Behind the veil of sleep, Harv had heard the barn door open. It took him a bit to remember the urgency of the situation. Finn was mostly undisguise, wrapped tight around Harv's chest with nothing but the covers to hide his body. Harv scrambled to find some pants and Finn disappeared under the blanket like a snail.
"One second." Harv ran to the ladder to prevent whoever it was from coming up. Clover was standing on the ground floor with a tray full of tea. "Mom, you didn't have to do that." He climbed down the ladder, trying to seem like he wasn't hiding something. He could hear Finn shuffle for something modest to cover himself, or maybe his eye potion. "Did you walk here with that by yourself?"
"Yes." Clover said, a little less ashen than the day before. "I was told to drink tea twice a day, but miss witch didn't leave behind the tea leaves."
"HA!" Harv forced a laugh, taking the tray into his hands. "What a funny joke. Isn't that a funny joke Fynn?" Clover sighed. So Roland had been right in his own way. That would make things more difficult in the future.
"Darling, have you seen my wrap?" Fynn had snuck into his shapewear and underdress to make it seem like he'd been wearing it all night, but the air was still freezing.
"It's down here." Harv steadied his nerves. Fynn came down as quickly as he could and took the tray from Harv.
"Be a dear and fetch it for me?" Fynn asked. Harv pulled it out of the hay and dusted it off. "I have to show mother how to make her tea." Harv draped it over Fynn's shoulders, the phrase mother throwing him for a loop. Fynn pecked his cheek and left the barn saying something to his mom that made her laugh.
Harv could almost see a weird uncanny future where this was his reality. Finn was making an honest effort to get along with and help his mom. His brothers would find the whole thing funny; Emet and Rhodri especially. But his father…
The barn door slowly fell shut. Icy guilt sinking in with the morning dew. Finn, saying out loud he wanted Harv in his life forever, passion and all, was something he had only dreamed about before. But now he'd shattered every last bit of plausible deniability he had hid behind.
Acting as Finn's guard wasn't his job, it was something he chose to do. Finn just happened to garnish his wages for doing so. He no longer would be able to wave off the favoritism or his own ulterior motives as fictitious with any ounce of believability. He never should have sat on that stupid blanket.
Harv did his morning chores in silence, his brothers knowing well he didn't want to talk about the fiasco at dinner the night before. Couldn't look his father in the eye either. Anina was packaging up the little soaps with some supplies for Fynn to 'practice' at home. Rhodri and Emet had conveniently disappeared at the sign of trouble, like they always did.
At breakfast, Amelia presented the cake Fynn had worked on to the table with a shy smile. Last night's dessert became the morning's breakfast. A glistening bunt cake with carefully glazed strawberries.
"Wow, the decorations really made it rounder than I remember." Fynn said, eyeing the perfect shape with suspicion.
"You made that?" Harv asked.
"Oh course she did." Amelia said. "She worked all day on it. I'll take care of composting for the morning… just to be nice…" Inside every lumpy cake is a perfect cake waiting to be found. Amelia didn't want anyone to see how much excess she had cut off trying to make it look nice for everyone. She prayed no stray eggshells made it into the batter. Clover cleared her throat.
"About what I said the other day…" Roland said, feeling the pressure from his family to make amends.
"You said a lot of things." Fynn said tartly.
"What matters is that my son feels you support him, and he's alive." Roland glared at him, but continued. "So long as you do that, there shouldn't be a problem."
"I agree." Finn took a single bite of cake. "Anything to add Harvey?"
"Nope." This was about what he had expected. At least the others in the room were trying to dampen the tension. His mother sighed, clearly hoping he would have said something kinder. The two were just too stubborn to lose face at this point. "I'm going to go pack up the carriage." Harv left a clean plate behind, leaving Fynn with a little fuel to his ego.
There was only three bags, nothing so labor intensive to need to be loaded ahead of time, but the sooner he got home, the less anxious he'd feel. He cursed to himself recognizing the footsteps that approached him from behind.
"So," his father said, "are we going to see her again?"
"Gee dad, you loved having us over so much, I'll have to think about it." Harv closed the trunk of the carriage. "Probably not."
"Which one is it?" His father shook his head.
"It's a no." Harv looked back at the pristine farm, his family would be fine.
"Is it the blonde one or the white haired one?" Harv's heart stopped for a moment. "Which one of them is that doll dancing around in the kitchen? It's the white haired one, isn't it?" Harv finally looked at his father, the concern evident in the man's face. "You know I can tell when you lie to me. I just can't figure out why."
"You're the one that wanted this, I just didn't want to disappoint mom." Harv said. "That's who I want to spend the rest of my life with. There's just too much in the way of us getting married right now." His father shook his head.
"There's always the barn." Roland figured this was the closest he'd get to the truth. "If anything happens to you… You let me know. Just because you're a man, doesn't mean you have to dig yourself out alone." Harv could tell his father was trying, he just wasn't in the mood. "Thanks for coming down, your mom looks like she's doing better because of it." Harv nodded. He could see Fynn ladened with more cakes and cookies from the house
"Let me get that." Harv took a few packages off the top of the tower. "We didn't even go shopping, how did you end up with so much more stuff?"
"I'm supposed to say 'no' when people give me things?" Fynn scoffed. "Some of it's food for the road, the rest is homework. I'm supposed to send little things back as I finish them." There was no way Finn would have the time or patience to do all the odd things his sisters in law thought made for a good wife. They ranged from knitting socks to instructions on how to skin and salt a rabbit. They got the rest of the odds and ends into the carriage. His mother was particularly tearful, telling them to come back around the holidays in bone crushing hugs.
As soon as the carriage was on the road and away from the farm, Harv melted into the chaise. Finn loosened his corset and ditched the shapewear, knowing their next destination was his home. They had made it through the weekend.
"He thinks you're your mom." Harv said.
"She's twenty years older than you." Finn gapped. "And dead."
"I know." Harv said.
"Well, did you tell him the truth?" Finn stumbled over to Harv's side of the carriage. As much as he liked looking at Harv while they spoke, this may be the last chance they were somewhat alone.
"Couldn't, the contract." Harv said.
"Right," Finn leaned against Harv's shoulder, "well the weekend's over now, so the magic shouldn't care what you do. A shame I wasted my reward on something you were already planning to do though."
"You gave my mom healing potions." Harv still stared up at the ceiling, letting each challenge from the weekend fall off by the road. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Didn't want to get your hopes up over nothing." Finn sighed. "I'm not a doctor, and she is old. It might be doing nothing except make her feel like something is being done." Harv leaned over and placed a chast kiss on Finn's head.
"Thank you for trying."
"Of course." Finn's arms wrapped around Harv's waist. It wasn't as nice as lazing around in bed, but it would have to do. "Does this mean you'll finally visit me after hours?"
"...Sure." Harv said, knowing full well they had more to hide than ever. "But no being gooey around the office." Finn sat up, his brows furrowed in confusion. "The hugging, and asking for kisses, and feeding me things-"
"And the other stuff I've done on a daily basis?" Finn asked dryly.
"When have you ever asked for a kiss?" Harv asked. Finn let go of him. He combed his fingers through his hair, tilting his head slightly to the side. With his other hand, he took one of Harv''s dreads between his fingers and gently tugged toward him. "What? I don't get it." Finn let out an exasperated sigh.
"The eyes, Harvey, in polite society we ask with a look not words." Finn pouted. "Ever since romanticism caught on I thought for sure you'd be the first on board, but you grumped around even more."
"I'm well aware that noblemen think it's a laugh to send poems to each other." Harv said. "I wasn't exactly excited for a trend where sincerity was masked under three layers of social rules and irony. I can never tell the difference between when you're joking or not."
"In that case." Finn slid in close. "It'd be in your best interest to always assume I'd like a kiss instead of being stingy with them."
"I'm being stingy?" He cupped Finn's cheek and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Last night was being stingy?" After three more, Finn bowed his head.
"Well you're stingy when there's eyes on us."
"If you keep badgering me about this, I won't do any of it." Harv said. "You'll have to make your own tea and everything." Finn conceded, saddling flesh against Harv's side like a child with a favorite toy. "It'll be fine. Things will be different once we're back. We just have to be careful."
A week later, Harv dropped a paper wrapped box on Finn's desk. It was from the tailors guild, with a note attached. Harv plucked off the note while Finn dug through the box with growing dread. He pulled out a glittering white tunic with silver embossed hose.
"For your crane wife." Harv read. "Very funny Emet." Harv set down the card.
"Well, at least it's something I can use." Finn said. He dropped the tunic in shock. Purple violas bled back into Harv's skin and wrapped around Harv's wrist. "That little shit."
"What?" Harv looked at his hand in shock. "But I, I didn't, I swear."
"While I'm pleased you take our partnership seriously Harvey." Finn picked up the card and shook it in front of Harv's face. "I'm not actually your wife!" Finn was shouting at the magical brand more than Harv. "I am a man," he pointed at the card, "this is a joke!" He threw it at the ground.
"Why don't you have one?" Harv asked.
"I held up my end of the bargain." Finn said. "I said I'd masquerade as your fiance, I never promised to be good at it or convincing."
"...Give me your hand." Harv said, grabbing something from Finn's pen cup.
"Hey!" Finn wasn't seriously trying to fight Harv off. He pushed up Finn's sleeve, dragging the ink brush across Finn's skin in a similar fluoride pattern. "Your hand's gotten much steadier." Finn snatched his hand back. "But what is the point of this?"
"So we'll match." Harv said. He dropped the pen back into the cup. "Can't make it permanent like your's, but it only seems fair." Finn regarded the vine-like design carefully.
"I mean, I could." Finn said. "If it was more delicate, and less of a rush job, I could have something tasteful to match." His cheeks burned as the ink dried on his skin. "It should be on the same hand though, not the opposite ones." He cleared his throat, trying to regain some form of professionalism. "Now be a dear and fetch me my letter set. I have a rather snide thank you card I have to write now."