"Don't cry, Edward," Frederick whispered gently, cuddling the little boy after wrapping him in a thick blanket.

"I don't want Momma to die. I don't want anyone to die," Edward sobbed. "Why do they have to die?"

In the midst of his plays that afternoon, he had suddenly been struck by a horrible thought. His mother and father were older than him, so they would surely die before him. That thought had sent his heart plummeting into his stomach and he had ran to Frederick, screaming out of sheer panic and sadness. He didn't care if he died, but he didn't want to live in a world without his mother and father.

Frederick pressed a soft kiss on Edward's forehead. "They won't die for a long, long time. You have forever and ever to hug them and kiss them. But everyone has to die, Edward. It's nothing to be sad about. If everyone dies, there's nothing to be sad about, right? One day, you and I will die too. It's not scary at all."

"I'll be alone," Edward cried. "I don't want to be alone."

"I'll be with you, won't I?" Frederick comforted. "I'll always be with you. Forever. We'll die together, okay?"

"Okay," Edward sniffled. "You promise?"

"I promise."

He stirred out of his memories when he heard Harry's heartbeat quicken, indicating that the man had woken up. He had an arm draped across the wonderfully supple body that lay atop him. They had made love until dawn and now the sun was high above the horizon. Edward tilted his head towards the window. London… It had been many years since he had visited this place.

He had never thought London to be a particularly beautiful place. But… right then, it was wonderful. Laying on a hard bed under a thin sheet and holding Harry close felt incredible.

Fingers wrapped around his arm and pushed it away. He complied without a word, letting Harry sit up in bed. He could still see sweat glisten against the man's back.

He resisted the urge to reach out and hold onto Harry when he felt the comforting warmth leaving his side. He heard the bed creak and the sheets move against him. Before long, he was alone in the bedroom. He swallowed down his growing trepidation as he turned on his side and faced the window completely.

The passion he had felt was the fiercest emotion he had had in many years. He didn't know how he had managed to control himself. Maybe just hearing Harry' vocal breaths had kept him grounded or perhaps it was the errant pulse that beat between them. He slid his tongue over his lips, tasting sweetness against them. Now that he had tasted Harry, he wasn't sure if he could pull himself away.

He got up mechanically and swung his legs over the side of the bed, sitting still for a moment to collect his thoughts. He knew he had left dozens of marks on Harry' body. He had heard soft hisses of pain through the night whenever he dug his nails in or pushed too hard. He hadn't meant to hurt Harry. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes inhaled slowly before getting up. He wondered if he should just leave right now. That might be the best thing he could do. He pulled his clothes on half-heartedly, pausing whenever he smelt Harry' scent against the fibers.

Somehow he ended up sitting on the window-seat and staring out into the street. He looked up at the clear sky, blinking at the sun that hit his skin without being filtered through clouds.

He had taken advantage of Harry' physical arousal for him, he knew that. But the intimacy had felt satisfying. Even if they knew nothing about each other, Edward was reminded of something good when he was around this mysterious man. He wondered if physicality was a bad thing. With Bella, they hadn't moved any further from kissing. So this was entirely new to him.

No, it couldn't be just physical. He had felt a strange attraction to the man during their first encounter… And their second… And their third.

Edward jerked when he heard a soft rustle by the doorway. He glanced back to find Harry standing there with a cup of coffee in hand. "Good morning," he said.

"Look at you," Harry sighed quietly.

Edward suddenly realized that he was sitting in the sun. He pulled away into the shadow.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way," Harry teased. He gestured for Edward to sit back down. Soon, the two of them were seated opposite each other, looking out the window. "Beautiful day."

Edward nodded in ascent. "Perfect." He let his fingers linger against the glass. Harry was smiling again. He wasn't angry about the night before. Edward was confused; he was exasperated because he couldn't read this man's thoughts. "Why are you so happy now?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"You are smiling. Laughing. Happy."

Harry tilted his head to look up at Edward. "When you come to terms with your life, you become happy, don't you?" he explained. "I'm not fighting my life anymore, so I feel happy. I enjoy smiling."

"What were you fighting?"

Harry sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "Many things," he said. "But, mainly, not being able to die. Not being able to do anything when I watched my friends and family die and leave me behind. I hated it."

"And now?" Edward urged him to continue.

Harry smiled behind his mug. "I realized that I probably shouldn't be avoiding you because you're my best chance of remaining sane." He flicked his eyes up at Edward. "You love me, don't you?"

Edward looked away timidly.

"Then we have to stay together," Harry concluded. "Forever, okay?"

"I am nearly two hundred."

"And I am nearly a hundred."

Edward gazed at Harry, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "I'm seventeen."

Harry grinned abruptly. "Me too."

Frederick tilted his head up and smiled for the first time in years. Edward flicked his eyes over the familiar face that had seen many troubled years. They had been apart for so long. Too long. Frederick studied Edward through a feverish fog. "You… Why are you here?" he asked. "You died."

"I'm sorry," Edward whispered. He knelt down beside the bed, stroking Frederick's cheek with the back of his hand. He felt so warm.

"You promised," Frederick murmured.

"I'm sorry…"

He moved Edward's hand to his chest. "Feel my heart?"

"Mhm."

"It's dying."

Edward flinched as though he had been struck but slid his arms around Frederick's waist nonetheless, hiding his face against the weakly beating heart.

"I told you it isn't scary, didn't I?"

"I love you," Edward whispered.

"What am I thinking right now?"

Edward shifted forward to press a soft kiss against Harry's lips. "I wish I knew," he answered quietly. "I really do."

"I'm not hard to figure out, Edward," Harry said as he set his mug down between them and cupped Edward's cheeks in his hands, kissing him with resoluteness. "I'm tired of being alone. Indulge me?"

"Yes."

Harry laughed in defeat. "Gosh, you'll really do whatever I say, won't you?"

"Yes…"

"Fair warning?" Harry murmured. "They say everyone falls for me at some point in their lives."

Edward wouldn't mind falling in love.

He wouldn't mind spending forever and a day with Harry Potter.

Fin

A/N: I might decide to write a companion piece in Harry's perspective, but that idea is still up in the air. If you wanted to pop in a review, I would appreciate it because, frankly, I'm a sucker for them. If you have any questions about this fic, feel free to PM me. This was a fun one to write and hope you all enjoyed it!