Chapter Five - Just Like Nicotine

The only thing that had gotten Tom through the relentless boredom of the first years' induction was that he could steal glances at his Harry every few moments. the younger boy, no, man, was lounging in his barely padded chair, his black tee-shirt was riding up slightly and Tom could see an enticing swathe of alabaster midriff from his position at the front of the room, and it irked him more than he'd like to admit that that meant others could see it too. Tonks had just finished relaying the fire safety procedures to a less than interested crowd of faces and they had just started the QA.

When Harry's hand shot in the air, Tom rose an inquisitive brow in his direction before Tonks spoke up.

"Ah, yes, erm"

"Harry." the raven haired young man supplied before asking his question, he had hoped Tom would pick him first, but this would be fun either way. "I was just wondering, why don't R/A's seem to have roommates? I noticed that they seem to be singular dorms."

"Since R/A's handle students' enquiries at all times of day, it would be unfair on whoever was roomed with them, although I suppose you could also call it a perk of the job." That little brat. Tom was sure Harry knew exactly what he was doing, but at least he was serving as some entertainment.

Most of the questions continued in the same vane until a reasonably attractive girl with far too little clothing rose her hand. "Are there any rules against-" she paused for a moment to run her eyes over Tom in a way that made him distinctly uncomfortable "getting to know your R/A's?" Tom could practically hear Harry growling at her from across the room, and the thought almost entertained him enough to shake off the disgust.

"I'm sure you've absolutely no need to worry over that at all, Miss Vane." Disdain and mild irritation dripped from Tom's voice as he looked anywhere in the room but at her or at Harry, the amused mirth in those emerald eyes was pure insolence.

After, just as Tonks had summarised in Tom's room, they frogmarched the students to the dining hall on the ground floor. Tom stuck as close to Harry as he dare and made sure that Draco snagged an acceptable table while they gathered their food.

As they finally sat, Tom next to Harry and opposite Draco, Tom finally relaxed a little, although he couldn't let himself drop his guard completely, they were still in public after all. "So, what have you been up to in the fair states, darling?" Tom purred and noticed how Harry's eyes widened the slightest touch at the nickname.

"My godfather put me in a private school, still a boarding school but much more relaxed. He'd been living in the states for a year or two, that was where most of his business was, so I moved there with him. Sirius he's, he's a little manic and excitable but he's good, loves me."

"Good." Tom's tone told the table that something unpleasant would've happened if that weren't the case and he casually wrapped an arm over the back of Harry's chair, eating with his other hand.

Blaise came to join them then, informing Tom that all of Harry's belongings were in their rightful place, apparently there'd been a slight issue with Harry's roommate but it'd been dealt with. "I can't believe you made me do it on my own." Blaise wined at Draco as he took a seat next to him.

"Sorry, the induction was non-optional and showing up late would just be plain undignified." Draco soothed, brushing a strand of platinum away from kohl eyes. Now that he'd grown into his features some, harry could see Lucius' same lofty attractiveness in Draco, but he could also see the younger man's self in there, Lucius Malfoy would never have his ear pierced and certainly wouldn't wear the black jeans that seemed to be painted onto his son's lithe frame.

Harry couldn't get over how easy this felt, like riding a bike they seemed to be falling back into their school days like pieces of a puzzle. Theo, who was sat to the other side of Blaise, was as quiet and thoughtful as he always had been, but he seemed comfortable too, focusing on the risotto and salad on his plate as he listened to the chatter around him.

Until Harry spotted the girl from the QA casting longing eyes at Tom. He must've growled audibly as he tensed, because Draco was smirking and Tom chuckled low in his throat. Using his hand to gently capture Harry's chin he drew the younger man to look him in the eyes and a smirk curled at the side of his mouth. "Jealous, love?"

Harry couldn't find it in himself to hold onto his anger as his eyes caught Tom's and he sighed, wanting nothing more than to kiss him senseless.

Blaise, meanwhile turned to Draco, confusion drawing his brows together as he asked "What'd I miss now?"

Once they'd eaten, they all made their way back to the dorms. It turned out Draco and Theo were just a few doors down from Harry, who himself was maybe eight or nine doors away from Tom. The pair, accompanied by a bored looking Blaise, stopped off in their room with promises to catch up later and apparently Tom was feeling impatient because he practically dragged Harry into the younger's room rather than waiting till they got to his own.

Harry's back slammed the door shut as Tom took his mouth in a bruising kiss. Harry was hardly passive, one hand fixed itself in Riddle's perfect hair to hold them together while the other tightened in the crisp whiteness of his partner's shirt.

"Ahem."

Harry started suddenly, almost squeaking with surprise as he tried to writhe out of Tom's grasp, whereas Tom just glared at a spot on the grey door as if it were the single cause of all the irritation he had ever felt in his life.

Eventually they parted and Harry got a good look at what he assumed was his roommate. Harry recognised him from school, Weasley, his name was. He had been gangly, awkward and angry as a teen. As an adult he was still gangly and a little awkward, but a smidge better at hiding the anger in his eyes.

"Ron, right?" Harry said politely as he fixed his clothes and stared at anything but either of the two people in the room. Most of his stuff had been put away, except his clothes, and Harry assumed that it had been Blaise's handiwork, knowing how Harry liked things. Blaise would've figured Harry wanted the bed nearest the window and if his things were put away, it would be less of a struggle if there was a disagreement with his roommate.

"Yeah, Potter, isn't it?" he was mumbling a little, but holding himself with a sense of pride and there was an irritation low in his voice, hidden by his surprise.

"Potter-Black, actually." Harry said politely and Tom rose a surprised eyebrow at him, probably mildly annoyed that there was something he hadn't known about Harry. He wasn't used to not knowing, it was a feeling he didn't enjoy.

When Tom had had enough he rolled his eyes at the awkward introduction and pulled Harry out of the room by his arm. Harry was only a few inches shorter than Tom now, but he was stumbling and half running over the carpeted floor of the hall in his efforts to keep up with his storming companion.

Tom growled as the door refused to open, despite knowing that the doors all locked themselves upon being shut unless the lock was switched inside and dug around in his pocket for his key. Harry couldn't help it, he chuckled as Tom finally pulled him inside, but the sound died in his throat as Tom practically threw him on the bad, prowling on it himself until he was settled over his Harry, bracketing his head with his forearms and encasing his slim hips with his own thighs. "Something funny, Love?" Tom breathed the question against Harry's jaw as his trailed his lips down over the pulse point and back again to claim his lips in a quick but bruising kiss.

"No, " Harry breathed, trying desperately to tug him back down for more "nothing at all." He curled one finger in Tom's curls, the other clenching the collar of his shirt to kiss him.

God, Tom was determined to suck Harry's soul through the kiss, one of his hands stayed firmly planted on a slim hipbone while the other tugged at his soft tee shirt, sliding up under it, over Harry's ribs. Suddenly, he frowned and pulled back to sit up. Determined, he started to pull Harry's shirt over his body, eyes burning.

Harry's gentle but firm grip on his wrist made him pause and he stared into shining emeralds, almost reeling with the fear and anxiety he found in them. "It's over now, Tom, isn't that what's important?" Harry brought his other hand up to cup Tom's sharp jaw, thumb brushing gently over a proud cheekbone. "I'm here now, just remember that."

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Harry pulled his tee shirt over his head, staring at the wall as he felt Tom's burning gaze trace each scar on his chest and abdomen, each gash or burn, some familliar and some new. He barely suppressed a yelp as he felt soft, firm lips trace the length of one of the larger scars from tip to tip, ending it with a soft bite that made Harry flush red, a gasp of pleasure bursting unbidden from his lips as he tightened his hand in Tom's hair as if to hold him in place.

"I'm going to learn," Tom murmured as he peppered kisses on a collection of cigarette burns on Harry's side "kiss," He moved to lathe a long gash across Harry's hip "and claim every inch of you, Love." He sat back up, undoing his tie and throwing it haphazardly to one side and undoing his shirt slowly, starting with the cuffs at his wrists. Once every button was loose, he left the shirt hanging on his shoulders and Harry couldnt help dragging half-lidded eyes over the expanses of alabaster flesh, taking note of each mound and dip of muscle, how shadow played across his lover's form. Tom had his own scars, not near as many as Harry, but a few.

When Harry leaned up for a kiss, Tom happily obliged, swallowing Harry's gasps as he dropped his hips to meet Harry's pelvis, grinding firmly against the hardness he found there. Harry, for his part, ground up against the friction and heat, his hands coming around Tom's slender waist, under the billowing of the white shirt, to grab and pull them until their chests met.

Harry was devouring Tom, and Tom loved it. They were still wearing too many clothes, but Harry, his sweet, innocent Harry was looking so thoroughly debauched, lips red and plump, eyes glassy with pleasure and breath coming in soft, short little mewls that he knew his lover would deny if he ever mentioned it.

Harry had just started unbuckling the leather belt of Tom's slacks when a knock at the door had Tom growling a slew of expletives under his breath and burying his head in the crook of Harry's shoulder as if the motion might shut the world out.

"Hey," Harry caught his attention softly, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head "we have time." He murmured simply, carding his hand through Tom's curls. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten how much he loved Tom's rich curls, they seemed to fall naturally in a way that Harry wouldn't be able to imitate with three hours and the kind of industrial strength wax that Draco used.

With that, Tom clambered of the bad, not even bothering to fix his mussed appearance before swinging the door open with more force than necessary. Harry didn't recognise the poor first year at the door, who'd apparently locked their self out of their room, but the way they were shaking made Harry bite back a chuckle, remembering how intimidating Tom could be.