O R P H I C. [Tom. R × Reader]

20. Servants.

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"There. That's a third" I grumble, both Tom and Orion had been watching me eat. It made me anxious and nervous, and quite frankly, it bothered me.

Tom picked up a croissant filled with an egg and handed it to me.

"And this" he says, standing up and offering me his hand. The now familiar feeling of relief flowed over me as I took his hand, the pain instantly disappearing, as it usually does.

I take a bite of the croissant as he leads me out of the room and towards Slytherin, Orion following behind.

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I finish the bread as Tom reaches the dungeons, once we enter the green house's common room, Tom turns to me.

"Is it okay if I bring my books to your room?" He asks, I nod.

"Of course."

"Thank you" he leaves me with Orion as we sit down on a couch in a corner of the room. It's kind of awkward as he just watches me.

"What's up with you and watching me?" I sigh, turning to face him.

"You're fascinating to admire" he replies, not backing down as he examines my face, before connecting eye contact.

"How so?" I ask, also not backing down.

"I'm not sure" he smirks, his gaze flicking down a fraction before back up again. He finally looks away as he unzips his bag. My hand begins to shake slightly.

"I noticed that Abe didn't think to collect your homework from defense" he emphasized the last word, mocking my abbreviation of the class as he pulled out a stack of papers.

"So I decided that I'd go back after my last class to get it for you" he continues, handing me the pile of paper which I notice are actually two separate heaps of paper.

"Tom's as well?" I ask. Orion nods, confirming my assumption.

"Thank you. I really do appreciate your consideration" I smile, thanking him as, steadying them evenly on my lap as the burn returned.

"It's no problem, don't stress it" he smiles back.

"Y/n. I could use your assistance. Oh Orion if you're not busy, you too" Tom calls from up on the mezzanine. My hand continues to shake as the burn desperately tries to make itself known. I stand up as the main entrance door opens, letting in a certain blonde, weilding a flash broom.

"Abe!! Where've you been?" I grin as he smooths back his ruffled hair.

"Oh hey Y/n! I just went out for a fun little quidditch game during lunch" he grins back at me, sauntering towards us.

"Why isn't your broom in the shed?" I wonder.

"Don't want it stolen. Costs a lot you know?" He ruffles my hair as he walks past and up the stairs towards a door.

"Got any spare time, Abe?" Tom calls.

"Yup, sure do, just hold on for a sec" He disappears into the room before reappearing, closing the door behind him.

Now standing beside Tom, I took his hand loosely, but he tightened his grip reassuringly as he glanced at me.

"What'd you need?" Abraxas asks.

"A few extra hands" Tom replies.

"I would use magic, but as you know, magic is prohibited within the halls and it's still midday, so I don't want to risk being caught breaking the rules in broad daylight" Tom explains, leading us into his room.

"Why aren't you wearing your uniforms?" Abe asks.

"Y/n decided that we wouldn't be attending the rest of today's classes. Anyway, I just need you to carry a pile each" Tom approaches three very tall stacks of books.

"Where the hell did all these come from!?" I ask. I never saw all these books anywhere before. Tom pointed to a tall cupboard in the corner of his bedroom.

'Oh.'

We stand in a row as Tom divides the books equally into our arms, the stacks still reaching above our chests as all four of us start heading to Gryffindor.

Neither of the boys ask any questions about why Tom is moving all his books away from his room, which I find interesting. They simply follow us in silence.

Every now and then, Tom brushes the skin of his forearm against mine, constantly stopping the burn temporarily. It's honestly quite considerate even if it's only for his own benefit.

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Once we reach Gryffindor, the two boys try their best to ignore the chatter as we pass through up to the dormitories.

After Tom whispers my password, he struggles to get the door open, but eventually does and steps through into the foyer, slipping off his shoes this time and stepping through the archway into the room.

I copy his actions stepping in after him, and the others do the same. I follow Tom as he sets the stack of books down beside the one I'd made earlier, the rest of us line our piles up beside his.

"You'll be glad that I figured out how to close your little secret door" Juniper slithers down from my window sill.

But of course when Tom and I hear him we both simultaneously glance at the bookshelf. Which sits normally like a usual one would.

"Damn. Nice room" Abe points out.

"Thank you" I grin.

"You may leave" Tom says coldly.

"Alright" "Okay" and they both left.

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