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Admittedly, Ivor was not prepared to be in the desert of Crown Mesa. The sand was coarse and rough, whipping everywhere in the barren desert. There was no place free from its constant attack, finding every crevice and filling it. Then, on top of that, the heat was unbearable. The sun was strong, beating down from the center of the sky, making the air hot and dry. He should have brought a mask, to protect his face from the sand.
Harper was smart to wear a hood, he thought, to stop the sand from attacking at all angles. Really, he should have prepared for even a second before returning to Crown Mesa. It had been too tempting, though, seeing the brilliant blue flint and steel just- sitting there.
The call of adventure was too much. Yes, he should have brought some supplies, but he didn’t. So now he was here, in the middle of the desert, standing at the entrance of Harper’s lab. Or, more accurately, the edge of a giant crater that led to her lab.
Why was he here? He had no clue. She was interesting! Her proficiency with redstone, her skill with architecture, her voice and her eyes-
Regardless, he was standing at the top of a large crater, one he and Jesse had jumped down when finding her lab for the first time. At the bottom he saw the small pond of water they’d landed in, and where he would need to land again. Though, it seemed bigger than the last time he’d seen it. Maybe Harper had expanded it?
What was he even going to say to her? He’d left his own dimension in such a rush, with such thrill, that he hadn't thought that far ahead.
“Hello Harper!” Ivor spoke aloud to nobody but himself and the cacti around him. “How are you doing?” He practiced a wide smile, but it felt wrong.
“No, no no no…” He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How about,” he reset his smile, making it less exaggerated this time. “Hey- no. Not ‘hey,’ who says that? Not me.”
He waved the thought away dismissively. “Here we go. Hello, Harper. I came to…to check on you. Yes, I came to check in, see how things were going! Even though it’s been…not very long.”
His smile faded as he sighed. “No, Ivor, come on, ” he grumbled. “Come on, come on…Oh!” He snapped his fingers and tried to smile again.
“Hello, Harper. I know it hasn’t been very long since we left, but…Well, I wanted to see how you were doing. I can…empathize with your situation, because I’ve done something very similar. I was lucky to have people who supported me. A-And I want to be there to support you. And talk to you! Because you’re a very…interesting person, Harper, and I’d like to get to know you better. So, that’s why I’m here.” He gazed down into the crater before him, contemplating the words he’d just spoken aloud.
“I think that sounds pretty good!” A voice Ivor recognized far too quickly spoke from behind him.
“Harper!” Ivor spun around to face the woman behind him, almost tripping over his own feet. “I- I didn’t realize- How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.” She smiled, and Ivor thought it was brighter than the desert sun beating down on them. “I gotta ask, though. Do you really mean that?” Harper raised an eyebrow, scanning Ivor up and down.
Her eyes met his, stopping his thoughts in their tracks. The way the sun caught her eyes, illuminating the dark brown and revealing every tiny detail. It was gorgeous. Ivor thought he could look at her forever and never get tired of it.
“Ivor?” She asked, a hint of concern leaking into her voice.
“Yes! Yes, sorry, I-” He shook his head, trying to shake the distracting thoughts out. “I do mean it, Harper. Though I would have liked to say it to your face…”
She smiled again, and Ivor’s heart skipped a beat. It did that a lot when Harper was nearby. “You still could,” she offered.
“Oh,” Ivor felt his face get warm, somehow warmer than it already was, and he cast his gaze to the sand below him. “Right, I- I came back to see how you were doing, and- and you’re a very interesting person, Harper.” He looked up towards her, catching a glimpse of her smirk.
“You are too, Ivor.” She walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’d love to get to know you. Now that we’re not, you know, being chased by a crazy machine.”
He chuckled, thankful she wasn’t upset by his presence. “That sounds lovely.”
With her hand still resting on his shoulder, it wasn’t hard for Harper to pull him into a hug. Ivor froze, every muscle in his body tensing, unsure and scared. But she pulled him closer, burying her head in his shoulder. Ivor let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, relaxing. Even though his hands were shaking, he brought them up to rest on her back.
She was so close, Ivor was sure she must have felt his heart pounding. He could smell hints of redstone and earth on her, an indicator of her life. One of her hands was on the back of his head, pulling him down into the embrace. The only thing he could hear was the rushing of blood in his ears, and Harper’s gentle breathing.
“Sorry!” She quickly backed away, a hint of red creeping into her cheeks. Ivor wouldn’t have even noticed it if they hadn’t been so close. “I just- I haven’t exactly had anyone willing to talk to me for…a while.”
“It- It’s fine. It’s fine! Really!” He assured, his movements becoming very exaggerated as he became more flustered. “I- I don’t mind. Not at all.”
Harper was silent for a moment, scrutinizing Ivor. Her eyes were so piercing, precise. Gorgeous.
Finally, after a few seconds that felt like a few years, she laughed. A genuine, hearty laugh so strong she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “You are a strange, strange man, Ivor. I like you.”
I love you, thought Ivor. The realization hit him harder than any blow ever would. He loved her. Everything about her.
“...What?” Harper’s eyes were wide, locked on Ivor.
“I didn’t say anything?” Ivor intended for it to be a statement, but it came out as more of a question.
“No, you did. You just told me that you loved me.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Wha- oh. ”
“Yeah…Do you…?”
“I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Ivor knew his face was bright red by now, a mixture of the sun and his extreme embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”
“Ivor,” Harper’s eyes were set on him, “did you mean it?”
“...Yes. I’m so-”
“Good. I think you’re pretty cute too, but take me on a date first. Deal?”
“...What?” Ivor’s mind was racing a million miles a minute, but his body was frozen.
“Take me on a date first.” She smiled at him again, and if Ivor’s heart could have beat any faster without killing him he was sure it would have.
“I- Alright. That sounds nice. I- I will.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Harper said, with so much sincerity that Ivor had no choice but to believe her. “But- I’m being so rude, aren’t I? Making you stay outside in that. Let’s get inside.”
“Oh, it’s no-”
Harper pushed him backwards, into the crater that was behind him. He knew that he would land in the water and be completely fine. That didn’t stop him from screaming as he tipped over the edge, desperately reaching out for something to stop his descent. And while she might not have stopped his fall, he did manage to get a hold of Harper’s hand, pulling her down with him.
The impact, predictably, left them unscathed. Harper began laughing as soon as she pulled herself onto the floor, pulling Ivor along with her.
“You- you pushed me!” He gasped, but fell into a fit of laughter beside Harper.
“I did! And your face was priceless!” She agreed between laughs.
“I can’t believe you!” He rolled his eyes as he rose to his feet, helping Harper up too.
“You better watch that sass.” She narrowed her eyes, a smirk beginning to form on her lips.
“Yes, ma’am,” he conceded quickly.
Harper was fully to her feet now, but she hadn’t let go of Ivor’s hand. “Keep that up, and this might actually work out for you.” She winked at him, sending his heart rate through the roof. At this point, it was a miracle Ivor was still alive.
She started to walk further into the cavern that led to her lab, still with a firm hold on Ivor’s hand. He followed along, happily walking alongside her. They walked through what used to be a security system, but was just some streams of water now.
Her lab was emptier than when Ivor had last seen it, many of the faux people now gone, in addition to the picture of a younger Harper with PAMA.
“Here,” Harper led him to one of the few seats in the room, “I’ll go get you some stuff to help with gettin’ through the desert.”
He sat, very thankful to relax in the cool room. “Thank you, Harper.”
“‘Course,” she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making the monumental action seem so casual. “I’ll be right back, just don’t move.”
Ivor couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He smiled and nodded, but he had no idea what Harper had just said. All he could see was her smile, and all he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears.
She said something to him, but he couldn’t tell what she’d said. He nodded again, hoping it would be enough, but Harper sat next to him and cupped his jaw in her hand, a concerned expression on her face. It was the last thing Ivor saw before he passed out, collapsing onto Harper.
“Or you could do that.” She laughed as she laid him down across the chairs. “I’ll get you some water. You strange, strange man.”