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Sunday came quicker than Draco had expected. And with Sunday arriving, also came the weekly, obligated Sunday lunch at the Weasley house.
But if Draco was very honest, he absolutely dreaded the Sunday lunches.
Don’t get him wrong, he adored the Weasleys. He just… didn’t like the way all of them were so loud and full of energy. He would much rather prefer a quiet, relaxing, lazy Sunday with just him and Harry. They could wake up whenever they wanted and cuddle in bed or on the sofa. They could have a quiet and peaceful lunch. And Draco didn’t have to worry about being overstimulated all the time.
Unfortunately, Sunday lunches were unavoidable. And today was no different.
Sighing deeply, Draco stretched his sleepy arms above his head, enjoying the feeling of his muscles slowly waking up. He had set an alarm way before they had to leave for the Burrow. Not because he wanted to. He would much rather sleep until the very last moment. But he had to prepare himself. He needed the peace and quiet early morning before he had to rush into the hurricane that was the Weasley family.
Next to him, Harry was still sleeping peacefully. He had his back turned to Draco but Draco could just imagine the way his cheek was squished against the pillow, his lips parted slightly. Though he might not ever say it out loud, he had to admit that Harry was cute like that.
Quietly, Draco crawled out of bed and walked into the bathroom to get ready. It didn’t take him long to shower and put on some clothes. Now the only thing he needed before he could flop down in his favourite armchair next to the window to enjoy the early morning sun on his pale skin, was a strong coffee to wake him up completely.
As he was walking into the kitchen, a jingle of a small bell approached him, followed by the soft but very familiar meows.
“Good morning, Hector,” Draco said, a smile curling at the ends of his lips. Hector leaned against his legs, his purrs filling the kitchen as they waited on Draco’s coffee to brew. When that was done, and Draco had added the right amount of sugar and oat milk, both him and Hector moved to the living room where Draco sat down in his armchair. Hector joined him in his lap, curling up into a little ball and purring contently.
He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, enjoying the warm rays of sun on his face as he watched the city below him slowly come to life on a Sunday morning. Eventually, Harry walked into the living room as well. His hair was still a complete mess and the folds of his pillow were still visible on his cheek. Draco had to look away as the word adorable flashed through his mind again.
Harry squinted at the sun shining through the window. “You’re up already.” It wasn’t a question. Though, the confusion was clearly audible in Harry’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
Draco didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look in Harry’s direction. He shrugged. “Nothing.”
Harry huffed an unamused laugh. “You’re not fooling me this time, Draco,” he said, his voice still rough from sleep. “You’re never awake this early on a Sunday morning, unless something is bothering you. So tell me,” he moved closer to Draco’s armchair, yet still kept some distance, “what’s wrong?”
Sighing deeply, Draco finally turned to look at Harry. The angry expression he had expected to see on his face, wasn’t there. Instead, different emotions flashed through Harry’s eyes. Emotions Draco couldn’t quite understand. “I…” he started but had to clear his throat and start again. He didn’t make eye contact when he spoke again. “I’m just preparing myself.”
Tilting his head to one side, Harry furrowed his eyebrows. “Preparing? For what?” But before Draco could even start to explain, realisation dawned and Harry's mouth formed a silent oh.
The confusion disappeared from his face as he walked closer to Draco, taking one of his hands in his and intertwining their fingers. He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Draco’s forehead. “It’s okay,” he whispered in Draco's hair, squeezing their fingers. “I understand.”
~°~
Things had been going well for the first hour. Harry and Draco were one of the firsts to arrive. So when they came through the Floo, they were only greeted by a happy Molly and a content-looking Arthur.
To Draco’s surprise, Molly didn’t immediately smother him in a tight hug. Instead, she looked at him with a question in her warm eyes. And only when Draco nodded his consent, did she pull him into one of those reassuring hugs.
“Welcome, boys!” she said, ushering them to the huge dining table and setting them down in the middle next to each other. “I’m sure the others will be arriving shortly.” She moved back to the kitchen. “I’ll be in here in the meantime, if you need anything, dears!”
Arthur joined them not long after, pouring them both a generous glass of wine and talking to Harry about the latest Quidditch scores. Draco had stopped listening early on in the conversation. Not that he didn’t care about Quidditch, he just wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.
Over the course of an hour, the dining table slowly but surely filled until every chair was occupied. Everyone was talking and laughing, Charlie and Percy were even arguing again about Merlin-knew-what.
There were lots of different noises. Cutlery tapped against the plates. Toddlers were babbling to themselves. Babies were crying in the arms of their mums and next to him, Bill had been chewing rather loudly on a piece of roast for the past few minutes.
Throwing down his fork and knife rather loudly, Draco suddenly stood from the table and excused himself. He could already feel the irritation crawling up his back, making its way closer and closer. Now would be the best time to take a little breath away from everyone.
Upon closing the backdoor behind him, the noise immediately quieted down. Draco took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing. The irritation and anger were slowly going away, though he could still feel it lingering. Merlin, he hadn’t known how much he needed this peace until he was outside.
But just as those thoughts formed in his head, the door opened again and someone walked outside to join him. It was Ginny who came to stand next to him, lighting a cigarette and quietly offering one to Draco.
Draco shook his head, the tension in his shoulders returning. He bit back a rude remark.
“A bit cold to be outside without a jacket, isn’t it?” Ginny asked once the silence had stretched for quite some time.
And that was it. The last drop he needed. The last little push that threw him over the edge.
He snapped.
With anger rising in his chest, he turned to face Ginny. “For Merlin’s sake!” he yelled loudly. His hands were balled into fists, his nails digging painfully into his palm. “Is it so fucking hard to leave someone alone?! I came out here to look for some quiet and you just had to join me, didn’t you? Am I not allowed to have some time for myself around here?!”
Ginny was looking at him with wide eyes, her eyebrows raised all the way up to her hairline. But before she could so much as open her mouth to respond, Draco stormed away. He walked until he could feel the barrier of the wards wash over him and then he Apparated back home.
Once he landed in the living room, Hector immediately joined him. Draco picked him up and held him close, burying his face into his dark fur. Tears of frustration were already streaming down his cheeks. He hated feeling like this.
Totally exhausted, Draco fell down into his armchair, still holding Hector close, his soothing purrs the only noise in the room. “I’m so stupid, Hector,” Draco whispered quietly. “I’m so fucking stupid.”
Hector didn’t say anything, though he snuggled closer to Draco, making sure he was okay.
It didn’t take long before he heard someone else Apparating into their flat, followed by heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor. “Draco?”
The sound of Harry’s voice made the last bit of Draco’s composure disappear. He started sobbing, his shoulders shaking as he turned to look in Harry’s direction. Hector meowed alarmingly, leaning closer to Draco and licking at the tears that were streaming down his face. “I’m sorry,” Draco managed to say through his sobs.
But Harry shook his head as he rushed towards Draco, dropping on his knees next to the armchair and cupping one side of Draco’s face. Draco leaned into the comforting touch. “Don’t apologise, love,” Harry said softly, something that Draco could only describe as tenderness, visible in his green, green eyes. “This is not your fault.”
“But it is!” Draco exclaimed desperately. “I yelled at her! I didn’t mean to but she was there and she started talking when all I wanted was some silence and… and…”
“Hey.” Harry’s thumb caressed Draco’s cheekbone. “Draco, look at me.”
With more difficulty than he expected, Draco turned to look Harry in the eye. “It’s okay,” Harry said. “Things like this can happen. Ginny immediately apologised to me when you had stormed off. Said she should have left you be.” He wiped away another tear that escaped Draco’s eye.
“I know you’re trying, love,” he continued softly. “And I know being surrounded by so many people, especially the Weasleys, can be very difficult for you. But it’s okay. Our family won’t love you any less for it.”
Despite feeling like an absolute wreck, a small smile appeared on Draco’s face through his tears at the mention of their family. It had taken him a long time, but eventually Draco had started seeing the Weasleys as his own family. And deep down he knew they accepted him just the way he was.
“I’m sorry,” Draco said again, his voice barely above a whisper. He sniffed, blinking away the tears in his eyes.
Harry smiled and leaned up to place a kiss on Draco’s forehead. “It’s okay, my love,” he said. He came to sit on the armrest of Draco’s chair, scratching Hector behind the ear as he did so.
“We don’t have to go back this afternoon,” Harry continued. “Molly said she would visit later this week with some leftovers from lunch. But she said you would need your rest.”
Draco huffed a small laugh. “I’m not going to disobey orders from Molly Weasley. I value my life a little too much.”
Harry chuckled as well, placing another kiss on the top of Draco's head. “Yeah,” he said absentmindedly, “so do I.”