037. MIRRORS // STICK

When Rory made her way down the stairs, she realized she couldn't stare at her reflection and see the regret over last night.

The mirror was gone. Between last night and now, it had been taken down and rested against the wall with the glass facing inwards.

Every mirror in the house was either covered or taken down.

Harry had done that for her. She didn't need him to admit it; she knew it in her heart to be true.

Spotting the long-haired devil in the living room twisting a wrapped cherry sucker in between his fingers, she swallowed her pride and blurted, "I'm sorry about how I acted last night."

The second he heard her voice, Harry immediately stood up, walked towards her, and handed her the lollipop.

"What's this for?"

"You don't like flowers. I don't know... I thought getting you these instead was our thing."

Her brow furrowed at the treat. "But I'm the one that's wrong here, Harry. Don't people give flowers when they're apologizing?"

"Not all the time. Sometimes you just think of someone and buy it."

"So you were thinking of me?"

"I always am, Bambi," he told her honestly. "And, don't apologize."

"No, I need to. You were only trying to comfort me, and I was horrible to you."

"I know none of this is easy for you. You needed to let some things out, and you did that." He let a cheeky smile show. "But do you know what else you did?"

"What?"

"You were honest," he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You needed to be alone, and you expressed that. So, don't apologize for being honest with how you felt, Rory. And by the way," Harry leaned towards her, "You are a survivor. Never forget that."

Looking at the treat in her hand, she asked, "How are you so understanding?"

"Because I know where you've been. Feeling like you're all alone - fighting off your demons by yourself. It never changes, and it doesn't matter how many times you tell yourself that you don't need anyone else. Sometimes you do. That doesn't make you weak."

"You know, it's hard to hate you when you say things like that," she admitted. "Makes things pretty difficult."

"I don't mean to make it more difficult for you, Bambi. I'm only telling you the truth." Tucking two fingers under her chin, he lifted her head. "You are strong as all hell, and this brain of yours? Brilliant. And you know how hard it is for me to admit you're smart, so you must know I mean that," he teased. "Like I told you last night... You're beautiful, Rory, inside and out, and a few marks on your skin don't change that. Not now and not ever."

If Rory ever doubted she could get lost in someone's eyes, she had just been proven wrong. It was a hard internal battle, hearing someone say all the things you longed to hear from them yet trying to deny there was any truth behind it. She wanted to believe he was being honest, but the part of her that faced what she saw in the mirror every morning screamed bullshit.

Forcing her attention to something else, Rory looked at the dining room table. "What is all of this stuff?" she asked, looking at the bags.

"I, uh, got you some things. So you could feel more comfortable here." Harry stepped forward and opened the first duffel bag. "I grabbed some clothes from your apartment. I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I just took what I've seen you wear before." Harry opened one of the plastic bags. "I didn't want to take your products, so I wrote them down and got what I could at the store. I hope all of them are right, but I got your lotion... body wash... shampoo... uh," he opened another bag, "toothpaste... hair brush... shaving kit..."

Rory looked at him in amazement as he continued listing the things he had purchased or brought from her apartment.

"Oh, and of course," he opened a side pocket to the duffel bag and held up her favourite stuffed cow plushie, "I brought you Stick."

Rory giggled. "Pebbles."

"What?"

"His name is Pebbles. Not Stick."

"Oh, right. Are you sure you don't like Stick?" he asked, looking directly at the cow, "I think it fits him better." Brushing off the conversation, Harry took her hand and led her into the kitchen, opening the cupboards. "I also got some of your favourite things from the store. The crackers you like, those gummies shaped like sharks, oh, the noodle soups you get."

Rory fell back into silence, once again staring at him in amazement. Harry continued to show off the things he got and opened the fridge to show that it was full of more healthy options. She noticed a new coffee machine as he led her back into the main room. Did he get that for her? Or was it just a coincidence?

"Why did you do all of this?"

"Because I want you to feel comfortable while you're here. I know this probably isn't where you want to be, so I want to make sure you at least have what you need. And-"

Harry fell silent as Dallas busted through the front door, carrying a large box. With huffs and puffs, he loudly entered the room and placed the box on the dining room table.

"Holy shit, Boss. When you asked me to pick up something from the bookstore, I expected a normal sized book or two. Not a massive thing of fucking bricks." Dallas stretched out his arms. "Thank god I worked out."

Rory would have made a comment, something to turn him red in the face. But instead her attention was on the ground, staring at her sock-covered feet.

"Bambi?"

She turned her head up.

"Come on, one last thing," Harry said, gesturing to the new item on the table.

With a curious look in her eye, Rory opened the box and was instantly shocked by what she found. "Textbooks?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you don't have any of these. If you do, I can take them back. But I asked them for the best of the best."

Rory pulled out the first one, a medical textbook from one of the top universities about neuroanatomy. Opening the book, the first crack of the spine made her gasp as she flipped through the pages, instantly filling her senses with the classic fresh, new book smell. There were at least ten in the box, each one a brand new edition.

"Harry, you really shouldn't have."

"Why not? You like reading them, right?"

"I do, but I also know how much it costs." With a heavy sense of regret, she put the textbook back with the others and shook her head. "Take them back."

"No fucking way! I am not lifting up that box again!" Dallas called out from the couch.

"Sorry, Bambi," Harry said, sounding anything but disappointed, "Guess this means you have to keep them." His eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot." He reached for a small gift bag. "Here."

"What is it?"

"Open it."

"I can't take any more gifts from you, Harry."

He waved off her comment. "It was ten bucks, Rory. Just open it."

Easily giving in to his puppy dog look, she rolled her eyes and opened the bag. Pulling out a small box, she thought she was going to cry.

"It's a snowglobe of Seattle." Assuming her silence was due to confusion over the item, he added, "I know you want to go home. But I know you said it's far too painful for you. So I thought you could have a little piece of it here and-" Noting the way her eyes glossed over, he quickly said, "I can return it if it's not-"

"No," she said quickly with a smile. "This is... the nicest thing anyone has ever gotten me."

Letting out a breath of relief, Harry looked down at her hands. "Shit, thank god. I thought I just fucked everything up there for a second."

You could never do that, she thought to herself.

"Harry?" She dropped her voice to a whisper, "Can you tell Dallas to leave?"

He nodded and looked over her shoulder, calling out to the man who had made himself comfortable on the couch. "Dallas?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Get out."

"On it," he said, hurrying out of the room.

Once the two were alone, Harry returned his attention to her and asked, "Is everything okay?"

With a slight nod, she stepped forward. She tried to make sense of why she asked for Dallas to leave and why she wanted to be alone with him in the first place. They were friends. Anything she needed to say, she should have been able to with Dallas in the same room, even if he couldn't overhear their conversation.

But she wanted to be alone with Harry.

She wanted one of those moments.

The kind where they stood staring at one another in complete silence, feeling like the only noise to fill the room came from the rapid beats of their hearts. Rory had no idea if he was thinking or feeling the same - in fact, she doubted he was. And at that moment, she didn't care.

She just wanted this.

She wanted him.

"Rory..." Harry said in a low, whisper-sounding voice.

Hearing her real name in such a way convinced her that her heart skipped a beat. She had never liked hearing someone saying her name as he did. When comparing it to other things he could have chosen to call her, Bambi was a cute(ish) nickname. But she craved the moments where he said her name.

Rory didn't try to shield her intentions; it was evident across her face. She might as well have written "kiss me, you idiot" across her forehead.

For a split second, she feared she almost said those words out loud and not in her head because, like clockwork, Harry stepped forward, closing the distance between them further and raised a hand to her cheek.

Everything around them faded to the background, with her focused solely on him. There was no other colour she would ever find herself lost in like his emerald green eyes.

"Rory," he repeated, dropping his voice to a whisper.

She didn't know it then, but Rory didn't just like the way he said her name. She loved it.

Inching her lips closer to his, she knew more than anything that she wanted this moment. It was just like the ones written about in shows, movies, and books. She was that character she dreamed of being, sharing it with the person that reminded her she had a beating heart in her chest.

Brushing her lips against his, she peered her eyes up and whispered, "Harry."

"What do you mean I can't go in there?" Colson spat, presumably to Dallas.

Hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps, Rory stepped back, forcing Harry to abandon his touch. Harry was almost thankful that Colson entered and immediately pulled his focus away. If left staring at Rory, Harry would've overanalyzed her expression, waiting for the regret to wash over her.

"What's got you all smiling?" Colson asked, directing his question to the brunette in front of him. "Wake up on the right side of the bed for once?"

Rory shrugged, opening the new bottle of lotion and taking a quick sniff. "I'm just happy to have my things again." Her eyes flickered to Harry, giving him a knowing look.

Running his fingers through his hair, Harry bit back a laugh, not wanting to alert suspicion. "Not everyone wants to be pissed off all the time like you."

Colson rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How are the bruises?"

"Still making my face look disgusting."

"Rory."

She sighed at Harry's warning tone. "They're fine. In a couple of days, I'll be able to cover it up easily. I've been down this road before."

Not sure how to respond without saying something that would get him slapped upside the head, Colson asked, "Can I check your elbow?"

Moving into position, Rory stood still as Colson unwrapped the dressing around her arm and checked over the wound. Her eyes remained focused on Harry, unable to hide the smile that spread across her lips or the blush dusting her cheeks.

"Everything looks good - it's healing nicely," he said, wrapping a fresh bandage around her arm. "You could probably bend it a bit now without causing any damage. Just be careful."

"Will do, Doc."

"And, Harry," Colson said, turning his attention to the long-haired man, "We have some business that came up. And it needs to be attended to this morning, so I've asked Dallas and Kip to stay around."

"When do we leave?"

"In an hour."

"Perfect." Harry picked up the bags off the table and turned to Rory. "Let me take this upstairs for you."

Remaining still, she was unsure of how to play this. Was she supposed to follow him? Or did he want her to stay behind to avoid making anyone suspicious? Would going upstairs be that much of a crime?

"Rory?"

She blinked. "Yeah?"

Harry returned the knowing look she had not too long ago. Corner of his mouth tugging into a smirk, he asked, "Can you show me where you want everything to go?"

instead of posting yesterday, I decided to save yall the pains of reading over my editing job on 4.5 hours of sleep. and instead, got 3 hours of sleep and read this over now <3 the things I do for (w)hory :')