A/N: Wow, I'm still kinda sore from my camping trip. We went on a hike… and let's just say it killed my legs :D be thankful that I'm still here and didn't roll off the trail :(

Thank you for the reviews!! Freshly made brownies for everybody!

School prevented me from updating. I didn't plan on being idle for so long :T

Warnings: Nothing. Fluffiness.

I am lagging on a lemon scene for this story. I need inspiration lol!

Chapter 13

Minor Setbacks

"Argh! I can't do this, Harry! It-it's just impossible!"

"Now, Draco, I told you we're doing this to make sure your thigh muscles wouldn't cramp up. Remember last time? When we went for a walk at the park?"

Draco growled under his breath and stretched, trying to touch his toes with his fingertips.

"Yes," Draco hissed; his thighs burned. "I couldn't walk and we had to sit on a wooden bench for almost half an hour."

"I gave you the last dose of the lumbar injection last Friday. This week, we should see some progress. I am quite sure you can walk better now, although you would still need some help. This was better than I expected; it didn't take two months." Harry wiped Draco's forehead with a cool, wet towel. "I know this is painful, Draco, but you must do this."

"I hate you," Draco said heatedly. "I hate you and your stupid Healer ways."

"You didn't say that last night," Harry replied cheekily. "You were screaming I love you when you had your release." He laughed when Draco blushed and looked away.

"Fine… I don't hate you. I dislike you for making me do these stretching exercises. I'm not known for being flexible!" Draco whined childishly. He took in a deep breath and reached forward again.

Harry chuckled and dropped the towel next to him. He and Draco were sitting on the ground in the living room, doing small stretching exercises. Well, Draco was doing while Harry was just guiding the blond along.

"I promised that tonight you would be pampered," Harry said cheerily. "I'll give you a nice, hot bath and then I'll make us dinner. How does roasted duck sound?"

Draco narrowed his eyes and huffed as he bent forward. Harry was being a Slytherin, all that bribing and persuading. His green-eyed lover also knew he adored roasted duck.

"You are evil, Potter."

HPDMHPDMHPDM

"It wasn't that bad now, was it?" Harry helped Draco onto the couch, straightening his legs so that they were propped on the coffee table.

"Yeah, of course you would say that since you weren't the one doing all those stretches," Draco complained. He hissed in discomfort as Harry placed his legs onto the table. "I think I'm going to be sore the whole week…"

"I can start a hot bath for you, Draco," Harry offered. "It would relax your muscles."

Draco shook his head and smiled tiredly at Harry. "No, it's alright. I can do it myself."

"But –"

"I'll be fine; don't worry," Draco said soothingly. "If I need your help, I'll call for you. You have to let me do this on my own, Harry."

Harry worried his bottom lip and then sighed, relenting to Draco's wishes. "You're right… I have to let you get use to taking baths by yourself again."

"Mhmm… Now, go work on my favorite dish," Draco smiled, "your bribery worked."

Harry huffed. "I wasn't trying to bribe!" When Draco only smiled in return, Harry sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Okay, so maybe I was… At first!" Harry added quickly when Draco started to smirk. "But after seeing you getting all worked up, I felt bad for thinking that way."

"Make it good then, Potter, and you'll be forgiven," Draco chuckled, "I'll leave the bathroom door slightly open so you can hear me, alright?"

"Just be careful," Harry cautioned. "If you need help, don't hesitate to call for me."

Draco shook his head in near exasperation. "Don't worry, Harry."

Harry scowled lightly before nodding. He then helped Draco stand up from the couch, and then gave the slightly taller Draco a kiss.

"Take your time," Harry murmured. He handed Draco his walking cane; it took the place of the floating wheelchair.

Draco smiled, accepted the cane, and started walking away, albeit a bit wobbly, toward their bedroom. Harry kept his eyes firmly on the man he loved, frowning when Draco had to pause and steady himself; he still felt a bit uneasy, having to leave Draco to bathe himself. When Draco disappeared into the room, most likely to get some fresh clothes, Harry finally turned and made his way to the kitchen.

He'll be fine.

Draco sighed when he caught a faint whiff of beef gravy. He was almost certain Harry was just starting to make mashed potatoes, which was also one of Draco's favorite side dishes. He hobbled over to the bathroom, not wanting waste any time and he was fairly hungry after all that exercise.

A sudden twinge in his right thigh had Draco grasping the doorknob tightly. He closed his eyes and twisted the knob, pushing the door open.

Fuck, not again…

Putting his clean clothes on the bathroom counter, Draco limped over to the bathtub. He turned on the water and plugged it up. He felt like taking a bath tonight. It was well deserved after all.

Draco smiled in relief when the pain went away; he had been getting them every now and then. Sometimes they weren't so bad, but sometimes they were so painful that it had Draco crumpling to the ground once. It just started hurting and he couldn't even move either of his legs. That happened when he was alone in Harry's home. When his brunet lover came back from grocery shopping, Draco didn't say a word to him. He simply didn't want Harry to worry.

When the bathtub was filled with warm water, Draco took a jar of bath salts and sprinkled it into the tub. It fizzed and soon, the bathtub was bubbly and fragrant. Draco then pulled his shirt over his head and tossed that aside. Next to go was his sweat pants; he also tossed that in the direction of where the hamper was. Shaking slightly, Draco put one leg up and over the side of the porcelain tub. Then, the other leg followed and Draco sank down slowly into the soothing water.

"It's time like this that I really need a nice bath…"

Harry was stirring the pot of gravy when he checked his wristwatch again.

He's been in there for almost half an hour… Harry worried.

Shaking away his worried thoughts, Harry brought the wooden spoon to his lips and tentatively licked the tip of the spoon.

The gravy was just right.

"Perfect," Harry murmured to himself. "Draco will love this…"

Harry then turned off the stove and stirred the gravy some more, not wanting it to stick to the pot. He took out the spoon and dropped it into the sink; Harry then placed the pot lid back on.

The duck needed to be checked.

While puttering around the kitchen, Harry's mind drifted back to his lover, who was still inside the bathroom, supposedly taking a bath. He was closing the oven door when a loud clatter sounded from the bathroom, followed by things falling onto the tile floor.

"Shit!" Harry shut the oven door with a bit of force and walked briskly towards the bathroom.

Pictures of Draco lying in a heap on the floor… Draco slipping, banging his head on the edge of the bathtub… swam around Harry's troubled mind.

"Oh God…"

Harry quickened his pace. When he was in front of the bathroom door, Harry all but shoved the door open. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Draco sitting on the ground, naked, but was alright.

"Draco…" Harry went to his lover and crouched down; he was about to hold Draco's arm when the blond flinched away from him. "Draco… What – What's wrong?"

Draco looked away, his blond tresses covering a good half of his face. He didn't want to look at Harry right then. It was a simple thing, getting out from a bathtub.

But, he couldn't do it. His legs gave and he fell in a heap.

So… weak. So helpless.

"Nothing, Harry… Just – I'm fine," Draco muttered. "I fell, that's obvious."

Harry frowned; he noticed that Draco was shaking slightly, and he knew it wasn't from the cold. The bathroom was still pretty warm.

"Hey… You're okay… Your legs are still in the healing stage. One thing at a time, Draco."

Draco gritted his teeth. "It's not fine!" Draco turned and glared at Harry. "I can't even get out of a damn bathtub! The ledge is no more than two feet high! I couldn't…" Draco's anger slipped away. "I feel helpless… It's like I can't do anything anymore." Two blotches of red appeared on his cheeks; his silver orbs were suspiciously bright. Harry remained silent. "I was getting out… and then my legs got tingly and then they went numb. I – I think I banged my elbow when I fell."

Harry sucked in his breath and took Draco's arm. He inspected the elbow and found a big, red patch. "It's just a bit bruised… Thank goodness." When Draco nodded and looked away again, Harry sighed softly and cupped the blond's face. "Don't be ashamed, Draco. If anything, I think you're very strong-willed. You don't give up easily."

"No, I'm not…"

"Of course, you are," Harry replied. "I had patients before… they were in a similar situation such as yours…" Draco didn't say anything so Harry continued. "… I explained to them that there were chances they might be able to walk or able to use their arms again. At first, they were very happy to hear that piece of news.

"When I told them about the treatment, they looked slightly put out but was still willing to try.

"However, once we were at the point where the treatments didn't seem to have an effect, my patients stopped trying. They declined when I told them there are more options. Simply put, they didn't really care anymore. I had five such cases, you being my fifth. The previous four all went home without the use of their legs or arms and they accepted it."

Draco had been watching Harry intently as the brunet spoke. When Harry finished his story, Draco's eyes were wide with wonder. He brought his hand up and covered Harry's.

"They… gave up? Just like that? They rather sit in a wheelchair the rest of their lives? Or – or not be able to use their arms?"

"Mhmm." Harry nodded and leaned in to kiss Draco's forehead. "You're my first patient that went through everything. You were the only one that let me try out new techniques… You never lost hope."

Draco let out a small, self-depreciating laugh. "I – I think I lost some hope a few minutes ago. But… I guess… I guess things will be better."

Draco rubbed his hands together in great anticipation. Harry had insisted that Draco should stay seated while he went to bring out the roasted duck. The blond could already smell the heavenly scent of the bird and Harry was still inside their kitchen.

Harry was a terrific cook.

When Harry walked to the table with the dish in his hand, Draco smiled warmly at his boyfriend. "Oh, Harry… That smells wonderful," Draco gushed as he scooted his chair closer to the table. "That goes perfectly with the red wine."

Harry smiled and placed the roasted duck right in the middle of the dining table. "You're in for a treat tonight, love. I know how you love to have wine, so I thought we should have a bottle." Harry nodded at the bottle of red wine, which was next to two halfway filled glasses.

Draco sighed happily. "All of this could make me forget about the embarrassing incident that happened twenty minutes ago."

"Why is it embarrassing, Draco?" Harry shook his head. "Stop seeing yourself as helpless. You're not."

"Just… forget about it," Draco muttered; he sighed and smiled thinly at the brunet. "Let's enjoy dinner, shall we? Don't let the incident ruin our mood."

Harry let out a small, weary sigh. "You were the one bringing it up, reminding yourself that you couldn't do anything. Draco, you really need to know that you're not weak.

"Just because you fell because of weak knees doesn't mean anything. You're healing and that's all it matters." Harry then started serving the duck. "I really hope you can see that."

Draco looked down at his plate. He thanked Harry when the green-eyed man poured some sauce over Draco's serving of roasted duck. His stomach was clenching; Draco felt as if he disappointed Harry somehow.

"… I'm sorry, Harry. It's still somewhat hard for me…"

"You don't have to apologize to me." Harry sat down across from Draco and reached for the blond's hand. "Christmas is in three days; I want you to go shopping with me tomorrow."

Harry smiled when Draco squeezed his hand. The blond looked at him and smiled warmly.

"Sure. Where are we going?"

Harry could sense Draco's mood lightening. "Anywhere you want. You know more about shopping than I do."

Harry knew things were fine when Draco grinned at him happily. "That really depends who you are shopping for, Harry."

Harry hesitated a bit before answering. "Uh… Well… I know you haven't seen them, but I have when I go out to shop for food… And…" Harry was flustered.

"Potter," Draco drawled, "do you want to tell me you've been seeing your friends and we're shopping for them?"

"Yes," came the meek reply.

Draco snorted. "Why do you sound so worried? It's not like I'm going to stop you from seeing your friends. Hell, I'm surprised Weasley haven't dropped by your house for the past months. I would expect him or Granger to come over to see you."

"Well, you see… They – they are married, by the way – wanted to come but I told them no…" Harry dropped his gaze and pulled his hand back. "I knew you didn't want to see people, especially not them." He then jabbed his fork into a piece of duck, stuffing it into his mouth. "Ron was angry at first, about me helping you and all, but then Hermione talked some sense into him."

Draco smirked and began eating his own plate of food. "I see Weasley is still as stubborn as when we were still students." After chewing and swallowing his food, Draco picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. "I would like to meet them."

Harry's head jerked up, green eyes wide. "Are you sure? I mean, you don't… I'm not going to force you to… You and Ron aren't the best of friends."

"Pfft, that's an understatement," Draco scoffed. "But still, I would like to meet them formally. No yelling, no fighting… Just, meet them."

The small smile on Harry's face grew bigger; he was overjoyed that Draco actually wanted to meet Ron and Hermione.

"What do you say to going over to their house on Christmas? Hermione invited both of us –"

"She invited me as well?" Draco asked, cutting Harry off. The green-eyed man laughed.

"Of course! I told her… told her about your condition. She wished you a speedy recovery, Draco. I think Hermione would be happy if you go."

"It would make you happy?"

"Oh – It's not about me, Draco, it's –"

"I'll go with you," Draco stated firmly. "Being Harry Potter's boyfriend… I have to get approvals from them, don't I?" Draco chuckled when Harry gaped at him. "Harry, we're adults, not kids anymore. It's time to put our past behind us. It seems like Gra – Weas – Hermione had already done so." Draco rolled his eyes at how many times he had to correct himself in saying the witch's name.

"Oh, you're going to love it! I want you to meet their son; he's three." Harry started eating his dinner again. "He's such a sweetheart."

Draco smirked and sawed a piece of duck. "What's his name? Does he have Weasley colored hair?"

"His name is Alex and he has brown hair actually; he looks a lot like Hermione, except for the eyes. They're blue, like Ron's," Harry answered. "You'd like him."

Draco chuckled. "I can't wait."

Draco sighed happily after he carefully got out of Harry's sports car. Shopping had been a blast; it felt like it had been ages since he last went out to the public. He and Harry bought tons of clothes, many of which were for himself. Harry had complained that soon their closet would be bulging with Draco's clothes. Draco had calmly waved him off and gave Harry a kiss, deep and passionate.

Harry then stopped talking and was smiling goofily the whole time they walked around the shop.

Now, after four hours of shopping, they were finally home. Draco grinned at his boyfriend, who was still taking bags after bags of things from his car.

"Merlin, Draco, I think we bought things enough for a family of ten!" Harry huffed as he hauled another bag from the back of his car.

"Don't complain, Harry. Some are yours; you said you liked them, so I got them for you," Draco drawled. He walked over to Harry. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I got them," Harry smiled, "you can levitate them for me if you want. I just don't want you carrying them. Make sure there isn't anybody on the street though… You know what? Just cast a Disillusion charm around the bags."

Draco smirked and took out his wand. With a swish and flick, four bags floated off the concrete ground. With another tap, the bags disappeared. Draco walked slowly, his cane making a tap-tap sound as he made his way to the front door.

"Do you have the keys?" Harry asked. Draco turned around and rolled his eyes at his lover. Harry snorted. "Never mind."

Harry then levitated the leftover bags, disillusioned them, and followed Draco. "Man, I'm knackered. This is one reason why I don't like shopping; it makes me tired."

Draco laughed and opened the door. "Lame excuse, Potter."

Harry sniffed. "I am tired."

They walked down the front hall and turned into the living room. Storm barked joyously from his doggy bed, his tongue hanging. Draco chuckled and then muttered the counter spells. The shopping bags reappeared and dropped to the ground with a dull thud. Harry did the same thing and watched as Storm hopped out from his bed and began sniffing the bags.

"Nothing for you, baby," Harry whispered, kneeling down and then scratched Storm's ears. "Don't you even dare make them as your chew toys."

Draco giggled softly when Storm whined and bounced over to Draco. Dark, round eyes looked up at the blond, as if asking permission.

"Silly puppy, I'm going to tell you the same thing as your Daddy," Draco told the small Labrador. "You're making it seem like I'm the one that lets you do anything." Draco shuffled over to an armchair and sat down. Storm immediately climbed up his legs and settled on Draco's belly. The blond then started petting the small head.

"You do spoil him," Harry said, pretending to look hurt. "Storm likes you more than me now."

Draco looked down at the black pup. Storm was staring right back at him.

"I'll let you play with the leftover gift wrap, alright?"

Storm barked in agreement and jumped off from Draco's lap. Harry crossed his arms and huffed.

"See?"

"Don't be jealous, Harry. I am quite sure that Storm loves you more."

Harry grinned and went to Draco, bending down and kissed the blond on his forehead. "I'll get these sorted out and then we can start wrapping –"

"No, I'm wrapping them. I have a feeling you can't wrap presents."

"Hey! I DO know how! And-and without the help of magic, too!" Harry pouted down at his grey-eyed lover.

Draco reached up and patted Harry's cheek. "It's alright, love. You don't have to lie to me." Draco smirked when Harry growled.

"Git."

"How do I look, Harry?"

Said man chuckled as he watched his lover twist and turn in front of a full-length mirror. Harry smiled in amusement as Draco pulled at his dark green dress shirt, buttoning and then unbuttoning the first two buttons. Harry rolled his eyes as Draco smoothed out non-existent wrinkles on his trousers.

"Draco, you look fine. Gorgeous." Harry stood up from where he was sitting and strode over to his fretting boyfriend. "We're just going to Ron's house; stop worrying."

"I am not worried," Draco retorted. "I just want to look presentable. We are, after all, attending Christmas dinner at their house; we are the guests. It's only polite to dress nicely." Draco took his walking cane and whacked Harry's shin with it.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for?" Harry bent down and rubbed his sore shin. "I didn't say anything wrong! And I didn't give you a cane to use as a weapon."

Draco turned around, limping slightly, hooked his cane back onto the dresser, and wrapped both of his arms around Harry's neck, kissing his boyfriend on his lips.

His legs were acting up today. They had been hurting, throbs of pain, every few minutes. This time, Draco told Harry about it. He told the brunet this morning and Harry was mighty upset when Draco had said it happened before. After checking Draco over, Harry left the house in a hurry and came back half an hour later, holding a jar of muscle-relaxing salve in his hand. Harry had gone all the way to St. Mungo's just to get it for Draco.

"It's your newly grown nerves," Harry had told Draco. "They're making your muscles tighten more than normal."

Harry smiled when Draco's lips touched his. When he pulled back, he looked deep into pools of shimmering silver.

"Did you put on the salve like I asked you to?" Harry asked, concerned. "I'm still kind of pissed that you kept it from me…"

Draco sighed and dropped his hand. "I put some on after taking my shower… And I'm sorry about not telling you. I didn't want you to worry." Draco hobbled over to the dresser and grabbed his cane. "Shall we go?"

Harry frowned at the back of Draco's head. He wanted to tell his boyfriend that he was his Healer and had every right to be concerned. But instead, Harry chose to say nothing about that.

"Yeah… You have all the presents ready?"

When Draco turned around, there was a small smile on his face; his eyes were dancing.

"Of course; I placed them by the front door. We can't miss them," Draco then laughed, "we especially couldn't miss them with Alex's present being on top. The wrapping paper was shiny."

Harry moved to Draco's side, wrapping an arm around Draco's slim waist. "Let's go." He guided his boyfriend out, mindful of the slight pain in Draco's legs.

"Unca Hawwy! You here!" Alex squealed as Harry and Draco went through the front door of Ron's house.

Harry, who was totally unprepared for a running toddler, was almost knocked down when Alex rammed into his legs. Draco stood to the side, looking uncomfortable. As Harry was busying giving Alex kisses, Draco looked away and found Hermione and Ron standing in the background, smiling. Draco took in a deep breath to calm himself and walked slowly, and a bit unsteadily, towards the couple.

When he was three feet away, Draco stopped and smiled lightly at them. "Good evening… Ron… Hermione." Draco cleared his throat. "Thanks for inviting me over…"

Hermione looked at him with warm, brown eyes. She walked over to the obviously nervous man and placed her hand on Draco's arm.

"Think nothing of it. You're Harry's… boyfriend, so consider yourself welcome in this home whenever." She moved her head and looked behind the blond. "Harry loves little Alex. He would've been a great father."

Draco stiffened slightly at her words. Yes, Harry would have been a great father. But… he could never be one. Not when the person of his desires was not a female.

"Yes…" Draco murmured. "Harry's very kind…" He chuckled, "even to this day, I am surprised that he agreed to heal me."

Ron cleared his throat and walked up to his wife. He stuck out his hand at Draco. The blond looked at the redhead with an arched eyebrow, but took his hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Weas – Ron," Draco said, correcting himself. "It's been years."

"Uh… Yeah." Ron dropped his hand, which in turn releasing Draco's. "So… How are you, Mal – Draco?"

Draco almost laughed out loud when he saw Ron wince. "I'm doing pretty well. My legs are acting up lately. Like today, they hurt a bit, but nothing serious."

"He kept it from me, not saying he was in pain," Harry said; he was now standing behind Draco with Alex in his arms. "I got him a salve from St. Mungo's."

Hermione shook her head. "You guys should find a seat in the dining room; dinner's ready."

"Yay! I hungy, mama," Alex chirped. He turned and finally noticed Draco. "I dunt see you before. Wat your name?"

Draco chuckled. "I'm Draco, Uncle Harry's… friend."

Ron snorted at Draco's answer; Hermione smacked him on his bicep.

"… Can I call you Unca Dwaco?"

"Well… Uhm…" the blond stammered. "If… If that's alright with your mum and dad…"

"Of course it is, Draco. Now, Alex will have one more uncle to play with." Hermione laughed when Draco stared at her. "Harry's his favorite uncle because Harry is the only one that would tumble around with him."

Draco then smirked at Harry. "You're just a big kid at heart, aren't you?"

Harry laughed and leaned in for a kiss. "You bet."

Alex, who was now squished in the middle, made a 'yuk' sound. "You guys kissy! Bleh!"

"You were right, Harry," Draco said when they were apart, "Alex is a very lovable child."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Oh my... it's been two months since I last updated. I hope you're not too angry at me T-T

Thanks for reading! :D