#and harry isn't good with new people either which means Richard has very little to work with

[themalhambird]

@skeleton-richard 

Kate’s family were terrifying. 

The hurt-Kate-and-I’ll-kill-you thing had been sweet when it had been Edmund: Edmund was twelve for fuck’s sake, he was tiny and scowling fiercely just made him look cute. Little brother trying to protect older, way more competent and more to the point grown up sister because that was just what siblings did.

Henry Plantagenet’s threat had been civil enough: one former soldier to another over a pint, a casual “hurt her and I’ll break your arm” and then on to different things. 

On the other hand, Edward had asked to speak with a moment, a serious look on his face and Harry, guessing what was coming, had joked about it- ‘if I hurt her you’ll kill me?’ And Edward had looked him straight in the eyes and said, very calmly. “Oh, I won’t need to kill you. Kate can take care of herself. That being said, there at least twenty seven different places I can think of to hide a body up at The House, and if Kate should ever require it I’ll be more than happy to help her make sure parts of you end up in all of them.”

It left Harry cold. Not so much the threat- though somehow, he knew that Edward meant it and so did Henry. But...they didn’t trust him, to take care of Kate? He wasn’t going to hurt her, he loved her, for fuck’s sake, he’d do anything for her! And now he was sitting in some swanky coffee place that made him squirm, with Richard fucking Plantagenet sitting opposite him and looking like some supermodel, and not talking, and Harry wished he’d just get on with whatever it was he’d asked Harry to come here to be threatened with-

Eventually, Richard put down his coffee with a deliberate chink of china on china. “So, you and Kate are serious, then. You’re moving in with each other?” he asked, as though he didn’t already know that.

“Um. Yes, “ Harry says, squirming some more.

“Well, if you need help.” Richard says, and picks up his coffee again. Henry stares. Was that a complete sentence? If he needed help what? If he needed help with what? What-

“I’m sorry, I’m not very good at this,” Richard said suddenly, putting his coffee back down. “Kate means a lot to me-”

Here it comes, Henry thought

“-and you mean a lot to Kate so I would like to get to know you better but honestly, I socialize better in parties.”

“Er- what?” Harry says, completely wrong footed. Richard looks embarrassed. 

“I just...find it easier. With more people. You can spend two minuets talking to someone, introduce them to someone else, and then slip away to talk to the next person for the next two minuets. All the appearance of engaging without actually having to do it.”

“You find it difficult to talk to people,” Harry said flatly. “You.”

Richard winced. “Ones I don’ t know particularly well, yes. It’s difficult. Getting to know someone through small talk often ends up becoming a stilted series of questions and answers and awkward silences while both parties cast about frantically for something no more than marginally stupid to comment on; I don’t like it. So, you’re moving in with Kate?” he said, with the air of a man casting about frantically for something no more than marginally stupid to comment on, and Harry nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m really exited- Kate is- Kate is amazing, she’s just- she’s so kind, and funny, and smart, and sexy-” he flushed, realising that that last bit probably wasn’t something her cousin wanted to here, but Richard grinned.

“Well naturally,” he said, “She‘s a Plantagenet, we’re all  as hot as hell. You’re in love with her.” he added. “It’s obvious- you lit up when you started talking about her just now.”

“Yeah,” Harry grinned straight back, blushing. “I love her to pieces.”

“Have you told her?” Richard took another sip of her coffee, and Harry frowned.

“Well...I asked her to move in with me. And we hold hands all the time, and we kiss and oh fuck, I haven’t actually said it, have I? I mean....I just sort of assumed...” he twitched, aching to race off and correct his mistake, find Kate and tell her, right now, that he absolutely adored her and he wanted to make her happy every day for the rest of his life. That would probably be rude, though, to leave Richard- and something else crossed his mind. “So are you going to threaten me now?” he asked. “The whole, if you hurt Kate...thing. I had it from Edmund at the start of the week, and then Henry, and Edward yesterday and-”

“If my uncle in Gloucester offered you a large sum of money to never see or speak to Kate again, would you take it?” Richard interrupted.

Harry scowled. “Of course I wouldn’t-”

“Well, I don’t need to threaten you then, do I? You love her, you’re moving in with her, you’re both straight so you won’t get arrested and you can actually get married, if you want-” Richard broke off, and drained the rest of his coffee. “Sorry, that was...we’re more like siblings than cousins, really, Henry, Edward, Kate and I, we get protective. Still, if they’re making the effort of threatening you, it means they like you enough to actually want to stick around. And Kate...you make Kate very happy. She glows when she talks about you, too.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Richard smiled briefly, then stood up. “Anyway, this is it: you’re officially her serious boyfriend. I really would like to get to know you better, but I suppose that will come with time.”

“Yeah,” Harry said. 

“Come with Kate next time we all have coffee,” Richard suggested, as they walked out together. “It would be nice.”

“Sure.” they stopped outside the coffee shop, and looked slightly awkwardly at one another. “Right,” Harry said. “So...”

“So, I am going back to work. That way,” Richard twisted to the left, slightly. 

“Cool. And I am...going to go that way,” Harry said, gesturing in the opposite direction. “Thanks for coffee.”

“Oh, it’s fine. It was- well, anyway. I’ll see you around.” he smiled briefly, turned on his heel, and walked off. Five seconds later, Harry ran after him. 

“I mean it,,” he said. “Thanks. Not, for coffee, particularly, I mean, yes, for coffee, but. What you said. About Kate. And wanting to get to know me better, it. Means a lot. So. Thank you.”

“The worst thing a family can do is be unwelcoming to a partner,” Richard said softly. “It will ruin the relationship, or it will ruin the family, or it will do both. I want my cousin to be happy. You’re important to her, which means you’re important to the rest of us, as well, or you should be. That’s all. Kate’s happiness, with you- it’s the only thing that matters.”

#katespur #Wedding Night verse #awkward Richard and Hotspur boding #or attempting to #Richard is not social he's just very good at faking it #He isn't good with new people #and harry isn't good with new people either which means Richard has very little to work with #death threats #seriously Henry & Edward not necessary #though Edward probably would have left it at just don't hurt her okay she really likes you if harry hadn't raised the subject first