𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚¹- hp.

𝐢𝐢𝐢. summer heat, queen's on repeat.

"What are you doing?" Lavinia asked, flickering her gaze between the shears and him.

"Deadheading the flowers." Harry replied, sheepishly smiling at her.

Lavinia craned her neck over the fence, admiring the assortment of flowers. "Do you think you could help me when you're done? I'm supposed to deadhead ours but I always mess it up."

"Oh, erm, yeah I can." Harry said, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"Thank you." Lavinia nodded, furrowing her brows. "Are you going to continue, or?"

Harry shook his head, green eyes going wide, "No, I'm done."

"Then come around the front and I'll let you in." Lavinia told him as she took a step backwards.

She watched as he nodded, picking up the shears as he walked away from her, stepping inside his house. Lavinia skipped while she made her way to the front door, the record playing in the background. She stopped in front of the door, unlocking and twisting the handle to open it, rocking on her heels as she waited for him.

Harry appeared only a few seconds later, his face a deep shape of red, fidgeting with the shears. Lavinia took pity on him, resisting the tease sitting on the tip of her tongue, taking a step back with a small smile, waving for him to follow her.

"Do you have a music preference?" Lavinia asked, twirling to walk backwards, now facing him.

"No, not really." Harry replied, emerald eyes anywhere but on her.

Lavinia glowered, coming to a stop in front of the patio door and gesturing towards the vinyls. "Take a look and pick one." She said. "I tend to listen to the same few albums."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, gawking, gaze trailing over the shelves filled with vinyls.

"Of course." Lavinia grinned, hands laced behind her back.

She furrowed her brows, watching as his eyes briefly glowed a brighter shade of green, fingers twitching at his side, nervously biting his lip. Waiting patiently she dropped her chin, pretending she missed his nervous shift, and the nervous breath before he delicately pulled the album off the shelf.

"Which one did you pick?" Lavinia cheerfully asked, peering at the album.

"This one." Harry said with lopsided grin, holding it towards her.

Lavinia took it from his hands, eyes widening excitedly, looking up at him with a toothy grin. She glanced at the album then back at Harry, laughing as she looked back at the Queen album, "A day at the races. You are truly full of surprises, Harry." 

Because she swore she was a good person deep down, she turned, pretending she didn't notice when his shoulders tensed, torn on explaining himself or keeping it secret; but that was okay, she would know all of his secrets one day.

          She tossed the garden shears to her side, exhaustion coursing through her body, lifting the back of her hand to wipe her forehead; sweat trickled down their faces, the sun burning white-hot overhead, basking the soil in front of them.

Lavinia dropped onto her calfs, heels digging into her tailbone, Harry sat in her peripherals, hunched over the flowers as he continued the deadheading. The duo had been outside for a good two hours, listening to Queen play in the background, Lavinia getting up and putting the stylus back at the beginning of the record, the odd conversation here and there.