry didn’t really intend to get out of bed at all today. Draco sighed exasperatedly. Normally, he’d be more lenient with Harry. They’d both had a couple of late shifts at work his week— Harry with the Aurors, and Draco at St. Mungo’s. Admittedly, the prospect of sleeping in was tempting.
But he couldn’t just give in to every little fancy, could he? They were adults now, with responsibilities and everything. It just wasn’t proper and besides, someone needed to set an example for the children.
Salazar knows Harry wasn’t helping much today.
“It’s time to get up,” Draco announced firmly, approaching the bed with the quick, purposeful stride that usually had his Healer Apprentices jumping to attention. Harry, however, only stirred slightly. The covers slipped off, revealing the smooth expanse of his back. Draco suppressed a groan as his eyes tracked tan, smooth skin. He couldn’t afford to get distracted, not right now. And yet, his fingers traced the planes of Harry’s back, slipping lower of their own volition to the waistband of his sleep pants. Draco pulled back with a muttered curse. “Come on,” he half scolded, half-pleaded, pushing the covers off and shaking Harry. “You have to go to work. Honestly, Harry, you’re worse than the boys sometimes.”
Harry’s lips twitched. Slowly, his dark lashes fluttered. Sleepy, green eyes turned on Draco, bringing an involuntary smile to his lips.
“Good morning,” Draco whispered, pressing a kiss to Harry’s temple.
“Mm,” Harry mumbled, nuzzling into his neck. “What time’s it?”
The mention of time brought Draco back to his original mission. “It’s late,” he said, pulling away swiftly and making Harry grumble in displeasure. “I’m late, you’re late, we’ve not even started on breakfast which means Teddy’s going to be late for school and you’ll have to rush James for Quidditch Practice and the twins to daycare…”
“Sounds awful,” Harry cut in. He turned over with a yawn. Draco’s eyes nearly slipped again but he wisely kept them trained on Harry’s face. And his sly smile.
His brow furrowed. What was Harry playing at? “It would be less awful if you’d get out of bed and help me get the boys up,” he ventured suspiciously. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a sneaky hand inching towards the covers.
So, that was his game.
Draco glared sternly. “Harry, don’t you dare. I mean it, you’re not going back to sleep…”
But Harry cut him off with another yawn. Draco stared as he stretched, lean and languid on the bed — all smooth muscle and tan skin and…
…and then as a whip, Harry grabbed the covers and pulled them over with a satisfied sigh.
Draco nearly gasped in outrage. “Harry James Potter!”
Harry smiled guilelessly and reached out to squeeze his hand. “Come on, love,” he murmured, his voice low and sweet and tempting. “Lie in with me. Please?”
Draco shivered slightly as Harry’s thumb rubbed the inside of his wrist. “We can’t,” he replied, trying to sound firm. “We…have to…”
But Harry was pulling him in, pressing gentle, inviting kisses to the length of his neck as soon as he was within reach. “Just one day, Draco,” he pressed. “I’m so comfortable here. So warm.”
Damn, he was good. Draco could feel his resolve weakening by the second. “But we can’t just…”
“Yes, we can. We’ve been working so hard. We deserve a day off, especially you.”
“Harry…”
Soft lips fluttered tempting promises against his throat, and Draco had to use everything he had to pull away. “No,” he said, trying to mask his fluster with a stern look. “You are getting up and we are going to work. And school and Quidditch Practice and…and everything else.”
Harry pouted and nestled in again. “Suit yourself. I’m staying right here.” One green eye opened and twinkled mischievously at him. “You’re sure you want to fight this, Draco? I promise you’ll crack before I do.”
So it was like that, was it? Draco raised an eyebrow at his smug husband.
“Fine, Potter. Just remember, you asked for this.”
Harry just smirked and closed his eyes.
Draco needed reinforcements.
In his rush to get started, he’d already sent a Summoning Charm to rouse James and Teddy. When he got to the kitchen, the boys were already there, yawning and stumbling over each other. James took one look at him and immediately glommed on to Draco with a whine. Draco staved off a chuckle and ruffled his messy, brown locks.
“Well, good morning to you too,” he murmured softly. “What’s wrong then, hm?”
“Grmmph,” James mumbled into Draco’s sternum, burrowing into him and tightening his grip like a baby koala. At six, he wasn’t a particularly clingy child but there were still rare days when he wanted a cuddle. Draco secretly hoped it would be some time before he grew out of it.
“He doesn’t want to go to Quidditch Practice,” Teddy mumbled as he rooted about the cabinets for cereal. Apparently, with no breakfast in sight, he’d decided to fend for himself.
Oh, good. Another one. Honestly, Draco just couldn’t catch a break.
“You have to go to Quidditch Practice,” he told James firmly. “You begged and begged for those lessons. Don’t you want to make the Gryffindor team one day? Win the Quidditch Cup?”
“But I‘m tired,” James whined, sounding so miserable that Draco almost, almost capitulated. “Can I skip, please? Just one day, Father.”
“No, you may not,” Draco said firmly. He disentangled himself from the sleepy child and gave him a gentle push. “Now go wake Dad up for me. Go on, we’re getting late. I want you both down here in five minutes.” It took a bit of coaxing but eventually, James trudged off, shooting Draco a woebegone look over his shoulder.
Good. Draco smiled and nodded in satisfaction. Harry may be stubborn but he couldn’t hold out against a hyper six-year-old for long. James would discover his boundless energy soon enough and after that…well, Draco did warn his husband.
“Draco?” Teddy piped up, a now familiar whine carrying in his tone.
Draco rolled his eyes. “Let me guess,” he drawled. “You don’t want to go to school.”
Teddy fussed and kicked his legs out unhappily. He dropped his head on folded arms and his hair turned a depressing grey. “Nobody wants to go, so why should I?” he asked plaintively. “James wants out and Harry’s not even up yet!”
“Honestly.” Draco shook his head. “I swear it’s contagious.”
He nudged Teddy and set a bowl of cereal in front of him. The boy dug in morosely and Draco wished — despite his better judgement — that he could let him off the hook. Responsibilities, he reminded himself. “You’ll be at Hogwarts next year,” he warned Teddy. “I won’t be around to nag you then.”
“Then shouldn’t we spend this precious time together?” Teddy asked, turning hopeful eyes on him. “I’d hate for you to miss me when I’m so far away.”
Draco’s lips twitched. “I’m sure I’ll survive,” he drawled. “Just like you’ll survive going to school today.”
With that, he left Teddy to sulk in the kitchen. There was still plenty to do. Albus and Scorpius needed to be dressed and fed, that always took longer than he planned. He could drop them off at Luna’s day-care and make it to work on time. But Harry would certainly be late if he had to drop Teddy off at his Muggle primary school and then Apparate James to Quidditch Practice. Maybe Draco could take James and the babies…
He was so deep in planning what promised to be a harrowing day ahead, he nearly missed it. But one careless glance into his bedroom made him screech to a halt.
“Oh, for Merlin’s sake.”
Draco glowered disapprovingly as he found James curled against Harry like a cub and Harry still in bed, every bit the lounging lion. As Draco watched, Harry ran a gentle hand through James’s hair and pulled the covers up under his chin. James snuggled in contentedly, fast asleep.
“Potter,” Draco spat.
“Shh.” Harry’s lips twitched and even though his eyes were still closed, Draco could almost see that mischievous twinkle. “He’s sleeping.”
Draco was not amused, not one bit. “I hope you know this means war.”
“Of course,” Harry replied blithely. “And I just took out your best man. Your move, love.”
So it was. Without another word, Draco marched off in search of retribution.
He returned to the bedroom with heavy artillery.
“It didn’t have to be this way, Potter,” Draco drawled, hoisting a weapon of choice in each arm. “You left me no choice.”
Harry cracked an eye open and a laugh escaped him. “Go on then,” he challenged, holding his arms out invitingly. “Do your worst.”
Draco didn’t offer the option of surrender. Without warning, he tumbled Albus into his father’s waiting arms.
“Dada!” Albus squealed. He clambered over Harry and patted his face, gurgling excitedly. Draco smirked, even as warmth filled his chest.
“Hello,” Harry cooed, bussing kisses to the baby’s dark mop of hair. “Aren’t you up early? How about we take a nice nap, hm? Just for a little while.”
Oh, like hell. Draco bundled Scorpius on the bed as well. A perfectly planned double strike. He smiled in satisfaction as Scorpius promptly followed his brother’s course and headed straight for the target. Harry scooped him up too and proceeded to murmur fondly to both his babies.
This was excellent. The twins were wide awake and active and adorable. There was no way Harry could resist playing with them. Eventually, he would have to admit defeat. Draco leaned against the door, eager to see his foolproof plan play out.
“You’re devious,” Harry conceded with a grin. “Too bad I have a secret weapon.” It took a bit of manoeuvring but he settled the boys on his chest, patting their backs gently. Albus was still babbling and Scorpius wiggled urgently, but Harry shushed them back to calm. Lulled by gentle hands and Harry’s calm breathing, they settled eventually. Harry hummed softly and petted them and in less than a minute, it was done. Albus yawned and went still, Scorpius nuzzled into Harry’s neck and Harry had to physically bite back a laugh at his husband’s distinctly unamused expression.
“You’re the worst,” Draco declared.
“You love me,” Harry retorted.
Draco raised an eyebrow. “So sure of that, are you?”
His eyes softened as Harry smiled at him, bright and warm, and beckoned him forward. Harry’s fingers wrapped around his the second he was in reach and Merlin help him, he could feel his resolve crumbling.
“Come to bed, love,” Harry murmured, pressing a kiss to his fingers. “Please?”
Just the sight of him, warm and strong and cradling their children so securely, made Draco’s heart clench. He leaned in to share a sweet kiss, smiling as Harry followed when he pulled away. It was almost enough to break him. Almost.
“One more try,” Draco murmured against his lips. He could still win this, if he got away from temptation.
“If you insist,” Harry replied, stealing another kiss. “but I’m going to win.”
“And how are you so sure of that?”
Harry cradled Scorpius to his chest, looking impossibly smug. “Because you don’t want to.”
Close as he was to surrender, Draco was not going out without one last ditch effort. And so he rallied himself and steered the last of his battalion up the stairs for one more push.
“You’re my last hope. We can still win this but I need you to be strong. Focused. Bold.”
Teddy yawned and scrubbed his eyes. “Uh huh." He nodded blearily. “Got it.”
Draco nodded firmly and gave him an encouraging squeeze. “Remember, you’re a soldier.”
“I’m a soldier.”
“You are not tired.”
“I’m not—” another yawn— “not tired.”
“And you’re going to go in there and get your godfather out of bed.”
“Kay…”
One firm push and Teddy was off to a stumbling, meandering start. Draco watched until he disappeared into the bedroom, and then he settled in to wait.
Five minutes in without so much as a stir, and he knew the last card had fallen. Sure enough, he walked in just in time to see Teddy toe his shoes off and flop into bed with a contented sigh.
“Teddy,” Draco groaned over Harry’s snickering. “You’re supposed to be a soldier.”
“Soldier down,” Teddy mumbled, pulling a pillow over.
Draco hid his face in his hands. An involuntary laugh escaped him nonetheless, and sure enough, when he looked up, Harry was laughing with him.
“Told you,” the smug git proclaimed, smoothing Teddy’s hair down and tucking him in.
Enough. Draco knew when he was beat.
“Alright,” he sighed in defeat. “You win. Today is cancelled, we’re all sleeping in.”
There were muted cheers from under the covers.
“But just for today,” Draco cautioned at once. He managed to shoot his incorrigible husband a half-hearted glare. “Back me up on this, Potter. It’s the least you can do.”
“Just for today,” Harry agreed without hesitation. He lifted the covers up and winked cheekily. “Ready to surrender?”
Oh, why not? Draco spared an exasperated smile for his husband before giving up and spelling his stuffy robes away. The warmth of the bed and his family beckoned and when he finally curled up at Harry’s side, Teddy comfortably ensconced between them, he sighed in relief and contentment. The truth was he’d been dreading the prospect of another gruelling day at work, and there was no place he’d rather be than here. Harry’s fingers tangled in his hair and he smiled, nuzzling into a warm, calloused palm.
“Tell me you didn’t go through all this trouble just to get me to stay in,” Draco muttered.
“You’ve been working too hard,” Harry said softly. “You needed a break.”
Honestly. Something warm and sweet and nauseatingly sentimental welled up in his chest. “You’re the worst, Potter,” he repeated. His smile took the edge out of his admonishment though, as did the soft kiss to Harry’s palm. “And I love you.”
Harry grinned and sat up carefully. Of course, he was wide awake now. Draco rolled his eyes and leaned forward, sighing happily as they met over Teddy’s head for a sweet kiss. Harry’s hands brushed his hair back and his fingers trailed the length of Draco’s throat.
“People are trying to sleep,” Teddy grumbled muzzily.
The broke away with sheepish smiles and muted laughs, and Draco settled back to close his eyes for some much-needed rest. His eyes fluttered shut to the picture of his family and as a warm hand wrapped around his in a gentle squeeze, he thought he could rather get used to sleeping in.
Responsibilities could wait until tomorrow.