"I need you like a heart needs a beat." (Unknown)

"Thinking of you keeps me awake. Dreaming of you keeps me asleep. Being with you keeps me alive." (Unknown)

"There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." (Sarah Dessen)

"To be your friend is all I ever wanted; to be your lover was all I ever dreamed." (Valerie Lombardo)

"One word frees us all from the weight and pain of life:that word is love." (Sophocles)

"Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you." (Loretta Young)

"Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own." (H. Jackson Brown Jr.)

Harry listened to the rumble of thunder outside as he lay stretched out on the soft down comforter of the bed, brilliant flashes of lightning intermittently cutting through the darkness like a jagged knife. He recalled how such a storm had caused him to crash on this planet. Back then he thought it a great misfortune, for it caused his mission to be delayed. Now, though, he was thankful for it. Because of this unexpected turn of events he learned that Earth was so much more than what he had been taught to believe. The humans that inhabited it were not the undeveloped species his race thought they were. The emotions they experienced were wide and varied, shifting constantly as they went about their lives. Harry himself felt them firsthand, some more pleasant than others, but there was one he was particularly fond of.

Asta had been the first person he made any sort of connection with and, as such, the one with whom he bonded the most. There were times where their relationship was tested, such as when she found out about the dead doctor, but it held despite the pressure placed upon it. Even the weight of his mission could not break it and he willingly sacrificed everything just to keep her safe. It hurt him immensely to leave her behind, Harry fearing he would never get over the pain. Fortunately, though, that was not the last time he was to see her. The irony that the child that caused so many problems for him in the past was the reason he returned to Earth and to Asta was not lost on him. For without Max stowing away aboard his ship he would not be here now.

He was still amazed that she had fallen in love with him. She could have chosen any man on the planet, but she picked him. That she forgave Harry for the horrible actions he committed when he first landed was more than he had hoped, but she went beyond that by giving her heart to him. He promised himself never to break it again when they first started dating. Although he was proud to be her boyfriend, as time passed he wanted to do something more. His people held no concept of marriage, but he wanted to prove his love to her as much as he could. So he went to the jewelry store not too far from town, purchased an engagement ring, and racked his mind for a place to propose. In the end he selected the spot where she had unburdened herself to him.

The entire drive there he had been nervous, fear that she would reject his proposal coursing through him as he desperately tried to convince himself she wouldn't. When he knelt down in the snow he watched as her eyes grew wide, heart hammering in his chest as worry gripped him. Then Asta flung her arms around Harry as she kissed him, saying of course she would marry him. And now here they were, as husband and wife, on their honeymoon in Ireland. They planned to go to England later, but he wasn't in a hurry to leave. The countryside was quite beautiful, even in weather such as this, and there were many places of interest to explore. Today they had gone to visit Owen's Aunt Colleen and Uncle Donald who owned a dairy farm. Both were very welcoming, treating them as if they were family. They even invited them to stay for dinner and, when they said their goodbyes, gave the newlyweds a whole case of milk and a tin of cookies to take back to the inn they were staying at.

"What's going on in that mind of yours, hmm?"

Harry glanced over at his wife, who currently had her head on his shoulder, running her index finger over his wedding band.

"Oh, just thinking of how lucky I am to have you."

"I thought you were a scientist and didn't believe in luck."

"There are always exceptions."

Harry tilted her chin up and kissed her deeply, happiness flooding him when she did the same. He felt her hand stroke his cheek, then drift further downwards as it traced the outline of his chest. Irritated at there being a barrier between them he drew his shirt off, sighing in pleasure as her fingertips brushed across the skin of his torso. Of course, as he was anxious to do so himself, he tugged at her own garment. Asta broke their kiss and smiled, nuzzling the side of his neck.

"Eager, aren't you, Hah-Re?"

A shiver of excitement ran up his spine at hearing the closest translation of his name in her tongue.

"How can I not be?"

"Flatterer."

"It's not flattery if it's true."

Asta pecked him on the lips, then let him remove it, a black, lacy bra the only thing left covering her upper body. Regretting that his teeth were not sharp enough in his current form to bite it off, he reached around her back and fumbled with the clasp. To his dismay, though, he found himself failing. Seeing that he was having trouble, she gently guided his hands until, one by one, the hooks came loose.

Harry ran his fingers up and down Asta's side as she snuggled closer to him under the covers, reveling in the sensation of there being nothing separating his flesh from hers. They were as close as they could be, the warmth from their bodies flowing from one to the other. Never was their connection more apparent than in moments like these. He lived for them, and, more importantly, for her.

"Do I ever tell you how much I love you?"

"Every day, Harry, but I never tire of hearing it."

"Then I will never stop saying those words."

She pressed her lips to his in a silent thank you, content to spend the rest of her life with the alien who had found his way across the stars to her.

[these notes were written sometime before]

Here's another HarryAsta fic for all of you! I know it's gonna be a while until Season Two, where, perhaps, their relationship will grow even further, so I hope this helps to hold you over. The chemistry between these two is just so perfect and I just love to see them interact with each other. I really like the idea of them being romantically involved and we'll at least get a hint of it when the show picks up again. If you enjoyed please leave a review! They make me so happy!

[special thanks to halcyonsunset for helping me with the idea for Harry and Asta's honeymoon]

[Notes:]

*The series title is inspired by florence-pew.