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Soulmates were not a rare thing. Every person had at least one appear in their lifetime. Some were inherently romantic in nature, others familial, some platonic, some antagonistic, others transactional, some even undefined beyond they were something special. Most undefined marks would eventually solidify into one of the other core types. But some never did. It was the color that told a person what each of their marks would be to them. And the shape and placement that matched one person to another.
One soulmark was normal. Two was average. Three uncommon. And four or more was rare. Very rare.
Which made Harry an anomaly. He had been born with one, a familial mark with his mother. Then a year later another appeared. That one undefined. Then another. And another. All through his life it seemed more and more marks appeared. A part of him was worried about how many. That there were so many people in his life that would be so important but that Fate didn't know what they were. His mother always told him it was because his heart had so much love. That he wouldn't be able to tell how until he met them. That he was so important that not even Fate could figure out who would mean what to him. He thought it was that there was something wrong with him.
Six undefined marks by the time he got another that was defined. It was another familial mark for Becky, his beloved daughter. It was the bond that he treasured the most. The one that said that no matter what happened his daughter would always know that he loved her more than he could express. with just words. Even more so when he had to leave her for any amount of time. Then even more when he and her mother split.
Not even Grace's soulmark was defined. He loved her with all he could. Yet that wasn't enough to shift the soulmark to romantic. Hers stayed as undefined as his did. Which neither of them were ever truly happy about. It was just another thing that made the inevitable end of their marriage that much more painful. Especially when then it solidified to the green of a transactional bond. One that made sure they would never be more again. Neither of them would ever be able to get past that betrayal.
Harry hadn't even known he had a soulmark shared with Maxwell until the day he decided to act against him and the soulmark turned the angry red of an antagonistic bond. He was happy to know at least one of his decisions had an effect. And he was happy with that one going the way it did. It meant that he was going on the right path.
He found the Leverage team (well they found him) and joined them. He started learning more and more about who they were. Harry felt he was finally figuring out where he belonged.
His marks started to go into their final forms.
-
"Come on," Breanna said, grabbing Harry's arm. "Let's go!"
Harry was pulled up out of his chair and barely had time to make sure he grabbed his phone before being pulled away from his table. He didn't remember having any plans with Breanna. So he was very confused as to what was happening.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"There's a pop-up Illumatrons tournament," she said. "We've got to go now to make it in time."
"Really? Awesome," Harry said, stopping even his minor attempts at getting her to slow down.
They went out to the car and Harry even let Breanna drive. She wasn't the best driver on the team (that was Eliot by a mile) but nor was she the worst (Parker's still gave him nightmares). On the way Breanna explained to him what the event was for and how she had even found out about it. He didn't understand all of the social media jargon she used but it was clear that he would have never found out about it on his own.
The tournament was being hosted in an empty warehouse, normally rented out for short term sales. Harry had been to it before for book sales. This time though there was a stage set up at one end ready for the games to begin. Thanks to Breanna's driving they were just in time to enter the doubles round of the tournament. Which was toward the end of the event but that just meant they got to sit and watch the rest.
It was a good show. The contestants were from a whole range of skill levels and ages. It wasn't like the others he had been to. None of the people there were professionals. It was only people who played the game for fun. Which meant there were kids and people old enough to be Harry's parents that won different rounds. He and Breanna cheered for them all until it was their time to go up.
They were completely in sync throughout their rounds in the game. It was as if something clicked and they knew what the other was going to do at the time they decided. They were the easiest rounds of the game that Harry had ever participated in. At least it felt that way to him as they played. He knew his skills were not really at that level even with Breanna's, not against some of the pairs they were playing against. But something flew through them.
Round after round they won and then it was the finals for the doubles round. Which went as easy as the others. They managed to win.
Cheers erupted across the warehouse and in her excitement Breanna hugged him.
Harry felt the tingling of an undefined soulmark changing. The one on his left side. That he had always thought looked like a toy helicopter. When Breanna pulled away he saw the look of shock on her face that said she felt it too. Though there was also a bit of panic in her eyes as she gripped her side in the same place he had felt the soulmark.
"I felt that too," he said quietly. "Don't think about it too hard. Let's enjoy this first. We'll talk when we get back to the theater."
Breanna nodded at him, only some of her worry seeming to disappear. It surprised him at first. Most people got excited when their bond started to solidify. It meant that they would finally be sure that someone they cared for was theirs.
They did. The prize wasn't anything big, a couple of figures from the game and a gift card, but the real prize for Harry was getting to spend time with one of his teammates outside of their work.
The ride back was mostly silent. Breanna made Harry do the diving that time so he was able to focus on that. She was staring at something on her phone, but not doing anything. He wasn't even sure it was on from the corner of his eye. Just she was staring intently at it.
They made it back and into the main room. No one else was there. He wasn't surprised. Hardison was on one of his rare stays back with the team and so Parker and Eliot had dragged him off for some fun. And Sophie was having her monthly day by herself. So they were completely alone in the old theater.
"You felt the soulmark change," Harry said, not as a question but as a statement. "And you're scared."
"Yes," Breanna said, as if he had asked her a question. "What if it's the wrong type?"
Harry wished he could give her the hug she so clearly needed. But he knew that it was not the right moment. Not when it was so obvious that Breanna was scared that she was going to have to question her entire identity because of a soulmark settling. He knew just how much she treasured the familial bonds she had with Hardison and Nana. How much her sexuality meant to her. And how world breaking it would be for her to find out those weren't true.
He wasn't worried. Harry was sure he knew what they would see when they looked at the marks. It wasn't anything he was worried about.
"It won't be," Harry said. "Fate is almost never that cruel. Not when the relationship defines the type."
"I don't want to look," she said, looking down at the floor to completely avoid Harry's eyes.
"Do you want me to look first?" he asked.
"Please."
Harry pulled his shirt up to look at his side where the soulmark was. He looked at it and smiled. No longer was it the dull grey of an undefined soulmark. It was the goldenrod yellow of a platonic bond. Which is what he had been sure it would be from the moment it started to tingle. There was nothing else it could be. Not with how they interacted.
"It's yellow," he said.
Her eyes left the floor and stared at his mark.
"Yellow?" she said, confused. "Why yellow? Why not blue?"
"Because we're friends, Breanna. I'm not your parent or an uncle or anything like like. We care about each other but that's not where our relationship is going to go."
"But," she said, but trailed off. Then started again. "The team is family."
Harry gave her a soft smile.
"We are, but even in blood families sometimes a soulbond is yellow not blue. My cousins had yellow for each other. And they were twins."
"Oh."
She stared at him for a long moment and then rushed in to hug him.
"I'm glad that it’s you," she said.
He hugged her back.
"So am I."
If anyone was going to end up being the other bonds he was glad it was one of the people that had saved him from himself.
-
Harry walked into the kitchen of the theater. It was still very obviously a commercial kitchen but all of them had taken to using it. Mainly to store leftovers and wash the dishes that they had there. Cooking wasn't something that most of them did in that kitchen. All for different reasons.
Harry's main reason being that the kitchen was very much Eliot's. He was the one that did the majority of the cooking for the team when they had the time. It was what he did to relax. That much he knew. And Harry could tell that while it was the team's technically, it was designed and belonged to Eliot. There was no question in his mind.
Walking into the kitchen always felt like he was walking into Eliot's space. Even when he wasn't there. That time though, Eliot was there. He was putting away groceries in the large fridge. All the usual staples were there which answered Harry's question of who did most of the shopping. As well as a whole lot more that he had no idea about. He had suspected it was Eliot doing the shopping. Though he hadn't put it past them to have a delivery service. Well, past Breanna. Eliot was the kind of guy that preferred to look at what he was buying before he bought it. Which Harry could understand. Especially with food and how much he cared about it.
"What are you looking for?" Eliot asked him, not even looking.
"Just came to grab a drink," Harry said. "What's all this for?"
There was so much more food than he thought they would need.
"Parker and Breanna decided we should have a get together with some of the people in the neighborhood tonight," he said. "Which means I'm cooking."
The grumpy tone of his voice was softened by the fondness he had for the pair. And the fact both men knew it was actually for Sophie that they were hosting for. All of them knew that she wanted to but wouldn't do it herself. And a semi impromptu get
"Do you need any help?" Harry asked. "I'm not the best cook but I can follow directions pretty well."
Eliot looked over his shoulder at Harry.
"Are you sure? It can be pretty stressful cooking with me," he said with a smirk. "Or so I have been told."
"If you need the help, then I am here."
He knew how high of a standard Eliot held everything that came out of his kitchen. But Harry wanted to help his friend if he needed it. Eliot had done the same for him enough times. Though the look of Eliot's face did make him feel like he really was going to at least somewhat regret his decision.
"Then go get out of that coat and wash your hands. Don't skimp on the soap."
The next few hours were spent in the kitchen cooking. Harry was right that he was not the best but he was able to do the tasks that Eliot set for him. Mainly he got to do things like chopping vegetables and assembling small appetizers. Eliot did everything that needed the stove but did let Harry put things in or our of the oven. They were making all sorts of things both sweet and savory. More than Harry would have thought for something so last minute. But Eliot was never one to do things by halves.
It was a nice time. There wasn't a lot of times that Harry got to really cook. Grace had taken over all the kitchen duties while they were married, almost never letting him in the room, and after their separation Harry had mostly eaten take out. There just wasn't time in his day to cook when he had other things to do.
But getting to just work in the kitchen with another person was something he hadn't done in a very long time. Not since he was a kid and he got to spend time at his grandparents house. They always let him help in the kitchen when he wanted to. And when he didn't. He felt at home there with them and that feeling was coming back to him for the first time in his adult life.
Even though he took his cooking completely seriously Eliot talked and even joked a bit with him as they worked. It was a completely different side of him that Harry hadn't been shown before. It was something really special to be given the chance to see what Harry could tell was one of the deepest, most guarded parts of Eliot.
Hours later they were done. Even before any of their guests started to arrive. The others were out setting up the tables and other things that had been deemed necessary, at least half to make sure they stayed out of the way of those in the kitchen. Apparently it was scary to see the two of them working in tandem. Harry wasn't sure why but he wasn't going to question his other teammates and what they deemed scary.
"You did good," Eliot told him as they looked at the large platters of food. "Better than I expected you to. No offense meant."
Harry chuckled.
"None taken. It went better than I expected too. It's been a long time since I did that level of cooking," he said.
Eliot clapped a hand on his back. And a twitch went through Harry's right lower arm. Where he had one of his soulmarks. Immediately Eliot's arm left his back and he was pulling up his sleeve. Harry did the same and they saw the matching vaguely rectangular blobs having turned a deep blue color. A familial soulbond. A deep one just like the color. Such a contrast to the brighter blue that Harry shared with his mother.
"Huh," Eliot said. "I can't say I expected that."
He looked up from his mark and to the matching one on Harry's arm. Harry was nervous about his reaction. There wasn't a lot of emotion on Eliot's face and he just couldn't be sure of the man's reaction. Especially not with his comment.
"But if I had to get a familial bond with anyone here, I'm glad it's you," he continued.
"Me too," Harry said. "I really didn't expect it."
But something about it felt right. Eliot had stood by him in a way that family did. It wasn't just friendship and it certainly wasn't romance, but something that said they would always be there for each other. That they could just be there in the way family always would be.
-
They were running from the latest set of goons that their latest mark had set on them. Harry and Parker were anyway since they were the ones that had been elected to be in the midst of the party, taking the roles of grifters that time. Sophie was known to that particular mark so she couldn't be the one in there with Harry.
It had been going well, then they had been figured out somehow.
Which led to goons chasing them and Parker dragging Harry along by his wrist. Which slowed them down but as Parker put it, she wasn't risking him taking a different turn than her. They needed to stick together.
"These are a problem," she said, suddenly stopping.
She proceeded to tear off her shoes and start running again, shoes in hand. Harry couldn't blame her. While they were by no means the most impractical shoes he had seen her or Sophie wear, neither were they good for running. Especially for Parker who was much happier wearing sneakers or boots. The few seconds it took for her to remove the shoes was more than made up for by them being able to run faster.
They turned corner after corner and out of the building. They were in an area with lots of buildings close together but few people on the street. So running through the narrow paths was not too much of an issue. But they had a ways to go before they reached their escape vehicle. It was almost halfway before there was a problem.
Parker hissed and stumbled into Harry. He managed to keep both of them upright but only barely with how hard she crashed into him.
"Dammit," she swore.
Harry stopped. Parker did not swear. Whatever had happened was more than just a simple slip. He looked down and immediately saw the blood on her foot. It was bad. The kind of bad that meant she should not be walking on it under any circumstance.
"You're not walking or running on that," he said.
"I know," Parker said. "You're going to have to carry me."
Harry nodded and turned around. He knew that Parker would not be comfortable in a bridal carry or a fireman's carry. So, piggyback ride it was. She got what he was going after right away and climbed on. It wasn't the first time he had done something like that since joining the team, but the first with Parker. Previous times had been mainly with Breanna but there was one notable memory of having to carry Sophie.
There was one thing that always held true about working with the Leverage team and that was the fact that he had no trouble keeping in shape. Between the constant workouts he got on jobs and the program that Eliot helped him follow there was no chances for him to slack off.
So it wasn't too hard for him to keep going with Parker riding on his back. He did have to slow down but it seemed that their pursuers had either given up or they had managed to lose them in the twists and turns of the streets. So he could walk at a more reasonable pace than if they were still being chased. Which was good for him. He could carry Parker a lot longer if he wasn't running.
Parker was silent as they made the rest of the way back to the vehicle. Which wasn't unexpected. Parker was not the most talkative on a good day, let alone when she was in pain and having to give up some of her autonomy due to it. He hadn't been there but he had been told the stories of when she had torn her ACL. And the fact she had managed to stop a kidnapping while on bed rest. It was very impressive.
Harry made sure to quietly tell the others what was going on. Of course Parker could hear too but it wasn't something he wanted the few others on the street to hear. They were told that there was a first aid kit in the back of the car they had stashed. Which was good. Harry didn't like the look of how much blood was coming out of Parker's foot. He wanted to make sure at least something got over it to help with it. Though he was sure that she was going to need stitches. Which he could do if she would let him.
Once back at the car he set Parker down and supported her as she climbed into the passenger seat. There wasn't going to be an argument that time over who was going to be driving. Not that she often did unless there were people right on their tail. Apparently she had learned over the years that most people did not do well with her in the driver's seat.
Harry got the first aid kit out.
"How much do you want me to do right now?" he asked.
"Just a patch," she said. "No stitches. Not out in the open."
"Got it."
He pulled out the cleaning supplies and what he would need for a temporary patch until they got back to the base. Then tore open some of the wipes and got to cleaning her wound. After he finished, he opened up the gauze and taped it down. Harry tried his best to be quick but still took care of the wound. There was nothing in it thankfully but Parker had been walking barefoot in the streets for a while before she had gotten hurt. There could be any number of things on her skin.
"Thanks," Parker said when he stood back up.
"No problem," he said. "Now let's get back so that can be fully cared for. It's going to need stitches."
Parker grimaced. And he agreed. The idea of getting stitches on the bottom of his foot did not seem like a fun time in any way. It was way too sensitive of an area.
The ride back to the theater was quiet and uneventful. Which was just what they needed. And even more was the fact that they were able to park right up against the theater. The spot was thankfully not taken by any of the random people that had come into the area for whatever reason. Even though it was clearly marked as being theirs, it didn't stop people.
Parker tried to walk herself into the building but he gave her a look that made her let him help. He didn't carry her that time, there was no need for speed in the safety of their space. Instead he acted as a crutch for her.
They got into the building and Harry helped her to the table that Parker indicated. Then he made to go get the big first aid kit. The one that he would be able to do full stitches with. Which was not a skill he had expected to learn, but a necessary one with how often all of them ended up needing them.
"Wait," Parker said before he was able to get more than three steps away.
He stopped and turned back to Parker. And waited while she figured out what she wanted to say. There was a more nervous look on her face than he was used to, she didn't like to show him most of the time. He didn't take it personally. She was guarded about her emotions and it wasn't like he was one of her people. At least not originally. As time went on he felt like he was getting somewhere with her.
"Can you get Bunny too?" she asked. "They're in my room upstairs."
"Of course," Harry said.
He was honored that she was trusting him with that level of vulnerability. He knew that Bunny was her main emotional support when the others weren't around. Or when she just needed something to comfort her. It was completely understandable that she would need it then.
Harry went upstairs to the space Parker referred to as her room. It wasn't a bedroom, Harry wasn't sure where she slept, likely very on purpose, but it was the space that she kept her things in at the theater. Bunny was very obviously placed and he picked them up the same way he would have done for any of Becky's.
On his way back down he grabbed the big kit and got back to Parker. As soon as he handed her Bunny there some of the tenseness slipped out of her shoulders.
"Ready?" he asked.
Parker didn't say anything. She just nodded her head at him. So he got to work taking off the temporary bandages and giving her wound a more thorough cleaning. She did remarkably well at staying still while he cleaned and did the stitches on her foot. Better than he would have for sure. Harry knew she wanted it to be done as fast as possible and words didn't do much for her so he didn't speak. He just focused on making neat stitches as fast as he could.
Once he was done with that step he put clean bandages over them.
But before he could clean up, a tingling in another of his soulmarks started. The one on his left leg. That one had reminded him of a sleeping animal ever since it had appeared.
After wiping his hands off, Harry pulled up his pant leg to look at the mark. Parker had already done the same and was staring at her matching one. He looked and it was orange. A color he had never heard of soulmarks turning. It wasn't just a mistaken identity for a yellow or red either. The mark was a true and bright orange.
"I've never even heard of a mark this color," he said without thinking.
"All of mine are," Parker said. "Because I don't sort relationships the way other people do. It just means they are my people."
Harry looked up at her. Her face was completely unreadable. Harry had no idea what she would see on his face if she looked at it. But hopefully it wasn't bad. And that she hadn't taken what he said the wrong way. Sometimes it happened.
"I am more than happy to be one of your people," he said.
"Really?"
"Of course. I may not fully understand, but you are my person too."
Parker's outward reactions didn't change but he got the distinct feeling that she was at least content with his reaction. But they would figure things out as time went on.
-
It was rare that the whole team didn't go on a job together when it was out of town. It was just bad planning to have one person so far away. But for the current one they had to leave Harry behind. He was needed to look through the legal records. It was information they would need.
But it also meant that when the others got trapped in a tropical storm he was left alone. At least that was what he thought at the time. Until he got back to the theater and there were sounds coming out of the main room. Either someone had broken in or there was another person than the main team who had access.
He could think of one person that did. And his suspicions were confirmed when he entered the main room and Hardison was sitting at the table pointed at their screens. He had a number of things running on them, everything from random internet searches to new marks to recipe blogs. It was a bit overwhelming to Harry but he had seen both Hardison and Breanna have even more open. Something about the pair made it so that they could manage large volumes of things open on their computers at once.
Not that Hardison was supposed to even be there. Last Harry had heard he was in France doing something that no one bothered to fully inform him about. Which wasn't all that strange. No one could truly predict what would happen when. But the fact that Hardison had come back to base was interesting.
"Hey Hardison," he said.
Hardison paused the video that he had going on the screen and spun his chair around.
"Harry!" he exclaimed, with one of his usual high energy gestures he used when wanting to be the center of attention. "Just the person I was waiting for."
"You were waiting for me?" Harry asked skeptically.
Hardison had only ever looked for Harry when he wanted something from him. Which nearly always had to do with a job. And as far as Harry knew there wasn't one they were working on together. Unless there was a new one. But wouldn't he wait for the others to be back for that?
He smiled.
"Well you are the only one here at the moment. So of course it is you I am looking for. But I did come back specifically to see you."
"Why?"
Harry was getting more, not less confused.
"Because I was told to take a break and go spend time with people. And I think you are the right person for this."
Harry raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"For what?"
Hardison pulled a box out. A movie box set.
"A Star Wars marathon. Original and prequel trilogies," he said with an even bigger smile.
Harry laughed. Because of course if Hardison was looking to relax he wanted to watch one of his favorite movie series. And at this point Harry was the only one who hadn't gone through a full marathon with him. Mostly due to a lack of time. But since the others were trapped by a storm it was the perfect time for them to do it without even the possibility of being interrupted by pretty much anything.
"You better have brought snacks," Harry said.
"Of course I did."
Before they actually started they did a little rearranging to be more comfortable. Which in Hardison's opinion was bringing out bean bags and the small table he had gotten that was the perfect height for them. It wasn't the best for Harry, he wasn't as young as he had been the last time he had sat in a bean bag chair. But they could have been much worse. And they had the bonus of bringing him back to his childhood of watching movies of the same type.
There were indeed the snacks he had been promised. More than the pair would be able to eat. Even during a marathon of six movies. The variety was spectacular though. Hardison was a master of picking snacks for any occasion.
The movies were fun of course. Harry hadn't hidden his liking for Star Wars the way he had other things. It was one of the things that anyone in any place he went would see as normal. Unlike gaming. But he also hadn't shared just how much he loved the movies either. No one knew that he could quote large swaths of the movies on demand. At least the originals. He was a bit busy at the time the prequels came out to properly be able to watch them a concerning amount of times.
But he knew that Hardison spoke Klingon. He wasn't going to be judged for his knowledge. So he let it spill out as the movie went on. Sharing bits that he had learned over the years and years he had loved them. And it was appreciated for once. He wasn't ridiculed or even slightly made to feel odd about knowing so much. In fact Hardison had his own bit to share about the movies. So not only did Harry get to share, he was trading information with someone that loved it as much as he did. Well almost as much. It was really nice.
They stayed up most of the night watching all six movies. It was a lot of fun for Harry. He felt like a kid again. Not just like a kid but his childhood self. There was something about hanging out with a friend and getting to watch his favorite movies with someone who truly loved them too that made it all the more fun. Even if staying up all night after finishing the last of his parts of the job made for way too long without sleep. He was only slightly delirious by the time the credits rolled on Episode III.
And he wasn't the only one that passed out in the beanbag at that point. Because Hardison was still in his own when Harry woke up in the early afternoon. He slowly stood up and stretched out his stiff muscles. His body was very unhappy with him for sleeping in the bean bag chair.
He felt a slight itch on his left knee. Right where one of his last two undefined soulmarks was. He pulled up his pant leg to look at it. The spiral that started in the center and wove its way out around his kneecap had changed from grey to a bright sunshine yellow. It was a pretty thing after the change. He had always thought that the grey spiral looked almost like a worm. But in its new color it looked like a sun to him.
Hardison stirred and opened his eyes with a groan.
"I am getting too old for that," he said.
"Well I am too old for it," Harry replied.
Hardison chuckled and sat up, stretching his arms out just as Harry had minutes earlier. Then he noticed what Harry was looking at.
"Hey, I didn't know that one you," he said.
"Neither did I."
"Not overly surprising seeing as you have them with Parker and Eliot too."
"And Breanna," Harry said.
Hardison got a look on his face. One that told Harry that Breanna hadn't told her brother that she and Harry had a shared soulmark.
"She didn't mention that," he said aloud, mirroring what his face had said.
"There were some struggles accepting it," Harry said. "But we are fine now."
"What kind of soulmark?"
"Platonic. Just like ours."
Hardison smiled and nodded. Harry didn't need his approval but it was nice to know that Hardison didn't hate him for it. Especially since their own bond just settled.
They cleaned up their mess from the marathon just in time for the others to walk in.
-
Sophie had decided that they needed to go shopping for Harry. He hadn't really thought it was necessary but when she got her mind onto an idea there was no stopping her. At least Harry was never able to. Which meant he was going shopping for new clothes that he didn't really need but she insisted he did. For new characters she had said. It wasn't the worst way to spend an afternoon by far.
Especially not since it was Sophie that he was getting to spend time with. It was always a treat to get her time to himself. It was pretty rare with how often they were working or spending time with the others. Sometimes it almost felt as if she was avoiding spending time with him alone. He had no idea why though.
"How about this one?" Sophie asked, holding up a brightly colored shirt.
"It's atrocious," he said.
"But that's what makes it perfect," Sophie said. "You need more for an obnoxious character. Or even a few. Too many of your recent covers have been boring."
"It's what we needed," he said with a slight sigh. "Louder covers wouldn't have worked on those marks."
He was also missing getting to be a bit louder and more obnoxious with his characters. Harry had hated the characters at first. But as time had gone on and he had gotten to play more different types he had learned that they were a lot of fun. Especially when he got to play off of someone else. Mainly Sophie. Getting to play the most out there characters with her was more fun than he had ever imagined.
"I know," she sighed even more than he had. "But it means that what you have has all been used or is much too out of style."
"Is that type of character ever supposed to be wearing what is in style?"
Sophie shot him an annoyed look and draped the shirt over their cart with the other things he was going to be trying on for her. There was a large variety of things in all sorts of styles. In some ways he was wondering if this was about getting him new clothes for cons or about Sophie getting to play dress up.
Not that he cared either way. It was fun no matter what her goal really was.
Eventually she decided they had enough stuff for him to try on and they headed to the dressing rooms. The store they were in was nice enough to even have a couch for people who were waiting and multiple full length mirrors. And they were alone in the space so there wouldn't need to be any worry about talking about what the clothes were really for.
He took the first outfit that Sophie handed him and went into the room to change. It was one of the more colorful outfits. But not gaudy somehow. One that made him look like he wanted to be the center of attention but not bad at the same time. He was impressed by the combination. The outfit was one that he could actually see himself wearing without having to fight his own embarrassment about being seen in it in public. Harry left the room to show Sophie her work.
"Oh that one is absolutely coming home with us," she said, looking him up and down.
He preened a little under her gaze and he agreed. It was a good one. Then she handed him another and he went to change again. The process repeated. Some were rejected and others were put in the same pile as the others. Mostly as whole outfits though there were a couple that got different parts in different piles. It was fun.
And he couldn't help but love Sophie's attention on him, looking for how he looked in outfits. He loved her gaze.
It didn't escape him that maybe there was more than just appreciation for the clothes.
But neither of them would acknowledge that. It was one of those things that would remain unsaid.
"Okay that was the last one," Harry said, coming out of the dressing room for the last time in his own clothes.
"We did pretty well today," Sophie said, putting the pile in the cart.
"That we did," Harry said.
They walked back through the store to purchase the items and back out to the car.
It wasn't until they were driving, and talking about nothing that he felt the tingle in the mark on his chest. The last one of his marks was being defined. And even more than any other he had no idea what it would be. And the look Sophie gave him at a stoplight said she didn't know either. But they would figure it out together. Just like they always did.