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“I’m just saying,” Ron said, between bites of the decadent chocolate croissant he was slowly consuming. “It’s kind of weird he just lets you keep your whole flat empty like that. The two of you are practically living together already—which I still think is weirdly soon.”
Harry shrugged his shoulders. He and Ron were enjoying a Saturday lunch together at the cafe just across and down the street from their apartment building. Ron, of course, had finished eating first, and was currently in the middle of enjoying dessert while Harry finished up his pasta. After lunch, they were going to watch the football game in Ron’s flat together.
“Tom’s just really particular about who he lets live on his floor,” Harry said. “So he said it was easier for me to just leave my flat the way it was.”
“But you hardly stay there,” Ron pointed out. “And the only other person who lives on your floor is Hermione. Where is Tom ever going to find another tenant like her? She does her own maintenance sometimes, just ‘cause she doesn't want to wait!”
“Tom’s flat is nicer than mine,” Harry said automatically. And it was true, it was. Everything in Tom’s flat was intentionally placed, organized, and spotless. Although Harry had originally felt out of place in it, Tom had been quick to assure him that he belonged in Tom's home more than any of the decor did.
“And he bought you a new phone,” Ron said. “For Christmas!”
“I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Harry said testily. He still felt guilty about accepting such an expensive present, but Tom had said he needed a proper phone for emergencies, something more reliable than his old, battered one. And the new phone was nice, though it had taken Harry a while to get used to the bigger screen and all the extra functions.
“It’s just weird, is all,” Ron said. “I know you said he treats you well and everything, but it’s weird, you have to admit. He buys things for you all the time. He owns the building that we all live in.”
Harry shrugged again. “He likes taking care of me.”
Ron squinted at that, then put the rest of his croissant into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “You’re like one of those things,” Ron said, pointing at Harry. “Those sugar things.”
It sounded like Ron was only saying ‘sugar things’ so he could avoid saying what he actually knew it was called, but Harry decided to let it slide. “Maybe,” Harry said affably. “But we’re dating because we like each other, Ron, not because he has money.”
“Weird,” Ron said again, and that seemed to be the end of it, but Harry couldn’t help but repeat over and over in his mind what Ron had said, and the thought remained with him long after he bid Ron goodbye for the day.
When Harry got home, Tom was working on his laptop at his desk. Ever since Christmas Eve, Tom had been spending a lot more time at home than he had before. The fact that Tom, who was a self-admitted perfectionist and workaholic, had cut down on his time at the office to spend more time with Harry, made Harry wordlessly, ridiculously happy.
Harry waited until Tom paused in his typing to turn around and greet him, and then he said, “Tom, Ron thinks that we’re weird.” And then he paused, because that had not come out the way he had wanted it to.
Tom raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“I mean,” Harry backtracked, “he just thinks that we’re moving too fast. And that you buy me too many expensive things.” It was now early February, and Harry had all but moved himself into Tom’s flat. Tom had even been hinting that he wanted to take Harry abroad for Valentine’s Day, the astronomical cost of which was probably not even going to include whatever additional present Tom decided to buy for him.
Tom closed his laptop, stood up, and walked over, placing his hands gently on Harry’s biceps. “Does any of that align with what you think about us?”
“No,” Harry said quickly. Then he added, “Well, I do think you buy me too many things, sometimes.”
Tom moved one of his hands to touch the side of Harry’s face. His palm was very warm compared to the cool air Harry had walked through to return to their floor.
Then Tom said, in a quiet voice, “I don’t have anyone else to spend my money on, Harry, so of course a disproportionate amount of it goes to you.” His dark brown eyes gazed piercingly at Harry. “I care deeply about you, and I want you to only have the best. Having money doesn’t do me any good if it fails to make me happy. Buying you things, taking care of you—those things make me happy.”
Harry blushed. Hearing these kinds of things from Tom always made him feel warm and cozy, like his heart had just been draped in a thick, soft blanket. He didn’t quite know what to say, though, so he merely wrapped his arms around Tom’s waist and pulled him in for a hug, burying his face into the gap between Tom’s neck and shoulder as he did so. Tom’s hand wound its way through Harry’s hair, rubbing and scratching lightly at the scalp, and Harry felt himself melting away at the touch.
“I just don’t feel like I really… deserve that many things,” Harry said, his voice muffled against Tom’s crisp white shirt. “I’m not anything special.”
Tom made a tsk noise, then pulled away from Harry’s embrace, forcing Harry to look up at him. “You are incredibly special, don’t be absurd.”
Harry tried to protest this, but Tom lifted his hand and put his finger down on Harry’s lower lip, effectively silencing him.
“Harry,” Tom said, in a tone that somehow conveyed both fondness and seriousness all at once, “I adore you. You are kind, loving, and dedicated to all that you do. The circumstances of your life placed you in a difficult situation, but that does not mean you are worth any less than anyone else.”
Resisting the urge to plant his face back into the crook of Tom’s neck, Harry tried to smile and nod along to Tom’s words, the better to prevent himself from accidentally getting tears on Tom’s shirt.
Tom, however, saw through him instantly. “Look at Malfoy,” Tom said, exasperated. “Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he’s the most useless assistant I’ve ever had. I would trade him for you in a heartbeat, but I know that you can do better than a lowly office position.”
Harry felt Tom’s hand carding through his hair again, and so he started to relax a little. “That means a lot, Tom,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Of course. You know I believe in you, Harry,” Tom said kindly, reaching down to take one of Harry’s hands in his. “Now, I’ve been looking at something that I want to show you.” He placed a quick kiss onto Harry’s forehead, then led Harry over to where his laptop was still sat upon his desk.
Sitting down on the desk chair, Tom pulled Harry down onto his lap. Then he opened his laptop back up, typing in his password without even needing to look at the keyboard.
Harry blinked at the screen. “College courses?”
“You need to go back to school,” Tom said firmly. “You said you wanted to be a teacher, yes?”
“Well, yes, but—” Harry had only been able to do a single year at college before he’d had to drop out. He had gotten a scholarship, which had paid for that first year, but at that point in his life the Dursleys had already kicked him out, and so Harry had been unable to feasibly balance paying for both living expenses and a second year’s worth of classes on his own. He’d told himself that he would go back to it eventually, but the shame of being forced to drop out had hung over his head like a dark cloud whenever he saw adverts with smiling college students.
“Then I don’t see the issue,” Tom said. “You’ll quit that job of yours, and its terrible hours, and I’ll pay for your classes. You can pay me back if it would make you feel better, once you’ve gotten yourself established, but you already know that I don’t care for the money, Harry.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Harry said uselessly. “This is—Tom, this is—”
“You’ll make an excellent teacher,” Tom encouraged. His left arm was still wrapped securely around Harry’s waist, and it was probably the only thing still keeping Harry tethered to the planet Earth.
Harry looked at the laptop screen a moment longer, eyeing the list of courses. Then, after a minute or so had gone by, he felt confident enough to speak. “I’ve decided I don’t care if Ron thinks we’re weird,” Harry said, moving back slightly so he could look Tom in the eyes. “I think you’re perfect, and we’re perfect together.”
“I’m thrilled to hear that,” Tom said, reaching up to caress Harry’s cheek. His other hand slid to Harry’s hip, adjusting them both so that Harry was now sitting sideways, the laptop on the table now forgotten as they stared at each other.
Harry shifted forward so he could give Tom a kiss, partly to say thank you, and partly because he wanted to. Tom hummed happily in response, his hand curling around to hold the back of Harry’s neck the way Harry liked it. So Harry kissed him a second time, and Tom held him even closer.
“I was thinking,” Harry said breathlessly, his hand holding onto Tom’s shoulder for balance. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Oh?” Tom asked, then he dragged his eyes up from Harry’s mouth so that Harry could see his dilated pupils more clearly.
“We’re—we’re dating, right? And we’re exclusive,” Harry said.
“Of course,” Tom said, stroking his hand up and down Harry’s back. “There’s no one else for me, Harry. You know that.”
“So I was thinking... I don’t really need my flat anymore at all,” Harry said. “And it’s really annoying to have to go over and let myself in every time I remember that there’s something that I forgot I need.”
Tom’s hand went still. “You want to move in?” he asked.
“I want to move in, properly.” Harry nodded, then added, “I mean, I’m basically living here already.”
“I’d love that,” Tom said promptly. He placed a kiss on Harry’s cheek, then softly said, “I’d love for you to move in with me, properly.”
That made Harry smile, because Tom seemed extremely happy about Harry’s decision, which made him feel like he’d definitely made the right choice. He and Tom would live here together, and Harry would go back to school and study. The two of them could work side by side, like partners.
It was then that Tom kissed him again, more urgently than before, which took Harry a bit by surprise because he’d been lost in his thoughts. But Harry kissed back eagerly, wrapping his arms tightly around Tom in the process.
“I want you with me forever,” Tom said, when they pulled back to breathe. His eyes were scanning Harry’s face, as though the way Harry looked was still a mystery to him. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Harry felt a bit faint just hearing that. Knowing that Tom wanted him that much. “Me neither,” he said hoarsely.
“Good,” Tom said simply, pulling Harry gently back towards him, and Harry allowed himself to submit to the wonderful sensations that being adored by Tom provided.
