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Chapter Text

Harry shifts in his seat, trying desperately to get comfortable. He hated the quarterly department meetings he was forced to attend. They just seemed to go on and on. His job wasn’t even particularly relevant to most of the stuff being discussed!

He didn’t know that when he had accepted the job as a graphic designer for Riddle Incorporated that he’d be subjected to pointless hours long meetings.

Luckily, he was only required to attend the departmental meetings at the beginning of every business quarter. Any more than that and he might just die of boredom! He was quite happy to spend the rest of his time sitting snug at his desk and working happily away at a new project.

The graphic design team was a sub department to the marketing team and there were really only two other graphic designers who worked there. They were kept plenty busy with lots of work between the three of them. They mostly handled themselves as they didn’t have a proper manager and instead reported directly to the head of the marketing department. Which wasn’t even all that often. As long as they did the work and met the deadlines on time, everyone else was happy to leave them alone.

That’s just how Harry likes it.

He thinks longingly of his (surprisingly) comfy chair and the cup of coffee he is going to indulge in as soon as this blasted meeting is over.

He sighs. At least the room was quite heavily ventilated. He doesn’t think he could deal with the onslaught of scents and emotions, not with his sensitive nose. Sometimes being an omega really sucks.

Not to mention having to deal with all those domineering alphas trying to tell him what to do or their annoying, overprotective instincts telling them to wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him safe and coddled at home. (Not that he wouldn’t mind a little bit of coddling) It is hard to go against them as well as having to deal with nosy betas, who constantly ask insensitive questions about his secondary gender. Which is why he doesn’t like to broadcast the fact he’s an omega.

He doesn’t outright try to hide it persay. Though he does normally douse himself in scent blocking cream which he applies directly to his gland to dampen his scent some. The only way anyone would even get a whiff of his true scent is if they were standing directly next to him and leaned into his scent gland.

His heats were another matter entirely. He took the week off needed every six months, according to the law he is necessitated to have and just tells the rest of his coworkers he is sick. The only ones in the company who actually know he is an omega were the few HR reps who held his file and Hermione who had convinced him to try for the job in the first place.

He still doesn’t understand how she could sit for hours in meetings or drudging through paperwork. He shudders just thinking about it. But then, Hermione was a genius like that which is why she was rising so quickly through the ranks of the in-house legal team. She is working directly under the lead lawyer Bartemius Crouch. He frowned at the thought of his friend slaving away under the fastidious man. Crouch had created a very competitive environment (which Harry loathed) but Hermione seems to be thriving so he supposes it’s okay.

Harry is broken-suddenly-out of his reverie when Slughorn’s droning finally comes to a halt.

“-and that should be everything. Does anyone have any questions?”

Harry groans internally as he sees Lavender move to speak.

“Is it true that the CEO is going to be personally making rounds of all the departments and talking with employees?” She asks, a riveted expression on her face.

Harry sighs inwardly at Lavender’s obsession with the CEO. She is one of only two other graphic designers who work at the company so they work in close quarters. He likes her. She is always so bubbly and jubilant. But she is also the departments main gossip and has a strange fascination with the ‘sinfully hot’ (her words) CEO. He really doesn’t understand why. (But then he didn’t even know the CEO’s name let alone what he looked like much to Hermione’s chagrin)

“Yes, that is true,” Slughorn puffs up as if he was personally responsible for the CEO coming to their department. “He wanted to inspect all the departments and how they run. Something about improving efficiency and getting feedback from his employees. He is such a good, kind young man like that. He’ll be starting next Monday and will slowly make his way through all the departments throughout the rest of the week. So make sure all work is up to date. We want to make a good impression.” He gives them a gleaming smile, with his cheeks puffed out, reminiscent of a chipmunk.

Harry groans quietly. That was the rest of the day gone. There was no way they were going to get anymore work done with everyone talking about their elusive CEO. He supposed he would just have to deal with it as best he could.

“-and then Lavender just would not stop banging on and on about the CEO. I honestly just don’t understand why she’s so obsessed with him!” Harry says exasperated.

“It’s not exactly odd,” Hermione points out. “Tom Riddle is one of the wealthiest alphas in the city and has been voted most eligible bachelor more than five years in a row. He has plenty of fangirls out there.”

Harry looks at her confused. “Who?”

“Tom Riddle? Our CEO? Are you telling me you never knew our CEO’s name before now?” Hermione blusters.

“No?” Harry winces.

“Honestly, Harry,” Hermione sighs. “You can be so oblivious sometimes and you are a horrible liar. It’s a wonder none of our coworkers have realised your an omega by now!”

“I can too lie!” Harry insists, a little miffed at the accusation. “And it’s not like I’m purposefully hiding the fact I’m an omega. It’s just no one has ever realised!”

“You know they probably will eventually,” Hermione says. “You won’t be able to avoid it forever.”

“I know,” Harry wilts. “I just don’t want to have to deal with all those stuck up alphas getting in my space and thinking they have some right to me just because I’m an omega. Not to mention all the gossip that would follow.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be quite that bad,” Hermione waves away his concerns.

“You wish! Sometimes I really wish I was just a beta like you. It would make everything so much simpler,” Harry sighs. “Oh and how is Ron by the way? I haven’t seen him much lately.”

“Oh he’s doing great,” Hermione visibly brightens at the mention of her husband. (They had got married whilst still at university much to everyone’s shock and horror-except for Mrs Weasley who could only think about future grand babies to spoil) “He’s just been busy helping the twins run their shop. He seems to be really enjoying it and I think that-“

Harry continues smiling happily as he listens to his friend ramble about his best friend and her husband. He can’t help but feel a little jealous though. He wants that. That look Hermione got when thinking about Ron. Like he was her everything and just thinking about him made her into a big gooey mess. He wants someone to look at him that way. And maybe one day they would.

Harry rushes down the street, running at a breakneck speed. He was going to be so late! He had slept right through his alarm. And then he had left his phone in his flat so he’d had to go back and get it, only after realising it was missing four streets away from his building. Today was really not his day.

He goes careening around the corner and through the doors of Riddle Incorporated’s main office building, only to fall face first into a very firm wall.

Only then that wall turned out to actually be a person.

A very disgruntled person if the resounding grunt that echoes around them when Harry slams into his back is anything to go by.

Harry startles backwards, catching himself just in time to stop himself hurtling to the floor. He quickly apologises, “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going. You’re not hurt are you?”

He looks up dolefully as the man turns around only to freeze mesmerised.

This man has to be one of the most stunning alphas he has ever seen. And that is saying something as most alphas tend to be tall and buff and just generally good-looking.

He has absolutely flawless skin and high cheekbones with a perfectly symmetrical face. His hair is a dark chestnut brown that falls short in gentle curls around his head and his eyes are a piercing bluey-grey. And his scent !

Harry has never smelled anything like it and it immediately starts to stir up feelings of arousal in him, much to his embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologises again, looking down to avoid that intense gaze. “I really didn’t mean to bump into you like that.”

“It’s quite alright,” the man replies. (And gods even his voice is like warm chocolate that just melts on your tongue, rich and deep) “I’m sure it was just an accident.”

“It definitely was,” Harry nods with eyes still wide. “And I’m so sorry but I really have to go. I’m already late for work, you see but if there’s anything I can do to make it up to you…”

The man chuckles, “I assure you it’s quite alright, but if I do happen to think of anything, I shall come and find you. What is your name little one?”

Harry gawks a little at the endearment before snapping back to attention, “Harry. Harry Potter sir.”

“Harry Potter,” the man murmurs. “And do you work here Mr Potter?”

“Yes sir,” Harry nods again. “Would you mind terribly if I excuse myself now? Only I don’t want to be any later than I already am.”

The man smirks before taking a step to the side and out of his way, “Go right ahead.”

Harry shoots him a grateful look and offers a quiet “thanks”, before shooting off down the hall.

He arrives not to long after that, with nothing but a few annoyed looks from his coworkers as he comes racing into the office. He’s not even reprimanded as Slughorn is apparently out. The only reaction is from Lavender who asks where he was. After answering with some drivel about sleeping through his alarm, his day goes by uninterrupted. It’s peaceful.

At least until after lunch, when the CEO makes an unexpected visit to their department for an inspection,  which wasn’t meant to happen for a several more days.

Tom Riddle is an alpha amongst alphas. He spent his early years abandoned in an orphanage after his mother dies alone on the streets. It isn’t until he’s eleven when his father comes to claim him. (He instantly loathes him) Soon after that, he’s packed off to private school for the best education money can buy. At first, he’s at the bottom of the totem pole. The other kids pick on him because he doesn’t speak or act like them. But that soon changes and all the kids who previously bullied and belittled him, now do their best to suck up to him and curry favour. Because Tom Riddle is a quick study.

He’s determined and ambitious. Cunning and sharply intelligent. And as with all things that he wants, he won’t stop until he gets it. When he wants something, he doesn’t just take it, he dominates.

He flies through his schooling, heralded as a genius and child prodigy. So graduating two years early, he heads off to Cambridge and earns a Masters in Business and Management by the time he’s twenty. After that, he returns home and takes over the main family business. And like with all things, he dominates that too. He manages to grow the business by a third. (His father couldn’t be prouder)

So Tom Riddle is an alpha amongst alphas. He is everything an alpha should be. Smart, powerful, wealthy, handsome. He dominates life like it’s a game and alway gets what he wants. And yet…

And yet he feels restless. Bored. So he tries out new hobbies and new omegas. But nothing sticks.

And then came a day that should have been like any other. Except it isn’t. And exactly what he’s been searching for comes careening into him. Literally.

When Tom first feels someone collide with him, he is righteously indignant and seriously annoyed. He turns around ready to ream out his new unsuspecting victim, only to take in a deep breathe so he can start cussing the impudent bastard out and then..

He pauses.

Because this scent is nothing quite like he’s ever smelt before. It’s soft and sweet as only an omega can taste. It’s so very warm and enticing though. And he can’t help think that he wants to lick and taste this scent forever and his thoughts take a naughty turn. And then he’s turned around fully and he’s facing the owner of the scent. And he can’t help but hold back the gasp that wants to escape him.

Because standing in front of him is an angel.

A goddamn, certified angel.

For what else can they be, with such otherworldly loveliness.

His angel is small, petite. Absolutely all of him is tiny. His hair is pitch black and a tangled birds nest, which is oddly endearing. His cheeks are round and he had a button nose with glasses perched haphazardly on top. But his eyes.

They are big and green and luminous and so beautiful. Just like the rest of his angel.

And then his angel is apologising profusely. Which he doesn’t like.

His angel should never have to apologise to anyone ever, because when could he ever do wrong. So he tries to soothe him and then the angel offers to do something to make up for running into him. His mind ends up in filthy places with images of his angel panting and needy for him. Legs spread apart and hands clenching the sheets of his bed. But he can’t. Not yet.

Tom is a patient man. He can play the long game. He’ll have the angel eventually. (He always gets what he wants)

When he asks his angel his name, his angel gently bites his lip making it red and puffy (he needs to stop doing that before Tom gives in and ravishes him) before replying. And it turns out his angel is called Harry Potter and he’s works at his company. Tom couldn’t be more pleased.

It’s later, when he is riding the lift up to his office on the top floor of the building that he gives Barty, his main assistant a very specific set of instructions.

“Barty.”

“Yes sir,” Barty is quick to reply.

“I want everything HR has on an employee named Harry Potter and then I want to know whatever else you can find out about him on my desk as soon as possible.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll get right on it. But may I ask why?”

“Why?” Tom smirks. “Because I think I just found my future wife.”

Chapter Text

It’s after lunch that Harry’s day is again interrupted.

He comes back from a relaxed lunch with Hermione, feeling content, and rather happy, ready to continue working with some semblance of productivity. He spends about half an hour editing the images for a new campaign, the marketing department is launching in two weeks for a new product.

It’s then that he hears the tell-tale sound of hurried gossip and thundering feet. Purely out of curiosity, Harry gets up from his chair and wanders down the hallway to the main area of the marketing department.

He walks in on an unusual sight.

Everyone is clearly in some state of uproar. Most people are sat diligently at their desks hurriedly typing whilst the rest are running between places filled with paperwork. Slughorn presides over it all from the entrance to his office, giving useless orders.

Harry sees Lavender gossiping with Parvati. He manages to catch her attention and waves her over. “What’s going on?”

“You haven’t heard?” Lavender gawks at him. “The CEO has moved up his inspection. He’s coming right now!”

“What? Now?!” Harry asks startled.

“Yes now. So you better start getting everything ready,” Lavender says with unusual urgency. “He’s meant to be here any moment.”

Harry can only nod, and not wasting any further time, rushes back to his desk to make sure everything is tidy, or at the very least straightened out. Once that’s done, he continues typing away, trying to get just a little bit more work completed and also to ignore the hubbub from down the hall. (It doesn’t exactly work)

It’s only a few minutes later that things are silent, and Harry can only assume that the vaunted CEO has finally arrived. Not wanting to disturb the current ongoings and quite keen to stay hidden, Harry decides to stay within the boundaries of his cosy little office where it’s safe. Trying to forget that the CEO is right in the other room, he continues to work, hoping that no one will intrude on what little solace he has.

That obviously doesn’t happen. But with his luck, how could he expect it to.

He hears Slughorn’s jovial tones first. They are followed by a deep tenor that sounds vaguely familiar.

“And right through here, of course, is where our team of graphic designers work. Always busy with something or other,” Slughorn boasts, leading the group into the room.

Harry can barely bring himself to look at them for all he’s so nervous, though heaven only knows why.

He does suddenly though when he hears that same deep voice from this morning.

“I can see that,” the man from this morning replies nonchalantly, though his eyes and intent gaze seemed to have settled on Harry, who is sitting at his desk across the room from them.

Harry takes in a shaky breath at the realisation the handsome man he had bumped into this morning is in fact the CEO himself.

He feels a whirl of anguish and horror erupt in his gut. Panic slowly starts to overtake him, stilling his movements.

“Harry,” Slughorn calls out and beckons him over. “Come and meet our illustrious CEO.”

He turns back to the man with piercing silver eyes as Harry numbly gets up and starts walking over to them. “Harry here is one of the best workers in my department. Always meets his deadlines and his work is always top notch. I’m quite proud of him. If you remember the images from the last campaign and how simply outstanding they were, well Harry is the one responsible.”

“Is he now? No wonder they were so well done then,” the man- Tom Riddle, the CEO-smirks and shows off his sparkly white teeth. Harry feels oddly bereft and thinks that no one should have such perfect teeth as to match the rest of his perfect body. Some people are just overly blessed.

“It’s nice to meet you properly Sir,” Harry murmurs tentatively, eyes lowered to the ground as he still practically vibrates with nerves.

“It’s nice to see you again too, Harry,” Riddle practically purrs his name and Harry has to hold back a delighted shiver as Riddle’s tongue seems to caress each syllable.

“You know each other already?” Slughorn asks delighted.

“Yes,” Riddle smirks again. “I had the pleasure of running into Harry this morning. And I must say I’m rather glad I did.”

“Wonderful! Wonderful!” Slughorn seems jubilant at the idea they’ve met before. “Harry why don’t you tell Tom a little bit about what your team has been working on lately.”

“W-well,” Harry stutters. “Just these last few days we’ve been working on images for the new campaign that’s being launched in two weeks time. We’ve already made a lot of headway and they should be completed by the end of the week.”

“Is that so?” Riddle smiles lasciviously at him and Harry can feel his heart beating fast in his chest.

“I-I, that is to say yes,” Harry manages to say, still distracted by his racing heart and Riddle’s gorgeous smile. (No one has the right to really look like that)

“Now,” Slughorn interrupts and Harry swears he sees Riddle shoot him an annoyed look but is only lasts a second so he can’t be sure. “We should probably move on to the next bit in order to get through the entire department today.”

“Of course,” Riddle agrees, though there is a dangerous edge to his voice. “Please lead the way. Oh and Harry it was a pleasure to meet you. Properly this time.”

He holds out his hand for Harry to shake as a farewell.

“It was nice to meet you too Sir and properly this time as well.” Harry reaches out his hand reluctantly to take the one offered to him. But instead of shaking his hand like is proper, Riddle quickly grasps it and pulls it to his lips. And he kisses it. He kisses Harry’s hand.

All Harry can think is about the way his lips are soft and smooth, and how warm his skin is. And the electrifying spark that reaches through his body when their hands first connect.

“And Harry, there is no need to call me Sir. Please call me Tom,” Riddle- no, Tom gives him another big smile before gently letting his hand go.

With one more lingering look, he is gone, following Slughorn back out and down the hallway.

And all Harry can do is stand there frozen and think, “What the hell just happened?”

Harry spends the rest of the day in a confused daze. His mind can’t quite comprehend what had just happened. It’s a little later when he’s on his way home that he start to properly process the events, which leads to him starting to panic.

Why did Riddle kiss his hand?

Why did the CEO let him call him by his given name?

Harry just doesn’t understand. And he’s not sure he will if he doesn’t get more information at some point.

Mid-panic, he remembers he’s meant to be going to Hermione and Ron’s apartment for a movie tonight and decides to just try and forget the whole thing and focus on enjoying spending time with his friends instead.

Hermione and Ron welcome him with warm hugs and big smiles. He revels in the company and affection of his closest friends, the only family he’s ever really known.

It’s not long before they’ve settled into watching a movie and gorging themselves on pizza. (Ron and his massive stomach manage to eat two whole big pizzas by himself. Harry honestly doesn’t know where he puts it all)

It’s after the movie that Harry tentatively brings up the topic that’s been at the front of his mind all day.

“The CEO came to inspect our department today,” he casually mentions.

Ron just grunts.

Hermione, on the other hand, sits up tight in shock. “What? But he wasn’t meant to inspect the marketing department until much later in the week.”

Harry just shrugs, “None of us new he was coming either. We only find out a few minutes before he came down.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Hermione mutters.

Seeing Harry’s confused look, she elaborates, “Riddle is very meticulous in everything he does. He always likes to plan things out beforehand and normally sticks to his routine exactly. For him to do something spontaneous like that is very out of character. I wonder why he changed his plans?”

“I don’t know. Thought it was a bit awkward seeing him again after I literally ran into him this morning.”

Hermione whips her head around to stare at him. “You bumped into him?!”

“Yeah,” Harry shrugs again, not understanding what the big deal is.

“And he didn’t shout at you or anything? Make you cry?” Hermione asks flabbergasted.

“No. When I apologised he just shrugged it off and told me not to worry about it. He was very nice about it all actually,” Harry blushes as he remembers that intense gaze and the way Tom’s eyes seemed to caress him.

“Okay, that really doesn’t make sense,” Hermione pronounces.

“Why?” Harry enquires, still rather confused.

“Because Mr Riddle doesn’t do that!” Hermione huffs. “Honestly Harry, do you not watch the news or read the tabloids or anything at all? Tom Riddle may look perfect but he is widely known for having impossible standards and a very sharp tongue. Normally, if someone had bumped into him, he would have given them such a tongue-lashing that they would have been a sobbing,broken mess within minutes.”

Based on Hermione’s reaction, Harry’s not sure he should mention Riddle kissing his hand but he does anyway.

Hermione is even more shocked and Harry’s a little worried he might have broken her because her eyes are bulging out of her head, focused on him, and her mouth is gaping open at him.

“Hermione?” He waves his hand in front of her face.

Her mouth snaps shut and she just manages to squeak out, “He kissed you?!”

“Just my hand,” Harry defends.

“Oh my god!” Hermione exclaims before collapsing back onto the sofa and precedes to stare at the ceiling.

They don’t talk about it again that night.

Harry went into the office early the next morning.

He yawns as he shuffles bleary eyed into the elevator and presses the button to take him to his floor. He woke up early this morning and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t fall back to sleep. Eventually he gave up and decided just to come in early and try to get a head start on his workload for the day.

It should be a while yet before anyone else turns up. The other graphic designer he works with, Kevin Entwhistle always shows up at precisely at ten to nine. That leaves him just enough time to set up his work station, get his coffee and get settled into his chair. Lavender normally bounces through the door only seconds after the clock strikes nine, with just enough time to not be properly late. Lavender always appears to be perfectly polished and alert in the mornings even though Harry knows she spends most nights out with men or at parties. Harry feels tired just thinking about that kind of lifestyle. He doesn’t know how Lavender can do it all.

He stops at the door, eyes going wide in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

In front of him, Tom Riddle is carelessly leaning back against Harry’s desk, facing the door. Tom looks up at Harry’s entrance and smiles smarmily. It sends shivers down Harry’s spine. (He’s not sure if it’s lust or something else)

“I came to have another look around,” Tom’s smile turns into a smirk. His eyes roam over Harry’s body in a way that makes Harry feel as if he is being seen through to his very soul.

“So early in the morning? With no one else here?” Harry questions, his doubt and puzzlement showing on his face.

Tom pushes himself up off the desk and starts to move slowly towards Harry in suave, confident movements.

Harry gives into his instincts and takes a step back. His eyes are locked on Tom as he continues his forward pursuit.

Tom shrugs his shoulders, “I may have had another reason for coming as well.”

“And what’s that?” Harry just manages to breathe out.

He cowers slightly as Tom finally reaches him. Tom extends out his hand and Harry freezes, waiting to see what he does next.

Tom’s fingers whisper across his cheek and across his jaw, leaving sparks in their wake.

He leans forward so his lips are next to Harry’s ear and murmurs, “Maybe I just wanted to see the pretty little omega who caught my eye again.”

Harry can feel himself blush. A deep crimson overtaking him. “What?” He squeaks out.

Tom chuckles quietly. His laugh is deep and Harry can’t help but shiver again at the sound.

Tom suddenly moves back again until he’s looking Harry in the eyes. He picks up Harry’s hand in his and runs his thumb lightly over his knuckles. His hands are warm and callused and they dwarf Harry’s.

“You’ll come to my office at 12:30 today. Don’t be late, angel,” Tom says smiling but with a serious look in his eyes.

Harry can only nod, still in a daze.

Tom breaks out into a wide smile, “Good. I’ll see you later then.”

He raises their combined hands and lightly kisses the top of Harry’s in a mimicry of yesterday’s interaction. He gives Harry one more long look before walking out the room with a confident swagger.

Harry only stands there, feeling very confused about what had just occurred. It doesn’t dawn on him until several minutes later that he had just been told to report to the CEO’s office at lunchtime. And that Tom had called him by an endearment.

Harry squeaks again and collapses into his chair. He really doesn’t know how any of this has happened.

Harry stands in the lift, tapping his foot restlessly. He is a big bundle of nerves and confusion. He’s been racking his brains about why he would be called for a meeting by the CEO himself, but he still hasn’t figured out why. This whole thing was just a big confusing mess. Harry doesn’t like the gnawing confusion and nerves that have settled in his bones.

As the lift dings and the doors open, Harry inches slowly out and onto a new floor he has never been to before. The CEO and executive offices are on the thirteenth floor, near the top of the building. Harry watches as blurs of movement pass him by. There is a lot of people here, all racing about as if something is chasing them. A predator close on their heels. People are running about with piles of paper and folders clutched tightly in their arms. There is a steady ring of phones humming in the background and it’s all a collision of frantic movements and noise.

It’s overwhelming to Harry’s more sensitive, omegan ears. He winces at the onslaught, before edging slowly out of the elevator and towards the large reception desk directly in front of him.

“Excuse me?” He says, trying to get the attention of the receptionist whose eyes are glued to her computer screen.

“Welcome to Riddle Incorparated. How can I help you today?” She drawls out, clearly bored like she’s said that saying a thousand times before and with her eyes still on the screen in front of her.

“Um,” Harry hesitates, still feeling on edge. “I’m looking for the CEO’s office. I have a meeting with him.”

The receptionist quite suddenly flicks her eyes up to stare at him in shock and disbelief. Her mouth has dropped open slightly and she just sits there gawking at him for several seconds. Eventually she exits from her hysteria and points a shaky hand to the left. “T-the CEO’s office is down the first corridor on the left at the very end. His secretary should be able to help you from there.”

“Thank you,” Harry offers and gives her a small smile before heading in what he hopes is the right direction. He can feel the receptionist’s eyes drilling into his back as he walks away.

He walks to the very end of the corridor and finds himself standing in front of a large wooden door with a blind covered window to the left of it. In front of the window is an empty desk which clearly belongs to Tom’s assistant. The surface is spotless except for a brand new looking computer but Harry can see a clutter of files hidden in the slightly open desk draw. Harry isn’t really sure what to do as apparently the assistant has vanished and he’s not sure if he’s allowed to just go in unchecked or what. Without hesitating further, Harry gathers his courage and knocks.

Tom has had a busy morning. He’s had a busy few months actually. His life revolves around his work. And rather than feeling accomplished and proud about everything he’s achieved, he still feels strangely empty. Except when Harry’s nearby. Then he feels everything. And it is strange but wonderful.

He smiles just thinking about his little angel. He fully intends to tempt and seduce and gently encourage his darling into falling in love with him. And when he’s just close enough, Tom will pounce and make sure to tie Harry to him in every way possible so his angel can never leave him. Yes. He very much likes the idea of that.

His plans are already forming and the first has been put into action. He has an entire thick folder dedicated to information on his angel and to discover he’s an omega… Well, it fits in very nicely with his plans in claiming the little enchantress and is really the cherry on the cake. An extra addition that just further sweetens the deal.

When he had invited Harry to lunch, he fully intends to frame this as a first date situation and slowly intertwine himself with every part of Harry’s life until he can’t imagine existing let alone living without Tom. This lunch is just the start.

Tom glances around his office again to make sure everything is in the right place. His office is large with one wall made up entirely of windows with a pleasant view of the street below and a green park beyond that. That walls are painted a pleasing dark green (he has always been especially fond of the colour) and the floor is a dark wood. Everything is spotless and in its rightful place. Tom is very orderly and likes everything to have an exact place. He has been accused of being somewhat OCD before. He fully acknowledges that possibility but otherwise ignores it and doesn’t allow it to interfere with his daily life.

He allows a smile to overtake his face when he hears a nervous pattering knock on the door. Quickly, he rights himself, glances around for one final check and schools his face into something more serious but pleasant and welcoming. “Come in.”

The door opens and his angel is right there, a nervous smile and pretty green eyes directed towards him.

Tom grins back at the unsuspecting innocent who doesn’t know he’s just about to take his first step into the demon spider’s web.

The lunch goes well. Probably a little too well, honestly. Harry still isn’t quite sure how he ended up pretty much word vomiting his entire life after starting after secondary school. (There is no way he is talking about it prior to that. He manages to gloss over his family situation and just hopes Tom doesn’t really notice his slip ups). He literally doesn’t hold anything back. He tells Tom about the time two twelve year olds snuck into the opposite house’s dorm and many time he and Ron accidentally managed to blow things up in chemistry, even when reactive solutions weren’t necessarily involved. He just can’t stop talking. And Tom just sits there and listens. He occasionally gives his input but most of the time he just sits with a pleased smile on his face and his thumb making circular motions over Harry’s knuckles. (He’s not sure how that happened or how he ends up practically sitting in Tom’s lap, being hand fed the food either. So he decides very promptly just not to think about it.)

The whole hour seems to speed by in no time and at the end, Harry is almost reluctant to leave. Tom doesn’t seem to like the idea either but eventually lets him go. And then with another kiss to his hand, (and seriously what is it with the kissing!?) he sends Harry back off to his office. But all in all, it goes very well. So well in fact that Tom calls for him at the same time just two days later and then again after that. After two weeks, it seems it has become routine for Harry to spend his lunch break sequestered in Tom’s office at least three times a week. Each time he somehow ends up being hand fed and almost in Tom’s lap whilst he happily chats away.

When he tells Hermione what has been going on, Harry swears that for just a moment her eyes roll into the back of her head and she almost faints. She seems to gather herself quickly enough and point blank asks him,”Are you dating the CEO?”

Harry pales before muttering out a quick, “No, I don’t think so.”

And he really doesn’t think they are. He thinks. Honestly, he’s not really sure. It’s times like these his lack of experience with relationships (or experience of any kind) is a real hindrance.

Hermione just looks at him and shrugs, “if you say so.” But she says it in that tone that means she doesn’t believe him and makes him doubt what he said as well.

He’s fairly sure they’re not dating. Pretty sure. Maybe.

And so he firms his resolve that they’re not and tells her again that they aren’t.

And he believes it.

At least until Tom shows up outside his apartment door the following Saturday.

Chapter Text

“What are you doing here?” Harry asks, still staring at the alpha who has just randomly shown up on his doorstep.

Tom grins at him, “I thought I’d come over and make you dinner.” He holds up a bag obviously bulging with groceries.

“Can I come in?”

Harry doesn’t say anything. He just steps to the side and lets Tom walk through and into the kitchen. He still feels a little shocked at this sudden surprise.

Harry’s apartment is small and the building is rundown. But Harry has managed to make it seem homey and cosy with a comfy collection of blankets and pillows and little knickknacks he’s collected over the years since he left his relatives house. This is the same apartment he first moved into during his second year of university. He only managed to pay for it by working two different part time jobs. He started working for Riddle incorporated straight out of university so he has a larger budget than he used to, but it never occurs to him to look for somewhere else to move.

Like all omegas, he is protective of his nest and reluctant to move it. Even if his apartment is freezing in the winter and too hot in the summer, or that the appliances frequently break down and the electricity sometimes flickers in and out. It’s still the only place that has ever been truly home and all his. He’s reluctant to leave.

“I thought I’d make lasagna. There’s also treacle tart from that bakery you mentioned as well,” Tom says, placing the bag on the nearest available kitchen surface and starts to unpack.

“Treacle tart?” Harry perks right up at hearing that. “From Maribel’s?”

“Yes,” Tom smiles affectionately at him. “But you’ll have to wait until after dinner for it. Now why don’t you come help me cook?”

Harry shrugs and walks over.

They have a fun time cooking together and Harry is surprised to discover Tom has something of a talent for it. He thought Tom wouldn’t know how to cook, that he would probably have people to do that for him. He is pleasantly surprised. And if his hand touches Tom’s and lingers there longer than it should when they reach across each other, no one needs to know.

-

Harry leans back in his chair, moaning as he savours the delightful taste of treacle on his tongue. Dinner had been delicious. He secretly hopes they’ll do this again some time.

He hears a sharp intake of breath and looks up to meet Tom’s eyes, his pupils dilated with arousal.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll end up throwing you over my shoulder and taking you on the nearest surface.”

“W-what?” Harry stutters out, thoroughly confused.

“Come now, angel. You must know how you sound when making such noises,” Tom smirks lasciviously at him. His eyes are glued to Harry’s lips.

“What? Why would you say that?” Harry squeaks.

“Angel, it’s only natural our relationship would progress to that at some point,” Tom informs him.

“Our relationship? We have a relationship?” Harry asks tentatively, tense but also hopeful for a positive answer.

“Isn’t it obvious darling? I don’t hand feed just anyone lunch,” Tom is still smiling smugly. “Did you really not realise that’s what I intended? Is it not something you want?” He lets his smile slip for a moment and allows Harry to see the worry and concern in his eyes.

“No it is!” Harry rushes out to say as little thrills of happiness race through him. “I-i’d like that.”

“Excellent.”

Tom is smiling again as he comes around the table and takes Harry’s hands. “Then you won’t mind if I do this.”

Next thing Harry knows, Toms lips are on his and he is submerged in overwhelming ecstasy. Tom’s lips are warm and soft. They are also dominating and don’t leave room for Harry to hesitate or back away so he dives in head first. He fights back only for Tom to come back harder. They stay like that, locked in a war of lust for what feels like eternity, only to feel like seconds when they finally break apart.

“Why did you stop?” Harry asks breathless.

“Because if I didn’t now, I wouldn’t be able to stop at all,” Tom says solemnly, eyes intense and cheeks slightly flushed.

“Then don’t,” Harry replied before launching back in and claiming Tom’s lips all over again.

They spend the rest of the weekend entwined in Harry’s bedroom.

Their relationship properly kicks off after that. Harry still has lunch with Tom at least three times a week. They start going out to dinner every Friday as well before spending the weekends happily isolated from the rest of the world and cooped up somewhere, normally Harry’s apartment as that is where he is currently most comfortable. (That will change soon)

Harry looks at Tom and feels the glowing embers of love beginning to build and start to burn. Before he knows it, those feelings will consume him.

Tom is no different. He looks at Harry and feels obsession and deep love and desire. Whenever he sees him, he can’t help but think, “Mine! He’s mine.”

As time passed, their feelings only grew stronger, until they were all encompassing and all-consuming. Harry felt like he was drowning and burning all at once. His breath was stolen every time he saw Tom and he was racked with shivers whenever their skin brushed together, creating sparks and sending tingles down his spine.

When he finally tells Hermione they were, in fact, dating, she looks at him and says, “I told you so.”

She had then launched head first into a very detailed questioning session and Harry could barely manage to answer before he was bombarded with another question.

Ron’s reaction was far simpler. When Harry told him, he grunted, said, “He hurts you, I hurt him,” and then continued shovelling his dinner in his mouth. It was lacklustre and just what Harry expected of Ron. He much prefers Ron’s threats to Hermione’s question montage. (Not that he’ll ever tell her that for fear of making her angry. An angry Hermione is not a pretty or pleasant (for anyone) sight)

One thing Tom and Harry could agree on was that for the moment it would be better if their relationship remained a secret. Never mind half the company is rife with speculation and rumours about why a lowly graphic designer would so frequently be called to the CEO’s office. Of course, no one would openly talk about. It was all quiet whispers and suspicious side eyes. Everyone is justifiably terrified of Tom, even though Harry has yet to see that side of him.

Therefore, Harry and Tom remain quite happily in their cosy little bubble, their relationship steadily moving along. Or so Harry thinks.

Tom has other plans, which involve binding the sweet little omega to him in every way possible, as quickly as possible.

He makes his next move at the Office Christmas Party.

Chapter Text

Harry stands happily in the corner of the room, watching everyone around him. The office Christmas party is a much anticipated event. It’s the one time of the year all the employees can let loose without fear of chastisement from the upper management.

For that reason alone, almost everyone attends and most leave intoxicated. It also doesn’t help that Riddle Inc. goes all out each year. This year they’ve rented one of the big reception halls at a nearby swanky hotel. The place is all pristine white walls and floors, tastefully decorated with Christmas decorations. There is a buffet table with a wide range of foods to the right with a gorgeous display of snowflakes circling up the wall and onto the ceiling next to it.

Harry smiles as he see Hermione making her way back to him through the bustling crowds. She’s perilously close to tripping as she tries to balance their drinks and Ron is trailing behind her, watching carefully to make sure she doesn’t trip.

“Here we are, mate!” Ron grins, plucking Harry’s drink out of Hermione’s hands and passing it over to him.

“Thanks,” Harry smiles brightly at him.

“So where is this alpha of yours then?”

“Ron!” Harry hisses out. “Don’t talk about that here! No one knows about us.”

“Honestly Harry. It’s not that big of a deal. Besides you go up to his office for lunch at least twice a week. Everyone is bound to have realised by now,” Hermione huffs as she casts a glare at a passing drunk who spills his drink precariously close to her new shoes.

“No one can know!” Harry insists. “And they haven’t realised yet anyway. I don’t want everyone knowing I’m a you-know . And I don’t want people to treat me differently like they would if they knew I was dating Tom.”

“Fair enough,” Ron grumbles. “Just let it go, Mione.”

Hermione shoots him an irritated look before turning back to Harry. “I can understand you want to keep it quiet whilst you still can but at some point people will find out and I just want you to be prepared for that.”

“I know Mione. It will be fine. But people don’t know yet and I’d just to prefer to keep it that way for as long as possible,” Harry says quietly.

Hermione’s eyes soften at his reply and she sighs, “Alright then.”

“Hey guys. Let’s stop talking about this now and go dance!” Ron interrupts, eyes locked on the swaying bodies on the dance floor. “Come on! Let’s go!”

Harry lets himself be tugged along by his friends into the middle of the sweltering bodies and loses himself to the music.

The entire time he is unaware of the keen eyes following his every move and the smirk directly underneath.

Tom spent the first few hours brooding from a balcony overlooking the entire party below. His eyes rarely left Harry the entire time, sticking like glue to the pert little ass dancing across the floor.

Eventually, Tom manages to catch Harry’s attention when he glances up and catches sight of him. He waves at him and gestures for Harry to come up to him. Harry just nods and gives him one of his angelic happy smiles which Tom will never admit make him feel warm and a little fuzzy inside.

He watches Harry make progress off the dance floor and into the hallway with stairs leading directly up to the second floor.

Smiling once more his way, Tom turns away to face the table with a tray holding two chilled drinks he’d had a waiter bring up earlier.  He checks briefly to make sure no one is paying attention, before reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a small glass vial. The vial is thin and small with a rounded topper and it contains a transparent liquid with a slight shimmer to it. He removes the stopper and tips several drops into the glass furthest from him. It slides into the mixture effortlessly, leaving no trace anything extra was added.

Harry comes stumbling in moments later, and Tom has just enough time to slip the vial back into his pocket unnoticed.

“It looks like you were having fun, little one,” Tom smirks, as he comes over to lay a steadying hand on Harry’s hip and kisses his mouth chastely.

“I was having fun,” Harry easily agrees, smiling up at Tom with his eyes slightly glazed over.

“All that dancing must have made you thirsty. Why don’t we have a drink?” Tom offers, already reaching for the glasses.

“Yes, please,” Harry says, accepting the glass and downing half of it in one go. “God, I’m so thirsty. Dancing really makes you hot.”

“I noticed,” Tom smirks. “Watching you dance was rather mesmerising.” He leans over to whisper in Harry’s ear, eliciting an adorable blush. He can’t help himself but to kiss Harry when he sees it.

They spend the next few minutes enveloped in each other. And the next hour after that chatting in between hot kisses.

Tom notices instantly when Harry starts reacting to the extra addition to his drink from earlier. Before even Harry does. He starts itching at his arms and a sheen of sweat stretches across his forehead.

He can smell the sweetness slowly seeping into his scent, signalling the beginning of his heat. Tom has to force the smug smirk threatening to come over his face back, lest he give the game away.

“Darling,” he starts slowly. “I don’t want to alarm you but your scent is sweetening. I think you might be going into heat.”

Harry freezes. “What?” He gasps. “Oh no! My heat isn’t meant to come for another month! But that would explain why I’m feeling so hot and itchy.”

He suddenly feels his body warming with an overwhelming but familiar intensity. Tom’s right. He’s going into heat. “What am I going to do? I can’t stay here. Not with all the other alphas. I need to leave.” He’s full on panicking now. “And what am I going to tell Ron and Hermione?”

“Hush little one. Everything will be okay,” Tom soothes as he pulls Harry into his arms so his face is resting in the crook of Tom’s neck. “We’ll get out of here now and I’ll take you somewhere safe. Don’t worry about your friends. I’ll have someone tell them what’s happened and I’m sure they’ll understand.”

Harry can’t help but relax his tensed muscles as the baronet tones of Tom’s voice  and his soothing scent wrap around him. He subconsciously starts to perfume, his scent growing in intensity at the closeness of his alpha.

“We need to go now angel. Before your heat gets any worse,” Tom directs. He moves back and starts guiding Harry to the stairs.

Harry can only mewl in response as he is shifted from his comfortable position in Tom’s arms.

“Now, now. None of that darling,” Tom chastises. “We will be out of here soon and then I’m all yours but first we need to get out of here undetected.

Harry just nods and lets Tom guide him throughout the building and outisde to where he has a car waiting. The entire time Tom keeps an assuring hand on his back.

Tom bundles him into the backseat and tells the driver where to go. Harry is already too out of it to hear an address he doesn’t recognise, let alone to realise its not his home they’re going to.

The drive is spent in silence with the occasional mewl and moan from Harry as the heat overtakes him and whispered assurances and gentle strokes from Tom.

Before they know it, they’ve already arrived at Tom’s home. Harry becomes even more distressed and desperate to have his itchy clothes gone. He wants his alpha. To feel his scent fully enveloping him. To have their skin touching in all the right places. He gives a little wail when Tom extracts himself from Harry to get out of the car.

Tom quickly reacts to the omega’s distress and re-initiates skin contact within seconds. “It’s alright angel,” he whispers. “We’re almost there. Not much longer now.”

Harry tries and fails to stand and move after him as Tom steps out of the car. But the heat is already drawing all his energy away and his legs collapse beneath him, desperate with need. Tom manages to catch him and then succinctly manoeuvres him up and into a tight hold. He carries Harry across the threshold of the entrance and up another flight upstairs. The whole time Harry just luxuriates in the feeling of his alpha’s arms wrapped around him.

Eventually, the reach what Harry recognises as Tom’s bedroom, if only from how it is heavily doused in his scent. Tom lays him gently on the bed and is quick to strip off his outer clothing as Harry keens in need. Before Harry knows it, he finally has what he wants. He’s stripped of the itchy layers and his alpha is above him, their skin in direct contact which is a balm to his heated exterior. Harry lets himself relax into the soft bedding as his eyes droop and finally allows the heat to take over in full.

He loses himself to the heat and lust running through his blood, trusting that Tom will be there. Tom will take care of him. He doesn’t need to worry anymore because his alpha is here and he’ll take care of them. With one more urging keen, Harry hands himself over completely to Tom.

Chapter Text

Harry wakes up with a his head filled with fog and bleary, crusty eyes. He rubs at his eyes and reaches to the side table where his glasses are normally kept. Finding them, he slips them on before double taking at his surroundings. This is definitely not his room.

Or his house from the looks of it.

Feeling the stirring of panic rising in his gut, Harry sucks in a deep breath before slowly slipping out from between silky black sheets and pressing his toes into the soft carpeted floor. He pauses to look around the room, fully taking in his surroundings and trying to stifle his rising emotions. The room is large, with one wall covered in a large window, overlooking a large expanse of green , luscious gardens. The walls are stained a dark green that offsets the dark wooden furniture scattered around the room and the ebony black of the bedsheets. There is a sizeable built in wardrobe to the left of the bed and dark wooden side tables, each adorned with a small lamp and a pile of books balanced carefully on the one to the left. A line of book shelves is spread across the wall directly across from the bed and a dresser is pressed up to the wall by the door.

Harry thinks the room may be large and spacious but for all its size, it’s rather cozy and looks properly lived in. He finds himself quite liking it and the colour scheme.

His body freezes when he hears the creak of the door opening from behind him.

He tenses, ready to move if needed.

Only to relax when he hears a familiar voice from behind him.

“I’m glad to see your awake. I was starting to get worried when you didn’t wake up earlier.”

Harry twists around to stare at Tom. He immediately notices that despite it still being relatively early, Tom already looks ready for the day. Just as devastatingly handsome and well put together as always despite having spent the past three days in a mess of sweat, desire and tangled limbs. Just with that thought, memories of the last three days come rushing back and Harry feels overwhelmed at the sudden shock.

He stared at Tom with dazed eyes, half-lost in his memories. “Did we…?”

“Yes,” Tom nods, moving towards where Harry is still sitting on the edge of the bed. “You went into heat suddenly at the party. I brought you back here, rather than your apartment. I know you like it there, angel. But the neighbourhood really isn’t that safe and I certainly couldn’t just leave you there to spend your heat. I thought you’d be much more comfortable here.” He reaches out and takes Harry’s hand, pressing a soft kiss to the top of it.

“D-did we bond?” Harry stutters out. His mind is still whirling from the new influx of information and trying to process the fact he is now at Tom’s home.

“No. Don’t worry darling. We didn’t,” Tom assures him. “It came close but I managed to hold back. Now, you need to eat something and I brought up a morning after pill for you to take as well. I know you’re on contraceptives already but I thought you’d like to be certain.”

“Thank you,” Harry finally relaxes, digging into the tray of food Tom brought in with him.

“Once you’ve finished eating, I thought I’d give you a tour of the place. How about it?” Tom asks.

“That sounds like a great idea!” Harry perks up at the idea of seeing Tom’s home in all its splendour and sends a soft but enthusiastic smile his way. “I can’t wait!”

-

Once Harry finishes his meal, as promised Tom takes Harry on a tour of the house or rather mansion really. It’s very big as Harry later finds with even bigger gardens.

The house is on the edge of the city. Rather than living in the busy hub of the city, Tom prefers the silence and privacy offered by nature. The house is of an older design, made of old stone and brick with a collection of large windows in grand designs. Whilst the outside may appear somewhat old, the inside is modern and cosy despite the size. There is a running theme of green which Harry assumes must be a favoured colour of Tom’s. The front doors are dark wood and they lead into an awe inspiring entrance hall with marble stairs leading to the second floor. There are four floors in total. The first floor has the kitchen, two dining areas (one formal and the other informal), the library, (which actually extends up to the second floor as well) a solarium and several sitting areas. The second floor is split into two wings for family and guests. It’s mostly bedrooms with the addition of Tom’s home office and study. The third floor is just attics and the fourth is a wine cellar with a door leading down from the kitchens.

The gardens are even lovelier than the house. They are widespread with a whole array of different flora to be found. Harry finds himself falling in love with the warm grey stone of the house and the green of the garden and the babbling brook hidden in between flowers and hedges.

It’s whilst they are touring the gardens that Tom brings up the subject of Harry’s living conditions again.

“Do you like it Angel?” Tom asks, smiling slightly at the look of wonder etched onto Harry’s face.

“It’s lovely,” Harry murmurs. “The house is really nice and I love how modern it is whilst still keeping true to the original design. And the gardens are just… gorgeous. I really like it here.”

“If you like it so much,” Tom smirks. “Then you should come and live here. With me.”

“What?” Harry stops walking in surprise at the answer.

Tom sighs, “Angel, I haven’t hidden how I feel about you living in that dump on your own. Frankly, it’s not safe for anyone, let alone you. Especially you. It worries me to think of your there alone, an unmated omega is vulnerable. I know you can look after yourself but I’d feel so much better knowing you were here with me, where I can make sure you’re being properly looked after.”

“It really worries you that much?” Harry asks tentatively.

Tom holds back his smirk. Almost have you.

“It really does.”

He clasps Harry’s hands in his and stares at him beseechingly, silently urging him to give him the answer he wants to hear.

Inside, Harry is panicking at the sudden bombardment of the next big step in their relationship. He can’t help but think of everything that could go wrong. What if they don’t get along? What if they’re moving too quickly? What if Tom changes his mind and decides he doesn’t want Harry anymore?

Just as Harry opens his mouth to refuse and  suggest they might be moving too quickly, he looks up into Tom’s eager, bright eyes and finds himself saying, “Alright.”

It is a decision he can’t bring himself to regret when he sees the big, bright smile spreading across Tom’s face in answer. To Harry, Tom looks as if he has just heard the answer to his prayers he’s so happy. And the unmasked smile on his face makes Harry fall in love with him just a little bit more and deeper than before.

Harry moves in the next day.

Tom pays for a moving company to bring Harry’s things to his-their-house now and has anything else put into storage. Harry did say he could do it himself but Tom insists that a moving company would do it faster and that Harry still needs to rest.

Harry finds himself being spoiled rotten by Tom over the next few days whilst he’s recovering. Tom refuses to let him get up from the bed except for bathroom trips and brings all of Harry’s meals to eat in bed. Harry complains at first but when he realises that isn’t doing anything, he shuts up and decides to enjoy being able to relax without having to worry about anything else for the first time in a while.

They spend the rest of their two week Christmas holiday cocooned in their newly shared home. The only exception is when Hermione and Ron come over to see Harry on Boxing Day.

Tom insists on having them over for lunch and prepares an elaborate three course meal he made himself. He says that he wants to impress them and make them see that he and Harry are perfect for each other. Harry’s heart always beats just a little faster when Tom says such sweet, sentimental things.

Harry’s just happy that his friends seem to get along well with his boyfriend. Everything goes well with everyone getting on and conversation flowing smoothly throughout the visit.

It’s when Tom has left to fetch desert that Hermione gives Harry a quizzical look and asks the question that’s been on the tip of her tongue since she first received the invitation to come over.

“Are you happy?”

Ron stops eating when he hears Hermione speak and Harry pauses as he contemplates his answer.

“You mean with Tom?”

Hermione nods. She’s sitting on the edge of her seat and leaning towards him earnestly. Her face is stern and resolved.

“Yes,” Harry smiles. “I am.”

Hermione visibly relaxes and takes a deep breath in. “Alright then.”

After that, Tom comes back in, carefully balancing four plates of chocolate cake and everything continues as if their little exchange never happened.

Chapter Text

Harry groans and stretches out his arms after getting out of the car. He’s still sore from the previous night. The last few days had been trying, yesterday in particular.

Tom had left to go on a week long business trip so Harry was left alone in their big empty house for the first time. He found he greatly disliked it. He had missed having Tom’s arms wrapped around him and being enveloped by his comforting familiar scent.

On top of that, he’d had a hard time sleeping and then the previous morning his alarm had failed to go off so he had been late for work. In his rush, he had left his phone at home so he had waited nervous and hyper all day, desperate to get back to it in case Tom had texted or called. He also kept tripping over things, he had stubbed his toe on three separate occasions yesterday. It had left his big toe red and throbbing.

Finally, near the end of the day and just when he thought he might be able to go home, the snobby, prickish Zacharias Smith has practically accosted him at his desk again. Smith had only worked at the company for a few months now but seemed to have taken up a strange and frankly annoying fascination with Harry. He often stops by Harry’s desk to chat. (If one sided conversations where Harry barely got a word on edgewise whilst having to listen to Smith boast about himself count)

For the last week, Smith had been haunting the marketing department and the shared space where Harry worked despite actually being part of HR. He made lewd comments and gestures whilst simultaneously asking Harry out on dates. He had tried to touch Harry on his arm a few times but Harry always flinched away, politely trying to retract himself from Smith’s intolerable presence.

The day before, he had been particularly insistent, actually going so far as to firmly grip Harry’s forearm until Harry shook him off. He still had the chance, however, to leave faint bluish bruises etched into Harry’s arm. Tom had come traipsing back in later that night, clearly exhausted after a long trip. In his fervour to see to Tom and pamper him, Harry forgot to mention the altercation with Smith.

Harry yawns again as he slowly makes his way towards the office. He’s running a little behind schedule and most of his colleagues will probably be in already but he’s not quite late yet. Harry had left Tom to sleep in for a bit after such a late night. He would probably come into work later that morning though. As always, he is a workaholic.

It’s when he is in the elevator, that Harry first notices the strange stares directed at him. There are three other people in the elevator with him. All betas. The one he knows is Wayne Hopkins from accounting. But their acquaintance is tenuous and little tendered.

The other two are girls he has seen around but never directly interacted with. They are quietly tittering to each other whilst sending him curious glances every now and again, making it clear he is the object of their conversation. He thinks the one on the left with dark curls is Romilda Vane, a receptionist on the ninth floor. He doesn’t know who the other is and only knows Vane because Hermione has complained about how she has a tendency to flirt and attempt to seduce most of the higher ups.

He glances at them from his peripheral vision, trying to work out why they’re talking about him. He chances a quick glance down at himself to make sure he hasn’t accidentally worn his shirt backwards or left his fly open. (He hasn’t, thank god)

He shrugs inwardly and steps out of the lift as soon as it stops on his floor. It mustn’t be anything particularly pertinent.

That assumption is quickly shaken when he notices more people whispering and shooting weird looks at him as he makes his way down the corridor and to his desk. Most of the looks hold open curiosity and interest, whilst others appear as jealousy?

Mostly from the girls, but he is probably reading that wrong. What’s odder is how some of the known alphas are fixated on him. They stare with lustful eyes and open mouths which make Harry’s heart start to beat faster as he picks up his pace and hurried to safety.

He sighs in relief as he finally reaches his desk and starts to unpack his bag. He flinches in surprise when he hears a shriek echoing from behind him though.

“Harry! Why didn’t you tell me? How come we’ve all only just found out now?!” Lavender shrieks. Harry turns around to find Lavender standing only inches away from him. Her face is shoved close to his and her eyes are wide with interest and curiosity.

“Found out what?” Harry questions, feeling very confused.

“That you’re an omega!”

At those words, Harry feels himself freeze. How does she know? How did she find out?

Is that what everyone has been talking about? Who told?

“How did you know?” Harry feels himself paling and a wave of dizziness overcomes him.

“It’s all everyone’s talking about. No one can figure out how you managed to go unnoticed for so long,” Lavender rolls her eyes. “You should have just told us. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Lavender. I didn’t want anyone to know,” Harry pinched his nose and tries to stop his racing mind. “Secondary genders are private information. I didn’t tell you or anyone else because it is private and none of their business. That information was confidential.”

“Yeah, well not anymore!” Lavender says before flouncing away.

At that remainder, Harry can feel his panic coming back in full force. Suddenly the room is closing in on him and it feels like he can’t breathe. He starts inhaling shaky panicked breathes which grow shallower every second. Harry knows if he doesn’t get a reign on himself now, he’ll end up having a full blown panic attack. He digs his nails into his palms and the bitter bite of pain brings him back from the brink and allows him to reorient himself.

When he finally feels like he can breathe again, Harry decides he can’t be here anymore and he desperately needs to be alone right now. Hurriedly, he shoves his things into his bag and swings it over his shoulder, practically running out of the room and down the hall as he rifles through his back in search of his phone. Though he’s not on the verge of having a panic attack anymore, he still feels shaky and overwhelmed with his emotions.

He can feel the pinprick of tears stirring in the corners of his eyes. Not wanting anyone to see him cry, Harry heads straight for the janitors’ closer he knows is just around the corner.

Swinging the door open and then shut again behind him, Harry collapses to the floor in a pile of tangled limbs, sobbing his eyes out. He fumbles with his phone but manages to open his contacts and lets his thumb hover over Tom’s name. He stops and inhales another shaky breath. What if Tom doesn’t pick up? Or brushes his worries aside? He doesn’t want to be a burden but at the same time he desperately needs the reassurance and comfort only Tom can give him right now. He bites his lip and presses down, listening to the phone as the call tries to connect.

Finally. Finally, it goes through.

“Hello?”

Tom’s voice is deep and certain as alway. Familiar. And everything Harry needs to hear right now. He lets out a breath and the weight he didn’t know he was carrying flows right off his shoulders.

“Harry, is that you?” Tom asks, his concern evident even through the phone.

“Tom,” Harry stutters, trying to muffle his sobs.

“Harry? Angel, what’s wrong?”

“They know!”

“Know what?” Tom demands. “Harry who knows what?”

“Everyone!” Harry bursts out. “They know I’m an omega.  Someone told and now the whole company knows!” He’s starting to hyperventilate again and is getting lost in his horror and shock.

“Harry, baby. It’s okay, sweetheart. Everything will be okay. I’ll sort it out. Now tell me where you are?” Tom soothes.

“I’m in the janitors closet around the corner from my desk.”

“Alright. Stay right there. I’m coming to get you.”

“Please hurry,” Harry whispers.

“I’m coming baby, just hold on.”

He hangs up and Harry is left alone in the darkness again.

Tom is just about to arrive at his office when he gets the call. He doesn’t think anything of it at first until he see who exactly is calling. Harry never calls him during work hours and right now he would normally be knee deep in work. If that wasn’t enough to start alarm bells ringing, the fact Harry doesn’t immediately answer when he picks up is worrying. All he can hear are Harry’s muffled sobs and shaky breaths. He can feel a frozen rage build within him as Harry explains amongst hiccuped cries what has happened.

By the time he’s hung up, Tom is already running down the halls to where he knows Harry is. He can hear Harry’s breath from where he’s standing outside the plain wooden door.

He opens it to reveal Harry curled up in a ball on the floor, only to look up at him with glazed, reddened eyes.

“Oh, Angel,” he sighs, reaching for Harry and pulling him into a tight embrace. He cradles him against his chest. “Everything is going to be just fine. We’ll figure it out. Alright?”

He feels Harry nod against his chest as he burrows deeper into his shirt.

Tom really wants to hit someone right now. No one should make his angel cry.

But he can worry about that later. Right now he’s more concerned with the precious bundle in his arms.

He takes Harry back to his waiting car, going down the back stairs so no one will see Harry in this ruffled state. He doesn’t think Harry would want to be gawked at anymore right now.

When they finally reach the car, Tom has to pry Harry’s fingers off of his shirt where they have settled into a firm grip and gently rests him on the passenger seat. He quickly moves around to the drivers side and slips in. They drive back to the house in silence. The only sounds are the occasional strangled sob from Harry and Tom’s soft noises of reassurance and comfort.

Back at the house, Tom settles Harry on the sofa and curls his body around him as though he can protect this treasure from the whole of the outside world.

He doesn’t want to, but he knows this matter needs to be addressed, so he hesitantly urges Harry to speak.

“Darling? I know you probably don’t want to but you need to tell me everything that happened so I can start fixing it.”

Harry looks up at him with bleary eyes and lets out an adorable sniffle. “When I got to work, everyone was staring at me and whispering. I didn’t find out about what until Lavender told me. She came up to me and asked why I never told her I was an omega. She said everyone was talking about it. But I didn’t want anyone to know!”

“It’s okay love. Calm down. Now, do you want to tell me why you didn’t want to tell people?”

Harry looks away and refuses to meet Tom’s eyes. “Angel, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me,” Tom murmurs softly whilst bringing Harry’s face to meet his.

Harry sighs and snuggles further into Tom’s warmth. For a moment, Tom thinks Harry isn’t going to speak but then he does in his gentle voice.

“My parents died in a car crash when I was one so I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle. They were both betas and completely obsessed with being normal. They hated anything that wasn’t. Including me. When I got my test back when I was eleven and it turned out I was an omega, they were really angry. Things got really bad for a while. After that I spent most of my time sleeping over at my friend Ron’s home whenever I could. The Dursleys would always say how much of a disgrace I was and they would call omegas whores and say the only thing they were good for was as sluts. They told all the neighbours and they would go out of their way to avoid me and talked about me behind my back a lot. I guess all of that made me feel safer with no one knowing what I was.”

Harry sniffles again.

Tom can feel his anger rising again but resolves to push it down so he can focus solely on Harry at the moment.

He grits his teeth, “Angel, don’t think we won’t be talking more about your awful relatives later. But first, are you sure there aren’t any other reasons on top of that?”

Harry winces.

“There is one other,” he reluctantly admits. “When I was about sixteen, one of my cousin’s friends who had just presented as an alpha started following me around. He never actually did anything but he’d say things like what my uncle said but he would also describe all the horrible things he wanted to do to me. He left ma alone after a while but that really scared me.”

Tom scowls, “Is he still an issue?”

“No, no” Harry is quick to assure him. “Last I heard he was in prison for drug dealing and petty theft. I haven’t seen him in years anyway. It just that I’ve been paranoid since about what an alpha might do to me and scared a person would only want me because I’m an omega.”

Tom freezes.

“Angel,” he begins slowly. “You do know that’s not why I’m with you don’t you? I adore every inch of you and it’s not because you’re an omega.”

“I know,” Harry nods. “And I love you too. It’s just nice to hear sometimes.”

“Good,” Tom relaxes back into his seat, his anger starting to fade. “As long as you know you’re everything to me. And I would do anything to make you happy.”

Harry stares up at him in awe. His eyes are filled with love and affection. Then his expression turns thoughtful.

“Anything?” He asks carefully.

“Absolutely anything.”

“So if I wanted you to bond me, would you?” He looks up at Tom earnestly.

Tom can feel his heart pounding at the insinuations of that statement.

“Harry, love. Did you just ask me to bond with you?”

“I-I,” Harry stutters adorably. He licks his lips nervously before his eyes harden with determination. “Yes. I want you to bond with me. Properly. If that’s okay?” He offers up the last words somewhat hesitantly.

Tom can feel a thousand different emotions bubbling up inside him. But the overarching one is clearly overwhelming love and adoration for the perfect little angel in front of him.

He smiles.

“I would like that very much,” he says softly, feeling for the first time a sense of completion.

Harry returns his smile threefold. “Perfect!”

With that, he launches himself at Tom and kisses him enthusiastically.

Tom is quick to react and starts kissing back. They soon lose themselves in each other and the knowledge that there is someone who loves them, all of them. And there is a person in whose arms they truly belong.

Chapter Text

Tom groans as he leans back in his chair, stretching his arms out above him. He has been bent over his desk all morning, working diligently on a new deal, that if successful, had the potential to increase profit by 30%.

He had been working on it for weeks, with many late nights and early mornings. He was reaching his limit and exhaustion haunted his every step. The only thing keeping it at bay are his thoughts of his lovely wife waiting for him at home.

He grins at just thinking about Harry, his darling angel.

One of the best days of his life was when Harry had asked to bond with him. They hadn’t waited long after, bonding that night. He had insisted on marrying Harry not to look after and they’d wed, further binding their souls and lives together, only a month later. The following three years of their marriage had been heaven. Tom had never known happiness like it before. And Harry was the source.

He came like a comet, plummeting into Tom’s life. An adorable ball of light and sweetness. And Tom had proceeded to bind them together in as many ways as possible so that light would always and forever be his, with no chance of escape.

Harry was perfectly happy to let Tom shower him with love, albeit a little reluctant at first whilst he was still getting used to the constant spoiling. But Tom was stubborn and persistent, so Harry eventually learnt there was no use in rejecting the gifts because Tom would just come back with something even more lavish and expensive. Now he simply smiled and accepted the gifts gratefully. He knew it was another way Tom showed his love.

Harry didn’t find Tom’s overprotective and possessive instincts as stifling as his past exes had either. Harry rather settled into it, delighting in the fact someone loved him so dearly. Though after the incident of Harry’s dynamic being spilled to the rest of the company had been dealt with and Harry wore both Tom’s claim and ring, his instincts had settled a bit.

Tom frowns just thinking about the little hussy who made his Harry cry. It had turned out that a beta from HR had seen them kissing one night after work whilst still in the office. She had harboured an obviously useless crush on Tom and had gone through Harry’s personnel files looking for something to use as blackmail or for revenge. She had ended up releasing Harry’s previously secret  designation as an omega to the rest of their colleagues as retaliation.

Tom had found her fairly quickly. She was apparently stupid and had failed to properly cover her tracks. He’d fired her, then ensured she would never work in the city again by blacklisting her. Last he had heard, she’d had to move back in with her parents in some small town somewhere after losing her income. He didn’t stop there though.

No, he wasn’t going to let her get away that easily. Not after hurting Harry. She was now drowning in debt and working for minimum pay as a waitress at a backwater diner after failing to find a higher paying job and she was refused service in every store that sold Riddle Inc. products all over the country.

Tom’s face lights up with a malicious smirk. She got what she deserved and he wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to anyone who hurt Harry.

Speaking of his little darling, Tom let his smile morph into something much kinder and softer as a gentle knock raps against his office door and opens to reveal Harry standing there. He’s dressed in comfortable light blue jeans and a loose red jumper that just manages to hide the growing swell of his belly.

“Hello love,” Tom greets him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be at Ron and Hermione’s tonight.”

“I was for a bit, but then Ron’s mum called and they had to go pick up Rose,” Harry smiles. “So I thought I’d come and surprise you with dinner instead. I have a feeling you haven’t eaten.” He holds up a white bag bulging with food and a delicious scent starts  wafting towards Tom.

Tom leans back in his seat and sighs.

“You’re right. I haven’t had the chance to eat yet. I just need to go over the final contracts for this deal one more time and then I should be done for tonight.”

“You should eat first,” Harry insists. “You’ve been working really hard lately and I don’t want to see you missing any more meals.”

He walks over and starts laying out the containers of food out on Tom’s desk.

“I know,” Tom sighs again. “Once this deal is done, I should have a lot more time on my hands and we can spend more time together.” He looks up at Harry’s stubborn face and glaring eyes and relents, “But I’m sure I should eat first before finishing up my work.”

Harry’s face breaks out into a beaming smile, “Great. Let’s eat then. I got Indian takeout from that place you like. Rikki’s.”

Tom pries open the lid of the container in front of him and can’t help but groan at the delicious scent.

“How is it you always know just what I need?”

Harry taps the side of his nose, “Call it an Omega’s instinct.”

Tom reaches out and grips the sleeve of Harry’s jumper. He tugs him around the side of his desk and into his lap, so Harry is sitting with his legs across Tom’s body.

“Tom!” Harry squeaks in indignation.

Tom ignores him and proceeds to bury his face in Harry’s neck, taking in his scent and instantly feeling the tension drain from his shoulders.

“If that’s true, then your going to make an excellent mother.”

He rests his hand on Harry’s stomach, where their child is safely cocooned and growing.

“And I’m sure you’ll be a great father,” Harry sighs in contentment as Tom nuzzles his claiming bite. Whenever Tom touches it, it sends a tingle of pleasure racing through Harry. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Soon, we’ll meet them soon.”

Tom couldn’t wait for their little family to finally be complete.