Royalty ~ Ongoing

Love Comes First

"Angel, are you asleep?" Harry hurried to open his door.

Tom Riddle stood a few feet away, propped up against the wall.

"What are you doing? It's too late to be wandering around."

"I wanted to come see you." Harry helped him inside and on to the bed.

"That's not a good reason!" Tom smiled lazily.

"It is in my eyes. So... I have to go back in a week. What are we to do?" The healer shrugged.

"I have no idea." Riddle thought for a moment.

"I've got it. All we have to do is tell my father. He'll be happy I'm still courting royalty, even if it isn't your sister." Harry sighed.

"We can't have an heir. I have to travel a lot for my profession. I'm technically not royalty."

"Two of those reasons don't matter. We can adopt... or find a surrogate." Harry sat down besides Tom.

"And the other?"

"Royalty doesn't come before love."

"Have you ever been in love before, Tom?"

"Not like this, no." Harry smiled.

"It's nice. Really, really nice. It feels like everything is right in the world. I don't want to rush anything. You may discover you hate every fiber of my being. I don't want you to be miserable."

"I won't." Tom's expression confused Harry. A mixture of longing, curiosity, sadness, and the eager look of a child. Prince Riddle laced their fingers together, keeping eye contact with Harry the whole time.

Embarrassed and flustered, Evans looked down at his feet.

"Don't do that. I like to look at your eyes." He gently lifted Hadrian's chin up with a cool finger.

Harry felt the heat rushing into his face, prickling and uncomfortable. Tom slowly got closer. And closer. And closer. Their noses brushed, Riddle's eyes closed.

The healer turned his head so their lips wouldn't touch.

"Tom, don't do this to me." His voice was quiet. Much different than his usual tone, that demanded your attention and respect.

"What's wrong, my angel?"

"I can't... I'm sorry. This is too much. At least let me think for a few days." Hadrian glanced up at Tom, an unsure look in his eyes.

"Take as much time as you need." Riddle stood, but didn't leave.

"Do you need me to walk you back?"

"No... but can I at least leave with a hug?" Harry nodded, getting to his feet.

He was embraced in a firm hold. They just stood there for a moment, silent.

"Send a guard if you need me." Harry kissed his cheek tenderly. He figured it was mostly a platonic kiss. For the moment, at least.

"O-ok. Sleep well, angel." The healer watched him leave, only shutting the door once Tom was out of sight.

He sat down at his desk, staring at the piece of parchment laying there. Harry picked up a quill and began to write.

After a few minutes, he was done.

Dear King Riddle,

I'm very pleased to report to you that Prince Riddle will be all right. I took the stitches out - there seems to be no problems. I expect the prince will go home soon, but I would like to keep him a week more for further observation. Just to be safe. The prince has behaved well and I, as well as the rest of the kingdom, are glad to see he will make a full recovery. There will be a scar, but that is inevitable. I seriously doubt it will hinder anything in the prince's life, but the scar should fade with time if that reassures you. If you have any other questions, please don't refrain from asking. I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

Sincerely,
     Hadrian Evans

Harry sealed the letter with wax and blew out his candles. He would send the letter out tomorrow.

For now, he just wanted to sleep. He crawled into bed, pulled the blankets up to his chin, and let out a long sigh.

"I don't know where this is going, Sev. It's scary. Please don't haunt my dreams." Hadrian fiddled with his ring for a moment, then settled in. "Damn it. Riddle is making this complicated." Murmured Harry before falling asleep.

A/N: hi? Does anyone still read this? I apologize for not updating in forever. Don't kill me for not updating sooner.