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The first time they kissed, Harvey’s mustache tickled her upper lip and Munny nearly kneed the poor doctor in the groin. It was an unintentional but visceral reaction, the way her eyes squeezed shut and her leg shot out on instinct. She caught Harvey in the stomach instead, and his glasses clattered to the floor as he doubled over with a startled groan.
“Harvey! Are you okay?”
The moment Munny’s knee connected with his stomach, Harvey thought he’d messed everything up. It knocked the wind out of him, sure. But worse than that, his thoughts started to spiral, and he wondered if maybe he’d misread the room, if he was already failing at being a gentleman.
Ever since he and Munny started dating, he couldn’t help but equate her to a skittish horse. Sometimes it seemed like she wanted more, wanted to indulge in the affection he wanted to give, but then she’d pull away and leave him feeling like he’d misread all of her signals.
Harvey remained doubled over. He had one hand on his stomach, the other on the wall behind her.
“I’m fine,” he reassured. “Sorry. Was I going too fast?”
“Um, are you sure you’re okay?”
He didn’t really know how to feel.
Munny ducked underneath his arm to pick up his glasses, and before Harvey could say anything, she gently slipped them onto his face, readjusted the dark spectacles on his nose.
“I’m fine, Munny.”
He didn’t want to seem even more uncool than he already was. And maybe that was a silly thing to worry about in one’s thirties, but how could he stop the thought from crossing his mind when his girlfriend was often out slaying monsters in the very depths of the mines?
If he were being honest, a part of him always felt a little too… plain for her.
He’d never been the bravest or the strongest guy around, but Harvey loved her with everything he had. If there was one thing he needed Munny to know, then it was that.
“We don’t have to do any of this, you know.” Harvey chuckled. “We can always watch TV—”
“No. It’s not that.” Munny looked away, and he couldn’t help but notice the faint flush creeping up her cheeks and the back of her neck. His girlfriend, who decimated monsters in the mines, had been undone by a kiss. It was cute, so adorably cute that he was happy to simply enjoy the view: His gorgeous, courageous girlfriend with her hair down in the low light of his apartment.
It had been the perfect dinner date. Harvey had pulled out all the stops: her favorite pasta from the saloon, music, and even a bottle of vintage red he kept in his cabinet for special occasions. He’d been showing Munny some of his favorite model planes on the shelf when she’d turned back to look at him with half-lidded eyes. Harvey always found her captivating (even if she didn’t believe it at times), but something about the way she looked at him in the moment had his heart soaring.
And maybe he’d been a little presumptive… but he thought he saw a hint of hunger there too.
So, he had leaned in and kissed her.
Munny’s lips were soft against his, still carried the sweet, fruity notes of the wine.
For a moment, she’d leaned into him too, her hesitant hands resting against his button-up shirt.
So, he’d kissed her a little deeper—found himself on the receiving end of a knee to the gut.
Harvey’s thoughts were still racing. He knew Munny had never done any of this before, and the last thing he wanted was for her to think that he was anything but a gentleman. He was willing to take things slow for as long as she wanted him to, and he was about to blurt out all his messy thoughts (his apology already waiting on his lips) when she cut him off again.
“Harvey.” Munny’s tone was gentle. “Um, it’s not that I don’t want to…” She tried to stare into her boyfriend’s eyes but ended up staring at the carpet instead. Munny felt a little silly because this was what they were supposed to do, wasn’t it? She did want to, but being around Harvey made her feel like a… coiled spring. And maybe she was a little self-conscious because while Harvey was coming into his own and finding his rhythm, she still felt like a fish out of water. “It’s just…”
“Just?” Harvey offered her a reassuring smile. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
“Your mustache tickles.” That, and she couldn’t stop herself from feeling nervous.
Harvey broke into soft laughter. Not laughing at her, but at how adorable she was being. Munny didn’t even have to say the last part. It was something he’d picked up on over the course of their dates. But he didn’t want her to feel awkward around him. If anything, Harvey wished she could relax and just be herself… the same way she allowed him to be his dorky self in her presence.
“Do you want me to shave it?” He joked. “I wouldn’t mind—”
“No, no,” Munny laughed. “I like your mustache.”
“That’s a relief.” Harvey smiled. “I’m quite fond of it too.”
They fell into a comfortable silence for a little while before Munny twirled her finger in his tie. She played with the fabric, never quite meeting his eyes despite seeming to want a little more.
“Do you—” She didn’t even give him a chance to finish his sentence.
“Yes, I want more.”
Munny giving him the green light was all he needed. Slowly, he moved his left hand to her hip and gave it a comforting squeeze. There was a boyish twinkle in his eyes as he smiled at Munny, and he looked almost like a younger version of himself stepping into an aviation hobby shop for the first time: wide-eyed, excited, not yet tethered down by the responsibilities of adulthood.
Harvey was gentle as he leaned in to press his lips against her own.
Munny started wriggling when she felt the tickling sensation of his mustache against her skin, and Harvey couldn’t help but chuckle as he held her steady against the wall, pinning her between his taller frame and the green wallpaper. It was a little difficult to kiss her properly when she was wriggling like a caterpillar, but it didn’t take long for Munny’s hands to still on his chest.
Didn’t take long until she was tugging softly at his tie and kissing him back.
It was one of those rare moments when Harvey felt braver than he usually was, and he kissed her, slow and deep, until the two of them were breathless and finally had to pull apart for air.
“There’s dessert in the fridge.” Harvey continued to play things cool, not wanting to make Munny feel self-conscious in the wake of their kiss. “Why don’t we have ice cream and watch a movie?”
Honestly though, he felt like he’d already had a taste of the sweetest dessert.
“Yeah.” Munny tried to hide her burning face. “That would be nice.”
The first time Harvey told Munny that he loved her, he’d blurted it out without a second thought—yelled it with his whole chest because he was scared if he didn’t say it now, he’d never get to.
It wasn’t even the worst injury she’d hobbled into the clinic with, but it was the first time after he’d given her that bouquet, that he’d seen her hurting.
The moment Shane ran into the clinic with Munny in his arms, Harvey’s heart plummeted deep into his stomach. His brain wasted no time thinking up the worst possible scenarios, and it didn’t help that he could see dark crimson practically blooming on her shirt.
“She’s okay,” Shane mumbled. “Picked a fight with something in the mines, but she’s okay, doc.”
Shane’s voice had been ragged with exertion, and even though the other man had tried to play it cool, Harvey had noticed the way his legs had wobbled as he ran into the clinic.
Shane was out of breath, worried even under the stoic mask he often tried to wear.
“I’m fine,” Munny mumbled, but it was clear she was a little out of it in Shane’s arms.
“You’re not fine.” Harvey’s voice was so soft that he wasn’t even sure they’d heard him.
Shane helped carry Munny to the examination table, before he excused himself and left.
Harvey had to compose himself after, remind himself that he needed a clear head if he wanted to do his work with the professionalism that was required of him. This was why dating one’s patients was a mistake… against ethics even. Because how could he be clear-headed and composed when his girlfriend had just returned with another injury—when she could have died?
“Harvey.” Munny leaned against the wall, gritting her teeth as she dangled her legs over the side of the examination table. “I’m fine. It’s just a scratch. I ran into a golem—”
Just a scratch. That was what she always said.
What about the next time, and the next? He wasn’t sure he could handle this, because every time Munny threw herself headfirst into danger, it felt like she was unraveling him thread by thread.
“Sit still, I’m going to check the severity of your wounds.” He had to remind himself that she was injured and the last thing he wanted was to pick a fight with her now, even though it felt like there was a fist wrapped tightly around his heart, squeezing tighter and tighter as he observed her.
“I’ve been through worse, Harvey.” Munny reminded him.
And that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
It started as a simmer deep in his ribcage, the turbulent waters coming to a heated boil. Then the flames burned a little hotter and everything began to overflow. Harvey clenched his jaw shut, gritted his teeth to try and stop himself from speaking. It didn’t work though, and the doctor didn’t even notice how his hand trembled as he reached up to adjust his crooked glasses.
“It doesn’t matter if you’ve been through worse!” He snapped.
“Harvey—”
“Don’t you see? If you keep… if you keep doing this, there might not be a next time.”
No, maybe next time he’d have a corpse delivered to his clinic instead.
He cut off the morbid thought, felt extremely guilty when he noticed Munny staring at him with wide-eyes, an expression he could only attribute to guilt. She was good at filling his awkward silence with her ramblings (it was one of the things he loved so dearly about her), but right now, the silence seemed to spread like a persistent mold.
“I love you so much,” Harvey whispered. Maybe it was stupid to say that now of all times, but the words left his mouth before he could take them back. “So, when you do things like this—” It was far from the first time she’d wound up at his clinic bruised and battered. “It hurts a lot.”
I worry.
He didn’t want to be the overprotective boyfriend who clipped her wings, but Munny’s tendency to throw herself into danger messed with his head in ways that left Harvey feeling queasy.
But sorting out his feelings could wait. Munny needed medical attention. Slowly, he reached out to undo the buttons of her shirt, peeling the sticky fabric back to take a look at the injury. It was a small gash across her abdomen, and while the blood made it look worse than it actually was, Harvey was at least thankful to see that it was more of a surface-level wound than anything else.
“You don’t need stitches,” he mumbled.
“Are you mad at me?”
“That shouldn’t be your main concern,” Harvey scolded as he reached for the antiseptic.
“Well, it is.” Munny hissed.
They fell quiet once more, and Munny couldn’t look him in the eyes because Harvey had said he loved her and she felt like the biggest jerk in the valley for putting him through this over and over again. Honestly, she didn’t know why she was like this either. So careless. She’d promised herself she’d do better because she had people who cared about her now… like Harvey and Shane. But it was still a struggle to think about her safety when a part of her still didn’t care enough.
But Harvey cared more than enough for the both of them, and that was what broke her heart.
“I love you too,” Munny finally mumbled as Harvey began to prepare the antiseptic.
He let out a long sigh, like he was still fighting off a migraine. “I’m sorry I yelled.”
“I’m sorry you have to put up with me.”
Harvey didn’t like it when she talked down on herself like that, and her words instantly had him bristling like a cat that had been dunked into an ice bath. He sucked a breath of air between clenched teeth, and before Munny could say anything, closed the distance between them.
“It’s not putting up with you if I love you,” he whispered.
Maybe it was a little unprofessional to have breakdowns in his own clinic, but he leaned forward to press a soft kiss against Munny’s forehead. Then slowly, he peppered her face with the same adoring little pecks, and he had to hold back a chuckle when his mustache made her squirm.
Maybe she would be the death of him, but Harvey didn’t really mind.
The first time they shared a bed together, Harvey couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.
Sure, he had been in long-term relationships before (though admittedly, it had been a while since his last one) but firsts with every partner were always different. Always special. And a part of him was worried that he’d end up hogging the blankets or snoring a little too loudly.
“You know, I can always take the couch.” Harvey offered with a genuine chuckle. He was standing in front of the bed in the low light of his room, dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of green boxers. “You’ve got an early day tomorrow, and I snore sometimes.”
Munny was already under the sheets. She leaned back against the bed frame and gave him a shy smile. It had been an impromptu sleepover caused by bad weather, and now she was wearing one of his button-up shirts and he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about how much better it looked on her—how good Munny looked when she was wearing his clothes.
Something about the sight made him feel… proud?
Proud because, despite all of his short-comings, she was his. She’d chosen him. The relationship was new enough that he sometimes still felt like he was treading water… but even though he’d never been the most adventurous guy around, a part of him liked the feeling. A part of him even craved the way it felt like he had a hundred butterflies in his stomach whenever he was with her.
Ah, and he was staring like a lovesick fool again.
Harvey felt heat creeping up his face as he continued to drink in the sight of her on his bed.
“Harvey,” Munny laughed as she patted the space beside her. “Don’t be silly.”
“I might snore,” he explained again.
“Well, I might kick you,” Munny retaliated.
“Huh, it’s a good thing I have a first aid kit lying around.”
The two of them broke into soft laughter, and when Munny gave the bed another soft pat, Harvey finally relented and climbed in beside her. They sat shoulder to shoulder, their backs against the headboard as they stared out into the darkness of the valley. Winter was just around the corner, and in a few more weeks, the valley would be covered in a layer of snow.
If he were being honest, he’d been dreading wintertime. It was usually when most outdoor accidents happened, and with the lack of farmwork available, he imagined Munny would be descending even deeper into the mines. He’d wanted to talk to her about it for a while now, but had never found the right time.
“What’s on your mind?” It was Munny who broke the silence.
“Nothing much.” Harvey wrapped a casual arm around her shoulders, pulled her up against his chest as his gaze remained fixated on the window. “I’ve just been thinking…”
“Mhm?” She nuzzled into his warmth, gave him that wide-eyed curious look he’d always loved.
“About how thankful I am to have you in my life.”
“Harvey—”
He caught sight of that embarrassed look on her face, and before Munny could protest or deflect, he leaned in a little closer, until they were almost forehead to forehead, until his warm breath fanned softly against her cheek. Then he took the plunge and leaned in to kiss her, soft and lingering. Maybe one day Munny would see herself the way he saw her.
Until then, he’d just have to keep reminding her that there was plenty about her to love.
Munny let out a surprised squeak, pressed her hands against his chest to steady herself before, to Harvey’s excitement, she started kissing him back with equal need.
He couldn’t get enough of the way her fingers curled into his shirt, the way he could feel the warmth of her body pressed up against his. Harvey wanted—no, needed more of her…
During moments like these, it was so easy to let the rest of the world fade away.