Work Text:
Days of work, noise, useless sleep… you’d think they got used to it. But then the kids came along.
“Dad, Dad! Look at my drawing!” Harry had to admit it, James was a troublemaker. Always drawing on the walls of their home, the refrigerator, occasionally on paper, but it seemed he liked to do things the impossible way, It also probably didn’t help that he had been named after two of the best mischievous people he’d known.
This time around, he had drawn on the television that Draco would never admit he liked but would kill anyone who touched it, and if Harry didn’t clean it up before Draco walked in, they all might just be dead men. Harry raised his eyebrows and threw on a smile that he knew wouldn’t win him any awards, but being a father of three toddlers can do that to you, and he’d definitely not had enough coffee yet. “Very nice, James! Now, how about we clean that up before pap get’s home and tickles us all to death,” Harry wiggled his fingers in a way he knew would look silly to any other adult, but it worked and James was off yelling ‘not before I get to....’ and harry laughed as his siblings ran off behind him to grab cloths.
Harry walked to the kitchen and set on a pot of water to boil, set out a mug and added some tea to it because he knew it’d be the first thing Draco would need when he came home, and paused to pick up the screen cleaner so their kids wouldn’t make an even bigger mess trying to be grown-ups.
They’re just finished when Draco walked in and called, “I’m home!”, and had barely set down his keys before James, Scorpius, and Lily ran to him, squealing, and proceeded to tackle him in hugs and kisses.
“Don’t tickle us to death, Papa!” Scorpius said.
“Yeah, it was James who did it!” Lily chimed.
“I did not!”
Draco squinted at James in a way that Harry knew was fake, but seemed to chide James enough into confessing his alleged crimes. “I’m sorry, papa! I drew on the telly! But dad made us clean it up! It’s all gone now! Don’t be mad,” James pouted at the end.
Draco pinched his cheek, “How could I be mad at that face,” and threw the toddler upon his shoulders. James squealed and Draco momentarily panicked when he tried to wiggle off.
Harry watched from the kitchen and held out the mug with the tea in it to Draco, and sipped his own cup of coffee. Draco sat James on the counter and lightly kissed Harry, something they’d gotten used to doing when he got home from work. Harry sighed in contentment, everyone was home now. “How was your day, love?” he asked.
“Oh, don’t get me started,” Draco replied and took a drink of tea. “How was yours?”
“Hmm… fun, as always. Tiring. James making trouble as always. But your home now, so it's better already.”
Draco rolled his eyes, “Stop, I may be a parent to three toddlers but that doesn’t mean I like mushy things.”
Harry smiled and shook his head, “Yes, you do, actually.” He kissed Draco’s cheek and went to fetch Scorpius and Lily, who were fighting over a toy, from the living room and set them in their high chairs. Draco took the salad from the fridge and set it on the table while Harry made plates of spaghetti.
After dinner, they decided to gather sheets, blankets, and pillows to build a fort. It was dark when Harry finished hanging up fairy lights and Draco helped pick a movie to watch.
About halfway through, James, Lily, and Scorpius had fallen asleep, and Harry was dozing. Draco tapped his shoulder and whispered, “Go to bed, it’s late, I’ll get the kids.” Harry nodded and regardless of what Draco had said about him putting the kids to bed, picked up Lily and James and walked them to their room laid them down, covered them up, turned the nightlights on, gave each of them kisses and muttered ‘sweet dreams’, before actually going to his own bed and falling asleep after Draco had put Scorpius to bed and snuggled up to Harry’s chest whispering, “I love you,” and falling into his own dreams, safe in the arms of his husband.