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Chapter Text

When his phone vibrates once against the desk, Harry Potter ignores it, leaning closer to his desktop screen instead and rereads the short and slightly intimidating custom aftermarket list of parts that he needs to order in the morning. Always triple check everything, he muses, one wrong number and it won't fit with the rest of the car.

He's halfway through when his phone vibrates again, twice this time in quick succession. He determinedly ignores it, finally finishing rechecking the list and then saving the document. He sighs as he leans back in his seat and grabs his phone.

It vibrates again in his hand and he sees that the notifications are from his group chat. He rubs his tired eyes with a free hand, pushing his glasses up against his forehead for a moment. The phone vibrates insistently and Harry lets his glasses drop back before he rolls his eyes. Only one thing will make his group chat this active on a Thursday night at — he glances at the time on the upper left screen — eleven-fifteen. He keys in his code to unlock the phone and opens the chat named Firebolt.

Ginny W: Meet happenin 2nite, addr droppin in 1hr, do we wanna go

Roonil W: Sure y not
Roonil W: McD after?

Hermione G: It's Thursday. Are you two not working tomorrow?

Ginny W: Yea and?
Ginny W: Cmon it's been SO long
Ginny W: We can leave early lol

Harry snorts. Ginny Weasley saying that they can leave early? It's not going to happen. The earliest they can leave is probably at three in the morning and that is if she can keep her cool and not get dragged into any challenges. Which is highly unlikely.

HP: Is it just a gathering or will there be races and stuff

Ginny W: B said gathering only
Ginny W: Just vibes, invite only, slow nite

Roonil W: B?
Roonil W: Course it's Blaise
Roonil W: U just wanna see him

Ginny W: Yea and?

Harry laughs at the reply Ginny shot at his brother, Ron. She has had a crush on Blaise for a while now so Harry can't really blame her.

If it is actually a slow car meet as Ginny claims it to be, then Harry doesn't mind joining in. It has been a while since they went to any recently and he knows for a fact that people who know their group have actually been asking where the hell they are. Before Harry can type a reply, Hermione Granger beats him to it.

Hermione G: Tbh if it's just a gathering then I don't mind going. What about you @HP?

HP: Yeah, y not
HP: Good thing got shower in the shop
HP: I’m still there

Roonil W: Where's ur dad?

HP: Dad on some charity thing w Mom

Roonil W: Lol ok

Ginny W: Will drop address when it comes
Ginny W: Gonna get ready now

Hermione G: See you guys there!

HP: See ya later

Harry pockets his phone and turns off the computer. As the thing powers down, he stands up to stretch, back cracking as he does. He takes a look around the office and when he sees nothing out of place, he saunters over towards the security camera set up in the corner. Satisfied that everything seems to be in order after looking through the multiple video feeds on the screen, Harry finally gets out of the office, turning off the lights.

The office of Marauders Engineering is on the second floor with a balcony that allows you to actually see what is happening on the workshop floor below, and it definitely makes for a great view to old and new customers to show the cars that they are currently working on. The hangar shaped workshop is quite large, Harry has to admit, but what else are they supposed to do when they have at least twenty cars being built at the same time?

The now well known auto workshop was built by Harry’s grandfather, and while Fleamont did race for a little while, he preferred working on the cars instead. What started as a side hobby quickly became the main thing the Potter family are famous for.

Fleamont worked on restoring and race-prepping classic cars but his son, James, opted for racing those cars and is notoriously known for his daring driving style within his past racing team and the car community. After his parents passed, James quit the team and took over the workshop. He still races on the side, mostly when there are large events where he is invited as a special guest, but he somewhat stopped after his wife, Lily, got pregnant with Harry.

Long story short, Harry now helps his father in running the workshop, having the time of his life at twenty-seven years of age working with the numerous classic cars he practically grew up with. The best thing about having a former car racer for a father is that he gets the chance to learn how to drive from one of the best drivers there is.

And if Harry gets really good at it because James would bring his other racer friends that have different driving styles in to teach him, well, he’s not complaining. As long as they don’t slip up and tell Lily that Harry has been driving since he was five years old, they’ll be okay.

Harry takes his phone out and snaps a quick photo and uploads it to the shop’s official Instagram with the caption ‘Great late night view’. What with the assortment of classic Italians interspersed with legendary Japanese and fierce Germans on the floor, it is a great view.

He descends the stairs and then heads towards the back of the shop, walking past the inventory area and then into a smaller room that houses a comfortable seating area with pantry and lockers for their staff and mechanics.

Taking a set of clean clothes he always has in his own locker, Harry then gets into the shower, taking a quick one. Finally clean from any leftover oil and grease, Harry puts on a simple outfit of white T-shirt paired with jeans. He runs a hand through his damp hair and sighs in defeat when it stays untamable.

Time to head out, he muses. Making his way back to the front of the shop, Harry turns off the bright, white lights as he goes. He takes his time locking the doors and then the roller shutters. Pleased that they are secure, he finally heads towards his car waiting at the corner of the parking area.

As always, every time he sees his car, Harry involuntarily smiles. The manual 1967 GT500 is beautiful in its black paint and white Le Mans stripes. Harry loves how under a certain light the black paint reveals a deep emerald green instead.

The exterior is old school, complete with hood pins on a cable tether and Shelby heritage wheels. He’s built the engine on his own, keeping it a humble 700HP so that he can still use it daily, but would still allow him to have a lot of fun if he wants more speed. The instruments on the dashboard still have that retro look but he has fitted everything else with the modern version because he does need the occasional GPS and Spotify music damn it.

“Hello you,” he mutters as he enters the car, sitting in the cool leather seat. He strokes the steering wheel lovingly before he turns the ignition. The engine snarls to life and then settles into a lazy, loping idle of a highly tuned V8. Harry sits quietly as he connects his Bluetooth to the car and swipes through the various songs on his phone. When Drive It Like You Stole It starts playing through the car speakers, his phone vibrates.

From the notification that pops up at the top of the screen he sees Ginny drop a Google Maps link. He smiles as he puts the car into gear, pulling out of the workshop parking lot slowly. This should be a fun night.

Blaise definitely lied to Ginny, Harry thinks, this can’t be just an invite only gathering.

There is a line of cars parked along the side of the road and he hasn't arrived at his destination yet. Some of the cars are definitely modified, but he sees a couple of stock ones as well. Or they may be sleepers, who knows. Lots of people are walking towards the direction he is heading so he slows down, keeping an eye out for the entrance to where the actual gathering is taking place.

He brakes, stopping to join a queue about two cars away from the entrance to what looks like a large parking lot. There's a fence lining the area which tells him that this particular location is well tended to. As he waits, he turns off his music and rolls the window down. There’s no music playing outside but he hears the various low rumbles and whines from tuned engines as well as the general hum of an excited crowd.

Ah, so it is a somewhat slow car meet. A rowdy one will have people blasting music and dancing to it paired with tires screeching — think Fast and Furious movies before they decide that the rules of gravity and physics don't apply to them.

When the two cars in front of him are turned away, Harry thinks that he might be told to park outside as well until the man at the gate calls out to him.

"Harry! Holy shit, how have you been?" Dean Thomas exclaims, bending down so that he can look at Harry. He’s grinning so wide that his dimples are visible on his cheeks. He offers a closed fist and Harry grins back as he does a fist bump with Dean.

"Hey Dean, it's been a while. All is great, thanks for asking."

"Been a while? Talk about ages, man. You look good," Dean says. He takes a step back, eyes looking over Harry's car and whistles low. "And damn, your Stang still looks beautiful as ever."

Harry laughs. "Still great with your flattery I see.” He then gestures towards the parked cars by the side of the road and Dean spins a little on the spot, following Harry’s hand. “Why are all these people parked outside?"

"They weren't invited but they caught wind of the gathering. We don't limit the people that come but we do have limited parking inside so only the invitees are allowed to enter with their cars".

"Christ, Dean, how big is this meet?"

Dean looks somewhat sheepish as he shrugs. "I swear it’s supposed to be no more than a hundred because we set up slots for everybody invited. Ron, Ginny and Hermione are inside so they should already be parked, leaving a space for you."

"How you always manage to set up the most organized meetups I will never know. You're amazing, Dean."

"Exactly. Which is why when you guys don't show up it breaks my heart."

"Sorry about that, I promise we'll make it up to you,” Harry says. "So, where's my space?"

Dean made a show of straightening up and then pointing towards the inside of the venue. "It's three rows down, should be unmissable. The usual rules, okay? No burnouts, no excessive revving and no drifts, no fights, be respectful. Any racing you’re going to do, you don’t do it close by. Find your own stretch of road far from here."

Harry nods. He knows the rules well but Dean always repeats it even to those already well acquainted with his meets. "See you around, Dean. Thanks."

"Sure thing, man," Dean says. He steps back away from the car and begins to wave Harry in. As Harry lets his car roll in slowly, he hears Dean call out from behind him. "Hey Harry, rev it once. Rev it!"

Harry grins as he keeps an eye on Dean through the side mirror and then he revs the Mustang, the snarling of his engine loud and aggressive. He hears people cheering, Dean's whoop louder than the others, and smiles to himself when he sees a lot of people with their phones out either taking pictures or videos. Harry doesn’t mind if he’s in any of them because he knows that they’re more focused on his car instead of him.

Making his way down to where his space is, he passes by a number of car enthusiasts who know him, greeting them and making small talk as he lets his car creep forward. Thankfully, the crowd of people isn't too suffocating thanks to the fact that the event information was only out an hour before the actual meet itself, making sure that a lot of people don’t show up randomly.

Harry’s feet itches, the temptation to go faster than a snail’s pace strong. He bites the urge down, nearly sighing in relief when he spots Ron and Hermione standing beside their cars, talking. Hermione spots him first only because she’s facing the direction he’s coming from. She waves at him and then Ron turns around, pointing to the empty parking space next to Hermione.

“Between Hermione and Ginny, mate,” Ron calls out.

Harry nods at the tall redhead. “Okay, gotcha.”

Harry passes Ron’s parked gray E30 with its wide body kit and only then does Ron step out onto the road to make sure that people give the Mustang a wide berth as Harry maneuvers the car to reverse park. Harry settles into the space between Hermione’s periwinkle WRX STI and Ginny’s red Evo, turning the engine off afterwards.

As soon as Harry is out of the car, Ron immediately slings an arm around his shoulder. “What a turn out, right?” Ron says. “I wasn't expecting this many people for a slow meet."

"I don't know who lied, Ginny or Blaise, but at this point I'm dreading my morning meeting tomorrow," Hermione sighs, gathering her bushy hair and tying it up into a bun. She steps closer to Harry and gives him a hug when Ron releases him.

Harry laughs as he pats her on the back. “Come on, don't talk about work. Just enjoy the night. It's truly been a while since we had a casual night out."

“That’s what I said earlier,” protests Ron.

Hermione drops her hands around Harry and gives both him and Ron an obligatory eye roll. "Well, alright, you both have a point,” Hermione relents, a smile working its way to her lips.

"By the way, where's Ginny?"

Ron points at the three empty parking slots across from them and only then Harry notices Ginny having a conversation with Blaise Zabini, her smile wide as she leans her back against the side of his silver R8. Blaise’s hand is around Ginny’s waist as he moves closer to her, saying something in her ear. Harry turns his attention to Ron, an eyebrow raised while Ron grimaces.

“We’re all adults—” Ron starts, shoulders raised in a semblance of a shrug, “—but I keep thinking I need to intervene when I see a guy holding my sister’s exposed waist.”

Harry snorts. “Well, at least she has a thing for Blaise instead of—”

“Oh, look, it’s Draco,” Hermione says, placing a hand on Harry’s arm, stopping whatever he was about to say. She turns to where Blaise is and calls out to him, “Blaise! Draco’s here.”

Blaise raises his head and steps around Ginny, gesturing towards the empty spots next to where his car is parked to the creeping black Mercedes AMG. As the Benz reverse parks, Ginny saunters over towards where Harry is and gives him a short hug.

“Harry, please tell Ron to stop glaring at Blaise and I,” she says loudly over someone revving their car close by. Harry laughs as she scowls at an exasperated Ron. “Would you stop? Blaise is nice.”

Ron lets out a sigh and raises his hands in defeat. “Sorry for looking out for my little sister.”

“She’s old enough to make decisions on her own, Weasley.” Harry turns his head when he hears the pretentious drawl and sees Draco Malfoy standing next to Blaise. Ginny moves away to be by Blaise's side who immediately has an arm around her waist.

Draco takes a step closer to Harry. Harry is pretty sure he hears Hermione say here we go under her breath.

They eye each other, Harry with his hands folded in front of him and Draco with them in the pockets of his designer skinny jeans. Harry is quite aware of people around them slowing down while walking to take in the scene, curious on what is about to happen.

"Potter,” Draco says, almost spitting out the name to Harry’s amusement. “Still driving that outdated, clunky car I see."

Harry nods at Draco’s car. "At least it doesn't scream 'I bought it with Daddy's money' like yours, Malfoy."

There is a beat of silence, and then Ron snorts into his hand. Breaking the fake tension, Harry starts laughing. The rest of the group joins in, their laughter loud and filled with glee, with Hermione shaking her head and saying, “Honestly, these boys.”

"What the fuck, that was a low blow," Draco gasps out, shoulders shaking by how hard he is laughing.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Harry says, wiping a tear away from the corner of his eye.

Blaise is still chuckling when he points at Harry. “Honestly, Harry? Amazing comeback.”

Harry gives a mock bow. “I am honored,” he says, his grin wide.

Finally, Draco manages to stop his laughter, letting out a sigh as he turns to Blaise, swatting him lightly on the arm. “Blaise, your text literally said ‘slow night, small meet’. This is none of those.”

"You can't blame me for something that I can't control. I asked Dean why it's so crowded and it's because we—" Blaise gestures with his thumb behind his shoulder at his and Draco’s car,"—and them—" Blaise makes a sweeping motion at Harry and his friends, "—are here. So basically someone leaked that information and apparently people want to see our so-called rivalry."

Ron sighs. “I will gladly bet that it’s probably Dean himself who leaked it.”

Immediately after there are agreeing murmurs and head nods because Ron is most definitely right. Who else has that large of a reach? And Dean is the organizer to boot. “Oh yeah, it's definitely Dean.” “Yup, I agree, it has to be Dean.” “Can’t believe he’s managed to use us to promote how great his gatherings are.”

"Speaking of which, where is Pansy?" Draco asks.

As if on cue, two short honks get their attention and then Pansy Parkinson is hollering at them from a candy red 911. The roof is down as Pansy is the only one between them who prefers a cabriolet, something about the joy of having naturally windswept hair. “Why are you all standing there clumped together? Draco, very nice Saint Laurent jeans there!”

Draco glances down at his jeans before he approaches Pansy. "I know right? Go on and park there, but don't park across from Harry though, that's for You-Know-Who."

Pansy winks at Harry who rolls his eyes. "I wouldn't dare." She presses on the horn once more and then, "Blaise! Help me get these people away, I want to park."

"Draco is right there," Blaise says incredulously, eyebrows high on his forehead.

"Nope," Draco says. "I look too good to be playing the parking attendant, Zabini."

Ron sighs heavily from beside Harry, earning him a giggle from Hermione. "Fucking hell, these people are going to be the death of me," he says, walking over to where Pansy is to help her out. "Move, Malfoy."

Draco is grinning as he moves out of the way, standing beside Blaise again. Harry decides that he's going to comment on the statement Draco made earlier. "Really, Draco? The space right across from mine is for You-Know-Who? Why are we using code names, what are we, fifteen?"

"Harry, please," Ginny interjects. "Every time we mention his name you get defensive. Of course we have to start using nicknames now."

"I do not get defensive," Harry says.

"You just did it," Draco deadpans.

Harry sighs. "Look, I can do without having his narcissistic ass around us but it seems like you guys love him, so I, being the bigger person, will endure it."

Pansy suddenly appears beside Draco, a hand resting on his shoulder. "What are we talking about?"

"You-Know-Who," Ginny says. She gives Pansy a once-over and nods approvingly. "Pansy, as always, respect. Driving in stilettos is a superior skill."

"Ginny, only a bad bitch recognizes another bad bitch, and you're definitely one," Pansy says, flipping her black hair back.

Harry can feel an oncoming headache from the multiple directions the conversation is going and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

To his surprise, Hermione pipes up. He's even more surprised when his usually thoughtful friend does not change the topic but instead reverting the conversation immediately back to You-Know-Who. "Harry, have you seen his twin turbo Huracán? As a fellow petrolhead, aren't you impressed with the build and the amount of engineering that goes into it?"

“Not to mention the money he spent on it,” Blaise adds. “He must’ve spent hundreds of thousands on the build.”

"Sure, but he's probably compensating for something," Harry replies. "Why would you need a 1,300HP car to use in the city?"

"Even if he is compensating, he’s still hot," Pansy pipes out. "Like, you are very handsome Harry especially with your gorgeous green eyes but he's just…" She trails off and then sighs dreamily. Harry thinks his eyes might just drop out of their sockets if he rolls them hard enough.

“Pansy, you’re gay,” Ron says matter-of-factly.

“And? I still have eyes. He is hot, you can’t lie. If you’re lying you’re just hating for the sake of hating.”

Ron seems to consider and then he shrugs in admission. Harry gapes at him. "Fair enough," Ron admits.

Harry lets out a groan and gestures vaguely at them. "You just like him because he's tall."

Draco scoffs. "Us tall people do have an advantage, Harry. Just because you're not as tall—"

"Oh, fuck off, Draco," Harry says as he laughs, giving Draco a middle finger. The group laughs again, eliciting a few amused stares from the people around them.

Harry is about to say how he will promise to try to behave himself when he hears the unmistakable growl and whine of a particular Lamborghini driven by a particular bastard downshifting. He locks eyes with Ron who seems to be listening intently. "You have to admit the sound his car makes is music, Harry," Ron says.

"I never said it wasn't," Harry mutters.

Being someone who builds cars for a living, Harry especially knows how complicated it is to fit the turbos on a high performance engine and not to mention the tuning that comes with it. The rigorous testing and tweaking along with changing out so many original parts for those that can handle more power is expensive and time consuming as hell. In summary, that one Lamborghini is now a piece of art from an engineering standpoint — one which Harry is actually very curious about. Shame that the car belongs to such a pompous prick.

Harry nearly laughs when his friends move aside at the same time as if on command, allowing him an unrestricted view of the Huracán STO as it moves down towards them. He has to admit that it looks aggressive and intimidating especially being coated in black paint so dark it looks like the night sky.

As Draco takes it upon himself to help the bastard park his car, Pansy gives Harry another wink before she walks back towards her Porsche, red-soled heels clacking against the asphalt. Harry can see Ron and Hermione move away from him a little under the pretense of checking something in their cars from the corner of his eyes. Ginny at that moment decides to show Blaise the new rims she has gotten, leaving Harry's side.

Harry resists the urge to give them all a glare and keeps his feet planted instead. He moves backwards a little so that he's leaning slightly against the hood of his car, but still taking care so that his jeans do not scratch the pristine paint. He shoves his hands into his pockets and lets out a slow breath.

Once the Huracán is parked, Draco takes a similar stance as Harry on his own car, a smirk on his face. Harry fixes him with a pointed stare until the blonde laughs quietly to himself before he starts talking with Pansy instead.

Harry keeps his eyes on Satan's own chariot across from him, admitting to himself that the sound of the engine powering down as the ignition is turned off is extremely satisfying. He feels a slight irritation build in his stomach when the driver's side door finally swings upwards.

Tom Riddle steps out of his car with such elegance that Harry very nearly gags. How he can fit his whole height inside a Huracán will always be a mystery to Harry but he's not even going to ask, opting instead to try to keep his face carefully composed as Riddle closes the door.

Who the fuck comes to a car meet wearing an all black tailored shirt and pants, and with Oxfords no less? The sleeves of the shirt are rolled up to his elbows and Harry is thinking of how that is probably just a tactic used by Riddle to flex his expensive watch.

Which Harry actually owns as well because James gifted it to him. He will never wear it now and he will die with this knowledge on him.

Harry is still staring — glaring, not staring, Harry thinks — when Riddle, with his coiffed hair and strong jawline, finally sets his gaze on Harry. They lock eyes and Harry tilts his head slightly. Riddle's dark eyes look amused even when the rest of his facial features remain stoic.

As expected, Riddle strolls closer, each step confident and, to Harry, calculative. When he stops right in front of Harry, there is a small smirk on his face.

“Potter," Riddle drawls low in that velvety voice of his.

Harry stares straight into the tall bastard's eyes for a second longer before he says, “Riddle.”

Riddle hums as a reply as his eyes scrutinize Harry from the top of his head all the way down to his shoes, and then back up to lock eyes with him again. It feels as if he is preparing an insult that might bring Fleamont back from the dead because of how offensive it is. Or at least that’s what Harry thinks as he somewhat flushes under the intense stare.

“Still very pretty,” Riddle finally says, voice smooth.

Harry blinks, brain nearly short circuiting. He eventually manages to snap out an, “Excuse me, what?”

Riddle arches an eyebrow, the smirk widening. “I’m talking about your car behind you but I can call you pretty too if you'd like.”

Harry shuts his mouth with a click, not realizing that he has it open. He hears Ginny laugh as he feels his face warm up. This is not going to be a fun night, fucking hell.

Chapter Text

"I'm talking about your car behind you but I can call you pretty too if you'd like."

Cheeks still somewhat warm from the unexpected easy mocking that came from Riddle, Harry lets out a scoff. "Coming from you? No, thank you."

The smirk stays on Riddle's face as he keeps his eyes locked to Harry's. Harry thinks he can tell that Riddle doesn't believe his words even when they are true. Or maybe now he's making things up in his brain because no one can really tell what Riddle is thinking about, not with that always composed face of his.

"Fine," Riddle says, tone teasing. "What about gorgeous, then?"

Harry tries to keep his face passive even when his stomach does a little flip. "No, Riddle," he sighs. "Go away and do whatever it is you usually do in a car meet."

"Ah, but we usually bicker like this during meets, so I am already doing what you want me to do."

Harry swears to himself he's going to hit Riddle on the jaw some day. It's inevitable. He remembers Dean's rules though and settles on sighing heavily instead. Riddle laughs — he's laughing, that bastard — and he finally takes a step back, giving a slightly larger room for Harry to breathe.

“Always so stubborn,” Riddle says. “Never change, Harry.”

Harry very nearly retorts back when they are interrupted by a camera showing up behind Riddle, and so he directs his attention to that instead, grateful for the distraction. “Colin! Nice seeing you here.”

Colin Creevey, with his mousy brown hair visible from a bandana he has wrapped around his forehead, grins at Harry while he looks at the small monitor of his camera. “And here we are guys, with Harry Potter and Tom Riddle, in one frame!” He looks up, eyes bright with excitement. “It has been a very, very long day but man, running into these two is always a blast. Say hi to my subscribers, guys!”

“Hello, Colin’s subscribers,” Harry says, grinning as he waves at the camera.

Riddle leans down and winks at the camera. Harry has to remind himself to not roll his eyes. “Hello everyone, you’ve subscribed to a great auto vlogger here,” Riddle says. “He has great taste in cars.”

Colin turns the camera so that he’s in the frame and says, “Of course, and you definitely need to see Harry’s and Tom’s cars. I’ve featured them before but hell, they’re too great to not be shown in this vlog.” He turns the camera the right way again. “Harry, let’s do your Mustang first!”

Harry lets out a laugh. “Come on then.”

As Harry straightens himself to bring Colin around his car, he thinks that he might’ve just used all his luck for tonight to escape having to talk to Riddle by himself.

Pansy watches with glee as Harry begins talking to Colin about his Mustang, taking him around the car and explaining whatever it is Colin is pointing out. She can see the slightly strained expression on Harry’s face as Tom tags along behind Colin. She bites her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing out loud as Harry suddenly flushes over something Tom said even though he shrugged his shoulders after to appear unfazed.

“Christ, Potter is such an open book, isn’t he?” Draco says, amusement in his voice. “He says he doesn’t like Tom but look at him, blushing like a virgin.”

“I mean, won’t you be blushing as well if Tom flirts with you?” Pansy teases, pulling out her phone from her purse that rests on the passenger seat. She swipes up to open the camera and uses it to check her makeup. “Although, I don’t think Harry realizes that Tom is flirting with him.”

“No, he doesn’t. Normal flirting won’t work with him, he’s too obtuse for that.”

“Oh, Draco, don’t be so mean to our beloved Potter,” Pansy says. “Tom will smite you if he hears you.”

“I know, I know,” Draco laughs.

Pansy is smiling as she exits out of the camera and opens her Instagram instead. She raises her phone to start recording herself and then switches the camera around, aiming it at Draco. Draco simply raises an eyebrow with a small smirk before she pans the phone around towards Blaise and Ginny who waves at her, the pair almost always camera ready. She stays recording a little longer on Harry who is opening the hood of his car for Colin to record with Tom immediately focusing on the engine inside, before panning it to Ron and Hermione who seems to be discussing the fenders on Ron’s car.

Her long nails make little clicking noises as she types on top of the video.

Firebolt and Basilisk night out courtesy of @theonedeanthomas!
@dracomalfoyofficial @blaise_it @ginevragin @hpotter @tomriddle
@roonilwazlib @hermionegranger plus @colinc_foto geeking out over us

She posts the Instagram story and then nearly puts the phone back in her purse when Draco suddenly elbows her. Pansy nearly chides him when she sees Colin walking with Tom towards his car. Harry pauses for the briefest moment before there is a resigned look on his face and then he is following the two, curiosity obviously winning over his stubbornness. Pansy turns to look at Ron across from her and she sees him holding a hand over his mouth, obviously trying not to laugh.

Pansy lifts her phone and waves it a little before she opens the group chat Basilisk Rules that specifically does not include two certain people.

Pansy P: I KNEW HE WILL SUCCUMB SOONER OR L8R

Ron Roonil: How he lasted this long w/out asking all the deets on Tom’s build is beyond me

Evo Ginny: He’s stubborn as hell lmaooo

Bebe Draco: Y would u need a 1300hp car in the city he asked
Bebe Draco: For fun ofc, what else

Evo Ginny: Like DUH

Blaise 420: Bro is in denial

Ron Roonil: Ever since Tom said he’s doing a twin turbo build
Ron Roonil: He has been sooo excited

H Granger: Harry excited is an understatement.
H Granger: He lights up like a fucking Christmas tree on crack.

Blaise 420: LMAO it has 2 b real cos Granger is fucking swearing

Pansy P: ASDFSKGJHFLDLMAOOO

— Ron Roonil changed the group name to Firebolt Rules —

Blaise 420: BRO DON’T TOUCH THE GROUP NAME HOW DARE

Bebe Draco: You guys should come over n see his face LOL
Bebe Draco: Harry looks like he’s gonna propose

After reading Draco’s text, Pansy immediately ignores her phone, lifting her head up to look at the trio that is now clustered on the side of Tom’s car. Tom is bent down, focused on talking to Colin who is seated inside Tom’s car which allows Pansy to have a clear view of Harry’s face as he listens.

He has an almost awed look plastered on his face, similar to the face he always has when someone is explaining their build to him. But this look on his face is slightly different. There is admiration in it and some sort of reverence. Gone is the irritation from earlier. His eyes are almost wide in adoration. Holy shit Draco might be right, Pansy thinks.

Curious about what Tom is saying about his build, Pansy pushes off her car and walks closer.

“—so I can’t drive it in STO mode. It has to be in Trofeo even on wet roads and traction control needs to be off.”

“Wait, hang on,” Harry says. Tom straightens up to look at him. “You were talking about the mapping. With that much power that means…”

Harry trails off while a smirk returns to Tom’s face. God, they look cute together, Pansy muses.

“You’ve set your transmission to shift itself when needed. It’s humanly impossible to shift in time before you hit the rev limiter for every gear,” Harry says. He has completely ignored the way Colin is pointing the camera at him. Pansy is willing to bet that Harry probably doesn’t even know what kind of expression he’s making. People watching Colin’s vlogs are truly going to think that he has fallen in love with Tom. “Your third and fourth gear alone must be insane.”

“That’s correct,” Tom says, delight clearly visible from the way he’s smiling. “Every time I go for an actual drive I have to warm it up first for about fifteen minutes before I can truly let it loose.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve converted the drivetrain.”

“I have to, Harry. It’s all-wheel drive converted now.”

“I’m assuming you can turn off the—”

“—the front differential, yes,” Tom says, finishing Harry’s sentence.

There is silence as Harry looks at Tom. Pansy glances around at their small group, amusement evident in their faces. Ginny and Blaise have a similar look on their faces, like they’re trying so very hard not to laugh. Pansy quickly looks away before the pair can make eye contact with her because she knows she’ll lose it if they do.

Pansy’s phone vibrates in her hand and she glances at the notification on the home screen.

Firebolt Rules
H Granger: We need a copy of that video from Colin for wedding party purposes.

Pansy thinks she might die from trying to keep it together. Ron has less self control though and he walks away from the group. From the corner of Pansy’s eyes she can see him crouching down looking away, shoulders shaking.

Harry finally lets out a short laugh, head shaking as he walks to the back of Tom’s car, probably checking out the exhausts. He raises his head after a while, eyes staring straight at Tom as he rests a hand on the Huracán’s wing. “That’s fucking amazing,” Harry breathes out.

Wow, Harry is abso-fucking-lutely smitten, Pansy thinks. What an absolute car geek.

Colin has gone silent and simply trains his camera at Harry and Tom, comically going back and forth recording the both of them. Pansy swears Colin has zoomed in, making the video look more like a drama scene instead of a car vlog.

Pansy stares at Tom who by now has ignored Colin, eyes set on Harry and Harry alone. She knows for a fact Tom can be somewhat of an asshole, usually replying to other people’s compliment with a smug ‘I know’. So when Tom responds to Harry kindly, it feels as if she just got a whiplash from an unexpected acceleration pull.

“Thank you,” Tom replies sincerely, a smile that Pansy might say is soft on his face. “It’s a joy to drive.”

Dear heavens above, these two are absolute idiots.

“And there you have it guys!” Colin suddenly boomed, making the group startle except for the two men lost in their own geeky auto engineering world. “Let’s take a look at the other cars in this meet. Ron Weasley, my guy, your E30 looks clean as hell, and Hermione, show us your super cute STI too please!”

Pansy decides to ignore the way Tom moves away from them to approach Harry, probably to talk more about the build, and focuses on her phone instead.

Pansy P: So wdyt?

Draco lets out a snort from beside her as he reads the text from Pansy. “I think we just witnessed an idiot fall for another idiot,” he says quietly. Pansy giggles as she types again.

Pansy P: Draco says ‘idiots in love’

Blaise takes a few steps closer towards Pansy and gestures with a nod to the two men behind her. “They're talking amicably now,” he says. “Like they’ve never bickered before.”

Ginny laughs as she pulls her phone out. “Stay still you two, I’m taking a really nice picture of them. And sending, right…now.”

Evo Ginny
[Image]

Evo Ginny: Yep idiots in love

— Blaise 420 changed the group name to Basilisk FTW —

H Granger: Aw, that’s such a cute photo!

— Ron Roonil changed the group name to Firebolt Supreme —

Blaise 420: BRO I SWEAR

Tom hasn't expected the night to turn out like it did.

He was expecting a quiet, uneventful night where he can actually sleep earlier than 2AM. He was actually already in his pajamas, a rare occurrence of him finishing his work earlier than usual, and he was picking out a book from the unread section of his shelf when his phone emits a small ding.

Tom had ignored the first notification sound but then it keeps on coming, echoing in his study. Feeling the irritation build, he leaves the bookshelf to grab the phone from the desk, ready to snap at whoever is making a ruckus at eleven at night. Tom's eyes narrow as he sees that it’s the Basilisk group chat that has come alive.

Forwarded from: Dean Thomas
Meet 2nite, u joining? I'm gonna say yes you are. Cya later.

Blaise Zabini: No choice then I guess lol

Draco Malfoy: Did Dean say what type of meet it is?

Blaise Zabini: Lemme check w him

Pansy Parkinson: OOOHHH LET'S GO

Forwarded from: Dean Thomas
Slow night, man. Invite only. I'm inviting the Firebolt too.

Pansy Parkinson: OK then we NEED to go
Pansy Parkinson: This is going to b FUN

Blaise Zabini: I'm going cos Ginny is going

Draco Malfoy: U r such a simp

Pansy Parkinson: Draco she's HOT

Blaise Zabini: Bro she's HOT

Draco Malfoy: One brain cell I see lol
Draco Malfoy: Ok let's go then simps

Pansy Parkinson: @Tom Riddle?

Draco Malfoy: Hello @Tom Riddle I see u on my read

Tom feels his irritation fades a little. Will all of the members of the Firebolt be in the meet? If the answer is no, then he doesn't really want to go. He's already in his pajamas for Christ's sake and there is no point for him to go if Harry Potter isn't going to be there.

He sees Blaise Zabini is typing… and waits for more chats to come in.

Pansy Parkinson: @Blaise Zabini bitch y r u typing an essay

Blaise Zabini
[Image] [Image]

Draco Malfoy: Nice
Draco Malfoy: Full team for Firebolt

Pansy Parkinson: @Tom Riddle r u coming or not??????

There is a barrage of texts as they tag him. Tom waits for another minute just to fuck with them.

Blaise Zabini: @Tom Riddle Y R U LURKING BRO

Tom Riddle: I'll be there.

Draco Malfoy: Like I said
Draco Malfoy: Simps

Tom rolls his eyes and decides to be forgiving to Draco this time, ignoring his jibe. He heads out of the study and strolls to his bedroom. He needs to change out of his pajamas and warm up his car. Knowing Dean and the nature of his meets, it will always be somewhere a bit further out of the city, allowing the invitees to actually let their cars run to get there. Tom has been letting his car sit in the garage for too long and he needs to let the beast stretch its legs.

Blaise Zabini: Ok address dropping in 1 hr

He takes his time changing his clothes but even then he's done within fifteen minutes because he's a little too excited. Tom rolls his sleeves slowly as he looks at himself in the full-length mirror, thinking on which watch he should wear tonight. Probably the Daytona, he muses.

Once he's donned everything, he walks over to his garage, grabbing the correct car key from its hook by the door. Tom has always preferred Lamborghinis over any other car brands and it’s apparent in how he has three different ones in his garage. The Miura and the Aventador gleam in the light, their black paints flawless. The twin turbo Huracán STO, which is his pride and joy, sits the furthest away from him and is the one that he’s going to be taking out to the meet.

The Huracán looks menacing even to Tom and he smiles to himself as he unlocks the door. He allows himself to be seated comfortably before he puts a foot on the brake, pressing it down. He holds the start button down and then the engine roars to life loudly before settling into a steady rumbling snarl. He lets the engine idle as he scrolls through Instagram, thumb pausing when he sees the latest photo Harry has uploaded to the Marauders Engineering account.

marauders.engineering
[Image]
Liked by hermionegranger and 394 others
marauders.engineering Great late night view.

Tom lets out a slow breath as he double taps on the image. He then searches out Harry’s personal Instagram and taps on the profile. The latest post was of a photo of Harry himself taken candidly by Ron. In the photo he is looking up at the underside of a raised car, face fully concentrated on whatever issue he is staring at. Ron should be a photographer, Tom thinks. It’s a great close up, fully showing Harry’s handsome face and bright, emerald eyes even behind those glasses.

The caption simply says 'Taken by @roonilwazlib’. Tom double taps on the image, liking it, and then he lets out a sigh. Fuck, he’s truly become a simp.

As if mocking him, a text dings and then the notification shows Blaise has just sent a Google Maps link in the group chat. Tom taps on the pop up and then on the link. He scans the map and the route, smiling to himself when he sees a long stretch of road right before his destination. The location is quite far from his house and he estimates that with the amount of time he needs to let his car warm up further with a slower drive, he would be the last to arrive. He does like to make an entrance so this works in his favor.

And then Harry is staring at him as he reverse parks between Blaise and Draco.

Tom has to consciously control his expression so that he doesn’t smile as he exits the car, purposefully not meeting Harry’s gaze. He takes notice of Draco and Pansy ignoring him, wondering briefly if he should give them shit for it later, before he finally looks at Harry.

Tom lets his brain run full speed as he approaches Harry, thinking hard on what to say. The Basilisks know that he’s been trying to flirt with Harry for a long time and with Pansy’s knack for gossiping, he’s certain that the Firebolts know as well. The only one not noticing his flirting is Harry himself much to Tom’s frustration, always responding to it by bickering lightly instead.

“He thinks you’re teasing him on purpose,” Ginny has told him a couple of weeks prior over the phone. “He’s starting to bristle every time we mention you, so change your flirting tactic, yeah?”

Tom had stayed still, aware that his client in front of him was wondering why Tom is frozen on the phone when he’s about to purchase Caravaggio’s Conversion of Saint Paul. “Ginny, apologies, can you repeat to me when is the earliest date we can send the painting to Mr. Lestrange? He is waiting for the information in front of me,” he had replied, too amused at how she immediately jumps to talking about Harry when he had called her for work to be irked by it.

But that’s good to know though, Tom thinks as he stops in front of Harry who still has his eyes locked on Tom’s. Tom can’t help but to smirk a little. Well, at least he’s focused on me. So Tom decides to greet Harry as he usually does, with a low and smooth, “Potter.”

There is a second of silence and then Harry replies with a cool and composed, “Riddle.”

Tom hums as a reply as he lets his eyes take in Harry from the top of his head all the way down to his shoes, and then back up to lock eyes with him again. He sees Harry bristles a little before he flushes under Tom’s intense stare. Tom remembers Ginny’s advice and decides that he will just be blunt tonight.

“Still very pretty,” he drawls.

Harry blinks, definitely caught off guard. The flush darkens slightly and oh, so prettily, and then he snaps out an, “Excuse me, what?”

And because Tom is a bastard, he can’t really help but to revert back to teasing Harry. He arches an eyebrow and smirks wider. “I’m talking about your car behind you but I can call you pretty too if you’d like.”

Harry nearly splutters before he closes his mouth and blushes even deeper. He lets out a scoff much to Tom’s amusement. “Coming from you? No, thank you.”

“Fine,” Tom says, deciding to play along. “What about gorgeous, then?”

Harry takes a breath. The flush on his face stays. “No, Riddle. Go away and do whatever it is you usually do in a car meet.”

“Ah, but we usually bicker like this during meets, so I am already doing what you want me to do.”

As Harry lets out a frustrated groan, Tom finally gives in and laughs. Fine, I’ll not push too hard tonight. He takes a step back, conceding defeat. “Always so stubborn,” he says. “Never change, Harry.”

When Colin interrupts them, Tom very nearly glares at him. Colin is lucky that he has his camera with him so that Tom has no choice but to be on his best behavior. His patience is rewarded when Colin includes both Tom and Harry in his vlog, allowing him to still stay close enough to Harry.

Tom trails along as Harry shows Colin his Mustang, highly curious on how Harry had done his build. He is particularly amazed by how Harry has built the car to look docile, but in truth, it is aggressive and powerful. “This Mustang is beautiful,” Tom says halfway through Harry’s explanation. Colin trains the camera at him and Tom smiles a little as he fixes his stare at Harry before he completes his sentence. “And usually, a build always reflects the owner.”

The flush on Harry’s face has been satisfying to look at. “I mean— I don’t know,” Harry says, shrugging. He clears his throat and then continues with his explanation to Colin.

Tom is actually quite intent on studying the engine when Harry opens the hood for Colin to record but he gets distracted by the man instead. Harry had stood there, one hand resting on the edge of the engine bay while the other on his hip as he talked to Colin’s camera. The ease of his pose combined with how exuberant he is while talking about his car is quite breathtaking.

Harry then had run his hand through his wild black hair that always looked like he just had sex and glances at Tom with those piercing green eyes. Tom's hand twitches before he slips it into his pocket instead.

He really wants to run his fingers through that fucking hair.

Once Harry finishes the round of explanation, Colin turns to Tom and so he leads the other man towards the Huracán, effortlessly explaining all that he has done to the engine. He lets Colin sit in the driver's seat as he points out the driving settings that need to be followed before he can actually drive the beast of a car when Harry actually initiates a conversation with Tom.

Slightly surprised, Tom straightens up to look at Harry who looks particularly impressed.

“You were talking about the mapping. With that much power that means…” Harry trails off. Tom can practically see Harry’s brain digesting the information before he finally comes to a conclusion. “You’ve set your transmission to shift itself when needed. It’s humanly impossible to shift in time before you hit the rev limiter for every gear. Your third and fourth gear alone must be insane.”

“That’s correct,” Tom confirms, smiling as he does. “Every time I go for an actual drive I have to warm it up first for about fifteen minutes before I can truly let it loose.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve converted the drivetrain.”

“I have to, Harry. It’s all-wheel drive converted now.”

“I’m assuming you can turn off the—”

“—the front differential, yes,” Tom says, finishing Harry’s sentence.

Tom stays still as Harry looks at him with an almost awed expression on his face. Harry finally lets out a short laugh, head shaking as he walks to the back of the Huracán. He raises his head after a while, eyes staring straight at Tom as he rests a hand on the Huracán’s wing. “That’s fucking amazing,” Harry breathes out.

At this point, Tom has completely forgotten about Colin. He only vaguely registers their friends gathered around his car. Why would he spare any attention to them when Harry is smiling at him like that?

“Thank you,” Tom replies sincerely. “It’s a joy to drive.”

So, yes, Tom hasn't expected the night to turn out like it did.

He hears Colin say something to end the section on Tom’s car as he walks closer to Harry. When he is close enough, Harry speaks to him. “You can’t call this a Lamborghini anymore,” he says.

Tom doesn’t deny it because what Harry says is true. “Basically, yes,” Tom says. He keeps quiet as he watches Harry stand behind the car, eyes roaming over the exhaust and engine bay. Tom smirks to himself now when he realizes that Harry is still too stubborn to tell him what he wants, no matter how blatantly obvious it is on his face.

He doesn’t mind. Usually, he likes the challenge, but Harry has lowered his defenses a little and it wouldn’t be Tom if he does not take advantage of the opportunity. An idea forms in his head and it’s terrifying. He has never done this before, ever, and he realizes that he’s truly fucked. He must really like Harry more than he realizes.

“I’m going to say something a little crazy,” Tom says, feeling the excitement build in his chest — or is it terror? He doesn’t know anymore. “But I think you might not be opposed to what I will offer.”

Harry frowns a little, suspicion etched on his face. Even Harry’s apprehensive face is attractive. “What is it?”

Tom reaches into his pocket and takes out the key to the Huracán. He stares at the key in his palm for a few seconds before he stretches his arm out to Harry. Harry looks down at the key and then back up at Tom. It takes him a while before he understands and then his mouth drops open. Tom can’t help but smile at the reaction he has expected. Harry has always been expressive.

“Want to drive it?” Tom asks.

“Are you looking at the same thing I am looking at?” Ron says, grabbing Hermione’s upper arm.

Hermione turns around from her waving goodbye to Colin who has moved on from them and frowns. “Look at what—oh my god.”

“How are they not looking at this,” Ron hisses, whipping out his phone.

Ron takes a glance at the area, searching for the rest of the group and spots them spread out, Draco and Pansy checking out a nearby white R34 and Blaise and Ginny talking to another group who has an orange Porsche RWB. He returns to his phone and decides to text the group chat instead so they can still be discreet. He hears Hermione’s phone vibrate in her hands from him spamming the group chat.

Ron ‘Roonil’: Tom is offering his key
Ron ‘Roonil’: Guys
Ron ‘Roonil’: HELLO??

Hermione: HOW ARE YOU GUYS DISTRACTED AT THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT.

Ginny: Holy shit Hermione calm your tits

Pansy Park: Ron you’re seeing things
Pansy Park: WAI TNO I TAKE IT BACK

Ginny: Of course Harry is like a deer in headlights now JFC

Draco the Git: Fucking hopeless

Pansy Park: NO WAIT R U SEEING

B-Dawg: Harry is offering his key too
B-Dawg: They’re trading

Draco the Git: OH SHIT IT’S SERIOUS

Pansy Park: OMG
Pansy Park: ASKFJDSLDGFGMG HOLY SHIT

Hermione: Act cool guys, seems like we are going on a drive soon.

— B-Dawg changed the group name to we owe dean a beer or two or a keg really —

Ron ‘Roonil’: U know what
Ron ‘Roonil’: I’m not changing that cos u r right

Chapter Text

“Want to drive it?” Tom asks.

Tom waits patiently as Harry stares at the key in his hand. He is certain that Harry is tempted to immediately say yes but Tom knows that the man would be thinking about the various reasons why he is being offered to drive the beast.

He is proven right when Harry finally asks, “You’re allowing me to drive it? Why?”

Harry is looking up at him, eyes wide, excitement barely hidden, yet he still takes the time to make sure that Tom is certain of his decision. Being a seasoned car enthusiast, Harry definitely knows that driving someone else’s car is a huge deal especially when the cars are specifically built for themselves and tuned to their driving style.

Tom never allows anybody to drive his cars, except perhaps the mechanics that worked on it, and for good reason. He simply doesn’t trust anybody else to be behind the steering wheel. Offering Harry to drive his car makes his stomach lurch but Tom has seen first hand how Harry drives so he knows that the Huracán is in safe hands.

“Because you want to,” Tom answers easily. “And I trust you.”

“That is some heavy trust you’re putting on me,” Harry says, grinning. He glances down at the key in Tom’s hand briefly. “Are you sure?”

Tom gives him a smile. “I’ve never been more sure, Harry.”

Harry lets out a soft laugh and then he’s taking the key off Tom’s hand. He stares down at it, his smile wide on his face. If you ask if you can keep the car I would gladly give it to you, there’s no need to return it to me—

The thought is interrupted when Harry shoves a hand into the pocket of his jeans and rummages for something. To say that Tom is surprised is an understatement when he sees Harry offering him the key to the Mustang. Tom very rarely is speechless among people, always having a witty comeback for everything, but this time, he doesn’t really know what to say.

“Harry—” Tom starts.

“It’s only fair,” Harry says quickly. He shakes the keys, letting it jangle a little. “I drive your car, you drive mine. I’m not taking no for an answer, Tom.”

Tom lets out a slow breath, lips quirking up into a smirk. “Very well, then,” Tom says, taking the keys. He encloses the key in his fist, thinking that he will guard it with his life if need be. “Anything I need to know before I drive your Mustang?”

Harry looks back at the car, appearing to be deep in thought. When he turns around to face Tom, his face is set in a serious frown. “You need to move the seat all the way back,” Harry deadpans.

There is a beat of silence and then Tom is laughing. “Harry, that I know,” Tom says after his laugh reduces to a chuckle. “What I need to know is if your Mustang is as feisty as you.”

There is a slight flush on Harry’s cheeks. “Well, everything is sort of sturdy. Um, the steering wheel is slightly weighted, the gear shift is solid, and the clutch is firm. Once you’re driving it fast it gets lighter, like everything is grounding you to the road instead.”

Tom hums, thinking that it shouldn’t be a problem then. He’s used to driving a firm car; the Miura back in his garage is a testament to that. “I understand. Sounds fun,” Tom says.

“What about yours?” Harry asks. “Anything I need to know?”

Tom thinks he should probably warn Harry about how intimidating his car is. “It’s easy to drive,” Tom says. He lets himself smirk as Harry’s eyebrows rise up in surprise. “Too easy, in fact, that you forget that you have a lot of power under your fingertips. The steering is sensitive and the gear change is smooth, so the power sneaks up on you every time.”

Harry nods. “Sounds fun,” he says, echoing Tom. “I’ll keep in mind about it being deceptive.”

“In that case, we have the bases covered then,” Tom says. “I think we should give it another thirty minutes before we leave though. We don’t want Dean to blacklist the Firebolts and Basilisks for leaving his meet so early.”

Harry snorts. “You have a point. We can look around, I suppose. I saw a Liberty Walk F40 and a Stratos when I arrived earlier.”

Tom tilts his head, gazing right into Harry's eyes. "Would you like to look around together?"

There is no hesitation in the way Harry replies to him. "Sure, why not? Let me go tell the Firebolts about our driving plans. They're probably itching for a drive too."

"Of course. I'll let the Basilisks know as well."

Harry gives him another smile and then he's pocketing Tom's car key as he walks off towards Ron and Hermione who are still standing beside their cars. Tom sees Hermione give him a knowing look, a smile on her lips, and so he gives her a little smile of his own.

Tom averts his eyes back to Harry to look at the man for a little while longer before he places Harry's car key in his own pocket, still in slight disbelief that the man who has always consistently said no to him for anything before has now agreed to spend time with him.

And all it takes is to offer Harry a great time surrounded by cars? Ginny was right. I should've changed my flirting tactic from long ago.

When Harry arrives in front of Ron and Hermione, the both of them are smiling at him. Harry is suddenly very, very aware of the fact that his friends have been keeping a close eye on his interaction with Rid— Tom. With Tom.

"You look happy, mate," Ron says, amusement clearly heard in his voice. "Whatever happened between you and Tom?"

Harry gives them a little sheepish shrug. "We traded keys," he says. "Um, so, yeah."

Hermione lets out a small giggle. “Ooh, whatever happened to ‘Tom is a bastard’? And to ‘he’s compensating for something’?”

The laugh that Ron lets out is loud, almost drowning Harry’s groan. He sometimes forgets that Hermione can be unforgiving in her teasing. “Hermione, please spare me,” Harry begs, giving her his best pleading face. “I didn’t know that apparently he’s a decent guy.”

“Mate, we have been telling you all this time that he's nice— Okay, somewhat nice. He can be an asshole sometimes with that condescending tone of his,” Ron rants out. “But he’s been in the group for so long that we know what he's like. How did you not see it?”

“That man has been teasing me nonstop for months and trust me, it gets on my nerves a lot,” Harry says.

Hermione rolls her eyes. “And yet you never snap, only continuing to bicker with him and don’t you dare lie to me Harry Potter, you like that he challenges you.”

Ron lets out a scoff. “Tom wasn’t teasing, he was— Ow, Hermione, that hurt!”

“Anyway, Harry,” Hermione starts, rubbing her elbow that she has just used to hit Ron on the stomach. “The two of you traded keys, so I’m assuming you’re going on a drive?”

Harry looks at the two of them and is instantly suspicious. “Hang on, what am I missing? He wasn’t teasing, he was what?”

“Why don’t you ask him? He’s the perfect person to answer your question,” Hermione retaliates, her smile wide with amusement. “Anyway, you’re going on a drive?”

Harry lets out a small sigh. There is no way he’s going to get an answer from either of them now. He can forget asking about it to Ginny too since she is even more tight-lipped than them both. “We all are,” he finally answers. “We haven’t had a full crew drive for a while.”

“Oh, hell yes,” Ron says. “When are we leaving?”

“Let’s do that in half an hour. If we leave too early, Dean might not want us back,” Harry chuckles. “Will you let Ginny know? I don’t see her anywhere.”

Hermione immediately takes out her phone. “Sure thing.”

“I’ll text Dean to let him know of our plans too,” Ron says, taking out his own phone. He pauses, eyes almost twinkling, looking at the space behind Harry and then, “Hey Tom, here to pick Harry up?”

Harry turns around on the spot and startles slightly, not expecting Tom to stand so close to him. The night is cool, with a breeze that mercifully helps to dispel the exhaust from the area, but Harry swears he can feel Tom’s body heat this close to him. It’s almost scorching.

“Yes,” Tom replies easily. “There are a couple of cars here we would like to see before we go on the drive.”

“Of course. Feel free to drag him away,” Hermione says.

Harry looks up almost at the same time Tom looks down at him, dark eyes warm. Warm? What do you mean warm? He’s actually really handsome now that I’m looking—Harry, what the fuck?

“Shall we?” Tom asks, a smirk on his face. “I know that you’re itching for that drive, so we better start looking around quicker.”

Clearing his throat, Harry nods. “Yeah, let’s go.” He turns to Hermione and Ron who are both holding their phones with a similar smile on their face. He rolls his eyes and adds, “See you guys later. We’ll be back soon.”

“Have a good time you two,” Ron calls out as Harry and Tom start walking away from where they are parked. Harry casually gives his best friend the finger over his shoulder as Hermione laughs.

Hermione Granger
[Image]

Ron Weasley
[Image]

Hermione Granger: Also, we are going for a drive in thirty minutes @Ginny Weasley.

Pansy Parkinson: I hv nvr seen Tom look that excited IN MY LIFE
Pansy Parkinson: He’s SMILING SO WIDE in the damn photo

Ron Weasley: Harry is too
Ron Weasley: He’s blushing like wow

Ginny Weasley: @Hermione Granger got it
Ginny Weasley: Walking around w B, will b back in time!

Pansy Parkinson: I wonder what they’re gonna think when they see all these photos we took of them

Draco Malfoy: Firstly they should say thanks
Draco Malfoy: We r doing god’s work here trying to get their idiot asses together

— Blaise Zabini changed the group name to Doing God’s Work —

Hermione lets out another laugh as she reads Draco’s reply. All she is thinking about right now is how fun this night is and that she’s going to see it through until the end, her morning meeting be damned.

“Would you look at that, it’s an actual F40 Liberty Walk,” Harry says. “That looks amazing.”

Tom hums in reply. “And here I am, wishing that I can fit comfortably into the Stratos right there.”

“There’s nothing else to blame but your genes, you abnormally tall man,” Harry says. He snorts when he sees Tom looking at him with an arched brow. "I imagine that your knees would be right beside the steering wheel if you get in the Stratos."

"Most probably yes," Tom answers. "And then the next day, I'll have back pain. It'll probably be worth it though."

Harry laughs. "Probably. There's one in the workshop if you are interested. It's almost complete so you can come for our internal test drive if you'd like."

Harry doesn't think that he's imagining Tom looking excited. "That would be great, Harry. I'll be sure to take you up on that offer."

They continue walking between the cars, with Tom and Harry greeting a few people who know them. Only when they finally reach the quieter section of the meet where not a lot of people are congregated does Harry finally decide to ask Tom outright. He hopes that Hermione and Ron weren't just messing with him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course,” Tom easily replies, eyes on his phone as he takes a photo of a nearby AE86.

Harry carefully places his hands into his pockets. He feels Tom’s car key between his fingers. "What is with you teasing me for months? We bicker each time like kids," he says. Tom turns around, an almost pensive look on his face. "And then Ron told me you weren't teasing? What's that about?"

"Were you extremely annoyed?" Tom asks instead.

He’s deflecting. Harry shrugs, deciding to play along. "More like, irritated, I should say."

Tom hums, letting his eyes roam around the area before he moves closer to Harry. "Apologies about that," he says as he stops in front of Harry. He keeps quiet for a little longer, and then he’s smiling. With a smile like that from Tom, Harry prepares himself for an out of pocket response. "Your reactions were simply interesting,” Tom continues. “I must also say that every time you blush it is highly mesmerizing."

Harry lets out a laugh. At this point he doesn’t know what to make of Tom’s consistent comment about him being attractive. "Well, now you're just saying things. You keep hinting that I'm good looking,” Harry says. He starts walking again, eyes carefully not looking at Tom when he adds, “You won't get any women if you keep doing that."

Harry can feel Tom following him, keeping close as they start walking back to where their friends and cars are. He feels eyes boring into his back, hot and rather hair-raising, and then Tom replies with a steady voice. "My preference does not lie with women, Harry."

"Oh,” Harry mumbles out. He turns around, finding Tom with his hands in his pockets, staring straight at Harry. “Um, that's— That's great," Harry blurts out. Great? What? Harry wants to facepalm, he really does. "So, uh, you have a type, I guess?"

Harry, you really need to learn to shut the hell up.

Tom hums, a smirk forming on his face as he closes the distances between them. He leans down a little so that their gazes are level. "I do, and it's very specific," Tom says.

Harry swallows, mouth dry. "How specific?"

Tom straightens up and makes a show of looking at his watch. "I think that's a conversation for after our drive," Tom finally concludes, dropping his hand. Harry very nearly rolls his eyes. Seems like Tom is the expert on running away. "We should head back now. I believe our friends should be ready."

As they start walking back side by side, they talk about the cars they see. It doesn’t escape Harry that Tom is keeping close, their hand accidentally brushing now and then. Harry is quite surprised to find that he doesn’t really mind. The walk is short and soon enough they find themselves back where they were. Everyone is waiting by their own cars, some leaning against it and some already sitting inside, doors opened. They’re almost quiet, a familiar sign that they’re excited to start the drive.

Harry allows himself to be led by Tom to the Huracán, and moves to sit when Tom opens the door for him. “You need to move the seat all the way to the front,” Tom says, grinning.

“Oh, fuck off, I’m not that short,” Harry laughs as he adjusts the seat. Once he’s seated correctly, he presses down on the brake with his foot and holds the start button down. As the car comes to life, rumbling loudly in his ears, Harry sighs. "It sounds amazing," he comments.

"I know,” Tom says, still smiling. “Well, time for me to get into your Mustang."

Harry gives him a nod. "Have fun, Tom."

"You as well," Tom drawls. Harry watches as Tom closes the door of the Huracán, and then he motions for Harry to lower the window. Once it’s down, Tom leans down to talk to Harry through the open window. "Oh, and Harry? Let the beast loose will you? It already went for a jog with me earlier but it wants to run."

And with that, Tom gives him a wink before he straightens up, patting the roof twice before strolling over to Harry's car. Harry chuckles to himself as Tom adjusts the seat in the Mustang before he sits, elegantly maneuvering himself in. In the next second, the Mustang comes to life, sounding like it's eager to bolt down the road wildly.

Harry stretches an arm out of the window and gives them all a gesture they know well. Let's go for a drive.

When people would ask Harry what is the next best thing after driving, he always says ‘driving with the crew’. It had taken the Firebolts and Basilisks a while to find their driving dynamics due to each of them having their own styles and being naturally competitive against each other, so when it all finally clicked together, they had all agreed that the current formation works out for all of them.

Ginny and Draco are the two that always lead when they start any drive. Both of them are bold, almost aggressive drivers even, hence why they are in charge of opening up the roads whenever there are other cars on it during their night drives. Normal people and other petrolheads move aside quickly because who wouldn’t be intimidated by a rally car that is going head-to-head with a track car?

Following them both is Hermione and Blaise as the both of them are strategic and precise drivers, sticking close enough to either Ginny or Draco to keep the space on the road they have opened to stay that way.

The two fastest drivers, Harry and Tom, surprisingly always start the drive by staying behind the four. Biding their time like predators waiting for an opening to attack, they are patient as they wait for their friends to open up the road for them. Their driving is smooth and fluid, cutting through traffic like a demon and its shadow.

Ron and Pansy follow right behind them as they balance each other out, acting as blockers for anybody that tries to get behind Harry and Tom. Ron’s calculative driving allows him to watch everybody’s back while Pansy’s brazen driving and her red Porsche serves as a warning sign to any that tries to cut into their formation.

As they exit Dean’s meet, they immediately assume their positions, creating a spectacle as they drive away from the area. They consciously drive slower, keeping to the speed limit as they head towards the long stretch of road they always go for a drive to. The road itself stretches for at least thirty kilometers and it is smooth with multiple long bends, allowing them to put their foot down without any sharp turns spoiling their stride. And at this time of the night, it will be empty.

Harry is taking deep breaths and letting it out slowly as he keeps a safe distance away from Blaise, trying his best to calm his erratic heart down. All the interaction he has had with Tom tonight has been making him quite flustered and driving his car is nerve-wracking to say the least. He glances at the rear view mirror, seeing only the slats from the engine cover, unable to see the road behind him. He looks over at the side mirror after and sees his own car’s bright headlights dips in and then out as the road curves. It’s a weird feeling to see his own car behind him.

The Huracán's engine is loud in his ears and he can feel that the car is waiting for him to actually drive it properly, the untapped power almost begging him to put the throttle down. Not yet, not yet…

He sees the sign that tells him that they’re entering their particular stretch of road and then he feels the asphalt smooth out under the tires. Harry squirms a little and pulls at the seatbelt slightly, allowing him to shift his position as he leans back fully in the seat. He grips the steering wheel tighter, the two fingers of his right hand resting lightly against the paddle shifter behind it.

Harry hears the unmistakable sound of Ginny pulling away, Draco definitely right next to her due to their overlapping exhaust sounds. There is no sound of them downshifting after a couple seconds which means the roads are extremely empty, and then Hermione accelerates, shifting into a higher gear as the road expands into three lanes. She pulls away from Harry to move to the left lane smoothly as Blaise does the same, moving to the right lane, leaving the middle one empty for Harry.

The road is still quite dark even with the lamps along it. It’s peaceful and inviting, like the abyss coaxing you to fall into it. He sees Ginny and Draco further away pelting down the asphalt. Hermione stays close to him as Blaise decides to speed up, taking off after the two.

He knows that Tom is right behind him, somewhat feeling like a guiding hand against Harry's back.

Oh, and Harry? Let the beast loose will you? It already went for a jog with me earlier but it wants to run.

The road in front of him is clear. Harry takes another breath.

And then he puts his foot down on the throttle.

Chapter Text

Harry was in third gear when he finally put his foot down on the throttle. At that point, the engine has been whining impatiently, as if scolding him for not going fast enough. So when Harry finally succumbs to the demand, he swears it sounds like the Huracán is snarling joyously at his decision.

The car is fast. Although, if Harry is being honest, fast doesn’t even cover it. Flying? He believes that he might just do that. As he expected, the car shifts to the fourth gear by itself, the RPM needle hitting the red zone almost immediately as he accelerates from the third.

“What in the fuck,” Harry swears loudly as the acceleration pins him into the seat. He taps on the paddle shift to go into the fifth gear, and then he’s flying past Blaise, then Ginny, the shrill whine from the turbo underlying the engine screaming. He passes Draco next and then he switches to sixth gear when he hears the sound of the engine climb towards the red zone again, turning the wheel slightly to follow the curve of the road.

The road is dark in front of him, the white lane markings glowing under the lamps mostly the only thing guiding him to stick to the bends of the road. Harry isn’t particularly worried about the tires slipping. The road is dry and the large wing at the back of the car makes sure that the downforce keeps it sticking to the asphalt.

He risks a glance down at the speedometer, noting that the numbers on the bottom right says 273kph. He quickly looks back up to the street and is grinning wide when he upshifts into seventh gear.

“Holy shit!” Harry shouts out to himself, his voice drowned out by the roaring. The road in front of him is a straight line, so he glances down again. 362kph. He keeps it steady on that speed for a while before he eases on the gas pedal, letting the speed come down to a more casual 200kph. He hears the blowoff valve from the turbo dispense the remaining air pressure, creating a sharp whoosh sound.

Still grinning, he presses on the throttle again, bringing the speed back up before releasing it quickly. He hears a loud pop from the exhaust and then Harry is laughing. He really hopes that either Ginny or Hermione who has a GoPro on their dashboard at least tries to follow him and he hopes that they’re recording to catch the flames he just let spit out of the Huracán’s exhaust.

Harry slows down then, dropping back to his previous speed to let his friends catch up. Unsurprisingly, when he hears another engine, it’s of his own car. The beams from the headlights move closer and within seconds, Harry sees the dark outline of his Mustang beside him.

He slows down a little bit more, downshifting a couple of gears this time, the engine and exhaust singing behind him. It feels like he’s crawling now after accelerating that quickly but the low speed is welcome. He does need to calm his heart a little. Tom stays level beside him, downshifting as well, practically cruising together.

Harry feels the phone in his pocket vibrate continuously, and even when he knows he’s not supposed to use it, he takes it out of his pocket. He quickly swipes at the screen to receive the call and then presses on the loudspeaker. He drops the phone on his lap and yells out, “Hello?”

There is a low laugh. “How is it?” Tom asks.

“Brilliant,” Harry replies. “Fucking brilliant. Oh my fucking god, Tom. What the hell.”

There’s more laughter from the phone. “I see that you’ve been reduced to just cursing now. I’ll take it as a good sign.”

It’s Harry’s turn to laugh. “Talk to me again when we stop. I need a moment to process the speed.”

“Sure thing, darling,” Tom drawls out. “Now, I would like to push your Mustang a little, if you don’t mind?”

Harry ignores the swooping sensation in his stomach when he hears the term of endearment. “It can take more than a little push. Go for it,” Harry says. He pauses for a little. He knows that Tom drives extremely well, probably as well as Harry himself. “Go wild,” he adds, curious to what Tom will do.

“Gladly,” Tom says.

The call disconnects and then Harry watches with a grin as the Mustang pulls away from him extremely quickly, the growl of the V8 thunderous and aggressive. He hears Tom actually shifting the gears swiftly as he accelerates away, something he only usually hears from professionals, not afraid to coax out every drop of power from the engine.

And that’s how you should drive your cars.

Before the drive, when Tom was waiting for his turn to pull out of the parking space, he had lightly gripped the steering wheel with both hands, letting himself be acquainted with Harry’s car. The loping idle of the V8 is heavenly. It’s extremely different from his Lamborghinis but it’s beautiful and exhilarating all the same; the knowledge that you’re under the mercy of something so powerful that you know you'll need to focus to control it properly.

As they start driving towards their stretch of road, he has kept the Mustang slow, following right behind Harry in the Huracán. During the various turns and bends, even with the slow speed, the Mustang’s tail has a tendency to fishtail a little when Tom revs it, a testament to how much power the car actually has.

Surprising, almost unpredictable, Tom thinks, and most importantly, fun. Just like Harry.

When the asphalt turns smoother under the tires, Tom hears the familiar sound of Ginny and Draco pulling away, and then he sees Hermione and Blaise move to the left and right lanes. He watches closely as Harry maintains his speed in front of him. Tom is aware that Ron and Pansy are behind him, already moving aside to the other lanes from the sound of engines splitting up and having their headlights reflect from the side mirrors, leaving him and Harry in the middle lane.

“Come on, Harry,” Tom mutters. “Let it run. Come on.”

Harry seems to have heard him as in the next second the Huracán shoots away, screaming loudly as Harry, possibly quite literally, puts his foot down boldly against the gas pedal. Tom grins as he puts his foot down as well, the Mustang roaring in reply. He knows he won’t be able to catch up to Harry but there’s no reason for him to not try right?

He hears Ron and Pansy accelerate as well, but he soon leaves them behind. Tom keeps both hands on the wheel as he focuses on getting the timing right before he presses the clutch down and then upshifting quickly into fourth. There is no better way to describe the Mustang's engine sounds than comparing it to a wild animal snarling viciously and Tom is loving every note of it.

“Fuck, this car is amazing,” Tom breathes to himself. While Tom’s car feels like the epitome of engineering precision, Harry’s feels like a visceral experience instead. If it’s a living thing, Tom is sure that it would try to eat him alive.

He shoots past Hermione and Blaise, and then he shifts into fifth, blazing through Ginny and Draco. He chuckles as Harry seems to forget them all, the Huracán getting smaller as he pushes on ahead. Tom glances down at the circular speedometer, noting that he’s only going around 240kph. He smiles before he upshifts for the last time, thoroughly enjoying the feel of raw power that seems to radiate through the gearshift.

Tom hears as Harry lets go of the throttle, the turbo whistling, seemingly to allow the rest of the crew to catch up. He laughs when Harry instead speeds up again before promptly releasing it. Blue fire spits out of the Huracán's titanium exhaust and only then does Harry actually slow down. Tom smoothly sails along on the sixth gear and then brakes a little to get in line with Harry. He downshifts when Harry does. They cruise together for a while and then Tom takes out his phone to call Harry.

He switches to loudspeaker as he waits for Harry to pick up, dropping the phone into the cup holder in front of the gearshift.

“Hello?” Harry yells out from the phone.

Tom laughs. He knows that it can get quite loud inside his car. Of course it would be, what with the engine sitting exactly behind the seats. “How is it?” Tom asks.

“Brilliant,” Harry replies. “Fucking brilliant. Oh my fucking god, Tom. What the hell.”

Tom lets out another laugh, definitely understanding Harry’s reaction. He had the same one when he first tried driving the car. “I see that you’ve been reduced to just cursing now. I’ll take it as a good sign.”

Harry laughs, the sound full of joy. “Talk to me again when we stop. I need a moment to process the speed.”

Tom glances at the side window, wishing that he can see the expression on Harry’s face. Fuck, I want him. He contemplates for a second, and then smiles to himself. “Sure thing, darling,” Tom drawls. Darling is definitely fitting for Harry. “Now, I would like to push your Mustang a little, if you don’t mind?”

“It can take more than a little push. Go for it,” Harry says. There is a pause, and then, “Go wild.”

Oh? I never expected that. “Gladly,” Tom replies.

He picks up the phone again to disconnect the call before dropping it back in the cupholder. Tom places a hand on the gearshift to remind himself what gear the car is in — the third. Having been given the permission to push the Mustang, Tom takes a breath and floors it. His hand on the gearshift is ready as he upshifts as smoothly and as fast as he can.

Now that he's really, truly pushing the limit of the car, Tom finds out that what Harry said earlier is right. The sturdier build of the car makes him stay grounded to all the sensations coming from the drive, forcing him to pay attention to the tiniest change of speed and steering.

Tom feels his heart pick up a little, excitement building in his stomach, knowing that now they are approaching the section of the road where it turns at almost a 90 degree angle. The bend is large and the ground level, making it the perfect spot if you would like to do something a little daring. And Tom wants to do just that.

He finds himself hoping that Harry doesn’t murder him when he follows through with it. The man did tell him to go wild, and Tom is one to never allow people to take back what they’ve said.

As he sees the bend in the distance, he turns the Mustang’s headlights off momentarily to check if there are any other cars on it. As his surroundings go dark for a split second, he sees that there are no other headlights or brake lights. The road is free for him to take. Tom allows the Mustang to climb up another gear and when he finally approaches the bend, he downshifts and then clutch kicks it.

He doesn’t even have to try too hard to get it to drift. The car seems to have a mind of its own as Tom maneuvers it sideways through the whole length of the bend, engine and tires screaming into the dark abyss.

When he exits the bend, righting the car for the next stretch of straight road, Tom thinks that he definitely needs to get a Mustang built by Harry as his next car.

Draco shakes his head slowly as he watches Harry blazing past him so fast that the black Lamborghini is nearly a blur. Harry is a brave lunatic, he thinks, within ten minutes of being in Tom’s car and he’s comfortable enough to go all out. And then Tom accelerates past Draco, loud and so swiftly that it feels like Draco’s car is standing still. And then there’s the second lunatic, going mach speed in a goddamn manual car.

He scoffs a little when Ginny finally goes past him, chasing the two men pelting down the dark road, no doubt trying to get a shot of them on her GoPro. Draco actually rolls his eyes when he sees Hermione suddenly fly by him, taking off after Ginny.

Draco eases off the gas pedal, his car rumbling contentedly to the change of pace, and then Blaise is next to him, the silver of the R8 bright under the lamps. He keeps his car steady next to Draco, just like how they used to cruise when they started driving together as teenagers.

There’s a series of loud honks and then Pansy overtakes them both, hair wildly flying as she has kept the roof down. Draco lets out a laugh as she follows Ginny and Hermione away from the boys. Never change, Pansy, never change.

Then Ron goes past him and Blaise, the clean E30 sounding crisp and exquisite. When Ron pauses some distance away, Draco raises an eyebrow. He sees the brake lights come on and then Ron is beside Draco as well, cruising at the same speed as him and Blaise. Ron gives him a single quick honk.

“Well, well, Weasley,” Draco says. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

Draco presses on the horn once, and then he hears Blaise honk as well. Oh, it’s on. Draco takes it on himself to do the countdown, pressing the horn once, twice, and as soon as he honks for the third time, he immediately hits the gas pedal. He keeps his eyes on the road as Blaise and Ron accelerate as well, the three engine noises blending together in a cacophony of music as they race against each other.

Because he’s keeping an eye out on the road, Draco sees as Harry’s Mustang suddenly accelerates away. He knows that they’re approaching the large curve on the road and then the Mustang goes dark momentarily as the headlight turns off. Draco is still upshifting, the gesture almost automatic as he knows his car and the road well, but he can’t help but mutter to himself as he figures out what Tom is about to do. “No way, in Harry’s car?” He mutters.

He gets his answer a moment later when he sees the Mustang move to do a continuous drift. Draco gapes a little, almost forgetting that he’s supposed to be racing Ron and Blaise. Before his surprise abates, the Huracán attacks the corner, sliding into a drift too.

Oh my fucking god, those two are perfect for each other.

Ginny then follows with a drift as well, with Hermione close by turning normally albeit still going fast, definitely doing a recording on her own GoPro. Pansy attacks the corner after, going faster than Hermione, not exactly drifting it but Draco knows that the tires must be squealing at least.

And the girls in our group are fucking amazing.

Draco ignores the fact that he’s a little behind Ron and Blaise, content with losing the race knowing that he’s witnessed something extremely interesting. He winces a little when he realizes that he’s not as competitive as when he’s younger. Man, I’m getting old.

Ron has always been one of the calmer drivers compared to the rest of the crew due to his calculative nature, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not up for a little fun. He has already passed Draco and Blaise who are driving side by side, looking like they’re having some bonding session. He scoffs a little but then he pauses, lifting his foot up from the pedal.

Maybe a little race?

He brakes then and waits until Draco and Blaise are right next to him. The two gits might have newer cars but Ron is confident enough in his build. He’s surrounded by petrolheads and Harry is the type to gladly give him pointers. People would usually think that Ron only builds the body of his car but he knows that his car is actually fast, and sometimes it’s nice to have a sleeper. Look like a somewhat normal car then blow them away unexpectedly with how powerful the engine is, you know?

He honks once, confident that Draco will understand. There's a couple of seconds of silence and then there’s a honk from the AMG, followed by another one from the R8 beside Draco. Ron is about to do the countdown when Draco honks once, then twice.

Ron focuses back on the road, a hand ready on the gearshift of his manual car. When the third honk blares out, Ron immediately puts his foot down. The E30 shoots forward immediately and Ron is glad to find that he is right. His car actually easily maintains the same speed as the other two when he sneaks a glance at them.

He lets his eyes rise up a little, estimating the length of road left for their race. His eyebrows furrowed together as he upshifts again, engine loud in his ears, as he tries to make sense of what he’s seeing. Tom is doing a drift in Harry’s car, and then Harry is drifting the goddamn Lamborghini. Christ, those two should just sleep together already.

And then he sees Ginny following along. He rolls his eyes as Blaise finally seemingly decides to throw caution to the wind and leaves him and Draco behind, presumably to chase after Ginny. Ron knows he shouldn’t be surprised since their group consists of daring drivers, but damn. I thought this was supposed to be a casual drive.

“Oh my goodness, these boys,” Hermione mutters when she sees Harry follow Tom in a drift around the bend. She barely has any chance to glance at her GoPro before she recognizes the telltale sign of Ginny preparing for a drift as well.

Hermione decides to stick close but not going into a drift, following Ginny normally as the rear end of the Evo swings out. She focuses on keeping just the right distance to make sure that she gets the shot, not distracted by the sound of squealing tires. Even with the large bend, it feels as if the drift is short, and soon enough Ginny is straightening out her car.

She lets out a breath of relief. “I think I got the shot, Gin. Don’t worry.”

As Hermione exits the bend, she decides to just stick behind Ginny but in the right lane, matching her speed as she seems to decide to cruise for a little bit, but still being able to see the road ahead of her. She lets out another sigh as she spots Harry and Tom in the distance. Well, this night has certainly become extremely interesting, she thinks.

Hermione is not going to say that she’s right, but she’s definitely right about Harry and Tom. Every time the group talks about the two men, they always debate on whether or not they will get together. They change their conclusion every time, but only Hermione stays constant in her vote.

“Harry is rather slow in this matter but he’ll figure it out,” Hermione had said as they sat at an outdoor café. “Have you seen how they talk about cars? They finish each other's sentences. He is highly interested in Tom but he’s not going to admit it because he thinks Tom flirting is just a way of messing with him.”

“So, Tom is actually his type?” Draco asks, stirring his coffee. “Never thought that Potter got some taste in him.”

Pansy scoffs, moving her sunglasses to the top of her head. “Couldn’t be me. I see someone messing with me, I mess with them back. Especially when they’re hot as fuck.”

“You’re different, Pansy,” Hermione sighs. “And yes, Draco, Tom is Harry’s type. Tall and handsome. Hot as fuck, like Pansy said.”

“I know what to do,” Ginny pipes up before she bites into her croissant. The rest of the table waits as she chews. “I’ll tell Tom that he needs to change his flirting tactics. He needs to be as blunt as possible, get it through Harry’s thick skull, you know?”

Hermione nods. “That might work.” And so, when Ginny finally told Tom to quit messing around and get down to business, she had texted Hermione after. Hermione had looked at the text and smiled. She’s going to give it a couple of weeks before Harry finally gets it.

Hermione Granger: Ron, I’m updating my bet.
Hermione Granger: In about two weeks there’s going to be something between Harry and Tom.

Ron Weasley: Ok u r on
Ron Weasley: I’m staying w my timeline
Ron Weasley: Another month

Well, looking at what’s happening tonight, Hermione is sure that she’s going to win that bet.

As Pansy exits the bend behind Hermione, she lets out a little whoop. She slows down afterwards to run a hand through her hair, trying to get it under control as she casually maneuvers her car to follow Hermione. The engine noises and the wind is loud around her but it’s peaceful.

She loves these night drives with the crew. Everybody is doing their own thing and driving with their own style and Pansy thrives in this kind of energy. She looks up at the night sky, at the lamps lining the road blazing past. Pansy smiles as he turns her attention back to the road, looking at Ginny’s Evo and Hermione’s WRX STI, their paint jobs contrasting.

Pansy has been driving with the Basilisks for a long time now and she loves them dearly, but it's just filled with too much testosterone. Her gay ass can only take so much before she feels like she's going to go insane. Draco is fruity, but Pansy needs more women in the group.

So when the Firebolts finally combine with the Basilisks, Pansy is ecstatic. Hermione and Ginny are smart and are good drivers and they seem to actually like Pansy and her sometimes unhinged behavior. And now Blaise is somewhat together with Ginny and Tom is so close to being Harry's boyfriend.

If only Tom would stop playing around and get to the point, and if only Harry would stop playing hard-to-get. Although, if Pansy must admit, this thing between Tom and Harry is probably the best drama she has ever had the privilege to witness.

Her thoughts are interrupted when she sees Blaise sidle up next to her, giving her a little rev as a sign to say hello. Pansy snorts and then gives him a rev in return before Blaise leaves her to catch up to Ginny. As Blaise closes in on her, Ginny accelerates away, obviously taunting Blaise to try and catch her. Pansy laughs as Blaise takes the bait and chases after the Evo.

Soon enough Ron and Draco are with them, Ron next to Hermione, and Draco next to Pansy. They cruise together, enjoying the drive instead of trying to race each other.

Pansy knows that they're probably thinking about how she's not driving as fast as before the bend. Well, kids, this queen in stilettos just wants to have some quality time with you.

“Yes,” Ginny sighs out as she straightens out her car from the drift after exiting the bend. She glances at her rear view mirror and sees Hermione right behind her. “Hermione, I hope you’ve been recording because that was pretty smooth, if I say so myself.”

She glances at the still recording GoPro on her dashboard before focusing back on the road. Ginny is pretty sure that she’s got a great recording of Harry and Tom driving like maniacs and she can’t wait to share it with the rest later when they stop at the end of the road.

Now, all she sees are Harry and Tom way ahead of her, playfully taking over and changing lanes with each other. She grins, delighted that the two of them are having fun. Seems like their relationship advanced quite significantly tonight, with Harry opening up and Tom actually taking her advice on changing his flirting method.

If they ever get together, Tom owes me a lot. Maybe a car, actually.

Ginny lets out a breath as she eases up on the throttle, focusing more on just driving smoothly now. She’s still going fast but she’s no longer accelerating, simply enjoying the sounds of her Evo and the quietness of the night. After that particular corner, the rest of the road is almost straight except for a few smooth curves. At the end of the road, there is another bend, a much tighter one so that people will slow down as they approach the roundabout that leads back into the city.

A little further away from the roundabout is a McDonald’s they usually frequent after their drive, the large parking lot a comfortable and safe place for them to park. Ginny is sure that even without talking about where they should end up, they are all heading towards the same direction. Getting burgers at 3AM is great too, she muses.

Ginny thinks that she might just take it slow for the rest of the drive but then the familiar acceleration noise from Blaise’s R8 invades the cabin. Her lips quirk up in a smile and when she sees Blaise on her side mirror, she abandons her original idea of going slow and speeds up instead.

If she beats Blaise to McDonald’s, she’s going to ask him to buy her two McFlurrys.

Blaise laughs as she sees Ginny suddenly accelerate away from him. He’s still giddy from having beat both Ron and Draco, although he doesn’t think that winning against Draco should be counted this time. The man had eased up on the gas when Tom and Harry started drifting, probably too stunned to pay attention to the small race they were in.

He was a little surprised too, not expecting the two lovebirds to just treat each other’s cars like it’s theirs. Them bickering like an old married couple is nothing new but the car keys exchanging hands definitely shocked them all because it’s not only Tom that’s protective of their car. Harry is too.

Draco is right, Tom is a simp, and the Basilisks have known this for a long time. It’s fun to watch the man be extremely head over heels over someone who is somewhat oblivious to his advances. Although, Hermione did say that there is no way Harry is that oblivious, because really, a blind man can see that Tom is in love.

What a weird thing to think about, Tom in love, Blaise muses. The world might be ending.

He directs his attention back to Ginny who is by now quite some distance away from him. Blaise never thought that he would actually fall for her and then one day, she beat him in a race. Ginny had given him a grin and a wink and just like that, he was hooked.

Blaise loves cars and fiery women, and Ginny? Ginny is a fiery woman who loves cars. Who just drifted. In front of him. He knows that she is in her racing mode now so he smiles to himself, knowing that Ginny won’t forgive him if he throws the race. He speeds up, eager to catch the red Evo.

And if she wins? Well, Blaise doesn’t mind.

He puts his foot down on the throttle and upshifts, tailing Ginny as she flies through the dark road. Keeping an eye out on the curves of the road, he notices that they’re almost at the end of it. If he doesn’t overtake Ginny soon, he will definitely lose.

Blaise decides to do a little drafting, keeping as close as he dares to the Evo’s rear end. Ginny’s aggressive driving doesn’t allow him to overtake her though as she seems to read Blaise’s mind, moving to block him every time he tries to go on a different lane. Blaise lets out a short laugh. Man, this woman is good.

He doesn’t push too hard though, knowing very well what might happen if he does, and they’re closing in on that tight bend anyway so he actually releases the throttle, pulling back to create a safe distance between himself and Ginny. Soon after, Ginny brakes, her exhaust making a series of popping noises.

Blaise brakes as well, and he’s pretty sure that he can hear Ron right behind him. They follow the curve, and then continue around the roundabout. He’s certain that Tom and Harry are probably already parked in that McDonald’s parking lot. Probably having a normal conversation that does not have any sexual tension, oh no, of course not.

Ginny slows down further, making sure that her engine and exhaust calms down a little, not wanting to disturb people who are probably living near the area. They all do the same, making sure to still show respect towards the neighborhood. The last thing they need is to have someone call the police on them, even when they can easily get out of trouble through their connections.

He sees the yellow, glowing M of the fast food joint and lets out a breath. As he turns into the parking lot, he sees that Tom and Harry are already parked, standing beside each other’s cars deep in conversation. Tom is actually leaning against Harry’s car while Harry is excitedly talking to him. The night must be windy because Harry’s wild black hair is somewhat whipping about. A lock of it falls over his eye and then Tom reaches out to move it away gently, a small smile on his face.

Blaise is lucky he’s inside the car because he bursts out laughing when he sees Harry turn extremely red from the simple gesture. He won’t admit it out loud but he loves these two idiots.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe you didn't get a shot of the flames," Harry says to Ginny as he picks up a fry from the pile they’ve amassed in the middle of the table.

A crumpled bill hits Harry straight on the forehead and he turns to receive a mock glare from Ginny. "You were going like, what, three fifty?" She scoffs. "My acceleration can't match Tom's car and even if it can, Harry, you're a literal speed demon."

Harry chuckles as he chews the fry. Even sitting still right now, eating casually, Harry is feeling rather restless, like he’s a bundle of live wire. He thinks that it’s most likely because of how the drive ended, with the drifting and the catastrophic conversation he had with Tom in the parking lot while waiting for their friends to finally catch up with them.

After Harry had told Tom to go wild with his car earlier, he suspected that Tom would probably try to drift it and he was ecstatic when he's proven right. It was a sight, seeing his own car being used like how it's supposed to be by someone who is as skilled in driving as himself. Harry can still see it in his mind, the way Tom had smoothly maneuvered the Mustang like he had driven it a thousand times before tonight. He can see it clear as day that Tom’s driving style is fierce but not violent, and he is fearless and precise. That’s why Harry trusts his car with the man; he’s quite similar in that aspect, he reckons.

Harry had arrived at the parking lot first after overtaking Tom before the tight bend, reverse parking carefully once he’s in it. He exits the Huracán as Tom parks the Mustang, the night quiet after all the engine noises that have been roaring behind his seat. The difference is jarring especially after Tom turns the Mustang’s ignition off.

It's a windy night and the cool air feels great on Harry's hot skin as he paces, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. When Tom finally exits the car, Harry turns to him. “Your car—” he points at the Huracán, a smile on his face, “—is fucking amazing. Do you actually use it daily?”

Tom leans against the Mustang, hands casually in his pockets. “It’s too powerful for a daily, so I use it two to three times a week. I do have other cars that are more convenient for that,” Tom says. He nods at his car behind Harry. “So, since you’ve regained the ability to form words, how does it feel? Tell me everything.”

Harry huffs, a laugh escaping him. How is he supposed to convey it all into words? "You're right. It's a beast. The acceleration is rather brutal and I couldn't really comprehend that I was going that fast until after I looked down at the speedo," Harry says, words spilling out rapidly. "It's so fun, being able to easily control it. I drifted after you did with mine."

"I know. I heard," Tom chuckles. "What else?"

Harry pauses, hearing Ginny's Evo approaching. He feels his cheeks warm a little. "It’s very much like you," Harry finally says. When Tom doesn't say anything, simply arching a brow in question, Harry flushes. There's no backing out now.

He can see Ginny's headlight beams closing in as he continues. "I mean, it's intense," Harry says. "You're intense. It’s proud and loud, a little arrogant too, but it's irre—"

As Harry cuts his sentence off, he sees the red Evo turning into the parking lot, the rest of their friends behind it. He swallows, not really sure how to continue. Shit, I almost blurted it out. Tom is going to ask—

"It's what, Harry?" Tom asks.

Shit. Harry doesn't reply, merely standing there as a sudden strong wind sweeps through the area, making a lock of his hair whip around his face. Tom gives him a small smirk as he reaches out to move the hair away gently. Not expecting the gesture, Harry blushes violently.

Tom glances around at their friends who are now queueing to park, the engine sounds from their cars filling the air. "If you don't tell me now I will be pestering you in front of them, Harry," Tom says, a mischievous grin forming on his face.

Harry knows that Tom will definitely follow through with his threat if he doesn’t say it now. He locks his eyes with Tom and decides to just get on with it before their friends have fuel for their own teasing. “It’s irresistible,” Harry says quickly. When Tom stares at him with a smug smirk, Harry panics. “To drive. I’m saying your car is irresistible to drive. The car.”

Tom laughs low. “Of course, Harry. The car. Which you said is very much like I am.”

“I take it back,” Harry groans, face flaming. He looks around to see that their friends are all parked and are now exiting their cars. The parking lot is quiet again except for conversation floating down to where Harry is, but he can't make out their friends' words. He turns back to Tom and grits out, “You’re definitely, definitely resistible, unlike your car.”

Tom pushes off Harry’s Mustang and leans in close. Harry wills himself to stay put and not react even though Tom is a little too close for comfort. “Whatever you say, darling,” Tom whispers.

Harry covers his face with both hands and groans loudly as his stomach swoops, thinking that if there truly is a higher power up there, they should just smite him now. Why am I such a disaster, fucking hell. He keeps his hands on his face longer even when he hears their friends walk closer, not daring to put it down for now because Harry knows that he’s still blushing. “What’s wrong with Harry?” he hears Hermione ask.

“He’s having a crisis,” Tom replies smoothly. “He gave me a very truthful review of the Huracán.”

“Okay, well, have your crisis inside over a burger, Potter. Let’s go,” Blaise says.

Harry hears a few snickers and footsteps moving away from him before he finally drops his hands and with a defeated sigh, follows the group as they finally head inside the McDonald’s. Tom deciding to walk close to him does not help with how frazzled Harry is feeling.

So yes, it was a catastrophic conversation with Tom.

Harry manages to calm himself down as he waits for his turn to order and by the time the group are seated with their stack of food, he's proud enough to say that he's gotten the others fooled with how composed he is.

"So what was the crisis about?" Pansy asks before she bites into her cheeseburger.

Or not, Harry thinks.

He shrugs, trying to feign nonchalance. "About how fast and how fun it is to drive it. It's making me want one," Harry replies. He takes a large bite out of his own burger as Pansy gives him an unconvinced look.

"I don't see an issue. You can just get one, no need to have a crisis over it," Draco says. Harry rolls his eyes at the reply. Sometimes the blonde git can forget that things actually cost money. Even though Harry knows that he can afford it, that doesn’t mean he’s going to build one just like that, and he still loves his own car.

"Sure, it's as simple and cheap as getting this burger," Ron says with a chuckle. "How much did you spend on it again, Tom?"

Tom hums from beside Harry as the man stabs a nugget with a fork. "I spent enough," Tom answers casually. There is a chorus of groans around the table followed by chuckles.

“He always says that,” Hermione says, shaking her head.

"Which translates to a fuckton of money," Ginny concludes. "It looks like a lot of fun though so I guess the spending is justified."

Harry nods in agreement before commenting about how Ginny didn't get a shot of Tom's car spitting flames and receiving a crumpled bill flicked on his forehead instead. Tom, who looks out of place sitting in the plastic chair as he now sips on his Cola through the straw, arches a brow at Ginny, looking amused. "I managed to catch up to Harry though."

A laugh escapes Harry as another crumpled bill flies through the air, hitting Tom's chest. It's Pansy this time who has flicked the paper ball. "You drive like a maniac too so you're an outlier in this," Pansy says.

"I did get a shot of the both of you drifting," Ginny pipes up, the fry in her hand swinging dangerously. Draco who is seated on her right instinctively leans away from her, obviously not wanting to risk the fry hitting his shirt. "Oh wait, I need to download it."

"Your GoPro is still in your car right?" Hermione asks. "I'll come with you to take it after we finish our burgers. I can get mine too. I got your drift on video."

Ginny nods excitedly, returning to her food to finish it. The rest of the group digs in as well, momentarily silent as they continue to eat. Blaise is the first to finish his burger and he makes a show of crumpling up the wrapper. “So, Tom—” he starts, “—what’s the review on Harry’s Mustang? Does it drive as mean as it sounds?”

Harry watches as Tom sets his cup down. He focuses on swallowing the last of his burger and keeps his eyes on said cup, wondering about what Tom is going to say. “It’s like a wild animal,” Tom says. Harry lifts his eyes when he hears the comparison to find that Tom is looking at him. “Powerful and untamable. Makes you wonder if you’re going to die driving it and if you are, best believe that you’ll still be smiling,” Tom continues. “Gorgeous too. I want one.”

At this point, Harry can't really ignore the way his stomach drops as the realization finally hits him. Paired with their previous conversation, that would mean that Tom is going to risk it all and smile through it. It means that he actually wants… Oh my fucking god.

Harry wonders if Tom is being serious or not. He doesn't know anymore.

“Uh…” Blaise trails off. “You’re talking about the Mustang or…?”

Harry breaks eye contact with Tom as the man turns to look at Blaise. He ignores the way the group is looking at him and Tom with a combination of amusement and disbelief. Harry knows that they are trying really hard not to laugh. Great, I’m not going to be hearing the end of this. “Yes, Blaise, I’m talking about the Mustang,” Tom replies easily.

Pansy nods solemnly even though she looks anything but pensive. “Of course, Tom,” she says.

“Before I start feeling like a third-wheel, I am going to get ice cream,” Blaise says. He stands up fluidly and looks around the table. “Anybody else coming along?”

“Oh, me,” Pansy replies. “I’ll come with you.”

Hermione and Ginny stand as well, plastic chairs scraping against the floor. “We’re going to grab the GoPros. We can eat ice cream and check out the recordings,” Hermione says. “Blaise, Oreo McFlurry for me please.”

“Same,” Ginny pipes up, turning to Blaise. “Babe, I know I told you I want two but I think I can only eat one right now.”

“Sure thing,” Blaise replies, giving her a smile. Ginny gives him a wink and then laughs as she and Hermione head out the door, ignoring Ron who is groaning loudly beside Harry.

“Blaise, I’ll get the Maltesers McFlurry please,” Harry adds.

“Make that two,” Tom says. “I’ve had one Cola so I might as well indulge in more sugar.”

Draco lets out a defeated sigh. “Three. Why not?”

“And four,” Ron says, picking at the leftover fries on the tray. “I guess we all need a little sugar boost before we end the night.”

Blaise laughs. “Looks like it. Come on Pansy,” he says.

As the two leave, silence comes over the table, with Draco whipping up his phone and immediately typing on it and Ron continuing to eat. Seconds pass and Harry finally decides to break the silence. He turns to Tom and finds the man already looking at him with those dark eyes. Only then does Harry think, how long has Tom been looking at me like that?

Draco hopes to the heavens above that Ron’s phone is on silent instead of vibrate mode as he types in their combined group chat.

Draco: Testing

There is no sound of any phone vibrating and then Draco continues to type.

Draco: Ok u guys DEFINITELY heard what Tom said right?
Draco: There’s no way Harry can NOT understand it right?
Draco: RIGHT?????

Draco nearly jumps out of his skin when Harry suddenly speaks. “You said that you have other cars. I'm assuming they're all Lamborghinis?” Harry asks, the question directed to Tom. Draco lifts his head to look at them and finds that Tom and Harry are looking at each other like him and Ron doesn’t matter. He’s not surprised.

“Yes, they are. I have an Aventador and a Miura. I mostly drive the Aventador because it’s the most reliable one out of the three,” Tom answers, a smile on his face.

Pansy: WHEN I TELL U I AM SHOOK

Blaise: Man is GODDAMN WHIPPED
Blaise: As for Harry
Blaise: Bro I hv no idea and at this point I’m scared to even ask

“A Miura?” Harry asks, hand pausing halfway to grab his Cola. His face has that almost awed look again, similar to when Tom was explaining the Huracán’s build during the meet. “I don’t know why I’m surprised anymore. It makes a lot of sense that you would own one.”

Hermione: Tom’s words truly caught me off guard.
Hermione: He’s serious. Like really, really serious.

Ginny: If Harry doesn’t get it I will smack him I swear to GOD

Draco: Roonil here is focused on eating and I’m fucking third wheeling
Draco: Come back ASAP

Ginny: Door

Draco looks up from his phone and sees Ginny go through the door, a GoPro in one hand and her phone in the other, Hermione close behind her. He nearly sighs in relief. He keeps quiet as Tom and Harry turn their attention to the two women. "It's the SVJ too," Tom adds sneakily right before Ginny sits.

Harry turns to look at Tom who is smirking now, smug from having gotten Harry’s attention. Draco catches Hermione’s eyes and he sees that she has that mischievous twinkle in them. Granger, come on, be a hero and tease him please—

"Harry? You look like you're starstruck," Hermione asks as she sits down.

Draco bites back a smile. "Tom just told him that he owns a Miura SVJ, so naturally, Harry is distracted by it,” he tells Hermione.

"Gin, Hermione, please share that video fast," Ron pipes up. "Otherwise they are going to start geeking out over the car and we'll be sitting here until sunrise."

Harry lets out a sigh as Tom chuckles, evidently having no response to what Ron has said mostly because he hit the nail on the head. Draco can’t help but agree with Ron. He is starting to feel a little tired from the late hour and he’s hoping that the ice cream will give him the much needed sugar to stay alert. Also, Draco is definitely not about to sit there until sunrise to hear Tom and Harry flirting, thank you very much.

After Blaise returns with a tray filled with McFlurrys, there’s a slight chaos as they all take their orders from him, the usual bickering of how Ron always manages to grab the one with the most ice cream ensuing. Harry decides to keep his tongue in check as they start eating their dessert and not ask Tom about his Miura. Ron has been right, of course, about how he can discuss the car with Tom all the way until morning, but Harry is stubborn enough to make sure that his best friend doesn’t tell him, ‘I told you so’. So he sits, chewing on the still crunchy Maltesers in his ice cream, pointedly ignoring how Tom’s leg is way too close to his.

He’s too focused on not letting his leg touch Tom’s that when the videos from Ginny and Hermione finally finished downloading and sent to their respective group chats, he doesn’t immediately reach for his phone, choosing to focus on the last of his ice cream. Harry has a feeling that Tom would probably be sharing his phone with him to watch the video.

Harry allows himself to smile as Tom does exactly that. Tom props up his phone against one of the plastic trays on the table closest to them and noticing that Harry is smiling, he arches a brow. “What is it?” Tom asks.

“Nothing,” Harry replies. “Just play it.”

The shot from Ginny looks badass. There is no other way in which Harry can describe it. The camera angle is just right because Ginny was starting to drift as well, capturing the Mustang halfway through the drift with the Huracán following close behind, looking menacing as it glided around the bend. It cut off after both cars exit the bend and then pelting away side by side.

"Oh, that is an amazing shot, Gin," Pansy says, eyes glued to her phone, the McFlurry in her hand forgotten.

Blaise lets out a low whistle. “Hermione’s shot of Ginny drifting looks amazing too. The whole car is visible and that is a clean drift,” he says.

Harry stays still, tensing slightly as Tom’s leg actually presses against his when he moves to swipe to the next video. He risks a look at Tom and the only response he receives in return is of Tom finishing off his McFlurry. When Tom gives him one of those small smiles, Harry decides he’s going to look at Hermione’s video later on his own. He’s much too aware of Tom beside him to concentrate on anything else.

Not when Tom’s leg is warm against his. Not when Tom’s smile is fucking soft. It’s the late hour, Harry thinks, clearly your brain is not judging things correctly anymore because of how late it is.

"Guys," Ron says loudly to cut off the conversation between the group which Harry has no idea what about at this point. "I'm starting to get tired. I don't want to fall asleep behind the wheel so I suggest we go home." He glances at his phone and groans. "I have to be in the office by nine and it's three-thirty now."

Hermione is the first to shoot out of the chair. "Okay, let's go everybody. I have a meeting at eight and I need to be able to squeeze in some sleep."

There are more chair scraping noises and clacks from plastic trays bumping against each other as they clear up the table. "Why are your meetings always at some ungodly hour?" Draco asks, taking a tray out of Hermione's hand.

"I have no idea. Companies just like to see their employees suffer," Hermione replies. Her answer earns a good chuckle out of the group as they put away all the trays and then head back out into the cool night air.

They stand there for a bit, breathing in the fresh air, before Ron finally pipes up. "Alright, come on guys," he says. "Off to your cars."

Ginny lets out a snort even as they start walking. Harry notices that Blaise is holding her hand. "I can't believe you just pulled a Mom on us," Ginny comments.

"It comes with age," Ron counters.

Draco actually laughs out loud. "We’re the same age and you're only one year older than her, Ron."

Harry chuckles as he watches his friends move away to their own cars with a chorus of goodbyes and good nights paired with beeps ringing out as they unlock their car doors. He puts his hands inside his pockets and leans against the Mustang, not in a rush to get into the car. He smiles a little as he sees Tom do the same.

This is another of their routines; Harry and Tom always start the drive by being the third in line because they need the roads to be opened for them, but by the end of it, the both of them always leave last, guarding the rear to make sure that none of their friends are too tired to drive. Being the two people who need the least amount of sleep definitely works out in this scenario.

Harry watches silently as he waits for his friends to finish up their conversations and to get settled in their cars, enjoying the little bubble of peace before he needs to get back behind the wheel of a loud engine. When Tom speaks, it's almost quiet, like it's just for Harry to hear.

"Harry, I believe you still have my key," Tom says, stepping closer. He takes his right hand out of his pocket, Harry's car key in his palm.

Harry blinks as he looks at the key, before realizing that the key he’s clenching in his pocket is of Tom’s. "Oh, you're right," he says, finally removing said key and then exchanging it with his own. Tom's palm is hot against his fingers. "I didn't realize."

“That’s fine,” Tom says. “Being distracted is hardly a crime.”

Harry shrugs. “Well, of course I would be when you casually mention that you own a rare Lamborghini. There’s so few of them.”

"It took me some time to get it, believe me, and it was rather expensive, even for me," Tom chuckles.

"Okay, no need to brag," Harry says, rolling his eyes. Even so, there is no bite in his words. "With the way the Huracán is maintained, your Miura must be really nice to drive."

Tom lets out a low sigh, heard clearly by Harry even though Pansy’s and Draco’s banter is loud as he tries to convince her to put the roof of her car on. "Unfortunately, it's due for maintenance. It's not driving as right as I would like it to be. I'm afraid I'm not that well-versed with carburetor engines," Tom says.

"They are a little finicky if you're used to fuel injection engines, but basically they're all the same,” Harry explains. “Somewhat," he added after a while. He snorts when Pansy finally agrees with Draco to put the roof on just so that she won’t get sick in the morning from all that wind.

"You're the pro, Harry. I believe you," Tom says, voice sincere. Harry glances up to see Tom looking at his Mustang. "Driving your car made me want to drive the Miura but I suppose I can afford to be patient for a little while. The drive will feel better once the engine is running smoothly again."

Harry definitely understands the feeling. He’s been there before. He keeps silent for a bit as he watches Ron close his car door, followed by Hermione turning the ignition on hers. "I can relate to that," Harry finally says.

“Perhaps you would like to take a look at it?”

The question was asked casually, as if Tom was asking Harry about the weather. Keeping his eyes on Blaise who just closed Ginny’s car door for her, Harry inhales slowly. “I suppose I could. I can estimate how long it would take to tweak before you can get on that drive."

When Blaise finally gets in his car, Harry pushes off the Mustang and unlocks it. The sounds of engines idling fill the air and Harry hears Hermione press on her throttle lightly to pull out first. Tom unlocks his car too, but he makes no move to open the door as he gazes at Harry. “Would you prefer a GPS destination instead of following me?” Tom asks.

Harry shakes his head, throwing Tom a grin. “I don’t think following you would be an issue unless it’s a straight road.”

Tom nods, an amused look on his face. “If you say so,” Tom says, finally opening his car door. “In that case, shall we?"

Harry looks around the parking lot at their friends who are pulling out one by one. Hermione is actually already turning into the road and Draco is at the very end of the queue. Swallowing down his jittery nerves, Harry nods. "Yeah, come on. Lead the way, Tom."

Chapter Text

What am I doing?

The thought makes laps in Harry’s head as he waits for Tom to pull out of the parking lot first so that he can follow the man to his house. The question stays with him as the whole crew takes different exits when they reach the roundabout, signaling one last goodbye by flicking on their high beams for a second before they drive away. Harry does usually take the same exit as Tom but this time, rather than separating as they reach their usual intersection, he follows instead.

Harry keeps a safe distance from Tom as they drive through the city. It surprises him that they actually don't live too far from each other; it will probably only take Harry twenty minutes to return home.

Just take a quick look at Tom's car and let him know if he needs to bring it to the workshop or not.

In case the car does need work, Harry wonders if Tom would bring it to Marauders Engineering. It would be great if the Miura SVJ can be photographed inside the workshop. Having another rare car to work on would make his mechanics happy and it would be a great portfolio for marketing purposes too.

As Tom slows down, Harry does too. The Huracán's blinker turns on and then Tom is turning into a driveway lined with lush hedges, the paved driveway twisting so that there is privacy between the road and the house. Of course his house is fucking nice, Harry thinks as the building comes into view. It isn't a large house but it's extremely well built, the combination of old brick and modern windows with their black frame definitely fits with Tom's aesthetic.

Harry brakes to a stop as Tom does as well and then the automatic garage door opens. He laughs when he notices that the garage is almost as wide as the house. Truly a petrolhead’s dream. As Tom reverse parks, Harry turns the ignition off and gets out of the Mustang. The Huracán’s idling noise is loud inside the garage as it echoes off the walls, but soon enough Tom turns it off.

Distracted by the clean garage, Harry walks inside to look around at the dark cabinets on one side and then at the two other Lamborghinis sitting quietly. The garage is wide enough that Harry can easily stand between the cars with his arms stretched out and not touch any of them. Hearing a car door opening, Harry finally asks, “Are all your things in black?”

Tom looks amused as he closes the Huracán’s door. “Not everything. I like green too,” he replies. He motions at the still open garage door and Harry glances at it, his Mustang gleaming from the bright lights in Tom’s garage. “Do you mind if I close the door? It’s almost four and if you would like to start the Miura the V12 can get really loud,” Tom says.

“No, go ahead. Let’s not disturb your neighbors,” Harry replies.

As the garage doors start lowering, Harry returns to look at Tom’s cars. The Aventador is closest to him, sitting between the Huracán and the Miura. The car is clean and well-maintained but Harry can see dirt on the tires. He bites back a smile, glad that Tom wasn’t lying when he said that he uses the car frequently. Harry has been around too many clients that drive their cars only during the weekends or even not at all, much to his frustration.

But he’s not here for the Aventador, he’s here for the Miura, and so Harry moves along, letting out an awed sigh as he looks at the rare vintage car. He walks around it, admiring the sleek curves. Harry can tell that it has been restored lovingly and from what he can see, nothing seems to deviate from the original when it first came out in the 70s. The paint is a flawless black and Harry can see Tom stepping closer in the reflection.

“It’s so beautiful,” Harry sighs. “Where did you restore this? It looks too authentic to be done by anyone other than Lamborghini themselves.”

Tom chuckles from beside him. “You have really sharp eyes. It was restored by Polo Storico. It took a long time and the shipping from Italy had me worried a little bit but here it is now.”

Harry turns to look at Tom, grinning wide. “I knew it. No wonder it looks flawless.”

“I try to use it regularly but unfortunately there is only one of me and I have three cars to maintain,” Tom says.

“How many times a week do you usually drive it?”

“Similar to the others, about two or three times,” Tom answers, moving to lean against the Aventador. His hands are back in his pockets and Harry is starting to wonder if there’s another reason for him to do so aside from trying to look laid-back.

Harry shrugs, keeping his eyes locked on Tom’s. “That’s actually quite a decent amount. I like how you actually use them all and not let them sit as a display piece.”

“Well, why else would I want the car if not to drive it?” Tom asks.

“You’d be surprised by the number of people who do,” Harry scoffs. “Well, let’s see what’s wrong with the car. Start it up for me?”

Tom’s lips quirk up into a smirk and he pushes off the Aventador. “Of course, Harry.”

Harry watches closely as Tom moves past him, close enough so that their hands brush against each other. He forces himself to stay calm as Tom’s gaze doesn’t really leave him until he is some distance away, opening a door that leads inside the house. Harry lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when Tom disappeared from the doorway momentarily. When he reappears with the key in his hand, Harry gives him a small smile.

“Would you like to do the honors?” Tom asks when he’s next to Harry again.

Harry can’t help but to let out a laugh. “You’re really spoiling me today, aren’t you? First the Huracán, then the Miura.”

Tom holds up the key between them. Harry follows the movement, but his eyes snap back to Tom when the man starts to talk. “I can spoil you every day if you would allow me,” Tom says, gazing at Harry intensely.

Feeling himself flush a little, Harry decides to roll his eyes. “Again with the teasing. You really need to stop.”

He startles a little bit when he feels a hand around his, not expecting the contact. Tom’s hand feels hot on his skin as the other man lifts Harry’s hand up, twisting it slowly so that it’s palm up. As Tom lowers the Miura’s key on Harry’s hand, he says, “I’m not teasing you. I am simply making a promise that I intend to follow if, I repeat, if you would allow me.”

Harry gapes a little bit, feeling his face warm even further, and then Tom is chuckling. “I’ll let you think about it. For now, the Miura is yours to sit in and start.”

“I thought you were going to say that the Miura is mine,” Harry jokes, closing his fingers around the key, trying to calm down his erratic heart.

Tom removes his hand from Harry as he laughs. The loss of contact is a welcome thing because Harry is starting to think that he might get a heart attack if Tom never releases his hand. “Apologies, darling, that unfortunately might not happen,” Tom says. His eyes lock on Harry’s and he smirks. “Unless you persuade me. Somehow.”

Harry swallows. Okay, Tom really needs to stop with this 'darling' thing. “Let’s just start the Miura for now,” Harry breathes out.

He takes a step back away from Tom and turns to the car. He opens the door and sits inside, the vintage leather seats cool against his back. Harry pauses to admire the whole interior and runs his hand on the gated gear shifter before inserting the key into the ignition which is unusually placed near the gear shift.

Harry’s left foot presses down on the clutch and turns the key, while his right foot presses on the throttle slightly as carburetor based engines need a little fuel to actually start. As the V12 roars to life, Harry lets out another sigh. The engine is loud behind his ears. He turns around to look at the engine visible from the cabin, separated by a sheet of glass. From what he can see everything looks fine but Harry thinks that he should actually look at the engine too from outside. He’s already here anyway.

When he gets out of the car, Tom is simply standing there, a hand on top of the car, expression unreadable. Harry knows that Tom is keeping his gaze on him as he pulls the pin next to the driver's seat that allows him to release the latch that keeps the rear part of the car closed.

Harry is used to having eyes on him whenever he works on different cars in the workshop as his mechanics sometimes learns from him, but having Tom eyeing him is making him somewhat flustered. He focuses on lifting up the engine cover that doubles as the rear part of the car carefully, letting the guide wires hold it in place as he lets go.

The sound of the engine without anything covering it is amplified in the garage, loud and fierce as it idles. From what he hears, the idle is actually stable. He listens in a while longer and then reaches towards the throttle lever and pushes it in, revving the engine manually. The growl of the V12 is fantastic.

He straightens up, hands on his hips as stares at the engine. “Well, from what I can hear, it actually sounds pretty smooth. It probably only needs a tiny adjustment but nothing major,” Harry says. “I’m not going to open the air filter because if I do, I might start obsessing over it.”

Tom tilts his head slightly as if he’s considering something. “Like I said, you’re the pro, Harry. I believe you.”

Harry shoots Tom a small smile and pulls down the Miura’s clam shell, muting the engine back a little. He presses down on it before moving back to the driver’s seat, pushing back the latch and putting the pin back in place. The engine sound seems to still be echoing in Harry's ears as he turns the ignition off. After exiting the car, he stands beside it and taps the roof once fondly. "I can tune it quite easily, you just have to bring it to the workshop," Harry says.

"I will do so tomorrow then," Tom says as he takes a step forward towards Harry, eyes dark and intense.

There is that look again, Harry thinks, like he wants something from me.

Tom moves closer still, a hand now resting on the roof of the Miura as he somewhat traps Harry in between the open car door and himself. Granted, Harry can still move around him but it feels like he's caught, pinned under a gaze that seems to want to unravel him.

Harry is about to ask Tom why he’s looking at him like that when Tom beats him to it, speaking first. "Given the dynamics of our friendship prior to this day, I do have to ask. Why are you here, Harry?" He asks, voice dropping low.

Inhaling slowly, Harry answers with the steadiest voice he can manage from the unexpected question. "You asked if I would like to take a look at your car."

"I did," Tom says, his gaze steady. "You could've easily told me to deliver it to your workshop, but no, you wanted to come here."

"As a petrolhead I was curious about the car," Harry counters. He knows he’s definitely not lying about that.

Tom hums, looking like he doesn't believe Harry. "Is that truly all the reason you have, darling?"

"Would you stop with that?" Harry sighs, frustration creeping into his voice. He stares at the floor to avoid Tom's intense gaze, his breath not really filling his lungs. "Don't call me darling. I am not your darling."

"Yet."

Harry thinks he heard wrong, whipping his head up so fast that he feels lightheaded. "What did you say?"

"You are not my darling yet," Tom says, enunciating each word clearly in that low drawl.

Harry feels a shiver run down his spine. He thinks that his hearing might've been ruined by the Miura's V12 growling in an enclosed space from earlier. "What?" He finally snaps out in his flustered state.

"Ron is right, you know? On the surface I was teasing you—" Tom continues, moving even closer, "—but I think you know that I do have an underlying motive for my behavior. You understand what I'm trying to do on a subconscious level at least, because not once have I seen you truly get angry at me."

Harry scoffs. "I do get angry with you, you just didn't—"

"No, Harry, you get irritated and frustrated, but never truly angry," Tom says, cutting Harry off. Harry stands his ground even when his brain is yelling at him that Tom is now standing too close. "And that made me think that you know that I'm flirting with you and that you actually like it."

"I didn't think you were flirting with me," Harry splutters, voice slightly high.

"Then what did you think it was? Every time I tell you you're gorgeous, every time I tell you that I want you, that it was all just plain words?"

Distracted by the barrage of words from Tom, Harry is only now realizing that Tom’s other hand is on the door of the Miura, basically bracketing him in. Harry is barely paying attention now to the car that his back is leaning against, more focused on how close Tom is to him.

"No, Harry, my words carry weight and I don't play around," Tom says, voice low. "You know that we balance each other out. Don't deny it."

Harry knows he’s not going to deny it because he knows that he can only geek out completely over cars with Tom, and Hermione was right, as usual, that he does like it when Tom challenges him about anything. He’s aware that Tom likes it too every time Harry counters him with a different perspective, their discussion always spiraling into an endless conversation which their friends have to break up after a while because it would interfere with whatever gathering they were having.

It takes everything in Harry to stubbornly keep his eyes on Tom's. His eyes are so dark and Harry finally realizes that it's because his pupils are blown wide. Oh, Harry thinks, he wants me. "You never answered my question," Harry says, voice level.

Tom arches a brow. "Which one?"

Harry presses himself back tighter against the Miura when Tom leans in. "During the meet," he replies vaguely, not really wanting to elaborate. He knows that Tom will understand anyway.

"Ah, about how specific my taste in men is?" Tom asks in return with a smirk, like he's just trying to embarass Harry further.

Harry can definitely count Tom's eyelashes if he wants to. "Yes," he answers instead.

"Fine, I will tell you," Tom says low, eyes flitting down to Harry's lips. "He's obsessed with cars and is an amazing driver who owns a beautiful Mustang which is parked outside. He has black hair, a gorgeous face, and the most stunning green eyes I've ever seen."

"Sounds familiar," Harry breathes out.

"It should be. He's standing in front of me," Tom whispers.

Really, Harry should have expected this, but he still lets out a gasp when Tom finally kisses him. Fuck, Tom kisses like he drives. It’s intense and almost unforgiving in the way he holds Harry close, lips and tongue insistent and he's definitely, definitely, not letting Harry breathe.

Harry kisses back, lost in the feeling of his whole body being set alight, as if Tom's lips and tongue are sins he has been dying to taste and finally does. Like he's going too fast in a car and he's going to crash and burn.

With his befuddled brain, Harry actually manages to shove Tom away, creating the perfect space for him to pull his fist back and then connecting it hard with Tom's jaw. The punch is so solid that Tom staggers back. The other man looks extremely bewildered, hand holding his jaw which Harry is sure will bruise tomorrow.

But then Harry is grabbing the front of Tom's shirt, pulling him back in for another open-mouthed kiss, because, well, Harry wants more. Fuck it, he thinks, crashing and burning are sometimes inevitable.

"You're giving me mixed signals here," Tom growls out between kisses, pressing his body flush against Harry. A hand comes up to cup Harry's jaw, keeping him where Tom wants him as he continues to kiss him.

"Bedroom," Harry manages to gasp out when he tilts his head back as Tom’s hand grabs at his hair. He pants as Tom starts to leave bruising kisses against his neck. "Is that clear enough?"

Tom lets out a breathy laugh. "Very clear."

Ginny Weasley: Everybody
Ginny Weasley: I hv an important announcement

Hermione looks at the Doing God’s Work chat window on her laptop and slowly grabs her triple shot iced latte. She has managed to survive her morning meeting without her coffee but now she needs to stay awake for the rest of the day being alone in her office. She has a lot of work to do but Ginny’s message is too tempting to ignore. And it's almost lunch time anyway.

Pansy Parkinson: What is it
Pansy Parkinson: Guys I'm SO sleepy WTF

Ginny Weasley: Oh this WILL wake u up

Blaise Zabini: Spill it babe
Blaise Zabini: What is it?

Draco Malfoy: Straight up no dramatics pls
Draco Malfoy: I’m on espresso num 3 of the day
Draco Malfoy: And my damn father is dragging me in all his meetings
Draco Malfoy: This better b good

Hermione Granger: Is it a good announcement?
Hermione Granger: Sounds important.

Ginny Weasley: It is Hermione, it is

Ron Weasley: The suspense tho

Forwarded from: Tom Riddle
Thank you for the flirting input.

Pansy Parkinson: ?
Pansy Parkinson: Tom saying THANKS??

Blaise Zabini: Flirting input?

Draco Malfoy: We'll explain later
Draco Malfoy: U weren't there at the cafe

Ginny Weasley: Yes but anyway
Ginny Weasley: The best part is this

Forwarded from: Tom Riddle
[Image]

Hermione stares at the image Ginny has just sent and promptly chokes on her coffee. She coughs hard as incoming chats flood the window, the group sending out their reactions in a flurry of capitalized texts. Eyes watering from trying to inhale a proper breath, Hermione reads the chats.

Pansy Parkinson: ???????????
Pansy Parkinson: WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE
Pansy Parkinson: THATS

Ron Weasley: A SELFIE???
Ron Weasley: TOM?????

Blaise Zabini: WHY R U LOOKING AT TOM

Draco Malfoy: THAT IS

Blaise Zabini: BEHIND

Pansy Parkinson: IS THAT POTTER

Draco Malfoy: POTTER

Ron Weasley: WHAT
Ron Weasley: HARRY NO

Pansy Parkinson: HARRY YES

Blaise Zabini: BRO????
Blaise Zabini: OMFG THEY

Draco Malfoy: FUCKED

Blaise Zabini: FUCKED

Pansy Parkinson: HOLY SHIT

In the photo, Hermione can only see half of Tom’s face, a smug smirk plastered on it. The photo is taken from a higher angle, showing a section of Tom’s neck marked with love bites and his bed. Behind him on the bed, she can see Harry’s head resting on a raised pillow, glasses off as he squints at his phone, obviously distracted and not realizing that Tom is taking a picture. Both of their hairs are mussed and it's evident that they've just woken up. The angle allows Tom to cover up Harry’s body who is obviously not wearing a shirt and Hermione definitely does not want to know if Harry is fully naked or not there.

Ginny Weasley: I ALMOST DIED
Ginny Weasley: PANIC ATTACK
Ginny Weasley: THERE I WAS WONDERING WHERE TF TOM IS
Ginny Weasley: WE HAD AN ANTIQUE DELIVERY AND HE’S NOT IN OFFICE
Ginny Weasley: AND THEN THAT

Ron Weasley: About FUCKING time though

Hermione Granger: I choked on my coffee, fucking hell.
Hermione Granger: Also, you need to pay up Ron LOL

Draco Malfoy: Finally the idiots are together

Ron Weasley: WAIT I LOST MY BET W HERMIONE
Ron Weasley: NOOOOOO

Hermione Granger: YESSSSS
Hermione Granger: Anyway, is that a bruise I see on Tom?

Blaise Zabini: Hickeys
Blaise Zabini: Yeah

Hermione Granger: No, on Tom’s jaw.

Ron Weasley: OH YEAH U R RIGHT

Pansy Parkinson: ASSDSJDHGFDLFSF LMAAOOOOO DID HARRY PUNCH HIM

Draco Malfoy: LMAO I’M NOT SURPRISED IF HE DID

Ginny Weasley: I’ll ask Tom IF he comes into office

Ron Weasley: I don’t think he’ll go to work Gin
Ron Weasley: He’s got someone TO DO

Pansy Parkinson: RON LMAO YES

Hermione Granger: I think this calls for a celebration. I say we add them in this group chat.

Draco Malfoy: Sure y not
Draco Malfoy: We can finally tease them outright thank FUCK

— Blaise Zabini changed the group name to CONGRATULATIONS YOU FINALLY FUCKED —

Ron Weasley: Perfect name

Blaise Zabini: Do the honors Granger

Hermione laughs as she picks her phone up to add both Harry and Tom into the group chat. Fucking finally.

“What is this?” Harry asks, staring at his phone. He sits up straight and stares in horror at the group chat he has just been added in. “Oh my god.”

He’s still looking at the chats that’s coming in through the group when he feels the bed dip beside him. “What?” He hears Tom ask, a strong arm slipping around his middle. Harry shivers a little when he feels Tom press a kiss on his bare shoulder.

“The group chat is called ‘Congratulations you finally fu—’” Harry cuts himself off, turning to look at Tom with disbelief. He finds the man trying to look innocent, eyes slightly wide with hair in disarray and actually looking irresistible. “You truly are a bastard,” Harry laughs. “You told our friends.”

Tom gives him a smirk. “You already know that I am one,” he says, leaning in to kiss Harry.

Harry lets him, letting out a low sound as Tom licks into his mouth. “I’m not going to deal with the group chat, you owe me that much,” Harry says when Tom allows him to breathe.

“No, you have to deal with them, darling. You already punched me,” Tom deadpans.

Harry laughs as Tom pulls him close, making him lay back on the bed. “You deserved the punch,” he says, not fighting back as Tom takes his phone away, setting it down on the nightstand.

Tom seems to ponder the statement for a little before he acquiesces. “I suppose I did,” Tom says before he dips in to kiss Harry’s neck. “Now, I have an idea on what we should do now, and then I’m thinking we can have lunch, and then a drive?”

“Dibs on the Miura,” Harry gasps out as Tom’s kisses go lower.

He feels Tom laugh against his skin. “It’s yours to drive, darling.”

Well, then Harry has nothing to protest about. Sounds like it’s going to be a great day.