Finn grumbled when cold air hit his skin as Harv got out of bed. He'd been rather content treating him like a weighted blanket up until now. He reached out, blindly fishing for something to replace him with, but by then it was too late; he was awake again.

"Sorry, I was trying not to wake you." Harv picked his clothes off the floor from last night and dressed himself. "It is midday though."

"It's a holiday." Finn rolled over, watching Harv with a pout. "Does that mean you're going downstairs already?"

"I was hoping to get some breakfast, yeah."

"And tea?" Finn asked. He wrapped himself in a bundle of covers and nestled into the pillows. Harv crawled back onto the bed to get a better view of Finn's face.

"I seem to recall a certain someone promising to make me tea every morning." Harv teased, catching a fold of the blanket as Finn tried to pull his head under the covers.

"But it's cold and you're already up." Harv pecked his forehead.

"You want me to bring it to you in bed?" Harv asked, but the question petered out oddly at the end. Like he had thought of saying something more afterward then changed his mind.

"If it's not too much trouble." Finn batted his lashes. Harv rolled his eyes and slowly scooted toward the edge of the bed. Over exaggerating each movement as if it was the most labor-intensive thing he'd done in weeks.

"I guess I could." Harv said, laughing when Finn gave his thigh a playful shove to hasten him off the bed. "I'll just go by myself... alone..." Finn threw a pillow at him as he slowly got toward the door. "The things I do for love." He sighed and exited the room. Finn pushed himself out of his cocoon looking at the door in shock. Of all the times to just blurt something out like that only to just run out of the room afterward. Coils of energy started to tighten in Finn's chest with nowhere to go. He threw himself face first into the pillow and let out a joyous scream. Then, gasping for air, pulled himself up to a sitting position.

It was hardly an elaborate affair, but it was a confession.

Eager ravens that quoted bars of his unfinished songs at the windowsill no were longer his only companions. Having someone downstairs felt warmer and brighter than the sunlight streaming through the curtains. He pulled himself out of bed to the window with a puzzled expression. Birds did not sing sweet songs during a snowstorm. To his dismay, the sky was still, not a single snowflake in sight. If the storm had truly passed, it would be safe for Harv to leave tomorrow. Finn clutched the curtains in his hands.

What was he doing holing away up here when this could be the last day?

He threw on his thickest robe and thundered down the stairs, almost tripping as he tried to run into his slippers. Harv was standing in the kitchen in front of the fridge with a puzzled, distant look on his face, the kettle screaming on the stove.

"You just open the door and food will be there." Finn sighed. "It won't bite." Finn picked up the kettle and poured them both a cup. Strong arms wrapped around his waist and Harv buried his face in Finn's neck. "What happened to getting food?"

"Got distracted." Harv voice was muffled against his skin. "Figured since it's John's day we could bring out wine or ale, but don't know where you keep it."

"With breakfast?" As much as Finn loved having someone pressed up against him, Harv was making it difficult to get to the sugar. The jar was up against the wall, just a foot out of reach.

"Dawn til Dusk." Harv let Finn go after feeling him claw for the sugar jar. "It's how we did it on the front at least. There are not too many days you can just slack off, but no one wants to fight during the holiday. We'd all get sloshed around the fire and you could hear enemy camps singing the same songs in their own language across the way." Finn couldn't fathom this man willingly holding a weapon against anyone, even though logically he'd have had to. He was a soldier at the end of the day.

"As touching as that is, there's no reason to drink to forget here." Finn handed him his cup of tea with the milk and sugar mixed in already.

"It's not to forget life... It's to celebrate it." Harv smiled at the cup fondly. "Like, no matter what life threw at you this year, you still made it through the whole way. It's a chance to laugh at the things that tried to pull you down. Helps you let go of it."

"I'm not going to stop you." Finn sauntered over to the slate to the slate to summon some drink. "It's just, I'm a lightweight, so I won't be able to partake until later." Getting stabbed in the liver also didn't help his cause, but that tale was a little too somber to tell today. He pulled out a few bottles and set them on the counter.

"I can wait." Harv downed his cup of tea.

"Harvey..."

"I can."

"We can still tell stories though." Finn smiled a little. "Now that I know you're a local I can get you caught up on all the hot gossip you missed out on." He was looking forward to cozying up next to Harv on the couch, sharing little stories and trying to block out that the snow had stopped falling. He gathered little sandwiches and other things made with leftovers from the holidays. "Grab the biscuits, will you?" It wasn't the heartiest of meals, but Finn wasn't interested in drawing out conversation across the table.

Finn arranged things on the coffee table, all little pinches of things that would be easy to reach from the couch. Harv looked over the bookshelf next to the hearth and puzzled over the titles. Some of the spines had long words in florid gold calligraphy that was hard to read, but he recognized enough to piece together how Finn had organized everything. Long multivolume epics were clumped together at the bottom shelf and some classics at the top, but the grip of them were things Finn had deemed comedies or romances all scrambled together in with tragedies. Harv tilted one of the spines forward, admiring how the golden ends of the pages formed pictures of iconic scenes.

"You put the Greene Knight next to Sir Degrevant?" Harv put the book back where he found it.

"Why not?" Finn asked. "They're both chivalric romances." Finn dusted off his hands and joined Harv at the bookshelf. "See, it goes from boring Arthurian legends into romances with happy endings." He ran his finger across the spines. "Then the Greene Knight marks the start of the tragic romances, and those slowly lead into the comedies as a palate cleanser. Many of the best love stories end in tragedy it seems."

"Yes, I figured that, but my question is more about how you've put the Green Knight in as a romance." Harv said. Finn rolled his eyes, pulling the book off the shelf and flipping to a well worn section of pages.

"-the dear Bertilak presented was cleaned and skinned, a finer gift than any Sir Gawain had thought he'd receive. In exchange he had but a chaste kiss, its origins he dared not speak, and laid his lips against the lord's enthusiastically." Finn slapped the book shut. "By the end of the story, he could have had an oath of devotion and wedding ring to exchange. Need I go on?"

"That didn't sound anything like a quote from a poem." Harv went to reach for the book, but Finn pulled it out of reach.

"Bards get special privileges, like choosing which parts of the story to focus on." Finn ducked and slid the book into its place on the shelf, only to block it with his back. "And in all the best versions I've heard; Lady Hautdesert tries to foist her marital duties onto Sir Gawain and it's up to him to chivalrously avoid committing adultery without breaking the lord's heart. He could have revealed her to be unfaithful or taken her place, but instead he throws the game in the lord's favor. But not before giving him three final kisses. Kisses he could have withheld since he already chose to lose the game by withholding the green girdle he was given, but he didn't."

"Did you make that copy then?"

"Well, yeah... I made all of them." Finn watched as Harv pulled a different volume off the shelf. "It's the only way I can make sure the best version of the story gets saved."

"Even the little paintings?" Harv admired the work fondly.

"It's like you know which ones will embarrass me the most." Finn felt his face heat up. "That's one of the first I decorated."

"Which one's your favorite then?" Harv put the book back.

"The Story of Silence," Finn hesitated, "but if you're looking for something to read, I'd prefer something with a happier ending today. Maybe even something silly." Unfortunately, he was struggling to find anything that fit the bill. He instead grabbed something a little more childish in nature; of people adventuring in far off places. It was short, but that just meant they'd be able to finish it in one day. He grabbed Harv by the arm and started leading him toward the couch.

"You're not going to sing it?" Harv was practically shoved into the corner of the couch.

"I'd love to, but then I'd be over there," Finn turned to face the standing harp across the room, "and you'd be over here." He sat on Harv's lap and rested his back against Harv's chest. "This is better." Two strong arms wrapped around his middle as he opened the book. "As long as you don't get crumbs on my head that is." Finn said as he noticed Harv reach for one of the sandwiches out of the corner of his eyes. "Once upon a time..."

As the evening rolled around, there was still no fresh fallen snow, and Harv could see Finn struggling to maintain a chipper air. The best Harv could do was offer him wine and good company. A few anecdotes about his peers mucking up during training was enough to have Finn in stitches. He only hoped Finn would have the sense not to shovel the stories off into his next song.

"So, he has us traipsing around the woods right? Looking for this big ferocious dragon." Harv said and downed his goblet. "It's shadow crawling up the mountain side with the sunrise with every sunrise just to disappear without a trace, and the sound it made. It was like the firing of a canon mixed with a hungry donkey, absolutely awful. So, we finally track it down and it's this big." He held his hands five inches apart. "This fuzzy lizard looking thing, the noisiest little monster, but clearly harmless. It's hard to feel threatened by something you can accidentally sit on." Harv spread out his arms wide and accidentally knocked over a glass. "Then he goes, that's the baby. The mother must be nearby!"

They were sitting on the floor now. Hardly enough room on the narrow fancy couch for two men to roll around laughing at each other. Finn sopped up the spill with a tea towel.

"I still wanted that."

"That one was mine." Finn giggled. "Go on, what happened next?"

"Right, so he's got everyone armed and ready for action, but I'm looking at this noisy thing thinking, that's not a sound an animal makes to call for its momma. Too angry sounding." He tried to tap his temple, but missed every time. "That's when I see em." He made a circle with his thumb and finger to look through. "Lil puff balls in a den below the tree, and they were moving around up and down. So I told em- well you can't tell knights anything. I asked him, don't you think those are the babies right there? Does he listen? Nooooo, he tries to scare the thing off so the 'mom' doesn't spot us hiding and it attacks him. It attacks only him, pulling out his hair and stumbling head over rump over a stump into a different one's nest. There were at least five of them in the clearing." He fumbled for the bottle to refill his glass. "He had a bald patch on the side of his head for weeks, serve him right if you ask me." When he looked up smiling at him thoughtfully. "What?"

"What was the name of the knight you served again."

"Oh gosh, mouthful of a name, no one could get it right. Didn't want to bother..." Harv rolled the thought in his head a bit. "Most of us called 'em Sir Sadnerd."

"...Radner perhaps?" Finn's smile grew. "Darren Radner?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Such a little ponce." Harv shook his head.

"Okay, stop me if you've heard this one." Finn scooted in a little closer and whispered. "I heard that they found a woman in one of his platoons."

Emet.

Harv felt a sobering chill settle in from his scalp to the pit of his stomach. So, word had already traveled faster than he had. Finn was none the wiser, gossiping with the same glee he had when talking about circlets and who held petty grudges against one another in the court. They hadn't been there, hadn't seen someone get thrown less than half dressed in the snow in front of their fellow soldiers with a blade at their throat.

"Harv, tell Rhodri I'm sorry will ya?"

"Yeah, I know right." Finn, content with Harv's silence, forged ahead with the story. "She got accused of being a witch or something, very scandalous. But... the soldiers mutinied against him and let her escape. I guess the leader of their little coup got the boot afterward. Sound familiar?"

"Yes Finn." Harv went to down another glass but was blocked by Finn's hand.

"You want to know how I know that?" Finn batted his lashes. "Well, other than being my personal tailor, she was also the princess's handmaiden." Harv nearly dropped his goblet. That he hadn't known. "Oh yes, she had the princess's personal stamp of approval to enlist too, and the princess was furious when she found out her royal decree had fallen on deaf ears. I'm sure you can imagine how frustrated she was to find out the person responsible for saving her dear friend's life had also gone missing." Finn leaned against the couch with a smug grin. "Last I heard, she was desperate to get any information on his whereabouts since she wants him present for Darren's punishment. Oh and that's not even the best part! Guess what his punishment's supposed to be, just guess."

"I don't know Finn." Nobles didn't usually get severe punishments for lapses in judgment or misunderstandings. It just wasn't how the world worked. He was mostly glad the story didn't sully Emet's reputation; they were a good soldier.

"Go on, guess."

"A fine?" Harv sighed. Finn shook his head. "Come on Finn, just tell me." Finn scurried in close and cupped his cheeks.

"He's supposed to get his knighthood stripped from him and..." Finn kissed his forehead. "Watch the soldier he fired get knighted."

Harv's mind went blank.

"No." Harv watched Finn emphatically shake his head yes. "No way." Finn let go of his face and embraced him fully. "There's no way the other knights would permit-" Finn pulled back to look at him.

"Shiel has been trying to get engaged to Emet for over five years now, he's just as pissed about what Darren did, I assure you." Finn said. He lovingly stroked Harv's cheek. "Harvey, you're going to be a knight." Harv gently pushed Finn away so he could stand. "Harvey?"

"Is this some kind of joke?" Harv grabbed the wine and drank straight from the bottle.

"...no..." Finn pulled his arms close to himself. This wasn't the reaction he'd been hoping for.

"A lie then."

"Harvey, if I was going to lie to you, I'd tell you something wretched, so you'd stay." The thought had crossed Finn's mind the minute he suspected Harv might have been the soldier from the rumors. It would have been so easy. It just wouldn't have been fair to Harv and equally heavy on his heart. It wouldn't feel as good if Harv chose to stay out of fear.

"Please do." Harv looked at him, a broken man. "Ayy it's awful out there, or say I still haven't repaid you yet, or that you need me here with you. Give me a reason I have no choice but to stay."

"Harvey, I want you here, isn't that enough?" Finn gently took the empty bottle from his hands. "You're welcome to stay, I've made that much clear."

"It'll be six against one." Harv pulled Finn in close. "There'll be something they need me to do, there's always something. And then another something and another. It was supposed to be over when Big was old enough to care from himself, but there's going to be another baby. I felt guilty enough up and leaving when it was just for a few years, it was the hardest thing I ever did."

"What other baby? You said-"

"My brothers."

"Right..." Finn rubbed Harv's back, still locked in the man's arms. "Well, it's not like you'd never see them again, you'd still be close. They'll be okay." He could feel Harv shake his head 'no' into his shoulder.

"If I go back... I'm afraid I won't be able to leave again, even if I wanted to." He pressed a clumsy kiss against the shell of Finn's ear. "You're so beautiful and infuriating all at the same time. If I could just take you with me..." Finn wriggled to loosen his hold., The playful tone Harv spoke with was a bit jarring coming from a man who just a few seconds ago had been close to tears. "I know, you don't have a single pair of decent walking shoes, but I could carry you! Yeah! Once you meet everyone, they'll see what a treasure you are, and they'll understand why I have to stay here." He let go of Finn ready to go upstairs. "I'll help you pack and-" Finn held Harv's hand to keep him from going.

"Harv, we talked about this, I can't leave." Finn said. He frowned to himself, knowing that for Harv it would be easier if he came out of hiding. "Especially not tomorrow, with as much as we'd been drinking, one look at the morning snow and would give us a massive headache-" He saw Harv's shoulder's slump. "You noticed it too, didn't you? The storm stopped." Harv sighed and sat down on the couch, looking up with guilt and sorrow. "And I suppose you couldn't possibly leave tomorrow if you were, say, hungover?" Finn counted the goblets in his head, realizing it would be easier to count bottles. It didn't matter that Harv was stroking his hand with his thumb, he'd been trying to black out all night. "Tradition be damned, you were looking for another excuse to stay."

"Are you mad?" Harv pressed a small kiss to the back of Finn's hand and nuzzled it with his forehead. "You sound mad."

"And you sound drunk." Finn wanted to be mad. He knew he should be mad, especially if Harv needed 'real reasons' to stay when he clearly wanted to. "Too drunk to be making plans like introducing me to your parents and carrying me miles in the snow."

"I knew it." Harv pouted.

"What was your first clue? The second or third bottle of red?" Finn kind of wanted his hand back.

"You didn't say it back." Harv slowly let go of Finn's hand. "I told you I loved you, you still haven't said it back."

"You said you did things for love, you never said it was for me." Finn tried to argue, but even in his own ears the reasoning sounded hollow. "There's a reason for that too. We've only known each other a few days; we have our own lives outside of all this. Lives that clearly do not mesh well together, no matter how nice it would be if they did." He hated sounding over emotional and vulnerable, especially now. "One of us would have to compromise, and I'm not interested in being on everyone's hit list again just because some handsome stranger came into my life for a week. I have to stay here where it's safe."

"But I love you."

"And you're more than welcome to stay, I've said that several times." Finn felt Harv tug him closer, and Finn stumbled into the couch, half in Harv's lap. "It's not that I don't like you." Harv's other hand traveled up Finn's thigh, trying to coax him further into his lap.

"I love you."

"You're drunk." Well, technically they both were, but Harv was slipping faster into nonsensical speech. "And if you really loved me, that would be enough for you to have to stay, but even half gone you have doubts."

"I. Love. You." Harv stared at him, no more tricks or wandering hands. He waited patiently, as if Finn had been asked a question. Finn squeezed the arm Harv had been using to pull him into his lap. Saying things like this out loud would just make it worse, he knew that.

"I love you too." What he hadn't wanted to know was if that wasn't enough to get Harv to stay. The warrior was able to sneak in a kiss before Finn released Harv's arm and put a hand to Harv's lips. "But you're still too drunk to be making decisions. We should go to sleep."

"Stop being right." Harv scowled back like a child. "...fine... but I'm gonna miss you."

"You can still sleep in my room if you want." Finn didn't want to think about if Harv had meant something else by that. "I'd prefer it, actually... If that's okay with you." Harv nodded and scooped him up in his arms bridal style. "That's all we're doing." Finn squeaked, a little surprised Harv was still steady on his feet. "J-just to be clear."

"I know, I know." Harv started to march up the stairs with him. "See? You're super easy to carry, totable, I could do it. It's only three or four miles." He made it to Finn's bedroom with ease. Finn decided rather than argue with him now, it was best to catalog everything to harp on him about tomorrow.

"If you throw up on my floor, you're dead to me."