#different pov

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Harmony was the kind of person who's mere presence could make a room warmer and brighter, between her beaming smile, contagious laughter, and just about everything else about her. At least, that was what one of her best friends, Urbain, thought. So of course he had been the first to notice when she was missing. As he sat down to the meeting room's table where Lida and Naveen were already waiting, he noticed the distinct lack of Harmony being there with them.

"Oh, is Harmony not back yet? I thought she said she'd be back in time for dinner..." Urbain inquired curiously.

Lida gave a small frown as she shrugged, "No, I haven't seen her again since this morning when she left... Wait, do you think she's ok??"

"I'm sure she's just running late or something, there's no reason to worry right now," Naveen adds, taking a drink from his glass before setting it back down.

Urbain had looked back at his messages with Harmony from earlier, confirming that she had infact told him she was coming for dinner and that she'd be back by 6:30, but it was already past 7 now. Harmony wasn't the most punctual individual, exactly, but normally she'd just be a couple minutes late, not over 30. And when she was going to be late somewhere, especially extra late, she always did her best to tell someone. But Urbain had heard nothing from her since then.

"Did Harmony text either of you she was gonna be late tonight? I've got nothing..." Urbain surveyed for some kind of answer as both of them looked down at their own phones to check.

"Nope..."

"Nothing."

They all exchanged an uneasy glance with each other, beginning to worry for their friend. Harmony had, to put it one way, a penchant for trouble. She seemed to be a magnet for chaos, to put it another. She was a very skilled and competent pokemon trainer, but she could also be very impulsive and borderline reckless sometimes, which had gotten her into significant trouble on more than one occassion...

"Maybe she just forgot..." Lida tried to reassure, but the lack of her usual confidence and cheeriness gave the statement little effect.

"I'll try calling her..." Urbain remarks, only sounding marginally more confident than Lida had.

His phone rung for a few tense moments, as Urbain only hoped that she would pick up and tell them all not to worry so much and that she was just late or something. But it never happened. No answer. That certainly did nothing to quell their worries; in fact it only made their collective dread grow.

"I'll just send her a text instead, then..." Urbain proposed awkwardly as he looked back from his increasingly worried friends to his phone.

"I'm sure Harmony's fine, she's capable..." Naveen repeated his sentiment from before, but sounded a lot less sure this time.

The rest of dinner came and went without another word from or about Harmony, as they all subconciously agreed they were probably just overthinking things, and that she'd show up back to the hotel eventually. They spoke and ate as if things were fine and normal, about their day, their pokemon, the usual, but none of them could shake the air of unease that hung heavy in the meeting room for the duration of the meal.

Eventually, both Lida and Naveen headed back up to their own rooms for the night, leaving just Urbain in the lobby at the front desk with Floette.

"♪ Kyuryu! ♪" Floette gave a little twirl and a melodic cry in an attempt to cheer Urbain up.

"Thanks, Floette. I'm just worried because Harmony still hasn't come back yet..." he expressed, worry still set into his expression.

"Maybe I'll try calling her again..." he contemplated, as Floette gave another twirl in agreement and she floated over closer to him.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

Still nothing. No answer again.

Urbain let out a disapointed sigh as he put his phone back onto the desk, looking over to Floette, who gestured at him with her flower, "Kyuu?"

"No, Floette. You don't need to go out looking for her," Urbain laughed a nervous laugh at her proposal, "I'm sure Harmony is fine," Urbain tried to assure her (and himself), but the words rang hollow through the quiet lobby.

Urbain ended up staying at the desk for a few more hours, until about 1am, before deciding to go to bed for the night. He wished he could've said how Harmony had eventually wearily stumbled herself back in through the front doors, as he ran over to see her, to wrap her chilled body in a warm embrace and feel a wave of relief wash over him like he was having a lovely day at the beach; but no such thing ever happened that night, leaving instead only a growing pit in his stomach like a slowly expanding sinkhole.

He spent the time with Floette who continued to try to cheer him up, but to little success. He would sit there, stare into space, practically nodding off, with where Harmony might be and what might've happened to her being his only thoughts, resisting the urge to call her again. It was agony.

He should've told her. He should've just told her already. He should've told her long before now. How much he cared about her. How much she brightened his life, just being in it. That he loved her. Why hadn't he? It wasn't like he hadn't been given plenty of opportunities before; some of which felt like a gift from universe itself, practically begging Urbain to confess to her. And yet he hadn't, and now it was absolutely killing him, he thought, as he stared up at his ceiling. What if something had happened to her? Maybe he could call just one last time?

No, if she hadn't answered before, why would she now...

Eventually Urbain drifted off into sleep, even if he didn't feel too peaceful. His Meowstic, which sometimes joined him in bed at night, used some of its psychic abilities to connect its trainer's own dreams with Harmony's. It gave Urbain the subconcious sensations of a gently breeze rocked hammock, and of warm sun on his skin. The pokemon was satisfied when its trainer's expression softened to content instead of worry, curling up to sleep itself on top of the covers next to him.

————

“He’s in surgery right now,” Maru explained. “Why don’t we have a seat?” She gestured to the plastic chairs in the waiting room, which turned out to be exactly as uncomfortable as they looked. 

Once he was seated, June suddenly couldn’t stand to face Maru. “What happened?” he asked the floor, trying to calm his breathing. 

“We don’t exactly know,” said Maru in a solemn voice. “Pam brought him in, saying that Sandy heard some kind of struggle down in the mines, and I guess the two of them worked together to get him back here. Pam was mighty proud of how many speed limits she broke,” Maru added ruefully. “Based on that evidence, I’d say he was attacked by some kind of monster down there—”

June met her gaze, a bolt of fear striking his heart. “A monster? The stories are real?”

Maru nodded slowly. “I don’t know exactly what’s down there myself, but this isn’t the first time we’ve treated someone with life-threatening injuries from those blasted mines. We’ve done this before.”

Life-threatening? June found himself unable to breathe once again as he tried to respond. “I— I…” 

“Hey,” Maru grabbed both his hands and squeezed them. “As a medical professional, I’m supposed to be as objective as possible. But as your friend, well… Dr. Harvey is brilliant, and he’s very, very good at his job. Ben is in great hands, okay? I promise.”

He tried to nod, but somehow, he couldn’t move.

“Do you have panic attacks often, June?” asked Maru softly, squeezing his hands more tightly. “Here, breathe with me,” she added, exaggerating deep breaths of her own. 

Truthfully, most of the panic attacks he’d experienced had been the result of a really bad trip (or the paranoia that was associated with said), and the feeling was so unfamiliar while sober that it caught him off-guard. It wasn’t his miserable lung capacity trying to suffocate him after all, but the long-neglected nemesis of his own anxiety. He tried to focus on Maru’s breaths, on counting the tiles on the floor, on reading the “get your flu shot” information sign text backwards, until the dizziness began to subside, the air began to seep back into the room little by little. 

His internal prayer kept playing on repeat, however. Please, please Dr. Harvey, please help him, I can’t lose him, I don’t know what I’d do—

Something made a crackling noise, and Maru reached for what appeared to be some sort of radio device. “Maru, come join me, please,” a voice instructed on the other end of the radio. 

“It’s the doc,” Maru explained, which June could have guessed. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”  She disappeared through the door at the back of the office, leaving June alone in the waiting room.

He swallowed hard. Something at the back of his mind was trying to remind him how hilariously tragic it would be if something horrible happened to Ben before they’d even gotten around to… well, you know. Ugh. Not the time, dumbass. What else was there to do while he waited, though, but worry? His thoughts were so loud, as if hundreds of alarms were going off at once, bringing him closer and closer to the edge of sanity. 

What if the surgery goes badly? What if he dies? What if I lose the only good thing that’s ever happened to me? How could I ever find anyone as kind, and caring, and generous? How could I even go on without him?

You’d feel better if you had a drink, you know. Or a smoke. Or anything, really. I bet there’s some oxy in one of these rooms, or at least some benzos. Just pop a few, and things would be so much easier, you’d be calmer, everything would be better, you wouldn’t feel like this anymore.

You’ll never get a happy ending, idiot. Do you think you’re some kind of main character, finding his happily ever after? It’s not a fairy tale, you’re not some princess; everyone knows you’ll just overdose alone someday, and it’ll be exactly what you deserve. You’re just a fuckup, a nobody, a junkie, a guy who doesn’t fit in—

Without Ben, you’re nothing. 

After what seemed like hours, the door opened, revealing Maru. Her expression was unreadable, and June’s own heart nearly stopped. He stood, striding to meet her across the room as quickly as possible. “How is he?” June asked. Is he okay? Did he even survive? 

Maru gave June a weary smile. “The surgery went well; he’s in recovery now,” she said, wiping across her forehead with the back of one hand. “He’s still asleep at the moment, but the doc says he’ll wake up soon, and then you can see him.”

“I…” June’s legs felt weak all of a sudden, and he sank down in the nearest chair. “He’s alive?” He managed. 

With a slowly blooming smile, Maru nodded. “Yeah. He’s gonna be just fine.” She sat next to June and rubbed his shoulder. “He… well, it wasn’t easy. Dr. Harvey says that Ben, um, well… that they lost him for a little bit, and if Dr. Harvey hadn’t had that life elixir available, well… things might not have turned out as well.”

June felt like he was going to faint. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice wouldn’t cooperate. 

“But,” Maru continued, “I told you, the doc’s the best in the biz, and Ben’s gonna be good as new. He’ll be sore and probably have a gnarly scar to show off once it heals fully, but he’s tough.” She continued running a soothing hand along June’s shoulders as he tried to allow himself to relax. “Those elixirs are miraculous, seriously. I bet he gets to go home tonight, even.” 

“Come on in!” A deep voice sang from behind the door, and Maru grinned.

“That’s the doc— sounds like Ben might be waking up,” She explained. “Go through the first door on your right; I’ll wait out here and get the paperwork ready,” she added, briefly making a face. 

June was up in an instant, pushing his way through the door and calling “thanks, Maru!” over his shoulder. It wasn’t far from the waiting room to the room Maru had indicated, but June found himself running regardless, until he pushed through the door to see his boyfriend, alive and nearly well; the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. 

Ben was lying in a hospital bed, eyes closed, wearing a deeply unflattering hospital gown (was there any other variety?), hooked up to several IVs and machines, his glasses in one hand. For a moment, June’s heart was stuck in his throat as he saw Ben laying there motionless, but he shook off the feeling as he approached. 

“Ben! Honey, are you okay?” June cried, reaching for Ben even as he spoke. “Doctor, can I hug him?” He didn’t wait for Harvey to answer, however, and as soon as his hands touched Ben, landing on his shoulders, one traveling to caress his cheek, Ben’s eyes snapped open. He fumbled to put his glasses on one-handed, then burst into a brilliant, if weary, smile as he focused on his boyfriend in front of him. 

“June?” Ben asked groggily, awkwardly attempting to tuck some of June’s hair behind his ear (which was unsuccessful; it was too short). “How—? Your job… the hotel…?” He squinted as he studied June’s face, no doubt disoriented. 

All June could do was stare lovingly at his boyfriend, one hand still on his cheek— warm, soft, full of life, though his sideburns were in need of a proper trim. You’re here. You made it. You’re okay. You’re alive. June traced the contour of Ben’s lips with his thumb, mentally mapping the constellation of freckles that was sprinkled across his nose (even in Winter). He found himself lost in the amber brown depth of Ben’s eyes, tired and half-lidded, yet still shining with the determination to keep going, to live. 

Never leave me, please. I love you.