Instead of buried alive
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Harry and Tom had been together for 10 years. They had started dating on their sixth year at Hogwarts, after pretty much ignoring each other for the first five years. But after a truly horrific failed potions assignment, following fight, and shared detention, however, they had come to an understanding.
While Harry was a gryffindor, warm and passionate in everything he did, Tom was almost the opposite. He was the 'king' of slytherin and cold and calculating in most of his actions, sharing Harry's fire only when angered. But although they were very different, they also had enough in common to hit it off. They had both been raised in a more than lacking environment, both abused by the people who were supposed to take care of them, and both very ambitious to become something great. They quickly found in each other someone who understood, and accepted them, and they had become something of an item. They fought and argued, but they also protected and cared for each other, and even though they had never actually agreed that they were, indeed, a couple, they had become practically inseparable. They graduated from Hogwarts, moving together to their first real home at diagon alley and things had been peaceful. Tom had a job at the ministry and he had already made a name of himself, his dreams of greatness getting closer every day, and Harry was happily living his dream, working as a professional quidditch player.
They had never been particularly romantic or open with talking about their feelings with each other, they had both been more content and natural with showing their affection with passionate and bruising kisses and physical proximity. They were constantly touching, sitting on the sofa, side by side, reading, or walking with Harry's arm looped around Tom's. Lately though, Tom had been very busy with his work at the ministry, often coming home late and distracted. They talked about their days, during dinner and in bed before falling asleep, but every day they were keeping more to themselves and telling each other less.
They didn't fight, or avoid each other, but Harry had gotten the feeling that Tom was distancing himself from Harry. They still kissed, and smiled at each other, but it never lead to anything, and when Harry tried to touch Tom, attempting to show his support and devotion, Tom rejected him. He was never obvious with it, and Harry had thought nothing of it at first, but after a while he started to notice.
In response to the feeling of rejection, Harry started to withdraw from Tom. He stopped trying to touch Tom, and when Tom touched him, he didn't encourage him. They kissed out of habit and obligation and while Tom thought nothing of it, noticing that something was different, but not having enough energy to try to figure out how to fix it, Harry was feeling more and more hollow every day. He kept himself busy, pretending everything was fine, not wanting to think about it, or talk about it. While most of him was hurt and sad by how things had turned out, a growing part of him was feeling angry and bitter.
In Harry's mind it was that one night that broke the lie he felt he was living in. That night, Harry was feeling particularly affection starved. He craved for the feeling of another person's warmth, the feeling of strong arms around him. The feeling of being safe and loved. But laying in there, in the bed he shared with his partner, listening to the sound of his quiet, even breathing, he didn't want to touch Tom. Even if Tom didn't reject him, he didn't want to touch him, and it was that realization that broke his heart.
I'm just getting back to writing, never remembered it was this hard. But, practice makes perfect, right? I'm thinking of writing maybe one or two more chapters, but I honestly don't know yet how this story will end.