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Harry’s fingers trace over Draco’s skin, tender, gentle, easy. Draco lets out a shaky exhale as he watches Harry’s fingers slide over his forearm. He watches a finger follow the line of the skull etched into his skin, and he shivers.
“I don’t mind it,” Harry says softly, pressing his thumb down. “It doesn’t bother me.”
Draco feels that hint of confusion you get when someone tells you you did something you don’t remember doing. Draco feels something roll around in his stomach.
“How can it not?” Draco manages, and his voice is soft in the low light of their bedroom where both him and Harry lie. Harry just smiles a soft smile over at him and shakes his head.
“It’s a part of you.”
Draco has no clue what exactly that has to do with anything and obviously Harry can tell because he goes on speaking.
“And I love you.”
Draco’s stomach does that thing that it does when Harry says that. He thinks maybe now that they’ve been together for over a year that it shouldn’t, but it does nonetheless and he can’t really help it.
“But…” Draco begins. He wants to say something, but he’s not sure how to phrase it. “You can’t love all of me.”
“You’re right. I don’t love the part of you that doesn’t do the laundry when I ask,” Harry tells Draco with a lopsided grin. Draco shoots Harry a look and Harry just smiles a bit more and brings his hand up to cup Draco’s cheek. “Maybe I can’t love all of you but I can try. And I can tell you right now that I love most of you. Even the dark parts,” Harry explains quietly.
“How can you not mind this then if it’s a testament to all the dark stuff?” Draco asks, glancing down at the Mark. Harry’s smile softens and so do his eyes as he strokes a thumb over Draco’s cheekbone.
“Because I forgive you, even for all the dark stuff. I had years, after the War, where I hated you, and everything you had done. And after a while I came to believe that I hated it so much because I didn’t understand really. You’re the one who gave me a chance to understand, Draco.”
Draco’s name on Harry’s lips makes Draco’s heart skip a beat. He’s been calling him that a lot recently, they’ve been on a first name basis for a while, but sometimes it’s so strange not to hear ‘Malfoy’. Sometimes it’s strange to hear Draco’s first name come from Harry’s lips holding so much intent and love.
“You didn’t do anything you did without a reason. You never did anything for the thrill of it. You always had a reason and an important one at that. And I don’t believe that any of your reasons were ever evil. I don’t think you are evil. I think you’re rather nice actually.”
Harry says that with a straight face and Draco can’t help but smile a little at that. When Draco smiles, Harry smiles back.
“I love you, nearly every inch of you, and your decisions, bad and good, and the Mark, all of it, is included. It’s a package deal,” Harry goes on, nudging Draco. Draco swallows thickly.
“You mean that.”
It’s half statement half question because Draco is trying to get himself to believe that it is a statement, one that he doesn’t have to question. It’s kind of difficult though.
“Yes, I do,” Harry informs him with a nod. Draco just stares at Harry who just stares back. Draco isn’t really sure what to do but he knows he can’t just lay there without saying anything because that just wouldn’t work.
“The same goes for you,” Draco eventually manages to choke out which, alright, he’s not winning an award for poetic speech but at least it’s something. Harry grins at him.
“Good. Guess we’re on the same page then.”
And then Harry kisses Draco, just soft and sweet, and Draco thinks to himself that he really couldn’t be much happier.