When promised a vacation, Harry didn't think it would feel quite like this. He had so been looking forward to a week spent with Draco and Teddy together, his own little family, but every time something sounded remotely close to a vibration, he would jump.

"Potter, you need to relax," Draco chided, grabbing both of Harry's hands in his own.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm positively no fun on this vacation."

"I still think you're fun!," Teddy piped up from where he was putting his shoes on the wrong feet.

"Wrong feet love, but thank you," Harry said with a laugh, getting up to help Teddy with his shoes.

"Now I'm ready," Teddy announced.

"Give me your pager Potter," Draco demanded, holding his hand out.

"What?"

"I'm going to hold onto it when we go out."

"But-"

"No buts! You're worrying yourself sick and I don't feel like having to do any healer work. I'm on vacation too and I refuse to spend it with you when you're brooding."

"Hehe, butts," Teddy whispered as he giggled to himself.

Harry laughed in surprise, handing the pager over, gently caressing Draco's hand as he did so.

"Now, let's go to the museum because you're incredibly uncultured."

It was mental how easily Harry could relax around Draco. They were all wearing the matching tie dye shirts, and once Harry started, he couldn't stop smiling.

"I can't believe how lucky I am," Harry murmured, his hand on the small of Draco's back, guiding him to the next exhibit.

"And why is that?"

"I get to touch the artwork," he flirted, admiring the way Draco's cheeks reddened.

"Are you still free on Wednesday to help me with that favor to Pansy?"

"Of course I am. Are we bringing Teddy?"

"Maybe we could drop him with Granger and Weasley for part of the day if that's alright?"

"Just give me the information and I'll ask."

"Perfect."

It was amazing just how knowledgeable about the pieces Draco truly was. Harry knew that the other man was familiar with this place, but he was quickly captivated by all of the extra information Draco had to share. Harry was hanging on to his every word, and even Teddy was asking questions. There wasn't even a single moment where Harry was bored.

Following viewing the museum's exhibits, Harry found the creation of "pretty pictures" at home to be quite endearing. He learned that whenever Draco and Teddy went to the museum, they chose their favorite piece of art to recreate. Feeling teasing, Harry decided to do a quick sketch of Draco that he had never planned on allowing to see the light of day.

"Harry, dinner?," Teddy asked.

They were having a simple dinner of chicken tenders and French fries, and Harry realized he had tuned out the beeping of the oven timer.

"Sorry love."

"See, I told you making pretty pictures was fun."

Harry haphazardly covered his drawing and heard Teddy continue to speak, but didn't register what was being said until, "Draco, you're Harry's pretty picture!"

Harry cursed under his breath, busying himself with dinner.

"Get washed up for dinner Edward."

"Okay!"

"You know, I thought you were having me on with your artwork line, I didn't think you were serious," Draco said, coming up behind Harry.

"Why would I lie about that? You weren't even supposed to see it."

"Sometimes you tease," Draco replied with an offhanded shrug.

"Not about that. You are quite beautiful, that's a fact."

"Dinner!," Teddy cheered, ending whatever comment Draco would have made.

Throughout dinner, Draco's foot kept playfully finding Harry's, so Harry hooked his foot around Draco's ankle.

"Are we going to the park today?," Teddy asked.

"We're going to another park, love."

"No swings?," Draco asked with a frown.

"There are swings, and a view to die for," Harry promised.

"Let's go!," Teddy cheered.

"We have to clean up first Edward," Draco reminded him.

"I'll dry!"

"I can-"

"Get ready to go," Draco interrupted Harry. "Go on now, I'm impatient."

"What would I do without my boys?," Harry asked with a laugh.

"Be sad," Teddy said certainly.

"You're absolutely right love, I'm very sad without you both."

"You get us for a whole week so you're going to be happy for a whole week!"

"The happiest I've ever been."

Draco only hoped he could make that sentiment true.

Harry brought them to a different park, one where the sun would set over the water. He sat on a bench, keeping an eye on Teddy who was taken with a sailboat making its way down the coast. Draco took a seat next to him, sitting closer than he normally would.

"I come here to think sometimes," Harry admitted, leaning his head on Draco's shoulder.

"I go to that museum not to think."

"Look at us, sharing our favorite places," Harry teased.

"I feel like you won't tarnish their memory."

"You're right, because I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry that I have so much on my mind, but I do enjoy spending my free time with you."

"You're just not sure if it's actually free," Draco surmised.

"Precisely."

"I can... I can hold you tonight, to help you sleep, if you want...," Draco offered, willing his face not to color. "I don't mind."

"Why Draco Malfoy, are you saying you want to cuddle with me?"

"Like a basilisk perhaps."

Laughing, Harry wrapped both of his arms around Draco, and laughed even harder when Teddy scolded them for having a group hug without him.

After watching the sunset, Harry led them to the small playground, and true to his word, pushed Draco on the swings to his heart's content. He would never tire of the other man's laugh, and watching him be so happy and carefree and knowing that Harry was the cause of it made it matter all the more.

Draco kept his promise of holding Harry as he slept, with Teddy starfishing on top of them both. Ironically, this was how Harry slept the best. For the first time in days, Harry slept through the night without worry his pager would go off.

Wanting to do something for the other man, Draco woke up first and made an attempt at breakfast.

"An attempted murder more like it," Draco muttered to himself, wondering how the edges of the eggs were crispy but the inside was still runny. "Where the fuck is the recipe book that tells me how to cook eggs?"

Frowning as he turned off the stove, Draco decided maybe they should all just have fresh fruit instead. Sitting on the counter, Draco continued to read  through the cookbook until he found something he was familiar with. He had eaten thousands of crepes in his life, he should be able to make them!

That's how Harry found Draco an hour later, covered in flour with a determined glint in his eye, and a plate full of, "are those crepes?"

Draco spun around, hiding a spatula behind his back.

"Hi?," he squeaked. "I'll clean this all up I promise."

"I love you," Harry said simply, pulling Draco into a hug, and nuzzling his face in Draco's neck. "What can I do for you?"

"Fruit," was the only word Draco could get out as he had a small panic attack.

"You got it love," Harry replied, pulling out of the embrace with a bright grin.

Draco was convinced he had died after tasting his failed attempt at eggs. This "salmonella" must be a fast poison. Either that or he was hallucinating because there is positively no way Harry had just told Draco he loved him, and called him a term of endearment in the span of a few minutes.

"Good morning!," Teddy yelled, running down the stairs and jumping off the last two.

"Teddy," Harry said, warning evident in his tone.

"Sorry Harry," he replied, not sorry at all. "Breakfast?"

"I'm just learning that Draco is apparently an expert crepe maker."

There Harry goes again, now calling Draco by his given name. Just what did he do to those eggs?

"Crepes with chocolate?," Teddy asked with a gasp.

"Is there any other way to eat crepes?," Draco replied with a soft smile, still convinced he was imagining the whole thing.

"With strawberries and chocolate," Harry corrected, getting the container out of the fridge.

"What are we doing today?," Teddy asked, standing on his tiptoes to set the table.

"Ice skating."

"Good thing I have my own personal healer with me," Harry replied with a snort.

"You'll be fine," Draco reassured him, wiping his forehead and huffing when his hand came away with flour on it.

"Probably not, he's very bad," Teddy replied, taking his seat at the table.

"Edward."

"No, he's right," Harry cut in with a laugh. "We can still be more polite in how we say it though.

"Like a fawn!," Teddy decided.

"Alright Teddy bear, enough from you this morning. Anything else I can do for you Malfoy?"

"No, I'm okay, thank you."

"Let me take this to the table so you can get cleaned up?"

"Thank you."

"No, thank you, really. No one's made me breakfast before like this," Harry replied with a shy smile.

"Because I'm better than everyone else," Draco replied on his way to the bathroom.

Harry seemingly told Draco that he loved him, and this was what Draco looked like? Cursing to himself, Draco took the fastest shower of his life, coming down to find that no one had begun to eat yet.

"You didn't have to wait."

"Harry said it's not polite cause you cooked for us."

"We're still working on your manners love," Harry said with a laugh, ruffling Teddy's hair. "Of course we would wait for you."

"If they're not good, please don't eat them."

Harry brushed him off, they looked fine enough.

"I've never had a crepe before I won't know if your crepe is cr-," Draco's pointed look had Harry choosing a new ending for his sentence. "Crunchy. Too crunchy. I don't think crepes are supposed to be crunchy."

"Really?," Draco mouthed to him, rolling his eyes.

Harry just grinned and took a bite of his crepe, sighing in contentment.

"I think you should cook breakfast permanently."

"I almost killed myself trying to make eggs," Draco deadpanned.

"You did promise me runny eggs," Harry teased, playfully nudging Draco under the table. "I like these better though."

"I can't wait to see you fall on your bum while we skate."

"Only if you kiss it better," Harry whispered in Draco's ear as he took his plate to the sink.

Harry Potter may very well be the death of him. That sentiment was confirmed when after falling as soon as one foot hit the ice and failing to stand up, Draco had to hold Harry's hand and guide him around the rink.

"Potter I can't tell if this is just another line of yours or if you're genuinely this bad. Just look at Teddy!"

"No, I'm genuinely this bad," Harry replied with a sigh. "This is only the second time I've ever been ice skating. It's easier when you're younger, and you're raised properly, because you don't have that fear of falling. You know if you do fall that those who love you will pick you back up. I never had that."

"You always say things like that, I feel like there's this whole part of you that I don't know."

"If I talk about this on the ice I'll fall over."

"The bench?," Draco offered, helping Harry off the ice to where they could still watch Teddy.

"Yes, well, no one likes poor orphaned Harry who was told he had to live with his abusive family members. Everyone prefers the boy who lived to the boy with dead parents. No one thinks of my sacrifices, they just glorify the end result.

Remember the first time we went out? You asked if I lived in a servant's quarters? I lived in a cupboard under the stairs. My Hogwarts letters were addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. Maybe you're thinking oh Harry they must not have had much room? It was a four bedroom home. My cousin had a second room just for the things that didn't fit in the first room.

It took one trip to bring all of my things upstairs. I know the only reason they moved me is because they were scared they were being watched.

I was meant to cook, to clean, to serve. When important guests were over, I was meant to be in my bedroom, making no noise, and pretending I don't exist. My friends couldn't write to me, I was isolated. I was in a prison cell, literally there were bars on my windows at one point.

I'm just... I'm so scared that I'm going to do something wrong with Teddy. I'm not meant to be a father, I'm meant to be a weapon. I let the Ministry overwork me because I'm the reason so many lives were lost, I can't have more lives on my hands because I refuse to help."

"Harry, you're doing wonderfully," Draco promised, taking Harry's hands in his own and making the other man look at him. "Teddy absolutely adores you. You're going to mess up, we both are, but when we do we're going to take accountability for our actions and we are going to right whatever wrongs we may have committed.

You're not some kind of super weapon Potter. You are a human being. I don't know what they did to you, but you are so much more than other people think you are. You're so much more than I thought you were, and I'm grateful to have gotten to know the real you. The broken one who's an excellent father, who loves too much, and cooks a damn good meal which cancels out the fact he's shit at ice skating."

Harry laughed, taking back one of his hands to wipe away the tears that had formed in his eyes.

"You and I, Harry, we are in this together. I promise I'm not going anywhere, and I intend to keep that promise. I'm here for you, thank you for opening up to me."

"I just thought you should know, so you understand."

"I need you to understand that if you do fall, I'll pick you back up, and I don't mean just in ice skating," Draco promised.

"I'm ready to try again."

Draco saying he would be there to pick Harry up again went much deeper than Harry's self-inflicted ice skating wounds. He wasn't just healing Harry's physical wounds, he was healing the mental and emotional ones too.