A few things:
-It's just like canon except Tom isn't Voldemort. He lived at the orphanage, he went to Hogwarts w Harry and the gang and he and Harry started dating during their Hogwarts years. They're married in this fic
- Teddy was adopted by Harry. So he's technically his dad and teddy thinks of him as a father/godfather but he calls him and Tom by their first name
-this features soft!Tom but hopefully it's nothing too OOC
The day had given way to dark; the snow was still steadily falling down, covering everything out there thickly. Teddy pressed his nose against the chilly glass, looking over at the illuminating Christmas lights that the people that lived across the street still hadn't taken down. The red and green lights twinkled, giving off their respective colored shadows.
It was about to be an exciting evening; it was Tom's birthday and Harry had planned a small party for him. Mrs. Weasley had initially wanted them all to have the party at the Burrow but Harry gently declined. Teddy knew why; Tom wasn't fond of being around a lot of people. He was alright with the Weasleys (he and Percy talked the most) but their home was small and it allow them to spread out like he would have liked.
Another thing Tom didn't like was a fuss being made out of his birthday. He insisted nothing needed to be done this year. He'd never liked celebrating it, never had a reason to particularly care about it. Harry was determined to change that, which he had apparently been doing since they'd met before they were friends, while they were just friends and as they got together.
Harry told him the plan a week ago: they were to act like it was an ordinary day so Tom was none the wiser. Then at about ten at night, they would start putting together the dining room while Tom was off probably in the library or elsewhere. Teddy wryly told his godfather not to go overboard. He had a tendency to do, attempting to make up for the lack of real childhood he and Tom didn't get to have.
What they were both unaware was that Teddy had been planning something special for a while now. He'd asked Percy for help a few months ago and now everything was ready. His stomach fluttered and he felt quite jittery. He couldn't wait until Tom saw his gift!
"When's he coming?" Teddy was, admittedly, slightly impatient to get started.
"Soon," Harry grinned. "I'll have to go get him." That was likely true. Tom could get lost in whatever he found interesting, not noticing how the hours would pass until someone pulled him away.
"Get him for what?" Came a deep voice from behind. Tom paused, staring at the decorations and food that was placed on the table.
"Surprise!" Teddy said excitedly. "Happy birthday, Tom!"
It wasn't easy to make Tom speechless, downright impossible it seemed. But today they'd done it. They'd rendered him unable to say a thing.
"I thought you forgot?" Tom blinked. He looked to Harry for an explanation. Teddy had never seen him look so innocent before. Like a child that was seeing gifts under the Christmas tree.
Harry cupped Tom's cheek, caressing it with his thumb. Teddy pretended he didn't see a red flush come over Tom's face. The older man was embarrassed (and as a result-angry) whenever someone caught him like that. "Surely you didn't think so? I'd never forget, love. Neither would Teddy."
Harry pressed a kiss on Tom's lips, pulling back with a bright beam on his face. "Now that you're here, you can put on your birthday hat!"
"Birthday-no," Tom was shaking his head. "Absolutely not. I refuse to wear such a silly thing."
"You mean after all the time I took to make it?" Harry was being deliberately quiet, as if he were hurt. Teddy knew he wasn't. He was merely exploiting the emotions Tom insisted he didn't have. For a good cause.
Tom groaned. He actually groaned. "Very well. Give it to me."
Immediately, Harry beamed again. "Fantastic! Here you are!"
Teddy barely refrained from snickering.
His godfather said often Tom pranced around like he was royalty or something, so it was only fitting that he wear a handmade crown with the words Dark Lord Wannabe on it.
He had no idea what that was about but evidently they did. Harry looked like he was on the verge of laughter and Tom's eye twitched.
"There, don't you look adorable and non threatening," Harry laughed out loud.
Tom was disgruntled. "I despise you, Potter."
"Watch it," Harry wagged a finger, "you're a Potter now. Don't go self hating on my watch."
It was a curious thing. People would have expected Harry to take Tom's name, not the other way around. But Tom wasn't one to play by the rules. He wanted to rid himself of his surname as soon as possible, proclaiming that it meant nothing to him. During their vows, Tom quietly said that Potter served as a symbolic reminder of what Harry had given him: a family, friends, hope, love.
Tom rolled his eyes, motioning towards the table. "Shall we get on with this?"
"Would it kill you to be enthusiastic?" Harry remarked as his husband sat down in one of the chairs.
"Quite. It would be tragic to pass away on my birthday."
"I dunno, maybe it's some sort of luck to ring in the new year?" Harry said teasingly.
A sparkle of mischievousness came into Tom's eyes and he swatted at Harry's bum. Teddy grimaced and hoped they could keep themselves in tact until they were in the privacy of their bedroom.
"You're being awfully naughty , Tom."
"In that case, I give you full permission to punish me until my behavior is sufficient," Tom smirked.
Teddy wanted to gag. "You guys are gross."
They ignored him.
"Alright, birthday boy," Harry swooped down to kiss his forehead. "What are we doing first? You pick."
"I suppose gifts," Tom shrugged like he was indifferent to the whole thing but Teddy wasn't fooled. He knew the older man was dying to know what he was bought.
"Alright," Harry nodded. He started to reach for the nearest box which do happened to be Teddy's.
"Wait!" He said quickly, causing the two men to swivel their heads in his direction. "Er, do mine last."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay... Open mine then, love." He handed Tom a small package.
It turned out to be a framed photograph of the first photo that was taken of them. Tom stroked it with a single finger. Teddy took a peek at it. They must have been no more than thirteen. Harry was laughing, ducking his head down as Tom threw a handful of snow on top his hair. At the last minute before the photo looped, they turned to smile at whomever was taking it. They were somewhat bashful , which was a funny look for them, especially Tom.
"Do you like it?" Harry asked, looking unsure. "I wasn't sure what to get you and Hermione suggested something sentimental and-"
Tom cut him off by pressing his lips against Harry's. When he was finished, he rested their foreheads together. "Thank you," He whispered.
"You really like it?" Harry had to clarify.
"I love it because it was from you."
Definitely not something most would think Tom Ri-Tom Potter would be caught saying.
They got through a few more gifts. Teddy observed how several emotions crossed Tom's face, though he would probably deny it. His heart began to thump the closer they were getting to when he would open Teddy's. He didn't know how the older man was going to react. Hopefully well.
"Alright, Teddy, your turn," Harry said cheerfully.
Teddy nervously presented Tom with the gift, taking a step backwards after. he didn't know how harry was going to react; furthermore, he didn't know Tom was going to react. Would he want to? He'd been around since Teddy could remember forming memories. The former Slytherin quirked an eyebrow at his behavior. "You have to open it from the front," he explained, "so it's in order."
"Very well," Tom opened the box to revel folded up parchments. Teddy had been careful to keep it loose so nothing would wrinkle. "Happy Birthday Tom," The older man read aloud. "Ever since I can remember, you've been around."
"You've taught me many things."
"You've given me confidence."
"You showed me how to negotiate better than anyone I know."
Harry snorted.
"But most of all, you've given me your love."
Harry's face softened and that familiar mushy look was coming to his eyes.
Teddy blushed when Tom gave him a small smile. He unrolled the last of the parchment, his face contorting into an expression that he couldn't decipher. there was a sharp intake of air. His eyes darted towards Teddy, who smiled hesitantly at him. It took several moments for Tom to speak. He was stunned for the second time that evening. "Are...are you sure, Teddy?"
"What?" Harry was curious and went to look. His eyes widened.
"I'm sure," Teddy said quietly. He stood in front of Tom and cleared his throat. "Tom Marvolo Potter, would you do me the honor of becoming my other dad?"
/
Tom Marvolo Potter, formerly Riddle, never cried.
Not since he was a small child who hid in the sanctuary of his assigned bedroom to escape the torment of the other children at the orphanage, the ones who hated him because they said he was strange. Eventually, he'd stopped crying altogether, once Billy Stubbs caught him and mocked him in front of everyone else. They called him a crybaby. It took a couple years for that to die down, for them not to pretend to wipe away tears off their faces whenever he was near.
But here he was, nearly thirty years of age and his eyes had grown misty and a lump formed in his throat. At one point when he was a child, this was all he ever wanted until the dream seemed like it was never to be and faded away.
And now he had it.
A family.
A husband whom he adored and a child of their own.
The last part of his gift had been adoption papers. They were all set and ready, with the only last needed thing was Tom's signature in a few places. He flipped through it twice, blinking to ensure that he really was looking at what he thought he was. But he was. He really, really was.
"Tom?" It was Teddy. He was biting on his bottom lip. "Do you like it?"
"I-" Tom felt so many emotions swell up all at once. It was a difficult thing to process. "Come here."
The boy didn't need to be told twice. Teddy practically leaped into his arms, burying his face in the crook of Tom's neck. One hand was on the back of the boy's head. Tom squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting those tears to fall. He heard Harry from behind him and felt him grip his shoulder.
"You know," Tom said when he properly regained his emotions in check, "you can't take this back. No matter how angry you get at me."
It was meant as a feeble joke but his voice was thick, unable to push those... feelings back like he would preferred.
Teddy pulled back, his eyes glistening with tears. He nodded. "I know."
"Teddy..." this came from Harry, utterly in disbelief. "How did you...when did you-"
"Percy," Teddy said with a smile. "He helped me with everything." He looked at Tom shyly. "So it's a yes, yeah?"
"A million times yes," Tom did a rare thing and kissed
him on the forehead. He wasn't as physically affectionate as Harry but he hoped Teddy knew he cared. "Thank you, Teddy. This is the best gift I've ever been given."
"I think I've been upstaged," Harry laughed lightly. "No way I can top that."
For the rest of the evening, the rest of what was left of the year, they ate cake and drank pumpkin juice and enjoyed each other's presence. Tom was the lightest he'd been in years; he watched as Harry and Teddy laughed over something that was said with a look of fondness on his face.
Never did he imagine having all this. Back at the orphanage where he sat on his lumpy cot, knees pulled up to his chest, he thought he was doomed to a life of misery. No one ever came to see him and even at Hogwarts kids had avoided him.
And then he met Harry, who brightened up his entire world and gave him possibilities he didn't know existed.
And now he had a family. All of his own.
The clock struck midnight. Tom reached over to squeeze Harry's hand.
"What's that for?" Harry whispered.
"Just a thank you."
Harry was bemused. "For what?"
Lips caressed his husband's temple. "Everything."