not in lone splendor, held aloft in the night

tell me Atlas what is heavier?
the world or its peoples hearts?

Despite being a prominent landmark, Harper has yet to explore the lighthouse or the surrounding areas. So of course when he finally does, it's after a shift at the Halenani, with the twinkle of stars peeking stubbornly through the clouds that never seem to leave now that spring has arrived. The glow of the light is easy enough to follow. Like a moth he drifts along the vague edges of the path, feet too idle as a person to follow strictly to the well-trod earth. He carries his guitar, strumming idly as he goes, careful to maneuver his twitching fingers away from the chords whenever he passes by a cluster of houses.

Harper admittedly hasn't played in quite some time. He's rusty, but the chords are easy enough to remember, idle melodies that slip from beneath his fingertips as he walks along the path humming to himself. Singing soft verses here and there, mostly about the moon and stars. It's odd to miss a deity he's only met once, and yet he feels the urge to see Safrin grow all the larger with each day that passes. There is much on his mind, and she had been the kindest confidant he'd ever known. But he is possessed by the gripping fear of inadequacy, of burdening her with his mortal time and woes when she surely has much more to do.

So instead he wanders through the revolving light of the lighthouse, plucking at his guitar with nimble fingers, singing soft odes to her realm instead as he tries to work through the cluster of noise and confusion inside his own head.

Harper

SuNJATA

the flood

He sits as a bat along the Lighthouse, hanging upside down and watching the storms roll in. He doesn’t notice when Harper arrives, or anything else that happens. All he hears is the strumming of an instrument, a guitar from what it sounds like, and a few hums of verses here and there though it seems almost dampened, as if he can’t quite hear any of the words of what the person arriving says.

He shifts a small amount from his perch, craning his fuzzy dark head toward the direction of where he can see the man better, fully expecting the fact that Harper may or may not be sliding into the Lighthouse. To pray perhaps? Would he be intruding? He can’t quite tell, and so he waits – perhaps a bit eager for eavesdropping – before realizing that the man inside isn’t actually calling down Safrin.

So it’s an easy fit through the window of the lighthouse, to land on the edge of the windowsill where Safrin had been the last time he’d seen her, before shifting into himself and sits alongside the window sill with a tattooed arm resting on the stone beside him. “Not bad, Harper.” Comes the accented rumble, an easy smile given toward the other man.

love will save you, but it won't save me

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

tell me Atlas what is heavier?
the world or its peoples hearts?

He's not expecting company, at least nothing more than his thoughts and the echoing of chords against the walls of the lighthouse. The acoustics are great, and he has no qualms with enjoying it when there's nobody around to disturb. Or at least so he thinks, startling hard when a voice suddenly cuts through his humming, fingers curling around the chords and the neck of the guitar in instinctive preparation to turn the instrument into a weapon. He relaxes only slightly when it's revealed to be Sunjata, heart still hammering in his breast and body still primed for motion and defense. It's one weakness he hates this new land has surprised him with - people changing from animal forms that only seem to diversify more the longer they live in Caido. It's not something he was ever trained to spot, and that bothers him deeply. This life he's building here may be far more peaceful than any other paths Harper has trod, but he doubts there will ever be a day he doesn't react so intensely to being surprised.

Nevertheless, once the shock eases he releases his grip on the guitar and turns to give a sincere, warm smile to the man in the window. "High praise," he teases, as amiable and open as always, wandering closer and sliding the guitar on its strap to rest against his back. "Thank you." Because he was raised right, and as an individual he shines beneath the compliment like a newly minted penny, all cheeks and teeth and smiles. Far from embarrassed at being caught out, the performer in him too strong. "I'm still too worried about calling Safrin down for my silly questions and concerns, but I thought I'd sing for her a bit. What brings you here this late?" Pausing at the realization that he might be intruding in the same way. "I can leave, if you wanted to pray to her alone?"

Harper

SuNJATA

the flood

Harper isn’t fooling anyone, not really. Sunjata can see the tension of surprise, the way the man seems to debate turning the guitar into a weapon. Sunjata was like that, early on. But now he has little to worry about, so many shifts at his disposal that it seems relatively pointless to try and use fists and objects when he could simply use the daggers that always sat at his hips, or claws.

But he remains settled in the windowsill, moving to prop one leg up in the window and his back against the other, tilting the burn scarred shoulder toward Harper as he nods to the thanks, a show of ‘you’re welcome’ before his steel gaze flickers over Harper once more. “Oh? What kind of worries?” Comes the easier question, ones that seemed small enough that a god needn’t be present, yet perhaps all Harper needed was an ear for advice. “I live in those homes over there.” He nods his head toward the direction of the cluster of homes, before a fanged smile settles on his face.

“I saw her recently, I just come by to watch the sunsets mostly.” An easy shrug granted to that, a constant prayer of thanks on those nights he sat there and watched the storms and clouds roll by. But enough about him, his gaze finds Harper again, gesturing to another seat should Harper wish to stay and allude to the struggles he had.

love will save you, but it won't save me

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

tell me Atlas what is heavier?
the world or its peoples hearts?

By the man's scarred countenance and his various jobs and buildings, Harper can assume that Sunjata at least understands his defensiveness. Even if he didn't, the man has the decency not to point it out, and so Harper lets it go rather quickly. Though he does lean against the wall near Sunjata's propped foot, angling to see the man properly as they speak but declining to sit. Full of too much aimless energy to stand being confined.

"Since when did you become the go-to therapist?" It's a gentle joke, though there's some sincerity to the question that he boldly asks instead of dancing around. "Are you sure you'd like to know? Even just listening can place the burden upon you." And I don't want to do that if you aren't ready. It goes unspoken, but it's plainly written in his guileless puppy eyes. There's no need for acting and subterfuge in his daily life anymore, he'd rather just be open. Too many years of manipulation had drained him.

The appearance of fangs has him tilting a curious head, knowing that Ascended don't have animal forms. But it's not so pressing a matter as to ask. "She said she'd always come if I called, assured me it would never be a problem. But coming from a place where gods didn't exist at all, it seems blasphemous to waste her time on anything really." Huffing a laugh, he taps his heel against the front of his shoes, restless.

Harper

SuNJATA

the flood

A rough laugh leaves him at Harper’s joke, a shake of his head with the grin still along his face is met with the rise of his steel gaze to where Harper chooses to stand. “I’m no therapist. My sort of therapy is in a boxing ring, usually.” With a lot of cigarettes and alcohol to go around. Last time he’d ended up with a broken hand — thanks Ronin. But regardless, the Korofian tilts his head back then, letting his gaze scan over Harper and the seriousness of the words that leave him.

“Listen, Harper. I’m a man full of burdens and secrets, what’s a few more?” He hums with that same amused smile dancing along his face. He won’t press the other man, but Sunjata hardly thinks it’s worth bearing any burdens at all — to used to holding his own for so long before he even attempted to shelve them onto someone else.

The subject of Safrin, however, has him nodding — tongue running along his top teeth and fangs as he considers it. “I know what you mean. Didn’t have gods where I’m from either. So I try to keep our visits short and to the point, usually offering to do something for her.” Another rise and fall of his shoulders. “She is wonderful, though, isn’t she?” A playful smirk crosses his face momentarily before it’s gone and he settles a bit more, a dark brow raised in silent question to what Harper might be having troubles with.

love will save you, but it won't save me

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

tell me Atlas what is heavier?
the world or its peoples hearts?

A wry, appreciative grin pulls at Harper's lips. "That's my kind of therapy too. I've been there a few times, it's a great place." While he had a few created and collected items in his personal room at the Halenani to workout with, nothing beats a punching bag when you need to get some frustrations out. Though he acquiesces eventually with a sheepish grin and a shrug of his shoulders at the man's teasing chastisement. But he holds his tongue temporarily, listening instead to what Sunjata says about Safrin while he mulls over what to say. It's guaranteed to be lengthy, and he doesn't want to interrupt the man before they even begin. "She is, yes. Has she always treated you well, then? I've only met her the once, and she was kind enough to spend as much time as I needed at my side, answering my questions." Which is more than enough to endear him to someone. "Ludo was not nearly so patient, though I wouldn't say it was a negative encounter. They were quite playful, for how serious the topic was."

Well, speaking of that topic...

"When I met Ludo, I asked if I would ever see my family again. Apparently Mort only holds Caido's souls. My first love and fiancee died in my arms in my home world, and I had promised her to see her again. That I'd love her forever, and we'd be united again. Knowing that was stolen from me...it was like losing her all over again." Though Harper is not ashamed of being a crier, the tears do not come this time. He drags a hand over his face all the same, cradling over his mouth for a moment as his eyes cast down to the ground. "I've been doing better, but...I've only just come out of that dark time. Only to be confronted with the realization that I am forming feelings for people here, which feels like a disgrace to her memory." Hand dropping away, he sighs and leans back against the wall fully, adjusting the guitar to his hip to do so. It feels just as cruel to have multiple people tugging at his heart; all different strengths and angles, but Harper has always loved too freely, too strongly. It's no real surprise that this problem afflicts him now. "And they are all so young. We had quite advanced science in my world, and knowing that their brains are not developed for another five years makes me feel sick and predatory. I don't know what to do, and I want to ask her but it feels so childish. Even if I ask about the scientific side, asking a god for advice on my love life seems pretentious." He doesn't mention that Phoebe is one of those people, aware of the history between her and Sunjata. If it comes up naturally later he won't mind, but for now he has already spilled more than enough for Sunjata to parse through.

Harper

SuNJATA

the flood

“Glad you like it. Let me know if you ever need a partner.” He rumbles with an easy smile crossing his face. But it’s easy that way to ignore the rest of it, the way the conversation shifts and Harper gives him plenty to work with. A small nod is given at the fact that Safrin has always been kind to him, a small smile curling the corner of his lip up. “She has been, yeah. Attuned me with a kiss, then always had time to hear my woes and worries.” He rumbles, lifting a hand to gesture to the tattoos that scan along his arms, the waves with galaxies within that if Harper looks close, will see the stars within move ever so slightly.

“She’s given me shifts, gifts like this tattoo here, stunning weapons. Just to name a few.” He offers with a small tilt of his head, before growing quiet — nodding about Ludo, and drawing incredibly silent at the mention of Harper’s ex-fiancée, an almost sharp pause to any banter he’d held before.

“I don’t want to get your hopes up, but… My first love, Lusea, she died in my arms too in my previous world. Phoebe found her at the Spire not long after we started going together.” And that had been the end of it there, the first time at least. But he sucks in a quiet breath, head tipping back to rest along the alcove again. “She died in Halo a couple Deepfrosts ago, now, but… With the help of Delphia I was able to speak with her after she’d passed again.” He draws silent a brief moment as he collects his thoughts. “Essentially mentioning that she didn’t want me to grow soft but to live. And living means loving and doing what’s best for you. She should understand that.” Of course, Sunjata isn’t the most moral out of anyone to give advice, but he thinks it’s solid enough.

At least until he brings up feelings for those quite younger and Sunjata tilts his head a bit to listen further. Of course his mind drifts to Phoebe, to his wedding with her, to the way she’d clung to Harper when Sunjata was the one marrying her. “Phoebe, right?” He digs straight into the point before a hiss of hot air slips from his lips and he leans forward, bracing his arms against his knee. “I get it, I mean… I married her, and she’s, what?” He pauses to do some calculation in his mind. “Seven, eight, years younger than me?” His lips twist a bit as he considers the words that come next. “I was twenty five when I got here, Phoebe was eighteen? Things were different for her where she’s from. She freaked out when I told her my parents didn’t have me until their late twenties. For her? They married young and started families young.” An amused curl of his lip with that.

“Probably because healthcare and the Like was so… What, not advanced? People didn’t live very long I’m assuming.” A shrug of his shoulders there. “But at the end of the day, you’re both adults. So talk it out like adults.” His steel gaze lingers on Harper for a brief moment, before glancing out the window toward the ocean below. “I was supposed to be married at twenty or so and starting my family and career. Got into an arranged engagement after Luci died the first time when I was twenty two.” Before he’d fled and spent the next few years hiding away on the run until he’d ended up here.

love will save you, but it won't save me

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

tell me Atlas what is heavier?
the world or its peoples hearts?

"And I've been despairing for seasons over asking for the chance to bond with a companion," he laughs breathlessly, a little stunned by the overwhelming giving nature of the goddess. It still feels wrong, despite Phoebe and now Sunjata implying it's perfectly normal. But maybe he'll find the courage to ask her the next time he saw her - whenever that may be, at this rate. "I asked what I could do for her, but I was so new here. I still don't know what I could accomplish for her here and now. Even in my old world, against magic and demigods and monsters...I've only ever just been me. Human. Plain." Shaking his head, he tilts his dark crown against the lighthouse wall, staring past Sunjata out at the stars. What could he even hope to do for her as he is now?

Unfortunately it does raise his hopes, desperate and wishing, though he stomps down on it immediately. Eyes stinging a little at the mere notion of Kova appearing through a portal, eyes shining green and dimples popping with her smile. Missed me, flyboy? The tears brush along his lashes at the mere idea, and he lifts his hand to conceal them for a moment as Sunjata's deep voice washes over him continually. "I can't let myself hope for it. I don't think I'd ever be able to move on if I entertained even the smallest possibility." He really is trying to move on, too. To recognize that Kova would have wanted him to be happy, that she wouldn't blame him for something he had no hand in. She had always been too good for him, for the world at large. "I know she would forgive me, and want me to move forward. Forgiving myself is harder." After a moment's pause, he reaches to squeeze his hand around Sunjata's ankle as the closest limb. "I'm sorry to hear about Lusea, truly." In this at least they can understand one another.

Sunjata's movement brings Harper's eyes back around more than the confirmation of who it is. "She's one of them, yes." Not denying it, but also confirming anew that she's not the only distressingly young person. Gods, even Oliver was young, wasn't he? And that wasn't even mutual. Harper listens attentively, quiet and contemplative. "She told me much the same. But how can I justify different upbringings as being an excuse for taking advantage when yes, she's an adult in the eyes of the populace here, but to me she still seems so young?" Groaning, he tilts his head in a thump against the wall behind him. "And to make matters worse, I seem to be the only one agonizing over it. If I gave in so to speak, nobody would look at me differently. But it's my own morals that are struggling." And those feel ingrained in him at this age.

"We've talked about it briefly, but admittedly her insistence that she's not a child comes across as just that. I don't like hurting her - hurting any of them, really. But I'm so...unsure. I've been thawing a little over time, but...what if I hurt her, or any of them, because I expect too much of them? What if they hurt me because they're not fully matured?" Admittedly something Harper worries about. For how strong he may be physically, he knows he lets people walk over him sometimes in hopes of pleasing them. And though he prays nobody he loves would take advantage of that, he remembers the young dating scene too. "I started dating Kova not far past twenty, so I feel hypocritical, but we were the same age. Making the same mistakes."

Harper

SuNJATA

the flood

“Definitely ask her for a companion.” He comments with a small wry smile crossing his face, one that fades soon after with an understanding nod. “And… Well, you could always attune. Safrin loves to do it.” The Attuned flashes Harper a wink accompanying the fanged smile, before it fades for far more somber conversation – more complicated conversation. And Sunjata tries to wrap his mind around it, settling a bit more as he leans back against the windowsill, keeping his arm braced against his knee.

“Mm, well, forgiving yourself is the hard part.” He agrees quietly, shifting his attention away from the water outside crashing along the cliffs toward Harper’s own deep blue gaze. “But if you don’t forgive, how do you move forward? You’ll always hold those regrets, right? Regrets of other things too? Why not add to it to atone later. We’re here for a good time, not a long time, after all.” As evidenced by the way this world tried over and over again to kill them.

The subject of Phoebe does bring a bit more sharpness, a bit more clarity and confusion around it – not sure what’s gotten into him to advocate for her after everything. But it’s been a year since their marriage, been almost a year since everything had happened. Perhaps he’s just over it, now, wishing her the best while he endeavors to have his best too.

Still, Harper manages to get a small huff of laughter out of Sunjata. “Ah, she hates that.” He replies, some humor glinting in his steel gaze. “I said that to her quite a lot. But she’s resilient, really, she learns quickly and makes mistakes just like the rest of us.” His fingers drum along his leg while he considers everything else Harper says. “Are you really taking advantage of her? That’s the question, Harper. Is it perceived just because of age, or are you actively seeking her out to use her?” And that was the question he’d asked himself time and time again as well.

“If you’re not, then perhaps waiting and seeing if the feelings remain when the time comes?” His shoulders rise and fall with that, unsure of where the best course of action were to go when it came to that. “As for hurting them? Forgive me, Harper, but I doubt you could hurt her worse than I did.” There’s a raise of his brow to that, no smiles, just honest beats of silence. “Just be honest with her. I tried to, but... Well, the wedding was mostly spite and both of us being stubborn dicks about it.”

As for making the same mistakes, the same age? He nods to that. “Luci was a year or two younger than me. She had a much harder life than I did growing up, and despite the age I certainly made more mistakes than she did.” As if that helps anything.

love will save you, but it won't save me

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

tell me Atlas what is heavier?
the world or its peoples hearts?

"I'll try to summon the courage to do it," he laughs obligingly, warmth etched beneath his freckled, smiling cheeks. "I've considered Attuning, but I'll admit any kind of magic still intimidates me after so many of my enemies wielded it to harm others. It's getting easier the longer I live here, at least." Though the Gods ignored the Abandoned at best, they were still prevalent in the world, and outside of the Grounds did not bother hiding their magic. Harper does appreciate marveling at their capabilities here and there.

"You're a wise man," Harper compliments kindly, smile turning a little crooked. "I am trying...but you're right, life's too short, especially in a world like this one eh?" Nodding his head to Sunjata's scarred shoulder with a wry grin. His own scars are numerous, and plainly visible especially on his hands, but Caido has yet to inflict him with any yet. "I've been trying to let her go in small ways, remembering the good instead of the bad. Baby steps, right?" Blue eyes turning almost beseechingly, as if hoping for assurance or guidance. Maybe they make an odd pair, Harper and Sunjata, but Harper has never much cared for the dramatic expectations of others.

"Truly she'd likely say the opposite, with how firm a distance I keep between us. I suppose that's a small comfort, to know that I'm so repulsed by the idea of using her I've gone the whole other way 'round." Does that speak of his character, then? It's admittedly a weird sort of relief to have it pointed out. "When what time comes, though? The years between us will never shorten. I told her not to wait on me, in case she found another, but...well, the person she found is even older. Concerningly so. She's not interested in him, and assured me she has been denying his advances, but it worries me that she is looking for love in all the wrong places. And how can I be sure that I'm not just another wrong place?" Clearly self-deprecating, but Harper has never had the best self-esteem when it came to things that actually mattered outside of showmanship and war.

"Though, comparing myself to that other man, it did help to recognize that I'm not taking advantage. She has offered, but she has also respected my refusals, even when it hurt her." Blowing out a breath, his fringe flutters about in it, reminding him in some distant idle way that he should likely get it cut soon. "You both hurt each other, but you've both grown and become individuals of esteem despite that. Even I can see that." Which is precisely why he finds it so easy to be here with Sunjata, talking about such dire topics. "I didn't know Lusea was younger. That...in some ways, it helps." Not fully, but it's a start.

Harper

SuNJATA

the flood

“No harm in having multiple shifts at your disposal.” He winks, shifting into some comfort. “I’ve been gifted… six shifts now?” He murmurs, counting them off the top of his head. “One for almost every occasion.” It’s an easy joke to make, a small half smirk crossing his face before it fades again at the way Harper calls him wise and a far louder bark of laughter leaves him – though he’s entirely unsure why it’s caught him so off guard.

“Ah, first time I’ve been told that.” He offers with a crooked smile, almost boyish in nature, before he’s nodding and agreeing silently with the fact that life’s too short. Another nod of agreement to the baby steps comment – because that’s what it took, right? The idea of Lusea’s snide comments, what she might like were she still around, little things here and there. And of course, a partner (or partners in his case) that weren’t upset if he brought them up.

So he focuses instead on the information Harper deals about Phoebe, a slight tilt back and forth of his head as if he’s considering it before his head snaps up and he focuses on Harper with a raise of a dark brow. “The years won’t shorten, no, but the brain development finishes. And after that, what’s the difference between it?” He offers, before mulling over the information of this much older man, a small sigh slipping from him as he goes to rub at his temple while the waves along his arms shimmer and shift with the stars.

“Everyone’s a wrong place at some point, Harper. Surely you know that with your first love and the mistakes you both made.” He rumbles, tilting his head a bit as he slides his leg off the windowsill and sits a bit more fully, bracing his arms along his thighs as he mulls over his thoughts once again – having never quite been good at words when he wants to be. “I’m getting married soon. Again. To the guy I cheated on Phoebe with and to the woman that kissed me at the altar before I found you and Phoebe.” He hums, tilting his head up to look at Harper – sure that the other man remembered that ordeal. “She’s a year younger I think, Nate’s older than I am. But we made mistakes, y’know. I do, all the fucking time. But love is about fucking up and working through it and becoming stronger. You’re never going to be the perfect one for one another.”

And then, because perhaps what Nate had said when he’d regretted everything that happened when Lusea did come back from the dead, he runs his tongue along his lower lip before he speaks. “And when Luci came here, it was different. We were good, still, yeah. But not perfect. Not like we were before. The pieces didn’t fit right like they used to. But now? I’ve got a pretty good puzzle piece with Nate and Ru, even if things aren’t great all the time.”

love will save you, but it won't save me

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

tell me Atlas what is heavier?
the world or its peoples hearts?

"She was already imagining what my first form would take," he admits with a shy grin. Maybe she says that about any god-struck man new to her presence, but it had been a compliment all the same that she'd wanted to Attune him so early into their first meeting. "Though you make a strong argument, she'll likely praise you next time you see her for bringing someone into the fold." Harper has no qualms regarding Sunjata's favored status, only humored by the idea of Safrin's reaction to their unusual friendship. Is it too soon to call the man his friend? Harper certainly doesn't think so at least.

"Well I'll say it however many more times you need to sufficiently stroke your ego," Harper teases, white teeth flashing in the moonlight streaming through the window. It's a far calmer night than he'd first anticipated having. Resolution and guidance where previously there had only been chaos and doubt.

"But then I would be asking her to wait for me. I can't do that, and admittedly I have found myself jealous and angry at this older man for thinking he can insinuate himself into her life. And I am normally not a man of either emotion." A round about way of saying that, despite his misgivings, Harper doesn't want to wait. He won't admit it aloud, and it's exactly why this entire situation has become a mess beyond his abilities to fix. It all lies in his hands, and that makes it all the more frustrating when he doesn't know what action to take.

The news is unexpected, but pleasant, and Harper slaps the back of his hand eagerly against Sunjata's leg, face beaming. "Hell, dude, congratulations! I'm happy for you!" He only knows Nate in passing, and doesn't know Hotaru at all, but what does it matter? Sunjata has found his happiness again, enough to commit in a way he hadn't wanted to do with Phoebe. That's a big change, and one Harper is glowingly happy to see it firsthand. "I know things will be difficult, they already have been. And let's say I decided to be with her despite my age concerns; I know we would have to grow and change together. Kova and I did too. And I'm...I'm willing to try. You know? I want to make her happy." And saying it out loud, with the connotations it already has, is such a blow that he sags against the wall. Feeling overcome anew with this entire problem. "Maybe I won't, maybe she finds someone else. The possibilities are always endless. But it all starts with me. With my choice, with deciding if I'm okay with the years between us."

Harper

SuNJATA

the flood

“Of course she is.” He offers with a small smirk, shifting a bit in his seat. “As for me, I’ve told anyone who listens about Safrin. It’s my deal with her.” And one he doesn’t need any compliments or acknowledgement. She’s always been great to him, always been giving and willing to help him when even he didn’t realize he needed it.

But he lets it die as soon as Harper mentions that he’ll say it to stroke his ego, a gruff laugh slipping from Sunjata with a shake of his head. “Gods, I don’t think anyone wants that, Harper.” He teases easily, a shake of his head, amusement clear as it gleams into his gaze.

It remains, a hint of a sparkle as his gaze finds Harper again. “If it’s an understanding between the both of you then you can move on and see what comes next. What’s the harm in trying and seeing who suits you?” He asks with a tilt of his head before he’s considering it. “When we were together, she just wanted me to talk to her. About myself, about my life and what I did and what not, what kind of apprehensions I had.” He murmurs, pausing to gather his thoughts. “I didn’t think she could handle it, so I kept a lot of myself a secret. All she wants is honesty, she should accept that from you of all people.” A raise of his brow — because of course he remembers, his soon to be wife, hanging on the arm of Harper in tears because he’d been everything Sunjata wasn’t.

Did Sunjata care? Not really, but there was certainly a point to be made.

“Maybe this other man is trying hard so he can take advantage of her. She’s smart enough to not give in. She’ll joke about it to get a rise out of you.” Or so Harper has told him, despite the supposed attempts made. Sunjata doesn’t make it a habit to keep tabs on his exes anymore, but he does know that little trick Phoebe had pulled time and time again.

There’s a shift of surprise when Harper’s hand bats at his leg, a grin replacing the somberness of the prior conversation. Had anyone else been that excited? That congratulatory to news of his new wedding plans? Not that he can recall, and it causes a smaller smile to replace his grin as he nods his thanks to Harper, a hum of a sigh slipping from him.

“It is up to you, Harper. But if you’re happy with her then do it. And if it comes a time where you’re not? Then tell her. That’s what I didn’t do.” Because they’d gone into it both unhappy, regretful, upset with one another and everything else. “You’re adults.” He reiterates, offering a shrug.

love will save you, but it won't save me

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3