what you want most \\ harry hook (!discontinued!)

you're already outside a' your own head

"Uma, my feet hurt." 

Uma turned to me from the front counter and sighed. She peered around me at the clock on the wall. "Fine, Go get some food. But I expect you back here in half an hour." 

I grinned. "Will do, cap'n!" I tore the apron off my body and hopped over the counter, darting to a corner table. A plate of food was already sitting there, looking nasty as ever- but still far superior to anything we got in- no. That's not something I'm going to think about right now. I shoved the food into my mouth faster than I could chew it. 

Something cold and slimy hit my tongue. I coughed, bracing my hands on the table. As soon as I could breathe again, I picked through the food on my plate. My hand touched something that was unmistakable. "Shit, fish?" 

Ugh. 

"I hate fish." Super convenient for a pirate, but bleh, it is disgusting!

A flash of red passed by me before a tall, decidedly handsome pirate made an appearance in the seat next to me, setting his hat on the table. "I can't believe tha' after all this time, ya still can't get over the taste of fish."

"I 'ave a refined pallet," I said, picking out the more gruel-looking pieces that didn't have fish in them.

"This is a fish shope."

I pulled out a salt and vinegar chip and bit down on it with a loud chomp. "Chips.  An' chips."

He sighed and leaned back, putting his feet up on the table. I continued eating my food with my best friend next to me, and the two of us sat undisturbed in our own quiet corner. How is it that we got here? Exactly the same, even after years- years not spent together. Even after ages of scars, and the loss of literally all of our family members- we're still here. Still here... Shit. Maddie. I left her there. And hatter. And everyone else... As soon as I manage to escape the isle, I'll get them out next. I wonder if I can get out of the isle the same way I got out of the centre... But then again, I'm still not sure how that happened. Probably something I should think about at some point. Stones magic, maybe he'll know something. Wherever he scampered off to. Actually, that's a lie. He's probably with the twins- Hades, I miss them. I'll have to visit them soon. And Celia- 

Harry jolted up and whacked his hand on the table. "What is that you're humming?"

"I'm humming?" I listened to the tiny voice in my head. Holy crap, I am. What is this song? I've never heard it before. "I- I don't know."

"Tha's the one I hear!" He said. "A million thoughts, in my head,"

I nodded. "Should I let my heart keep listenin'?"

He was speaking the lyrics to me. "I know, it's time,"

I cut him off. "To say goodbye,"

He joined me, and both of us deadpanned what seemed to be an emotional ballad. "So hard to let go."

I tilted my head in confusion. "It's over now."

Harry leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. "What the fuck?" He said. "So it happens to you too. I thought I was crazy." He sat up again. "Hey, Uma!"

There was a clattering of dishes before a harried, "What?"

"Jackie hears it too!"

She popped her head out to look at us. "Good, now you can bother her instead!"

I shook my head. "This has happened to you before?"

"Yeah! Since around- well, around when my da' finally left, this music plays in my head, all the time, that I've never heard before."

Music you've never heard before- where have I heard of that- Dad said once- "I know!" I said, turning to face him fully. "Dad used to sing all the time, and when I asked him why, he said it's cause he can hear other people's songs. Like, the songs that other people are singing across tha world. You know when Malsy used to hold those big random dance performances that they hadn't rehearsed, and everyone just knows it?"

"Yeah, those were so fuckin' annoying."

Uma appeared in front of us, wiping her hands on a dirty towel. "What was?"

Harry glanced at her. "Mal's old theater shows."

She growled slightly. "Makes me want to wrap my hands around her throat until she can't sing anymore."

I grinned. "Exactly. But da' explained, the way those work, is the song basically falls like a web over all the people so that everybody sings at the right time and knows all the words and music plays from nowhere and everybody else either dances or gets out of the way."

Harry grabbed a chip off my plate. "What's your point here, darlin'?"

"Point is, usually you can only sing along if you're connected to that web. It sticks you in the head." I stole Uma's towel from her to wipe the fish grease off my own hands.  "But if you're already outside a' your own head, you can hear it and connect yourself."

Uma cocked her head and stole the towel back from me, throwing it over her shoulder. "So what you're saying is, if you're a madhouse, like say, the two of you, you can hear all of the emotional moments everyone else is having?"

I glanced at Harry. "I think so."

She laughed and rubbed her hands together. "You guys are like spies then, right?"

Harry grabbed his hat off the table and put it back on his head. "If what feathers here is sayin' is true."

"That's perfect. That's so godsdamned perfect." Her eyes had taken on a look of unrestrained glee that was rarely seen without trouble right behind it.

I smirked and shifted in my seat. "Thinking of hacking inta our brains, Umsy?"

She shook her head. "No, wouldn't want to ruin your crazy.  All those times you were mumbling, Hook, and it was really a tether to getting out of here..."

Harry laughed and pulled me over to him, close enough that I was basically in his lap. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner."

She put a hand on her hip and gave him a reproachful look. "You didn't figure it out either."

 He used his hook to play with my hair as I reclined on his lap and pulled my food towards me. I stuck another chip in my mouth. He pestered at my arm until I handed him a chip. "Crazy, remember?"

She huffed and turned around, waving her hips as she left. Harry reached to grab another chip off my plate. "Yeah, crazy useful." I batted his hand away. "My food."

"You're in my chair, so technically, it's my food."

"You put me 'ere."

"You didn't resist."

I laughed lightly, even if I leaned back against him and tilted my head up so I could see his face. "And now every person here knows they're not allowed to lay a hand on you without my say-so."

His gaze bounced around the room. "Jealous, sweetheart?

"I wouldn't want anyone to fix ya up enough that we can't sing our lovely little songs together."

"Or maybe you can't deal with the thought of an irresistible person such as myself with anybody-"

 I shoved a handful of chips into his mouth. I smiled sweetly as he visibly tried not to choke. "Who grabbed who?"

He eventually managed to stop coughing, but still made no move to put me down.