She was in love with Harley Davidson.
She was in love with Harley Davidson.
She was in love with Harley Davidson.
The thought ran through Soledad's head as she walked down the dusty streets of Slateport, having left the apartment minutes ago to get away from the reality she couldn't believe. The mere idea that she held feelings for the said amethyst-haired man drove her to hyperventilate, her muscles growing weak as it all haunted her like a sin that wouldn't let go, sending her into a whirlpool of wanting and bewilderment in which there was no escape from. It was like the vortex of a vicious tornado, sucking her up in its ripping hold, destroying any sense of consciousness she had as she wandered the city, not caring where she went – for as long as it provided space between her and the being she had grown to love.
Her verdigris gaze was bright with confusion as it glued itself to the blurry path ahead. The winds were beginning to pick up, the mental cyclone previously stated seeming to come to life all around her, though in reality it was simply the storm that had begun to approach the city's gates earlier that morning. Its gray and black clouds, their texture defining their colossal size, were towering over Slateport like juggernauts, flashing bright as lightning rampaged around within them. The air grew silent, intimidated, cowering beneath the distant rumble of thunder and the associated wave of frost as the temperature began to drop. Soledad wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to preserve heat, despite that the warmth of Harley's body was still lingering across her front – a phantom that refused to leave her alone until she stopped fighting the truth.
She didn't know how she fell in love with Harley Davidson; she couldn't explain what provoked her feelings. His metallic blue-green eyes…his built structure…his kind and caring figure…the fact that he had been willing to sacrifice himself in order to save her...it all couldn't help but inspire emotions. She felt at home in his arms – a sanctuary where nothing could bother her – and the happiness she experienced whenever she was with him was enough to answer her questions on how she could've possibly harbor sentiments of love. She wanted to be with him, as the only thing that would fix her right now was him, though she forced herself to neglect her requirements as she ducked her head and strayed down Slateport's deserted streets like a vagrant confused to where destiny was taking her.
She wanted to turn back, but she refused to do so. She couldn't face Harley right now – even with the fact that he was oblivious to her feelings – and she wondered if he was still sleeping, dreaming serene realities that were completely opposite of hers. As with the reason she could no longer control herself while he was embracing her, she didn't know what she would do if she met up with him again while in this state – while deeply in love with him. She would want to…kiss him, touch him, feel him, be with him – in his arms. And if such a thing made her sound like a lovesick fool, then so be it.
She kept on walking, trying to get away from her feelings despite that she knew they were inevitable. There was no escape from where fate had taken her and whether having ardent emotions for Harley was a blessing or a curse, she couldn't decide. She just needed time to think – to sort this all out, if that was even possible - so she continued onward, not looking up, showing no interest in where she went. If she got lost, she didn't care, as she rather preferred to be away from the strong holds of reality. She kept her head ducked low, glossy gaze fixated towards the ground, not even flinching when stray Pokemon who resided in the passing alleyways walked out to watch her, curious to why she was wandering Slateport when the rest of the city's inhabitants had already rushed back home to escape the oncoming storm. Cars whizzed by at a fast rate, the drivers attempting to get under something as the overhead thunder grew in volume, the winds gained strength, and the faint stinging of drizzle marked the prologue of a seasonal downpour.
The skies metamorphosed into a dark hue as rain clouds smothered them into smoky complexions. Soledad paid no heed to it, though, instead keeping her head down, arms wrapped around herself, eyes now sealed shut as she stumbled around. The sounds of a busy city had disappeared alongside its creators and Soledad felt as if the weather was reflecting her mood, portraying envy and bewilderment among its gray and black exterior, inspiring a semblance of solitariness that the pink-red-haired woman could relate to. She let out a hard sigh, still not looking up - not wanting to face the world that environed her as its hostage, telling her nothing of what existed beyond its walls and leaving her confused and needy for answers. Her whole head was spinning and she felt like a drunken bum looking for a place where the problems of life couldn't burden her. But that was it.
There was no place.
...instead of his arms…
Her feelings for Harley haunted her mind, dominating it beneath a grasp of disbelief and puzzlement that wouldn't let her go. She contemplated on running, though her emotions were a colossal monster that could sniff out her scent and find her in mere seconds – a predator that refused her survival. No matter where she went, they would be right behind her, sneaking, stalking, watching her with the piercing gaze of an avian. She had been confused once before, wondering why Harley had been playing such a big affect on her, and now that she finally understood why – now that her heart beat in confidence and comprehension – she couldn't believe the conclusion.
She was in love with Harley Davidson.
Despite that it all made sense, she still felt lost in her emotions. Maybe it was because she had never expected to grow feelings for the said amethyst-haired man, or maybe it was simply the irony in the fact that he had no idea that his friend was now madly in love with him, and whether she would ever gain the courage to tell him was what drove her into this state. She just didn't know.
She just needed to get away.
Eventually, her legs grew sore with tiredness, the cold winds slapping them like a slave master's whip, the tiny droplets of water from the overhead clouds pounding the streets in rivalry – water versus manmade pavement. Soledad wasn't even paying attention, too busy drowning in her thoughts to notice that it had begun to rain, the drizzle growing into larger splotches of aqua as the storm rumbled and flashed with life, shedding tears over the city of Slateport. The streets were deserted now, only an occasional car or couple struggling to get home passing by, hidden beneath either an umbrella or windshield wipers that prevented them from noticing the ghost Soledad had become. The pink-red-haired woman stopped in place when the muscles in her legs demanded liberation, and it was then when she first looked up after a long time of staring at the ground.
Needless to say, she wouldn't have been surprised if she were in the town of Fallarbor. She felt like she had been walking for days, though her thoughts had refrained her from bothering to make an approximate estimate. Because of this, her frown only tightened upon realizing that she was still in Slateport, the storm clouds above caging the city in like a dome that consisted of showers and freezing temperatures. The seawater scent of the air had diminished beneath the repugnant smell of drenched pavement, despite that Soledad showed no response to it, her verdigris eyes, still bright with confusion, wanting and sadness, narrowing so she could make out the structure ahead of her. It was large in size, its lavender walls shining with color among the monotonic hues the storm clouds had painted the city with, and as the female coordinator noticed a large, gaping hole among the roof of the building, she felt guilt impale her chest like a dull blade upon discovering that she was staring straight at the contest hall and its damaged stadium.
She let out a pained sigh, wondering if her body had taken her here for a reason. However, she didn't question any motives, walking forward towards the deserted contest hall, yellow lines of caution tape circling around the area and signifying that it was under construction. Noticing that no one was there at the moment, the trashed site even lacking a left-behind bulldozer or truck, Soledad ducked under the tape and made her way towards the hall, figuring that such a barren location would provide her safety from the rain, as well as a place to think over her thoughts. She didn't really care where she went, though she couldn't help but grimace upon gaining a closer inspection of the damaged stadium, walking by its colossal structure, memories of what had caused it and its following effects slapping her across the face.
She entered the deserted loft of the contest hall, its reception desk and waiting chairs hidden beneath the shadows of a sunless day. It felt somewhat eerie – like the location for a bad horror flick – but Soledad didn't mind, taking a seat on one of the chairs, burying her face in her hands, drowning in the isolation from mankind and all that applied. Even with the silence, though, the thunder of the storm as it finally released everything it contained sounding muffled from the encompassing walls, Soledad could find no relaxation. She just wanted to be with Harley, but…she didn't know if she could face him now that her feelings made sense. Would she be able to deal with the fact that he had no idea of their existence, or her lack of a plan on how to confess to him?
She sighed again, leaning her head back, dimmed gaze glued to the ceiling.
If she confessed, that is…
She put a hand to her head, flinching slightly when a vicious roar sailed across the sky outside - a horrifying snap that had followed its lightning counterpart. She turned her eyes to the monstrous clouds that now loomed over the city, the air smothered with heavy rainfall; she could see it all through the windows that traced the outer wall of the loft, revealing the parking lot for the coordinators of the contest hall. Of course, the whole block was abandoned now, adding to the fact that she was the only being on the entire premises. She had thought such a thing would help clear her head, but so far her need to see Harley again, as well as the storm as it thrived with life outside, was burdening her to no end.
"Raikou must hate me today…" she muttered to herself, her voice dragging as she continued to watch the storm. "Either him or Lugia. Hell…probably both."
Leaning her head back against the seat again, her breathing remained hard as she closed her eyes, hoping the sanctuary of darkness would help ease her.
And it did - her fatigue from thinking and walking took over, dominating her body. It brought the lovesick coordinator to daze off, images of a certain amethyst-haired man consisting her faint dreams.
Soledad Sierra didn't know what time it was when she shook herself awake, verdigris gaze sailing over the shadowed contents of the contest hall's loft – a sea of black that marked the approach of a dying day. It had been somewhere near the afternoon for when she left Harley's apartment, so the pink-red-haired coordinator ignored her urge to yawn and instead leaned forward immediately, wondering how many hours had exactly elapsed since then. The storm was still raging on outside, the way the sky was darker than before confirming that it was indeed later into the day, and Soledad could barely make out anything that existed beyond the walls of the contest hall – it was all enshrouded beneath a raven-colored veil.
She frowned, but didn't bother to think about it when something bright from the murky darkness outside caused her to grimace…
…headlights?
That's what it was – the activated headlights of a car. They poked through the darkness like golden eyes – two shrunken suns that appeared full of life when compared to the rainy black that smothered them. Soledad quirked her eyebrow, walking forward towards the door, wondering what this was all about as the car, its dark color nearly camouflaged within the air, came up to the curb that marked the pathways leading up to the loft's entrance. There, a honk emitted from it – like a call of some sort – and since it was obviously directed at Soledad she slowly stepped outside, ignoring how the rain began to drench her. She continued to approach the familiar cobalt four-door sedan, the window rolling down when she was close enough to hear the driver's strong voice:
"Sol, what're you doing out here?"
The pink-red-haired woman froze in place as a very-awake Harley Davidson glanced at her through the window, concern radiating from his metallic blue-green gaze, which glowed in the somber atmosphere. Her heartbeat quickened, her breathing remaining irregular, and she had to turn her eyes away to the pitch-black pavement below before she melted underneath his stare. Great, he's here. She found it ironic that she was now being forced to face the man she loved, when such a thing had been one of the reasons she had escaped from his apartment in the first place. It was as if she couldn't separate herself from him no matter where she went. She knew there was no getting away this time, so she let out a sigh and gave him a response, keeping her tone loud against the storm: "I just needed some air."
Harley arched an eyebrow, sailing his gaze over the drenched parking lot, as well as the rest of the city – its skyscrapers and other buildings silhouetted behemoths that towered over everything, the forest on the other side matching the said pattern. "It's raining, though," he prompted, and as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I wasn't able to get back in time before the storm started," Soledad explained, thinking up of an excuse that would help her in avoiding having to tell him the truth. She hated lying to him, but it was all she could do. "So I bunked out here in the hall since I was close to it."
"For how long?"
"A few hours."
He frowned. "You could've phoned me for a ride on a nearby payphone, you know?" Again, he glanced at the wet scene around him – at the view of Slateport his position provided. "It's a mess out here when it rains…"
Soledad looked up, eyeing the black clouds through the veil of water that poured from them, now figuring that with Harley here, the storm was the least of her worries. "It's just the rain," she sighed, almost philosophically. "Sometimes it's good for you."
Harley blinked, though his frown then returned as he eyed how the rain glued her clothes to her, her body shivering from the cold. "Yeah," he scoffed, his tone sarcastic, "but not when it's freezing." He leaned forward and opened up the passenger seat's door, moving away, inviting Soledad in. "Come on," he egged, smirking, trying to hold back from chuckling at her drenched state. "It's warm in here."
Soledad met his eyes and she knew there was no denying his offer. Because of this, she gave into her urges and climbed inside of the car, relishing in the thermal temperature that indeed smothered the homey air of the vehicle, pouring from the heaters like imaginary water that rivaled the rain outside. She shut the door in a frail manner, having Harley right beside her – so close she could hear his breathing and feel his own body heat as it radiated from him – causing her stomach to freeze over. She kept her eyes down, not wanting to meet his gaze, which she could feel was fixated on her, the comforting touch of a warm hand coming up to cover her shoulder a few seconds after. "Sol, you're freezing!" he gasped, reaching forward to turn up the heater, and she proved his words as she continued to shiver.
Though her mind was focused on more serious things.
The female coordinator turned her head to glance at Harley, her gaze taking in his features, and despite everything she couldn't help but smile. "I'm warming up," she cooed, now enjoying how his body heat skimmed across her skin. "Thanks."
He met her eyes, metallic blue-green welcoming verdigris, giving her one of his warm smiles that relaxed everything inside of her. "We should head back to the apartment," he then suggested, reaching forward towards the car's ignition.
However, Soledad didn't want the moment to end. "No!" she objected, causing Harley to jump in his seat from her sudden outburst, in which she pulled back, blushing in embarrassment. He pivoted his startled gaze to her. "I…uh…" she tried to explain, turning her eyes away, searching for an excuse. "I don't think we should be driving in this weather."
The amethyst-haired man arched an eyebrow. "But…I just drove here-"
He stopped when she frowned, gulping as he sunk down into his seat. "I guess you're right," he nervously agreed, eyeing the storm clouds above through his window, rain trailing down its glass surface. "It is kinda dangerous to be driving out in this weather. I suppose we can wait until it clears up a little."
But how long will that take? Soledad mentally questioned, turning her eyes downward at the thought that the storm had already lasted most of the day. However, as she returned her attention to Harley, the rain grew unimportant. "How did you know I was here?" she asked.
"A hunch, I guess…" he answered, his voice quiet, and she didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that he was aware of her contrition towards the contest accident. Meanwhile, he shrugged, continuing with: "When I woke up, I noticed you were gone. You didn't leave a note but I figured you were somewhere around town. Since it was about to rain, I thought I'd come looking for you." His gaze grew tender. "I'm glad I found you."
Soledad blushed.
"What were you doing out here, anyway?" he then questioned, oblivious to her reddened face.
She swallowed her urge to embrace him and, referring to her…lie…about wanting fresh air, she answered, "I already gave you a logical reason."
Her amethyst-haired partner chuckled. "'You can use logic to justify almost anything. That's its power - and its flaw.'"
"Who said that?"
He grinned childishly. "Captain Janeway from Poke'Trek: Voyager."
Soledad couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You're such a dork."
"I know," he answered, tone remaining humorous, "but you still love me anyway."
She had to freeze at his words though she knew he was simply joking.
You don't know how right you are…
She sighed in defeat, turning her head to look out the window – past the clouds' tears that trailed down its surface and to the blurry image of the deserted contest hall beyond it. She wanted to tell him the truth, but who knew what would happen if she did? She didn't want to risk anything – their friendship, for one example. She just wanted to be with him, though…just that alone was enough to grant her contentment...and she didn't want to break away from it.
"Sol…" Harley suddenly murmured, his voice sounding closer despite that he hadn't moved an inch. "Why did you really come here?"
Crap, Soledad thought, breaking away from her thoughts to turn her eyes to the floor, he didn't fall for it. Gritting her teeth, she struggled for a solution. For the first few seconds the only puncture in the silence between them was the heater, their breathing, and the muffled sound of rain pummeling the car from outside. When Soledad still failed to answer then, Harley emitted his own theory: "You're still upset over the contest accident…aren't you?"
Her eyes locked with his and the more she stared at him the more she wanted to lean in…
She shook her head. She had to take his words into consideration, so she frowned as she thought them over. She was still upset over the incident, despite that now the said case was nowhere near as holocaustic as the one she was currently in, and she struggled among debating with herself on what to respond with. She couldn't think of another excuse; another false tale that would hide away the fact that she had run away from him because she didn't know what to believe. The female coordinator groaned in annoyance, feeling as if she was in a bad soap opera, and when she turned to meet his eyes, noticing that he was staring at her – life thriving within his pools of metallic blue-green like a beacon over a pitch-black sea – she couldn't take it anymore.
"I…" she began, her voice trailing off into the unknown.
"Sol," he cooed, placing his hand over hers, entangling their fingers in a loving embrace that made her eye it longingly. "I don't like seeing you hurt. If something's bothering you…you can tell me."
Warmth radiated from his palm and engulfed hers. However, it didn't help her relax, instead driving her to hyperventilate, her stomach roaring with regret. There was no getting out of this now - there were no more excuses she could hide herself behind. The wall of isolation and caged emotions she had constructed crumbled down all around her. She had to tell him. He had the right to know.
"I…" she attempted to start up again, mentally cursing herself for not being able to emit the truth.
Harley frowned. "If it's about the contest accident…don't worry about it, okay? It was an accident and nobody's fault. Not mine, not yours, not May's, not Drew's, not Garchomp's, not Pidgeot's – stuff like that happens. My back still hurts, but it's healing up slowly-"
"That's not the only reason!" she suddenly cried, immediately pulling back afterwards, realizing what she had done.
Harley didn't display shock at her sudden hiss, but instead curiosity. "Then what is it?"
Soledad felt guilty for not telling him the truth. She wanted to, but at the same time she didn't. She didn't know which side of her to follow.
Tell him?
Don't tell him?
Tell him?
Don't tell him?
...Ugh, how cliché is this?
Eyeing him, past thoughts resurrected themselves in her mind; the reasons why she held feelings for him. Whether her next words were related to the topic…she didn't really know herself. "Why…?" she began, voice quiet, eyes deepening with emotion as her sentence trailed off into the unknown. She shook her head, forcing herself to continue. "Why did you push me out of the way during the contest accident? Why did you nearly sacrifice yourself to save me?"
Harley met her eyes, though he eventually pulled himself away and glanced out his own window. Soledad's gaze brightened, longing to see his face again. His voice was nearly as quiet as hers, though at the same time it was louder than the rain that pummeled the car from outside. "That's what…friends…do for each other…"
"That's not very convincing."
He brought his gaze to her, expression stern. "I...care about you, Sol. I don't want to see you hurt, or…you know…"
"Why do you care about me so much, then?" Soledad asked, capturing his eyes again, watching them flicker to the floor.
"I already told you why. I mean, it's the same reason you were worried for me while I was in the hospital, no?"
She frowned. He thought that she had been worried for him because she was a friend? No…it was so much more than that…
She loved him.
And the fact that he had no idea…it depressed her.
"What if I were to tell you," she spoke, voice dim, stuck in a confessional trance, "that friendship wasn't the only reason I didn't want to see you go through that…?"
Harley arched an eyebrow.
"See you get hurt…?" she continued, now whispering. "…see you nearly get yourself killed?" She met his eyes. "See you almost leave me forever?"
The amethyst-haired coordinator blinked, his eyes glowing as if he was still processing her words, but at the same time already knowing the moral behind them. "Depends on what the reason is," he murmured, sounding more tender than curious. "What is it?"
She wanted to tell him, though at the same time she didn't. She didn't know what to do and as his gaze lingered on her, diving into her very soul, she felt herself grow frustrated. She leaned back against the seat, hoping to clear her head.
And, of course, the cane wasn't there.
Her eyes widened as her seat flew back, and out of normal reaction her hand gripped tight to Harley's, her other hand grabbing the sleeve of his shirt right before she was sent to a lying position. The force of her strong hold pulled the amethyst-haired man from his own seat, causing him to emit a grunt as he landed on top of her. A few seconds after, Soledad opened her eyes, attempting to comprehend what had just happened and why she was feeling a hot breeze caress her facial skin.
Her breathing stopped.
Harley was right over her; the seat had been fully rolled back so that she was lying beneath him. Groaning in soreness, the amethyst-haired man hoisted himself up, placing his hands to the side of her, thighs doing the same below, bringing him to hover over her like a tent that was attempting to cage her in, his limbs pinning her to the seat. It was without intention, by all means, which was why when he shook his head free from any lingering disorientation, opening his eyes to try to understand what had just occurred himself, his gaze widened towards noticing their position. However, unaware of how Soledad was eyeing him longingly, her face red and desires blooming, the amethyst-haired coordinator narrowed his eyes. "Damn seat," he muttered, then relaxing his eyebrows as he switched his gaze to her. "Are you okay? Sorry about that – I need to get this thing fixed."
No response.
Soledad was too busy staring up at him, noticing how close their bodies were, like all of the positions they had been in before – ones that persuaded her into wanting to…kiss him, taste him, feel him. But, at the same time, this one was different than from the rest; the darkness that consisted the inside of the car – another hint of nighttime, as well as the intimidating shadow of the storm outside – covered the both of them, and as she felt his body heat prance across her front the faint flash of the storm's lightning cast an ethereal effulgence upon him, highlighting his features. His metallic blue-green eyes glowed among it all – deep and meaningful, like a wolf's.
The pink-red-haired coordinator shivered slightly at the sight. Every quality of his being was enshrouding her senses…
Not perfect. Not horrible. Just average. Just human.
She gave in.
Portraying a look of yearning, lost in that same trance from before, her hand came up, fingertips gently touching his jaw line as if he was a priceless, but fragile, object. He displayed confusion towards her actions, metallic blue-green eyes glowing with thoughts, though he didn't budge or emit a sound as she trailed her fingers up, feeling his facial stubble. It was coarse and rough, but yet she relished in the satisfying feeling as she cupped his cheek altogether. It was then when that imaginary wall between her and admitting her feelings came down, finally whispering the answer to his earlier question:
"I need you."
Silence – a pause in time, like the split second a crack of lightning had before it roared.
Then, finally comprehending what she said, Harley's jaw dropped slightly, her words and the longing stare that was associated with it confusing him. Simultaneously, he was shocked – as if aware of what she meant and couldn't believe that that was the case. His eyes, bright with wonder, grew dark with emotion.
Because now everything made sense.
Meanwhile, Soledad, still lost in her trance, turned her head away, not wanting to face him, what she presumed to be silence confirming her doubts that he didn't-
"Soledad…" the amethyst-haired man murmured, gaining her attention, and he raised his own hand, gently covering hers as it lingered on his face, "what if I were to tell you that the reason I pushed you out of the way of that spear was more than just friendship as well?" As she remained silent, his fingers began to lead her hand, bringing it to his mouth, where he slowly planted a soft kiss against her palm, the warmth of his lips lingering on her flesh – like before, during the contest. "Because if I ever lost you…I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Nuzzling his face into her hold, he finished his words.
"I have always needed you."
That was it. That had done it. That was all the approval she needed. The key to the door Soledad had been trying to open had been there all along. She couldn't believe it, much less control herself anymore; her emotions dominated her. Using her hand that cupped his cheek, thriving in the hold of his own, she began to lower his face towards hers. He didn't resist. He didn't pull away. He didn't display curiousness towards what she was doing – because he knew what she was doing, and he wanted it just as much as she did. Her stomach grew cold in anticipation as he came closer and closer, his hot breath brushing her skin, and he stopped when his face was mere centimeters away from hers. Their darkened eyes studied each other, reading one another, at the same time wanting this moment - having wanted it for a long time.
And they finally succumbed to their desires.
His soft lips met hers, warmth erupting from the action as if Stark Mountain itself had exploded, driving her muscles to become weak underneath the power of it all. The caress of their lips was languid – like the sampling of pool water before the individual confirmed its temperature tolerable, or the very first step into uncharted territory that was enshrouded within mystery. Though, at the same time, the kiss was deep and filled with the emotions gone unspoken that had been longing to be released. Soledad could feel every inch of her come to life - a renaissance into nirvana – achieving that vital part of herself she didn't even know she lacked; Harley's mouth molded itself to hers as if that was the sole purpose of its existence.
Outside, thunder rumbled. Somewhere else, a wave among the sea crashed against the jagged exterior of a cliff. She felt as if the whole world was responding to their feelings – so much power, so much life - celebrating the fact that the wall between them had crumbled down alongside the ones that had environed her to begin with.
Eventually, their lungs constricted, airless. In need of oxygen, Soledad and Harley pulled away from one another - slowly, lingering in the sensation. Her hand remained on his face, feeling the coarseness of both his jaw and his personality in general – natural semblances of toughness built to strengthen the man he was and to hide the man he had once been. Her gaze deepened at the thought, stroking his cheek as he tented her, in which he returned her unblinking stare with wanting eyes. Pushing away the past and future to make room for the now, the feelings unnoticed and neglected and the possibilities unconsidered and unimagined flourished in the silence that dominated the inside of the car. The storm beyond its thick walls and the articulations of love suppressing themselves behind the coordinators' lips were muted out by their raspy breathing.
Words didn't need to be said, anyway. Their actions spoke loud enough.
Once her lungs had replenished themselves, Soledad brought her other hand up, placing it on Harley's opposite cheek, cupping his face altogether. Then, far from done, she led him back down, already needy to feel his mouth on hers again as if she had been deprived of it for years. Harley showed no objection, inhaling deeply when his lips melted over hers, feelings that had gone unrequited finally being served in a moment where they were welcomed. Lips parted during the embrace and Soledad felt coldness wash over her as her tongue slid into his mouth, finally getting the chance to taste him. He tasted almost as she thought he would taste, carrying a sense of murkiness that resembled the isolated imprisonment of a loner – a being who had survived on his own for as long as he could remember, holding grudges and having regrets, banished as a villain in the eyes of others. At the same time, however, he tasted relaxed and at peace; that sense of security Soledad had wanted. Her hands trailed down his back, feeling the warmth of his skin seethe through the fabric of his shirt, his muscles tensing beneath her touch – a past filled with personal hatred, disappointment, and the fear of opening up obviously inspiring them to do so. She wanted him to know that moments like this were ones where the past could be forgotten; strict fathers, shunned personalities, and all.
They were safe now.
She felt him ease, as if aware of her thoughts.
Outside, the storm continued to rage on over Slateport, rain striking the car in every place it could reach. However, the muffled taps went unheard of by Harley and Soledad, whose lips were still locked together until lack of oxygen forced them apart again. This time, their foreheads leaned against the other's, noses kissing. The both of them panted in synch, her hands pausing in movement while his arms folded in against her sides. He still tented her body, but now there was barely any space between their chests, their quickened heartbeats hearable as he held her close, not wanting to let her go. She didn't want to leave, tightening her arms as they circled around his back, each hand grabbing a fistful of the black material that consisted his shirt - to make sure that he was there, to make sure that this was real.
It was.
He smiled, looking her in the eyes as their foreheads leaned against the other's, his tone a soft whisper despite his breathlessness.
"Still nervous?"
She pulled away, her gaze locked with his, examining the life that thrived around in those pools of metallic blue-green. When she thought about it...
She had been nervous for the contest.
She had been nervous when he was taken to the hospital.
She had been nervous of her feelings and his possible reaction to them.
But now that everything checked out, now that she was in his arms as he cocooned her, warming her up with his hands, she felt safe. She felt free. She felt at home.
And it was just that. In their own world, a world where pasts didn't matter and feelings once thought to be blasphemy could flourish in liberation and acceptance, what they had was all that mattered.
"Not anymore," she then answered, leaning forward.
This world is home, for as long as we're with each other.
He mirrored her expression, closing the distance between them.
Eventually, she allowed him to switch places, moving so that he was below and she could lay her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. The rain continued to pummel the car from outside, thunder sailing across the sky. She tightened her arms around him as he held her close, his smile returning, though silence dominated them since words were irrelevant once again. Allowing his breathing and the storm to relax her, she closed her eyes.
The world outside the car can wait.
And as Soledad Sierra fell asleep in Harley Davidson's arms, she did a thing she hadn't done in a long time.
She breathed with ease.
