Their first day together in months was spent peacefully, both men enjoying their time as a family together. Albus and Scorpius were more than happy to have their other dad back home. Breakfast was a delicious feast and was followed with many games and a day filled with laughter and fun. The bags under Harry's eyes were heavy, but his heart was light. Watching Albus and Scorpius laugh and play was worth everything, and he found himself become more and more satisfied with his resignation.
All too soon, however, it came time for bed. Harry tucked the boys in with Draco, kissing their foreheads after reading them a story. After tidying the house a bit, Draco and Harry returned to their bed and soon fell asleep.
Halfway through the night, a sharp scream had Draco sitting straight up in his bed and running out the door of their room to the children's rooms.
It took his half-asleep brain a few moments to realize that the cries were coming from inside their room, not from Albus or Scorpius's room. They were Harry's cries.
Heart still beating erratically, Draco sat back down on the bed. He shook Harry's shoulder, hoping it would rouse him from the nightmare plaguing his mind. To his dismay, Harry's cries only became louder until Draco let go.
"No, no, please don't touch me. Get off of me!" Harry's voice was clear as day, as if there were an actual person attacking him. "Please," the pure desperation and vulnerability in Harry's voice broke Draco's heart. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he watched his husband thrash on the bed in agony. He couldn't let Harry suffer through this nightmare any longer than he had to, but there were only so many things he could try without touching him.
Picking up his wand, Draco muttered a quick Aguamenti charm pointed at Harry's chest. Spluttering, the other man woke up.
Blinking open his eyes, Harry cowered away from Draco's hovering form, muttering 'please' and 'no' under his breath desperately. Draco didn't dare reach out a hand in fear of startling him further.
"Harry," he said as gently as he could. "It's me, Draco. Your husband. I'm not going to hurt you." Harry rubbed his eyes and took a moment to comprehend what Draco said, before scooting closer. Sighing in relief, Draco cast a drying charm and wrapped his arms around him.
Harry leaned his head on Draco's shoulder, holding his tears back the best as he could. He felt weak. He hated feeling weak. Every muscle in his body was exhausted. His chest hurt, his head hurt, and he couldn't close his eyes without snapshots of the dream flashing past them.
"You can cry, you know," Draco whispered into his ear. "It hurts more to hold it in." Harry nodded, he knew the pain of holding it in all too well, but still didn't cry. Draco didn't deserve that. It was enough to have woken him up in the middle of the night, nevermind forcing him to deal with a grown man crying over a stupid dream.
It wasn't until then that Harry realized that he was shaking. Cuddling into Draco more, the other man squeezed his shoulders tighter, as if to protect Harry from the outside world. They sat in silence for a few moments, Draco holding Harry while he caught his breath and calmed his thoughts.
"Papa?" A little Scorpius walked into the room, eyes blurry with sleep and a small blanket dragging from his hand. "Who was screaming?" Harry tensed up underneath Draco and reluctantly dragged himself from his arms. Chills ran over his exposed back, and all Harry wanted was to go back to the comfortable and safe position. But the dream was already fading, and his son needed Draco's help more than he did right then.
"It was Daddy," Draco said, squeezing Harry's hand before sliding off the bed and walking towards Scorpius.
"Was he having a bad dream?" Wide, grey eyes looked into Draco's own. His heart melted once again at the sight of the child.
"Yes, baby boy, he had a bad dream. Why don't you go give him a hug, and I'll come tuck you in?" Scorpius nodded determinedly, before crawling onto the shared mattress and giving Harry a tight hug.
"Love you, Daddy," Scorpius said. Harry weakly smiled back, ruffling the child's hair affectionately.
"I love you too, bud."
Satisfied with himself, Scorpius nodded and pushed himself off the bed. Draco walked with him back to his room, and let the child get settled back into his bed before drawing the duvet up to his chin.
As he opened the door to leave, Scorpius started to speak.
"Will you rub Daddy's back and sing him a song and turn over his pillow?" Scorpius asked, sitting up once again in concern. Draco sighed, before turning around.
"What?"
"Like you do for me and Albus. Whenever we have a bad dream, you and Daddy rub our backs and sing us a song. Then you turn over our pillows so we have good dreams again." Smiling lightly, Draco nodded, settling Scorpius back into his bed.
"I will don't worry. Sleep well, okay Scorpius?"
"Ok."
"I love you,"
"I love you too!"
When he returned to their room, Draco found Harry curled in a ball in their bed, clutching a pillow tightly in his hands and tears dripping down his cheeks. Draco grimaced, before softening his face and climbing into bed.
After Draco settled underneath the covers, Harry moved, so his back was flush against Draco's chest wordlessly. Smiling at the familiar position, Draco curled into him and wrapped his arm around Harry's waist, so he held him tightly.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Draco whispered.
"No," Harry said, "I barely remember it anyway. It had something to do with them. I always have dreams like it when I talk or think about them. I forgot to take a dreamless sleep tonight for it though."
"I should have thought about it, I'm sorry."
"You've been perfect, Draco. Don't apologize."
"I'm sorry that you're hurting though, that you have to deal with this."
"But I have you to help me, and that's all I really need." A satisfied feeling filled his chest, temporarily burning away the guilt and concern. "Thank you for helping with him."
"Of course," Draco paused, "will you be able to go back to sleep?" His eyes were beginning to shut of their own accord, but if Harry was going to stay up, Draco was determined to stay up with him.
"Yeah, probably. Could you, um.."
"What?"
"If it isn't too much, could you draw stuff with your fingers on my shoulders and stuff like you do sometimes? It really relaxes me, and it might help me sleep better but...nevermind, I'm sorry I sound like a selfish git you must be exhausted I shouldn't make you-"
"Harry." Draco interrupted, immediately starting to doodle on the other man's arm with his finger. "Its fine, I don't mind. I like doing it."
"Don't say that just because I like you doing it."
"But I do," Draco persisted. "I like being able to make you relax and to feel your strong muscles relax under my fingertips. It's addicting."
Harry made a sound of agreement.
"I love you," Draco said.
"I love you too," Harry replied sleepily. Holding tighter onto Harry with one arm, Draco continued to lazily doodle flowers and other random items with the other until he was certain Harry was fast asleep. Satisfied, Draco finally let his eyelids droop close, and fell into a peaceful sleep.