"You can do this." Harv said. He stared himself down in the mirror, trying his best to not to feel silly. "It doesn't matter if you run into someone you know, you're allowed to be there." These exercises were supposedly helpful, but anytime he did them, he felt anxious someone might overhear him talking to himself. He knew he couldn't do his job and hide from the outside world at the same time. Finn wanted to check out the summer harvest festival today, and if Finn went, Harv had to follow.
The clothes Emet made for Harv still felt like a costume to him at times. The black leather armor pieces were more decorative than functional, and the furs added to the unnecessary embellishments. It was, however, more comfortable than the ridiculous tunic Finn had forced him to wear for the opera.
With each passing day the burden of being away from home had lessened, if only slightly. Having a job helped, even if the things asked of him were odd. He tried not to think about what the spell components he gathered were for, or how Finn's chores had slowly become his. At least this way he didn't feel like he'd end up back on the street for being an inconvenience.
"Harvey, open up." There was a banging on the upstairs bathroom door. "Or at the very least hand me the hairspray." Finn opened the door before Harv could object, his blond bangs half obscuring his vision. He blindly pawed around for a comb. "Usually you get ready so fast, what's the matter?" Harv traded spots with Finn and caught the comb just as Finn discarded it for some magic in a can.
"Nothing."
"You know I can tell when you're lying." Finn said in sing-song.
"Then you know I don't want to talk about it." Harv rolled his eyes. Finn sprayed his hair and held the curls in place while the potion dried.
"Is this keep me distracted 'nothing' or a let me be 'nothing'? You know I have trouble telling the difference." Finn said. He glanced over at Harv as he adjusted his armor for the sixth time.
"Distracted, unless..." Harv sighed, sensing Finn's mischievous grin rather than seeing it. "Unless Trevor tries to talk to me."
"Finally going to acknowledge the poor soul?" Finn said, feeling quite smug that his pestering had a hand in Harv's decision.
"Maybe, I don't know. It depends. I'm not chasing him down, if that's what you're thinking." Finn brushed past him to find his wrist length gloves.
"Oh no, of course not, wouldn't want to look desperate or anything." Finn half teased. Harv glared at him weakly.
"Is this your idea of helping?"
"I thought you didn't want my help." Finn collected the last of his things and went down stairs.
"I don't." Harv paused at the top of the stairs. "But, uh, it wouldn't hurt to stay close. Just in case." He hurried after Finn, if nothing else to focus on something other than the many ways today could go wrong.
They had missed the church blessing, the first loaf of bread of the year. Finn was too afraid to set foot near the church, apparently one too many a person had told him he'd burst into flames should he come in contact with sacred ground. Which, at the end of the day, Harv wasn't too keen to show his face there himself. He had hoped to overhear who got the honor of baking the first loaf. It was something his mother had been working toward for years now.
Skipping the service had afforded them a first look at the festival decorations. It was humbler than Finn had hoped, all-natural greenery and sticks fashioned together with twine. The inedible leftovers from the haying had been gathered in the center of town to fuel the night's bonfire, an impressive tower of drybrush considering last year's prediction for the harvest.
"I don't get it." Finn sighed. "What's so exciting about a pile of hay?"
"A bigger harvest means fatter animals." Harv said with a smile. "The bigger the bonfire, the less misfortune the coming year."
"Sounds like a bunch of fiction to me." Finn shook his head. "At least the fire will be pretty." He dragged Harv to the various stalls local vendors had set up. Some had little games of chance, others had little treats or rare items on display. After the service let out, people trickled into the streets and it was easier to blend in the crowd. Performers took to their posts, competing for the money and attention of festival goers.
Finn was plenty satisfied with his caramel apple and heckling other musicians under his breath, but he was more than happy to pay to watch Harv try his hand at the games. Most of them were rigged or had to be played a certain way, but when it came to feats of strength Harv came out on top. Without even trying he'd broken a high striker, and Finn couldn't help but cackle at the game runner's misfortune.
"They'll put hay in just about anything won't they?" Finn said as he watched a covered cart trot by with hay falling out of the back end. "That's about the only thing we haven't tried, let's go." He tugged on Harv's arm, but the warrior remained rooted.
"Finn, that's for couples." Harv said.
"Don't be ridiculous, it says right there on the sign ages five and up." Finn crossed his arms and waited for Harv to admit he was right.
"Do you see any children in that line?" Harv looked away. "It's the only place in the festival you can be kind of alone. Just, trust me, okay?" Finn looked at the line of young couples eagerly chatting with their partner as they waited for the cart to come back.
"Just because couples like to go on it, doesn't mean we can't-"
"I'm not going." Harv turned to walk away, knowing full well he couldn't win a battle of words with the bard. "Go by yourself if you want to go so bad."
"Fine, maybe I will!" Finn stood rooted in the line with his arms crossed, but Harv didn't turn around. As much as he didn't want to go alone, now he was committed to his word. He could only imagine how boring this festival would be for Harv while he was waiting for Finn to get off the ride. That alone gave him a little comfort.
Harv had kept the hayride line in the corner of his eye until Finn got on, spending his time mindlessly looking at nearby stalls. Of course, he'd already seen them all, but there wasn't much else to do. As much as he'd like to get something for his friends or brothers, nothing really stuck out to him. The best he could do was the silly straw doll he'd won at the high striker.
"Harv?" Harv's heart caught in his throat. "Wow, nice clothes. It's good to see you doing better. I was pretty worried." Trevor said. His taller friend smiled patiently at him as he fumbled for the goofy looking prize he'd won and shoved it into the empty air in front of him. "For me? Thanks!"
"I'm sorry..." Harv began. Everything he'd planned to say was quickly forgotten.
"What are you sorry for?" Trevor ruffled Harv's hair. "I know it wasn't your fault." Harv grabbed Trevor's hand before he could take it away.
"I..." He could hear the dull hum of other people's voices, feel every stray glance from a passerby. But if he didn't say anything now, he knew he'd kick himself for a week at least. "I like you." He squeezed Trevor's hand. "So... it kinda is... I mean..." He let go of Trevor's hand and hid his face in his hands.
"...How long were you planning on staying at the festival?" Harv peaked through his fingers at his crush. Trevor was awkwardly shuffling his feet and looking away, his face was flushed. "The bonfire's soon, we could um... we could get a spot."
"That'd be great!" Harv dropped his hands. "But, I promised Finn we'd go together. He's on the silly kiddy ride, but when he gets back we could meet up with you."
"That's okay..." Trevor sighed. "Another time maybe?"
"Yeah, of course." Harv backed away awkwardly. He didn't really want to go, but he thought he'd seen Finn get off the ride. "I'll call you." He waved goodbye, waiting until Trevor returned to Cliff and the others before hunting down Finn. He found the bard dumping the rest of his caramel apple in the trash.
"Good, you're here." Finn said quickly. "We have to go."
"Go?" Harv followed Finn as he weaved through the crowd, peeking up his head every so often to check if Harv was still there. "Wait, like go go? I thought we were going to watch the bonfire. What happened?"
"It was awful, just like you said. Only you left the part out where you have to share the cart with other people." Finn shuddered. "If that wasn't enough, Darren was in line with his little paramour and I may have exaggerated how awful it was when scolding the people I was forced to ride with. She overheard and slapped him."
"Who slapped who?" Harv asked.
"Darren's date; she slapped him and stormed off, but it wasn't my fault." Finn sharply turned down a different row of stalls. "He has a very slappable face. It was funny until he decided I did it on purpose." He waited as two knights stormed past in the direction they thought Finn had run off in. Finn glanced up at Harv, who despite the dire situation couldn't stop smiling. "Is my potential death that amusing to you?"
"No, sorry, I think Trevor tried to ask me out; but this is more important." Harv covered his mouth and tried to look pensive. "I'm taking this seriously, I swear."
"What do you mean 'tried'?" Finn practically shook him. "You need to tell me everything, but maybe not where Darren's on the warpath."
"Forget about Darren, do you want to go to the bonfire?" Harv brushed Finn's hands off.
"Well, yes, but-"
"Then we're going." Harv meandered out into the main walkway. Finn stayed in the secluded part of the fairground and motioned for Harv to do the same.
"Harvey, have you lost your mind?"
"What's he going to do, really? Yell at us a whole bunch?" Harv shrugged. "This is a public event, we're allowed to be here." The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, bathing the fairground in red and purple. "We can leave early if you want, but you should at least get to see them light it."
Maybe he was letting not getting rejected go to his head a little, but Harv wasn't going to let some jerk spoil their fun. Both of them should get to leave the festival on a high note. Finn slowly peeled himself away from the shadows to where Harv was standing.
"Alright, we can stay, but just to see what all the fuss is about, then we leave."
"I know just the place."
The rooftop of the tailor's guild was slightly easier to get to than the tops of the bergamot trees, but Finn felt just as uneasy about being up there. Harv dragged a few old crates out of the shadows and gestured for Finn to take a seat. Finn eyed the worn wood with caution as he gingerly sat next to Harv. One stray splinter could tear his stockings or pierce the skin, but Harv couldn't care less. A stiff breeze tugged at Finn's hair and he pulled his arms in close, still warmed by the lingering daylight.
The townspeople were the size of fleece dolls from where they sat, milling about toward the unlit bonfire with anticipation. The sights and sounds were more bearable here, merely a dull nod to the senses. One by one, the shop keeps lit their lanterns, a winding snake of light slowly blinking to life under the setting sun.
"It's all the same fire." Harv said, leaning in so Finn could find where he was pointing to. "Someone in the church has been nursing a flame from the new year, and they use that to light the festival. Then, once the flame makes it to the bonfire, they'll let it burn out."
"What happens if it goes out before then?" Finn asked. Someone almost fumbled the torch, but was able to protect the flame from the wind long enough to reach the hay bail.
"Bad luck I suppose." Harv shrugged. "It's the thought that counts more than the actual fire. It's supposed to represent the town making it through another winter." Finn hummed in response, watching the delicate flames hungrily consume the pete in front of a cheering crowd. The wind picked up, further fanning the flames, and soon a roaring fire danced in the night. "The first time I went, I didn't realize how far the heat could reach, and spent most of the night within a few feet of the bonfire. The next day, my face and arms were as tender as they'd be after a week's worth of field work. That's why everyone's staying out of the light."
"Was it worth it?"
"I think so." Harv shrugged off his cloak at the next bluster of wind and draped it on Finn's shoulders. "What?" Finn's hand curled into the dark furs as he studied Harv's confused expression. "I'm sorry it doesn't go with you shoes or whatever, but you looked like you'd get blown off the roof if I didn't do something." Finn bit his lip. "What?"
"Nothing..." Finn glanced down at their seats, an uncomfortable gap between the crates that'd be difficult to sit on, even if he tried to push his crate closer to Harv's. This was the closest they could get for now. "Thank you," Finn watched as the town's people danced and drank in the fire's glow. "For not ditching me and... well... yeah..."
"Of course I wouldn't..." Harv said. "What would make you say that?"
"The brick wall of your dreams tried to ask you out." Finn rolled his eyes at the goofy grin that spread across Harv's face. "What does that even mean anyway? You didn't turn him down did you?"
"Not exactly." Harv fiddled with the pendant around his neck. "I told him I liked him and he wanted to go to the bonfire together..." His hand stilled. "Oh heavens, he didn't actually say he liked me back."
"Don't start getting in your head about it!" Finn slapped his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure 'let's hang out alone' is a pretty clear answer to 'I like you'. "
"I thought so." Harv smiled again.
"...well, what are you going to do?" Finn asked after a bit of quiet had passed. "You turned down his idea for a date, it's only proper you offer an alternative."
"I don't know Finn."
"You. DON'T. KNOW!?" Finn reeled back, his head in his hands.
"I never thought I'd get this far." Harv grinned sheepishly. "It was easier to not think about it, then get my hopes up."
"Well what do you think we were doing this whole time!?" Finn counted on his fingers. "You could take him to a cafe, or a show, or a picnic." He grabbed a breath of air. "There's the salon, or window shopping, you could even go for a stroll by the lake if you're so inclined. How could you not know? Just pick one!" Some of the townspeople looked up toward the roof, unable to see anything, but alarmed at the sudden shouting. Harv's hand slowly left the pendent around his neck.
"Finn, were we... Did you think we were dating?" Harv held his breath as Finn turned away from him.
"No!" Finn pulled the cloak closer around him. "I was just being a good friend and showing you places you could go. It's different." He bit his lip. "Don't ask me how it is, just trust me, I know." He had been told many times before in many ways that he was hopeless."No one wants to waste their time pursuing a romance with someone without those sorts of passions. Hanging out with friends is the closest I'll ever.." He sighed. "If you tell him it's a date, it'll be different, you'll see."
"Finn, I'm sorry."
"What's there to be sorry about? I'm fine." The excitement from the fire being lit had died down, with festival goers relaxing in the warm glow of the bonfire or wandering back to their previous tasks. It seemed like fun the way Harv described it, but he knew better than to suggest venturing closer with Darren somewhere in the crowd. It's just a fire, he told himself, a boring old fire; just like they had in any old hearth. He hadn't been missing out on anything, these people just made a big deal out of something ordinary. "Can we go now?"
"Yeah, sure." Finn stood up the moment Harv agreed, and started climbing off the roof toward the alley. Harv lingered a bit, trying to see if he could pick out any auburn hair in the crowd. The entire town was dyed in orange light, making even the fairest of hair indiscernible from his friend's. It would have been nice to hang around the festival grounds longer, but he couldn't help smiling again. Next year would be different, next year he'd get to spend it with someone special. That little thought warmed his chest more than any fire could.