Title: And I Ain't Seen The Sunshine Since I Don't Know When
Author: Chipmunki
Rating: T
Summary: Harry is tired. He still loves Jeff and Jeff still loves him. But sometimes relationships just do not work out. Sometimes one of them does not work hard enough to make it and the other has to let go. Jeff/Harry AU Non-magic
Warnings: Homophobia, SLASH, slight spoilers to things you probably know. AU Non-magic
oOo
Harry sighed. His house never felt empty before. He was the only inhabitant of the small two bedroom house since he moved to America to avoid the media after the death of Sirius, his guardian and godfather. He had sued for emancipation and moved into this house, living off of the massive income provided by inheriting Sirius's investments, riches and houses and being the silent head of the Potter Corporation. But he had never been lonely before. But when it was compared to the loud laughter and happy chatter of Jeff it never seemed as much like home.
He curled up onto his side on his bed. It had bright red sheets – the weird lady at the shop had told him sheets that colour would give him nightmares, he tried not to spit back that he had them anyway. The sheets reminded him of home. He curled his hand around his blackberry, his thumb hovering over the call button, the screen lit up with Jeff's grinning face and his name Jeff :). He tried to work up the courage to press that button and call or put his phone down and stop thinking about it, but he could not. He lay there instead, teetering between calling Jeff or not, full of indecision.
He startled as his phone began to vibrate and chime in his hand. The screen was lit up with the name Jeff :), and a photo of his grinning, blond boyfriend. He hurried to answer, trying to force down his grin at the sound of Jeff's voice. He could not help the massive rush of joy he felt whenever he heard Jeff's voice or anything to do with him. He tried to stay mad at him and tried to keep that sense of betrayal from fading but it was getting harder and harder.
"Heya," Jeff said, Harry revelled in the love sick note in his voice. He knew he sounded just as dopey when he replied.
"Hi," he said, rolling onto his bed.
"Where are you?" Jeff asked, voice cheeky.
"At home, all alone." Harry replied, "In my bedroom."
There was an intake of breath through the phone as Jeff took that in, then a low chuckle shivered its way through the blackberry's speaker and down Harry's spine.
"What are you wearing?" Jeff breathed, and Harry knew he was trying to get back at him, but Harry knew Jeff. He smirked at his picture of Jeff in his mind, with his hazel eyes wide, his mouth quirked into his crooked, white toothed grin. Perhaps shirtless.
Harry grinned at his answer, knowing it would bring a bright red blush to Jeff's cheeks.
"Nothing." He said.
Harry heard Jeff's breathing jerk. They had not made it past that all important relationship milestone yet but he knew Jeff had been thinking about it. He was a teenage boy, of course he had been thinking about it. Harry had been thinking about it. Harry had been thinking about it a lot!
If it was not for the fact that Jeff would not tell anyone about him or kiss him in front of his friends or even hold his hands in public he would have considered making that final step with him. But Jeff did do all those things and, even if he was a guy and apparently it meant that he should not care about those things, he did not want to have sex with Jeff if he could not completely trust him.
Suddenly he heard a noise down the line and a voice asking Jeff who he was talking too. Harry listened intently.
"Er..." Jeff said, and Harry's heart sank, "It's just Harry. My friend."
Harry jerked the blackberry away from his ear, scowling and furiously hung up on him. He did not think Jeff would ever change.
oOo
In Jeff and Nick's shared room Jeff glared at his best friend. Harry had hung up but he could not blame him.
He took a deep breath and steeled himself. Harry was worth any repercussion he got for doing this.
Letting his breath out into the hush of the room he stared into Nick's brown eyes. Nick had been silent. He must have sensed the tension in the room.
"That wasn't my friend. I lied. That was my boyfriend. His name is Harry and I love him more than anything in the world."
Nick stared at him with wide eyes and Jeff tensed. But Nick relaxed and simply said, "Well, I guess we better do something about our dad, huh, Jeff?"