******** ******** Chapter 22 ******** ********
Harry woke the next morning to hear Draco snapping at Dinki.
"Can't you apparate more quietly? You woke me up!" The blond was standing next to the bed and shouting.
Harry sighed and sat up. "Draco, stop yelling at her. You're only annoyed because you didn't get enough sleep, which you would've if you'd gone to bed when I suggested it."
"Of course you'd say 'I told you so'; you prat! You didn't have to let me finish the game, did you?" Draco snipped at him plopping back down on the bed. "You're the Dominant, Harry! You could've just said no and whisked me off to bed."
"Oh yes, and then you'd be annoyed at me for an altogether different reason, this morning." Harry rolled his eyes before tipping the blond's face up to look at him. "Draco, I'd rather you be annoyed at me for embarrassing you than because you've done something harmful to the babies. From now on, when I tell you it's time for bed, you'll go without objections. Am I understood?"
"And if I do object?" Draco pouted folding his arms across his chest.
"Then I'll scoop you up and whisk you to bed but it won't be a pleasant experience." His voice took on a hard edge that made Draco shiver. He turned to face the elf. "Dinki, can you please have our breakfasts sent up here?"
Draco raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? We're going downstairs for breakfast."
Harry merely smiled. "Wouldn't you rather stay up here and relax… you could lie in bed and eat your salsa eggs…" He kissed the blond's cheek. "Then you could roll over and go back to sleep for a bit." He smirked as he positioned himself behind Draco and whispered into his cranky husband's ear. "I'll wake you around lunchtime so we can have sandwiches and pickles before we decide what to do with the rest of our day. We could read for a little while… or perhaps you could show me around the rest of the house. I know; we could hire that muggle limo for a drive around London."
Draco chewed his lower lip. "That does sound nice… but we're expected…"
"Draco…" Harry leaned in and kissed the sensitive spot just under Draco's ear, this time. "My love…my sweet Dragon, you are expected to do your best in school, take care of yourself and the babies and let me – your Dominant husband – take care of everything else."
Draco's face and body drained of tension. "You're right, Harry. I didn't let you take care of us last night."
"Will you let me take care of you now?" Harry murmured as he stroked Draco's shoulders.
"Yes, Harry," The blond nodded slowly. "I'm sorry."
"No, baby; don't be sorry…Just relax and let me take care of you… I want to take care of you." Harry cradled his husband gently until their elf brought the morning meal to them.
Harry ate with Draco to ensure that the other man really did relax and Draco was just settling back into the pillows to return to dreamland when someone knocked on their door.
Harry cast silencing spells around the bedroom area and went to the door knowing just who it would be. "Can I help you, Lucius?" He asked the older man as soon as the door opened fully.
"Where's Draco? Why weren't either of you at breakfast?" Lucius questioned angrily.
"Draco is asleep. We ate breakfast here because he wasn't fit company for anyone this morning. Do you know why he was indisposed?" Harry asked quietly. "He woke up as an insufferable brat because he didn't get enough sleep, Lucius. Why didn't you support my suggestion, last night? The chess match would've been over seconds after I suggested that he go to sleep if you'd just made the move that would've given you the win. You wouldn't have been seen as publicly supporting me and Draco would've gone to bed at a decent time, but you didn't take it."
"This has nothing to do with me, Potter. You and Draco are both expected to be at all meals during the holiday visit." Lucius growled.
"Lucius, you are interfering in my relationship with your son, once again, instead of being there for us…like you said you would." Harry commented casually. "You may be his father, but I'm his Dominant husband. I decide what's best for him…not you. You need to accept my control of him or this whole thing will be quite messy."
Lucius gaped at his son-in-law's veiled threat.
"Your son…My husband needs a clear chain of command, Lucius. I'm it, and if I'm not around then it can be his mother and you. You can tell me what's expected and I'll try to make it work within our needs. That's all I can promise." Harry informed him. "As for this morning, Draco needed to relax, eat and get his sleep. I needed to make a point. Both needs were met."
Lucius seemed disgruntled.
"Draco and the babies are the highest priority here, Lucius. I've done some reading on male pregnancy and their collective health depends on Draco's stress level staying consistently low while getting enough to eat and drink." Harry said to the older man. "Denying his cravings and not allowing him enough rest are ways to add to his stress. This will cause me to do things like hijack him for the day, which is what I've done. We'll see you at dinner."
Lucius seemed about to argue with him but they were interrupted by another knock on the door. It was Draco's mother.
"Good morning, Harry; is Draco alright?" She asked when Harry opened the door. "I was quite worried when neither of you joined us for breakfast."
Harry smiled at her as she joined him and her husband in the sitting area. "Draco was a bit over-tired this morning, Narcissa, so I've hijacked him. We'll be at dinner, though. I promise."
"Wonderful! Is there anything either of you will need for the day?" She asked graciously glancing up at the bedroom area to catch a glimpse of her son.
"We were thinking of taking a sight-seeing drive through London this afternoon, but other then that, no. Thank you, Narcissa." Harry spoke kindly to her.
"I'll hire that car for you, Harry. Come, Luc; Harry has things under control, here." Narcissa winked at her son-in-law and led her husband out of the suite.
Harry grinned and began to read a book while waiting for Pansy's visit, which he knew, would be soon. He was right. Not ten minutes after Draco's parents took their leave, there was another soft knock.
He used his wand to open it and waved her in. "Hello, Pansy; won't you join me?"
She nodded. "Is he ok? I was worried when you didn't show up for the morning meal."
"He was a royal brat when he woke up. I knew he would be, but the point had to be made to Lucius." Harry told her. "Maybe he, as his father, used to know what was best for Draco the child, but I'm in charge now and I know what's best for him as the pregnant adult."
Pansy sighed. "Can I see him?"
Harry nodded. "Just don't wake him, please. In fact if you'd like to take a nap with him, that's fine. I haven't forgotten that you're pregnant too."
She smiled softly as she stood and made her way toward the bedroom area. "I'd like that. Thank you, Harry."
The brunette smiled back and lowered the spells to let Pansy join Draco.
A few quiet hours later, Draco's eyes fluttered open. He looked around to find Harry curled around him on his right and Pansy lying peacefully on his left. He sighed; feeling much refreshed but wanted to know what was going on so he nudged his best friend.
"Mmmm just a few more minutes, Mummy…?" She muttered in her sleep.
Draco rolled his eyes and nudged her again.
This time the girl jerked awake and rolled over to face him. "Draco? You're awake!"
"Shhh! Yes, I'm awake. Now would you please tell me how the three of us ended up in bed together?" The blonde shook his head in confusion.
"Don't you remember, Dray?" She smiled devilishly. "We got Harry drunk and then you asked him if we could have a threesome."
His eyes shot wide open. "What?!"
Harry chuckled sleepily next to the blond's ear. "Yes, love, we had great fun until your father ruined it by trying to join in."
Pansy started giggling uncontrollably.
Draco pouted. "Stop teasing me!"
Harry smirked as he kissed the blond's cheek. "Sorry, love, Pansy's story was just so perfectly ridiculous and you almost believed her for some reason."
"I did not!" Draco blushed.
"It's alright, Dragon. You don't need to convince us…" Harry winked at him. "Our sandwiches are on the way and your Mother has been kind enough to hire the limo for our trip about town."
"Did you give us enough time before it arrives, Harry? I'd rather not be rushed." The blond smirked as Harry just nodded and got up to go to the bathroom.
Pansy shook her head at her friend. "Nobody who knew you two before the end of the war would believe this! You seem like you've been in love forever instead of just a month."
"I know it's totally out of character, but..." Draco blushed slightly. "I just can't help it...I mean... Look, I was a virgin – a total novice at relationships – right? This law made me choose my position in my marriage and accept whatever random person that would be chosen as my life-partner. After what Harry did for all of us, I just knew I could trust myself to him when he asked me to take his offer."
"How did you know that though? Was it something he said or did?" Pansy asked quietly while getting to her feet.
"He interrupted a meeting with my parents." Draco chuckled at the thought of that first day. "He treated me like an adult...and just before he left he whispered something in my ear..."
Pansy's head came up. "What was it?"
"It was just a reminder of the day he saved me from the Fiendfyre." Draco said absently closing his robe.
Contempt flooded her face as she slipped her shoes on. "Oh, so he guilt-tripped you into accepting him?"
"That's not it at all, Pans." He paused, unsure if he should reveal this. "He told me that he could remember the feel of my arms around him as we flew to safety... Pansy, don't you see?"
She frowned.
"He loved me even then. If he didn't, he might've made it his price of life debt to marry him and bear his children." Draco said softly. "If he didn't, he'd have forgotten all about me after delivering me to safety."
She looked thoughtful as Dinki set up the food in the sitting area. "I think I see what you mean... Even now, he's very thoughtful. He sent for the sandwiches before he joined us...he always makes sure you have the things you crave..." Her eyes settled on the bowl of peach slices with the flower she'd been named for hovering over it and she snatched it quickly. "I think I might fall for him too!"
"He's mine, bitch!" Draco glared playfully at his friend as he picked up a juicy pickle. Then he ruined the effect with a laugh. "Well, anyway, I knew he could handle a bit of responsibility and he'd saved me a few times already, so I trusted him with my life. His behavior since the day we got the letters has shown me that I was right to do that. He's been sweet and kind and, Pans - right from the very beginning he's been really romantic and caring. He's always careful with me and makes me feel so important. He protects me from our friends as well as our enemies. He doesn't make me earn my sweets or his affection. How could I not fall in love with a man like that?"
Pansy sighed. "Wow...I just saw the unrelenting good-goody who helped put my father in Azkaban."
"Even after living in the same apartment for the last month?" Draco asked in disbelief.
"Nobody could blame you for that, Pansy." Harry said from the doorway of the bathroom where he'd been witnessing the tail end of his husband's conversation. "But I hope you can see, now, that my testimony was the last nail in the coffin...not the only nail."
The blond's eyes closed as his face got red. "How much of that did you hear?"
Harry grinned widely as he came forward and pecked his husband's cheek. "I heard you call me yours..."
Draco opened his eyes and smirked. "You are mine...No threesomes – ever."
Harry and Pansy cracked up. They all began to eat as they sat in the silence.
"Harry?" She said softly.
"Yes, Pansy?" He asked.
"Thanks for the peaches." She whispered.
"You're welcome." He grinned as Draco turned to him with a smile and tears shimmering in his silver eyes.
Soon, lunch was over and Pansy excused herself to write letters to Blaise and Theo as well as some of her cousins in foreign countries.
Harry and Draco got dressed in a leisurely manner and finally sat on one of the couches in the newly cleaned sitting area.
"Thank you for being so nice to her, Harry." Draco said, looking at the brunette. "Just seeing those peaches made her morning. Seeing the two of you joking together made mine..."
Harry took advantage of the closeness and captured Draco's lips. "And that's why I did those things, love. I like making you happy. My trust in her is building...and to show her that, I did something I knew would make her happy by letting her nap next to you. Asking Dinki for those peaches with lunch was just a little extra because she's been getting them from the elves for a while and I noticed that she enjoyed them. Nobody should ever have to earn food and drink or affection, Dray. You earn things like trust or privileges... but not the necessities of life."
The blond smirked. "Salsa, pickles, apple sauce and Tin Roof Sundae ice cream are the necessities of life?"
Harry suppressed a sudden urge to giggle. "Yup, if I want to live - you need your salsa...and your pickles and all those other things."
Draco's lips twitched as he tried not to laugh.
They broke down together just as a knock sounded at the door. Harry waved his wand to open it through his chuckles.
"Oh! Draco, you're awake!" His mother sounded overjoyed when she saw him but, when she noticed their mirth, she frowned. "What's so funny, young men?"
"Nothing, Mother; is the car here for us?" Draco sobered and knew that Narcissa wouldn't understand their hilarity.
"It just arrived, Dragon." She smiled as she hugged him and excused herself.
Hey, Everyone! So glad you could join me for the next chapter! I'm also happy to be so far into the story! YAY! Everyone seems to love Lucius' father – Abraxas. I love him too! I originally wanted him as just a little humor but I think he's a great character – even if he is only a painting! LOL! More name conversations coming up soon!
Lori