Lazy sunlight drifted through the kitchen windows, shining on the tea in Harry's cup, turning dark amber into liquid gold. He could see the crystals of sugar at the bottom that hadn't quite melted yet. One more stir of his spoon and they disappeared.

"Did you hear me?"

Draco's voice snapped Harry out of his blank stare into his breakfast. The sunlight flashed on his glasses and blinded him when he looked up, leaving little stars in his vision as he looked over the table at his boyfriend.

The sweater Hermione knitted for him last Christmas was bunched up unevenly over his collarbone, the bright white shirt beneath the mossy green wool almost too bright to look at with the light through the curtains. Harry blinked away the sleep edging his eyes and the dots still dancing over his vision. He could see the little lines around Draco's mouth that meant he was concerned and trying to be patient.

"Uh...no, I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Harry picked up his tea and sipped, immediately pulling it away, his tongue burnt.

"Are you...are you okay, Harry? You haven't been home in weeks and I feel like I still don't have you here."

Harry nearly took another sip of scalding tea in his surprise. Rare was the moment that Draco would say anything emotionally revealing even if it was just the two of them. Harry knew there was still a big part of Draco that expected him to 'find someone whole' as he'd described in a very heated fight a few months ago. Treading carefully was the steadiest course forward with this topic.

Standing with the help of pushing on the arms of his chair, Harry shuffled over to grab Draco's hand. The blond looked up and stayed quiet, though Harry could see his patience was waning.

"C'mere," Harry said. He tugged on Draco's hand a bit.

Leading Draco to the living room, he guided him to sit down first then placed himself so that his legs draped over Draco's lap and he could pull Draco's head down onto his chest. Their legs moved into more comfortable positions as Harry moved them to lay down on the couch.

"I'm just very, very tired," Harry said. "I promise. I'm sorry it's taking me a bit to wake up."

"Lying here on the couch isn't going to help that," Draco said. His breath tickled Harry's throat. The rumble of his voice against Harry's chest felt like a giant purring cat, a feeling that made Harry's chest ache with homesickness, even though he was already home.

"I missed you," said Harry into the top of Draco's head. "It might help if...can I just hold you for a few minutes?"

Draco's hand moved to rest against Harry's opposite arm, fingers curling around his bicep. He knew Draco could feel the new scar there beneath his elbow and spiraling up towards his shoulder by the way those long fingers tensed against him. But he didn't say a word. Later Harry knew he would need to tell Draco exactly what happened - words always worked better for him - but for now a quick nap on the couch while holding him close was exactly what Harry needed.

August 29th, 2017 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHISE! A little angst, a little fluff, and a lot of Drarry just for you. I imagined this is just after Harry gets home from a long Auror mission and it exists in the world of February 15th. Much love to you, you who opened my eyes to just how amazing this pairing is.