Harrison Osterfield x Reader
Request by the wonderful @fanficparker
My requests are always openâ€ïž
âCome on, itâs not that simple!â You shake your head, taking another handful of popcorn from the bowl between you and Harrison.
The two of you were in the middle of a video game night and were taking a break from your second round of Mario Kart. And the prospect of you moving away had just become the topic of conversation.
âWhy would things have to change? Weâre best friends!â He exclaims like a child, typical to fashion.
âIâm going to be in another country, youâll be busy with work - Iâm just saying things are likely to change,â You defend, trying to brush off the conversation topic quickly.
Harrisonâs face falls as he pulls away the popcorn bowl before you can take some more, âYou seriously think things arenât going to be the same?â
When you look at his face, it pains you to be leaving him. The two of you had been best friends since your parents first taught you what a friend was. Youâd been inseparable - closer than your parents and families ever expected from the two of you. You just fit together. And it grew and grew, from going to the same school, living on the same street, sneaking out to the same parties, and now living in the same London flat.
âHaz, we spend every day together here,â You explain, âIâm just saying it will be different because we wonât be living together, spending every waking moment with each other.â
âI have other friends,â He points out with a boyish pout.
âIâm just saying I wonât be living with you and it wonât be exactly the same, Iâm not saying weâre just going to stop speaking to each other.â
He eyes you suspiciously and sets down the bowl once again, âIf I win the next race, you have to stay!â
âHarrison, have you seen my big suitcase?â You push yourself up from the ground as youâd been busy rummaging through your wardrobe to find it.
Today was the day youâd decided to first start packing as, three days from today, you were on your way to Spain for a year of teaching out there. It was something youâd wanted to do from when you were young. When the opportunity arose, not one part of you wanted to say no.
âI thought Iâd left it in the bottom of my wardrobe but I-â You start to explain to your roommate as you walk into the lounge.
There, in the middle of the floor, is the trusty suitcase that youâd been searching for. Though itâs misshapen and open with Harrisonâs attempt to climb inside and zip himself in.
âAre you kidding?â You laugh, trying to shift the zip to expose him.
âI told you I could come with you!â He yells back from inside, his voice muffled by his contorted shape.
Youâd dread to think how much effort heâd put into this, âAnd I told you that you could come if you bought your own damn seat on the plane. Get out of here, you div!â
âOkay, okay, okay,â He replies, âGet me out, itâs really hot in here!â
âHaz stop moving! The zipâs stuck!â You canât help the exclamatory laugh that escapes your lips, âWhat the fuck have you done?!â
âOh my god (Y/n) get me out!â The fear is seeping into his tone as he starts to wiggle around in the cramped space.
It takes a lot of yelling and too much stress but, eventually, heâs freed.
âYou see what Iâd do to keep you?â He comments, pulling his knees to his chest as he still stays seated in the case.
âCome on man, youâll make me feel bad,â You sigh, âIâm only a few hours away.â
âBut here, youâre a few steps away,â He comments, glancing between your retrospective rooms, âI donât know, itâs going to be weird here without you.â
âItâs only a year, and you can still come and visit, Iâll come back for Christmas,â You remind him, the comments youâd already made a hundred times.
âI know, I know,â He assures you, reaching out his arm, âIâve just never been without you.â
You blush a little and lean into his embrace, letting his arms wrap around you.
âEw, God! Harrison youâre sweating!â You exclaim, pulling away from him.
âI told you - I was burning alive in there!â
âGet out of my suitcase then!â
âHow are you going to live without her, man?â Harry shakes his head, âI give it five weeks before this flat has gone to shit.â
âFive weeks? Youâre being generous!â His older brother, Tom, scoffs as he hands a beer to his brother.
You and Harrison had organised a going away party at the flat for the night that was two days before you left. Giving you your last day to be just for you and Harrison - to prepare him to live without you at least.
âLetâs just say FaceTime will definitely be useful,â You nudge at Harrisonâs side.
He didnât seem much like himself tonight but you didnât want to mention anything with all of your company around.
âAre you excited to leave, (Y/n)?â Harry asks, smiling in your direction.
âNervous, worried, terrified,â You nod, âBut definitely excited!â
You notice Harrison looking at you from the corner of your eye, his gaze not faltering. Itâs deep and focused, like heâs clinging onto every last word you said.
The conversation flows from there on out but Harrison still manages to keep his eyes set on you with certainty that they wouldnât lose you - in more ways than one.
âFancy sleeping in my bed tonight?â Harrison suggests as youâre both getting ready for bed, the apartment now semi-clean in the aftermath of the party.
âSure, Iâll grab my duvet,â You smile and he heads out of the bathroom.
It wasnât irregular for the two of you to share a bed, despite having your own rooms. Youâd always grab both duvets and pool them into one bed for what Harrison called âoptimum comfortâ. Those were the nights where youâd sit and chat for hours and tell him a deep secret you were yet to expose. Or heâd confess to you that heâd got an audition coming up that he hadnât mentioned. Or that he wasnât ready for what life was throwing him.
âThanks for tonight, it was lovely having everyone here,â You smile, âAnd you managed to invite everyone!â
Harrison smirks as he pulls back the covers of the bedspread, âIâm getting better.â
âWere you okay, though?â You bring it up eventually, âYou just seemed a little quiet.â
He climbs into the bed and snuggles into his half, âJust feels strange that youâre leaving in like a day.â
You smile a little and climb in beside him, âWeâll be okay, Harrison? Iâm not going to move to Spain and act like Iâm living a new life.â
âI know, I know,â He shakes his head, âAnd Iâm so happy for you, (Y/n), honestly.â
You smile a little at him and let the conversation fall silent. There was still something he wasnât telling you.
âIâm so scared, H.â
The statement makes him bolt upright like a sudden danger had sprung upon you, âWhat do you mean?â
âIâm moving away from everything, what if I hate it? What if Iâm a really shit teacher? Or I just donât fit in with anyone there?â You ponder, âIâve been waiting for this like it was all going to just be easy. But itâs probably the scariest thing Iâve ever done.â
âHey,â He starts, âI think itâs impossible for you to be shit at anything - and youâre a people person with literally anyone, youâre practically fluent in Spanish more than English now, and itâs all just going to fall into place. It always does.â
You snuggle into him and wrap your arms around his torso, âItâs just a big move.â
âOf course it is, but donât you remember telling me this plan when we were like ten years old?â
You chuckle, âWe were sat in that fort weâd made in your garden.â
âAnd you told me that youâd already planned it, though you didnât really know much more of what you wanted to do.â
âAnd you told me you wanted to be the next Leo DiCaprio,â You respond, glancing up at him with a smile.
âIâm getting there,â He wiggles his brows, âI promised you Iâd thank you when I won an Oscar.â
You laugh, âYour Mum used to get so fed up when we ended up falling asleep out there. It used to get so cold!â
He smiles and holds you a little bit tighter, pulling up the duvets until theyâre up to your chins. It feels like you could stay here forever.
âWell, we still have one full day,â He points out, running a hand through your hair.
âWhat do you fancy doing?â You ask quietly, fatigue taking over now you were wrapped in Harrisonâs arms.
He pauses to think of any valid answer but his pause is just long enough to mean that youâre already falling into a slumber in his arms. When Harrison looks down at you, itâs like his whole world is wrapped up in this bed youâd struggled to put together when you first moved in. He lets your even breaths take hold of his thoughts as he circles through the motions of realisation that always occurred when he was this close to you. At what moment did he fall in love with his best friend? At what point did that âother halfâ manage to grab a hold of his heart? And would he really let her leave without confessing that? It tugs at his heart to think of a day, a week, a month, a year, without her. But it makes things even worse that sheâd been leaving with the lie heâd upheld since he first realised that his heart fluttered when she was near. And that didnât happen with âjust friendsâ. Itâs not like Harrison when he feels a tear spill onto his cheek and trickle down the length of his face.
âGod, youâll be the death of me,â He mutters into the silent room, swiping at his face to stop any more tears.
Your last day at home goes all too quickly, you run through everything with Harrison to make sure he was all set up for running the flat on his own. You check your packing once, twice, three times, before settling on the fact that youâd buy anything youâd forgotten once you were out there. You get your passport and your other essentials ready for the early morning. And just like that, the only thing left is leaving.
You find yourself sat out on the small balcony that came with this apartment, overlooking the typical city streets of London. It feels overwhelming to leave a place like this behind. Youâd never been apart from home. First, it was your family, then it was Harrison. Wherever you went, there was a piece of home with you. Youâd never really had that experience of being separate from it. Maybe youâd meet somebody out there that would become another piece of that home. But the prospect of a love interest was still yet to become of interest to you. You had everything you needed. Plus, Harrison was always hard to explain to any prospective love interests.
âAm I interrupting?â Harrison asks cautiously as he steps through the window and out onto the balcony, âYou looked a little lonely.â
âJust thinking,â You give him a warm smile as he comes to stand beside you on the terrace.
He hums in response and letâs the silence engulf all of you once more. His lungs are screaming for him to say a thousand words with the breath they hold, his heart is yearning to stop feeling so tight at the thought of you. His head feels weak at the thought of processing one day without you.
I love you. Not in the way weâve been saying since we were little. Not the âlove youâ or the âlove yaâ. Itâs I love you. Simple. Is it? I donât know where it started, what caused it, why I canât change it. But itâs consuming, heavy, crazy. Itâs in every action you do, every word, every gesture, every expression. Living a life without you would be hell. But living a life where youâre always just my friend? That feels like a punishment that no religion could conceive the thought of.
âHaz...â Your voice is what snaps him from his thoughts.
Itâs only then that he feels the tears pricking his skin, slipping down his cheeks.
âShit,â He mutters, âIt must just be the cold.â
The beaming sun outside and the T-shirt adorning his skin tells you otherwise.
âYou know if you start crying, I always cry,â You chuckle, outstretching your arms and pulling him to your chest.
Harrison doesnât speak and it scares you that heâs not the one comforting you - was he really not going to be okay without you?
âIâm just thinking about all of the Spanish boys youâre going to fall in love with,â He jokes, âAnd youâll forget all about that pale boy from home.â
âCome on, if they love me, they have to love my pale boy,â You chuckle, âYouâre my best friend!â
The statement makes him wrap his arms around you a little tighter. Not for the reason you thought - for the fact that you werenât going to leave him. But for the fact that thatâs all he ever would be. The name âbest friendâ that always held so much weight had now become completely hopeless. It pained him that he could no longer accept that.
You were on the phone to your parents when Harrison first started trying to write down everything his brain had been aching for him to say. It felt like it would give some sort of relief.
Dear To (Y/n), Squidge, My Love, Div, and all the other names that this twenty something years has given you.
Weâve been over this a thousand times, how youâre leaving me, how Iâll live alone, how Tom will get sick of me in the end. Weâve talked about it for hours because I started thinking that talking about things would make it easier. Make it easier to say goodbye to you.
Itâs silly really - youâll be back eventually. Whether thatâs in a year, or two or three. Youâll be back. But I think itâs the fear of me realising that things are getting too late for anything to change. That somebody else could take my place could give you what I want to. youâll leave and Iâll lose my chance of admitting anything real to you.
The truth is, for the past, well I donât know how long, Iâve fallen in love with you. It wasnât like I realised one thing one day and watched it develop. Itâs like one morning I woke up and suddenly noticed it all. I noticed every single piece of you that ignites every single piece of me. I noticed who I am around you and how much I adore who you are around me. And, within that one day, it became blaringly obvious that things werenât the same anymore.
I can tell you which exact day it was. It was not long after weâd moved in here. In June. We had a day at home where you decided to start decorating the lounge. Youâd bought all of this new stuff that youâd been eyeing up for months. And it was all spread out on the floor. You were in this pair of grey joggers and a top youâd planned on wearing to the gym - although you never did get that membership. There was no particular thing that drew me to you. It was everything. It was the way you slipped in the kitchen in your socks as you tried to make a fancy lunch. The way you laughed and rolled your eyes when I failed to set up the coffee table. It was all of these parts of you that Iâd never noticed enough.
Heâs just starting to choke up when you say goodbye to your parents and he quickly folds up the page.
âHey, we should probably start getting ready to go,â You lean against the doorframe and fold your arms.
Harrison glances up and nods, âYeah, Iâll just sort myself out and we can go.â
You had it all planned. Sort out your final things, leave a little present on Harrisonâs bed for when he got back from the airport, get to the airport with enough time to check in, and then youâd be gone.
âOkay, is my passport in there?â You ask Harrison as the two of you are now parked in the airport carpark.
Heâs in the back of the car rummaging through your carry on bag to check youâve got everything in the right place.
âYep,â He responds, âYouâve got your phone, laptop, purse, earphones...â
Harrison trails off as he slips the letter between the fold of your laptop - part of him hoping youâd somehow see it before you got on the plane. The rest of him hoping youâd never open that.
âAlright, then, weâre ready.â
Youâre just about to walk through to security when you and Harrison realise this will be goodbye. You want to take in every feature of his face. You wanted to memorise the way his eyes move when he smiles, the way his head tilts back when he laughs, the way his hair moves when he shakes his head. You wanted to memorise all of the features that made him your best friend, practically your other half.
âAlright, I think this is it,â You begin, looking at him a little hopelessly - knowing there was nothing you could say that would tell him how much youâd miss him, âIâm gonna miss you man.â
He smiles a little but it doesnât meet his eyes, âYeah, you could say that.â
âYouâre all ready for the bills and stuff, and Iâm sure Tom will be staying more often than not,â You assure him, âIf thereâs any complication with the rent or bills or anything, just let me know, okay?â
â(Y/n), weâve been through the logistics!â He squeezes your hand, âIâll be fine.â
You sigh and wrap your arms around him tightly, taking in his scent that always laced his clothes, âThank you for everything Harrison.â
He pulls away gently and looks at you with complete focus, âOkay, thereâs something I need to stay because, if I donât, Iâll spend every day thinking that I shouldâve done.â
You frown a little and take a step back.
He lets out a shaky breath, âGod, I donât know where to start. Okay, here goes nothing.â
âHarrison, youâre scaring me. Whatâs going on?â
âI love you (Y/n). I love you with every single fibre of my body, every single piece of my heart. And I know that I shouldnât feel like that. Iâm not supposed to. Youâre supposed to be the one girl that I wouldnât fall in love with - the one girl. And I couldnât do it,â He shrugs as tears start building up to blur his vision, âI know this is the worst time and I know that itâs-â
âHaz, what are you doing?â
He stops dead, lips parting slightly.
âI need to catch my flight, I donât know what you want me to say... I...â You stumble, heart beating way too fast in your chest, âI canât do this.â
â(Y/n), please,â He croaks out, hand reaching for you.
âYou want this to be how I leave?â You pull away from him, âHarrison this changes everything!â
âI know, I know,â He nods, âBut itâs consuming (Y/n/n). Itâs killing me everyday that Iâm not telling you that I love you. Itâs killing me every time I convince myself that we should just be friends.â
Youâre trembling as he talks - the panic of not knowing how to respond starting to trickle through your veins.
âYouâre the only woman Iâll ever feel that way about.â
âDonât say that,â You shake your head, âWhat do you expect me to say? Is this how badly you want me to stay?â
âNo! God no!â Harrison tries to grip onto your hand again, âI just needed you to know.â
âI canât do this Harrison, this changes everything.â
âNo, no, it doesnât have to change anything. I just-â He stops, âThereâs no way you could feel the same?â
You look at how helpless he looks and it breaks your heart into unfixable pieces, âI donât know if I can give you an answer to that H. I didnt expect any of this.â
Thatâs when thereâs a call for your flight. Perfect timing.
âI donât need an answer. But if, or when, you find out how you feel, Iâll be waiting here (Y/n). Iâll always be waiting.â
With one last look at the possibility heâd left you, you pick up your bag and walk away - tears streaming down your face for a reason youâd never expected. You donât have to look back to know heâs still stood there. And you donât want to look back. You just let him leave you with those words.
Iâll always be waiting.