PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

TWENTY FIVE ~ COLD CLOSURE

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The watery daylight weakened as the hours passed. A slight chill overtook Eva, reminding her that she hadn't moved in quite some time. Logic told her that she ought to start unpacking her stuff. Finding a place for her new things in this museum of another time. Her joints creaked as she stood and a slight throbbing in her temple reminded her that she hadn't drunk anything since breakfast. Moving into the kitchen to grab herself a glass of water, the blue-haired woman was distracted by a knock on the door. Grateful for the excuse to prolong unpacking, she reminded herself that this was the Isle. A knock on the door was a danger, not a friend.

Hand drifting to the sword she kept by the door - not the gift from Merida but her duty weapon - Eva called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, love," the familiar voice came through the door.

Her shoulders slumped as her wariness dissipated. Pulling back the three locks on her front door, Eva mustered up enough energy to genuinely smile at the man.

"Can I come in?" He asked, noting the tension in her face.

The crease in her brows didn't match the crinkle by her eyes. Eva shuffled to the side, letting him into her space; allowing him to see into the life, and the person, she had once been. "You never have to ask."

Strolling into the middle of the main room, Harry took in the mismatched decorations; the decor of three vibrant personalities blended together. Behind him, Eva was redoing the locks on the door, knowing her pirate wasn't planning on leaving any time soon. Shrugging out of his jacket, he draped it nicely over the arm of the orange couch. Graffiti splashed the walls. The furniture had yet to be uncovered. A home once made for three, now only housed one. Boxes and bags were dumped haphazardly, marked with the contents inside.

"I thought I'd give you time to settle in before coming to check on you, but it seems you waited for my help," he teased, an easy smile on his face.

Part of him had wanted to offer to help her unpack before he left earlier but didn't want to seem as if he was imposing. He knew she would need time to process her feelings and didn't want to smother her with his own. However, looking around at the empty apartment, Harry thought perhaps Eva could've used somebody to simply hold her hand as she took the next step in her life. Guilt flooded him as she merely looked at him, silent.

For the first time since he'd jumped through the barrier, Eva simply drank in the sight of him. His dark hair once messy, now sat in soft curls sweeping across his forehead. The dark liner was wiped from his eyes, leaving them wide and blue, open and emotion filled. The sharp line of his jaw, and the swell of his throat (which bobbed at her assessment). Strong arms flexed beneath the short sleeves of the white t-shirt he worse.

"Eva..."

This was the man she had chosen; the future she had chosen. This, right here and now, was the life she had chosen. And, as Harry smiled at her (albeit a tad self-consciously), she knew she had made the right decision. Moving towards him, her intense look faded into something softer. Predicting her next step, Harry braced himself as her body collided with his, arms wrapping around her waist. Her face buried its way into his chest, breathing in the comforting scent of him. Harry smiled despite the blue strands of hair tickling his nose, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

She was here, with him. In his arms, in her apartment, on the Isle. Things he had once fantasied before falling asleep at night, or when his father wouldn't stop going on about the glory days, were actually coming to fruition. Part of him never wanted to let go of her, terrified she would disappear before his eyes.

"Thank you for coming," she whispered, only now realising how much she hadn't wanted to be alone tonight. Unpacking seemed a little less arduous if Harry were by her side.