Kiss Me Not

At Harry's Residence, Country D

Time moved very quickly for those that didn't pay attention to it. Before Harry knew it, his wedding preparations with Berry came in without so much as a warning. He didn't even know where the time had gone, only that it shot past him without him even noticing that anything was amiss.

"So… It's almost time, huh," Berry wondered out, her hand on the nearby calendar as she talked to Harry. "We're actually getting married."

"Yeah…" Harry whispered out in reply, as if not even believing that such a thing was even happening. "Time just went by without us even noticing it happen."

It was such a simple thing to do as well. With them being busy with their respective jobs, the days simply breezed on by like it was nothing. They found themselves spending time with one another more and more, and before they knew it, their usual routines were now pretty much intertwined.

"How's the job hunting so far, by the way?"

"It's going rather decently, I suppose," Harry stoically replied. "I can see myself being able to relocate along with you maybe a few months after our wedding. Maybe even earlier."

"Wow. You really managed it, huh," Berry smiled at him. "You really do love me, huh."

"As do you, at this point," Harry promptly retorted. "I suppose that our time together has proven to be rather… fruitful."

Berry blushed at his chosen words. Ever since that day when they managed to make some kind of connection, the state of their relationship only went up. As time moved past, more and more of their walls were broken and their boundaries intertwined. At some point, they were already acting like a married couple before they even knew what was happening.

"Fruitful indeed," Berry chuckled. "If not for contraceptives, we probably would've had a few kids running around."

"You won't need them after we get married though," Harry pointed out. "Maybe even before that. We can try as soon as you think we're ready."

It was a topic of conversation that kind of sprung up somewhere down the line. They were getting married, and they actually fell in love with one another to the point that they constantly found themselves doing the deed at every possible chance. Of course, the possibility of pregnancy became a real issue that needed addressing. In the end, they decided that they shouldn't have a kid until at least after they got married.

"Sure thing," Berry scoffed. "Though, I'm sure that'll be in the near future. Preferably when we're firmly settled."

"Yeah…" Harry nodded from his spot on the couch.

A comfortable silence settled forth, the two simply going about their usual routines around the house. It was their normal, had been for a few months now. And during this time, Harry found himself thinking about his secret again.

Should he finally open up? It'd probably be for the best of their relationship if he let it out in the open for her to judge him. Would she even do so, however? What if she just shunned him outright after learning about his dark past? Not that it wasn't that bad, to begin with, but it was still a sore spot for him that he wouldn't really want to bring it up without any valid reason to do so…

"Harry?"

Harry blinked at Berry's calls, taking him out of his musings, "Yes?"

To his surprise, his fiance gave him a knowing look, her eyes glinting with inquisitiveness as she spoke. "You have that thinking look again. Care to share?"

A part of him wanted to say no. However, how many times had he said the same thing for the last few weeks now? Berry knew that he was hiding something from him, and her saintly patience was probably the only thing keeping her from actually shaking him down and interrogating him.

"Are you gonna say no again?"

Harry felt his chest lurch at hearing Berry's disappointed tone. He was putting it off for long enough. Thinking about it, he might as well rip off the band-aid and see if he managed to survive.

"No," Harry shook his head.

"No?" Berry cautiously chuckled. "Well, I'm here if you ever decide to-"

"I don't mean I'm not talking, Berry," Harry cut her off. "I'm ready to share."

"Oh?- I mean, okay," Berry quickly nodded, dropping everything that she was doing in favor of sitting beside his fiance. "Let's hear what's the problem."

Hearing her enthusiasm, Harry couldn't help but sigh as he lined up his words. He really didn't know if he should be doing this, but Berry looked like she was about to accept anything he might say to her…

"Well, I have a dark past, as some might say," Harry began. "My mother tried to poison my stepfather, and I kidnapped my stepbrother's woman to help my mother."

"Oh wow…"

"Overall, it's a clusterfuck of events that I just want to be erased from history," Harry sighed. "I can elaborate some more if you want, but it'll take a bit of time to really have it all make proper sense."

A terse silence settled between the two. Eventually, Berry spoke up. "I see… So that's all?"

"What?!"

Berry let off a chuckle, "Is this what you've been worried about all this time? Some kind of dark past that isn't even that dark?"

Harry's eyes widened in surprise, "You mean you don't even think it's that bad? My family did heinous acts, and all you think is that they're not that bad?"

"Yeah?" Berry shrugged. "It's all in the past, right? Why would it matter today? In the future? Does your past have a distinct effect on your future?"

"Well, no?"

"Then why even bother?" Berry stressed out with a smile. "The past is the past. We can only look forward to the future. That way, the shackles of yesteryear can be replaced with decorations of the present and the future."

"Wow… That's… profound," Harry commented.

"Suprised? That's kind of common sense, Harry." Berry smirked. "Why bother about something that can't even hurt you anymore?"