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Harry Hook could see the lights from Auradon's yacht from where he stood on Uma's ship, and his first thought was I should have gone with her.
She'd sat him and Gil down, and explained the plan to them step by step.
But all he'd heard was that she was going to schmooze the very reason they were still trapped on this island in the first place, the holier-than-thou King Ben of Auradon.
Needless to say, when she ran after the Auradon traitors, he didn't stop her, though he wanted to. More than anything. But she had told them to wait, that when the barrier came down, they would all know it.
He didn't want to wait. He didn't want to watch her put the plan into motion. But he couldn't stop himself from following Gil into the chip shop to sit down and watch her.
His breath hitched as she came down the stairs in a blue dress that perfectly fit who she was as a person, looking timid and sweet and entirely unlike herself.
She looked so beautiful in her dress. But more than that, she looked happy in Ben's arms.
Harry had never hated that entitled, pampered Auradon brat more than he did in that moment.
In fact, he was pretty sure he'd never hated anyone this much before.
He walked out shortly after that, unwilling to stay and see Uma giggle and flirt with Ben. That wasn't who she was. She didn't giggle and flirt.
At least, not with him.
Suddenly, Harry had a terrifying, honestly debilitating thought.
Uma and Ben had seemed pretty cozy on the ship. What if she really did have a thing for him? She'd never showed any indication of what she liked in a guy, maybe guys like Ben did it for her.
Maybe he had never stood a chance at all.
In an effort to calm himself, he started to pace back and forth, and this was how Uma found him when she came back from the Auradon yacht.
"Harry?" Uma asked. To say her plan had failed would be a colossal understatement. She was embarrassed and annoyed and the shell around her neck was glowing. The sensation made her feel like it was burning her, which was a first. Uma's hand was clenched into a fist at her side as she fought the urge to yank it off and throw it far away. "What are you doing?"
He whirled to look at her. "Did you have fun?" Venom dripped from his voice, causing her to blink in surprise. Harry had never spoken to her this way before.
"Harry, what is this about?" She asked, but part of her was unsure if she wanted the answer to that question. "I told you about the plan."
"This isn't about the plan, Uma!" Harry snapped. "This is about you dancing with that pretty boy on live TV!"
Her head cocked slightly, and then her eyes lit up in realization. The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk. "Harry Hook, did you get jealous?" She asked, her tone teasing.
Harry felt his cheeks burn, and looked away. "No, of course not. I just wanted to make sure you're not going soft on me."
"No, I'm not going soft." Uma responded, still smirking. "But, I don't know. He was a really good dancer." It took everything she had not to burst out laughing as she said the words. Part of her couldn't believe Harry actually thought Ben was her type.
"What, really?" Harry asked, eyes snapping back to hers.
Uma couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst out laughing. "No, of course not! He was so boring and proper." She stepped towards him. "And as for the dress, the only thing I like about it is the color." She reached up to untie her hair, letting the braids cascade around her. "I'm still me, Harry. I know I probably don't look like it right now, but I am. And for the record, the only one I want is you." She stood up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his.
Harry's eyes felt like they were bugging out of his head. Though he'd never say it, he had pictured them kissing like this many times. When they spent the night together, kissing was not something they had ever done. Not on the lips, anyway. Her lips were just as soft as he had imagined. So he closed his eyes and melted into it, hands coming up to hold her against him and deepen the kiss. He could've stayed there kissing her forever, if they hadn't needed air.
When they broke the kiss, they were both breathing pretty heavily, and he took a chance, resting his forehead against hers. She laughed, the near breathless sound music to his ears. "I can't believe you even thought that Mr. Goody-Goody was my type." She told him. "I've only ever had eyes for you, Harry."
He blinked in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Uma shrugged, looking almost shy. "Because you were with Mal. And then when she left, and you started flirting with me...I didn't want to just be your Mal rebound."
Oh. Harry looked at her. "Uma, you could never be my Mal rebound. Because you're not Mal." He watched her turn her head away from him. "And that's one of many reasons why I love you so much."
As he watched, her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "You love me?" She whispered. No one had ever said those words, or anything even close to them, to her before.
Harry hadn't meant to tell her like this. But, now was as good a time as any, he supposed. He nodded. "Yes, I do. I'm surprised you didn't notice, I thought I was being quite obvious about it." Gil thought he was, at least.
"I thought that was just loyalty, respect." Uma responded, still unable to really wrap her head around what he had just told her. He was handsome, he could have any girl he wanted. Why did he want her? Contrary to the front she put on, Uma didn't have a lot of self esteem. And considering that his last serious relationship had been Mal...well, that just made her self esteem even worse.
"It is, but there's more to it than that, too." Harry told her, gesturing for her to sit. She did, and he sat beside her. "Uma, you're a hurricane. Everyone looks at you when you enter a room. You're not afraid to say things exactly how you see them." He looked at her. "I love how much passion you have for who we are, how much dedication you have to your crew. I love that whenever you're sword-fighting or causing any kind of mischief, your entire face lights up. I love how soft your lips are, how expressive your eyes are. I love that I feel like more than just Captain Hook's son whenever I'm around you. You make me feel important, Uma. You gave me a purpose when I never thought I'd have one, and I will be forever grateful for that."
Uma rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you too." She murmured. "At least, I think I do. I've never experienced it before, so I'm not sure if what I'm feeling right now is love. But I do know that I only feel happy when I'm with you. Whether we're on the ship, or hanging out in the chip shop, or even walking around the Isle. You, and the rest of the crew as well of course, gave me a purpose. A reason to pick myself up and get on with my life." She stopped smiling and sat up, remembering why she had even made ‘the plan’ in the first place. "I failed, Harry. I almost got Ben to lower the barrier, but then Mal and her little band of rejects had to go and ruin it." She squeezed her eyes shut. "All I ever wanted was more for you, for all of us."
Harry shook his head, gently reaching out to cup her cheek, causing her to open her eyes and look at him again. "Uma, listen to me. Whatever happens from here on out, we'll face it together. One way or another, we will get to Auradon. I promise you." He brought his other hand up so both of them were cupping her face. He leaned in and gave her a light kiss, and this time it was her who melted into it.
The Isle was not a place for promises, for love. And yet here they were. For the first time, Uma felt confident that maybe they could find a better life. And if they couldn't find one, they'd make one. Of that she was certain. For now, however, she'd focus on how good it felt to kiss him, and have him kiss her back, to know that her feelings were reciprocated. To know that someone loved her.
Everything else could come later.