Two and a Half Men #10: The Punishment
Title: The Punishment
Rating: R
Word Count: 3,000
Summary: Scorpius gets his first punishment from Harry.
Warnings: Grouchy toddlers, flangst
Author's notes: Written for this month's JMDC: Cherish and dove_drabbles March prompt: Feel the promise of a warm day. Part of the Two and a Half Men arc.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
Harry sighed wearily, wondering how to handle this situation. It was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do and he fervently wished that he didn’t have to. But this had gone on for too long and well, sometimes difficult decisions just had to be made. He, of all people, would know that.
“Now, you know I love you very much,” he said softly, reassuringly. “I cherish every moment we’ve had together and sharing my life with you has been amazing. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t change a thing ever. You know that, right?”
Grey eyes widened in dawning comprehension, taking on a look of bewildered alarm. Merlin, this was going to be bad. Harry groaned inwardly and rallied on.
“But seriously, Blondie- just look at this mess.”
Scorpius followed the trail of Harry’s finger right up to the pile of toys strewn over the floor. That wasn’t all. There was a heap of colouring books piled on the table and a line of fresh scribbles across the wall. One of the curtains had been pulled down- for some unfathomable reason- and the sofa cushions were wrinkled, having been recently used as a launching pad.
It was havoc.
Harry shook his head in exasperation. “How can such a tiny person bring an entire house down in ten minutes, that’s what I want to know!”
Scorpius blinked innocently at him and offered a shrug of his small shoulders. “Chill out,” he placated, petting Harry’s knee.
Harry sputtered a bit at that. “Did you just tell me to ‘chill out’?” he demanded. “Where did you even learn that phrase?”
“Unca Ron.”
Of course. Harry made a mental note to make sure Hermione was around the next time Ron babysat Scorpius. That being said, he had a situation to deal with right now. Draco would be back in an hour at most, and he was going to have a fit if he saw the place like this.
“You know you’re not supposed to leave your toys lying around, don’t you?” he asked Scorpius. Draco had certainly made that rule clear on more than one occasion.
His enquiry elicited another nonchalant shrug. Harry was starting to get annoyed. He adopted his sternest expression and knelt down, eye to eye with the little boy. “Okay Blondie, let’s level. I hate to be the bad guy, but you have to pick up your toys before Father gets home. Okay?
”No.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“No,” Scorpius repeated, lifting his chin defiantly and scowling at Harry.
Apparently, someone was hitting his rebellious teen phase a bit early. It was rather disconcerting. Harry knew for a fact that Scorpius would have picked his toys up if Draco had asked him to. No, he was only being stubborn because this time it was Harry making such a request. Well, that wouldn’t do. He couldn’t leave those toys here. Scorpius needed to learn that rules were made to be kept.
“I’m going to say it one more time,” Harry said, slowly and firmly. “Pick up your toys.”
“No!” Scorpius repeated, louder this time. He crossed his arms and held his ground.
So did Harry. “Fine,” he replied calmly. “Then you will spend the rest of the afternoon in your room.”
Scorpius blinked in surprise. Apparently, he hadn’t seen that one coming. Harry hadn’t either, actually. This was the first time he had ever punished Scorpius. Up until his ominous declaration, that role had fallen firmly to Draco. Harry winced inwardly as the situation sank in. Oh, this was going to be so awful...
“No,” Scorpius declared again. His tone was stubborn but his voice was wobbling slightly and his eyes were tearing up.
So, so awful.
“Yes,” Harry replied, trying his best to look as stern and unyielding as possible. “If you’re not going to do as you’re told, then you will stay in your room. And...and that’s final, young man.”
“No!” Scorpius shrilled, stomping his foot. “Bad Arry! Bad!”
“Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!” Harry snapped in frustration. “I said go to your room!”
Scorpius wailed and ran off, bolting for his room. Harry cringed at the sound of a door slamming shut.
He wasn’t really sure what he had just done, but one thing was for certain.
Blondie wasn’t talking to him anymore.
****
Draco sighed as he held his son and stroked his hair, listening patiently as Scorpius sniffed and sobbed and sputtered complaints into his shoulder. He had returned home after a visit to St Mungo’s only to find his flat in disarray, his son confined to his room and his boyfriend miserable. Then Scorpius had glommed on to him with a seemingly never ending spate of grievances against one Harry Potter.
Draco wasn’t sure what had transpired but he had managed to glean a few words from Scorpius’ sobbing fit- mostly ‘Arry’, ‘mean’ and ‘room’. ‘Mean’ seemed to feature a lot more than the others as far as he could tell.
“There there, my prince,” he murmured soothingly, patting Scorpius’ back. “Everything will be alright, I promise. Hush now...”
Mercifully, Scorpius calmed down although he did turn around to cast a dark glare at Harry. Harry’s shoulders hunched slightly and Scorpius burrowed back into his father’s shoulder. Draco’s eyes drifted from one sulky expression to the next, still stymied.
“Would you like to translate his little tantrum for me?” he asked Harry.
Harry sighed and launched into his explanation. “He left his toys all over the place again. I asked him to pick them up but...”
Draco listened to Harry, still cuddling his sniffling son. They both seemed pretty wrecked but now that he had the full story he wasn’t that surprised. Scorpius wasn’t accustomed to receiving punishments from Harry and Harry wasn’t used to laying down the law with Scorpius. Clearly, things had gotten pretty heated.
By the time Harry winded down, he looked as miserable and put out as Scorpius. Draco wasn’t sure who to feel sorrier for, but one thing was for certain. Harry had been in the right and Scorpius’ punishment still stood.
“I’m sorry, Scorpius,” Draco said firmly. “But I’m afraid Harry’s right. You need to stay in your room for a while.”
“Why?” Scorpius demanded sullenly.
Draco smiled slightly and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Because you broke the rules and you know better.”
Scorpius whined and hid in his shoulder. “Sowwy,” he mumbled.
Draco stroked his baby’s hair soothingly. “I know, love. But the punishment stands. Now go on. I’ll tell you when you can come out again, okay?”
“Kay.”
Scorpius clambered off Draco’s lap obligingly and headed to his room without protest. Harry stared at his retreating back, somewhat flabbergasted.
“How come you get the Pygmy Puff version and I get the Dragon?” he demanded.
Draco chuckled and pulled him over. “He’s used to me punishing him,” he explained gently, letting Harry lean against him. “He sees me as an authority figure so he listens. But you...”
“But I’m just Harry and I don’t get to tell him what to do,” Harry finished with a sigh. “I’m not his father.” It was a rather miserable thought. He put his head on Draco’s shoulder and some of the tension left his shoulders as long, slim fingers carded his hair.
“Not exactly,” Draco corrected. “He’s just not used to you being strict with him. You have to admit - you do indulge him a lot.”
“He’s never going to talk to me again,” Harry mumbled miserably.
Draco rolled his eyes. “He’ll come around. Just stand your ground and don’t give in. The sooner he learns that he can’t take you for granted, the better it will be for both of you. Trust me.”
“But he’s so mad at me,” Harry whinged. “He called me ‘Bad ‘Arry’. I’ve never been Bad ‘Arry before!”
Draco smirked. “Welcome to parenthood, Potter.”
****
Despite Draco’s assurances, Scorpius refused to ‘come around’. In the week that followed, Harry got a valuable insight into the grudge holding capacities of tiny Malfoys.
“He still won’t talk to me,” he groused. Draco raised an eyebrow and went back to reading his novel, his legs propped carelessly on Harry’s lap. He was completely unperturbed by the situation, much to Harry’s displeasure. “I can’t believe I’m getting the silent treatment from a three year old.”
Draco sighed and abandoned the book. “For the fifth time in ten minutes, you’re reading too much into it,” he told Harry firmly. “It’s really not that bad.”
“Oh yeah?” Harry scoffed. “Watch this.” He turned to Scorpius who was on the floor, primly flicking through his favourite story book in an apt imitation of his father- and still ignoring Harry, by the way.
“Hey Blondie,” Harry spoke up, offering a cheerful grin for good measure. “Do you want me to read you a story tonight?”
Scorpius put down his book and cocked his head, considering the question seriously.
“No thank you, Mister Pottah.”
He tucked the book under his arm and padded off as Harry gave Draco a flat look.
“That’s it,” Harry declared. “I’m done. I am officially never punishing him again. He can go through the rest of his life leaving stuff on the floor. I can’t handle the tension!”
“You will do no such thing,” Draco retorted, giving him a light kick in the shin to emphasise his point. “You love him, don’t you? You want to do what’s best for him, right?”
“Of course I do!”
“Well then, sometimes that means taking a hard line. You can’t be his friend and his parent, Harry. That’s just how it is.”
Harry sighed and slumped back on the couch. “But I miss him,” he mumbled despondently.
“For Merlin’s sake,” Draco muttered, raising a hand to rub his temples. “Just...just take him to the park. The promise of a warm day fixes everything.”
“Are you just saying that so I’ll go and let you read in peace?”
“Ten points to Gryffindor.”
****
That’s how Harry found himself in the park, awkwardly walking alongside a taciturn toddler. Scorpius wouldn’t hold his hand and he refused to let Harry carry him either, so they were making their way slowly- not to mention silently- as Harry tried to figure out new ways to make peace again.
“Do you want some ice cream?” he asked tentatively.
“No,” Scorpius mumbled sulkily.
Harry winced. Clearly, they were still not friends. “Okay then,” he sighed. “What do you want to do?”
“Swing,” Scorpius replied.
“Do you want a push?” Harry asked hopefully.
“No!” Scorpius informed him vehemently. “Not friends no more!” And then he was running for the swings before Harry could say another word.
Great.
Harry slumped down on a bench, watching Scorpius clamber on a swing. It was just so unfair. Why couldn’t he just go through life without at least one Malfoy angry at him at any given time? He just felt like he had lost his best friend. And he really wasn’t sure what to do about this anymore, especially if Scorpius insisted on being so...
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the disturbance over at the swing set. But then he heard the shrill scream and Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Arry!”
Harry’s heart skipped a beat as Scorpius toppled off the swing and on to the ground. He was up and running before he even realised it. “Blondie!” he gasped, making his way over to Scorpius and picking him up. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened? Do you...”
His frantic questions trailed off as Scorpius wailed and curled into him, bunching his hands in Harry’s shirt and sniffling into his neck. “Shh,” Harry soothed, picking him up without a second thought. He patted his little one gently, trying to coax him out of his shoulder. “What happened, baby? What’s the matter?”
“F-f-fall down,” Scorpius stuttered, still hiding in his chest. Harry’s heart ached as the little body in his arms trembled. Merlin, now he’d done it. Scorpius was hurt. He had to fix this. He had to fix it now!
“Where does it hurt, baby?” he murmured gently. “Come on, let Harry see. We’ll fix it, I promise.”
It took a while but Scorpius finally obliged and held out his hand. Harry’s shoulders slumped in relief. It was barely a graze. It probably hurt, but it wasn’t serious. He pulled out his wand, took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching and cast a quick Episkey. Scorpius sniffed and tucked his hand away again, looking up at Harry with teary, grey eyes.
“There we go,” Harry murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “All better now, yeah? You’ll be just fine.”
“Kay,” Scorpius mumbled, hiding in the crook of his neck again. He still looked shaken up, poor thing. Harry smiled and curled an arm around him, holding him close. “Do you want some ice cream?” he asked softly.
“No,” Scorpius mumbled, but he bunched his fists in Harry’s shirt again.
Harry grinned, feeling a lot better than he had in days. They were going to okay. It was all going to be okay.
“Hey Blondie, I just had a great idea.”
Scorpius peeked up at him enquiringly and Harry chuckled.
“Do you want to go down to the pond and look for bugs?”
The bright smile he got in return was absolutely worth Draco’s impending freak out.
“Kay!” Scorpius squeaked. Harry laughed and herded him off, feeling like he had just won a war all over again.
****
“...and that is why we never bring earwigs home from the park,” Draco declared, wrapping up his latest lecture. Scorpius giggled and hid in a smiling Harry’s shoulder, prompting yet another eye-roll from his father.
“I see you two have made up,” Draco commented dryly.
“Never better,” Harry replied, hoisting Scorpius up. Draco suppressed a smile as his son looped his arms around Harry’s neck and yawned.
“Brilliant,” he said. “Then you can put him to bed. I have a book to finish.” He gave each of them a kiss on the cheek and departed, leaving Harry to handle his sleepy bundle.
“Come on, Blondie,” Harry murmured. “Let’s get you to bed. It’s been a long day.”
Twenty minutes later, Scorpius was all settled in bed. He was almost asleep, but Harry just couldn’t bring himself to turn out the lights and leave. There was something he had to say first.
“I missed you, Blondie,” he whispered. “I really did. I hate it when you’re mad at me.”
Scorpius extended a small hand and patted his cheek. “Friends,” he stated firmly, making Harry chuckle.
“I know,” Harry replied softly. “But...but you have to understand something. I love you, kiddo. I love you so much. And sometimes that means I can’t be your friend because I have to look out for you. I have to make sure that you grow up well and do the right thing. Sometimes, I’m going to have to be tough on you. But you need to understand that it’s only because I love you so much. So if I...send you to your room or give you a time out, just remember that I only do it because I care. Okay?”
“Kay,” Scorpius replied. He yawned and settled down, closing his eyes. One small hand remained firmly wrapped around Harry’s sleeve. Harry smiled tenderly and disentangled himself.
“Good night, baby,” he whispered.
He would have missed it if he hadn’t stopped to turn out the lights.
But as Harry cast a Nox and the lights went out, Scorpius turned around and nuzzled into his pillow. In the silence, Harry heard that small, sleepy voice call out “Night, Daddy.”
****
Draco blinked as his book was snatched away and he was hauled up into a long, slow kiss. He put up a half hearted struggle before getting in the spirit of things, wrapping his legs around Harry and drawing him in deeper.
“What’s all this about then?” he asked, when his boyfriend finally broke away. Harry’s eyes were shining and his smile was so wide that Draco felt his face hurt.
“He called me Daddy,” Harry whispered, pulling Draco into a hug. “Draco, he called me Daddy!”
Draco laughed and kissed his cheek. “And how did it feel?” he asked softly. “Was it worth all the drama?”
“It was,” Harry replied, smiling into his neck. “It was just...it was amazing.”
“Congratulations,” Draco grinned. “You’re officially a parent now. No backing out now, Potter- even if you have to punish him every now and then.” He smiled and kissed Harry again. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be brilliant at it.”
Harry smirked and ran his hands down Draco’s side, idly stroking his hip bones. “You know, I could get used to this,” he said as he nuzzled against Draco’s throat. “Being an authority figure- stern, demanding. I think it’s a good look for me.”
He bit down gently on soft, pale skin and Draco moaned his approval. “Is...is that right?” he managed.
“Mm,” Harry agreed. “On a completely unrelated note, I noticed you didn’t do the dishes tonight.”
Draco responded with a breathy, shaky laugh and hooked his leg to draw Harry in. “What do you plan to do about it?” he asked, arching ever so slightly against his boyfriend.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Harry smirked and snaked a hand between Draco’s thighs, squeezing lightly. Draco gasped and Harry’s grin widened. “I’m going to punish you.”
Follow up: A Time Just Like This
Rating: R
Word Count: 3,000
Summary: Scorpius gets his first punishment from Harry.
Warnings: Grouchy toddlers, flangst
Author's notes: Written for this month's JMDC: Cherish and dove_drabbles March prompt: Feel the promise of a warm day. Part of the Two and a Half Men arc.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
Harry sighed wearily, wondering how to handle this situation. It was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do and he fervently wished that he didn’t have to. But this had gone on for too long and well, sometimes difficult decisions just had to be made. He, of all people, would know that.
“Now, you know I love you very much,” he said softly, reassuringly. “I cherish every moment we’ve had together and sharing my life with you has been amazing. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t change a thing ever. You know that, right?”
Grey eyes widened in dawning comprehension, taking on a look of bewildered alarm. Merlin, this was going to be bad. Harry groaned inwardly and rallied on.
“But seriously, Blondie- just look at this mess.”
Scorpius followed the trail of Harry’s finger right up to the pile of toys strewn over the floor. That wasn’t all. There was a heap of colouring books piled on the table and a line of fresh scribbles across the wall. One of the curtains had been pulled down- for some unfathomable reason- and the sofa cushions were wrinkled, having been recently used as a launching pad.
It was havoc.
Harry shook his head in exasperation. “How can such a tiny person bring an entire house down in ten minutes, that’s what I want to know!”
Scorpius blinked innocently at him and offered a shrug of his small shoulders. “Chill out,” he placated, petting Harry’s knee.
Harry sputtered a bit at that. “Did you just tell me to ‘chill out’?” he demanded. “Where did you even learn that phrase?”
“Unca Ron.”
Of course. Harry made a mental note to make sure Hermione was around the next time Ron babysat Scorpius. That being said, he had a situation to deal with right now. Draco would be back in an hour at most, and he was going to have a fit if he saw the place like this.
“You know you’re not supposed to leave your toys lying around, don’t you?” he asked Scorpius. Draco had certainly made that rule clear on more than one occasion.
His enquiry elicited another nonchalant shrug. Harry was starting to get annoyed. He adopted his sternest expression and knelt down, eye to eye with the little boy. “Okay Blondie, let’s level. I hate to be the bad guy, but you have to pick up your toys before Father gets home. Okay?
”No.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“No,” Scorpius repeated, lifting his chin defiantly and scowling at Harry.
Apparently, someone was hitting his rebellious teen phase a bit early. It was rather disconcerting. Harry knew for a fact that Scorpius would have picked his toys up if Draco had asked him to. No, he was only being stubborn because this time it was Harry making such a request. Well, that wouldn’t do. He couldn’t leave those toys here. Scorpius needed to learn that rules were made to be kept.
“I’m going to say it one more time,” Harry said, slowly and firmly. “Pick up your toys.”
“No!” Scorpius repeated, louder this time. He crossed his arms and held his ground.
So did Harry. “Fine,” he replied calmly. “Then you will spend the rest of the afternoon in your room.”
Scorpius blinked in surprise. Apparently, he hadn’t seen that one coming. Harry hadn’t either, actually. This was the first time he had ever punished Scorpius. Up until his ominous declaration, that role had fallen firmly to Draco. Harry winced inwardly as the situation sank in. Oh, this was going to be so awful...
“No,” Scorpius declared again. His tone was stubborn but his voice was wobbling slightly and his eyes were tearing up.
So, so awful.
“Yes,” Harry replied, trying his best to look as stern and unyielding as possible. “If you’re not going to do as you’re told, then you will stay in your room. And...and that’s final, young man.”
“No!” Scorpius shrilled, stomping his foot. “Bad Arry! Bad!”
“Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!” Harry snapped in frustration. “I said go to your room!”
Scorpius wailed and ran off, bolting for his room. Harry cringed at the sound of a door slamming shut.
He wasn’t really sure what he had just done, but one thing was for certain.
Blondie wasn’t talking to him anymore.
****
Draco sighed as he held his son and stroked his hair, listening patiently as Scorpius sniffed and sobbed and sputtered complaints into his shoulder. He had returned home after a visit to St Mungo’s only to find his flat in disarray, his son confined to his room and his boyfriend miserable. Then Scorpius had glommed on to him with a seemingly never ending spate of grievances against one Harry Potter.
Draco wasn’t sure what had transpired but he had managed to glean a few words from Scorpius’ sobbing fit- mostly ‘Arry’, ‘mean’ and ‘room’. ‘Mean’ seemed to feature a lot more than the others as far as he could tell.
“There there, my prince,” he murmured soothingly, patting Scorpius’ back. “Everything will be alright, I promise. Hush now...”
Mercifully, Scorpius calmed down although he did turn around to cast a dark glare at Harry. Harry’s shoulders hunched slightly and Scorpius burrowed back into his father’s shoulder. Draco’s eyes drifted from one sulky expression to the next, still stymied.
“Would you like to translate his little tantrum for me?” he asked Harry.
Harry sighed and launched into his explanation. “He left his toys all over the place again. I asked him to pick them up but...”
Draco listened to Harry, still cuddling his sniffling son. They both seemed pretty wrecked but now that he had the full story he wasn’t that surprised. Scorpius wasn’t accustomed to receiving punishments from Harry and Harry wasn’t used to laying down the law with Scorpius. Clearly, things had gotten pretty heated.
By the time Harry winded down, he looked as miserable and put out as Scorpius. Draco wasn’t sure who to feel sorrier for, but one thing was for certain. Harry had been in the right and Scorpius’ punishment still stood.
“I’m sorry, Scorpius,” Draco said firmly. “But I’m afraid Harry’s right. You need to stay in your room for a while.”
“Why?” Scorpius demanded sullenly.
Draco smiled slightly and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Because you broke the rules and you know better.”
Scorpius whined and hid in his shoulder. “Sowwy,” he mumbled.
Draco stroked his baby’s hair soothingly. “I know, love. But the punishment stands. Now go on. I’ll tell you when you can come out again, okay?”
“Kay.”
Scorpius clambered off Draco’s lap obligingly and headed to his room without protest. Harry stared at his retreating back, somewhat flabbergasted.
“How come you get the Pygmy Puff version and I get the Dragon?” he demanded.
Draco chuckled and pulled him over. “He’s used to me punishing him,” he explained gently, letting Harry lean against him. “He sees me as an authority figure so he listens. But you...”
“But I’m just Harry and I don’t get to tell him what to do,” Harry finished with a sigh. “I’m not his father.” It was a rather miserable thought. He put his head on Draco’s shoulder and some of the tension left his shoulders as long, slim fingers carded his hair.
“Not exactly,” Draco corrected. “He’s just not used to you being strict with him. You have to admit - you do indulge him a lot.”
“He’s never going to talk to me again,” Harry mumbled miserably.
Draco rolled his eyes. “He’ll come around. Just stand your ground and don’t give in. The sooner he learns that he can’t take you for granted, the better it will be for both of you. Trust me.”
“But he’s so mad at me,” Harry whinged. “He called me ‘Bad ‘Arry’. I’ve never been Bad ‘Arry before!”
Draco smirked. “Welcome to parenthood, Potter.”
****
Despite Draco’s assurances, Scorpius refused to ‘come around’. In the week that followed, Harry got a valuable insight into the grudge holding capacities of tiny Malfoys.
“He still won’t talk to me,” he groused. Draco raised an eyebrow and went back to reading his novel, his legs propped carelessly on Harry’s lap. He was completely unperturbed by the situation, much to Harry’s displeasure. “I can’t believe I’m getting the silent treatment from a three year old.”
Draco sighed and abandoned the book. “For the fifth time in ten minutes, you’re reading too much into it,” he told Harry firmly. “It’s really not that bad.”
“Oh yeah?” Harry scoffed. “Watch this.” He turned to Scorpius who was on the floor, primly flicking through his favourite story book in an apt imitation of his father- and still ignoring Harry, by the way.
“Hey Blondie,” Harry spoke up, offering a cheerful grin for good measure. “Do you want me to read you a story tonight?”
Scorpius put down his book and cocked his head, considering the question seriously.
“No thank you, Mister Pottah.”
He tucked the book under his arm and padded off as Harry gave Draco a flat look.
“That’s it,” Harry declared. “I’m done. I am officially never punishing him again. He can go through the rest of his life leaving stuff on the floor. I can’t handle the tension!”
“You will do no such thing,” Draco retorted, giving him a light kick in the shin to emphasise his point. “You love him, don’t you? You want to do what’s best for him, right?”
“Of course I do!”
“Well then, sometimes that means taking a hard line. You can’t be his friend and his parent, Harry. That’s just how it is.”
Harry sighed and slumped back on the couch. “But I miss him,” he mumbled despondently.
“For Merlin’s sake,” Draco muttered, raising a hand to rub his temples. “Just...just take him to the park. The promise of a warm day fixes everything.”
“Are you just saying that so I’ll go and let you read in peace?”
“Ten points to Gryffindor.”
****
That’s how Harry found himself in the park, awkwardly walking alongside a taciturn toddler. Scorpius wouldn’t hold his hand and he refused to let Harry carry him either, so they were making their way slowly- not to mention silently- as Harry tried to figure out new ways to make peace again.
“Do you want some ice cream?” he asked tentatively.
“No,” Scorpius mumbled sulkily.
Harry winced. Clearly, they were still not friends. “Okay then,” he sighed. “What do you want to do?”
“Swing,” Scorpius replied.
“Do you want a push?” Harry asked hopefully.
“No!” Scorpius informed him vehemently. “Not friends no more!” And then he was running for the swings before Harry could say another word.
Great.
Harry slumped down on a bench, watching Scorpius clamber on a swing. It was just so unfair. Why couldn’t he just go through life without at least one Malfoy angry at him at any given time? He just felt like he had lost his best friend. And he really wasn’t sure what to do about this anymore, especially if Scorpius insisted on being so...
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the disturbance over at the swing set. But then he heard the shrill scream and Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Arry!”
Harry’s heart skipped a beat as Scorpius toppled off the swing and on to the ground. He was up and running before he even realised it. “Blondie!” he gasped, making his way over to Scorpius and picking him up. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened? Do you...”
His frantic questions trailed off as Scorpius wailed and curled into him, bunching his hands in Harry’s shirt and sniffling into his neck. “Shh,” Harry soothed, picking him up without a second thought. He patted his little one gently, trying to coax him out of his shoulder. “What happened, baby? What’s the matter?”
“F-f-fall down,” Scorpius stuttered, still hiding in his chest. Harry’s heart ached as the little body in his arms trembled. Merlin, now he’d done it. Scorpius was hurt. He had to fix this. He had to fix it now!
“Where does it hurt, baby?” he murmured gently. “Come on, let Harry see. We’ll fix it, I promise.”
It took a while but Scorpius finally obliged and held out his hand. Harry’s shoulders slumped in relief. It was barely a graze. It probably hurt, but it wasn’t serious. He pulled out his wand, took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching and cast a quick Episkey. Scorpius sniffed and tucked his hand away again, looking up at Harry with teary, grey eyes.
“There we go,” Harry murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “All better now, yeah? You’ll be just fine.”
“Kay,” Scorpius mumbled, hiding in the crook of his neck again. He still looked shaken up, poor thing. Harry smiled and curled an arm around him, holding him close. “Do you want some ice cream?” he asked softly.
“No,” Scorpius mumbled, but he bunched his fists in Harry’s shirt again.
Harry grinned, feeling a lot better than he had in days. They were going to okay. It was all going to be okay.
“Hey Blondie, I just had a great idea.”
Scorpius peeked up at him enquiringly and Harry chuckled.
“Do you want to go down to the pond and look for bugs?”
The bright smile he got in return was absolutely worth Draco’s impending freak out.
“Kay!” Scorpius squeaked. Harry laughed and herded him off, feeling like he had just won a war all over again.
****
“...and that is why we never bring earwigs home from the park,” Draco declared, wrapping up his latest lecture. Scorpius giggled and hid in a smiling Harry’s shoulder, prompting yet another eye-roll from his father.
“I see you two have made up,” Draco commented dryly.
“Never better,” Harry replied, hoisting Scorpius up. Draco suppressed a smile as his son looped his arms around Harry’s neck and yawned.
“Brilliant,” he said. “Then you can put him to bed. I have a book to finish.” He gave each of them a kiss on the cheek and departed, leaving Harry to handle his sleepy bundle.
“Come on, Blondie,” Harry murmured. “Let’s get you to bed. It’s been a long day.”
Twenty minutes later, Scorpius was all settled in bed. He was almost asleep, but Harry just couldn’t bring himself to turn out the lights and leave. There was something he had to say first.
“I missed you, Blondie,” he whispered. “I really did. I hate it when you’re mad at me.”
Scorpius extended a small hand and patted his cheek. “Friends,” he stated firmly, making Harry chuckle.
“I know,” Harry replied softly. “But...but you have to understand something. I love you, kiddo. I love you so much. And sometimes that means I can’t be your friend because I have to look out for you. I have to make sure that you grow up well and do the right thing. Sometimes, I’m going to have to be tough on you. But you need to understand that it’s only because I love you so much. So if I...send you to your room or give you a time out, just remember that I only do it because I care. Okay?”
“Kay,” Scorpius replied. He yawned and settled down, closing his eyes. One small hand remained firmly wrapped around Harry’s sleeve. Harry smiled tenderly and disentangled himself.
“Good night, baby,” he whispered.
He would have missed it if he hadn’t stopped to turn out the lights.
But as Harry cast a Nox and the lights went out, Scorpius turned around and nuzzled into his pillow. In the silence, Harry heard that small, sleepy voice call out “Night, Daddy.”
****
Draco blinked as his book was snatched away and he was hauled up into a long, slow kiss. He put up a half hearted struggle before getting in the spirit of things, wrapping his legs around Harry and drawing him in deeper.
“What’s all this about then?” he asked, when his boyfriend finally broke away. Harry’s eyes were shining and his smile was so wide that Draco felt his face hurt.
“He called me Daddy,” Harry whispered, pulling Draco into a hug. “Draco, he called me Daddy!”
Draco laughed and kissed his cheek. “And how did it feel?” he asked softly. “Was it worth all the drama?”
“It was,” Harry replied, smiling into his neck. “It was just...it was amazing.”
“Congratulations,” Draco grinned. “You’re officially a parent now. No backing out now, Potter- even if you have to punish him every now and then.” He smiled and kissed Harry again. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be brilliant at it.”
Harry smirked and ran his hands down Draco’s side, idly stroking his hip bones. “You know, I could get used to this,” he said as he nuzzled against Draco’s throat. “Being an authority figure- stern, demanding. I think it’s a good look for me.”
He bit down gently on soft, pale skin and Draco moaned his approval. “Is...is that right?” he managed.
“Mm,” Harry agreed. “On a completely unrelated note, I noticed you didn’t do the dishes tonight.”
Draco responded with a breathy, shaky laugh and hooked his leg to draw Harry in. “What do you plan to do about it?” he asked, arching ever so slightly against his boyfriend.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Harry smirked and snaked a hand between Draco’s thighs, squeezing lightly. Draco gasped and Harry’s grin widened. “I’m going to punish you.”
Follow up: A Time Just Like This