Harv arrived to a living room in shambles, with Finn and Piper answering the door looking to him for help. She kept squirming in Finn's arms crying out for food while Finn handed her over to Harv. There were blankets on the floor and her pap was on its side in a puddle of cold milky sludge on the coffee table.

"I just need five minutes." Finn said. He slowly shambled over to his mother's study.

"Hey Piper." Harv faked a happy voice for the baby. He tried swaddling her back up, but she kept crying. "Did you get smaller since I last saw you?" It was a joke, but Finn hesitated in the doorway of his mother's study.

"She did." Finn's shoulders sank. "She's losing weight." He closed the study door behind him.

Harv stood in the living room a moment, with Piper fusing in his arms. Every moment she was awake she was burning the energy she got from her food. It was entirely possible she wasn't able to eat enough to keep up with the demands of her body. Harv picked up her discarded pap to clean. If nothing else, he could try feeding her again.

When he filled it with water, he noticed nothing was coming out of the lip of the jar. Whatever had been mixed in with her milk had blocked the tiny canal. He boiled some water and eventually the blockage dissolved, and liquid could pour out again.

Finn came into the kitchen where Harv was preparing a bottle and getting cried at. Piper kicked her feet out of her swaddle as she lay in her bed and tried to move her mouth to anything resembling a bottle.

"Alright." Finn sighed. "We'll try again, hold on." Finn picked her up and immediately she tried to latch onto his arm. A few suckles later and she was crying again. "I know!"

"Finn, come on, give her here." Harv took the angry bundle and offered her the pap. She took in large gulps, too uncertain there'd not be enough to pace herself. "The little thing was clogged. I don't know when it happened."

"I swear I've been cleaning it." Finn leaned back and sighed. "Mother said to add rice flour to the milk today so she could get enough with the little she can eat. It might be too thick now." Finn closed his eyes. "I can't believe I didn't think to check if there was something wrong with the pap." With clarity came more frustration, this time at himself. He had managed to understand what she'd been asking for, but failed to investigate why latching to the pap hadn't been enough. He had just assumed she was too weak again. "She's been trying to eat for hours." He blamed himself more than anything. Her eyes grew heavy, and her pace slowed. Harv looked up at Finn and smiled at him, he knew how hard it could be when you were left alone with a baby. "I'm glad you're here." Finn said. Within fifteen minutes, Piper was sleeping soundly in her bed. "Thank you." Harv turned slowly and overdramatically gasped. "Don't you start, this is not the first time I've ever expressed gratitude."

"Still rare to hear you say it." Harv smirked. Finn skirted away from his grasp.

"You keep that up and I might reconsider my offer to feed you." It was an empty threat and judging by Harv's sly smile he knew it too. "I could, but I won't. It's unbecoming of a gentleman. You'll get two servings of pickled beets though, that's for sure." Even though Finn was the one who hated pickled foods, not Harv.

Harv snuck up behind Finn and wrapped his arms around his waist as Finn cobbled together a quick summoning charm to steal something from the king's table. He was quiet, but Finn could feel Harv's heart thunder against his shoulder. He was nervous about something. Just as Finn was about to break the silence, Piper sneezed, he turned his head toward the bassinet on the table. He sighed in relief when she went back to sleep immediately. Harv rested his chin on Finn's shoulder, his cheek pressed against the other boy's neck.

"Finn..." Harv tightened his hold on the bard's waist. "Do you let your other friends touch you like this?" Finn looked up at the ceiling as he thought back.

"No." Not that anyone had tried recently.

"Why not?"

"Well..." Finn had never given it much thought before. There had been a brief time in second year when Shad thought they were that close; but his hands were clammy and it always made Finn feel anxious. Even though he'd seen Shad be just as friendly with other people, it had just left him feeling uneasy and unwanted. He much preferred being close with Harv, it was more special that way. "I don't see the point really. I'd just end up wishing it was you anyway, so why settle for a substitute when I have the real thing?" He leaned back into Harv playfully, but the warrior looked oddly sullen. "What?"

"What were you hoping would happen after graduation?"

"Well, you've got that four-year service hanging over your head. I figured while you're doing that, I'd start building my local reputation as a bard. People will pay decently for live performances; and with Shad and Beatus finally out of town there won't be any competition. I heard some of my mother's colleagues have travel portals, they're these portable doors that you can link to a house. If I can just get my hands on one of them, we could travel without having to worry about where to stay. Then you can still check in on your siblings. It'll be perfect and-" Harv placed a chaste kiss on the nape of Finn's neck. It was like a jolt had gone through Finn's body, but quickly it was gone. "Harvey?"

"I was just thinking more about what you said is all. About not correcting people anymore when they say we're together." His hands slipped away from Finn's waist, and Finn was able to turn around and get a good look at the warrior in training. He was staring at the floor as if he'd done something wrong. "I just assumed you didn't care, I didn't even think that... I never asked you what things you wanted from a relationship." It was becoming clearer to the warrior that while Harv hadn't been dating Finn, at least by his own definition, Finn may have been dating him for a while. At least a year now.

"What's there to want?" Finn shrugged. He'd come to find that real life hardly lived up to the expectations set by novels and plays. The fact that quite a few of his friends still believed in that stuff was kind of cute. Harv took Finn by the hand and tugged Finn in closer. He took in a deep breath before cupping Finn's cheek and kissing him. It was different from Finn's attempt, slower for starters and Finn's mind started to wander the moment he had stopped talking. At the end of the day, it was still utterly mundane, and he'd rather keep talking. Though it was kind of nice having Harv not try to run away. When Harv pulled back, he was still hesitant, but underneath that self-conscious fear was this fondness, like Finn was the only person in the world that mattered.

"I..." Harv was overthinking again, reseeding back into a winding maze of 'what ifs' that Finn could never predict. "I like your dream for the future, I could see it so clearly. But... There are things, like kissing, that I want to do with someone. It would be so much easier to explain if you felt the same way. I just... I don't want to take advantage of the fact you don't seem to mind."

"Would it make you happy to be more intimate?" Finn asked. He placed a hand on Harv's cheek, guiding him to look Finn in the eye, even though he was still trying not to.

"Yes." He looked up at Finn. He was trying not to be too hopeful, but Finn saw that fondness again.

"And would it mean you'd keep looking at me like that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harv's brow furrowed, but a few gentle caresses of his face and hands brought that look in his eyes that Finn craved. "Finn... I don't want to ask too much of you, it wouldn't be fair."

"How about I decide when you're asking too much," Finn said, "and you don't resent me for needing you to ask?"

"I think that could work." Harv said. They both jumped when the summoning spell finally dropped an entire roast onto the counter. It barely fit on the serving plate Finn had set out. Laughing, Finn leaned into Harv's chest, the other's heart still going a mile a minute. "So, you're okay with being my boyfriend then? Even if that'd mean only I'd get to touch you like this?" Finn pulled back and whipped away a tear.

"Yeah, and you want to live together after graduation? It wouldn't be a secret or something we just never talk about?" Finn asked and Harv nodded in response.

"Yeah, after graduation it'll be just you and me." Finn hugged him tight, but even still it was as if a weight had lifted from Harv's shoulders.

At the other end of the room Piper started to stir.


Outside the throne room, Finn adjusted Piper's bow for the fifth time. The thicker formula had helped her gain weight, mostly in her cheeks, but it made her more prone to spitting up. If not waking up for the king lost them points, barfing all over him definitely would. He had timed everything so Piper would likely greet the king as expected without instantly crying for food.

"It'll be fine, don't worry." Leenan patted Finn on the shoulder. They were about to be announced, and it would do no good for Finn to be crouched on the floor over the basket. The double doors opened and the three approached the throne. Piper's headband slowly slipped back over her eyes as the adults in the room went through the typical pleasantries.

"Bring the child forward." The attendant said. Finn resisted the urge to futz with her outfit once more and handed them the basket. The king, already babbling and cooing, scooped Piper out of her basket. He pushed her bow back on the top of her head. She squinched at the sudden change, and blinked a few times. Finn held his breath and Piper stared at the king in confused silence. The king sighed in disappointment. "Still not adequately chunky." The attendant translated.

"It's been two weeks! She's eating as much as she can!" Finn shot back. His mother put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look. They had to play by the court's rules if they wanted to get by. "This is ridiculous." Finn muttered under his breath. The appraisal continued, with Piper looking in the general direction of anyone who was talking. Something the queen and princess greatly appreciated. Piper smacked her lips. She hoped one of these strangers had food. The king mimicked her lip smacking for a moment before placing a smooch on her forehead. She blinked; her arms spread wide in surprise.

That was not food.

"As per his royal majesty, this child be a six!" The attendant squinted at the smooch mark. "And a half. Not the dramatic change we had hoped for. Very underwhelming." Finn gritted his teeth. While they were going on about her appearance, her arms were flailing wildly about. She wanted her blanket and a pap, but they kept ignoring her. "We will start looking for an appropriate home immediately."

"WHAT!?" Finn shouted.

"By all means." Leenan said. "Of course, she has a special milk she needs, with an exact balance of rice flour and there is a trick to getting her to eat. If you don't hold her the right way, she'll gag and cry instead of eating. Also, she might be allergic to dyed fabrics, something about it makes her skin break out into little hives." Red splotches already started to form from where her foot rested on the king's green tunic. "It might just be ones that use urine as an ingredient, but we haven't had the time to test them all out." The king lifted her up off his lap and Piper scrunched up her legs. "If you know anyone who has the time to talk with us about all the things she's sensitive to, we'd be more than happy to hand her over." Piper's face blanched as she scowled. "In the meantime, she could still stay with us."

"Eeeenh!" The king put Piper back in the basket where she started to cry. As soon as Finn was able to pick her up, she quieted down again. The royals discussed amongst themselves while Finn bounced her up and down.

"In light of the child's needs," The attendant said, suspicion evident in his voice, "they shall remain with you until a suitable expert can be found. Until then you may be dismissed." Finn stormed out leaving the basket behind. Leenan scooped it up and followed quickly behind.

"You hear that sweety? They bought it!" Leenan knew sitting on the warm king would cause a heat rash. Piper's foot already looked normal again. "Sweety?"

"What do they mean expert? We're the experts. We're the ones who've been taking care of her." Finn shook his head. "I saw who they considered an expert in medicine, and that guy would put a leech on anything. There has to be someone else who could take her."

"Like who?" Leenan sighed. "This town is full of small minded fools. You know that. There is no such thing as a perfect parent, some compromises have to be made."

"I know." Finn said. Piper rested her head on his shoulder and let out a disgruntled sigh. The bow slid over her eyes again and she reached out a little hand out wildly to get his attention. "I don't think it's a lot to ask them to find someone who can keep her arms in a swaddle." He pulled the bow off her head. No need for decorations now that they were going home.

"You can't even do that."

"Exactly. If they're worse than someone with no experience, they aren't that much of an 'expert' are they?"