"Well," started Harry as he turned to the blonde man beside him. "To the park?"

"To the park," Draco agreed with a small smile that he covered by pinching the bridge of his nose in fake exasperation.

"C'mon boys!" called the darker man up the stairs while still watching Draco with that goofy grin on his face. "We're going to hang out at the park!"

The boys raced down, causing James to trip on the bottom step. Before his face hit the floor Draco reached his hand out and his magic caught the boy just in time. Harry looked at him with narrowed eyes as he stood the boy up and brushed James off.

"Oooh, you're in trouble now," whispered Teddy from beside the taller blonde before sliding as far from him as possible.

"What?" asked Draco confused before Harry turned to him.

"Boys, go wait outside. I need to talk to Draco for a minute." Once the boys had ran outside he started speaking. "What was that?"

"I stopped James from possibly breaking his nose?" Draco said more like a question than a response.

"No. You used magic f-"

"Well of course I did. We wouldn't have been able to reach him in time."

"So we let him fall," said Harry with his eyes closed.

"You do realize you aren't making sense, don't you?" Draco said raising an eyebrow while turning to face the man head on with his arms crossed.

"Draco, we were raised a lot differently, okay? I get that. I've been raising the James in a way that I think is the best way to combine muggle and magic."

"Is that it then? You were dropped on your head a lot as a child?"

"Can this not be an insult contest, Malfoy! I'm not trying to work through your loss of childhood or whatever. What I am saying is that you broke one of the only rules I have for wizards in this house. 'Don't use magic if you don't have to'. If we couldn't reach him its okay. He wasn't in imminent danger, he's eight! He's going to fall. He's going to get scrapes. I'm not going to raise him to not know what pain is or what it means to work for something. That would be wrong of me...wrong of us."

"What's wrong with him?" asked the blonde quietly.

"Nothing is wrong with him, but I want him to understand limits. We didn't when we were growing up. When he was four years old he started asking why he didn't have a mom. I explained as best I could then he asked where his dad was."

"What did you say?" Draco was whispering now. Where was he four years ago.

"I told him I didn't know. He asked me for two years where you were and I couldn't give him an answer. He cried for days, Malfoy. Days! Wanted me to bring you home with magic. I just couldn't do that. Wanted me to bring Teddy's parents back for Christmas one year. Said he wanted us all to celebrate like families do in the movies. I had to set limits. I'm glad you care about him enough to not want him to get hurt, but please refrain from unnecessary magic."

Draco nodded at the man he had known for so long- loved for so long- and how much he had matured. How much of that was because of him and he wasn't even here to see it happen. He couldn't help but smile sadly to himself as he followed Harry and they all made the trip down the block towards the park.

"Uh- Dad...?" James said as he turned to face the two men behind him and started walking backwards.

"Yes?" They both answered.

"Not you, Dad," said James exasperatedly towards Harry before pointing at Draco. "Him, Dad."

The pale man smiled at the boy.

"If it helps you can call me father or something equally boring." The boy laughed but nodded all the same.

"Well- uh- father?"

"JL," Draco responded with a chuckle.

"What's it like to travel all over the world? Dad says he used to travel all the time with my- well with you, I guess. He said you guys had been everywhere almost."

"It's pretty fun actually. Not as much fun when you don't have anyone there with you, but I do get to see the world and I always remember to take pictures."

Harry stopped short and everyone turned to look at him.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked concerned.

"You still take pictures?" Harry asked with wide eyes. The only reason the blonde had ever picked up a camera was because Harry had made him when they were dating. He had even talked Draco into labeling the pictures for future reference and scrapbooks.

"I filled about 4 scrapbooks," the paler man said with his nose upturned. "I had planned on sending them to you at some point, but I didn't know where you were so I decided against it after a while."

"Maybe you could show me in person sometime?"

"U-uh...yeah. Of course." The blonde blinked back surprised. Harry started walking again and left his exlover standing on the sidewalk trying to regain his composure as the blush slid from his neck up to his cheeks and the tips of his ears. The darker man turned back around with a grin.

"You coming, Malfoy?"

"Oh, sod off." Draco took a deep breath and steeled himself for the next conversation they were about to have as they crossed the barrier into the park. The boys ran off towards the muggle playground and they sat close on a park bench to watch. "So...tell me about Val."

"She's great!" Harry said, his face immediately lighting up. "She was a friend of a friend from work."

"You made it to St. Mungos?"

"Yeah, Pediatric Healing."

"I'm glad." Potter blushed and Draco nodded at him to continue.

"Well a friend of mine, Quinn, is a squib so she works as the wizard liason at the muggle hospital. She can recognize magic sicknesses and pull one of us in to specialize- anyway, I was on call one day and went to visit her. While I was waiting in her office Val came in looking for her too and we started talking while we waited. Got to know each other better. Went on a few dates." He shrugged with a sappy smile. "She's really great with James and Teddy."

"I could see that," Draco said quietly, looking down at his feet as he scuffed his boot lightly across the grass feeling smaller than ever.

"Draco don't be like tha-" Harry stopped abruptly as small boy ran up to them excitedly.

"HEY!" A child slightly younger than James stood in front of them gripping a blue cloud covered blanket tightly. "Y-you're DL Black, aren't you? My sister has your posters all over her wall!"

Draco's head snapped up and he had his star mask on again. Harry knew better than to think the blonde really felt better though.

"Yes, I am and what's your name, little one?"

"Andy," the boy said proudly puffing out his chest as kids sometimes do.

"So Andy, who's here with you?" asked Draco as he stood and started searching around before he saw a ruffled teen girl looking anxiously about the playground.

"My sister. She's waaaay over there," said the boy pointing just past the swing set where the girl had yet to see either of them.

"Well how about we return you to her, yeah?" Draco held out a hand and the young boy grabbed on tightly. Harry watched as they walked over to the girl. She looked relieved at her brother being safe before she finally looked up and noticed who it was that had brought him back to her. She screamed so loud that even Harry heard her.

While the blonde git was occupied the messy haired man had started taking in the others form. A body he had tried to forget for years prior. The elongated form and strict yet relaxed posture. The way he looked so fluid as he spoke or walked or danced or sang-

Harry looked up when he noticed that Draco was walking back in his direction then quickly looked away so as to not seem so conspicuous. The blonde sat next to him a lot more relaxed than before.

"See something you like, Potter?"

"I'm taken, Malfoy."

"That doesn't mean you can't admire beauty in it's true form."

"You're absolutely right."

"Seriously?" asked the blonde surprised again. Harry was never able to get him off his game this much before.

"Seriously," he said seriously before taking a pause for Draco to preen a bit before continuing. "...but all of my mirrors are at home."

"I hate you."

Harry smiled at the man who was currently trying his damnedests to ignore him while he pretended to pout. He sighed happily as he glanced over at the boys still playing then back at Draco who was pointedly still ignoring him. This was the same man he fell in love with, realized with a start. New hair, new clothes, new marks, same Malfoy.

He looked away quickly after that.

-&-

late update cause im worthless

i had finals this week
summer classes are shit
never sign up for them

but i hope you enjoyed
love y'all

-- angel janeé xoxo 💋