Thrills ⋆ Harry Osborn

⊳ 𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐯. A Night to Remember

         Harry said nothing to that, but did open the car door for her and she graciously accepted it. He closed the door, too, and then moved to the other side to let himself in. And then they were off, and Toni could breathe again.

⋆

         After dinner, at a moderately fancy place so they didn't stick out with their glammed attire, Harry drove them to school and Toni turned off her phone. While she didn't at it during dinner, her eyes skimmed the screen when she got back in the car, only to find text after text from her mother demanding an explanation about Harry. So, she shut it down and placed it in the back of her bag, because she so didn't want her mother to ruin this night completely.

         It was her night, for her and her alone. It was her time to forget about the world and everything going on, her time to forget that Harry was a bigger deal than just being her boyfriend, and her time to forget that Eden was definitely going to tell everyone else in her family and she would never stop hearing about it.

         But it's fine – she's fine.

         She had tonight, and all she needed was tonight. Nothing else mattered after, she could get through it all as she had done before.

         She took his hand as she drove, and he said nothing of it, and she continued to hold onto it as if it were her lifeline. "My mother's probably told my grandparents about you."

         "Is that a bad thing?" he asked, and she blinked, having forgotten that Harry didn't know about them. He knew nothing about the Alderson expectations because she had never told him, hadn't really ever talked about it with Sabrina or Atlas either, and only Finn. Sure, everyone else knew some of it, but when it was really heavy, she went to Finn. He understood.

         Biting her lip, she thought about bringing it up. Telling him all about how one day she was going to marry someone rich, or get pregnant and trap them before that, and then her life would be settled. But they were young, and this was Homecoming night, hardly appropriate, and it could ruin everything.

         He might think she dating him just for this as well, and then it would be a horrible night, and she didn't want that. She just wanted him to hold her hand, and smile at her as if she was all that mattered, so it could wait for another day.

         "No," she agreed with him, "I guess it doesn't."

         Not tonight, at least. Tonight, none of that mattered, only they did. And when tomorrow came, she would face her mother alone, and her family alone, maybe with Finn by her side, and they would take care of the problem. Then, one day, down the line, she would tell Harry.

         But not tonight.

         So instead, she soaked up the soft music he played, and the way his hand warmed hers, and pushed her family out of her mind.

         And when they got to the school, heading into the gym which was dark and decorated, streamers everywhere, she held his hand, looking for the others. Atlas was there with Ned, and they danced together too an upbeat song, so she made a dash towards them.

         Atlas looked happy. Loose. Looser than when he was high out of his mind or black out drunk, and she brought him into a hug when she accepted with a wide smile.

         "So, you and lover boy made it here after all," he said, lips turned up into a slight smirk, "After all the trouble you went through to deny your feelings."

         She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Shut up. And what about you? I didn't think dances or relationships were for you."

         His eyes trailed to Ned, and then back to her, and he shrugged. "Trying something new is exciting," he commented, and she nodded her head in agreement.