A Pretty Ordinary Fanfic Writer

She giggles a little to herself as she tugs on the seatbelt. At least she’s still aware enough of her surroundings to know that she has to buckle herself up before Urbain even thinks about leaving this rich neighborhood. She might be drunk and not completely there, but thankfully, she still had it in her to text Urbain when things started getting out of hand; maybe she plans these things, preparing the text beforehand and just hitting send when she’s right at her limits. Whatever her gameplan is though, Urbain will forever be grateful that she trusts him enough to know that he will be there for her whenever she needs him, no matter what it is, where it is, or what time it is.

“Harms.” There’s something sticky in her hair as Urbain tries to sweep her bangs out of her face, but he’s not going to question it; the less he knows, the less he can answer when he will inevitably be questioned by her parents. “You have to go home. Your parents are probably worried sick that you’re still out and haven’t told them anything.”

“Told ‘em I’m at yours anyway.”

Ah. So she’s lying to her parents. Again. Just what Urbain wants to hear. It’s nothing new, Urbain having grown far too used to being used as an excuse to avoid going home, but it doesn’t mean that he likes being an accomplice. And sure, her parents trust him enough to not question him or cross-reference their plans, but it still feels wrong withholding that type of information. But then again, is it really a lie? Technically speaking, it is true that Harmony will be at his place; at this hour, it’s the only place to go.

Urbain lets out a sigh before turning the key. The engine rumbles as it comes to life, a sound he doesn’t particularly likes, but he hasn’t found the courage to ask Harmony’s father about the meaning of the sound. If he ignores it, perhaps it will go away; more realistically, the longer he waits, the more expensive the repair is going to turn out to be, but Urbain just doesn’t have the funds to fix up a car that’s as old as he is.

“Fine.” He quickly glances at the girl before checking his surroundings. “But if your parents find out about this, I’m not covering for you. I’m telling them the whole truth ‘cause there’s no way I’m getting in trouble ‘cause of your shitty decisions.”

The coast is clear, as he suspected given that the sun isn’t up and no one sane is driving around at this time. He could technically just peel out of this drive way and make his way home, but instead, his fingers tighten around his steering wheel. His nails dig into the soft cushion as color and heat burst in his cheeks. Hopefully, it won’t leave a mark; maybe, if the morning is kind and no evidence is left, Urbain can pretend none of this ever happened. If there’s nothing proving at this moment happened, then maybe it never did: who is to say that Urbain isn’t making up the feeling of a kiss being pressed to his burning cheek as his heart races in his chest? Perhaps the sleep depravation has finally caught up to him and he will wake up in a cold sweat, his blanket fallen to the floor, before concluding that he had dreamed all of this up.

“Thank you.” Her voice is breathier than normal, her syllables ever so slightly slurred. “I love you, Urbain.”

Of course, Harmony loves him. It’s the same way Urbain adores her. Because he’s always adored Harmony, his very best friend. He loves her more than anyone else in this world; why else would he have jumped out of bed in the middle of the night to come pick her up from some stranger’s house? If he didn’t love her, he would have let her figure out how to get out of her messes all on her own. He wouldn’t be by her side at all times, but he is because he adores Harmony. Urbain loves Harmony like he’s never loved anyone before; how can he not love the person he trusts with everything that he has been, is, and will be?

“Right.” He loves Harmony, but it’s also completely and totally normal to love his best friend who is absolutely nothing more to him than that. “Yeah.” His head is spinning; hopefully the nausea will dissipate quickly. “Love you too, Harms.”

She seems rather content with that answer, or at least, she seems happy enough as she lets her body flop to the other side, her cheek pressed to the window pane. She doesn’t say much more after that; she doesn’t even hum along to the song playing from the car’s audio system, a song she’s picked from the playlist her and Urbain have been putting together since the day he got this car. She’s awfully quiet, but that doesn’t turn Urbain’s attention away from her. If anything, it only draws him in more; the music turns to background noise as he shoots quick glances at Harmony all the way home, making sure that she is still alive and hasn’t yet been sick from however much alcohol she’s ingested. Thankfully, she’s really good at holding it all in.

“Urbain?” He hums in response, the car slowly coming to a stop at the light. “I don’t wanna sleep on the couch.”

The car comes to a full stop; Urbain turns to face the girl, quirking an eyebrow as he processes her words. He understands what she means – no one likes sleeping on the couch – but they both know that his little two-bedroom apartment doesn’t offer the same relief as her family house does. While she has a nice guest room with fresh sheets every week for Urbain to sleep in, he has an apartment that’s barely big enough for him and his mother. So if not on the couch, where is Harmony supposed to stay?

“I mean… I guess you can take my bed if you really want to?”

He’s being too nice to her. She most definitely would have left him to sleep on the couch if the roles were reversed, but he can’t bring himself to tell her to just deal with the couch. He just doesn’t have it in himself to let her suffer when he can prevent it. And sure, she’s made bad choices, but that doesn’t mean she has to wake up with both a pounding head and a stiff back.

“Only if you’re also there.”

Urbain slams on the breaks as another light turns from yellow to red. His heart is pounding in his chest as he stares at Harmony, at the girl who is fiddling with the charm dangling her phone case. Her head is still resting against the window, her eyes drifted onto the horizon; she’s talking utter nonsense. She’s pushing her luck, perhaps even teasing Urbain, though he isn’t sure she’s in a mental state to be doing that; what if she’s dead serious?

“Harms—”

“I don’t wanna be alone.”

She’s drunk. She’s drunk and perhaps lonely; a sober Harmony would never dare say any of this. She’d have a little more decorum, or at least, she wouldn’t ask Urbain to do something as absurd as this. Maybe if he was anyone else on the planet; he is, after all, strictly her best friend of too many years now.

This is pure nonsense; Urbain still can’t bring himself to voice his objections. It’s only because Harmony wouldn’t listen that he stays quiet; there’s nothing else hanging in the silence he’s put out there. Harmony is not one to listen to him, hear him, understand him when she is in this state. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed quiet all the way back home; if she was in a state to be a little more sensible, he would have told her that. Maybe. Probably. Not.

28 steps from the parking spot to the front door. 14 steps up to the second floor. One turn of the key before the door creaks open. Urbain is tiptoeing around the apartment, but he knows he doesn’t have to; his mother is out for the next few days, off to some conference he doesn’t remember the name or details of. All he remembers is that she was presenting something and was quite excited about the whole thing; she’s made sure to call him every day in the evening, checking in on him to make sure that he’s fine and reminding him to never hesitate to call her or Harmony’s parents if something were to come up. She’s also made him promise on the daily to not do anything stupid; it’s not stupid to dragging a half-conscious Harmony back into the apartment, right?

“Seriously, you can take my bed if—”

Arms clumsily wrap around Urbain’s neck. He can smell the alcohol on her breath as she heavily drops her head onto his shoulder, burying her face against him. Fingers dig into the back of his t-shirt, clinging onto him for dear life; she has got to stop going to these dumb parties.

“Harmony.” She makes a sound that’s muffled by his shirt as Urbain pats her shoulder. “Harms, you gotta clean up and then you can go sleep in my bed or something.”

“Don’t wanna…”

“Stop being a big baby and please, just…” He sighs before leaning his head against hers and dropping his voice to this soft, soothing whisper. “Hey, how about you start by getting out of your dirty clothes and go put on the pjs you left here last time? It’ll be way comfier than your jeans.”

 She groans before painstakingly peeling herself off of Urbain. Her eyes are glassy, nothing like how she normally looks; she looks completely out of it, leaving Urbain feeling ever so slightly bad for her. Maybe he should be taking better care of her than he has been for the last half hour. He should probably be gentler with Harmony; friends are supposed to care for one another, no? They’re supposed to look out for each out, especially when the other is not being their normal self. He needs to do better.

“Harms?” She hums, pressing her cheek into the palm of his hand as he pushes a stand of hair out of her face. “You think you can start by getting into something more comfortable, please? I just don’t really want your dirty outside clothes in my bed, y’know? But you really gotta get some sleep in.”

Talking Harmony into following a semblance of a bedtime routine is like trying to coax a child into doing something they clearly don’t want to, or at least, it’s what Urbain imagines it to be like. He hasn’t exactly had many experiences with children, but as Harmony groans, he can only imagine this is what it’s like dealing with a child. Thankfully though, she only groans and doesn’t throw a full-on tantrum; she lets him lead her to his room where he’s diligently put away all of her belongings that she’s brought over and forgotten over the years. Harmony drags her feet before letting her body sink into Urbain’s mattress; despite being told to keep her dirty clothes away from his bed, she still flops onto his duvet, arms stretched out to the side, but Urbain just doesn’t have it in himself to scold her. There’s no point in reminding Harmony that he had asked her to change before touching his bed; instead, he just rummages through his stuff, pulling out old comfortable clothes she’s left behind.

“I’ve got your—”

Urbain’s eyes triple in size before dropping to his feet as he pivots, his back now turned to the drunk girl who decided that it would be a fantastic idea to start getting changed here and now. His heart is pounding in his chest, echoing in his ears as he tries his best to not think about the fact that he promised his mother he wouldn’t do anything stupid. He’s not doing anything stupid. It’s not his fault that there’s a girl on his bed, in the middle of the night, shimmying out of her jeans. And anyway, it’s just Harmony! And because it’s Harmony, it means absolutely nothing! If it’s Harmony, then it’s totally different because he’s known her his entire life! It’s so not the same thing as if he had some other girl in his room like this; knowing that it’s just Harmony is absolutely not helping the burning in his cheeks or the hammering in his chest. He should be completely unfazed by this behavior of hers; it’s doing nothing to help his case of stupidly unnecessary feelings that are ruining everything.

“What—Harmony! You can’t just—You could’ve at least waited—You—Harmony!”

“Oh, c’mon!” Is she out of her jeans? Has she pulled them back up? Urbain doesn’t know; he refuses to look anywhere other than that one spot on his wall, the spot with the chipped paint that he’s been telling himself he would cover with something but never got around to doing anything about it or telling his mother about it. “You’ve literally seen me in a bikini before!” True, but not the point of this. “This is literally the same thing!” It is not. “And I don’t even have, like, my cute panties on!” He does not need this information. “So like, you’re seeing even less than when we went to the beach!”

She needs to stop. She needs to shut up. He needs to get out of his room. Immediately. Urbain needs to get out before he dies. And he can’t die. He promised his mother that he would be good. That he wouldn’t do anything that might worry her. That he’d be well-behaved. And he is. But all of this, it feels like the exact opposite of everything he promised his mother. This feels like peak stupidity. He’s going to die, isn’t he?

“I’m just gonna—”

Maybe Urbain should try out for track or some racing event next season; he might actually win a race if he can keep up with the speed he’s currently dashing out of his room with. He might be the fastest person in the whole wide world – realistically speaking, most definitely not – as he rushes out of his room, slamming the door shut and slumping his back against the frame. His heart is pounding out of his chest, his lungs are burning, his head is spinning; everything feels out of place, but he’s going to blame the six steps it took for him to exit room. He ran. This is all because he ran and absolutely nothing else.

“Tell me when you’re dressed.”

Urbain bites his tongue at the sound of his voice caught somewhere between a squeak and squawk. Hopefully, Harmony is too drunk to remember any of this; hopefully, they’ll both have forgotten about this by the morning. If the universe has any mercy for Urbain, he’ll forget about the push on his door, about the way he took a step to the side, about the way it swung open and crashed against the hallway wall. Perhaps he’ll remember then to check to make sure the doorknob didn’t leave a dent, or maybe he’ll completely forget about it because it never happened. If he’s lucky, he’ll forget about the way Harmony crashed into his arms, leaving his head spinning. Will he remember or will he forget that she’s heavy against his chest? Why does everything suddenly feel so heavy in his chest?

“I couldn’t find my stuff…”

It’s fine. Everything is fine. It’s just a t-shirt. It’s just an old faded t-shirt he hasn’t worn in at least a week. And what difference does it really make that she’s wearing his t-shirt and not her own? People share clothes all the time! He once wore one of Harmony’s shirts when he was a little kid because he threw up all over himself while at her place one evening and didn’t have any spare clothing; his current nausea is completely unrelated to that event, though. But he’s fine. Everything is so fine.

“Seriously?” He’s cool. Urbain is so chill. His voice is also extremely steady. “I literally left your pjs on my dresser for you.”

“Oops?”

There’s playfulness in those pale gray eyes, but they’re still hazed with something Urbain doesn’t have the words for. He’s never seen that look before; Harmony is still grinning, though it’s a little lopsided. She’s smiling up at him, but somehow, it looks like she doesn’t quite have full control of her face. She’s trying to be there in the moment, but maybe she’s somewhere else completely; Urbain doesn’t have much time to contemplate this as she buries her face against his shoulder again and wraps her arms around his torso, digging her nails into his back.

“Didn’t see ‘em, I guess. And it’s too late now. M’already in comfy clothes…”

Urbain sighs. It’s all he manages to do before returning the hug. It’s too late to argue with her; in the normalest way possible, Urbain is enjoying the hug. He’s enjoying leaning his head against Harmony’s, letting the exhaustion of the day settle into his bones. He’s enjoying this hug like he’s enjoyed every other hug they’ve shared in the past; there’s nothing different with this one. The fact that they’re alone, in the doorway of his room, in the middle of the night, with Harmony in one of his t-shirts changes absolutely nothing to the fact that this is just a hug like literally every other hug they’ve ever shared. It’s not weird. It doesn’t mean anything else.

Urbain needs to get a grip in himself. Right now.

“Go brush your teeth before you fall asleep on me.”

“You gonna carry me to bed if I do?”

Giggles fill the air as Urbain lightly shoves Harmony’s shoulder. He’s biting back his grin, though he’s never been very good at looking stoic; he’s also bad at hiding the pink in his cheeks every time she teases him. Does she even realize that she’s teasing him? Or is she too far gone to realize that it’s just Urbain, just the same guy she’s known for a lifetime, no one worth teasing this way? Because he knows for a fact that there’s someone out there that she should be paying attention to, a certain “he” that she has refused to tell Urbain about. All he knows is that she immediately stopped talking to her friends about the mystery guy the moment Urbain approached her, and insisted it was idyll gossip when asked about it. That really did put an end to the whole thing, but nonetheless, Urbain can’t help but wonder how much that will change when it stops being just “girl talk;” if there is someone that Harmony is interested in, she probably shouldn’t be hanging off of Urbain like she currently is, her whole weight pressed against his chest.

“Go brush your teeth, you menace.”

She’s still giggling as she bumbles down the hallway towards the bathroom. Urbain should probably keep close, make sure that she doesn’t hurt herself, but he also knows he shouldn’t stay too close; Harmony is old enough to brush her own teeth and most definitely does not want an audience. And anyway, it’s not like the bathroom is big enough to accommodate two people; it barely fits one person at a time.

Seven, eight, nine minutes pass before they’re back in Urbain’s room, both crashed onto the twin-size bed. The door is still cracked open despite his mother not being home to scold him if he did happen to close it; maybe he should, but after so many years of the rule being drilled into his skull, it feels weird imagining the door closed, locking the world away from him and Harmony. And anyway, Urbain’s never been much a rule breaker. He’s always followed every instruction any adult has given him; he can’t bear the thought of being a burden to anyone. He can’t bear the thought of being an inconvenience, ever.

“Urbain?”

He hums, barely looking up from his phone. It’s way too late to still be up, he can see the sunlight poking at the horizon, but he has to wait until Harmony is fast asleep before he can go claim the couch as his own. And he knows that she could fall asleep just fine on her own, but she’s begged him to stay and Urbain knows himself to be weak to those soft gray eyes. He has never, ever been good at denying her anything. Ever.

“Urbain,” she flips onto her side, her cheek heavy against his shoulder, “do you like anyone?”

The luminosity on his phone suddenly feels too bright. It’s lighting up Harmony’s face, illuminating every one of her pretty features; her eyes have fallen shut, but she’s far from asleep. She’s wide awake, her fingers clasping around Urbain’s wrist and dragging his hand closer to her; her breathing is far from that slow and steady pace that he’s grown used to recognizing every time they’re supposed to be studying. Harmony is wide awake and asking him a question that he rather not answer.

“Not… really? Why?”

“Just wondering.”

“And you?”

 Her voice is barely over a whisper as she cuddles closer, her face buried in the crook of his neck, but Urbain hears her loud and clear. He catches her words as his breath catches, panic overwhelming him. There’s no reason for his heart to be pounding as it is; he needs to calm down before she asks about it. He needs to chill; the words ring in his ears.

“Yeah. And he’s the sweetest guy I know.”

Everything is fine. Urbain is chill. He needs to get his heart under control; he needs to get his disappointment under control. There’s no reason for his chest to fill with dread as he plays the words over and over again in his head; of course, Harmony would like someone. She’s pretty and popular and everyone adores her. She has more friends than Urbain can keep up with; she’s always hanging out with someone new whenever he wanders by her in the hallways. It makes perfect sense that Harmony, the girl who falls fast and hard, would like someone who isn’t some actor in a show she’s obsessed with. And it makes perfect sense that she’s telling him about it; clearly, she’s serious about this mystery guy if she’s sharing this with Urbain.

“Are… you gonna tell me about him?”

The sensible part of Urbain hopes she doesn’t; the masochistic part of him wants nothing more than to know every little thing about this guy. He needs to know every little detail, every little thing that makes this person so different from him. If he can picture a guy that’s his polar opposite, then it will make things easier on his heart; it’s only right for Harmony to fall for someone who is nothing like her best friend.

“Maybe one day.” Urbain feels the lurch in his stomach as a freckled nose buries itself under his chin. “Or you’ll figure it out yourself.”

Now, Urbain is no stranger to Harmony’s snuggles. They’ve been a pile of limbs on the couch more times than Urbain can count. They’ve been, time and time again, a tangled mess on a couch, a movie playing in the background as they’re both on their phones, occasionally swapping silly videos or posts, but none of those times had ever had Urbain in this state. Never before was his heart screaming, his whole body distressed, as Harmony presses closer. Never has he felt such hammering against his ribcage, like every organ in his body is trying to claw its way out from its cage. Never has he ever found himself in his position, half sunken into his mattress, his favorite person all over him.

Harmony’s breathing steadies. Everything about her relaxes, everything but her grip in Urbain. If anything, her grip onto tightens every time he tries to slip away, not that he’s been trying very hard. He’s stuck here, being clung to like he’s her old plushie she couldn’t live without back in the day. And just like that toy, Harmony is making sure to keep him all to herself, both literally and in ways she isn’t even aware of. Urbain cannot go anywhere that is not where she is; he can’t imagine being anywhere but by her side.

So he lets himself relax, even if it’s only slightly, as he counts the old plastic stars stuck to his ceiling, the ones he never found the time or energy to peel off. He counts each and every one of them, 1 through 27, first starting with the ones that still let off a faint glow; none of them, however, glow as brightly as Harmony does. None are as bright as her smile, as her energy, as her presence. None matter nearly as much Harmony, Harmony whose breathing is perfectly steady, Harmony who is curled up against him under his blanket. Nothing ever has mattered as much as Harmony. Ever.

Urbain blinks at the girl. Her head is tilted ever so slightly to the side, her brown hair threatening to break out of the purple elastic she’s been using every single day for the past three months, and she’s staring at him with an intensity he’s not used to. She’s staring at him like he holds the secrets of the universe. Or like he has something on his face.

“What?”

“Your eyes.” She says it so matter-of-factly, like it’s obvious that this is what they’re going to be talking about. “Since when have they been this blue?”

“Always?”

It’s a completely ridiculous question. His eyes have been this color his whole life: from the moment he was born to the day he dies, his eyes will be blue. And Harmony knows this. She has known that his eyes are blue since they’ve been little kids. She’s been so aware of this fact that she used to keep a special blue marker in her pencil case because she had to make sure she got his eye color just right every time they were asked to draw family portraits; they’re technically not family, but the one time a teacher tried to correct Harmony, she screamed at the top her lungs that they couldn’t take him away from her and no one dared tried correcting her since. Harmony has always known Urbain’s exact shade of blue; that blue marker was her favorite blue and no one other than her was allowed to use it, just like how no one was allowed to touch her favorite pink crayon or her favorite purple pencil sharpener. Harmony has always been pretty possessive of her favorites, though she always made sure to share with Urbain, which he’s always been thankful for. He can’t even imagine being on the receiving end of Harmony’s wrath.

 Her question is stupid. Urbain will not entertain it. He’s not even going to bother continuing on the subject. He’s just going to drop it and go back to his homework. He’s going to completely ignore the girl who is still hovering. Maybe then, she’ll move on and bother someone else or go play on her phone. He’s not going to—

“I’m pretty sure they were bluer when I was a baby, anyway.” Technically, this is the truth. His eyes have lightened up over time, though he’s pretty sure they’ve been the same shade of blue for the whole duration of his friendship with Harmony. “At least, that’s what my mom says. Said it was kinda freaky being stared at by me ‘cause my eyes were just so dark, but I don’t see why she’s all that surprised since I get the blue eyes genes from her and she knows how that stuff works better than I do.”

Urbain could probably go on and on about how his mother is a much better scientist than he is; he’s just better at math than he is at biology and stuff. He gets by just fine, or better than fine if anyone were to ask Harmony or compare their grades, but he’s nowhere near as good as his mother. And yeah, maybe it’s because she’s literally got degrees in that sort of thing, something about physics or computer sciences or whatever, but still, she’ll always be better than he is; hopefully he can be better than her at something, though he highly doubts it. He highly doubts he can ever compare to his mother.

“I should ask her why that happens or I can maybe look it up and—”

Urbain’s heart freezes in his chest as a chin presses down into his shoulder, a soft voice filling his ear.

“Y’know, I guess I’d just never noticed that your eyes are my favorite color, then.”

There’s no need for Harmony to be this close. There’s no need for her to be sitting there, her thigh touching Urbain’s, their shoulders pressed together, her hair tickling his cheek. She doesn’t need to be this close, but then again, Urbain cannot refuse her. He cannot for the life of him push her away, tell her to scoot over or send her on her way. He doesn’t have the strength to choose his homework over his favorite person in the whole wide world, because Harmony truly is his favorite person ever. Urbain doesn’t have it in him to turn his attention away from the girl who will always be the center of his universe.

“Your favorite color is purple, though.”

A smile climbs onto Harmony’s lips. Urbain knows for a fact that blue is not Harmony’s favorite color, nor has it ever been. She has gone out of her way to make sure that all her supplies are purple because, in her own words, purple is the superior color and if she has to suffer through classes, she might as well have pretty and cute things to keep her happy. Purple is the color that makes her face light up; she’s been talking non-stop about maybe dyeing her hair purple this summer. Purple is her color, not blue. Harmony has never cared for blue in the slightest; she once threw a tantrum because her father handed her a blue mechanical pencil instead of the purple one she wanted, though that was admittedly years ago. Still, Urbain knows Harmony far too well to believe this lie of hers.

“Well,” his heartbeat spikes as a soft nose grazes his jaw, “maybe my new favorite color is blue now.”

It means nothing. Harmony doesn’t actually mean it, not her words, nor her actions. She’s just like that. She’s like that with everyone. Urbain isn’t special. Harmony teases everyone; there are no exceptions. No one is safe from Harmony’s teasing; Urbain cannot let himself fall for something as meaninglessly stupid as this. He knows better than to let himself think there is more to this, some unspoken confession of sorts. He knows that Harmony is just joking around and poking fun at Urbain.

“Yeah, right.” He scoffs as he shives Harmony away. “And tomorrow, your new favorite color is gonna be green, and the day after that it’s gonna be ref or yellow or—”

“Or,” Harmony loops her arm with Urbain’s, pulling him close and whispering to his ear, “sapphire will be my favorite color until the day I die.”

She’s so close. Her face is so close as Urbain turns to face her. There’s barely any distance between the two; Urbain’s head is spinning. His eyes don’t know where to settle: should he count the freckles that adorn the bridge of her nose, or should he count the explosive flecks of brown against the pale gray of her eyes?  Urbain is just too close; every one of his systems are going haywire. He’s going to go insane; what the hell is he thinking, bumping his nose against Harmony’s before pulling back completely?

“If you say so.” Urbain is losing his composure, and quickly. He’s slowly being driven to madness as Harmony moves closer, like she’s chasing the proximity he is trying desperately to break. “But I’m telling you, you’ll change your mind real soon or you’ll just go back to your purple again.”

Harmony sighs, but she doesn’t pull away. She remains close, laying her head on Urbain’s shoulder again, before sliding her open textbook towards Urbain. She’s on the same page as she was almost an hour ago, which is a little sad but not at all surprising.

“Whatever.” There’s a beat of silence. Urbain begins to contemplate whether or not this was just one big ploy to get him to complete her homework for her. “Can you help me with this? Still doesn’t make any sense to me, and I swear, my parents are going to kill me if I fail the next quiz.”

That, Urbain can do. It’s one of his of many useful skills, though helping Harmony is a lot more enjoyable than with the other students he helps. Working alongside Harmony, explaining things he understood without much difficulty in a way that is so different from how his brain absorbs the information, it’s one of his favorite pastimes. It forces him to see a problem in a completely new way; it’s also an excuse to spend more time with her, sitting closer than necessary, their hands brushing together as Urbain lets his fingers flitter across the pages. It’s the perfect excuse to be catching glances of a pretty girl who is determined to get something right despite her struggles; when they’re working like this, there’s no fear that he’ll be called weird or a freak for looking at her with pure adoration.

“Your hand is so much bigger than mine.”

“Yeah, only because you’re not measuring right.” Urbain shifts his hand against hers, placing their palms flush against one another. “See? They’re basically the same size.”

“Your hand is still bigger than mine, though.”

His hand is barely bigger than hers. And, depending on how it’s look at, Harmony’s fingers seem longer than Urbain’s if they take into consideration the length of her well cared for and lilac painted nails. Their hands are very much similarly sized; Urbain’s hand is only the tad bit bigger than Harmony’s, and that’s most likely due to the fact that he’s ever so slightly taller than her. And that’s a very recent development! Two years ago, she was still taller than him and she made sure to point it out to him every time the occasion presented itself.

Their hands are basically the same size; Urbain’s heart drops as fingers slip through his. He’s choking, panicking, as they curl around his palm. He’s staring in pure bewilderment as giggles fill the air. This is fine. This is normal. This is just Harmony.

Urbain needs to remind himself that that is just how she is. Harmony has always been big on physical touch. She’s always been this way, with everybody. So Urbain needs to remind himself of that and of the fact that they are just friends. They’ve always been friends, and this is no different from the other times they’ve held hands, though, admittedly, the last time they had held hands, they were still children and Harmony’s parents had forced them to stay like that the whole day at the amusement park out of fear of losing one of them. And no, it’s not weird that Urbain still vividly remembers the last time they had held hands. It’s a completely normal thing to remember.

It’s been years since the last time they’ve been in this position, palms pressed together. It’s been years; is Urbain supposed to mirror Harmony’s movements? He’s not quite certain if he should close his fingers around hers. He’s not sure what the point of any of this is; Harmony is not giving him any signs of how to act. She’s just giggling to herself, not even sparing him a glance. She’s giggling, her cheeks pink from the laughter, looking pretty as ever. Maybe, just maybe, Urbain should follow her lead. It’s slow, careful, but nonetheless, very deliberate; Urbain’s fingers curl around Harmony’s. No matter what, it’s objectively less awkward to be caught holding hands than having her hold his while he’s caught there, fingers spread, awkward and stiff.

Maybe Harmony will pull back. Maybe she’ll call him weird, or worse, obsessed with her or something like that. Maybe she’s doing this just to make fun of him. Urbain has no idea what her motives are, but what he does know is that she isn’t saying anything, nor is she doing anything. She just stays there, her fingers tight around his; neither one dare move even though Urbain knows he should pull back before things get weird. He should probably put an end to this who thing, but he’s frozen in place; he doesn’t have the slightest clue of how to act. His brain is screaming to walk away, but instead, he just stares at Harmony, Harmony who is smiling at him, her grin wide and proud.

“See?” She’s practically beaming. “They fit perfectly together!” She steps closer, still grinning and tightening her grip. “Because we’re perfect together.”

Now, Urbain knows for a fact that Harmony is just teasing him. That is one thing he is certain of since he knows that they are very far from perfect, individually and collectively. As individuals, they’re anything but perfect, and together, they’re a complete mess, not that they are together! Because saying that they’re together implies something that is absolutely not there! They’re friends! Best of friends, but very much only friends! They’re always just been friends! And anyway, it’s not like Harmony has ever or will ever look at Urbain as anything other than her best friend since grade school. He’s just that one guy that hands out at her place every other day and who accidentally called her father “dad” once and wanted to crawl under a rock and die for the longest time. Urbain really is just Harmony’s best friend; after all, she has insisted enough times to her own friends that he’s basically like a brother to her since they grew up together and all that jazz. It’d be weird if he was anything other than her best friends.

Really, Urbain should pull his hand away. He has to be the one to put this whole farce to rest, because Harmony’s not going to put an end to whatever teasing she’s started. If Urbain was smart, he’d just walk away from this whole thing before managing to get his hopes up for nothing. There’s no point in staying like this, but he knows himself too well. He knows he cannot for the life of him pull away from Harmony. Never will he be able to walk away from whatever danger she’s pulling him into. The only thing he knows himself capable of doing is going along with whatever charade she’s put on, stepping foot into the flames that will engulf him. He will regret it all, but still, he’s leaning closer, scrunching his nose and smiling at the girl.

“Y’know, you could’ve just asked to hold my hand if you wanted to so badly.”

The girl huffs before bumping her forehead against his as laughter bubbles out of Urbain. He’s snorting for no apparent reason as Harmony also giggles, her laughter much prettier than any sound Urbain is making. They’re both laughing, their hands still pressed together. They’re laughing like no one else exists; they stand in the middle of the hall, their fingers laced together like this is a completely normal thing for them to be doing before their final period of the day.

They probably should let go of one another. People are probably staring; realistically, no one is looking. Urbain is most definitely not very high in the high school social hierarchy, but Harmony, however, is pretty up there. Everyone knows her name, and she makes friends easily, getting invited to parties thrown by people Urbain has never spoken to. Harmony, unlike Urbain, is just constantly surrounded by people that he can barely remember the names of. So, while he has nothing to lose to be caught with his fingers intertwined with Harmony’s, she has everything to lose from being seen with Urbain. She can lose it all from being seen with someone as lowly as Urbain; maybe, just maybe, for her sake, Urbain should pull back, create some distance between the two, not let anyone get the wrong idea of where they stand. Maybe, just maybe, he should step away from her; Harmony’s fingers tighten around his, pulling him closer as he begins to pull back.

“Harms—”

“Did’ya wanna go to the mall later? My mom needs me to pick stuff up for her and I kinda was hoping you’d drive me there?”

A sigh breaks from Urbain’s lips. Of course he’ll drive her; any opportunity to spend time with Harmony is a good one. He can’t refuse her anything; he’s not even strong enough to pull his hand away from hers, his hand that he knows is starting to get sweaty and gross. So instead of doing the smart thing and unlacing his fingers from hers, he just gives her hand another squeeze before nodding. He nods as Harmony grins that blinding smile of hers, now swinging their hands around like a little kid. Really, he truly is just so terribly weak to Harmony.

“In that case,” her hand is warm like summer against Urbain’s arm, and it’s just as soft as the one still flush against is own, a hand he’s starting to scarily get used to holding, “I’ll catch you later?”

“I’ll text you as soon as I’m done so we can head out together.”

If there’s one thing Urbain is certain about, it’s that it’s so easy being around Harmony. There is nothing easier than being around the girl who pushes herself up onto her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. Truly, there are only a few certainties in this world, but this, he knows will never change: Harmony will always be his very best friend. She will always be the one he goes to when he’s lovely or bored. She will always be the one he looks for in a crowd. She will forever be the one that he trusts above all.

A sigh breaks from Urbain’s lips, but he’s quick to straighten his back as a hand is placed on his shoulder. He’s standing as straight as he can, as tall as he can, but his shoulders slump just as quickly as another man moves into sight. Everything inside relaxes as Vinnie gives him a sliver of a smile.

“How are you holding up, Mr. President?”

Urbain sighs again as he accepts the flute of champagne Vinnie is holding out to him. He might actually need the alcohol to get through this night.

“If I have another empty conversation about financial quarters and deep dives and touching bases, I might kill myself.” A long sip of the drink fizzles up his nose, but it’s fine. It’s better than overly polished fake conversations. “If I’m going to touch a base, it won’t be a work base.”

“Urbain.”

Vinnie’s tone is warning, but he doesn’t proceed to scold Urbain. And that’s what he loved about Vinnie: he knows how to keep Urbain in check, but doesn’t baby him or lecture him for the things he says. Vinnie knows that sometimes he just needs to blow off steam; Urbain, unlike most of the people here, wasn’t raised around these polished rich people who frequently stay at Le Richissime. He might blend into them now, but it’s exhausting pretending. It’s exhausting being the CEO of Quasartico Inc.

“I’m just kidding, Vinnie.” He forces a smile as his fingers curl around his half empty flute. “I’ve just been having the same 5-minute conversation for the past hour. And my brain feels like it’s melting.”

“Not to alarm you, but you will be having this 5-minute conversation many more times tonight. That is what happens at these types of events; we’re looking to find new investors and partners after all.”

“I know. I know all too well. I just… I just need a minute.”

“And a minute you may have. How about you go take a breather outside? No one should bother you there.”

Urbain nods as he slips out of Vinnie’s grip. The cool night air sounds good. Just a few deep breaths outside the hotel should be more than enough to get his head back into business mode. He really just needs a short moment of being Urbain and not Mr. President.

“Congratulations on the promotion, Ms. Pax! The whole team was quite excited when we saw your name on the list of candidates, and, don’t tell anyone I said this, but I did have my fingers crossed that it would be you that they pick. It’s a little silly, but I was so, so excited to potentially having you on the team. You’re going to be such an amazing addition!”

This isn’t a conversation that involved Urbain. Normally, he would have long walked away, but he stops dead in his tracks. How can he walk away when he hears someone congratulating a Ms. Pax? How can his attention not be turned to this conversation? How can he not be interested when the only Ms. Pax he knows of is none other than Harmony Pax?

“I am so grateful for the opportunities this company is giving me. And even more grateful for the welcome you and everyone on the team has given me.” Her laughter is like a song. “I was so surprised that any of you wanted me here tonight. I haven’t even started the new position and you’re already inviting me such nice company events! I almost feel out of place.”

Harmony? Out of place? That is impossible. Wherever she stands, she commands the room. Everything spins around her, not the other way around. Her presence is something Urbain always envied; everyone always gravitated towards her, hanging onto her every word without her even having to try.

“Well, in my humble opinion, you look like you fit in perfectly. I must ask, where did you get that lovely dress? It suits you so perfectly, I wonder if they carry anything that can fit me as well as it fits you.”

The sea of people fades away as Urbain’s eyes finally find the source of that pretty laughter. Everything fades away; nothing but one exists. Nothing but one girl is left in the crowd, one girl in a dress that could probably kill a man. Well, given the tightness in Urbain’s chest and the heat the rises into his face, she’s probably already killed one. And if he’s not already dead, he’s on the verge of death.

Urbain tries to scurry away before she spots him, but he’s too slow. As he’s tightening his blazer around himself to head out into the night, fingers are already curling around his wrist, drawing him back to the figure that haunts his dreams.

“I’ve been looking all over for you!” Painted lips have his whole attention. “I didn’t think it would be so hard crossing paths with you, given that you’re, like, the main event here!”

She genuinely looks so gorgeous. Like, objectively, Harmony is stunning. Her hair is tied up into a perfectly styled yet lax updo; every loose strand is perfectly curled alongside her bangs that frame her pretty face. Her makeup also looks professionally done; it’s nothing too flashy, but the colors compliment her eyes. And her lips. Urbain really should not be staring at them, and he has to force himself to look away, but the gloss makes it so hard for his gaze to not linger there. Her lips and her dress, that dark dress with the high neckline and open back, have his eyes bouncing between her and his shoes. Harmony is undeniably beautiful.

“How have you been holding up?”

She’s so cheerful, grinning like she’s probably had a few flutes of champagne herself. She’s smiling so big as her fingers tighten around Urbain’s wrist, keeping him from running out of the hotel. She’s so ridiculously attractive and he can’t do anything to hide from her.

“I’ve, uh, been talking to way too many people.”

Harmony’s face drops as her fingers loosen. He’s said something stupid; Urbain knows for a fact that whatever just came out of his mouth was the wrong thing to say. He’s said the absolute wrong thing; though it’s true that he has been talking to too many people, Harmony is not one of them. If it’s Harmony, he could talk to her all night without even realizing it’s been hours. Harmony has always had this way of making time fly; she’s always had this ability to make every moment timeless and delightful.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Not you! You’re not one of those people! We can keep talking!”

Urbain needs to shut up. He’s honestly just digging his grave deeper and deeper with each word that comes out of his mouth. And by the look on Harmony’s face, she agrees, though she isn’t running away. She’s actually smiling as she quietly chuckles. Urbain might be stupid, but at least it’s entertaining to the woman in front of him.

“I was just…” Urbain’s eyes glance at the door ahead of them, the one leading to the North Boulevard. “I was thinking of maybe getting a bit of fresh air before my next round of networking conversations?” Harmony doesn’t move; maybe he should be clearer. “Would you like to come with me? We’ll be able to chat in peace out there?”

Harmony’s smile really is a masterpiece. Harmony as a whole is a treasure one should cherish if they have the chance to be in her proximity. She is by far the most beautiful woman Urbain has ever laid eyes on; he feels his stomach flip on itself as Harmony loops her arm with his, leaning her weight against him as they make their way towards the door.

Harmony’s forwardness is nothing new to Urbain, and it’s not like she’s doing anything crazy. And knowing her, she’s probably adopted this position because she’s at risk of toppling over in her heels; with those one, she’s almost taller than Urbain, not that he’s a particularly tall man. Regardless, even if his heart is hammering through his chest as she leans into him, he keeps walking. He walks, though a little slower than he normally would; he doesn’t want Harmony tripping and falling. And if she’s anything like how she was when they were younger, Urbain knows to take his time when she’s in heels; those have never been in her favor.

The night air is fresh. The cool breeze feels nice against Urbain’s cheeks; he can feel his lungs fill with something a little closer to clean than the stuffy air inside the hotel.  And as he breathes out, he feels a little more like himself. As his eyes fall shut, he feels a little more like Urbain and a little less like the CEO of Quasartico Inc.

“I always forget how pretty the city is at night.”

Urbain’s eyes fall to his side. Harmony is still there, though she’s not hanging onto him anymore. She’s just standing there, both of them at the top of the stair leading down to the boulevard. She’s just standing there, her perfectly painted nails digging into her elbows as her eyes scan over the street.

He doesn’t know what he’s thinking. Actually, Urbain probably isn’t thinking at all as he shrugs his blazer off of his shoulders. His mind is completely blank as he covers Harmony’s bare shoulders with his jacket, something that pulls gray eyes towards him. He wasn’t thinking at all, but now he’s overthinking it. Is he being too forward? Should he have asked? She looked like she was cold, the night air leaving goosebumps along her arms, but still. For all Urbain knows, she has a boyfriend inside, waiting for her, or better yet, a coat that’s in the coat check. She might not need Urbain’s jacket at all! She might not need it, but she doesn’t reject it. No. Instead, gray eyes soften as Harmony pulls the blazer closed around her body and burying her nose in the lapel.

It’s stupid. It means nothing. Urbain needs to get out of his head. He needs to stop imagining things that are not there, like the smile that pulls at the corners of Harmony’s mouth or the creases at the corners of her eyes. She’s not looking at him, not like that, not like he’s looking at her. She’s just looking at someone who placed a jacket on her shoulders, completely unprompted. She’s just acknowledging his presence, a presence that he is far too aware of at this moment.

The city sounds drown out whatever was about to come out of Urbain’s mouth, not that anything coherent would have come out. Whatever he was thinking, it has vanished; the only thing invading every one of his senses is Harmony, beautiful in the moonlight, beautiful as she always is. The only thing on Urbain’s mind is Harmony; it always is whenever he ventures too close to the sun.

“Hey, I was wondering if—”

“Mr. Lucille!”

A smile climbs onto Urbain’s lips, a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, a smile he never feels. It’s become a habit, plastering a charming smile onto his face the moment he hears his name; what else can he do when people are expecting nothing but pleasantries from him?

“How may I help you this evening, Mr. D’Amboise?”

Words comes out of the man’s mouth, words that Urbain does not catch despite his nods and smiles. He knows he’s technically conversing with the man at this point, but everything is on autopilot; his eyes remain on Harmony, Harmony who is just standing there, smiling ever so slightly. She, too, is smiling to charm; she, too, knows that none of this is real.

“Oh!” The man is practically vibrating now. “Did you speak to the director from the Devon Corporation? His name escapes me now, but I do know he was looking for you, Mr. Lucille!”

Another smile hangs on Harmony’s lips as Urbain’s eyes fall back onto her. She nods; he doesn’t want to go. She steps away from him; Urbain has no choice but to follow the man back into the banquet hall. Does it always have to be this difficult to find a moment to himself? Must he always be pulled away from Harmony?

Waves of faces come and go. Urbain knows everyone’s names, knows every position, every exploit. He knows who to charm and who to not waste time on. He’s smiling and mingling, just like Vinnie asked him to; Vinnie is also back at this side, playing this game they both despise but must continue playing until the very end. At least, with Vinnie by his side, time goes by much faster. At least, with Vinnie by his side, Urbain can cover up his distracted mind every time he swears his eyes catch on a blue dress. At least, with Vinnie, Urbain can pretend he’s following the conversations he is cycling through.

One, two, three more flutes of champagne have made their way into Urbain’s hands. One, two, three more high ranking directors are asking for his advice on subject matters he is not familiar with. One, two, three more hours have passed by the time Urbain can let his body hit a chair. His whole body is sore; his head is pounding from the alcohol he should not have been consuming. Why does he do this to himself? He knows he can’t hold anything down, especially if he hasn’t eaten in hours. But at least he can still feel all of his limbs; his throat burns, begging him for mercy, pleading him for a sip of water.

“Here.”

Urbain jumps at the feeling of ice against his neck. It snaps him out of whatever exhausted trance he was starting to fall into; gray eyes smile upon him as a water bottle is held out to him.

He hesitates for a beat too long; Harmony pulls the bottle out of his reach just as Urbain is about to accept it. She pulls it away, a grin stretching across her face; does she have to be this beautiful? Must she look like an angel at all times? Must she draw Urbain in like this, his hand reaching out to the water bottle she’s now holding above her head like a child at the park?

“What do we say?”

“Harmony…”

Giggles erupt from her lips as she finally hands him the bottle. It’s been a while he’s seen her laugh so freely; it’s been a while since the last time he’s seen her, period. How did they ever go from best friends to practically strangers? How did Urbain mess up so bad that he lost track of someone as wonderful as Harmony?

“You’re surprisingly difficult to find, y’know?”

Half of the water bottle has been consumed; the cold soaks through Urbain’s pants as he lets his hands rest against his thighs.

“I’m sorry?”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” It takes everything in Urbain to not reach out to her face and tuck the stray strand of hair behind Harmony’s ear. “I just wanted to give you this back before I head home.”

He watches as Harmony pulls his jacket off from her shoulders and holds it out to him. Every movement of his feels mechanical next to Harmony’s fluidity. Urbain looks almost robotic, his fingers curling around his blazer before almost dropping it back into his lap; Harmony is like water, rearranging the high neckline of her dress, tugging at it ever so slightly. It’s stupid, Urbain needs to push the thought away, but still, it lingers: has she always been this beautiful?

He should look away; his eyes seem glued to her, to the dip in her bare shoulder, to the freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose, now starting to pierce through the light layer of makeup applied to the entirety of her face, to the curve of her lips as she watches the dwindling crowd of self-important people. She’s exactly the same as she was all those years ago; she’s a completely different person from the girl he met at the train station on that fateful day. She’s Harmony; she’s still just Harmony.

“Anyway,” her heels click under her as she dusts her dress for some unknown reason, “I shouldn’t take up much more of your time. I’m sure you’re plenty busy, Mr. Popular Guy, and I, for one, am ready to go home.”

“Do you have a ride?”

Urbain might just die if she stares at him for too long. He might just combust as she tilts her head ever so slightly, pulling her brows together. One would think that he has just spoken pure gibberish; Harmony is hesitantly shaking her head.

“I’ll drive you home then.”

“Oh, no! No, don’t worry about me! I’m just gonna walk—”

“In heels? All the way back to the hotel?” Urbain has got to stop being so rash; he’s pushing himself off his chair and digging through his blazer’s pockets. “I’m just gonna tell Vinnie I’m calling it a night and I’ll drive you home.”

For once, Harmony complies. She folds her hands and nods, not uttering another word. Her steps are quiet, or as quiet as clicky heels can be, as she trails behind Urbain who is making a beeline for Vinnie. She’s always a few steps behind him, never too close; she doesn’t approach as Urbain grins at a man who is has decided to strike up a conversation with him, though it is cut short as the CEO of Quasartico Inc. excuses himself. No one argues with him as he informs his guest that he must head out; they bid him a good night as he retreats back to Harmony’s side.

“You’re still staying at the hotel, right?”

Harmony nods in response. Her silence is almost worrisome; Urbain stops in his tracks to watch her, take in her expression, and internally kick himself. Has he been too forward again? Is he imposing himself? Has he become one of them, thinking he can make decisions for others now?

“Hey, if you want, I can also just call you a taxi. I just don’t want you out at this—”

“It’s not that, Urbain.” Gray eyes fall to the ground. “I just don’t want to impose or anything.”

“Harms.” Is he still allowed to call her that? “I offered. I want to do this for you.”

Finally, another one of her smiles. Another one of her breathtaking smiles that have Urbain’s lungs giving out ever so slightly.  She’s beautiful. She has to stop being so beautiful. Her beauty makes Urbain stupid, and he can’t afford being stupider than he already is. If he’s stupid, who knows what he’s going to do. Who knows what’s going to come out of his mouth as Harmony loops her arm through his once more, leaning her weight into his shoulder.

It’s not a long walk to his car, but every click of Harmony’s heels, first on the tile, then on the concrete, reminds Urbain of her presence. Well, that and the overwhelming heat that’s erupted in his cheeks every time her weight shifts away and back against him. She’s steadying herself with every wobbly step; he’s losing his mind with every rigid step.

“That’s… your car?”

“Is there something wrong with it?”

Urbain watches as Harmony peels herself off of him and inspect the car. She goes around it once, then twice before looking up at him with bewilderment in her eyes.

“I don’t think I’m in the right tax bracket to be seen near this thing.”

Ah. So that’s what it is. Admittedly, this is the first and only overly frivolous purchase Urbain has ever made in his life. It’s a little shameful to him that he, who was once counting coins to pay for his groceries, was able to afford a luxury car like this, but walking out of the lot with the keys to a brand-new car had, funnily enough, healed something in him that day. Money can, apparently, buy a semblance of happiness.

He pulls the door open and plops himself down in the driver’s seat. “Just get it.”

There’s a little more hesitation from Harmony, but she finally relents once Urbain pushes her door open, forcing her to acknowledge the leather seat he’s patting. She’s careful as she slips in; she seems almost afraid to break something with her gaze alone. Her hands are cautious, fingers gentle around the seatbelt; Harmony who had once kicked her shoes off and taken up as much space as she could in the old, nearly broken-down car Urbain had gotten his hands on when they were teenagers was now making herself as small as she possibly could.

“I’m guessing you’re paid well?”

“Something like that.”

They’re both aware that Urbain is paid quite handsomely; neither one dares acknowledge the number out loud, but they’re both thinking about it, Urbain ever so slightly more concretely. Neither one wants to acknowledge the gap that has formed; the rift in their friendship is demoralizing enough.

The car ride is silent; nothing but the sounds of the city and, on occasion, the blinker can be heard. It shouldn’t have to be this quietly awkward; every time Urbain catches a glance of Harmony, ready to try a topic of conversation, he deflates. He can’t bring himself to shatter the silence, not when Harmony is staring out the window. He wants to ask her what she’s thinking about, what’s bothering her, but he he’s too much of a coward to do so. He doesn’t want to bother her, so he turns his attention back to the road, back to the cars that surround him, back to the roads he still remembers by heart.

“Take a left here.”

“What?”

Harmony is still looking out the window; her head is pressed to the glass, gray eyes scanning the environment. Urbain knows for a fact that the hotel is only two blocks away and that taking a left is absurd, but still, he follows Harmony instructions. He still, after all the years, trusts her.

Her directions are clear: a left, then a right, then another right. Urbain is ever so slightly lost, despite having lived in the neighborhood for well-over half a decade. He had been through every alleyway, every rooftop, every little nook and cranky the Vert District could offer; he has never, in all the years he’s lived in Lumiose City, been down this road. And yet, as Harmony instructs him to one last left, Urbain pulls through the hotel’s gates. The key is turned, the engine is cut, and Urbain’s eyes fall on that old familiar building.

“Sorry for the weird detours and all.” Harmony is stretching her back as she pulls pins out of her hair, letting it fall loose over her shoulder. “They blocked off the normal route like two weeks ago. A real pain in the ass if you ask me.”

That makes a lot more sense. And it makes perfect sense that Harmony would know that; it’s a little sad that Urbain doesn’t know these little details anymore. How long has it been since the last time he’s been at Hotel Z?

“Well,” for the first time all night, a genuine smile climbs onto Urbain’s lips, “regardless of the road blocks, we got here in one piece.”

“Ever the smooth driver.”

She’s driving him crazy, with her hand on his arm. He’s losing all of his reason whenever she’s near; it’s always been this way, hasn’t it? Urbain really has always been a mess when Harmony is around him.

“Anyway!” He’s quick to clear his throat; if he squeaks one more time, he might go throw himself in the Pyroar enclosure after this. “I shouldn’t take up more of your night. I’m sure you have things to do.”

“At this hour?” Must she have the prettiest laughter Urbain’s ever heard? “Please. My plans consist of crashing in bed and falling asleep to some video essay or reality tv or whatever. Unless…” How is it that she only gets prettier with time? “Do you wanna come in for a bit?”

“I couldn’t possibly impose—”

“I offered. You can’t impose since I want to do this for you.”

Urbain sighs. She parroting his own words, using them against him. And it would be rude to deny her such a small favor.

“Well,” it’s so easy to smile around Harmony as Urbain leans closer, “since you asked so nicely.”

Pretty laughter falls from perfect lips. They’re not as sparkly as they had been at the start of the night, most of the gloss having been worn away, but they still look perfect. They still look so inviting. Are they as soft as the had once been? As soft as he remembers her kisses to be? Are they—

Urbain pulls back, panic coursing through him. His mind has wandered into dangerous wastelands. He is in no position to be thinking of Harmony that way, of what had once been there, of what no longer exists. He cannot afford to go back to a place that no longer exists.

“Lemme get the door for you!”

Everything is racing; Urbain is racing to Harmony’s side. She’s barely sat back up by the time he’s pulling the passenger door open, giving her one of his signature bows, a smile, and his arm.

“Your castle awaits, m’lady.”

A snort echoes through the night as Harmony kicks him in the thigh. It’s nothing hard, and thankfully her heel only grazes his pants instead of stabbing him, but Urbain can’t help but gasp. He offers her hospitality and she returns the gesture with violence; some things really don’t ever change.

“You,” she’s catching her breath as she, nonetheless, loops her arms with his and gets out of the car, “are so cringe.”

“And yet, you’re still inviting me in.”

Harmony doesn’t deny it; they’re both making their way to the front door. She fumbles with the key for a moment, which gives Urbain just enough time to take in his surroundings. The hotel has changed over the years, though not by as much as one would think. The grass is still overgrown and vines still hang from the walls. Truly, the only thing that seems different is the front door; the once open door now bares a lock. What once was an isolated hotel that wanted to welcome the world has been turned to home. Maybe, in the end, this is what AZ wanted.

“Sorry for the mess.”

The interior really does look like a home now. The lobby is a lot more cluttered; a collection of shoes has begun piling by the door, one Harmony contributes to as she kicks off her heels and slips into something more comfortable. The plants Urbain had once watered on the daily are shrivelled or gone. It feels more lived in now; perhaps all the overcleaning he had once been in charge of kept the hotel from giving this homey vibe.

“Make yourself comfy.” Harmony gestures at the couches and armchairs that have since been rearranged around a modern television that stands out just a little too much. “I’ll be back with coffee or something.”

Perhaps Urbain should offer to help. Maybe he should ask her if she needs anything from him. There are a thousand things he could be doing, but instead, he nods and complies with her wishes. He lets his body sink into the old couch, in the same spot he used to spend his evenings with his friends. Old habits die hard, after all.

Harmony isn’t gone very long. But in the five to ten minutes that Urbain finds himself alone, he scrutinizes his surroundings. He takes in everything, letting memories flood through him. He lets his eyes linger on the bookshelf, the one with the books AZ had collected over the years; it’s collected dust over the years, dust that no one but Urbain ever cared to clear. His feet find the carpet that has not been changed in decades; it’s beginning to fray at the corners, though he can see the little repairs Naveen has made, little embroidered stitches keeping the thing together. His hands find the lobby desk, the one now cluttered with mail addressed to Harmony, Lida, and Naveen, and other junk they haven’t bothered to throw away. His fingers find a framed picture of Team MZ, a picture he has long forgotten about.

They’re a lot younger in this picture. They’re all smiling so big, so genuinely. Urbain had forgotten about that day; a warm feeling blooms in his chest as he remembers how he had been so excited that day, getting to hang out with his best friends and do things he loved. He remembers how he had come home and AZ had joined them for dinner, a rare event. He remembers everything so clearly now; it would be a lie to say he doesn’t miss those days.

“Whatcha looking at?”

Mismatched mugs are set on the counter as Harmony peers over Urbain’s shoulder. Gray eyes scan the picture frame he’s still holding; a smile curves onto her lips, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Urbain nods, not trusting his voice. He knows that it’s his fault that Team MZ is no more; he is, after all, the one who left the group despite claiming to be their leader. He really did think he could balance his friendships and climbing to the top of a company; he gave up on what should have been the most important thing to him. He gave up on Naveen, on Lida, and most heart wrenching of all, on Harmony. He put her in second place; Harmony deserves to be someone’s priority.

“So,” Urbain slowly puts the frame down as Harmony makes her way to the couch, plopping herself down like she must have done a thousand times in the past, “how are Naveen and Lida?”

“Naveen’s recently signed a contract with some streamer to design and produce their merch, and he’s pretty excited about that.” She takes a long sip of what probably cannot legally be considered coffee if her order has not changed over the years; Urbain mirrors her as he carefully lowers himself into the tattered couch. “He’s one step closer to becoming Canari’s merch designer, but he won’t ever admit that that’s still the goal. Though I have heard that she did commission him for like… a hoodie or something, but she’s never worn it on stream, so he was a little disappointed about that. He’s still holding out hope that she will, but between you and me,” Harmony leans closer to Urbain, her voice dropping to a whisper despite no one being around to listen, “I’m pretty sure Canari actually commissioned it to give it to Gwynn. Like, maybe my eyes deceived me, but I’m pretty sure I saw her wearing the hoodie Navi made last time I went to see Ivor.”

A light chuckle bubbles out of Urbain as he sips his coffee. It’s definitely a lot more bitter than what he’s used to, but it’s not unbearable. He’s almost tempted to ask for some milk to mellow it out, but he can’t bring himself to do that. He doesn’t want to be difficult, asking Harmony for more than what she’s so kindly already offered.

“Sorry about the, uh… less than stellar coffee. I know it’s nothing like the fancy coffees you’re probably used to.”

“No, it’s great!”

Harmony raises an eyebrow and flicks his cheek. “You’re a bad liar.”

Fine. It’s atrocious. It’s, quite frankly, the worst coffee Urbain has ever had, and he’s had bad coffees. But still, it’s the thought that counts. Harmony so kindly offered him a coffee and went through the trouble of making him a cup; Urbain isn’t enough of an ass to send it back and have another one made for him.

“Really, it’s not that bad.”

“You don’t have to finish it if you don’t want it.” She sets her cup down and folds her legs under her. Her body is turned to Urbain; he can’t help but mirror her actions. He can’t help getting lost in the depth of her eyes. “I won’t lie; I kinda just wanted you to come in so I could talk to you a bit longer.”

And Urbain doesn’t like lying either: he, too, wanted to spend a little more time with Harmony. He, too, wanted to make up for lost time and hear her voice for a little longer. He, too, missed spending his evenings sunken in a couch, just talking about everything and nothing.

It really is just so nice getting to talk to someone without having to anticipate their next words. When was the last time Urbain has had a casual conversation with someone, a conversation with no social hierarchy, no stakes, no mask? When was the last time he got to relax, laugh, and chat the night away? It feels like forever ago. Maybe it was forever ago.

“Oh! Oh! I totally forgot, but Lida recently started a new job at a new studio! She’s just replacing one of the teachers or whatever, so I don’t know how long it will last, but she’s been having so much fun! She’s doing a ballet class and a hip hop one which is really cool! Something about one of her old mentors opening up a new studio in Lumiose and needing new teachers. I really don’t know the details, but she’s really been enjoying her new job.”

A sigh breaks from Harmony’s lips as she lets her head fall onto Urbain’s shoulder. It’s stupid, but his heart jumps to his throat at the contact; her eyes have since fallen shut.

“But what about you? How do you like being Mr. President of Quasartico Inc.?”

It’s Urbain’s turn to sigh. He knows he should say that he loves it, that he’s grateful for all the opportunities, that he loves the daily challenges, but if he’s being honest, it’s just exhausting. What seemed like a dream too good to be true turned to be that exactly: being CEO is nothing like he thought it would be. Now, he has no time for friends or hobbies or anything that doesn’t involve Quasartico. Now, it really feels like he has no life left outside of the job.

“It’s… okay, I guess.”

“Yeah? Enjoy getting to spend money you never had before?”

Of course, that’s where Harmony’s mind would go. Urbain can’t blame her; he was pretty stingy back then, but that was just because he didn’t have money to spend and he didn’t want to spend AZ’s money. So he had to make due with the little that he did have. But now, he has more money than he knows what to do with; now, money is completely arbitrary and he can’t even fully enjoy it.

“Don’t have much to spend on, if I’m being honest. The car’s the only real big purchase I’ve made. The rest, well, I don’t really have time for anything else.”

Silence falls across the dimly lit hotel. The shadows on the walls dance, just as Urbain remembers them; he knows it’s just Harmony’s shadow being projected onto the fading wallpaper as she sits back up, but Urbain always wondered if those shadows had lives of their own. Perhaps they’re squatting Pokemon looking for a cozy place to stay; maybe it really just his active imagination letting him believe in ghost stories.

“You know,” blue skies are clouded by piercing gray, “you can always come by and hang out with us, if you have the time. It was your home first, and, though I can’t speak for Lida and Navi, I know I’d really like it if we got to hang out a bit. Even if it’s just for like… dinner or something. I’d just really… yeah.”

Is it selfish of Urbain to also want to spend more time with Harmony? And their friends, of course! But right here, right now, all he can think about it how much he wants to spend time with Harmony, and Harmony alone. If he could have anything he wants, he’d ask for the night to never come to an end. If he could have absolutely anything he wants, he’d want for them to keep talking until he physically cannot form a sentence anymore. If it were fully up to Urbain, he’d make the moment last forever. He’d ask for things to go back to how they once were.

Harmony winces as Urbain’s brushes his thumb against her cheek. She doesn’t recoil, but he definitely did catch her by surprise. Maybe he should have asked, or at least warned her that he was going to touch her face, but at this hour, Urbain isn’t thinking straight. Then again, when is he ever truly thinking clearly?

“Sorry, you just—” he holds out his thumb for Harmony to see— “had an eyelash.”

“Can I make a wish?”

Urbain blinks. A wish? What wish? Or maybe this is a custom he’s not used to. And Harmony seems to have gathered that he has no idea what she’s talking about; she scoots closer, careful to keep his hand up with the eyelash still there. His heart is racing at the contact once more, but he needs to stay cool. Urbain must remain chill.

“Have you never made a wish on an eyelash before?” Urbain shakes his head. “I mean, it’s super simple. Make a wish and blow on it. Something, something, your wish will come true. Wanna try?”

“I mean, it’s your eyelash, so you should probably make the wish?”

Harmony doesn’t push. She just closes her eyes and falls silent for a moment. She’s completely quiet, and Urbain can’t help but take in how beautiful she is, especially up close like this. She is, by far, the most beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes on; who knows if he’ll ever be lucky enough to encounter someone who is even half as gorgeous as Harmony is. Only time will tell, but for now, Urbain is brought back to the here and now, back to Harmony’s eyes fluttering open as she blows her eyelash away.

“Wish made.” She smiles as she lets her hand drop from Urbain’s. “Wanna know what I wished for?”

“Doesn’t that make your wish not come true?”

“Maybe. But maybe if I tell you, then you’ll let me know if it can come true.”

She really does have a way of saying things so cryptically. None of what she just said makes sense with the customs of wish making; secrecy is what allows a wish to come true. But now Harmony is telling him that he’s the one who will tell her if her wish can come true, like he’s some wish-granting magician. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Please let me tell you what I wished for? You don’t even have to make it come true. I just… want you to know.”

Who is Urbain to deny Harmony anything? So of course, he’s nodding his head like an idiot. Of course, he’s letting her come closer, her shoulder pressing against his. Of course, his head feels like it’s spinning as she whispers her secret wish into his ear like they’re little kids and not full-grown adults.

“I wished that I could kiss you.”

Obviously, Urbain misheard that. Maybe the champagne from earlier is now hitting harder than ever. Or maybe he’s just so tired that he’s hallucinating the conversation. Regardless, there is no way that Harmony just told him that she wants to kiss him. Or wishes to kiss him. Because that’s completely absurd. There is no way that Harmony, of all people, wants to kiss him. Not after everything he’s put her through; not after having left her with barely any warning all those years ago.

“You don’t have to say anything. Or do anything.” Her back hits the couch, leaving the air around Urbain frigid. “For all I know, you’ve got a pretty girl at home waiting for you and I’m just keeping you from her and wasting you time and—”

“Harms.” This is insanity. Urbain is going absolutely insane. “Harmony.” His knees are sinking into the old couch cushion as he turns to her. “Harmony, you are not wasting my time.” She’s so beautiful. Urbain probably shouldn’t touch her. Her cheek is so soft. “No one is waiting for me.” Her eyes are just as he remembers them. He’s falling over and over again. “Harmony, you are the most breathtakingly, beautiful woman I have ever seen. All night, I’ve just been going insane because I just cannot keep myself from looking at you. And I know that sounds mega weird, but I just—”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

There’s no time to react. There’s no time for logic to catch up with Urbain’s actions. All he knows is that Harmony is grabbing his face and that he’s tumbling forward. All he knows is that her kisses are nothing like the memories he has of them; they’re so much better than what he remembers. She’s softer and sweeter, though that last part might be from the alleged coffee she’d been drinking. She’s sweeter, far more addictive than Urbain remembers her to be; will he have the strength to stop kissing her? Will he have it in him to walk away tonight? Not that he ever wants to walk away from Harmony if he can help it; he did it once, and it was the worst mistake he has made in his life. Nothing was worst than fighting with Harmony and leaving her without any warning.

A gasp break from Harmony’s lips; nails dig into Urbain’s shoulder as he pulls at the soft skin of her neck. He needs her close; he cannot lose her again. And maybe, just maybe, she feels the same way. Maybe, just maybe, that is why she’s pulling him closer. Maybe, just maybe, this can last more than an instant.

Kisses upon kisses are shared; Urbain can’t keep away from Harmony’s lips, not when he’s missed them this much. It’s not selfish of him to steal as many kisses as he can if Harmony is pleading him for more, is it? He’s giving her what she wished for; he’s taking what he’s been dreaming of. He’s slow and careful; he doesn’t want to ever forget the curve of her smile against his. Urbain needs this moment to last forever.  

He’s gentle, peppering kisses to every freckle he can find on her face. If it were up to him, he would cover every inch of Harmony’s skin in adoring kisses, but now is not the time for that. Now is the time to bury his face in the crook of her neck as she wraps her arms around him. Now is the time to take in the moment of peace, focusing on the rising and falling of her chest against him. Now is the time to wonder if he took things too far.

“I—” Urbain is pushing himself away; Harmony’s fingers are curling around the collar of his shirt. “I should probably head out and—"

“Stay.” There’s a finality in her tone that he doesn’t want to fight, even if he had the energy to do so. “It’s late and you’re tired and I… don’t want you to go. So please, stay.”

Against his better judgment, Urbain nods. He’s not convinced he won’t fall asleep on his drive home; more realistically, he’s not sure that he’s strong enough to leave Harmony. Not when she’s slipping her fingers through his and pushing herself back into a sitting position. Not when she’s tugging at her dress, trying to loosen it. Not when he’s being impulsive again, pressing a kiss to her skin once more, as he pulls the bow holding the dress up undone.

Giggles bubble out of Harmony as blood rushes to Urbain’s cheeks. She’s teasing him, asking him if there’s something that he wants; truly, he had not meant it like that. All he had wanted to do was to loosen the neckline since it looked like it was bothering her; he’s quick to tie it back up, though not as tightly or prettily as it had previously been. He’s quick to fix what he has undone; Harmony assures him that he’s done nothing wrong.

“If you want, we haven’t touched your room since you left.” Urbain melts into her kisses once more; how he’s missed her between-kisses whispers. “But that also means there’s probably a bunch of dust. So…” He knows that look; he is weak to that look. “You can always stay with me, if you’d like?”

“I really don’t want to impose.”

“It’s not imposing if I’m asking you.”

15 minutes turn into 20 minutes, then into 30 minutes. Half an hour has gone by, and Harmony hasn’t even sent him a heads up that she’s running late. And maybe it’s silly since he knows that she’s just a few steps away from him, still in the hotel, but worry begins to overwhelm him. Should he go check up on her? Or would that just be paranoid of him? Maybe he can go check their room, and if she’s still in there, doing her hair or getting dressed, then he can play it cool, pretending he had forgotten something and will be waiting for her back up on the roof. Because he is allowed to return to their room without warning, right? It wouldn’t be weird, would it?

There’s no need to panic. It’s honestly probably something completely stupid. Maybe Harmony is just reapplying her eyeliner for the hundredth time; Urbain has watched her restart it seven times before being satisfied with the wing’s placement and thickness, and that alone had taken a solid 15 minutes. There really is no reason for his heart to be racing as he paced inside the janky elevator. He needs to calm down as he slowly makes his way down to the second floor. Truly, it’s most probably nothing serious.

The room is nearly intact when Urbain steps in. It’s almost exactly how he had left it that morning, save for the covers that have been kicked over, most probably from when Harmony finally got out of bed. Everything else, however, is the same, down to the placement of Harmony’s phone on her bedside table. Well, maybe it’s not exactly in the same spot, but it is plugged in just as it had been that morning; it’s fully charged, but it clearly has not been touched in a hot second. Urbain’s reminder texts and concerned messages are still displayed on the lockscreen, ready to be opened.

“Harms? You in here?”

A muffled groan comes from the bathroom, drawing Urbain’s attention away from the phone he absentmindedly unplugs. The door is left ajar, light peeking through, but still, he hesitates. Maybe he shouldn’t barge in; is he being paranoid again?

“Harms?” Urbain’s heart drops. “Harmony!”

He drops to his knees next to her, his heart now beating out of his chest. Harmony’s cheeks are flushed; her breathing is ragged. Her hands are freezing despite the beads of sweat dampening her hair that clings to her forehead. She looks absolutely atrocious as she turns away from Urbain who is trying his very best to get her to look at him.

“Hey, hey… What happened? Hey, Sweetheart? You okay?”

“’M fine. Just a li’l nauseous.”

Her hands might be cold, but her head is quite the opposite. “You’re burning up, Sweetheart.”

It doesn’t take a doctor to know that Harmony is burning up with a fever. It doesn’t take any medical training to see that she’s not feeling well; she’s leaning against the bathroom sink, curled up on herself, right next to the toilet. And if she’s been nauseated, then that would explain why she’s decided to camp out on the bathroom tile rather than make her way up to the roof. It all makes perfect sense now; Harmony also happens to be very proud, and the last thing she would want is for others to see her in this state.

“Hey, Love.” She turns her head away as Urbain brushes her hair out of her face. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Said ‘m fine, though…”

“You’re slurring your words, Darling. You’re not fine. You need rest.”

“But you prepared a date!”

A smile tugs at the corners of Urbain’s mouth as big gray eyes come into view. She’s clearly trying to play this off, but everything about her is ever so slightly off. Her face has a sickly tinge to it, and as Urbain presses his forearm to her forehead, comparing it to his own, he can’t ignore that she’s really burning up, almost dangerously so.

“We’ll postpone the date, okay?” Harmony doesn’t react, other than her eyes falling away from his face. “I really want you to feel better first, my Love.”

Harmony doesn’t fight any further; she doesn’t have the strength to argue. She just lets her head fall to the side, crashing against Urbain’s shoulder. She lets herself be held; a shiver shakes her whole body as Urbain pulls her closer against himself.

A weak gasp escapes Harmony. She clings to Urbain, her fingers tightening around his collar as he scoops her off the ground. She clings to him as he hoists himself up, burying her face against his neck and letting herself be brought back to bed. She lets herself be taken care of for once, no longer protesting as her body melts into the mattress.

Urbain will not lie to himself; he’s rarely been this concerned about Harmony. He’s seen her take hit after hit, seen her come home to him covered in cuts and bruises, but every time, she had grinned and shaken the pain off. But here, now, the girl who has always been on top of the world, the girl who hasn’t been sick in the last three year, the girl who has never let anything stop her from going on about her day, she seems so small as she pulls Urbain down next to her. She seems so small, but that doesn’t take away from her strength; if she wants him right next to her, then there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. He’ll be right there, his fingers in her hair as she rests her head against his chest. He’ll always be right where Harmony needs him to be.

“M’sorry…”

“Hey, there’s no need to be sorry, Love.”

“But I ruined the date…”

“You didn’t ruin anything.”

Harmony squirms as Urbain presses a kiss to her hair. She’s pushing him away, but her fingers are still gripping at his shirt. She wants him close, but can’t bear the proximity; she seems almost delirious in her requests, completely unlike herself, indecisive like she’s never been before. All Urbain can do is smooth her hair again, running his thumb down her cheek and reassuring her that all is well. All he can do is try his very best at comforting her.

“Hey, Love, it’s okay. I’m right here.”

“You’re gon’ get sick…” Harmony buries her face in his chest, curling herself into his side. “Then you’re gonna fell like shit and…”

Urbain probably shouldn’t laugh, but he can’t help it as he presses another kiss to the top of her head. He can’t help the smile as he holds her close, tucking her head under his chin. All he really wants is for her to be comfortable and get better as soon as she can.

“Babe?”

Urbain hums as Harmony shifts against him. Her hand rests over his heart, still clenching the fabric of his t-shirt. Her nails are practically digging to her palm; Urbain borderline has to pry her fingers open to slip his through. She’s gripping onto him, though she has now loosened her hold, the pads of her fingers now pressing against his palm, rather than letting her nails sink into his skin.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry, Sweetheart?”

“For ruining everything?”

Another kiss to her head. Another reassurance that she hasn’t ruined everything. Hopefully, she doesn’t beat herself up too much over this. Hopefully, she trusts Urbain to be telling the truth as he promises they can make up for this some other time and that he adores her no matter what. Hopefully, she never forgets how much he loves her.

“Really, Harms, it’s not that big a deal. Did you do it on purpose to feel like shit?” Urbain can’t really tell if she’s shaking her head or just nuzzling him, but he takes it as the former. “Then everything is alright. And whether we’re here or on the roof, all that matters to me is that you’re close.” A soft kiss is pressed to his collar, a kiss that pulls a smile from him. “‘Cause I love you, Harmony. Moon and back. Sun and back. Round trip ‘round the planet, but I rather not spend too much time away from you.” This pulls laughter from the girl who snuggles closer. “So don’t worry too much about it, okay?”

Harmony doesn’t answer, but her breathing has softened. She’s let herself be enveloped by a blanket, though she’s refused to let her cheek sink into her pillow. Every attempt Urbain makes to move her into a more comfortable position has been met with whines and a death grip onto him. So he lets her rest against him, letting her head rise and fall with every one of his breaths.

“I love you.”

Another smile is pressed to the top of her head. Never has Urbain adored someone more than he adores Harmony. Never has he ever felt nearly as enamoured as he is every single day, from the moment he opens his eyes to find her sunken into her pillow next to him, to the moment he closes his eyes one last time for the day. Every day feels like a dream; every day he thanks his lucky stars to have his best friend by his side. If Harmony can be his forever from now on, then what else can Urbain possibly want?

“Rest up, my Love.” Harmony finally lets herself be settled into her pillow, though not without letting out another little whine as she tries to cuddle closer to Urbain. “Close your eyes and sleep a little. Lemme go prepare something for you to eat.” He probably shouldn’t be kissing her, but he can’t help it. Urbain can’t help but smile into the kiss as Harmony holds him close. “I promise I won’t be gone too long.”

“Promise?”

Urbain grins and links his pinkie with Harmony’s. “I promise, Love.” Her hand falls away from him as he pushes himself up just enough to press yet another kiss to her forehead. “I promise to be right back.”

Harmony lets out a low hum as her cheek sinks into her pillow once more. She’s already half asleep by the time Urbain is pushing himself off the bed. Her eyes have fallen shut and her chest is slowly rising and falling at a steady rhythm. She looks beautiful; she always does. She is everything to Urbain; he knows that will never change. She will always be the center of his universe; for her, he would do anything.

“So…” He’s careful, putting down the wine glasses onto the coffee table, his eyes still glued to the woman tossing aside the cork and pouring glasses that are far too full to be classy and proper. “What brings you here today?”

“Can’t I just want to see you?”

Harmony’s eyes are dull as she puts the bottle down with a little too much force. She hasn’t been around in a few weeks; most of their interactions have been accidental bump-ins at work, borderline awkward small talk as neither one of them needs anyone knowing that they’re intimately familiar with one another since that would bring up far too many questions and assumptions. They’ve barely spoken in far too long; Urbain had started to wonder if maybe Harmony was finally starting to move on and that he should maybe follow suit. But here she is, sunken into his couch, gulping down a nice wine that should probably be savored but is being consumed like a cheap vodka at a house party.

“I mean,” Urbain is slow to sip the wine, though it’s mostly because he’s ever so slightly on edge, “you can. But also, you don’t just show up at my place at nearly 10 with a bottle of wine to just see me. Or rather, you don’t sink into the couch with half a bottle in a wine glass if you’re here to just see me.”

Harmony sighs as she sets her glass down. Urbain follows suit, though he isn’t sure why. He’s grown accustomed to mirroring her movements; he’s got to start doing things of his own accord again. But as soon as his glass touches the table, maroon liquid crashing against the walls of the stemmed glass he never uses except when Harmony is over, he remembers why he’s the way he is. Her unpredictable nature can only be predicted by the one who’s been by her side for as long as he can remember, even if he has to remain invisible.

Arms wrap around shoulders that threaten to shake; a cheek is pressed against a shoulder tailored perfectly to her. Urbain holds Harmony close as she buries her face in the crook of his neck; she’s seeking comfort that he’s willing to give for free.

“D’ya think I’m a stone-cold bitch?”

“What?” 

Something flares in Urbain’s chest as Harmony shifts against him. She’s not quite looking at him, but he sure is staring at her. He watches as her eyes dull, those gray eyes he’s known to shine under the light turning to something almost dead; she’s staring straight ahead, at nothing at all. Her mouth is moving, but the words don’t make any sort of sense.

“You can be honest with me: do you think I’m a stone-cold bitch?”

“You’re not a stone-cold bitch.” There’s a little too much anger in his voice; he needs to recompose himself. “Why the hell would you think you’re a stone-cold bitch?”

“That’s the last thing he said to me before I stormed out.”

The silence falls heavy in the room as Harmony pulls back to pick up her glass again. Her fingers curl around the widest part of the glass, her palm pressing against the pristine surface, but they quickly fall aside as Urbain grabs her shoulders and forces her to look at him. He can see his own reflection in those deep gray eyes; there’s fury pulling at every one of his features.

“Tell me you’re joking. Tell me he didn’t actually call you that.”

 She doesn’t answer. Urbain’s hands fall aside as he pushes himself off the couch. Everything feels too forceful; he needs to calm himself right now. He needs to get a grip on himself before he does something stupid; Harmony’s grip on his wrist draws him back to the here and now.

“Where the fuck are you going like that?”

“To punch a motherfucker.”

“Urbain.” He sinks back into the couch; he’s not acting like himself, is he? “Don’t bother.”

Harmony is back in his arms. He wasn’t actually going to go do it; furthest he probably would have made it would have been to his car before chickening out. He knows he can be impulsive at times, that the wrong things can come out of his mouth, but Urbain has never been one to actually hit someone. He probably wouldn’t even know where to start, and he is in no position to start learning.

“You’re not stone-cold.” He buries his face against her hair, leaving a soft kiss right there. “Nor are you a bitch.”

“I’m a bit of a bitch, though.”

So Harmony is a bit of a bitch, but she’s always been one. It was a running joke between her and Lida, back when they were younger, though Urbain had walked in on them both agreeing that the biggest bitch was Naveen, winning by a landslide. But from the way they said it, it always seemed like a point of pride between the girls; why did it matter so much now? And why is Urbain so bothered about it now? Neither he, nor Harmony, ever really cared about how others referred to them. Why is he being so protective of a woman who does not need his protection?

Harmony’s cheek rests against Urbain’s shoulder; normally, she would have pushes she way out of his embrace or turned it to something else. She’s not one to stay put, but tonight, she just lets herself melt into his side. She lets him pepper kisses to the top of her head, whispering reassurances that she’s not a horrible monster or anything else that could have been said. She just stays there, breathing slowly, as Urbain promises her that she’s wonderful and that anyone who doesn’t realize that is a complete idiot who can’t see a good thing when it’s right there in front of them.

“You’re just saying that ‘cause you don’t like the guy.”

“I’m saying that because it’s true, Harms. You should be cherished.”

She shifts, sinking her knees into the couch as she turns to face Urbain. Had she been crying? She’d never admit to such a thing, but as Urbain instinctively runs his thumb along her cheekbone that seems stained with fading mascara, he can’t help but wonder. It just looks as though she had hurriedly scrubbed her makeup off, but missed a spot; it wouldn’t be unlike her to hide this from Urbain. It wouldn’t be unlike her at all, but asking her flat out won’t bring Urbain any closer to the truth. Instead, he just presses a kiss to the corner of her eye, a kiss that has her squirming but not moving away either.

“You deserve to be treated like you’re the only person who matters in the world.” A kiss to her cheek. “Like every moment with you is the best moment in the world, because it is.” He’s pulling her into a hug. “You deserve to be treated as if nothing in the world matters if it’s not you.”

Harmony’s cheek is pressed to Urbain’s shoulder; he can feel her steady breathing against his neck. Not a word leaves her lips, but she doesn’t need to say anything for Urbain to know what’s going through her head; he has known her long enough to be able to read her moods. She doesn’t believe him. She doesn’t dare believe him. She’s too flighty to let herself be treated like she matters; it’s a mystery as to how she has stayed by his side this long without disappearing.

“You deserve to be loved and nothing less than that.”

“And who in their right mind is going to love me like that?” She straightens herself out, reaching for her glass and holding it as she holds Urbain’s gaze. “You?”

Urbain doesn’t dare answer. He doesn’t dare ignite the spark. A loose cannon is never a good idea. So he keeps his head down; he takes a slow sip from his own wine glass, averting his eyes. He cannot love her; Harmony is not his to love. At least, not the way he wants to love her; all he can do is be her friend, and he can do that. He can, at the very least, be her best friend.

The silence is long; Harmony’s head finds its home against Urbain’s shoulder once more. Her whole body presses into his side, heavy and tired. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t hold the kisses back. Perhaps it’s just second nature to him, pressing his lips to her temple and reminding her that he’ll always be there for her. Maybe he knows nothing other than how to praise her, remind her of all her qualities. Most likely, he doesn’t want to think of anything but how much he adores her.

“We both know none of that is true.”

“Are you calling me a liar, Harmony?”

She relents; just as Urbain cannot bring himself to point out her flaws, Harmony doesn’t utter his. She just shifts once more, sinking her knees into the couch cushion again, facing him. She stares at him, maybe taking him in. She’s reaching out to him; Urbain melts as he always does. He is but a simple moth, drawn to the flame that is Harmony. He is but a simple man, unable to deny her anything.

“I would never.” She still uses the same detergent, the scent of lavender clinging to her clothes and hair. “If anything, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite as honest as you.” She still uses the same lip gloss, the one that smells sickeningly sweet. “Urbain.” She’s always that same Harmony, the one he cannot quit, no matter how hard he tries. “Please.” She is always the same one Urbain yearns for as her knees encase his hips. “Please make me forget about him.”

He shouldn’t. Urbain knows better than to fall for this, but time and time again, he finds himself in the same position. Time and time again, he’s pulling Harmony close, closing whatever little distance they had created. They both know better than this; they both break the unspoken promise. Regret will coat their morning, but bliss invades their night. Nothing but the here and now matters; nothing but Harmony matters to Urbain.

A kiss quickly turns to three, then to five. A moment last forever; for a split second, maybe Harmony can be his. Maybe in these trying times, in these broken moments, Urbain can find what he’s been looking for; for a moment, he can pretend this is their day to day. As hands climb into his hair, as kisses are presses to his mouth, he can let himself believe there is a world out there where they belong; there must be a place where this isn’t every type of wrong.

“Harms…” Her lips are ever so addictive. “I… You—We probably shouldn’t—”

Half-lidded eyes come into view; parted lips call for Urbain’s affection. They really shouldn’t. They never should; they always end up like this. Except this time, maybe Urbain can be stronger. Maybe this time, the guilt of the past will haunt him enough to stop him in his tracks. Maybe this time, Harmony’s rolling eyes won’t have his morals evaporating out of him.

“Never mind then.” A chill runs down Urbain’s spine as she pulls away. “I guess it was stupid of me to expect you to go along with whatever this is.” His resolve begins to waver. “Didn’t think you’d care that—”

Harmony is Urbain’s greatest weakness. Harmony can shatter him into a million piece and never will he complain. He’ll do as she says; desperation blurs his vision as he looks down at her, her wrist pinned to the couch. She’s beautiful, she’s gorgeous, she’s everything he wants; she’s always just out of his reach. Harmony is right there; can she stay here, just for a moment?

“Do you really want to forget about him? Even if it’s just for the next few hours?”

Urbain should pull away, forget about it all, stop indulging Harmony, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He’s no better than the scum of the earth; he falls back into old habits as Harmony pulls him close, laying kiss after kiss to his lips. He can’t bring himself to act rationally; he can’t bear the thought of refusing her anything and losing her more than he already has. If this is how he gets Harmony, then so be it. At least he has a part of her; better that than none of her.

Lida’s voice sounds so distant. She’s right there, right in front of him, but she seems so far away. Everything feels so far away, even himself. The only thing that is right there, pressing on his lungs, choking him, is that ever-present feelings of being useless. Because Urbain is useless. He’s completely useless. All Urbain does it cause problems, completely unhelpful. He can’t even bring himself to move and complete a simple task. He can’t even bring himself to move his hands. Wipe the tears away. He’s useless. He’s numb. Staring. Empty.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” So much. Everything. Everything is wrong with him. “You’ve been out of it for like a week and now you almost burn this whole place down!”

Urbain’s eyes fall to the ground. He deserves this. He deserves to feel so small and helpless. He deserves to be yelled at. Lida is completely withing her rights to be calling him out on his bullshit. Urbain has been nothing but a burden for the last week; he’s barely been able to keep his head above water all week. He’s just kept his head down and locks himself in his room; he’d done his best to keep up with his chores, but even that was a failure resulting in AZ scolding him. Urbain has become completely useless; now, he’s almost burning the whole building down with his failure of a meal.

“Urbain?”

“I’m fine.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s…” A sigh. “Just… thinking of my mum.”

Uncomfortable silence engulfs the kitchen as the smoke begins to dissipate. Urbain can congratulate himself once more; he’s ruined yet another thing.

Lida just stands there, rocking on the balls of her feet. She’s pursing her lips; Urbain cannot make out the meaning of her expression. Is she pitying him? Angry at him? Finding the whole thing stupid? Urbain can’t tell; he can barely make out her facial features through the tears. Everything has gone blurry; for all he knows, she’s not even looking at him anymore. Maybe she’s looking at the burnt pot on the stovetop or at the open window. Maybe she’s just waiting for the smoke to clear to go close the window; the early winter weather leaves a chill in Urbain’s bones.

“Lida, who’s tryin’ to burn the hotel down to ashes this time ‘round?”

Urbain’s hand rises on its own at the sound of Naveen’s voice.

“Accident.”

A surprised huff jumps out of the boy; Urbain can’t quite meet his eye, but he can catch his blurry movements, the way he grabs a hand towel and waves it around. He’s saying something else, something about how the smoke will cling to his fabrics if they don’t air out the place faster, but the words don’t quite cling to Urbain. He still can’t bring himself to lift his body out of his chair and help his friends. He can barely pay attention to the sound of coughing that seems to be growing closer. He can’t do anything other than squeeze his eyes shut at the feeling of warm hands catching the tears that pour from his burning eyes.

“Urbain? Hey, are you hurt?”

Gray eyes. Freckles. A worried expression. Urbain is starting to catch the details of his surrounds as he blinks far too much, trying to stop the tears that feel like they’re stabbing him. His vision is starting to sharpen; is he starting to calm down? He can feel the ground under his feet; why is he so cold all of a sudden?

Urbain squeezes his eyes shut once more as Harmony wipes away more of his tears. He feels pathetic, caught crying after having burnt their food. If everyone could just forever about this, forget that their leader is a massive loser, then that would be awesome! It would also be amazing if they would just stop fussing over him! He’s fine! He doesn’t need to be coddled!

“I’m fine!” Urbain clears his throat, hating how scratchy his voice sounds. “I’m completely fine. Just… got distracted and accidentally burnt dinner.”

It’s really cold. It’s so cold as Harmony pulls her hands away from his face. It’s freezing as she pushes herself back onto her feet, moving away from between Urbain’s knees. And the further she gets from him, her fingers now reaching out and curling around Naveen’s wrist, the hollower Urbain feels. Why did she have to go? Not that Urbain would ever ask this of her, but couldn’t she have stayed just a little longer? Just a moment more?

“We’ll go buy something for everyone, then!”

How can she smile so brightly? How can she be so cheerful when all Urbain’s been is selfish? She should be pissed at him, scolding him like AZ, raising her voice at him like Lida. She should be disappointed in him; she should hate him for having messed up again. Because all Urbain does is mess up when it comes to Harmony. He ruins everything. And yet, she’s still grinning as she tugs a less-than-impressed looking Naveen along. She’s beaming as Urbain tries to protest, tries to argue that there’s no need for her to go out of her way to get food, that he can just start over. Her eyes sparkle as she tilts her head ever so slightly, her smile perfectly directed at him from the doorway.

“Hey.” Her smile is blinding. “It’s our turn to take care of you.” She shifts her weight onto one foot, pulling Naveen out from between her and Urbain. “Please, Urbain,” something twists in Urbain’s chest as Harmony maintains the eye contact, “lemme do this for you.”

Urbain’s mouth opens, but not a sound comes out. He doesn’t have the words to argue; Harmony’s scrunching her nose at him, still smiling, before tugging Naveen along despite his grumbling and disappearing into the lobby.

She wants to do something for Urbain; she’s already done so much for him. She’s done so very much for him: she’s been his friend, his very best friend, and she dedicates so much of her time to him. She’s always done far more than Urbain could ever ask for, more than he deserves. Harmony is always the first to jump in to help him; she’s always by his side whenever there’s a rogue mega evolved Pokemon. She’s done so much for him already; why would she ever go out of her way to do more?

“Hey.” Lida leans against the counter, her voice pulling Urbain out of his spiraling thoughts. “Did you wanna… I don’t know, talk about it?”

“Not really.”

Lida doesn’t push. She just shrugs; she knows when not to push. She’s not always been the best at letting things go when people tell her no, but she also knows there’s a time and place to be pushy. She knows she needs to push Naveen out of his comfort zone to get him to connect with anyone or anything; she knows not to push Urbain when he begins to mope. When it comes to Urbain and his never-ending list of grievances, Lida becomes the best listener he’s ever encountered, the perfect shoulder to lean on. When it comes to times like these, Lida really is just such a wonderful friend. Maybe that’s why she’s one of the few people Urbain has opened up to regarding his mother; there’s something about her that has always relaxed Urbain, letting him talk about things he’s never shared without ever feeling judged.

“Wanna talk about Harmony then?”

Urbain furrows his brow and blinks at the girl. She just stares at him with a deadpan expression; she’s expecting him to blurt something out, say something stupid, make a fool out of himself. She’s expecting him to spill secrets that have pool at the bottom of his heart; Urbain is too tired to be dramatic about the situation.

“What about Harms?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you.” Lida shifts from leg to leg, her eyes never leaving Urbain’s face. “Do you wanna talk about her?”

Why would they talk about Harmony? What even is there to talk about? Sure, Urbain knows what happened between the two of them, or rather, what almost but did not happen, but Lida is unaware of all of these things. He’s never hinted to her that there could be something going on between him and Harmony; the only thing Lida might know about are the hugs since Harmony isn’t shy with those. But other than that, there’s no way for Lida to know about the times he and Harmony have spent walking around, hand in hand, or the two times Urbain almost kissed her, or the time he actually did kiss her on the forehead before essentially ghosting her, and everyone for that matter, for the last week. There’s nothing to talk about, and even if there was, Urbain doesn’t want to talk about it. There’s only one person who deserves to know about everything that’s been bubbling inside of him, and she isn’t here right now.

“There’s nothing to talk about, Lida.”

“Oh c’mon! Do you think I’m stupid?”

She’s making a face, one that very clearly displays her displeasure. If there’s someone out there that despises being treated like a fool, it’s definitely Lida. And Lida is anything but stupid. She’s the exact opposite of stupid, actually. She is one of the smartest people Urbain has ever met; he can always trust that she will be able to come up with a plan unlike any other. If he’s having to face any type of problem, she is his go-to. Lida is, after all, his closest confidant, the one who will hold onto his secrets, the one he can trust with all of his problems. She’s the only person he knows will find a solution to whatever issue has been weighing down on him, even when it feels hopeless. Lida is a problem solver by nature, someone who has always been there by Urbain’s side, but for this particular problem, Urbain isn’t sure there is a solution to find.

A deep sigh leaves Urbain’s lips as he presses his forehead to the table. It’s not that he wants to keep secrets from Lida; the very thought of voicing everything that’s been haunting him is daunting. It already took everything in him to admit it to himself; how is he supposed to admit to someone else that he might like Harmony in a way that goes beyond the platonic bond they’ve already established? Urbain barely had it in him to figure it out himself; he most certainly doesn’t have the words to verbalize everything that’s been buzzing inside of him for the past few weeks.

“Seriously,” Urbain slowly lifts his head to face Lida who has gotten closer to him, keeping her voice low as if she’s approaching a scared animal who may flee at any moment, “do you think I haven’t noticed the way you two look at each other? Or how you both sneak around like you’re about to get caught? Or how you both burst into uncontrollable laughter over some inside joke no one gets the moment your eyes lock?” She pinches the bridge of her nose, giving up her cautious approach and letting out a sigh of her own. “Literally, it’s fine that you guys are dating. You don’t have to hide it or whatever. Legit, neither Navi or I care. If anything, I’m actually really happy that you’ve found someone to match your freak!”

Dating? Urbain and Harmony? And matching his freak? No—

“What?”

“What, ‘what’?”

Lida and Urbain stare at one another. They stare, waiting for the other to crack and say what’s on their mind. And Urbain is not the one who will crack first. He won’t react, because he can’t have possibly heard that right. Lida cannot seriously be suggesting that she actually believes that Urbain and Harmony are thing. That’s absolutely absurd. He and Harmony are nothing more than—unless that’s why Lida wanted to talk about Harmony all of a sudden? Does she really believe that Urbain has been hiding this from her and she was just pushing him to reveal it to her?

“We’re not dating.”

More silence. Lida tilts her head and raises an eyebrow. Her face is going through the motions, seemingly trying to understand extremely basic words; she looks absolutely ridiculous like that, but then again, when does she not? It’s a blessing that she’s dedicated her life to dance and not to acting; Lida’s expressions aren’t always the prettiest, but they are always honest. And with that honesty comes a little side dish of comedy. Her faces are always so fun to witness, at least until they pointed at Urbain, confusion and despair pulling at her features. Is she really still trying to process the fact that he isn’t dating one of his best friends?

“Lida.” Urbain’s voice comes out firmer this time. “Harmony and I are not dating. We are genuinely just friends.”

“Right.” She laughs. Lida lets out this loud, uncontained belly laugh, something that might scare anyone who isn’t familiar with how loud her snorts can get. “Right! You’re ‘just friends’!” She actually puts air quotes around ‘just friends,’ as if it’s some kind of inside joke and not the truth. “Just two besties who are totally not hooking up or—”

“No, seriously.” This time, there’s a hint of anger coating Urbain’s words. Why won’t she believe him? “Lida, there is nothing going on between me and Harmony. We aren’t secretly dating behind your back or anything. Harms and I are actually, genuinely just friends.”

Understanding seems to dawn on Lida. Her face goes through the motions again; she seems to finally be realizing that Urbain really isn’t messing with her or keeping something from her. She seems to be coming to the conclusion that he is serious when he says there’s nothing between him and Harmony, though that isn’t the full truth either. He and Harmony aren’t a couple, so much is true, but there is still something there. There’s Urbain’s stupid heart that beats out of his chest every time Harmony walks into a room. There are the butterflies that erupt in the pit of his stomach every time anyone mentions her. There’s his inability to bite back his smile whenever his eyes fall on her because she just means so much to him. There is nothing going on between Harmony and Urbain, no secret relationship, no lying to their friends; there’s only Urbain’s feelings threatening to break out of their cage at all moments.

“Wait.” Lida pulls her eyebrows together and scrunches her nose as she pulls out a chair of her own, sitting across from Urbain. “Wait, that’s… That’s impossible! You two, you’re like…” Deep brown eyes pierce through Urbain. “Urbain, you’re like an inch away from more than just friends!”

Urbain rapidly blinks at the girl. No. He must have misheard that. There’s no way that Lida seriously just—

“Did you just—” Urbain shakes his head. No. He is not going to dwell on this. It would be stupid to fixate on that of all things. He had bigger things to worry about than Lida’s unfortunate choice of words. “Whatever. Never mind. Just… Lida, there is legit nothing going on between me and Harmony. We truly are just friends.”

“But do you want to be just friends?”

Another sigh. Lida is not stupid; the answer is obvious. It’s clear what the answer is, but if Urbain answers truthfully, then there won’t be any going back from it. If he tells Lida the truth, he won’t be able to pretend that he isn’t simply resigned to the way things are at the moment. If someone other than himself knows how he feels about Harmony, then he won’t be able to convince the world that he really does only see her as his best friend anymore. If he confesses to Lida the shameful truth, that he does in fact have a stupidly massive crush on Harmony, then that’s the end of everything Urbain has worked so hard to achieve.

“Okay, look.” Lida’s hand feels heavy against his arm; Urbain wants to shake her up, retreat back into his shell, but he remains immobile, leaving the hand right where it rests. “For sure, staying friends is safe, but doesn’t mean you should. And I know you didn’t ask, but here’s my advice: always ruin the friendship. Better that than regret it for all time.”

“Stop quoting pop songs at me, Lida!”

Laughter fills the air once more. Urbain rolls his eyes as he shoves the snorting girl away from him. Admittedly, he is failing miserably at biting back his smile and seeming annoyed at her, but that doesn’t mean Lida can claim her victory so easily. She doesn’t get to feel smug about being the one who managed to cheer Urbain up after a week of moping. She doesn’t get to know that this is what he needed to go from feeling like shit to feeling ever so slightly more alive. But there’s no denying that for the first time in a week, weak laughter bubbles out of him. For the first time in what feels like forever, he’s smiling.

“So…” Urbain shoves Lida’s hand away from him again, preventing her from repeatedly poking him in the arm as she continues to grin at him. “Are you gonna ruin the friendship? Maybe switch it up a little? Cause a bit of trouble up in hotel rooms?”

“Stop!” He’s laughing now, loud and uncontrolled. Urbain is choking on his laughter, having forgotten how to breath as he continuously shoves Lida away, Lida who won’t stop being cringe, quoting pop songs at him. “I’m not doing any of that! I’m just…” He catches his breath, both finally settling down. “I really do mean it when I say that I like having Harmony as one of my best friends. I really don’t want to that end.” 

“‘Kay, but… what if…” Lida clicks her tongue before leaning closer, whispering her words like they’re national secrets she can’t keep in any longer. “You continue being besties but you’re also dating? The whole friends to lovers thing, y’ever thought of that?”

Urbain rolls his eyes as he pokes the girl’s cheek and pushes her away.

“You’re way too invested in this. Anway, it’s not like she even likes me like that.”

“But you like her, right?”

Urbain’s eyes fall to his feet, to his fiddling fingers, to anything other than Lida. Why do feelings have to be so horrendously embarrassing? He absolutely hates that his face is burning and that he can’t look Lida in the eye anymore. Urbain wants nothing more than to say no, to lie to her, shut the whole things down and pretend there’s nothing there, but he despises lying to his friends. He hates it every time he hides something from them, but most of the time, there’s no other option. More often than not, there’s so much going on that he can’t bring himself to be honest with them. So he evades the questions, the accusations, the conversations. He dodges everything. He steers the ship elsewhere. It’s what’s best; it’s what he’s always done. What if he doesn’t want to do that this time around?

“It… doesn’t matter whether she likes me or not.” It’s technically not a lie: it really doesn’t matter whether or not Harmony likes him because Urbain has no intention on acting on his ever-growing feelings. “All that matters is that we stay friends. I really like being friends with her.”

It’s Lida’s turn to sigh. She lets out this deep, overdramatic, theatrical sigh as she slumps her whole body against the back of her chair and lets her head hang back. She’s demonstrating just how annoyed she is with Urbain; he is not taking the bait. It’s not because Lida managed to get him to crack a smile that he will let her claim every victory so easily; he will not appease her by handing her his confession on a silver platter. Urbain will not be admitting that he does in fact have feelings for Harmony that go far beyond the limits of friendship; if Lida hasn’t yet put two and two together, frankly, that’s on her.

“Why do you have to be so damn stubborn all the time?” She shoots him a glare, though it has no effect on Urbain. “Why can’t you just admit that you like her? Like a normal person!”

“Because you like meddling in other people’s private lives! And if I admit to you that I like Harmony, you would make it your life’s mission to try and set us up and I do not, under any circumstances, want that!”

There! Urbain’s said it! Sort of. One thing is for certain: Urbain has spelled it out more than enough for Lida to get it. Now there’s no wondering where he stands; he regrets it ever so slightly, but not enough to try to back track. In reality, it is kind of freeing, having let out the words “I like Harmony.” Voicing his feelings has lifted a weight from his shoulders, even if he now wants to curl up in a corner and die because of the way Lida is staring at him.

Her face is going through the motions, scrunching her nose and squinting her eyes before breaking into a grin that slowly softens. She’s moving faster than Urbain has ever seen her piece things together; her emotions play like a movie, tugging on every feature of hers. She’s always been so easy to read; it’s one of the many things that Urbain adores about her. He also loves that, despite her hunger for gossip, her need to know everything, her pushiness at times, Lida knows when to let things go. She knows there is a time and place for information to be given to her; she can be patient at times, even if it takes everything in her to not pry. And Lida will most probably tease Urbain relentlessly as soon as everything settles down, but for now, she just smiles that knowing smile of hers as she stretches her arms and tilts her head back. 

“I promise to not meddle. I won’t even say anything.”

“Thank you.”

“But you,” she straightens out and locks eyes with Urbain, “better give me all the tea.”

Another small smile tugs at the corners of Urbain’s mouth as he kicks Lida from under the table. Nothing hard, just enough to push her leg to the side, but that doesn’t stop her from acting overdramatic as always. She’s clutching her shin as she moans and groans about how much it all hurts, about how he has betrayed her in the worst possible way; one would think he had just scored a goal with her leg from how hard he had kicked her. Lida is whining and putting on a show, only stopping to grin once laughter begins to tumble out of Urbain. She only puts a stop to her performance once she’s got Urbain laughing, loud and bright, a wonderful sound that has always been present around the hotel up until about a week ago; he really had forgotten how to do that over the last few days.

“I’ll—” He chokes, still laughing. “I’ll be sure to,” another snort, “to tell you when nothing,” he’s wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, “when inevitably, nothing happens!”

“You better, Lover Boy! And you better—”

“Dinner’s here!”

Both Lida and Urbain find themselves turning to the sound of a girl crashing through the kitchen door, holding up a large paper bag. Naveen is right behind, holding a paper bag of his own, though he’s looking far less enthusiastic than Harmony. Really, he looks like he would rather be anywhere but here, but then again, what’s new? Naveen has never been a fan of noisy, unpredictable friends, and yet, he still spends most of his time at the hotel, home of his three notoriously loud, noisy, and unpredictable friends. So truly, he can’t hate it all that much.  

“The Alolan noodle place Harmony wanted to go to was closed so we got—”

“Sandwiches!” Harmony grins as she holds her bag up again for all to see. “Didn’t know what you guys wanted so I ended up just ordering one of each. Figured we could share ‘em!”

Urbain stares in awe as she starts pulling out way too many perfectly wrapped sandwiches. There’s far too many of them, way more than necessary to feed four people, but no one dares stop her as she lists everything she’s gotten. And as she continues on to the sides she also picked up because she, once again, was indecisive and didn’t know what everyone would prefer, Urbain and Naveen exchange glances. They don’t need to voice it; Naveen just shrugs, a gesture Urbain easily understands to mean “Well I wasn’t going to stop her.” Naveen is never one to stop his friends’ impulsive choices, as long as they don’t hinder him or drag him into something he wants nothing to do with. So everyone just watches as Harmony sets down the last of the food onto the kitchen table, filling it entirely of different things that Urbain wouldn’t be able to name even if his life depended on it.

“Harms, how did you… afford all of this?”

She grins again, large and bright, as she folds up the second paper bag and sets it on the floor.

“Royale money.”

She says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. And sure, the Royale does pay a pretty penny, especially a trainer as talented as Harmony, but there has to be better things to spend that money on. She’s bought enough food to feed a small army; there will be enough leftovers for a week if Urbain portions everything correctly for everyone.

“And…” She leans her shoulder into Urbain’s, her bangs tickling his cheek as she sways, something that has Lida shooting Urbain a glance he doesn’t even want to begin deciphering the meaning of. “I know you like your curry and your croissants, but no one except you thinks of mixing the two, so…” Naveen is rolling his eyes as he grabs a sandwich for himself, unwrapping it and showing no intention of sharing it with anyone. “I got you a croissant on the side. Naveen was being insufferable the whole time we were waiting in line, but I couldn’t not get you one. Wouldn’t be right to leave you croissant-less, even if we aren’t having any curry tonight.”

Heat flares across Urbain’s face and ears as Harmony giggles. He needs it go away; his heart needs to calm down and stop threatening to break through his ribcage. There really is no reason for him to be flustered; why is Harmony looking at him like that, her own cheeks dusted with pink, her smile sheepish as she continues giggling? No, it has to be the remains of the winter cold outside. She and Naveen had been out for a hot minute, fetching food for everyone. It has to be that. It cannot be anything else. Urbain will not let himself wonder if there’s anything else hidden behind that downward glance.

“Anyway!” Lida’s voice booms through the room, causing Urbain to jump. “Who’s down to eat? ‘Cause I’m starved!”

Everyone nods; Harmony curses herself, realizing she probably should have unpacked everything on the meeting table rather than in the kitchen. She’s groaning, defeat staining her features, but quickly calms as Urbain places his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that it’s not that big a deal and they have enough hands to grab everything to bring it out to the other room. Her whole face lights up as she nods and follows suit.

A content huff escapes Urbain as he takes in the massive meal they’ve laid across the wooden table. It took more than one trip between rooms, but no one complained; laughter had filled the air as all four members of Team MZ bumped into each other, grabbing things and handing them off to each other. AZ had also been invited to join the group, but the older man simply smiled at the bunch and retreated to his quarters, assuring them that he didn’t want to impede on the lively group; a neatly packaged sandwich and side salad had been left on the hotel counter for whenever he would come back out for his nightly walk.

The meeting table is bursting with food. Naveen is the first to jump in, already filling his plate with what he has claimed for himself; he doesn’t even wait for Urbain to finish butting the sandwiches into smaller, shareable portions. A smile tugs on the corners of Urbain’s mouth; he should have expected this. He should have known only Lida, Harmony, and himself would be sharing the more unusual things that have been brought back; why Urbain thought Naveen would broaden his horizons instead of sticking to the foods he knows he will like is beyond Urbain. It’s not like the youngest of the four has hidden the fact that he is the least adventurous when it comes to his dinner plate, not that it has ever bothered anyone. If anything, despite the teasing, Urbain is eternally grateful that he at least makes an effort to take a bite of the curry croissant that’s offered to him, even if Naveen does spend the whole time going on and on about how it’s an absolute abomination. Urbain is far too aware that it’s not easy for Naveen to try new things, especially when they’re as uncommon as Urbain’s wonderful signature dish that is excellent.

“Oh!” Urbain’s eyes drift off towards Lida who is repeatedly poking Harmony’s arm before returning to the food on the table, scooping a heaping of salad onto her plate. “Girlie, you mind if I sit next to Navi tonight? I was hoping to get some advice on these sketches on a costume I need made for my next performance.”

Harmony nods as she piles food onto her plate. She’s smile and glowing as she always does; how is it that she is always just so beautiful? She’s so wonderful; Urbain’s eyes fall back onto his plate as he begins pushing things around with his fork. She means everything to him; part of him still feels as if she shouldn’t be in the same space as Harmony, sharing the same air, tainting the atmosphere.

“Is it okay if I sit here?”

Urbain stares at the girl before nodding. He doesn’t trust his voice; what abomination will come out of his mouth if he dares say something to Harmony, Harmony who is leaning ever so slightly over him, her hand on the back of the chair right next to his? She doesn’t need to ask for permission; anything she wants, Urbain is willing to give it to her. For Harmony, he’d be ready to cross the ocean; instead, he just forces on a smile as she pulls out the chair to take a seat.

“I hope,” her smile is bright as she pulls her chair closer to him than strictly necessary, “there’s at least one thing in there that you like. Y’know, I asked if they had any curry sandwiches, but the guy at the counter looked at me like I was absolutely insane, and I figured you’re not a really picky eater, so…”

“Everything looks great, Harms. Thank you.”

He means it. Urbain really does mean it. He is more than grateful that Harmony has brought something back to eat. He’s so thankful; despite what he had said earlier, Urbain really didn’t have the energy to start cooking again. He didn’t have it in him to gather ingredients once more and prepare everything from scratch; he lets himself be taken by the motions, reaching out to grab whatever is in front to him.

It’s a decently classic and ordinary sandwich. A smile curls at the corners of Urbain’s mouth as he chews; there really is no way to go wrong with a nice savory BLT, and the added cheese really does make for a more filling experience. Everything is perfectly balanced. He should take notes on how everything tastes; maybe he should try adding cheese in the next curry he makes. He should—

Urbain’s eyes catch on Harmony, Harmony who has now stopped chewing and has put her sandwich back down onto her plate. Her eyes are watering, but she’s quickly wiping them away as she does her best to swallow her bite. She looks absolutely miserable, a complete 180 from her previously sunny disposition.

“Are you… okay?”

Crystal tears cling to her lashes as she forces on a smile. “I’m—” She gags as she swallows the last of her bite. “It’s fine! I’m fine!” She looks anything but fine as she once more quickly wipes the tears away. “I’m okay.”

“What’s wrong with the food?”

Harmony shakes her head, but she’s not exactly convincing. She genuinely looks horrified as she stares at her plate again; her fingers hover above her sandwich, hesitating, looking as if she were afraid that her food was going to bite her back. Something is clearly wrong; just as she’s about to pick up her sandwich back up, maybe give it another try, she lets her hand fall aside, a sign leaving her lips.

“I just…” Gray eyes meet Urbain’s. “I know it’s stupid, but I just… didn’t know they slathered this thing in mustard. It looked so stupidly good, but then they had to go ruin it with disgusting mustard, and I just hate—”

“Wanna trade?”

Harmony furrows her brow as Urbain pushes his plate towards her. She’s staring at what’s being presented to her, at the sandwich he’s also clearly taken a bite out of; he understands if she refuses, not wanting to eat after him, but he might as well offer it to her.

“There’s no mustard in this one.”

“But that’s yours?”

It’s strange how easy it is to smile around Harmony. Light laughter threatens to break from his lips as he leans closer to the girl. Everything just feels lighter around her; Urbain feels lighter as he pushes a strand of her bangs out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“And you don’t like mustard, and I don’t really mind it.” His fingers linger a little against a warm cheek. “And I really want you to enjoy your food. ‘Specially if you bought it.” His heart flips as Harmony presses her cheek against his hand; he needs to get a grip on himself as he slowly pulls his hand away and stuffs it between his thighs. “Really, I don’t mind taking yours. And if you want, I can finish both of them if you don’t want mine. There are other ones and—”

“No!” Harmony’s eyes have gone wide and wild. “No, that’s not it at all! I—” Her mouth snaps shut as her eyes are cast aside. “I don’t want you forcing yourself to eat my leftover just ‘cause I’m being picky.”

“I promise I wouldn’t be forcing myself to do anything. Really, I’m offering, not forcing. And I also don’t want you forcing yourself to eat something you don’t enjoy.” Harmony really does make it so easy to smile; what is wrong with Urbain as her eyes flicker back up, her smile mirroring his, small and shy? “So… did you wanna trade?”

“Can we? Please?”

Urbain nods as he holds out his plate to the girl. She’s grinning as she takes it, sliding her own plate in front of him. She’s smiling, beautiful and blinding. She’s everything to Urbain as she nudges her knee against his thigh, leaning in closer and dropping her voice down to a whisper.

“Thank you.”

She’s so close. Harmony is so, so close. Can she hear Urbain’s heart beating out of his chest? Can she feel the heat radiating off of his face? Can she tell how badly he wants to lean in just a little close to her and kiss that smile that hangs from her lips? Because he really wants to. He wants to know what a kiss feels like, what her pink shimmery lip gloss tastes like. He wants nothing more than to feel her smile against his own; he’s not stupid enough to let himself fall in that trap. No matter how badly Urbain wants to close the little distance between the two of them, he won’t do it; he pulls away from the girl, leaving her with nothing more than a mirrored smile and a nod for an answer.

The mustard sandwich sits in what is now his plate. Urbain stares at the bite that’s been taken from the corner. He stares at it for what feels like a lifetime; what is wrong with his now? Why is he just staring at the plate? Why is he overthinking this all of a sudden? He’d never had any issues eating after his friends before; he’s finished drink and snacks that Harmony has left behind or handed to him in the past. There is no reason for him to hesitating now. There’s no reason for him to be staring at the food on his plate, staring as if he’s expecting it to jump out at him. There’s no reason for his heartbeat to be spiking as it is. There’s no reason for his heart to feel like it’s sinking as his eyes meet Lida’s, Lida who is flashing a demonic his way.

“I—” The chair scrapes against the hardwood floor as Urbain rises to his feet. Everything is staring at him. Harmony is staring at him. “Sorry, I just… I just…” Is it hot in here? Why did it suddenly get so hot in here? “You guys enjoy your meal. Imma just… I…” Urbain needs to get out of here. He needs to leave. Now. “I just realized I forgot to finish up a thing, so I’m just gonna go eat in my room. Just… Just leave your dishes in the sink. I’ll get to them later tonight.”

No one has time to answer; Urbain has already made his way out of the dining room, plate in hand. No one got to protest, but he did notice the looks they were all sending his way. Naveen was squinting at him as if trying to figure out what could possibly be going through his head as Urbain shoved his chair against the table with a little too much force. Lida was pulling her eyebrows together, her grin vanishing as a plate was being grabbed from the table. And Harmony. Her mouth fell open before being snapped shut. Her whole face had shifted, going from carefree to something heavier. Everything about her had shifted, but Urbain’s legs were carrying him out of the room before his brain could even catch up.

The metal plating of the elevator walls is freezing as Urbain slumps back. Why is he running? Why is his heart racing again? Why is he like this? Why can’t he ever calm down? Because he needs to calm down. He needs to get a grip on himself. He needs to stop running from everything good in his life. Or maybe, he should keep running. Maybe he should run before he ruins something beautiful once more. Maybe, just maybe, he should run as far away from the things he doesn’t want to lose but will ultimately ruin forever.

Three knocks on the door echo through Urbain’s room.

“Gimme a second!”

Urbain is trying his very best to sound cheerful, but the exhaustion of the day is finally weighing down on him. No, the exhaustion of the week. His emotions have been completely out of wack, and despite his trudging through life without many reactions, he’s been wired all week, on edge at every moment; he can barely stand on his two feet without swaying ever so slightly anymore. Truly, Urbain wants nothing more than to curl up under his sheet and let his head be swallowed by his pillow. He wants nothing more than to sleep the numbing exhaustion away, to make everything stop for just a moment, but he knows the world will keep spinning whether he keeps up or not.

Another knock reverberates against his walls.

“I said I’m coming!”

He mutters curses under his breath as he pulls his shirt over his damp hair and drags his heavy body to the door. For once, he’d have liked to be left alone. Just for tonight, he doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Just for the night, Urbain wants to cease existing for others.

His eyes catch on the plate he had set on his desk as he crosses the room, an untouched sandwich and wilting lettuce still laying there; he had gone straight for a shower, hoping the running water would fix whatever was broken inside of him. He definitely feels a little better, his heart not pounding out of his chest anymore, but the exhaustion is still there. That’s still weighing down on him. Maybe it will weight down on him for the rest of his life.

One last curt knock is cut short by Urbain swinging the door open as he returns to the present.

“Wha—”

Everything melts away. Urbain’s annoyance, his exhaustion, it all melts away, only to be replaced by a worried hollowness deep within his chest. There stands Harmony, Harmony who normally stands so tall. There stands Harmony, Harmony who seems so small in his doorway. She’s standing there, her fist still raised but slowly lowered to her side. She’s standing there, her hair loosely falling over her shoulders, framing her face that seems to have been scrubbed clean of the little makeup she applies every morning. She’s there, standing in front of Urbain, looking radiant as ever as his eyes climb the constellations that adorn her face; why does she hide those away? Why does she conceal the freckles that climb all the way to the corners of her eyes?

“Sorry, I… I hope I’m not bothering you or—”

“No.” Urbain shakes his head as he takes a step aside to clear the entrance. “No, you’re chill. D’you… wanna come in?”

Harmony nods as she takes a careful step into the room. She carefully turns her body away from Urbain, moving in a way to avoid any physical contact she might have with him in the narrow hall; it’s more than a little strange to be dodged like that when Urbain is so used to having her in his arms. It’s strange being avoided in such a way, but nowhere near as stupid as the very thought crossing his mind; it’s not like there’s anything going on between the two of them and Harmony doesn’t owe him any type of physical contact. If anything, shouldn’t he be relieved that she’s not jumping into his arms, finally giving his heart a break?

“So…” The door quietly shuts behind Urbain as he turns to the girl who has made her way to the middle of his room. “Was there… something I can help you with?”

Gray eyes. Freckles. A worried expression. Urbain is trying to make out the meaning behind those sad eyes, but nothing comes to mind. He’s desperately trying to understand what’s happening as Harmony lets her gaze bounce around the room without ever falling on him. It’s almost as if she’s afraid to look him in the eye. She looks scared, at least until their gazes meet; now, she just looks upset.

“Did I do something to upset you?”

Urbain blinks at her a few times. His mouth opens, but nothing comes out. Why would he be upset? And at her of all people? Why would Harmony ever think that she did anything to upset him? Sure, he knows he’s been acting off-kilter all week, but it’s not been that bad. Or pointed. Has he really been worrying Harmony all this time without realizing it?

“If…” Her nails dig into the skin of her forearm, a red mark starting to form, her skin threatening to break under the pressure, and Urbain wants nothing more than to take her hand in his and stop her from potentially hurting herself; he remains perfectly still, his eyes falling to his feet. “If this is about the hugs, or if it’s just that I’m too much for you, please, please just tell me. I promise I can stop, and I’m really sorry if I’m just too much and I know I’m not—”

He’s acting insane. He’s acting rashly. Maybe it’s a mistake. He really should be thinking things through before acting on all these feelings festering inside of him. Maybe if he had voiced what’s been buzzing in his brain for the last forever, maybe if he stopped bottling everything up until the ugly truth exploded, then maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation. Maybe Harmony is finally sick of him. Maybe she will shove him away; she remains perfectly still as Urbain crashes against her, his arms wrapping around her neck.

“You’re not too much, Harmony. You’ve never been too much. Never, ever say you’re too much.”

“Then,” tentatively, she returns the hug, “why have you been avoiding me all week?”

 Urbain wants to reassure her that he hasn’t been avoiding her, at least not her specifically, nor has it really been on purpose. He’s just been avoiding everyone and everything. He’s just been focusing on getting job after job done because the more he works himself to exhaustion, the less likely he is to think about her. If he’s working himself to the brink of exhaustion every day, then he doesn’t have the energy to let his mind run wild. And if he’s completely numb inside, if he’s devoid of all human interactions, then he doesn’t need to let the feelings break out of his dam.

“I’m sorry.” Urbain’s arms tighten around Harmony’s neck; he hopes he’s not choking her as he chokes back tears. “Harms, I’m so, so sorry. I’m… I’m sorry for making you think that you’re too much or that I’ve been avoiding you.” He can’t let her know that he’s nothing more than a pathetic loser who can’t stop himself from crying; he buries his face against his own arm, hoping the loose sleeve of his shirt will catch the tears that pour before they find their way onto Harmony. “I’m sorry for letting you believe you upset me. I’m sorry for upsetting you instead. I’m sorry for being a bad friend. I’m just… You’re… I…”

Something breaks in Urbain as Harmony tightens her grip on him. Her nails are digging into his back as she fists his t-shirt. She’s clinging onto him just as much as he is onto her. She’s pressing close, burying her face in the dip of Urbain’s collarbone. She’s staying right there when she could so easily shove him away.

“You’re my best friend.” A little more force and she might actually rip through his shirt with her fingers. “My favorite person in the whole wide world. Urbain, I…” Her grip loosens suddenly and a chill fills Urbain; she’s holding him at arm’s length, creating just enough distance between the two to hold eye contact with him. “I really thought I’d ruined everything.”

Ruined everything? If anyone is ruining anything, it’s definitely Urbain with his stupid, uncontained feelings. He’s the one who’s been toeing the line. The’s the one standing on the edge. He’s the one pushing every limit he’s ever known. Harmony hasn’t done anything wrong; she is the last person to have ever ruined anything.

“Why…” Urbain quickly clears his throat, forcing his voice back to it’s typical octave instead of that raw and broken sound that came out. “Why would you have ruined anything? You really… Harms, why would you think that?”

She shakes her head but a sliver of a smile still hangs on those pretty lips of hers. She’s pulled away completely now, leaving Urbain cold and wanting more but being unable to ask for that. It’s not like he can ask for another hug, ask her if they can just stay like that forever. He can’t ask anything of her; he’s already done more than enough to make things weird and tense between them. He has to respect Harmony’s space; he lets her take the lead on how things will go from now on.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’m just happy to know that I didn’t do anything that was bothering you or making you upset, and that you don’t hate me or anything.”

There’s a beat of silence, as if she’s waiting for him to confirm that he does not, in fact, hate her; Urbain is jumping in, frantically assuring her that he absolutely does not hate her. And his agitation seems to amuse the girl; her smile is bright, brighter than any star in the sky, so bright that it leaves Urbain’s heart fluttering in his chest as he quiets down, shame and abashment heating his cheeks.

“I just… Don’t wanna lose you.”

There’s a finality to her tone, as if she’s relieved that she won’t be losing him but had resigned herself to the possibility, which is insane. She could never lose Urbain. No matter what Harmony does, Urbain will always be by her side. As long as she wants him there, no matter what happens, he knows he will be there with her. No matter what, he knows that Harmony is far too precious to him for him to ever walk away. As long as she makes room for him by her side, Urbain will be there; she truly does mean everything to him.

“You—”

“I don’t want to lose you, Urbain.”

She’s repeating herself. The same words leave her lips as she steps closer to him. The exact same words fill the air as she slips her fingers through his, something she’s done countless times before but that still send Urbain’s heart into a flutter. She’s lacing her fingers with his, staring at the floor, but the same words come out of her mouth once more. She does not want to lose him.

“I don’t want to lose you, but I’m gonna ruin everything anyway.”

Her grip tightens around Urbain’s hand; her free hand brushes against his cheek. His heart is pounding in his ears as his gaze meets Harmony. Nausea hits him as she tilts her head ever so slightly to the side, her eyes never leaving his.

“Tell me to stop.”

Everything comes crashing down. Everything is beating out of control. Harmony has pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, both her hands holding onto Urbain’s face as she presses her lips to his. This is everything he’s ever wanted. This is everything he’s dreamed up. This is not how things were supposed to happen. He’s not supposed to be nauseous and stiff. Why can’t he move?

The room is stuff and suffocating. Urbain is freezing as Harmony pulls back, letting her hands fall away from his face.

“I’m sorry! I thought—”

“I didn’t tell you to stop.”

She kissed him. Harmony kissed him. Harmony has given him his first kiss, something he’s been dreaming of for far too long, and he didn’t kiss her back. He—

His brain is short-circuiting. Urbain should be gentler, less forceful, but nothing in his brain is making sense. Sirens are going off as he pulls her back in, holding her face in his hands. Alarm bells are blaring as their noses brush together. Everything inside of him is screaming to stop, to take is slow, to take a break. This is supposed to be nice; Urbain reeks of desperation.

“Please don’t stop.”

They meet hallway this time. Urbain doesn’t know what he’s doing; he’s letting Harmony take the lead. He follows her orders to a tee, parting his lips as she instructs him. He’s chasing her mouth as she pulls away to catch her breath; he chases her as she takes a few steps backwards, her fingers curling around the collar of his shirt.

Urbain has no idea what he’s doing; all he knows is that he doesn’t want it to stop. He’s never been in this position before; as long as Harmony is there, he’s ready to go to the ends of the world for her. He’s following Harmony’s body; he’s taking the plunge as she lets her body fall into his mattress, dragging him along.

She looks ethereal, sunken into his mattress. She’s breathtaking; Urbain has a hard time catching his breath between each rushed kiss. He’s never felt this light; every bone in his body feels heavy, like gravity is pulling him down toward the center of the planet. He should probably stop, take a breath, slow down, but every time he pulls away, the pounding in his chest starts again. He knows he shouldn’t; those kiss-swollen, glistening lips keep him close. Every kiss draws him in; Harmony’s arms around his neck drag him back down as the warmth of a tongue touches the seam of Urbain’s parted lips.

His heart flips in his chest as Harmony hums against his lips. Her hands have their way to the middle of his back, nails dragging along the fabric of his t-shirt as Urbain clenches his fist around a handful of his duvet. It’s getting harder and harder to not let his body crash down onto Harmony; all of his weight is held up by his forearm and knee, both pressed deep into his mattress.

He should probably reposition himself, find a way to not feel like he’s about to crack under his own weight, but every time he pulls away, ready to find a new position, he’s leaning back in just as quickly, stealing more of Harmony’s kisses. Every time he’s on the cusp of making a rational decision, he’s acting stupid again. All he wants to know is Harmony; he’s back to letting her take the lead.

“You don’t have to stop.”

Heat floods Urbain’s face. Harmony’s voice is low and alluring, her tone a siren song in itself. His fingers are pressed back into her skin as he quickly tried to make an escape; he hadn’t meant anything from it, his hand instinctively reaching for her thigh in an attempt to push her up towards the center of the bed. There had been no intentions other than to get more comfortable; pretty sounds Urbain has never heard before left those parted lips he has now kisses enough times to have lost count as Harmony pulled her knee up. A warm hand finds more warm skin; Urbain is panicking as he presses clumsy kisses along Harmony’s jaw.

He shouldn’t; he can’t. He finds his way to her neck. His fingers make their way away from her thigh. She wants him there; his hand rests against her soft cheek.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?”

Rushed, clumsy kisses are replaced with something slow and deliberate. Urbain is buckling under his weight as Harmony pulls him close once more. She’s smiling into the kisses; he can’t help but mirror the expression. How is he to not smile when Harmony is right there, grinning against him? She’s just so beautiful, gorgeous, breathtaking; one last kiss is laid upon Urbain’s lips before pressing his forehead to Harmony’s.

“No one’s ever called me beautiful before.”

“Then everyone’s been a coward.”

Urbain’s body has finally given in; he flops down next to Harmony, his back melting into his thick duvet. It barely registers in his mind that Harmony is slipping her fingers through his again and holding his hand against her chest; he’s more preoccupied by his arms wrapping around her shoulders as he pulls her into a hug once more. It’s starting to sink in that he’s just had his first kiss as he presses one to the top of the girl’s head. Well, he had more than just a first kiss. He’s—

“I’ve been waiting for this since the night I caught Absol, you know.”

Urbain’s arms tighten around Harmony. She’s been waiting for this for that long? More impressively, she’s been able to function normally all this time? It’s actually not that surprising; Harmony has always been more put together than Urbain is. She’s just better than him at everything. She’s a better trainer, a better friend, a better person, a better kisser—Urbain shakes the thoughts burning twister of thoughts away. No. He’s not going to ruin this. He’s not going to talk himself out of this situation.

“Me too.”

Harmony shifts; Urbain’s hold on her loosens. His heart pounds in his chest as he finds those beautiful gray eyes, eyes he can fall for any day of the week. Another gentle kiss is shared; Urbain can get used to this.

“Then,” Harmony bumps her nose against his, grinning once more, “why didn’t you say anything? Do anything?”

“I was scared?”

Giggles fill the little space between the pair. How is it that Harmony just gets more beautiful with each passing moment? She’s giggling and snorting as Urbain tries to explain himself, explain that he had no idea if she felt the same way about him. She’s laughing so hard, wheezing out that she was being so obvious, or at least obvious enough that even Naveen had asked her about it. Tears cling to her lashes as she finally starts to settle down; she’s catching her breath as she lays her head back down on Urbain’s chest.

“Part of me was terrified that you didn’t feel the same, y’know? That’s why I thought I was gonna ruin everything tonight, ‘cause I don’t think there’d be much friendship left if I kissed you and turned out you found me gross.”

“You could never be gross to me, Harms. And no matter what happens, you’ll always be my best friend.”

She hums as Urbain runs his fingers through her hair. He watches as her silky hair slips through them, falling back onto his bed. Neither one says much anymore; the silence is comfortable as they remain in their little bubble of whatever this is. They stay there, basking in calm atmosphere; they stay there, not daring to move away from one another.

Exhaustion is finally catching up; the adrenaline has died down, leaving Urbain even more exhausted than before. A yawn slips out of him, a sound he tries to hide away, but it’s too late. Harmony is slipping out from under his arm that was resting lazily around her waist; she’s straightening out her clothes and hair, making herself look presentable again, not that she ever looks anything less than presentable at all times to Urbain.

“I should probably head back to my room. Can’t have anyone get suspicious about what’s going on in here, y’know?”

She says it so casually, still smiling. She’s erased any trace of the last few moments; she looks exactly the same as she did the moment she had walked into Urbain’s room, minus the worried expression. Really, from the looks of it, the only thing that seems to have changed is her mood, and even that’s only a subtle change. Really, other than the smile that now adorns her lips, she looks the exact same; does Urbain also look the same?

“Yeah!” He’s pushing himself off of his bed; it would be embarrassing to fall asleep right then and there. “Right, yeah. Lemme—” He’s not quite steady on his feet, but he’s pushing through the exhaustion. “Lemme at least walk you to the door.”

More giggles. That’s another thing that has changed: Harmony is giggling a lot more than she was before. She’s giggling as she reminds him that the door is a whooping ten steps away from the bed. She’s giggling until they reach the door, hands brushing together; this time, she doesn’t move her body to avoid touching him. This time, she reaches out to him, pulling him in for one last kiss.

“Don’t make yourself a stranger, okay?”

“Oh!” Harmony jumps at the sound of Lida’s voice booming through the still air of the night. “Navi! Navi! Wanna help me out with this new routine I’m working on?”

A groan reverberates through the night; Naveen is the only one who hasn’t been drinking. He’s always been a lot more responsible than the rest of Team MZ, or maybe it’s just that he doesn’t like the taste of alcohol, or the looseness that comes with the fading filters. He’s always been so on top of everything; he is vehemently refusing to leave his chair as Lida tugs on his arm, begging him to be her dance partner.

“Ask Starmie to help you! I’m not doing your stupid dance!”

“But Navi!” She elongates the final syllable of the nickname, causing Harmony to giggle at the pair. “It’s only gonna be fun if it’s you!”

“You’re insane.”

“And you’re no fun!” Lida leans closer to the boy, grinning maniacally. “But I can make you have fun!” She leans back, pulling on Naveen’s arm with all of the force she’s got in her uncharacteristically uncoordinated body. “C’mon, Navi!”

It’s a game of tug-of-war: Lida is tugging on Naveen’s arm as he grips the armrest of his chair. Something is going to break, but Harmony is too busy being giggly to really think of the consequences of everyone’s actions. Right now, all she can think about is how much she adores her friends.

“Hey, Harms?”

The girl hums as she continues watching her friends bicker over some routine Lida is going to nail despite being drunk out of her mind. Harmony’s not as present and attentive as she normally is; she kind of feels like she’s floating down a river, bobbing alongside wild creatures she doesn’t know the names of. Everything is a little hazy, including Urbain’s voice.

“You know… As soon as I can, I will marry you.”

She’s drowning. Harmony’s heart has stop and now she’s sinking to the bottom of the river. She’s staring at Urbain, Urbain with his big blue eyes, Urbain who has had her heart in shambles since the day they met, Urbain who knows nothing of how she feels. Unless he does? Is he teasing her? Making fun of her? No, he’s not that type of guy. He wouldn’t make a complete fool out of Harmony if he knew how she felt about him, right? Urbain is sweet, not cruel.

“I’m going to marry you so hard and—”

Just as quickly as the words leave his mouth, he’s pushing himself up and lurching over the armrest of the couch before puking out whatever little is in his stomach. Sobriety washes over Harmony as panic overwhelms her; she’s usually the one pushing herself to her limits until it all comes out, burning her throat and dignity. Her hand hesitates over his shoulder blade as she calls his name, worry coating every syllable.

“Hey…” Her hand finally settles on his arm, warm skin meeting one another. “Hey, take it easy…” Harmony refuses to let him sit back up, afraid of what might happen if he moves too quickly. “Did you eat today?”

“Yeah…?”

Yeah, that’s not very convincing.

“A reheated croissant for breakfast doesn’t count as having eating something, Urbain.”

The boy groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. He’s a smart boy; he knows that he’s a light-weight, and that alcohol on an empty stomach is a dangerous game to play. He is, after all, the one who is usually telling Harmony to make sure she’s eating if she’s going to be getting drunk on the roof with Lida. He’s the one who is normally bringing snacks up for them to munch on and reminding them an obnoxious number of times that they need to also be drinking water. And yet here he is, drinking on an empty stomach.

“Hey, Urbain?”

Heat flares throughout Harmony’s face as Urbain lets his head drop onto her shoulder. His whole weight is once again pressed against her side, except this time, he’s not talking. His breathing is shallow and his eyes have fallen shut; maybe Harmony shouldn’t but she’s never been one to make the best decisions. She’s always been a mess when it comes to Urbain; soft hair slips right through her fingers as she nudges him again.

“Hey, Urbain? You still awake?”

He makes a sound, though Harmony isn’t sure if just him acknowledging that she’s talking to him or if he actually is awake. He doesn’t seem very awake, but then again, it might just be that he’s drunk out of his mind. Or that he feels like absolute shit because of all the alcohol that’s in his system. Because it would be impossible to sleep through the chaos that is Lida and Naveen; she’s somehow managed to pull him out from his chair and is swinging his arms around haphazardly, though Naveen is otherwise standing stoically still. And Harmony would adore joining the pair, but she’s a little stuck on the couch, Urbain suddenly snuggling closer to her.

“Hey…” He stirs as Harmony whispers low and slow, right by the shell of his ear. “How about we get you cleaned up and in bed?”

“Don’t wanna…”

“I promise you’ll thank me in the morning if we do.”

“But I don’t wanna go…”

It’s stupid. She’s stupid. Harmony is going to regret all of this in the morning. But maybe she’s also hazy from the alcohol. Maybe her guard is down too. Maybe her brain is completely shut off as she pushes a strand of hair out of Urbain’s face, revealing those gorgeous blue eyes of his. Maybe her brain has melted as she slips her fingers through his before giving his hand a squeeze.

“Please, Urbain? We can go together if you’d like?”

He blinks at her; his eyelids seem heavy, like he’s fighting to keep sleep at bay. He doesn’t seem keen on getting up, but as Harmony squeezes his hand again and begins pushing herself out from under him, he gives way. Urbain is staring at her as she stands before him, their hands still linked; he’s staring at her, his face flushed as she smiles at him.

“Well? Thoughts on calling it a night?”

There’s no resistance as Harmony pulls him off the couch. It would be cocky of her to say that he’s moving like he’s entranced by her, but he does follow her like a moth to a flame. He follows her, stumbling as Harmony throws her free hand up, waving good night to Lida and Naveen who have somehow ended up on the floor by the fire pit; thankfully, Naveen is keeping Lida away from the actual fire he’s started.

“I’ll be back later!”

Lida waves, an exaggerated movement that sways her body from side to side. Naveen, meanwhile, barely spares the girl a glance; he’s busy babysitting his drunken friend who is known for coming up with the worst ideas when her brain is a pile of mush in her skull.

“Don’t trip and fall and die because I’m not calling an ambulance.”

“Love you too, Navi!”

Harmony giggles as she tugs Urbain along with her. He gives his friends a little wave as well, a little gesture that seems more confused than confident; it’s almost as if he’s replicating what he’s seeing without knowing why he’s doing it. And he’s adorable as he waves before stumbling back into Harmony, her hand still in his. He’s way too cute as she presses his cheek to the cold metal of the hotel elevator, waiting for it to reach the second floor.

“How you feeling?”

“Like shit.”

That still checks out. It’s never fun after having puked out a stomach full of nothing but poorly mixed drinks. And given that it’s Urbain’s first time, it’s by far the worst time. The boy who always nurses at most one drink all night was downing them like they were tall glasses of fresh water. And the more he’d get into his system, the more he would talk. And while he’s always been very skilled at sharing stories, they’re almost never about him and how he feels about things; with so much alcohol in his system, he was spilling stories from his childhood to how utterly lost and useless he felt up in that tower of doom.

“We’re almost there.”

It’s honestly great that they drink up on the roof and not out at some bar. At least this way, they’re ridiculously close to home; getting to bed is easy-peasy! It’s a simple elevator ride away! And as Harmony tugs Urbain forward, enticing him to his room, she grows more and more grateful for how close everything is; she can’t even imagine what a mess this would have been had she had to drag him around the city.

The door of room 201 clicks open; they all stopped locking their doors after the first few weeks of living together. Urbain had been the most secretive of the bunch when it came to his room, but even he has given up on turning the key, especially when they’re all just going to the roof. And that is another thing Harmony is grateful for; thankfully, she doesn’t have to search his pocket for a key to get him to bed. Or even worse: settle him in her bed. She can just usher him into his room and sweettalk him into cleaning up a bit before crashing for the night.

“You’ll feel a whole lot better after you’ve cleaned your face and brushed your teeth. Maybe take a shower too?” Urbain doesn’t say anything; his movement seem mechanical as he makes his way to the center of the little room. “Well, regardless of what you do, at least go brush your teeth. And I’ll get you some water while you—”

A wildfire is set aflame under Harmony’s skin. The corners of her eyes burn as she dops her gaze to her feet; has Urbain forgotten that she’s there? Or does he just not care as he pulls his shirt over his head? Does Harmony’s presence mean nothing to him? Maybe everything he’s said tonight really did mean nothing to him; maybe Urbain can pull off his shirt and toss it into his dirty hamper because he only sees Harmony as a friend. Because she would never have the guts to do that around him; she’d be way too self-conscious about the whole ordeal!

“I’ll—” Harmony clears her throat, her voice having come out far too pitchy for her liking. “I’ll be back in a bit with some water, okay? So, take your time!”

Did she come off as stupid? She practically ran out of the room; Urbain didn’t even get a chance to respond, not that he’s exactly the most responsive at the moment. Wait, should she leave him alone? What if he’s sick again and chokes and dies? It would be all Harmony’s fault because she didn’t stop him earlier and now she’s left him all alone. Maybe she should head back in the room and make sure he lives; Urbain is capable of surviving a few minutes alone, right? She doesn’t have to baby him, right?

Harmony barely last 10 minutes. She tries to take her time in the kitchen, filling a water bottle and thoroughly searching for something to snack on, but her mind just keeps wandering back to what’s right above her head: Urbain. She’s not one to normally blush, but every time she catches herself drifting back to that moment, to those eyes, to that smile, Harmony can’t help the heat in her cheeks. She hates how often she goes back to him; she hates how desperately she wants to be close to him.

“Get a grip on yourself!” Her fingers tighten around the water bottle and bag of cookies she’s found in the pantry as she waits for the elevator. “He’s just a friend. Nothing more. He doesn’t think of you like that, you freak.”

Honestly, it’s the fact that she’s talking to herself in the middle of the night that makes her more of a freak than having a crush no her best friend. Harmony knows herself to easily fall in love; how many people before Urbain has she claimed to love only to have confused one feeling for another? How many friendships has she abandoned because of that confusion? Too many. She’s ruined too many good friendships for her to do it again with Urbain. She cannot ruin what she has with him just because it might be love. So she’s going to be his friend. She’s going to be the best friend she can be and nothing more.

“Urbain?”

Perhaps she should have knocked. This isn’t her room, after all. And yet, here she is, pushing the door open and calling out to the boy she cannot stop drifting back to. And as her eyes settle on him, she can’t help but smile at him; his hair is damp, droplets of water soaking through the collar of his old faded pyjama shirt. He seems a little more alert than before; his eyes fall onto Harmony as he mirrors her smile. He doesn’t seem as hazy as before his shower.

“I got you water and a snack if you want?”

She isn’t sure why she’s holding both things up to him; it’s not like Urbain can’t seem them in her hands when she’s holding them at her side. And yet, that little movement is enough to pull delicate laughter from Urbain; the room seems brighter as he smiles and pats the spot right net to him on the bed. Everything seems warmer and homelier as Harmony lets her body sink into the mattress and hands him the bag and bottle.

“Thanks.”

“I just filled a bottle with tap water. And grabbed a bag of cookies I think Lida forgot about.”

“I mean for earlier.” Urbain is so close that Harmony can smell the light floral scent of his soap on his skin. “For everything you’ve done.”

“It’s really the least I could do…”

Harmony is not one to normally feel so self-conscious. She’s normally so good at seeming cool in situations where she is anything but cool. But here, with Urbain’s head on her shoulder, Harmony can feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wonders if he can hear it too. Or if he can feel her quickening pulse as he takes her hand in his. How much of her secrets does this boy know?

“Harms? Did you know that you’re so pretty that sometimes, I wonder if I’m dreaming? Like, what if you’re not actually real? And I’m just dreaming of this pretty girl who is my absolute best friend in the whole wide world. But then…” Harmony needs to calm her heart; how can she do that as Urbain presses his lips to her knuckles? “You’re always there. And everyone else can see you. So you must be real.”

“Urbain…”

Her knows her secrets; he’s spilling his own. Harmony never would have expected him to lose all of his filters to a bit of alcohol; she had expected the shower to sober him up, and yet, here he is, telling her things he never would be telling her if he were sober. Urbain has always had his guards up so high; a couple of drinks in his system and suddenly, it seems like every wall he’s built has crumbled. Words are tumbling out of his mouth faster than Harmony can keep up with. He’s saying things she isn’t sure she can trust.

“And you know,” his voice has dropped down to a whisper, “that day we met,” his breath is warm against the back of Harmony’s ear, “when I first saw you,” her heart feels like it’s going to explode in her chest, “I just… Man, I just told myself ‘That’s the girl I’m gonna marry.’ Harms—” Why is he saying all of this now? Why is he saying all of this when she cannot trust him? “I swear, I’m gonna marry you. So damn hard.”

“Urbain.” This isn’t the time for this conversation. Harmony has to pull away, no matter how badly she wants him to keep saying everything she’s ever dreamed of. “You’re drunk. And talking nonsense.”

“No, I’m serious. Harmony,” his hands are so warm against her cheeks; his eyes are like sapphires, a color she cannot look away from, “I’m being so serious right now. You drive me completely insane. Crazy. Because you’re so pretty. And I’m so stupid for you all the time.”

It hurts Harmony’s heart to shake him off of her. It’s painful to back away from him, especially since she’s longed to hear these very words for so long. But she can’t take it much longer. She can’t let him keep saying things he won’t feel in the morning. She can’t let her heart shatter anymore. Urbain is sweet, not cruel; she can’t let herself fall for pretty little lies.

“If you’re that serious, then how about you tell me everything you’ve just said in the morning? When you’ll be sobered up and not talking nonsense?”

“I’m telling you, it’s not nonsense! I’m so serious right now!”

“Then tell me when you’ll be seriously sober.” It’s her turn to grab his face in her hands. “Tell me that you love me when you’re sober. And then I’ll give you my answer. But only once you’ve slept this off. That is,” her hands fall from his face, making their way back to her lap, “is you remember any of this in the morning. Tell me again tomorrow if you remember this conversation, alright?”

Big blue eyes follow her as she gets up from the bed; fingers tighten around her wrist, holding her in place. Urbain doesn’t need to speak; he’s pleading her to not leave. Harmony cannot stay; her heart cannot take it any longer. She cannot keep falling for those eyes; she can’t keep letting her heart be filled with false promises.

“Please, Harms. Stay.”

“You’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Don’t go. Please.”

 She’s weak. She’s so stupidly weak as a sigh breaks from her lips. She’s stupid for nodding at him and letting the mattress cave under her weight again. She really should leave, go back to the roof or go to her room, but instead, she’s threading her fingers through Urbain’s hair again, falling for those pretty blue eyes for the thousandth time tonight.

“Fine. But promise me you’ll sleep. Otherwise, you’re going to feel even shittier in the morning.”

She purses her lips, rocking on her heels. Maybe it was a mistake coming to Urbain. Maybe she shouldn’t be bothering him with this. She’s not his problem to solve.

“M’bored?”

His laughter is always so bright. His laughter alone can light up Harmony’s world; she can’t help but smile every time he laughs so openly. It’s such a lovely sound; she will never get enough of it. She will never not be mesmerized by it as he ushers her into his room.

“Lemme just finish up this email and then I’m sure we can figure out something to do.”

Harmony nods as he heads back to his laptop. She lets her body flop down on his bed; she stares at the ceiling as the soft sound of typing fills the air. How he does it, staying concentrated and on top of things, Harmony will never understand. He’s out all day, running around and following orders from every higher up at Quasartico Inc., then he heads back to the hotel to get cooking and continue working. And after all that, he still has energy to entertain Harmony; he always promises he will make time for her.

“And—” the mattress dips to Harmony’s left— “I’m all yours.”

It’s instinctual, rolling onto her side and wrapping her arms around his middle. His hand finds her hair, fingers twisting and playing with a stand of loose hair. How dare he be this sweet with her?

“Does your laptop still have power?”

“What?”

Harmony shifts; she pushes her whole body onto the bed, flipping onto her back and letting her head rest on Urbain’s lap. He’s looking down at her, smiling before poking her cheek and laughing. He always laughs so easily, so beautifully.

“If it’s not dead, wanna cuddle and watch something?”

Urbain’s eyes seem to sparkle; Harmony knows very well that he would adore to do so. It’s probably in his top three favorite things to do when he’s tired; she’s not crazy enough to say that she doesn’t also adore letting herself melt into his side, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as they watch a movie or two until they both fall asleep. Honestly, any activity that involves Urbain counts as her favorite activity. She’s happily humming as a kiss is pressed to her forehead, Urbain slipping out from under her to go fetch his laptop.

“Did you have anything in mind, Harms?”

“What do you wanna watch?”

Urbain flops onto his stomach next to Harmony. He doesn’t bother trying to conceal his passcode as he logs into his laptop; Harmony has warned him to be more careful, that being so careless about security measures will eventually bite him in the ass, but at this point, she already knows all his passwords. There’s no point in him trying to hide them from her anymore. Instead, she just snuggles closer to him as he opens up a website and begins scrolling.

Urbain is not stupid; he knows that Harmony is doing the dishes, an easy deduction from the way her hands are plunged in soapy water, a sponge in hand. She knows that he’s asking more as a way of wondering why she’s doing the dishes; she is by no means a good dishwasher. If anything, she’s the exact opposite, leaving her dishes in the sink until they magically disappear; perks of having a boyfriend who is just so good at doing chores. So Harmony is not one to normally volunteer herself to wash dishes; her doing so is, in fact, a very jarring sight.

“Why?”

“Because,” a kiss is pressed to Urbain’s ear, water running up her arms and soaking the cuffs of her shirt, “you’re exhausted. And I didn’t want to let you do more chores after everything you’ve been doing.”

Urbain hums, burying his nose in the crook of Harmony’s neck. Giggles erupt from the girl as his hold on her tightens. Surprisingly enough, he’s not arguing with her, insisting that he’s not that tired and that he can do the dishes. Surprisingly enough, he just stays there, his breathing steady and warm.

“Thank you.”

A smile tugs at the corners of Harmony’s mouth once more. It’s always nice when Urbain accepts help. He’s pretty particular with the way he wants things done, always extra hard on himself, but this time, he’s letting Harmony do the dishes her way without correcting her or insisting to do it himself. He really is just staying there, cuddled up against her, letting his shoulders relax for the first time in days.

“Any time, Urbain.”

A soft snort is muffled by her shirt. A soft snort has Harmony turning the water off and turning in Urbain’s arms to face him. His cheeks are warm against the palms of her hands; his eyes are tired, but they shimmer nonetheless so beautifully. He’s exhausted after his never-ending week, but still, he manages to find the energy to laugh at her.

“What?”

A quick kiss is stolen before an answer leaves his lips. He’s still smiling, holding back his sweet laughter, but Harmony is no fool. And she will not be treated like one, especially not when she’s going against everything she stands for and washing the dishes for once!

“Sweetheart,” warm hands move down from his cheeks before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, mirroring Urbain’s embrace, “we both know that you won’t be doing the dishes ‘any time,’ especially if it’s for me.”

Harmony huffs, now burying her face against his shoulder. Fine, maybe he’s right. Urbain has nagged her more times than she can count about cleaning up after herself rather than just tossing her dirty dishes into the sink, but can’t he let her sound sweet for once? Make it sound like she’s a perfect, amazing, flawless girlfriend? Just this once?

“Still, though…” Another squeeze at her waist, her feet leaving the ground momentarily before leaning her whole weight into Urbain’s chest as her heels find the kitchen floor once more. “Thank you. I genuinely don’t think I would have had the energy to clean up tonight.”

“It’s the least I could do. You,” a kiss to his shoulder, “always do so much for everyone. It’s only fair that I take care of you every once in awhile.”

He can accept that. Urbain can accept being taken care of, even if Harmony can feel him fight back the urge to fight back. She knows him too well: he’s the caregiver, not the other way around. Being taken care of means owing something, needing to pay back the care, and Urbain doesn’t want to be indebted to anyone. Not in any shape, way, or form. But when it comes to Harmony, she knows he’s trying to break those walls down. She knows he’s trying his best to accept the love and care.

“Okay.” Another kiss to her hair. “I love you.”

Gray eyes, freckles, and the kindest smile; Urbain buries his face in his hands as Harmony crouches down next to him. He can hear her picking up a book or two from the floor, probably flipping it her hands and inspecting the covers; hopefully, it’s one with a legible title and not one with some old, lost language scribbled on it.

“You doing some light reading or somethin’?”

Laughter spills out of Urbain, though he can’t quite tell if it’s genuine or if it’s just from his annoyance at himself. They both know all too well that he has never and will never read any of these books. No one has read them other than maybe AZ, and even that’s questionable.

“Nah, just picked up a new project way too late.”

There’s shifting next to Urbain. Harmony is pushing herself onto her feet. She shuffles around him, picking up a few scattered books; he watches her through his fingers, watching her pile them in her arms before placing them on the couch. She seems to making different piles, though the thought process behind them remains unknown to Urbain.

“What… are you doing?”

“If you need a break, then I’ll do it for you. You were putting them away, right?”

 Urbain blinks at the girl. She says it so matter-of-factly, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world and not like she’s taking up a massive project for no real reason. She doesn’t have to do this; this is Urbain’s mess. It’s his fault he’s here, so he should be the one putting everything away. Harmony doesn’t need to bother herself with his messes.

“Why would you do that? You could be doing a million other things, so why are you doing this?”

Harmony smiles as she kneels next to Urbain, placing her hand on his knee. She smiles softly at him, her eyes creasing at the corners. She doesn’t look mad or annoyed at him; it doesn’t seem like a chore to be here with him.

“S‘cause I wanna help you. You look tired, and you’re always taking care of everyone else. So,” she smiles even wider; she seems to almost glow, “please let me help you. Sit down and let me do this for you.”

Urbain stares as Harmony pushes herself back onto her feet. She hums to herself as she goes back to piling the books on the couch. He still doesn’t understand why she’s doing this, but he doesn’t have it in him to argue with her. He doesn’t have the energy to insist that he can do it all on his own. So he just sits, leaning his back against the wall, and watches. He watches as Harmony moves back and forth; Urbain lets his eyes fall shut as her humming turns to soft singing to herself. He can’t understand the words she’s mumbling out, but it’s nice nonetheless. It’s nice not feeling like he’s drowning for once. It’s nice not feeling like he’s crumbling under everything.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Urbain stirs, rubbing his eyes. “You wanna go to bed instead?”

“What?”

The lobby is dark by the time Urbain is opening his eyes again. How long has he been out of it? Where did this blanket come from? What time is it?

“What happened?”

“You passed out like an hour and a half ago.” Harmony pokes his cheek; she’s still smiling at him. “Told ya you were tired.” She holds out her hand; Urbain hesitantly takes it. “But I’m pretty sure your bed is gonna be way more comfortable than the floor.” Harmony pulls him up; Urbain stumbles a bit, but he’s back on his feet. “So lets get you to bed, sleepyhead.”

The lobby is dark. His mess is all gone. The bookshelf is filled once more; books line the shelves, books who seem to be organized in alphabetical order. Was he really out that long?

“You did all this?”

“Of course I did. I told you I was gonna do it for you, and I don’t back out on my promises. And, as I said, you’re always the first one who’s there to help everyone else. You’re always the first one to help me when I’m struggling with something. And,” Harmony gives Urbain’s hand a squeeze before letting it slip out of her hold, “I wanted to take care of you for a change. As a thank you. And because you’re my best friend. But c’mon, lets get you in bed. I don’t know how much longer you’re gonna last before collapsing.”

Harmony is kinda right; Urbain doesn’t have the energy to do anything. He doesn’t protest; he just drags his feet towards the elevator. And he’s still accompanied by Harmony; she’s steadying him as he sways a bit from the exhaustion. She’s there; Urbain has never been cared for this way.

“Thanks, Harms. Thanks for everything.”

Harmony bites back a grin as Urbain mumbles her name against her skin; it just sounds so nice in his sleepy voice. Declarations of love sound even lovelier, declarations that have her pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Everything that has to do with Urbain has her over the moon; every word of his has her heart melting.

“G’morning, m’Love…”

“Hey, baby…”

Truly, if Harmony can wake up every morning this way, flipping over and cuddling closer to Urbain, then she will forever be a happy girl. She’s more than happy as she buries her face against his bare chest, letting him wrap his arms around her and holding her close. She’s ecstatic at the prospect of more kisses being peppered across her face, one for every freckle that covers her cheeks and nose.

“You’re in a good mood this morning.”

“Well,” Harmony grins as she presses a kiss to Urbain’s collarbone, “I did get to wake up to my hot boyfriend kissing me and touching me.”

A squeak breaks from Harmony’s lips as Urbain holds her tighter before letting his warm hands travel down her back, all the way to her thighs. And as he trails his fingers back up before settling on her ass and pulling her closer, Harmony can’t hide the gasp; she did mention that he was touching her, though his touch had been ever so slightly more innocent just a moment ago. It’s always a surprise when Urbain gets handsy with her; Harmony is usually the one teasing him until he breaks. It’s always a surprise, but it’s also never unwelcome; Harmony would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy having his hands on her body, holding her close and showing the signs of wanting her as badly as she wants him. It feels nice being desired.

“Did you want something, Harms?”

Blood rushes to her cheeks as she buries her face in his chest once more. Of course she wants something, and Urbain knows that all too well. He’s obviously teasing her as he presses a kiss to her forehead and coaxes her to tell him how he can be of service to her. He’s being a tease; he knows very well that she wants his touch until she dies and his kisses until she can’t remember a single thing other than his love. She wants all of him, at all times. She wants nothing but Urbain coursing through her veins.

Finally, a kiss. Finally, Harmony is getting her first kiss of the day. It’s sweet, a smile pressed to hers; Urbain is just so addictive. Urbain is everything to her; she adores how soft his lips are, lips that quickly part to let his tongue meet hers halfway. And as the kiss is deepened, frustration begins to build; her hand is being pulled away from the waistband of Urbain’s pyjama bottoms, away from where she wants to be. Frustration builds deep within her; she wants to touch him, have more than just his tongue in her mouth.

Harmony’s breath hitches as Urbain pushes her onto her back, pinning her wrist to the mattress. Sleep has long left his eyes; they shine with something she’s never seen as he looks down at her. They’re so blue, so beautiful, so full of hunger. They sparkle until the sight of him disappears; a whine breaks from Harmony’s lips as Urbain nips at the sensitive skin of her neck. His breathing is already ragged as he drags his nose along her jaw before pressing a kiss to the back of her ear.

“Careful there.” His voice is low and so different from his usually chipper bright tone as he pushes her wrist deeper into the mattress. “I don’t think you realize what you’re doing to me.”

What she’s doing to him? Does he realize what he’s doing to her? He’s the one running his hands up and down her body, fingertips sneaking their way under her sleeping shirt and tracing along the hem of her underwear. He’s the one letting his hands wander around her body, nails grazing her skin and leaving her with tingling sparks in their wake. He’s the one pressing kiss after kiss to her neck, loving yet hungry.  

A strangled sound catches in Harmony’s throat as Urbain’s fingers slip through hers; his grip tightens as he holds her there and leaves his mark on her shoulder. She’s not one to normally bruise, but she knows when those kisses will bloom under her skin for her to carry for the upcoming week; her boy is normally so gentle with her, until he gets greedy. And he’s being very greedy at the moment.

Finally, Harmony manages to pull her hand out from under Urbain’s. With both hands free, she’s not losing any time; her nails dig into his soft skin, holding him close, his body flush against hers. Whines break from her lips, whines that she muffles against his shoulder. If he pulls away, if he gets up, if he slips out of her hold, there’s no guarantee of what Harmony might do. She cannot bear the thought of not having all of Urbain right here and now.

“Urbain, babe…” He hums into her skin, smiling, but he doesn’t stop leaving his mark. “Please. Please, baby, I need you.”

“Yeah?” He’s a fucking tease, running his fingers up and down her upper thigh; it’s probably revenge for every time Harmony has teased him. “How do you need me, Sweetheart?”

“I need you inside of me.”

At this point, Harmony is ready to admit that she’s easy, at least when it comes to Urbain. All it took was one taste of Urbain for her to go crazy and want him at all moments; any opportunity to have his hands on her—or inside of her—is a good one. And it’s not like Urbain has many objections to her horniness, except maybe that one time at 4 in the morning. That time he had just rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head and shoving Harmony back to her side of the bed. He was probably barely even conscious and Harmony is absolutely not going to bring it up ever again, even if it’s just to apologize; it was embarrassing enough to realize what she was doing. Truly, it’s horribly embarrassing to be in a constant state of wanting Urbain, needing him like he’s the air she breathes.

Urbain is surprisingly good at following orders. He doesn’t need to be told twice: fingers trail down Harmony’s parting knees as she lets out another sigh. Nails graze her skin, the touch always feathery light; fingers hook around the elastic band of her underwear before tracing the natural lines of her body. And Harmony feels her body quake under his touch; it’s completely instinctual, the lifting of her hips.

Harmony’s mind had melted away as more kisses trail down her jaw and neck. All she can think of is Urbain as another strangled breath catches in her throat; she’s going crazy as a hand smooths the already wet fabric of her underwear.

“Urbain…”

He’s teasing her again. He’s teasing her as he lets his touch wander around without giving her everything she wants. He’s teasing her as he slips his hand into her panties, parting the slick wetness that has pooled between her thighs because of him. He’s teasing, dragging a finger from her opening to her clitoris before pulling his hand away; he seems to be taking pleasure in her pleading sighs.

“Urbain, please…”

“Please what, Sweetheart?”

Now he’s being an ass, and he knows it. He’s being an absolute asshole, and Harmony is not going to let him get away with it; her heel collides with his lower back, causing him to gasp as the full weight of his body crashes onto Harmony. And from the look in his eyes, Urbain seems to realize he took it too far; too much teaching won’t get him anywhere, a lesson he better learn very quickly.  

“Fine! Fine! I’m sorry!”

He lays there for a moment, his head resting against Harmony’s shoulder. His eyes fall shut, a content hum filling the air as she threads her fingers through his hair; she still wants him, wants him deep inside of her, but they can start again, with less teasing this time. They can take it from the top and do it right this time.

Urbain is gentle with Harmony. He doesn’t tease her anymore, though his hands still wander. And it feels nice, the way he traces the folds of her sleeping shirt. There’s no rhyme or reason to his touch, but it still feels so nice. He’s not looking to pull gasps or pleas from her, waiting for her to beg for him to touch her; he just wants to have his hands on her. And despite the thin cotton separating his body from hers, Harmony doesn’t complain. Surprisingly, it almost feels better than if it hadn’t been there at all; it only makes the anticipation that much sweeter.

Sweet relief washes over Harmony as Urbain finally slips his hand back under her shirt. Again, he’s gentle. He’s sweet and considerate, simply running his fingers up and down her sternum as she presses a kiss to his hair. And as she tangles their legs together, making sure he cannot leave to start his day and leave her in this state, things feels like they’re finally falling into place.

His hands are warm against her skin. They’re so soft; he’s so perfect. Urbain is so perfect as he pushes himself up just enough to press a kiss to the back of Harmony’s ear, whispering to her about how much he adores her. He’s absolutely perfect as he tells her that she’s his everything and how badly he wants to touch her. There has never been someone as perfect as Urbain as he pulls a gasp from Harmony; his feathery light touch trails along her body, pulling her shirt up just enough to leave kisses along her ribs. He’s absolutely everything to her as her fingers find their way back into his fluffy hair.

“For real this time,” Urbain’s eyes are so blue; they shimmer like sapphires as he rests his chin against Harmony’s sternum, “what can I do for you, Sweetheart?”

No words leave Harmony’s mouth; she simply guides Urbain to where she wants him. And he’s more than happy to comply; a soft smile pulls at the corners of his mouth as he lifts her shirt a little more before pressing a light kiss to her breast. As always, he’s attentive and devoted; he’s not teasing her, waiting for her to beg him to give him more, though he is still taking his sweet time with her. There’s just no rush as his tongue meets her skin.

A squeak jumps out of Harmony as she grabs a fistful of Urbain’s hair; her grip quickly loosens, apologies tumbling out of her as he pulls back. Thankfully, a simple plea for him to not stop is all takes for him to go back to doing what he was just a few seconds ago. He diligently brings her back to seeing stars, his hand running up her thigh as he keeps working magic with his tongue.

A smile breaks across Urbain’s face as Harmony beckons him closer. Sweet hums are muffled by her kisses as she holds his face in her hands. There’s no denying that she wants him on her, in her, all over her, but she also wants his kisses. She wants every one of his kisses, from now until the end of time. She needs him to know that she adores him as her tongue meets his.

“Harms…”

Her name always sounds so good in his voice, especially when it comes out all strained, like he’s pleading her. It also sounds overwhelmingly good when he’s repeating it over and over again as she gets to pleasure him for a change. It drives her absolutely mad, the way he tries his best to not make a sound, stifling his sighs as nails drag against his bare back and her kisses keep him close. She goes a little crazier every time he gasps against her lips; she can’t help but pull at the waistband of his pants, loosening the drawstrings.

It’s always so intoxicating to feel his growing impatience against her. Giggles always erupt out of Harmony as she pulls him closer; giggle-filled kisses make their way along his jaw until she’s right by his ear.

“If you want,” she keeps her voice low as she lowers her hands under his waistband, “we can keep going.”

Another hitched breath is muffled by her shoulder; Urbain folds under her light touch grazing his bare skin. His breathing is a little raggedier than usual; a grin stretches across Harmony’s face as he presses his body against hers. That in itself is enough of an answer for her. The kisses that pull at her neck, pulling whimpers out of her, are also good indications of how Urbain feels about her proposition; her knees part once more, begging for Urbain.

There’s too much clothing separating the two; Urbain has too much on his body for Harmony’s liking. Thankfully, he doesn’t resist as she slips her hands back under the waistband, pulling everything down; thankfully, he’s coordinated enough to kick his pants off, letting them hit the ground as he returns to pushing Harmony’s shirt all the way up to her neck. This time though, she doesn’t just leave it there as Urbain returns to worshipping her body, kisses and bruises left on her collarbone, her breast, and her stomach; this time, she’s pushing herself up just enough to pull the shirt over her head and tossing it in the same vicinity as Urbain’s clothes.

It’s still a little embarrassing, getting naked around one another, but Harmony would be lying if she said she didn’t find Urbain beautiful. He’s still definitely shyer than she is; she can feel the heat in his face against her skin as she reaches out to touch him. More often than not, he still tries to hide, though there’s absolutely no way Harmony is letting him do that. She wants to see him, take in how breathtakingly gorgeous he is. She wants to see every part of him. She wants to the blue of his eyes, see the way they lose focus as her fingertips gently brush against his dick. She wants to see the way his breath hitches, the rise and fall of his chest. She wants to see the way his hips twitch under every teasing touch of hers, because every reaction pf his has her wanting more of him. She wants him so fucking bad.

“Harmony…”

Her hand falls away from him. There’s a flush in Urbain’s cheeks that has no business driving her as crazy as it does. He really is just so mesmerizing; would it be wrong for Harmony to touch herself at the sight of him?

Fingers slip through hers before she can make it into her underwear. Warm fingers tighten around her hand, pressing it into the mattress; even warmer kisses leave more of their mark against her neck.

“Harmony, please…” Her knees spread at the sound of her name, breathy and dripping with want. “You’re actually driving me insane right now…” Her hips lift as Urbain’s hand leaves hers to find the elastic band of her underwear. “I’m begging you…” Sweet relief washes over her as the last of her clothes are pulled off her body and tossed to the floor. “I need you, Sweetheart. I need you so fucking badly.”

No more needs to be said; Harmony’s knees are parted and pulled up. Her toes curl into the mattress as she guides Urbain into her. It’s a lot easier than she anticipated it to be; a gasp melts into a moan as Urbain takes his time, careful not to apply too much pressure. He’s making heavenly sounds himself, a song he’s muffling into Harmony’s shoulder despite her desire to hear him loud and clear.

The first thrust leaves Harmony choking as her nails dig into Urbain’s back. She need shim close. She needs him there. If he backs out of this, she might scream, and not the good kind. She cannot let him go; her thighs are squeezing around him as she sinks her teeth into his shoulder.

They move in sync; they always have and this time is no exception. And never could have Harmony imagined how good it would feel to have Urbain inside of her; how can she ever go back to taking care of herself in the shower now that she knows what Urbain feels like?  If her head had once been filled with fantasies of him, she now knows what the real thing feels like. How long has she been craving this? How long has she wanted to feel him inside of her? Too long. She’s been wanting this for far too long; there’s no more holding his name back as she runs her fingers through his hair. There’s no more silence as Urbain grinds his hips against hers.

More gasps fill the air, though there’s no telling who they’re from. All Harmony knows is that her legs have wrapped around Urbain, holding him in her; all she knows is that his name is the only thing coming out of her mouth as he runs his hand up and down her body and presses kisses to her shoulder between heavy breaths.

“More!” She fists his hair, pressing him down deeper into her. “Urbain, I swear, if you stop, I will fucking kill you!”

“What do—”

“Please, baby! Please, I’m begging you, please do not stop!”

It’s not often that Harmony has to clasp her hand over her mouth, muffling the whines and cries as she tips her head back into the pillow. Her heels have found the mattress once more, digging deep to push herself up. She needs more of Urbain; she needs him so deep inside of her. She needs to swallow him whole; she’s waited far too long for this moment to happen.

“Harms, I—”

Urbain’s body jerks as he buries his face in Harmony’s shoulder. She can feel his body tense before relaxing completely; Harmony’s head melts back into the pillow he had been gripping as he thrusted his hips. Each breath of his is ragged, coming out as a choked pant; she hums contently as Urbain nuzzles her, not yet moving. Just a moment more of closeness before sliding himself out of her.

“I’m sorry, I—”

Harmony cuts him off with a kiss. Urbain will not be apologizing. There will absolutely be no apologies, not after he’s done such a good job at thrilling her. Harmony will not be hearing any of it; Urbain’s eyes double in size as she flips onto his back, now straddling him. They’re so wide, so blue, at least until he’s squeezing them shut as her mouth finds his once more.

“You did so good, baby. You did amazing.”

Their laughter blend together, giggles filling the air as Urbain pulls Harmony closer in a tight hug. Legs tangle together; bodies fit together perfectly. Kisses close the little distance between the two, kisses that are far clumsier than they’ve ever been.

“You’re the one who did good, Sweetheart. I barely did anything.”

“Lies!” Another quick peck is pressed to Urbain’s lips before Harmony rests her head against his shoulder. “You… you just felt really good.”

“And you even better.”

 They can agree to disagree about who did better; in the end, Harmony knows she’s right because she always is. And Urbain can never deny her anything, so he won’t be telling her that she’s wrong. He did way better than she did; otherwise, how is it that he took her to the moon?

“I love you, Harms.” A kiss is pressed to her hair as she snuggles closer to him. “I love you so much.” Another smile is pressed to her cheek. “Especially when you’re moaning my name over and over again. It’s almost as if you, like, have a crush on me or something.”

Giggles fill the air again as she shoves him away. He’s back to teasing her, openly laughing, but this time, it’s not unbearable. This time, she can get her revenge, grabbing a pillow and hitting him in the face with it.

“How dare you!” Another hit with the pillow; Urbain’s arms protect his face. “You can’t tell me you love me and then pull that shit on me!” Urbain manages to grab the pillow as he pulls her onto him; Harmony’s cheek is pressed against his chest, muffling her words. “You can’t just… Not when you know that I also love you…”

“Glad to know it, my Love. Glad to know I’m not the only idiot in love here.”

“No, no. You’re definitely the only idiot.” She props herself onto her elbows to hold his gaze. “I might be in love with you, but I am no idiot. I just happen to love you and,” a grin pulls at the corners of Harmony’s mouth as she trails her hand down Urbain’s body once more, “your dick. Because you work miracles with that thing.”

“Welp,” he pops the p as he steps out of the bathroom, “I’ll let you finish up. No rush, alright, Love? There’s no timeframe, and I’m sure everyone will survive even if the CEO is an hour late.”

“No need to be passive aggressive about it.” He really didn’t mean for it to come out that way. “I’m basically done, so give me like 2 more minutes.”

“No, I…” A deep breath. “Really, Harms. No rush. It’s not even that important tonight. Just, take all the time you need. For real.”

Harmony sighs as she puts her tube of whatever down and turns to him. She’s gorgeous; Urbain can’t help but remind her that he loves her so much. And she repeats it back to him with a smile on her pretty lips, lips he wishes he could be kissing right about now. What if they stayed home? What if he dragged her to their bed and just covered her in kisses? What if the rest of the world disappeared, leaving nothing but them and the love Urbain has for Harmony?

“Give me like 10 minutes, okay? I promise, I’m actually almost done.”

“I’ll be up on the roof, okay?”

She nods before returning to the mirror. It takes a moment for Urbain to turn away from her and make his way up to where he said he’d be waiting. She’s just so beautiful; Harmony really is everything to him. He really does want to spend every waking moment with her.

The outside air is fresh against his face as he opens the door leading to roof. Lumiose City truly is a wonderful city; the streetlights shine beneath him, highlighting the people as they come and go. And Urbain has always enjoyed people watching; there’s something calming and comforting about watching all these strangers live their lives without noticing that they’re being observed by him. They’re living authentically; they don’t have to put on a show for prying eyes. They can laugh and run and cry as they see fit; their lives are for themselves only.

The moon is bright in the sky. It looks like it’s perched itself at the top of the ruins of what once was Prism Tower; a smile pulls at the corners of Urbain’s lips as he leans against the railing. He takes everything in, feeling grateful for everything he has. Sure, he’s lost a lot, and life hasn’t always been kind to him, but what he does have far outweighs his losses. How can he possibly not smile as he lets everything come back to him?

“Babe?”

The door creaks as Harmony pokes her head out. Urbain will have to grease the hinges or maybe straight up change the door, but that’s a problem for another day. Right now, he stares at his girlfriend; awestruck doesn’t even begin to describe what he’s feeling. She’s stunning, all done up like that. Her hair is pulled up, the way she always pins it up whenever they have a corporate event to attend; her hair is pulled up, that way that always leaves Urbain breathless. Her makeup is perfect; she glows as she approaches Urbain, her hand reaching out to his. And the dress she has on, that blue dress Urbain has always been weak to, it leaves him weak in the knees. She really is the most gorgeous woman in the world; there has never been anyone quite as beautiful as Harmony.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

Urbain blinks as she stokes his cheek. Her smile is bright and beautiful; it takes everything in him to not kiss the lipstick off of her.

“Nothing?”

“You’re always overthinking something when you stare off into the distance like that. Always on the roof, just staring at nothing as the gears are going crazy in that pretty head of yours.”

He can’t resist anymore; Urbain needs to steal a kiss of hers. He can’t hold back as arms wrap around his neck, Harmony tilting her head just enough for them to fit together perfectly. He needs to taste her lips, hold her close, whisper that he loves her more than anyone in the world. And repeat that, once again, he isn’t overthinking anything.

“Then why the roof?” Harmony presses a quick kiss to his lips before grinning. “Why not just wait for me downstairs? Or were you afraid that you’d be to tempted to open your laptop again and make us super late?”

“Hey!” Harmony grins, holding back her laughter as Urbain frowns. “I’m not that bad!”

“Of course not, Mr. President. It’s not like your job is your whole life or anything like that.”

“I can assure you that my job is not my whole life.”

“Then remind me why we’re going to a Quasartico-funded charity gala on a Saturday night instead of spending it in our pjs and watching shitty movies?”

Urbain sighs. Harmony does have a point; it would be a lot more fun to be cuddled under warm blankets, watching that shitty rom-com Urbain’s had in his watchlist for the past four months or letting a rerun of some sitcom play in the background as he shows Harmony a good time. There are a lot of things that are a lot more fun than work-related events, but Urbain isn’t exactly very good at saying no when it comes to Quasartico; hopefully, that will change with time, when people respect him a little more and he can actually afford to say no.

“It’ll be fun, I promise.” Harmony quirks her eyebrow at him; they both know that it won’t be as fun as just staying in. “They’re gonna have the fancy little bites of things I have never had in my life.”

“Fine. But no one better breathe a word about how I’m stuffing my face because I will walk out if I have to listen to one person tell me its not ladylike to be taking so much from the platter.”

Light laughter bubbles out of Urbain as Harmony presses her finger to his chest. She isn’t exactly known for her poise and gentleness; it’s no secret that the top trainer of the Royale is a bit of a brute who favors honesty over sparing feelings. She’s not one to lie just to make people feel better about themselves; she will never make herself small for others’ comfort. And that’s something Urbain adores about her; sometimes, he really wishes he was a little more like her.

“Hey.” Warm fingers brush against his cheek, drawing his attention back to sparkling gray eyes. “Babe, what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit. Tell me what’s going through your head.”

“That I love you.”

It’s the truth. Urbain really is thinking about how much he loves her. That very thought actually takes up a lot of his days; if he’s not trying to do damage control, or if he’s not busy trying to understand numbers, he’s thinking about how much he adores Harmony. He’s got her running through his head first thing in the morning, and she’s the last thing on his mind as he lets sleep take over.

“Hey, Harms?”

She hums as Urbain takes her hands in his. His heart is hammering in his chest as he holds her gaze. He can barely hear the city sounds from how loud it’s gotten in his head; there’s pounding in his ears and his hands won’t stop shaking despite Harmony’s grip tightening. Everything is too loud; he’s honestly suddenly feeling a little nauseous and stupid.

“Yes, baby?”

Harmony’s hand is warm and soothing against Urbain’s cheek. Everything will be alright. He can do this. He’s not stupid. He’s been wanting to ask for ages now. It’s now or never. He’s already taken the first step.

“You know I love you, right?” Harmony nods, not bothering to conceal her smile. “And that you’re my whole world?” She nods again. “And that I would do absolutely anything for you?”

“I know, Urbain. And you know that I love you too, right?”

He knows she loves him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said yes to a first date all those years ago, and she most definitely wouldn’t still be waking up next to him every morning. She wouldn’t be getting ready for a company event for him if she didn’t love him, and she most definitely wouldn’t be pressing a kiss to his lips as she repeats the words to him once again.

“I love you very much, babe. But,” another kiss is quickly pressed to his lips, “we should probably get going before we’re massively late.”

The opportunity is slipping away; Harmony is pushing her way out of Urbain’s hold. She’s turning away, ready to make her way back down to the ground floor. She’s ready to leave; Urbain cannot let that happen.

“Harmony.” His grip tightens around her wrist; she furrows her brow as she turns back to him. “Harmony Melodie Pax. You are the love of my life and I’m going to sound incredibly stupid right now if you walk away, but I need you to know that I love you. I love you more than anything in this whole world. And I cannot fathom a life without you next to me. So please, I’m begging you, please give me one more minute.”

Something in Harmony’s face shifts as Urbain lets go of her hand. She just stands there, staring at him; her breathing seems to have quicken, which is a little worrisome, not that Urbain has time to really focus on that. He’s a little preoccupied by his shaking hands as he does his best to curl his fingers around the little velvet box sunken deep into his pocket. If he drops it to the ground, he might die a little on the inside; thankfully, nothing falls as he pulls the box out and lowers himself onto one knee.

“Harmony, you are my best friend, the love of my life, my absolute everything. I don’t want to go a single day without you in it. So,” Urbain is shaking as he opens the box, “will you marry me?”

Thankfully, he doesn’t drop the ring box has he topples over; Harmony’s kisses are sweet as always as her arms wrap around his neck and she breaths her answer over and over again between each hurried kiss she lays on him. And her smile has never been bigger; she is absolutely breathtaking as Urbain slips the sapphire ring onto her finger. The cold of the metal feels nice against his cheek; the feeling keeps him from wondering if this is all a dream.

“It’s perfect.” Harmony holds her hand up to admire the ring as she gets comfortable in Urbain’s lap. “And it’s the same color as your eyes.”

 That is a coincidence, maybe. It hadn’t occurred to him that the color matches his eyes; he just couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes has sparkled the last time they had walked down Vernal Avenue. He couldn’t help but notice the way she had slowed down, her eyes catching on the display window of the Stone Emporium. He couldn’t help but remember the exact set she had pointed out, calling it pretty. How was he supposed to notice anything other than the fact that his girlfriend was pointing out a bridal set and calling it gorgeous?

Another kiss is pressed to Urbain’s lips, bringing him back to the here and now. And as he tilts his head just enough to deepen the kiss, all of his excitement decides to come out at once. She said yes. Harmony said yes. He’s going to marry her! Not right this moment, but she’s going to be his wife!

“Holy shit.” Urbain can’t help the laughter that bubbles out of him as he buries his face in Harmony’s shoulder. “We’re gonna have to plan a wedding. And make a guest list. And a menu and—”

Urbain melts into the kiss. He doesn’t mind being silenced this way.

“Tomorrow. We can talk about that tomorrow. But right now, beloved fiancé,” heat rushes into Urbain’s cheeks as he grins at the new title, “I believe we have a fundraiser we’re extremely late for that we need to get to. And for once,” one more kiss is pressed to Urbain lips before Harmony slowly pushes herself off of him, “I kinda wanna go. I might wanna show off the pretty ring I got from Mr. President himself.”

Urbain is back on his feet before slipping his fingers through Harmony’s. He gives her hand a squeeze before pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.