It was impossible not to recognise the bravery required to ask the questions; but it was likewise impossible not to be wounded and insulted by them. Did he doubt him so much? Did he feel trampled? Well, yes, obviously he had felt trampled as much as Severus had felt manipulated and controlled.
He swallowed his pain with a gulp of too-hot tea; he deserved it for all he'd put Draco through already after all.
With effort, he pushed aside his pique and his teacup so he could face Draco withou hiding.
"You've never not been a consideration, Draco," he said as calmly as he could manage. He knew so much was riding on his answers, but the caution not to say just what he thought Draco wanted to hear was unnecessary. Severus couldn't bear the pain of this past week again. If it was to be a rift, a clean break would be easier than this slow, burning cancer.
"But just the same, your interests aren't my only concerns. Just as I wouldn't expect you to associate with others based on what I might or might not approve, I don't face every interaction with the idea of 'what would Draco do'. I never set out to wound you; I ought not to have said anything to you - you've as much right to your dislike as I have to mine.
"But I don't know what you want from me. I don't know where the line is drawn. I can't stand to be manipulated and I can't walk on eggshells. My temperament isn't patient and cautious at the best of times. I'm bound to stick my foot in my mouth, to make a wrong move. This is the only post-war life I'm destined to experience. As much as possible, I want to live in peace and get along. Tell me what you want from me and I will do my level best to give it.
"I fear that you want or need more than I know how to give." There. He'd said it, let the chips fall where they may.