Title: Tidings of Great Joy (And Moments of Great Worry)
Beta: lksnarry1 on livejournal
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Length: 770 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Fluff, Slash, mpreg.
Summary: Telling someone something only gets harder with time.
Disclaimer: I make no claim to Harry Potter or the accompanying ideas and characters. They belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and others. This is written for entertainment only.
Author's Note: This is a very short prequel to my very short oneshot, A Regular Ninja. They both stand alone, though, so this should make perfectly good sense either way. Thanks to lksnarry1 for the beta. Also, came back because I realized I had forgotten the mpreg warning, and I needed to add it. Oops, sorry!
Laying sweat-soaked on the messy sheets, arms spread-eagle and feet jammed under Harry's thighs, Draco panted for breath. Sex with Harry never failed to intoxicate Draco. He laid still, preparing himself.
Draco hadn't meant to hesitate in telling Harry for sixteen weeks. He'd wanted to give it twelve weeks, just to be safe; then had planned on telling Harry everything. Harry would be thrilled, of course. He had been talking about having a family for ages. Draco had seen his covetous looks at babies and small children, heard his quiet mourning that he had given up his chance for children. Harry thought Draco wouldn't want any kids, and that he definitely wouldn't agree to adoption.
It was true that Draco didn't really want to adopt, not when they could have their own child. But he didn't have any objections to the child part of the idea. So, he'd taken the potion, gone to the Healer, and gotten the confirmation.
Draco had known Harry would love it. He'd been positive. Until about week eleven, when all of a sudden, he had been terrified to tell Harry. He'd backed out, and told Harry something far less important, letting the topic drop. Except now he couldn't hide it any longer.
Draco swallowed hard. Harry must have been watching him, must have seen Draco's worry, because he rolled over Draco's body, placing his knees on either side of Draco's stomach and forcing Draco onto his back. "What's wrong, Draco?"
Harry leaned up into Draco, nuzzling his neck. "Nothing." Draco forced himself to take a deep breath. "I have to tell you something."
Harry leaned up further to nip and Draco's ear and kiss his lobe. "Then tell me. Whatever it is, we'll manage."
Draco swallowed again, and Harry kissed his throat. "Come on, Draco love. Just tell me. It'll all work out."
There was no other choice. This wasn't something Draco could hide forever. And Harry would be happy; he wanted a family more than anything. There wasn't even a reason for Draco to be so nervous.
Draco smirked. If you have to say something hard, say it with authority. "Exactly what would you do if I told you we were going to have a baby?"
"A. . .baby? Like, a kid?" Draco nodded, smiling at Harry's amazed expression. "You're kidding. You don't like children. They are too loud and hyper and needy." Harry really didn't look like he believed Draco at all.
"But I love you. And I love my family. I don't want you unhappy, and I don't want my family to end with me. Any child of ours will be better behaved than the hooligans the Weasleys pass off as children, anyway." Harry laughed, an expression of wondrous joy passing over his face. Draco couldn't help but grin like a gormless idiot with him.
"You're serious. We're going to have a baby." Then Harry's joyful expression disappeared.
"You really ido/i want this, right? You're not just doing this to make me happy? Or to continue the family name?" Draco smiled gently.
"Harry, when have you known me to be the sacrificial idiot in this relationship? You have that neatly tied up, and I don't want to be forever doing things I dislike for other people. Of course I really want this. I love you, and I'm sure I'll love our child, whoever it turns out to be." Feeling reassured, Harry smiled again. At least, he smiled until another worry occurred to him.
"And you're alright, yeah? You aren't in any danger or anything?" Draco shook his head.
"No more than anyone else bearing a child, Potter. I'm fine, and I'll be fine." Harry laughed again, and then he kissed Draco.
Harry was thrilled. Draco had told his secret, and it had all turned out just as it should.
Eventually, Harry started dotting small kisses all over Draco's face. With each kiss, he whispered a name, obviously meant to be a possible baby name. Draco just listened, basking in Harry's excitement. He felt no need to act. Not until he heard the name Albus.
"No, Potter. Our child will have its own name, not the name of a dead man. Caden or Morgana or Gawain or Scipio. Use the middle name to commemorate the dead."
Harry agreed, changing the names between kisses to new names, ones that had never belonged to anyone either of the two of them had ever known, while Draco just sat, and listened, and basked.