The Right Time
Of course Renato came after him. The headstart Harry had out of the bedroom while the man was in a stupor disappeared the instant Harry turned down a hallway, realized it was a deadend and had to turn back.
He made it halfway through an empty living room toward what he was certain was the front door when Renato grabbed him and spun him around.
"What the fuck?" Renato snarled in his face.
Harry kicked his knee and tried to yank out of his grip. Renato grunted, re-adjusted his stance, and held on, hands tightening around his shoulder and forearm until Harry was sure they would bruise.
"What. The. Fuck!" Renato hissed as he pulled Harry closer.
"Let go!" Harry yelled and tried to kick him again. Renato sidestepped his foot, shoved forward, and slammed Harry into the ground before sitting on top of him, knees braced to either side of Harry's hips.
"What is wrong with you?" Renato glared down at him, teeth bared in a grimace. "Why- don't..." His face pinched and he looked away from Harry struggling under him, expression absolutely wretched. "Don't you want me?" his voice came out harsh and painful.
"Oh god," Harry moaned and went limp. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!"
"Why do you keep saying that?" Renato turned back to him, face twisted like he wanted to cry or scream but refused to do either. "What the fuck is wrong?"
"You said-" Harry shook, close to sobbing he was so horrified by what he'd done. "You said- harmony, I, I forced you to-"
"Forced?" Renato snarled as his eyes lit up with fury. "Forced! You think you could ever force me!"
Harry did sob then, because the man sounded crazed but his hands were no longer bruising, and his eyes were filled with anguish. Renato clenched his eyes shut and let out a sound somewhere between a hiss and a snarl.
"You think it would feel like this if you'd forced harmony?" he said with a grimace. "That it could ever be that good if it were forced?"
Renato seemed to lose strength then and crumpled forward until his forehead rested on Harry's.
"That bastardo lightning tried to force you to harmonize with him," he said quietly. "That's why it hurt so bad, isn't it?"
He pulled back enough to look Harry in the eyes.
"I've had Skies try to force harmonization before," he said. "It doesn't feel like this."
Harry blinked up at him. Renato's face twisted into what was probably supposed to be a smirk if it didn't have that edge of pain.
"It's warm, right? You said it was like when you fell asleep this morning and got grass stains all over your back. Bathing in sunlight you said. You really think something that feels that good could be forced?
"But-" Harry frowned. "You said that harmony forces other flames together-"
Renato sat up and glared down at him.
"I said Sky Flames have the power of harmony!" he said angrily. "Not that they force it! I've felt Skies try to force harmony on me before- it burns! And not one sky ever succeeded! Not one ever will! I chose to harmonize with you because you weren't trying to force anything on me!"
"You told me I was pulling you to me!" Harry yelled and clenched his eyes shut. "You said I was driving you crazy!"
"You were drawing me in because I wanted to be drawn in! And you're driving me crazy now!" Renato yelled back and slammed a fist into the ground by Harry's head, making him flinch and glare up at him. "Your Flames are the brightest, most pure Flames I've ever felt! And every time I got close you just let me! Your Flames just let me get close, touched me, and never once tried to force me to do anything!"
Harry couldn't look away from the man as his face broke into an agonized, sorrowful sneer.
"Maybe it's 'cause you're an ignorant civilian and you don't know what the shit you're doing, but I-," Renato fell forward again and gently pressed his forehead to Harry's. "I loved every second of it. I thought it would be fine to just enjoy the feeling for as long as you'd let me, and once you were gone I'd go back to ignoring Skies that tried to drag me in. Excpet then you left, and I... couldn't forget it.
"You liked me in Amsterdam, didn't you?" Renato sat back again and just looked down at Harry, face stiff and tired. "You didn't mind seeing me in Granada, and by Amsterdam you liked seeing me. It hurt when we were apart- when I lost track of you."
"That was because of you?" Harry sucked in a breath when Renato just smirked.
"So it hurt you too, huh?" he said flatly. "Whenever you left…."
Renato laughed then, a little crazily, and moved off Harry to sit shaking next to him.
"Fuck!" he gasped. "Sorry. I tried to keep up with you, but for a civilian you're pretty damn good at loosing a tail. Only reason I was ever able to find you was because of the trail of Flames you let me grab onto."
Renato sighed and leaned back to give Harry a half-hearted sneer.
"Except this last time. Going straight to the train station from your hotel was sloppy. You didn't even try to hide which train you'd picked either."
Harry sat up and stared at him.
"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to keep up with you before. You shouldn't have had to feel that." Renato gave another harsh laugh. "Guess I should be grateful you did such a shit job trying to lose me this last time, since it would've hurt even worse."
"And this time?" Harry asked quietly. Renato cocked an eyebrow at him. "If I left this time...?"
Renato snorted and bowed his head.
"It would be agonizing," he said harshly. Then he looked up at Harry through his lashes, eyes dark and narrowed with a half crazed, half pleased smirk. "But then again, now that we've harmonized this deeply, there isn't anywhere in the world that I can't find you."
"So we are bound together." Harry bowed his own head tiredly. "I'm sorry."
Renato growled as he leaned forward and grabbed him by the collar so fast Harry couldn't even react.
"Stop saying that!" Renato shook him. "You think I didn't want this to happen? That you've fucking trapped me or something?"
"What else would you call it?" Harry shouted as he yanked hard on the man's arms to try and dislodge him. Renato just raised him higher until Harry was struggling to touch his knees to the ground, held up entirely by the man's fists in his shirt collar. "You didn't want to harmonize and now you're stuck with me- a civilian! I don't know anything about these flames! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!"
"THEN I'LL TEACH YOU!" Renato roared.
They both fell silent, just glaring at each other and panting as if they'd been running. Renato winced and dropped him before sitting back and bracing himself on his hands, looking the picture of a relaxed, arrogant asshole. Harry rubbed his knees that had hit the wood floor too hard and sat cross legged to glare at the infuriating man.
"I'm glad we're harmonized, you brat," Renato said darkly. "Even if you are an ignorant, useless civilian."
"You're a creep," Harry snapped back. "You basically stalked me across a continent and you're happy our souls are mixed together just because I had no idea I was doing anything? You should be furious! What the hell is wrong with you?"
Renato rolled his eyes. "You felt it. Who'd be stupid enough to get angry over something that felt that good? Aside from you obviously."
"Shut it!" Harry snapped. "I'm not angry about it! I just-" he looked down at the floor and so missed the man's shocked glance. "I just don't like the idea of controlling people."
Renato was silent for a long time while Harry turned more and more glum as he thought about flames. Merlin, it just figured, didn't it? This world has it's own weird brand of magic, and he gets the one with bloody soul manipulation!
"You're not going to," Renato said finally. Harry looked up to find the man watching him with serious, yellow tinged eyes. "You never tried to force a relationship, and your Flames, as much as they let me reach out and hold onto you, they never reached back until we were on that damn train."
"They did?" Harry blinked. When the hell had that happened?
"Yeah," Renato snorted. "After we fought and then I ignored you for the rest of the trip, your damn Flames kept reaching out to stroke mine. It was annoyingly distracting."
"I- I had no idea!" Harry said, flushing as he tried to imagine it. Stroking the man's flames? Dear Merlin, had his weird flame powers been flirting?
"I know," Renato deadpanned. When Harry winced, he frowned and looked away. "If anyone should be angry about this, it's you."
"What? Why?"
Renato sighed. "Idiot civilian," he muttered, then he faced Harry fully before he could retort. "Look, I know you don't know anything about Flames. I knew that after the first day we met- and I still played at courting you-!" He broke off with a hiss, and looked away, face twisted in a silent snarl. "I took advantage of the fact you didn't know what was happening."
"Courting me?" Harry's voice went much higher pitched than he would have liked, but seriously!
Renato rubbed his forehead tiredly. "That's what you decide to fixate on?"
"Well, I knew you were flirting shamelessly, but bloody courting me?" Harry coughed awkwardly. That made it sound so much more serious than the one night stand he'd thought Renato Sinclair was after. Although, considering soul bonds were involved, of course it would be serious.
Renato stared at him blankly, then slowly began to smirk. "You thought I was flirting?"
"You- you gave me cake!" Harry said, and dammit his face was getting hot. "You kept touching me! What was I supposed to think!"
"That's another reason dealing with civilians is a pain." Renato was almost grinning at him now, like a cat with a canary under its claws. "They tend to misunderstand things between Flames."
"Oh, so the mafia don't flirt like that at all then?" Harry said sarcastically. "You took me out for coffee dammit!"
He hated that he could feel his ears getting hot now, but finding out that the unfairly attractive bastard that had stalked him all across Europe hadn't actually been flirting with him every time he put an arm around him, or touched his arm, or leaned in too close...
Honestly, the man had been driving him crazy and he hadn't even known?
"Heh, not saying we don't," Renato said as he leaned forward to prop his chin on a hand with a small smile as he watched Harry get flustered. "But with Flames, everyone knows that harmonization takes precedence."
"Again- I didn't know that!"
"That's right," Renato tilted his head to the side. "But you sure responded nice sometimes. Let me take you out and feed you, let me take your arm and lean into your warmth..."
Harry flushed such a deep crimson it was a wonder he didn't pass out from the rush of blood.
Renato smiled wider, eyes shining, and leaned closer.
"Did you want me?" he whispered, breath cool against Harry's hot face. "Were you thinking about me in the train, when your Flames finally started calling back to mine?"
Harry shivered when Renato leaned even closer, until their noses almost bumped, and found himself caught by the man's coal dark eyes burning into his. Renato's pupils had gone incredibly wide, and still had an edge of glowing yellow around them.
"Do you still want me?"
Harry gulped. Renato's eyes flashed and shrunk to pinpricks for the second it took them to follow the movement of his throat. When the man looked back up at Harry's eyes, he wore a wolfish grin. Then, before Harry could say anything, he leaned forward that last centimeter and kissed him.
Harry shuddered and let his eyes fall shut while Renato worked his lips and tongue until his mouth fell open. The next few minutes passed breathlessly quick, and when they finally pulled apart Renato had a terribly satisfied smirk on his face.
"You're horrible," Harry said as he caught his breath.
"You like it," Renato said, vocie full of confidence, and how had Harry not noticed how unsure he'd been earlier? "Both your body and your Flames say so."
"You're still horrible."
Renato just grinned and reached for him again. Harry let himself be pulled into the man's lap and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.
"Absolutely horrid," Harry said between kisses. He gasped when Renato moved to his neck and sucked. He didn't stop telling Renato what an awful git he was even when they lay out on the floor and the man got both their shirts off.
Unfortunately, he forgot how to speak by the time Renato got their trousers off.
️Harry woke up groggy, aching, and alone. He was in the bed again, this time properly under the covers and quite naked. It was a familiar pattern for him sadly. He really should stop giving in to his various hopeful stalkers, no matter how attractive they were.
Although- shit, that's right, they were soul bonded, or flame bonded? Harry sat up stiffly with a groan and rubbed his forehead tiredly. He really, really hoped Renato was right about choosing to bond with him. Because if he hadn't really had a choice and then they just had sex, Harry would never forgive himself.
Why were so many of the worlds Harry ended up in so weird, anyway? Honestly, some of the stuff he'd encountered was absolutely ridiculous, but souls shaped like flames and harmony bonds were definitely among the strangest.
He found some clothing laid out on a chair he hadn't noticed the night before, though they weren't his. But it wasn't like he had much choice, unless he felt like walking out of the room as he was.
Harry pursed his lips in thought.
That might actually be rather fun, just so he could see how Renato would react. But no; for now he needed to talk to the man, and if he walked out of the room ass naked there probably wouldn't be much talking.
Maybe next time, and wasn't it nice to think there could be a next time?
A full outfit had been left on the chair, but Harry only put on the pants, shirt and trousers. They were all a little long on him and ended up just baggy enough to be noticeable, so he didn't want to bother with the under shirt and jacket. Those would just make him look like a kid playing dress up.
Once decent, he left the bedroom and turned down the hall to look for Renato. He found the man in the living room sitting on a couch against the wall by the front door. He was reading a newspaper and smoking another cigarette, but once he saw Harry he put both aside, folding the newspaper and tossing it on the small coffee table in front of the couch and stubbing out the cigarette in an ashtray beside it.
"Morning," Harry said as he walked over to him.
Renato looked up at him, face blank. Harry felt his stomach sink. Why had he thought eveything was okay?
"This isn't normal, is it?" he asked.
Renato cocked his head to the side, eyes dark. "Normal?"
Harry couldn't bare to face those flat eyes and looked down.
"Sleeping with a sky," he said grimly. "It isn't normal." He crossed his arms and stepped back. "I really did force you-"
Renato growled as he stood quickly, stalked over to Harry and grabbed his arm.
"Stop saying that!" he snarled as he dragged Harry over to the couch and shoved him onto it. "Who fucking cares if it's normal or not?"
Harry blinked at him, stunned silent by the sudden move.
"It's still my choice to harmonize," Renato continued as he got out another cigarette and lit it angrily, "and it was my fucking choice to fuck you too!"
Harry scoffed and leaned away to glare at him. "Then why are you acting so weird?"
"I'm worried you're gonna do something stupid again and run off without saying anything!"
"I only ran because I thought I was hurting you!"
"If you want to know if you're hurting me, fucking ask me first!"
"And this harmony thing isn't going to make you lie?" Harry yelled.
"No!" Renato sucked in a deep breath through his cigarette and held it for a few seconds before blowing it out in a long stream of smoke.
"Merde," he muttered. "In all my years of dealing with asshole Skies, you have got to be the most frustrating of them all!"
"I'm so sorry!" Harry said snarkily. "It's not like I meant to tie you to some stupid civilian who cares whether you have any choice in your own damn life!"
Renato clenched his jaw and pinched his brow. "What the hell."
Harry frowned and looked away again. "You said other Skies have tried to force you to harmonize, to bind you to them," he said slowly. "You said none of them were strong enough to do it."
He glanced at the man it of the corner of his eyes, sitting very stiffly. "You also said I was the strongest sky you'd ever met, and you went... kinda loopy for a bit."
Renato muttered darkly under his breath and took another deep drag on his cigarette. This time he let the smoke out in one quick huff through his nose before turning to Harry.
"Since this seems to have escaped your notice," he said flatly. "I've been following you for well over a month."
"I know that-!" Harry tried to say.
"I've been courting your Flames," Renato ignored him and just spoke louder, "and I was basking in their warmth every damn time we met!"
Harry fell silent while Renato glared at him and pulled his cigarette out as he really got into his rant.
"We weren't fucking harmonized until last night," he said darkly, "and sure, maybe if we'd gone on like we were for another couple of months, we'd have harmonized anyway!
"But get this through that thick skull of yours," Renato pointed his cigarette in Harry face. "We harmonized because I offered to! Because I made you open to other Flames, holding onto a bit of your's like I was, and you didn't know how to push that pezzo di merda bastardo's Flames out of you, so I pushed mine in their place!
"You want to be upset about forced fucking harmonization, then be pissed at me for forcing you, not the other way around!" Renato snarled then snatched the cigarette back and sucked in until just the butt was left, and ash rained down on his lap. He glared at the mess and stood up in a furious huff, tossing the still burning butt into the ashtray as he went.
"Fuck!" Renato hissed and stalked around the room, running a hand through his hair. "Twelve years! I've been pushing off dickhead Skies trying to force me into harmony for twelve fucking years!"
He spun to Harry staring at him wide eyed and pointed dramatically. "And in six fucking weeks, a damn, stupid civilian with no idea what Flames even are, is worried I had no choice about a harmony I fucking initiated!"
Renato snarled and spit. "Oh, and before you say anything stupid about it- I chose to have sex too!" he yelled. "Cause if I want to fucking have sex with someone, then I fucking will!"
Then he spit again and stalked out of the room into a kitchen that was, well, actually open into the room. So Harry could see him running his hands through his hair again and pulling while he clenched his eyes shut.
Harry sat stunned in the silence for a full minute, before he began to worry that Renato might actually have no idea Harry could see him, and being that lost in your own head was never good, so he stood up and slowly walked over.
"Hey," Harry said softly. Renato stiffened, but didn't turn around. Harry shuffled his feet.
"So, um... are you actually... worried that you forced me to harmonize?" he asked carefully.
Renato flinched and stayed silent. Bingo. Oh dear Merlin, but Harry really had walked right into a landmine, hadn't he? He'd been so worried about accidenally forcing something he didn't understand on this man, and the whole time Renato thought he'd tricked Harry instead.
That wouldn't do.
"You didn't," he said. Renato scoffed and turned further away from him. "No, really!"
Harry stepped closer and reached out for the man, but stopped. He wasn't sure if touching him was such a good idea right now.
"Look, I- I know I've kinda been running away a lot," Harry said.
Renato snorted but didn't otherwise move.
"Yeah. Running is pretty much what I do," Harry agreed with a laugh. "But it's not because I don't want you or anything. Kind of the opposite actually."
Renato let go of his hair and stood stiffly with his back still to Harry, but progress was progress.
"I tend to like most people, Harry said quietly, "and I really like you. I did enjoy meeting you over and over, even though I kept running away." Harry sighed. "It's just that, if I start to care about someone, I know I'll lose them eventually, and..."
Harry looked down, thinking of Ginny and their children, of Ron and Hermione and their family, of everyone he'd loved from his first, true home. Their loss had left a hollow ache of regret in his heart, and every person he'd loved since only added to it.
"I can't lose anyone else," he admitted softly. "Everyone is-" His voice cut off, and Harry had to take a deep breath before he tried again. "People die, that's just a fact, but I can't stand it."
Renato shifted to look over his shoulder at him, an unreadable expression on his face. Harry smiled weakly.
"I kept running away because I didn't want to start caring and then have to watch you die," he said. "And I really didn't like finding out that our souls could be bound together, because how much worse would it be to lose you then?"
Harry laughed as he felt his eyes burn. "And if you didn't even have a choice? Good god, I would never want to put that kind of pain on anyone!" He bit his lip and looked away. "I already liked you before tonight- hell, I liked you before we were on the train and my flames reached out or whatever it was they did."
He looked back up at Renato, who'd turned fully to him but was still utterly blank.
"So it matters to me," he said. "It matters what you want and whether you have a choice in being bound to me or harmonized or whatever. But you shouldn't think that you've forced me into anything."
Harry grinned at Renato's empty face. "Chased me, and been an utter asshole sure, but not forced me, and…," Harry lowered his gaze and glanced away. "And as long as you're not upset about it, I won't be either. I really don't dislike being bound to you at all."
He laughed suddenly and shrugged. "Who'd be stupid enough to get upset about something that felt so good after all?"
Renato stared at him after he finished and took a deep breath.
"Fuck," he said harshly. Then he strode forward, grabbed Harry by the shoulders, and leaned in to kiss him long and hard.
"Fuck," he said again when they pulled apart to gasp.
Harry laughed breathlessly. "And this?" he asked quickly. "Is this really okay? I mean, if it isn't normal, are you sure we should be-"
"Who gives a fuck?" Renato said with a sharp grin. "I don't care what other Skies and their Guardians do. You're mine."
Renato wrapped his arms around Harry and plastered their fronts together. Harry reached up to hug him back and arched into the feeling of their groins rubbing against each other.
"My Sky," Renato murmured into Harry's hair, slowly nosing his way down to bite at his ear. "I don't give a fuck what's normal for someone else. You're my Sky, and as long as you want me to, I want to fuck you."
Harry's face got hot and he laughed. A shiver went down his spine when he felt a tongue dip into the crevices of his ear lobe, but he tilted his head away.
"I would love to," he said. "But I also would like to talk to you first."
"We could do that after," Renato whispered as he chased him and moved lower to nibble and suck on the skin just behind his ear.
"We already had sex today!" Harry laughed even as he bit back a moan.
"Last night," Renato corrected.
"I'd still like to talk first." Harry propped his chin on Renato's shoulder with a sigh.
Renato sighed as well. "Fine," he said, giving Harry a squeeze. "I suppose I should make sure you eat something. You missed dinner."
"I had plenty to eat yesterday," Harry said with a snort. "I'm still full."
"I'm a Sun," Renato said smugly. "I'm going to exhaust you later, so you'll need a good meal to start the day."
"You are absolutely impossible," Harry laughed into the man's shoulder.
"You like it." Renato smirked into his hair.
"Yes," Harry leaned back with a grin. "I really do."
A.N.: Hey guys! No cliffhanger this time~ I admit, I did a little editing and cutting to make that end for the last chapter lol. But this time you are safe! Let me know what you think- Did anyone guess what was going on? Do you still have some questions the cuddlefest and heart-to-heart didn't answer?