Punch Drunk Kiss

1

Harlan couldn't sleep. She was being kept awake by various thoughts, ones that were equally as beautiful as they were distressing. One particular thought was bugging her.

Currently, Harlan was heavily pregnant with the Aether king's son. He was her husband and he was overjoyed at first, but it seemed he had grown tired of her constant complaining, aches and pains, and morning sickness.

And... and who could blame him, right? Pregnancy was a bore. Feeling fat for 9 months was quite enough for Harlan, considering how skinny she'd been originally. Now she felt like a Makuhita. But it wasn't Blaise's problem - no, he had other things to worry about, but he was making her issues his issues.

Harlan was seriously becoming tired of him. Their relationship had been rocky for a year and a half now, almost 5 years into the rulership. She desperately wanted out, but also didn't want to be alone. She was stuck. And that was not a good feeling.

She sighed and got up. Maybe a midnight snack might make her feel better. Creeping down the stairs, Harlan found Tabitha in the kitchen. Former head Admin of the Hoennian Team Magma, the now head soldier of the Aetherian militia was sitting at a table alone, his food untouched and head in a book. Harlan decided to sit with him - he was much friendlier than he'd been before, but they'd never clicked. Until now, it seemed.

"Hey," Harlan said. Tabitha startled, perking up from his book and looking at her from over the pages. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," she apologized.

"You're fine. What brings you over here to me, all-powerful queen of Alola?" he teased her lightly, setting the book down and putting his chin in his hands. "Do tell. I've become incredibly bored of training, hehe~" A laugh punctuated his sentence. Harlan noticed he tended to do that - as if it were a tic of some sort.

"I'm also tired. Tired of ruling. It's so stressful, Tabitha, you wouldn't understand," she said, shaking her head. "Blaise is... becoming quite a burden also."

"Call me Tabby," Tabitha said. "Any friend or family of Blaise's is family to me." He winked. "I feel you, Harlan - training with those buffoons downstairs gets boring after a while. I assumed leading would be fun, and it was... until it wasn't." Tabby shook his head too.

"That's exactly how I feel!" Harlan exclaimed. "Arc.. we really seem to understand each other, huh?"

"It's like you were destined to sit with me," Tabitha chortled.

"Are you going to eat your sandwich?" Harlan asked.

"No. If you want it, take it; I only ordered it so I could sit here, heh." Tabitha pushed the plate towards her and looked down at his book. "You ever read 'The Remarkable Path of the Pristine Bullet'?" he inquired.

"I have. Very good novel but I cried every chapter after the halfway point," Harlan admitted.

"I know. It gets me emotional too."

"It reminds me of Gladion - a man fighting for his life, but eventually losing the battle," she said sadly. "... Suddenly I ain't hungry."

"i'm sorry about him. I heard." Tabitha held out his hands for her to take. A platonic gesture of affection. Harlan accepted it. "Don't you like being with Blaise?"

"I do, but he's not my Gladi. If anything, you're more like Gladion than he is." Harlan instantly wished she could take that back. Tabitha looked intrigued.

"Am I?" Tabitha sneered.

"I'm sorry -"

"No, no. Don't be. I'm kidding." His eyes softened. "Harlan... I know I treated you terribly before," he started,

"but..."

"Yeah?" Harlan asked.

"You think we could be friends?" Tabitha was so painfully awkward in asking this that Harlan couldn't help but giggle.

"Of course, Tabith- Tabby. My friend." Harlan let go of his hands and he smiled up at her as she stood to leave, taking the half sandwich with her. "It was nice talking to you, but these carbs have made me sleepy."

"Goodnight, Harlan," Tabitha said as she left.

"Goodnight," she called back, and headed upstairs to her awaiting husband.