It was safe to say that Harmony was upset. She had had the strong feeling that something wasn't right, especially Rory had been avoiding her like the plague. She couldn't quite figure it out, but as always, Rory admitted to her what she had been curious about. Of course her imagination had thought up of several schemes. Rory was surprising her with something and didn't want to blow the cover or he was planning something with Kurt, but now she wished for any of the lame ideas that had popped through her head. Not only had Rory lied to her, he had went completely against her wishes and behind her back in every way. Finding out a name from Blaine, Rory had went behind Harmony's back and threw a punch at the man that had hit her over a year ago. She had told him to leave her be and let her figure things out, but soon she realized this was something they needed to discuss together so both sides were seen. She couldn't close up and just be mad; she needed to let it out. After her first conversation with him, it had left her in the bathroom drying the loose tears from her eyes and keeping herself from yelling. Hearing a shrill knock at the door, booming through her ears like cannons, Harmony stood up from her seat on the floor and slowly made her way into her living room. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to see a bruised up Rory standing in front of her.
"Hi" Rory mumbled still not looking up at her. "Can you close your eyes?" He asked, hoping that maybe if she didn't see all the damage she wouldn't worry so much. When she forced his face up with her hands, he winced from the pain and avoided eye contact. He wasn't ashamed of the fight, he was proud that he stood up for her. He was ashamed that his actions hurt Harmony. Why couldn't she see that all he was doing was protecting her? He got his message across to the asshole, and now she was safe. Rory had never been in a fight, but that was worth it for Harmony, unless he was going to lose her now.
"It reminds me a bit of high school, it's not that bad" He tried to smile as he still avoided her eyes.
The first thing Harmony had noticed was his head hanging low, the shadows of the outside making her unable to see his face. The clutching of her fists, ready to put up a guard, was loosened when she saw he was obviously trying to keep her from freaking out. Taking a step forward, she put her fingers under his chin and lifted it up. He didn't work against her, but she almost wished he had when it revealed his face with small cuts and a few bruises. "Rory.." Taking her fingers off of his chin loosely, she stepped out of the way to let him go past her easily into her apartment. Once he was inside, she closed the door behind her and made her way to the couch and sat down. Clenching her jaw together, her eyes couldn't help scanning over the injuries. Bringing his right hand up to her face, she ran her fingers gently over his raw knuckles. Taking a deep breath, her eyes went from his hand to his broken features. "Rory, I want to know everything."
"I don't want to talk about it" Rory mumbled as he pulled his hands away embarrassed. He looked weak to Harmony, like he couldn't even defend himself. In all fairness, it wasn't a fair fight. Rory couldn't hurt a fly, and had he spent more time thinking about it, he wouldn't have gone to meet the man. "I went to talk to him and I hit him. Then he beat the potatoes out of me" Rory whispered as he turned his back. "I'm sorry I'm not a better man" He pouted as he brought his knees to his chest. "I understand if you wanna break up with me for someone better" That was it. The last words that Rory had muttered had brought Harmony's anger back to the surface and she was up off the couch, pacing the room. He really didn't get why she was upset? And to think he actually thought she would want someone else? It was almost insulting. Her fists back into a ball, she could feel the tears welt up again as her anger hit its peak.
"I just don't understand why you had to lie to me Rory. And to go behind my back? You obviously had to ask around for his name, you made a fake appointment I'm guessing, then snuck around without me knowing to what, go beat the shit out of someone that I will probably never see again? How in the world does that even seem like a good idea?" Wiping her eyes, she couldn't even look at him now. She was fuming and if this had been a cartoon, steam would have been rolling out of her ears.
Rory had this strange feeling again in his body, he was getting angry. Before he knew it, he was standing up and yelling right back at his frantic sounding girlfriend. "Because Harmony, I bloody love you more than anything. And the thought of him hitting you made me go crazy. I had to deal with him my own way. I know it was over a year ago, but he couldn't just think that he could do that to you." He yelled using his one free hand to move around. "I couldn't lay awake at night and picture anyone hurting you. I wasn't here to protect you, but now I am. Now…I am" He yelled, freezing.
His mind was moving so fast that he could barely get out the words he wanted to say. "God damn it!" He screamed as he kicked the couch. "Why are we fighting over this?" He asked, trying to calm down. "What kind of power do you have over me Harmony?" He asked pointing at her, "I really bloody love you.."
Harmony could feel her lip start to tremble, running her hands through her hair as she watched him kick the couch. Her stomach hurt, but she was going to try her best to stand her ground about the situation. To see him so angry and such a loose cannon made her see how much he cared about her, but he had gone around showing his love for her in all the wrong ways when it came to this. She couldn't worry about every time she told him something sentimental about her life that he would go off on a limb and try and do her justice, putting himself in possible danger. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath as she heard him yell his last words. "I love you too Rory, okay? I do. But what you did, or at least how you went about in solving this was wrong. We're supposed to be partners, a team, but you went against my will to do what YOU wanted to do. This was my fight Rory. If you were thinking about it and it was making you angry, you should have come to me and talk to me about it, not go off and handle it yourself."
"I'm not going to apologize for doing what I thought was right! Someone abused you; I know what that's like Harmony. I know how scary it is. But you are not alone in this" He yelled as he looked at her. "I have to go; coming over here was a mistake." He scuffed as he headed towards the door. "This isn't me, this fighting and screaming and cussing" He sighed as he opened the door and walked out. He thought that maybe she'd come after him so he stood there waiting for another minute. As time passed and he began to realize that maybe she wasn't he started to cry.
"Rory WAIT."
As he slammed the door in her face, Harmony put her hands over her face and huffed loudly. Reaching for the door handle, she stopped when she realized he probably didn't want her to follow him. She wished he would just stop and listen to her and understand why she was so upset, but all he could do would say how he was not sorry.
"Rory STOP. This isn't going to help anything, just please come back inside.."
"So we can what? Fight more Harmony?" He asked "I don't want to fight" He sighed as he looked up at the cracking ceiling above him trying to fight back tears. "I don't want to fight" He whispered his voice cracking. All he wanted was to pull Harmony in his arms and kiss her. But he didn't because he was scared she might slap him or something. So he just stood there, defeated. "Yell all you want, go ahead. I'm listening" He said as he looked at her.
Crossing her arms, Harmony did everything in her power to keep her face collected. His tears were something she didn't take lightly, especially when she knew she was the cause. Waiting for him to finish, she threw her hands to her side, her voice cracking more with every word.
"I don't want to fight either. I just want you to see where I am coming from. You knew I'd be upset or you wouldn't have talked to Blaine or Kurt, whoever it was, then gone and done it all without me knowing and then proceed to text me that you knew I'd be mad. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed Rory, because I thought you considered me more. I should have gotten a say in it, but I don't anymore. So…what's done is done. We can't fix it now."
"I should go" He whispered as he looked behind him. "I've messed everything up" He sighed as he took a step towards her. "I'm sorry Harmony. I'm so sorry" He blinked as he put his hand on her face. "I- I love you" He whispered as he felt a few tears fall from his face. He didn't want to leave, but he knew that was what was best. Just for a little while, or maybe forever. Right now wasn't the time to make that decision, not when they were both so heartbroken.
Seeing him shed more tears only made her heart crush tighter into her chest. Mentioning him leaving, she shook her head and took a step forward. Putting her hand up gently to his bruised up cheek, she winced as she remembered how much it had hurt for her to get hit by the same man that had thrown punches at Rory. "I don't want you to go.."
She whispered, knowing if she were to talk any louder, the tears would fall and cloud her train of thought. Like she had said, what was done was done and she couldn't fix it, so for now they just had to move forward from it. And just as she couldn't help it, Harmony took another step forward and put her arms lightly around him, bringing him down to her level and into her small arms. Putting her hand gently on the top of his head, she shushed him. "Just hold me, okay?"
Rory didn't have to be told twice. Within a second he pulled her into his arms and gripped her tight, ignoring the pain he was feeling all over his body. "I love you", was all he could say as he placed his hand on the back of her head.
He never wanted to let her go there in that moment. Even though things were hard for them, and they didn't always see eye to eye, anyone could see that they loved each other more than any obstacle that was thrown their way. Her eyes closing tightly, Harmony nodded into Rory's chest as he reminded her of something that she had known all along. He loved her and she loved them, and spite their disagreements and not seeing eye-to-eye on something as big as this, she never wanted it to come between the things that really mattered. Finally, as several people had moved past them and up into the apartment complex above, Harmony released him enough to hold out her hand to him.
"Let's go ice that eye and hand, okay?"