After another rough night of Piper not wanting to sleep alone in her bed, Finn had to get ready for school. He dressed for the day while she slept peacefully in her makeshift pram. Of course, because for his mother, she always was content to sleep in her bed. Leenan watched him pace about the kitchen while she ate her breakfast and a piping hot cup of tea.
"If only I had more sick days to work with, I would have just stayed home." Finn said. He straightened his tunic for the fourth time that morning. "You know Harv's brought those little fur balls to class before, a baby's not that much different."
"If you're comfortable having her around battle axes, by all means." Leenan raised her glass for a toast and Finn paled. He could easily imagine her getting tossed through the air like a rugby ball by his fellow classmates.
"No, you're right." Finn fidgeted with his bag. "You'll call if something happens?"
"I'll call if something bad happens." Leenan clarified. "You don't need to worry yourself over every bottle and nap while you're at school. No phone calls are good phone calls, okay?" She set down her tea and gave him a hug. "It'll be fine. You don't want to keep your little friend waiting, do you?" Finn nodded and gave the pram one last glance before heading out the door.
Finn slid into the passenger seat of Harv's cart. Harv offered a small smile and a hand on his shoulder when Finn turned back to look at the house again.
"Not easy, is it?" Harv chuckled, then stopped when Finn snapped his head toward him and glared. "Too soon. Got it." Harv snapped the reins and the cart pulled back onto the road.
During lunch break, the rest of the school was running around the courtyard and excitedly talking amongst themselves. Finn and Harv laid in the cool grass, soaking up the warm rays of the spring sun. Harv was laying the opposite direction of Finn, so only their heads were next to each other. It made Finn feel uneasy.
"I failed my midterm." Finn grumbled toward the sky.
"What!?" Harv sat up. His friend stayed in the grass, his eyes closed and brows furrowed into a scowl.
"I tried telling them what happened, but apparently exams are extended for no man." Finn lolled his head to the side and looked up at Harv. "'I find babies all the time, you don't see me asking for special privileges.'" Finn did his best to imitate his saga teacher. "I'm pretty sure when he says 'find babies' he means he eats them." Finn grimaced.
"Finn, that's awful." Harv knew how hard it was for Finn to keep older stories straight. The only way he was able to make it through any memorization classes was cramming everything in the days leading up to the test. "I wish there was something I could do to help."
"You could come here." Finn lazily swatted at one of Harv's dreadlocks. "You're being all self-conscious over nothing again. I miss three days ago when you'd touch me without making a face." Harv looked over his shoulder at his friends tackling each other in the yard to see if they were watching. "Yeah, that's the one." Finn gently took Harv by the chin to make him look Finn in the eyes. "Who was it? What did they say?" Harv sighed. It was hard to tell Finn 'no' when he was asking so nicely.
"Emet." Harv said. Finn rolled his eyes and Harv continued. "He said you were my boyfriend. Which, if he's willing to say it to me, you know he's said worse to other people." Finn's hand left Harv's face and he stared off into space as the thought unraveled in his head.
"Hunh." Finn shrugged, like it was some novel idea. "And you think this is a bad thing?" Harv dropped to his elbows so he didn't have to talk so loud. Finn craned his neck so he could get a good look at Harv's face.
"It is if it's untrue." Harv had tried to explain to Finn in the past the doctrine of the diocese and how it would make things difficult for those who didn't fit in, but Finn always thought himself above it all. At this point, Harv had stopped trying. "Especially when paired with other insults."
"Dating me is not an insult!" Finn rolled onto his side towards Harv. "Why does everyone say that?"
"I think dating someone that doesn't share your affections was the insult there." Harv sighed. Then, realizing how that might sound, hurried to correct himself. "Not that I do, just, the implication of it you know. It's not true, but, ugh, I'm just tired of explaining myself over and over." Harv collapsed back into the grass.
"Then don't." Finn played with the blades of grass, flattening them in alternating patterns as he talked. "If it's that much of a problem, just stop correcting them, and stop avoiding me. You shouldn't need excuses to hang out with me after school." Harv peaked his head up over his outstretched arm.
"You'd really be okay with that?" Harv said. Finn glanced up at him and returned to fidgeting with the grass.
"If people already think that we're dating, then yeah. I like being around you." Finn said. Finn blinked up in surprise when Harv caught the side of Finn's jaw by the fingertips and tilted Finn's face towards his.
"See that's the problem, I'm starting to think my idea of dating and your's is different." Harv's thumb drifted towards the corner of Finn's mouth.
"Oh? What's so different about it, hunh?" Finn pouted when Harv took back his hand.
"Well for starters, the only person you'd want to kiss is yourself." Harv said. He started laughing when Finn sucked in his lips and clenched his fists. "And secondly, you're not-" Finn pushed himself onto his hands and tried to kiss Harv on the lips. It was clumsy and quick; Finn had mostly caught Harv's bottom lip on his own. Harv blinked back in shock.
"I'm not what?" Finn crossed his arms and waited.
"I..." Harv searched Finn's expression for some kind of fondness or desire. "Did you just do that to prove a point?"
"Why does it matter why I did it?" Finn said. "It's all the same isn't it, mushing lips together?" He shrugged and Harv let his head droop forward. "I would have been on the mark if you hadn't moved." In response Harv let out a long, exhausted sigh. "Here, let me try again." Harv scurried back into a sitting position. He had one arm up, ready to put distance between the two if needed. Finn rested a hand on Harv's arm and waited for Harv to put it back down.
"It's different." Harv looked back to the courtyard. No one had taken notice.
"I highly doubt that." Finn squeezed Harv's arm. "Well, go on, show me if it's so different." Harv turned back to Finn, his cheeks darker as he shook his head.
"There are too many people and-" Harv licked his lips. "And I don't want to mess things up. I'm... I'm fine with the way things are." The bell for next period rang. "Come on." Harv stood up and offered Finn his hand.
"If we were alone then?" Finn said and continued to lay in the grass. "You'd show me if we were alone?" Harv briefly retracted his hand before offering it again.
"Sure. If we're alone." Harv said. Finn grinned and took his hand to stand up. As soon as he was on his feet Harv pulled away. Just as he was feeling he had made progress too. Finn couldn't help but wonder if that whole 'alone' thing was a challenge in it of itself. Harv was almost always in the company of other people and frequently avoided leisure. Even if it was a fools errand, Finn was ready for the challenge. He just needed to figure out where they could have some privacy.
As soon as he got home, he saw Piper dozing in her bed on the coffee table. She startled at the sound of the door and tried to move her heavy head towards him. The house was otherwise silent.
"Oh good, you're back." His mother said. She came out of her study as she put her other ruby earring in, in an outfit that must have taken effort to squeeze herself into. "There's a royal banquet today and I'm in danger of being unfashionably late. Milk is mixed up in the fridge. She ate an hour ago, so she should be fine."
"But-" Finn began. Leenan kissed his forehead.
"I'll be back before midnight." She waved goodbye to both of them before heading out the door.
"...I have homework." Finn sighed. Piper was looking at him, content to wait, but clearly not planning on sleeping anytime soon. "I didn't even get a chance to ask her about Harv." He scooped her up out of the bed. "I suppose having you in the room wouldn't count as being alone to him, would it?" She flailed a little arm and connected her hand to his wrist. "Yeah, no kissing in front of the baby sounds like a Harv thing to say. Must have been why he said yes at all. He thinks he's so clever." She tried to lift her head up, her brows raised high, the whole time wobbling before it lolled forward. "You do too. Well, if you want to be held the whole time, you'll have to share my lap with a lyre or it's back in the bed." She slapped his wrist one more time. "I need both hands though."
He took one of the blankets and wrapped it in a loop from shoulder to opposite hip. He set her inside so her head was against his heart and tightened the blanket so she was nice and snug. He moved his arms about, just to make sure she wouldn't slip before grabbing his instrument. It was a little awkward to play at first, with a baby under his arm as he plucked the strings. Once he found a comfortable stance, the music was able to flow.
"I hope you like Sarabrand Piper, because that's all you'll be hearing tonight." She fell asleep within a few bars. The rise and fall of her breath fell in line with his own as he sang. Though every so often, when he stumbled on the notes, she'd stir.
The next couple of days were much the same. Finn would go off to school and leave Piper in his mother's care. He'd struggle to keep up in his memorization classes, though Shad had complimented how precise his musicality was getting. He'd enjoy a few moments of reprieve during his shared lunch break with Harv, talking pleasantly before Finn slogged through the rest of his classes until he'd be left alone with Piper for the night.
On Friday night however, Piper refused to eat more than a few swallows. She'd be awake for hours at a time, crying for food, but the minute she latched to the pap she'd fall asleep. By the fifth hour, Finn just wanted to give up and crawl into his closet away from the light and the noise.
"Come on, pick up, pick up." Finn had the can phone balance in the crook of his shoulder and was bouncing Piper on his other hip. She sniffled, a tear making its way down her cheek as she worked up to let out another hungry cry.
"Hello?" Harv said. In the background Finn could hear Harv's family around the dinner table.
"Harvey!" Finn sighed with relief. "Harv you have to come over. I don't know what to do, I've tried everything."
"Slow down Finn." Harv sighed. "What's going on?"
"She's not eating." Finn tried to steady his breathing. Harv had gone silent on the other end. "She wants to, but she can't. Mother's not answering her phone, she's busy at some witch's gathering."
"Meenh!" Piper cried.
"Finn, I haven't had dinner yet." Harv looked over at the pottage, still piping hot in the bowl at his seat. "I wouldn't be able to do anything more than you could."
"MEENH!" Piper's lip trembled.
"I know, I know." Finn tried to calm Piper and talk to Harv at the same time. "I will feed you anything you want, I just. I need someone here right now. We're driving each other crazy. Please." Harv looked forlorn at his pottage one last time.
"...alright. I don't know what else I can do though."
