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The first thing he noticed when he awoke that night was that he was lying in their bed all alone. The left side of the bed was cold and his lover's blanket carelessly thrown onto the floor. He almost started worrying about him before he noticed something else, probably the reason why his sleep was disrupted in the middle of the night in the first place; somebody was playing the piano in another room.Knowing that could only be his lover because they were the only two souls still living in the forgotten Manor, Harry decided to go check up on Tom. He got out of the bed and shivered because of the cold in their spacious home, so he grabbed the beautiful dark green silk robe that Tom had gotten for him at the beginning of winter. Softly smiling to himself, he headed out of their bedroom to follow the piano music coming from one of the bigger rooms in Riddle Manor. It was a rather erratic melody, fast and angry. It made Harry walk quicker because he knew that was what it sounded like when Tom had to express his more troublesome emotions, and that was never a good sign. As he came closer to the room in which his lover liked to play, the music became softer and quiter, as if the pianist had sensed him. He probably had though, Tom always cast a spell to warn him if there were people coming near him, just in case.Still, Harry knocked on the door before entering, and once he had opened it, the sight before him was truly something to behold. His boyfriend was sitting there shirtless, his pale skin glistening in the moonlight and his brow furrowed in concentration as his elegant fingers moved over the piano keys. He didn't stop playing when Harry walked towards him, accepted the quiet company and kept on playing.A sweet, romantic melody that Harry had never heard before.He smiled, and when he reached Tom, he sat down on the piano that was still being played. Like this, he was able to properly look at his lover and appreciate his darkened eyes that were filled with passion and his hair that was usually perfectly in order but now rather ruffled like Harry's.His heart fluttered as he watched the man until Tom finished his song in a succession of several careful and calming notes until he finally looked up at him."That was beautiful," Harry whispered."I wrote it for you," was Tom's murmured response that gained him the purest smile from the other man. He adored the way Harry's pretty features were illuminated by nothing but the moonlight and how his robe accentuated the small frame of his body perfectly.They looked at each other for a few seconds before Harry's smile faltered slightly and he caressed Tom's naked arm and chest. "You're too cold.""I didn't realise that." Harry sighed and nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?""You know I don't.""You know you should."With a deep sigh, Tom let his big hands travel under Harry's robe where they caressed his soft thighs. "I didn't want to wake you. You were sleeping so peacefully."A sad smile spread on Harry's lips. "Tom, I told you so many times that I don't care what I'm doing or what time it is, you can always talk to me."Tom shook his head and murmured, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to upset you. Please go back to sleep, sweetheart."Harry felt Tom's hands caress his hips. They were getting warmer now, safe for the elegant silver ring he got from his family, and at feeling this, it suddenly dawned on Harry what might be bothering his boyfriend.He stilled and looked at him. "Tom, is this about Ron and Hermione?" They had visited his friends the previous day. The pair had recently gotten married shortly after their first beautiful child had been born. Harry's eyes had lit up with so much love and adoration while playing with his little God daughter, just like they had when he had been watching the wedding. Harry had been awestruck. Tom had been terrified. When Tom didn't answer him, Harry took his face in his hands to get him to look him in the eye. "My love, please listen to me when I say this," he came so close to him that their foreheads almost touched, and whispered, "I like things the way they are right now. I don't need a marriage or children. I know that you are not ready for such a commitment. And that's okay."Tom saw the honesty in the green eyes, but he still shifted uncomfortably and shook his head. "No, it's not okay. You want a real family, of course you do, and I can't give you that.""No, Tom, what I want is this," he whispered against the other's lips, just before he kissed them in the softest way possible. He left several more feather light kisses all over Tom's face, and then he continued, "this is all you'll ever have to give me."Tom pulled Harry, who was still sitting on the piano and looking down at him with nothing but truth in his eyes, down for a deeper kiss that made both their hearts flutter."I don't deserve you," Tom breathed against his lover's lips after a few minutes of kissing.Harry let go of the sweet lips to say, "That's not true.""Oh, but it is. I'm not good like you, darling. The demons chasing me will always stand between your generous, loving soul and mine.""I told you, I don't care. All that matters to me is that you are trying to and succeeding at fighting them. I know that you want to be better." Harry took a moment to look into Tom's blue, blue eyes, so far from the poisonous red that they could have been. He smiled softly. "You already are, you know. You're so much better than... what another you was, in another, distant life."He kissed him again, "Wamer," and again, "kinder", and again, "so much more loving and caring."When he finally stopped kissing Tom, Harry could see the small indication of a smile spreading on his handsome face. It made him feel warm all over.There was a long moment where neither of them said anything and Tom looked lost deep in thought, before his eyebrows furrowed and he suddenly said, "I love you," as if he couldn't really believe his words himself. Harry stared at him with wide eyes, before they began to water and the most blinding smile spread on his face. "A-Are you serious?"Tom let out an incredulous laugh. "I- yes? Yes. I... love you." He looked Harry up and down and up again, taking in every detail of his lover, and then he pulled him down to kiss a promise on his lips that he was, in fact, serious."I love you, too."They smiled against each other's lips, both finding it almost incredible that the other, cruel and heartless version of Tom that used to terrorize Harry, had been replaced by this passionate, sensible man who is capable of getting Harry to smile and relax whenever necessary. Of course he wasn't faultless; some darkness and fear of commitment were still lingering in his mind, but he was working on that, and that made Harry love him."Play me something?" Harry asked gently."Always."Harry got off of the piano to sit next to the taller man and snuggled up against him.Then Tom started gracefully moving his long fingers over the piano keys again, playing a melody so tender and soothing that it almost felt like it was tying both their hearts together just like that.And when they felt like it was time for them to go back to sleep at last, they went together, no longer separated by unspoken fears, but united by love and trust.
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