the hero

Andrew knew that Harry wanted to fight, but Harry also knew exactly the things to say to piss him off and force him into doing this. The last time had started almost exactly like this. Both of them making petty jabs and threw a few punches before the kissing started. He smirked as he pulled back their lips, still nearly touching. "Said that the time before that and before that." He looked up at Harry. "I don't have time to heal up."

Harry knew this was a mistake and he would stop making it any second now. He hated himself for how easy it was to kiss Andrew back. He hated that he craved the distraction. He hated that a part of him might have wished that he was Drake instead... It was messed up. And he had to stop. "You're such an asshole," he said instead, his hands balled with fistfuls of his shirt. "Then I'll make it quick." And with that, he made a mistake - this mistake - just one more time.

Andrew didn't know what it was about Harry, but the other man just set him off. He could be in the best mood ever, and if he saw Harry, it could ruin it. He still held onto the other man's shirt, looking into his eyes. "You are so annoying." He pulled Harry into a rough kiss.

Harry was ready for whatever happened next. He was practically bouncing off the ground, chin jutting out at Andrew, fists itching for whatever came next. This wasn't the first time Andrew's hands had been on his shirt. "Then do something about i---," Harry started, cut off by his lips. Damn it. He kissed him back. "I thought I told you last time was the last time."

"Oh, it's okay. You don't have to-" Haleh had been gathering her flowers, not looking at him, until he said her name and she abruptly looked up. Cute guy knew her name. Her cheeks flushed as she tried to remember his, all too aware that she was staring at him for far too long. You would think that a magical dome and a limited number of people would encourage you to remember names, but apparently not. "Doing a lot better than these guys." She held up a flower by its broken stem and sighed, taking the other flowers from him. "Thank you..." He lived with Max and Beth. That would make him Maggie's brother. She must have heard her talking about him at school. "Harvey?" She ventured a guess, not even hiding the fact that it was a question.

Harry smiled to himself, holding back an amused chuckle as she stared at him. He wasn't one to assume, but he'd seen his name doodled in a heart enough times to recognise that look. It was very flattering. "It's not a bother," he smiled, helping pick up the rest of the flowers. Poor guys. "Yeah, they've definitely seen better days. You think a little water and sunshine might give them a second chance?" Harry did laugh when she hazarded a guess at his name before standing back up. "Close. It's Harry."

Thomas turned on to the path leading up to the McReid house and was immediately met with Mr Sour Wolf himself. He looked behind him, checking that there was no one else there. Wow, he must have been extra miserable today, not that Thomas could really blame him; the shit that went down at the school was insane. Thomas didn't need to be told that Frederick wasn't behind this, but he couldn't be so sure about the other two.

Harry narrowed his eyes as Thomas sighed and decided to approach him. For once, he decided to hold back on the hostile comment on the tip of his tongue. He'd blame it on the exhaustion. From today, from this whole damn town. Either way, he looked away at his question. There was no way he was going to sit on this porch and have a heart-to-heart with Thomas freakin' Willows. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

Dylan waved to the customer as they left, hoping that they would make it inside before curfew hit. He could sense that they weren't human, so maybe they would be okay staying out late, but he still worried. Hearing Harry's observations, Dylan couldn't help but grin. "Careful. You almost sound like you want to do overtime." After losing his dad, it didn't take long for him to realise that he was going to need someone else to help out around here, and Harry had honestly been a blessing. "Up to you. You wanting to stay late or start early?"

"We wouldn't want that," Harry joked. Working at Dylan's garage had been good for him, it gave him something to do with his hands that didn't involve bloody knuckles. It gave him something to focus on. Most of all, it gave him something he could actually fix. If everything else was out of control, then at least an engine would stay the same. "I don't mind staying late. Think I'd rather get the job done than leave it for tomorrow. I'll just have to text Beth and Max, then I'm all yours."

Max watched silently from the door behind him as he waved to a passing neighbour. He was worried about Harry. Recent events were affecting everyone, but this kid was always worried, or angry, or fixated on something. One day it was going to be too much for him and he was going to break; Max wasn't sure he could handle that. "Hey, Bud. How you doing?" Max asked as he sat down on the step beside him.

Harry looked up when Max spoke, mustering a smile for him in response. He tried to relax his shoulders and unclench his jaw, he knew that Max worried about him. About all of them. And really, who could blame him? "Yeah, I'm... I'm okay." Harry looked over at him before asking, "How about you?"

Haleh had been walking back from the woods- there was a clearing with the most gorgeous wildflowers and after everything that had happened at the school, she needed to do something to keep from losing her mind. Maybe some nice flower arrangements for the families... or the graves. Maybe that could help? She was passing by the McReid home when she noticed a young man sitting on the porch looking as miserable as she tried not to show, and she felt a pang in her chest.

"Oh, shit," Harry muttered as he watched her suddenly trip (on what, he couldn't tell) and drop the wildflowers everywhere. It was a floral disaster. He immediately leapt from his seat, melancholy swiftly forgotten to help. He was leaning down in front of her, carefully scooping up flowers. "Are you okay, Haleh?" he asked with a small smile, holding out the bunch he'd gathered to her.

Thomas glanced at him from the corner of his eye, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, but it dropped quickly and his eyes returned to the sweets. "It's good to be self-aware." Despite his response, Thomas picked up two bags of Sour Patch Kids, tossing them into the basket with a bunch of other snacks. Finally, he turned his full attention to Harry. "Oh, you know." He indicated the basket with his free hand, holding it up for his inspection. "The chilled aisle, the bakery aisle, the fruit and veg section. On my way to the frozen aisle because you should always do that last. Care to join me? You can make sure I don't whittle a shiv out of the freezer ice and stab someone."

Harry glowered at Thomas' response. He couldn't help rolling his eyes either when the two packets of Sour Patch Kids hit the basket. This guy was unrelenting. This act - Harry was sure it was an act, it had to be an act - deserved a hundred Oscars. Harry wasn't going to let him get away with anything, let alone another smart ass response. "You're so funny, you know that? Great routine. How long did you practice this one?" Harry's frown deepened at his ridiculous request. "Well, you said it, not me. Thanks but no thanks, I'll just have to trust the grocery store'll survive you for another day."

Andrew hated fighting over nothing, but there was just something about Harry that set him off. He wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to hit Harry or go after him. "Nice to know that we can find one thing in common." He stepped closer, grabbing the other's shirt. "Do you ever stop?"

Harry had to remind himself to wipe the grin off his face when Andrew took enough of the bait. His fingers twitched, longing to curl into a fist. If he hit first, Andrew would have no choice but to retaliate, and that was what Harry wanted. He barked out a laugh, raising a brow when Andrew grabbed his shirt. "Why don't you find out?"

Of course, Harry was here. On his best days, this would be a mere annoyance, but today, it was definitely too much. "Well, I suppose you would know about being lost. Considering you keep showing up for some reason." An argument was one way to center himself again, especially with someone like Harry.

Harry knew that he was just looking for a fight. He also knew that it wasn't Andrew he wanted to be swinging at, or who he wanted swinging back at him. And he knew he should stop. This wasn't who he was, it wasn't who he wanted to be. "Then we've got that in common," he started, taking another step closer to him, testing the waters. "You gonna do anything about it?"

Andrew wasn't often caught up in his thoughts after spending most of his life on the run for one reason or another. He was often driven by his instincts or desires instead of fully thinking out a move. He had been stuck in his loyalty to Oliver for such a long time, his gratefulness to the people in Havensdale that had helped him. The idea of turning against any of the people who had helped him had paralyzed him from doing anything.

Harry wasn't exactly proud of the trouble he'd got himself into. The fights he'd started, the lines he'd crossed. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd pushed Andrew Choi to hitting him back, but there was something off about him now. He seemed... Harry didn't know. Didn't want to know. And yet, here he was, still standing there. "I think that's a bit of an understatement, Choi."

Thomas looked round at Harry and sighed before returning his attention to the candy. This guy. Frederick had told him that it wouldn't be easy to gain the trust of the Morales pack after what happened with Drake, but it had been almost three years since he had joined Lily's pack and this guy just didn't drop his guard for a second. "Hey Harry. You want me to pick you up some Sour Patch Kids?"

Harry frowned at Thomas' smart ass response. This guy. He couldn't get past it and he couldn't get over it. Harry glowered at Thomas while he didn't even look back. It was waste of energy, right? It was ridiculous. And worst of all, what if Thomas really had done nothing wrong? Picked the wrong side and made a mistake. Harry couldn't stomach it. "I'm sour enough, thanks." He crossed his arms again before asking- "Where have you been?"

Dylan looked down at the engine of the car and sighed, "Sorry, I'm going to have to keep it in for a few days. You definitely shouldn't be driving it in this condition." Closing the hood, he walked the customer to the front door of McCreery's Garage. It still didn't feel right that this place now belonged to him. "Listen, it's getting pretty close to curfew. Can I drive you home?"

Harry was in the back when Dylan was briefing their customer. Getting this job at McCreery's had helped him in a lot of ways. Having something to do with his hands kept him busy and focused. It kept him going. Harry could hear Dylan offer to give them a ride home, a small smile tugging onto his lips. Dylan was a good guy. When the customer politely declined, he made his way out front. Having looked down at the car's popped hood, Harry let out a low whistle. "I'm no expert but that does not look good. Are we in for a late night?"