#protective!harry

***

Y/N doesn’t like parties.

Even when she was a little girl and her parents would invite all their extended family over to celebrate her birthday, her tiny self would cry and complain until one of her parents scolded her to shut her up. As she grew older, she developed methods of alleviating the discomfort brought on by social events—the main one involving alcohol.

Calling her an alcoholic would be inaccurate because the only time she ever really drinks is during social situations. In fact, she can go for weeks and months without drinking if she doesn’t have to attend a social event. Still, she knows it’s not healthy nor very effective. All it does is reinforce her belief that she can’t socialize without using alcohol as a crutch, worsening her anxiety in the long run.

Recently, she has decided to start overcoming this habit by completely avoiding alcohol before and during social situations. At first, she wanted to limit herself to one drink, but she knows that the suppressing effect on her overactive nervous system will be enough to lure her into having another, then another… then another.

Tonight is her first chance to put her new rule into practice. It’s her best friend Rosie’s birthday. Her fiance, Colin, threw her a surprise party at his house. Now, Y/N may despise parties, especially the big, extravagant ones that Colin likes to throw, but she is willing to sacrifice a part of her sanity for the people she loves, like Rosie.

Because they’re in LA and Colin is an influencer, most of the people he invited are also influencers of some sort. Y/N warned Harry about this, but he still chose to come along, much to her relief. Surprisingly, aside from a few people asking for a picture with him, he has managed to keep a low profile. He also knows about Y/N’s new rule for herself and has agreed to help her abide by it, even going as far as not drinking himself, though she told him that wasn’t necessary.

Now, while they’re conversing with a small group of people—or at least Harry converses while Y/N mostly just listens and nods and tries not to think about how badly she wants to go home—someone offers Harry a drink and she notices him hesitate for the briefest second before saying no.

“H, you can have a drink,” she tells him in his ear a minute later. “Seriously, I don’t mind. I promise you’ll still be the best boyfriend in the world by the end of the night.”

He smirks. “I’m going to need that on a mug or a t-shirt or something, you know, just so I don’t forget.”

“Fine, you’re getting that for Christmas this year, but that’s all you’re getting.”

He places a hand on his chest. “I would gladly accept that as my only gift.”

She rolls her eyes at his dramatics, smiling all the while.

“All right, I’ll grab a drink then, if you insist,” he says.

“Good. I’m going to use the washroom. Meet you back here in five?”

“Deal.”

They both go their separate ways—Harry to the bar and Y/N to the washroom. When she finds it, she opens the door and instantly regrets not knocking first. Next to the toilet is a girl kneeling on the floor with a guy’s dick in her mouth. And not just any girl, but a well-known Instagram model whose face Y/N has seen many times before.

“Shit, sorry! Sorry!” Y/N blurts out, quickly pulling the door shut. It’s only after the door closes that her brain registers who the guy was. He had his back to her, but the dirty blonde hair messily styled around his head gave him away.

It was Colin. Rosie’s Colin.

At first, she stays frozen in place, too shocked to move, but then she sees the doorknob twisting from the other side and suddenly snaps out of it. Her legs start taking her away from the washroom.

“Y/N!” she hears Colin shout from behind her.

She walks faster, pushing through the crowds of people, with no plan for where she’s headed. Eventually, she ends up out in the backyard by Colin’s pool, thinking she must have lost him somewhere in the crowd. But then the glass door slides opens and out comes Colin. He closes the door before walking over to her. The light from the pool reflects off his pale face. His blue eyes are wide and frantic.

“Look,” he starts, “what you saw back there, it wasn’t— We weren’t— It wasn’t—” He pauses before starting again, “She’s just a friend.”

She scoffs at his lame defense. “Do all your friends give you blowjobs?”

“She wasn’t giving me a blowjob.”

“Oh, so your dick just fell into her mouth by accident, is that it? How stupid do you think I am, Colin?”

In the time she has known him—which hasn’t been for very long, since he and Rosie only started dating eight months ago and got engaged three months into their relationship—she always got the impression that he views her as a naive little girl. People often make assumptions about Y/N based on her quiet, reserved nature, like that she is uptight or that she knows nothing about sex or the world. It never fails to annoy her.

“I don’t think you’re stupid,” he says slowly, patronizingly, which only contradicts his statement. “You just… You think you saw something you didn’t see.”

Her eyes narrow. “That sentence doesn’t even make sense.”

She can see him struggling to find more ways to gaslight her. When he realizes he can’t, he just says, “You can’t tell Rosie.”

She doesn’t reply, doesn’t feel the need to. And Colin clearly doesn’t like that. He begins walking towards her, eyes darkening dangerously. She takes a few steps backward, thinking he’ll stop, but he doesn’t, not until she’s right at the edge of the pool with no more room to move back. He looms over her, all six feet of him.

“Did you hear me, Y/N?” he asks, his icy gaze boring into her.

She’s not sure where her boldness comes from in that moment, but all she says in response is, “Fuck you.”

Suddenly, he grips the back of her neck with both hands and smashes his lips against hers forcefully, shoving his tongue into her mouth. Y/N recoils so hard that she would have fallen back into the water if his hand wasn’t gripping her neck so tightly, holding her against him. She lifts her right foot off the ground and swings her leg back before driving the toe of her boot into his shin as hard as possible.

He grunts in pain and releases her, shouting, “Stupid bitch!”

She sidesteps him so that she’s no longer balancing on the edge of the pool and vigorously rubs her mouth with the back of her hand.

Clutching his shin, he pins her with a menacing glare. “You’re not going to say a word to Rosie,” he says between gritted teeth. Then he places his foot on the ground and limps back into the house.

Y/N doesn’t notice she’s shaking until he’s gone. She stays outside a little while longer to gather herself and suppress the nauseating feeling induced by having Colin’s lips on hers. Then she heads back inside to find Harry.

He has a drink in his hand now, and he’s talking to a couple of regular, non-influencer-looking people. As he lifts up his arm, she snuggles into his side, wrapping her arm around his back, resolving to stay there for the remainder of the night.

She will tell him what happened. Just not now. Not with Colin watching her from across the room with Rosie under his own arm, as if he didn’t just cheat on the poor girl and then proceed to kiss her best friend.

She will also tell Rosie what happened. Colin can try to intimidate her into silence, but it won’t work. Rosie will find out. Y/N will make sure of it. She just won’t unleash the devastating news on Rosie’s birthday with all these influencers surrounding them, eagerly awaiting some drama to go down so they can use it as “content.”

The party is nowhere close to done when Y/N and Harry decide to head home, but they’re both spent and ready to crawl into bed. They find Rosie to say their goodbyes, and Y/N tries to rush the process before Colin can show up.

“Happy birthday, girlie,” she says while giving Rosie a tight hug—tighter than usual after what she discovered tonight. “I love you.”

“Love you too. Thanks for everything.”

Unfortunately, right as the two friends are pulling out of their embrace, Colin appears at Rosie’s side.

“Colin told me that you helped plan this whole thing,” says Rosie.

“Yeah, Y/N was great. Couldn’t have pulled it off without her,” Colin tells her. Then he looks at Y/N. “Thanks for keeping it a secret from this one.” He points his thumb at Rosie, laughing easily, but the threat behind his eyes as he stares at Y/N is unmistakable.

She just gives him a tight smile, resisting the urge to slap the cocky grin right off his face. Then she says to Harry, “Let’s go.”

“Thanks for having u—” Harry begins to say to Colin and Rosie, but Y/N grabs his arm and starts dragging him away before he can finish his polite farewell.

Once they’re outside, she lets go of his arm and he gives her a puzzled look.

“What was that about?” he asks as they walk to his car.

“What?”

“Seemed like you couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.”

“Oh, you know how I feel about parties.” She leaves it at that for now, and luckily, he doesn’t press any further.

He’s had a couple drinks, so Y/N drives them home. As soon as they enter Harry’s warm, empty house, she says, “H, I need to tell you something.”

“Hold that thought, lovie.” He holds up his index finger. “I really need a wee.”

He dashes off to the bathroom by the stairs. Meanwhile, Y/N heads to the living room and flops down on the couch, feeling exhaustion take over her after what transpired tonight. Just as she’s thinking about how she’s going to explain everything to Harry and how he’ll react, she hears the bathroom door open.

Harry joins her on the couch and says, “Right, what did you need to tell me?”

She takes a deep breath. “Something happened at the party tonight.”

“Okay…” He swipes his hair back, gazing at her intently.

“I caught Colin cheating on Rosie with another girl.”

He raises his brows, his expression growing serious.

“After I saw it happen, I walked away and Colin followed me out to the backyard. He tried denying it, but I obviously wasn’t falling for it, so then he said I can’t tell Rosie and he…” She pauses, hesitates. The memory of the repulsive kiss makes her stomach turn again. “He grabbed me by the neck and kissed me—”

“He what?” Harry’s brows climb even higher.

“—and I kicked him in the shin and then he left. I honestly think the kiss was just him trying to make me feel small and intimidate me into not telling Rosie.”

Harry’s usual easygoing demeanour has completely evaporated. His hands curl into fists on his thighs. His jaw clenches and unclenches, as his hard gaze fixates on the coffee table in front of them.

“That piece of shit,” he mutters. “That fucking piece of shit.” He closes his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Y/N, I’m going to—”

“H,” she says, placing her small hand over one of his fists, “I know you’re pissed off right now, but I need you to help me figure something out here.”

He looks at her, eyes softening. His fist opens and turns to grasp her hand. “Of course, whatever you need.”

“I need to tell Rosie what happened. I’m going to do it tomorrow. I’m going to tell her what I saw in the bathroom, but I just don’t know if I should mention the part about him kissing me. She’ll already be devastated to hear that he cheated, and I feel like I’d be adding unnecessary pain by mentioning that. What would you do if you were me?”

“I would tell her everything,” he replies. “Every detail. She deserves to know exactly how much of a prick he is.”

That’s exactly what she expected him to say. Nodding, she says, “Okay. Thank you.”

His anger seems to return after that. He rubs his free hand over his jaw, shaking his head. “It’s awful, what he did to you. And Rosie. Neither of you deserve that.”

She feels so fortunate to have him in that moment. If he wasn’t at the party tonight, she’s not sure what she would have done. Surely, she would have managed one way or another, but knowing that Harry was in the house, even when Colin was cornering her out by the pool, gave her a boost of courage—something she only realized later when she found her way back to him.

Now, she scoots closer to him and wraps her arms around his torso, squeezing him tightly. He squeezes her back.

“Can we go to bed? I’m exhausted,” she tells him.

“Yeah, absolutely.”

***

The following day, when Y/N informs Rosie of Colin’s infidelity, she breaks down into tears before Y/N has even finished explaining what she saw in the bathroom. Her best friend seems so distraught, sobbing and barely forming coherent sentences, that she decides not to follow Harry’s advice about mentioning the kiss.

Before Colin came along, Rosie was always an intelligent, rational human being, the type to think long and hard before making any major decisions. When he appeared in her life, it was like she lost all sense of logic and reason within a matter of weeks of knowing him. Things moved so rapidly between the couple. Y/N thought Rosie was joking when, three months into their relationship, she revealed that Colin had proposed to her and that she had said yes.

Y/N could never understand the hold that this guy had on her friend, but for the most part, it seemed harmless. Until now. Watching someone she cares so deeply about fall apart right before her eyes drives a sword through her heart.

She offers to spend the day with Rosie at her apartment, suggesting that they binge-watch some trashy reality show while munching on their favourite comfort foods, but Rosie says she needs some time alone to process everything. Respecting her wishes, Y/N reminds her that she can call anytime she needs to talk, then heads home.

That night, she’s sitting in bed with Harry, both of them immersed in their own books—him, a romance novel and her, a mystery novel—when her phone buzzes with an incoming call from Rosie.

“Hey, Ros—”

“What the fuck, Y/N?”

Rosie’s hostile greeting makes her pull the phone away from her ear for a second.

“You lied to me.”

“I— What?” Y/N’s uneasy tone draws Harry’s attention away from his novel.

“Colin told me you kissed him.”

Her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach. Immediate regret settles in at not telling Rosie about the kiss. She played right into Colin’s hands. “That’s not what happened, Rosie.”

“Oh, really?” She hears Rosie let out an unamused laugh. Then she hears his voice in the background, whispering something to Rosie. Y/N’s hand digs into the bedsheets, scrunching them between her fingers. Harry reaches for her hand and pulls it into his lap.

“He kissed me,” she states. “He’s just telling you it was the other way around to cover his ass after cheating on you.”

“He never denied cheating on me. He admitted to it.”

Y/N is genuinely taken aback by this, unsure how to respond.

“He said you walked in on him in the bathroom and then you walked away. When he found you later and tried to explain himself, you came onto him and told him that if he fucked you, you wouldn’t tell me that he cheated.”

She scoffs, shaking her head in disbelief. “And you believe that? C’mon, Ro, you are so much smarter than this.”

Once again, her ears pick up on Colin mumbling something to Rosie.

“What lies is he feeding you now?” she asks.

“He thinks we should talk in person,” says Rosie. “All three of us. I agree. I’m at his place right now. Come over and let’s hash this out.”

She closes her eyes. “Rosie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“What are you so scared of, Y/N?” Colin says into the speaker now, all loud and smug and condescending.

She feels Harry’s hand squeeze hers now.

“I’m giving you a chance to explain your side of the story,” says Colin. “And maybe even apologize.”

She huffs, “Apologize?”

“For trying to get between me and Rosie. She forgave me. Maybe she’ll forgive you too. But that won’t happen if you don’t come here and talk to us.”

Y/N’s blood is boiling. How could Rosie forgive him? It makes no sense. Yet again, she finds herself baffled by Colin’s hypnotic spell on her best friend. Except this time, she is also concerned for Rosie’s safety. Because if he could persuade her to forgive him for cheating, God knows what else he can make her do with the right amount of manipulation and coercion.

“Fine,” she says. “I’ll come.”

“Good girl, Y/N,” says Colin.

She almost hurls. And she knows Harry heard that too from the way his hand tightens around hers. She hangs up.

Before she can say anything, Harry states, “I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t know if—”

“It’s not up for discussion, Y/N. I already know I can’t convince you to not go, so I’m going with you. That’s it.”

“Fine.” She’s too tired to argue, and if she’s honest with herself, she’s relieved that he’s coming. Colin is bigger than her and has proven that he has no respect for her boundaries. If she has to swallow her pride and admit that she needs her boyfriend there to protect her just in case, then so be it.

Harry softens when he realizes how overbearing his words sounded. “I won’t do anything, I swear,” he reassures her. “I’m just going to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

She nods. “Okay.”

On the drive to Colin’s house, Y/N gives Harry a rundown of the fabricated story that Colin has planted in Rosie’s head. She also mentions that she no longer feels safe leaving Rosie with Colin.

The house looks desolate tonight, a stark contrast to the previous night when it was filled to the brim with people and music and drugs and alcohol.

Rosie is the one who opens the door for them. Her puffy, bloodshot eyes convey that she hasn’t stopped crying today. Her dark brown hair falls in messy waves around her shoulders. She seems surprised to see Harry, but amidst the surprise, Y/N detects a hint of relief as well. The same relief that Y/N felt when Harry said he was coming with her.

Rosie leads them into the kitchen where Colin is slouched in a chair at the end of the dining table, his hand wrapped around an open bottle of whiskey on the table. A sickening smirk begins to form on his face when he sees Y/N, but it falters when his gaze falls on Harry.

“Why’s he here?” he says, turning his chin up at Harry.

“It’s fine. He can stay,” says Rosie. She sits on a chair that’s already pulled out from under the table, angled towards Colin.

Y/N grabs another chair and drags it far away from the table to maintain a fair distance from Colin. Meanwhile, Harry just leans against a wall off to the side, crossing his arms loosely over his chest. He’s dressed in a blue Adidas jacket and black gym shorts that he threw on before coming here. A hair clip keeps his curls up and away from his face.

“Harry, you wanna sit?” asks Rosie.

“I’m good, thanks.”

The group stares at each other. Y/N at Rosie. Colin at Y/N. Harry at Colin.

After a prolonged silence, Rosie finally says, “Okay, who wants to start?”

“Y/N can start,” Colin answers immediately.

There’s no doubt in her mind that this is merely a tactic to convince Rosie that he has nothing to hide and that Y/N is the one who should be explaining herself.

She clears her throat and shifts in her seat, trying not to let Colin’s annoyingly persistent gaze get to her. “Okay… Well, Rosie, like I said on the phone, I never kissed Colin. He kissed me and I pushed him away and he—”

“Why didn’t you mention any of this earlier?” Rosie interjects. “When you were at my apartment this morning and you told me that he cheated, why didn’t you mention the kiss?”

“You were so upset. I didn’t want to make it worse. I should’ve told you and I regret that I didn’t, but honestly, I just didn’t want to hurt you even more.”

“How am I supposed to believe anything you say now?”

Y/N frowns at her. “Because we’re best friends? And we have been for years? Way longer than you’ve known him.” She glances at Colin.

“He told me the truth. The whole truth. Something I would’ve expected my so-called best friend to do.”

Y/N just sighs and leans back in her chair, silent now as her mind grasps for some way, any way to convince her friend that Colin is the liar here.

Rosie turns to Harry now. “Did you know about this?”

He nods. “Y/N told me everything when we got home last night.” He pauses before adding sincerely, “She’s telling the truth, Rosie.”

“You weren’t even there when it happened. How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know her. And you know her. And we both know she’s not like that. You can call me biased, but it’s very clear to me which of these stories is the more plausible one.”

Y/N notices a subtle shift in Rosie’s expression, as if Harry’s words have actually made her see things from a different perspective. While she’s glad that at least Harry can get through to her friend, the fact that Rosie is quicker to trust Colin or Harry over her is maddening. She and Rosie have had several conversations over the years about people not believing women unless a man backs them up. It’s rather hypocritical of her to be doing the very thing she claims to be against.

Colin, who was previously slumped in his chair with a look of indifference, sits up when he realizes that he might be losing Rosie.

“What are you even doing here, man?” he asks Harry. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“I disagree.” Harry’s relaxed disposition seems to irk Colin even more. “Oh, and you should know,” continues Harry, “that neither of these women feel safe being alone around you, which says a lot about the piece of shit you are.”

“I never said I don’t feel safe around him,” Rosie argues unconvincingly.

“You don’t need to. It’s pretty obvious. And Y/N said—”

“You should really stop believing everything your whore of a girlfriend tells you,” Colin interjects.

A tense moment of silence hangs in the air before Harry pushes himself off the wall and strides over to Colin.

“Harry,” says Y/N in a warning tone, her heart speeding up as she watches Colin rise to his feet. The two men are face-to-face with only a few inches of space between them. Colin is as tall as Harry but with considerably less muscle on his body. However, that doesn’t eliminate Y/N’s concerns about her boyfriend getting hurt. “Harry,” she says again, pleadingly this time.

“Don’t worry, love. I’m not going to do anything,” he tells her, still sounding calm as ever. The only indication that Colin’s words have gotten to him is in his fists, which are clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles have lost colour.

“Yeah, he’s not,” says Colin, the smugness returning. “He doesn’t want to ruin his nice guy image. Isn’t that right, Styles?”

Harry lets out a brief, unamused laugh through his nose, then steps back, turning around to go back over to the wall. As he’s walking away, Colin says, “You know, now that I think about it, I should’ve just fucked your girlfriend when I had the chance. Show her what it’s like to be fucked by a real man.”

Now that Harry is turned away from Colin, Y/N can see his entire facial expression, including the rage that swims beneath the tranquil surface. His chest rises and falls with deep, controlled breaths. His eyes find Y/N’s.

“We’re leaving,” he states firmly. “Now.”

“What are you so scared of, Styles?” Colin goads him, the same way he did to Y/N over the phone. “Worried you’re gonna end up in the news for socking me? ‘Mr. Treat People With Kindness loses it on innocent civilian.’” He cackles at his own dumb joke.

Harry pinches the bridge of his nose, his patience visibly diminishing.

Y/N stands and turns to Rosie. “You’re coming with us.”

“What? No, I’m not.”

Losing her composure, Y/N presses her hands against the sides of her head, which is pounding at this point. “Oh my God, Rosie! What kind of hold does this guy have on you?!”

“I just want to talk to him.” She rises to her feet too.

“Why? So he can tell you more lies and manipulate you—”

“Oh, don’t act so fucking righteous, Y/N! Let’s not forget that you lied too!”

“I was trying to protect you! I’m not going to apologize for—”

“Colin, stop!” Rosie’s attention has shifted to the guys, who are now going at each other. Or at least, Colin is going at Harry with his fists, but Harry blocks each and every blow either with his arms or by ducking out of the way completely.

“C’mon, hit me!” Colin shouts desperately, swinging and missing, then swinging and missing again. “Don’t be a fucking pussy! Hit me! What are you waiting for?!”

At the next swing, Harry grabs Colin’s arm and twists it behind his back, spinning him around, then kicking the backs of his knees to make them buckle. Colin collapses face-first onto the hardwood floor. Harry falls on top of him, still twisting Colin’s arm behind his back at a painful angle while pressing his head down into the floor with his other hand.

Colin cries out in agony, struggling underneath Harry’s weight. “Get off me, asshole!”

“Are you gonna stop?” asks Harry.

“You’re breaking my fucking arm!”

“Are you gonna stop?”

“Get off—”

“Are you gonna stop?”

Colin, finally realizing that he’s no match for the man holding him down, surrenders. “Yes! Yes! Fucking yes!”

But Harry doesn’t let go immediately. Instead, he leans down to Colin’s ear and says in a low, chilling tone, “Good boy, Colin.” Then he lets go.

He stands up, fixes his jacket around his torso, and turns around to face the women as if nothing just happened. “Y/N and I are leaving,” he tells Rosie. “You can come with us if you want. It’s your call.”

“I’m staying,” she replies, wincing a bit as she stares at Colin writhing on the floor.

“Okay.” Harry walks over to Y/N, grabs her hand, and starts pulling her towards the door, much like how she dragged him out of the party last night but with more urgency.

“I think he broke my arm,” they hear Colin whine pitifully as they leave.

Harry doesn’t release Y/N’s hand until they reach the car. Once they’re seated inside, she instantly starts assessing his appearance to check if he’s hurt anywhere, but he seems entirely unscathed. You wouldn’t even be able to tell that he’s just been in a fight.

“Are you okay?” she asks just to be sure.

“I’m fine,” he answers, securing his seatbelt before starting the car.

“That got way out of hand.”

“I wish you’d just left with me when I said so,” he mutters, eyes focused on the road ahead.

“Harry, I didn’t want to leave her with him. I still feel awful about leaving her there.”

He takes a right, exiting Colin’s street. “What else were we meant to do, Y/N? Drag her out against her will? You think she’d still talk to you after that?” He scoffs.

His unusual harshness is making her feel even worse about a situation that is already difficult to grapple with. “No, of course not,” she says, a lump forming in her throat. “I understand why we had to leave her. I’m just saying that it fucking sucks, okay? The whole thing fucking sucks and I hate that my best friend is in the middle of it all and I can’t do anything to help her. I’m probably going to lose the only real friend I’ve made in my adult life all because of some fucking douchebag and I hate it, I hate him, I—I—” She breaks down then, her face falling into her hands as she sobs.

Anger is a strange emotion. When it’s there in full force, consuming you from head to toe, it leaves little room for anything else—anxiety, grief, and despair included. Then once it disappears, all those other emotions come hurtling in from all sides, crushing you beneath their weight.

Harry pulls over to the side of the road. “Y/N.” He turns to face her and carefully pries her hands away from her face.

She tilts her head back against the headrest, squeezing her eyes shut, tears falling unhindered.

“Hey, I get it,” he speaks gently. “I know it’s a shitty situation. I know you want to protect her, the same way I want to protect you, but you can’t save someone who’s constantly refusing your help. It’s not your fault, my love. You’ve done everything you can.” He holds both of her hands in one of his while using the other to wipe her cheeks. “I’m sorry for being harsh with you. I just hate the idea of you getting hurt. I’m sorry.” He kisses her hands several times.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, opening her eyes to look at him. She grabs a wad of tissues from the box on the dash and clears her throat before saying, “Thank you for being there tonight and handling everything so well… And not killing Colin, even though I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did.”

“Trust me, I wanted to. The prick needs someone to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately, that can’t be me.”

“I don’t know. I think you taught him pretty well that he’s not as man as he thinks he is.”

He smirks, and it’s the first sign of any pride he feels about overpowering Colin. He looks back at the road and says, “Let’s go home.”

***

It’s been a couple days since the incident at Colin’s house. Y/N hasn’t heard from Rosie again, nor does she expect to. Now, it’s the middle of the afternoon and she’s working on a new commissioned drawing when she receives a call from Jeff.

“Hey, Y/N, I’ve been trying to reach Harry all day,” he says when she picks up. “Is he with you?”

The urgency in Jeff’s voice makes her stop what she’s doing. “Uh, no, he’s out golfing with some friends. Why? Is everything okay?”

“Have you been online at all today?” She barely has a chance to answer before he says, “Sorry, dumb question. Of course you haven’t. That’s why you’re so calm. Anyway, there’s this guy, some TikToker, making some serious allegations against Harry. His name is Colin Rogers. Does that ring a bell?”

She sighs and closes her eyes. “Yeah. That’s Rosie’s fiance. What’s he saying about Harry?”

“To give you the CliffsNotes version, he’s saying that you cheated on Harry with him a few nights ago, and when Harry found out, he forced his way into Colin’s house and beat him badly enough to cause bruises and bleeding that landed him in the hospital.”

“Oh my God.”

“Like I said, that’s the CliffsNotes version. I skipped out a lot of details. It’s… bad. And he has a witness corroborating his statements.”

She frowns. “What witness?”

“Your friend Rosie.”

Y/N facepalms and groans in frustration.

“Now, we know all of this is bullshit, right?”

“Yeah, that’s not what happened,” she confirms.

“Which explains why he didn’t say a word to the police and went straight to his little Internet followers. Now it’s all anyone is talking about.”

“Are people believing it?”

“Some are. Some aren’t. That’s usually how it goes.” He sounds tired. “Look, I need to run, but I’ll send you an article detailing everything Colin said. I hate to give these tabloids any clicks, but this article is pretty thorough. Please tell H to call me when you hear from him.”

“Will do.”

Jeff sends her the article a few seconds later. She takes a deep breath before opening the link, a sick feeling settling in her stomach.

The clickbait headline reads: Harry Styles’ first big SCANDAL! Read more to find out how the “As It Was” singer ASSAULTED TikTok influencer Colin Rogers in his home.

As Y/N scrolls through the article, she finds that Jeff was right. It’s bad. Very bad. There are clips from Colin’s TikTok where he describes in exaggerated detail his manufactured version of events from that night. In the clips, you can clearly see dark purple bruises on either side of his head and around his eyes as well as his neck. His lip is badly cut, the surrounding region swollen and puffy. Even his nose is bent at an odd shape, signalling a possible fracture.

Y/N recalls how desperately Colin was trying to provoke Harry that night, saying degrading things about her to get under his skin. He even alluded to Harry ending up in the news for hitting him. Colin may be an arrogant dickhead, but apparently he’s not stupid. He was planning this out in his head even then—how he would use that situation to publicly smear Harry’s reputation along with Y/N’s.

As another one of Colin’s TikToks plays, she sees him hold up a small object. Harry’s lion ring. Colin says he found it after Harry left his house, claiming that it must have fallen off during their altercation. But Y/N knows that’s a lie because Harry wasn’t even wearing any rings that night. He was, however, wearing rings the previous night at Rosie’s birthday party. It had to have slipped off his finger at the party without him knowing.

The ring is the only “proof” Colin has of Harry being at his house at one point. Other than that, he presents no solid evidence to back up his claims, but of course, anyone who has spent even a week on social media knows that it does not operate on facts and evidence. People’s insatiable hunger for drama trumps the truth in most online spaces.

Harry gets home from golfing a couple hours later, and Y/N sits him down to explain everything. By the end of it, he is befuddled and speechless. It takes a while for him to gather his thoughts, at which point he says he’s going to make some calls to Jeff, his publicist, and a few others on his team to get their input.

He disappears into the study for the next few hours, his deep voice occasionally carrying over to Y/N, who is working at the dining table. The sun has gone down. She contemplates getting started on dinner when Harry emerges from the study.

“Hi, baby,” she says.

He walks over to her and kisses the top of her head before taking a seat next to her. She notices the fatigue on his face.

“How did the calls go?”

“We’re releasing a statement tomorrow,” he says. “It’s been drafted up already. Just explaining what actually happened that night and making it very clear that I was invited into the house and the only time I touched Colin was to defend myself, but his injuries were not my doing.”

“Can’t you also sue him for defamation? Is that what it’s called?” Suddenly feeling self-conscious about her lack of knowledge on the law, she adds, “Sorry, I don’t know much about this stuff.”

He smiles sweetly. “It’s a bit early to take that step. Jeff thinks the statement might be enough to make Colin retract his story. I’m not so sure.” He shrugs. “I guess we’ll see.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope, you just keep being your lovely self.” He pokes her cheek.

“Well, Rosie’s over on her Instagram, trying to convince everyone that Colin’s telling the truth. I feel like I should say something too, like maybe—”

“Darling, trust me,” he interrupts. “There’s no need. My team will handle it. They know what they’re doing.”

She bites her lip and lets out a soft sigh. “Okay.”

“And let’s stay off social media for a while, yeah? Just to keep our sanity intact.” She knows he’s mostly saying this for her. He hardly uses social media unless it’s to catch up with his loved ones, and while she also isn’t on there that much, she struggles more than him when it comes to ignoring people’s opinions online.

“Yeah, definitely,” she agrees.

But later that night, while she’s lying in bed and Harry is finishing up his nighttime routine in the bathroom, the urge to look online strikes and she can’t resist. She opens up the hellsite known as Twitter and doomscrolls through the shitty takes of people who clearly don’t know a thing about Harry but have been desperately waiting for something like this to come out about him just so they can jump on the bandwagon and “cancel” him and pile on the hate like their life depends on it, despite the fact that none of them know what they’re talking about and—

“What are you doing?” Harry’s voice startles her. She quickly turns off her phone and looks at him standing next to the bed in just his Calvin Klein underwear, which does nothing to hide his prominent bulge.

“Nothing,” she replies.

He gives her a skeptical look.

She sighs. “I’m sorry! It’s like a car crash that I can’t look away from… Except I’m involved in the car crash and I didn’t even get the worst of it.”

He climbs onto the bed, gingerly plucking the phone out of her hands and placing it on the bedside table. Then he lies on his side next to her, propped up on one elbow. Y/N gazes up at him and shakes her head in awe at how laid-back he seems.

“I don’t understand how you’re able to stay so calm in just about every situation,” she says. “It’s infuriating and hot at the same time.”

He chuckles. “I just try to remind myself that these people don’t actually know me, so there’s no point in letting their opinions get to me.”

“You say that like it’s the easiest thing in the world.” Thanks to her social anxiety, Y/N has spent the better part of her life obsessing over what other people think of her, whether it be her loved ones or the random stranger that cashed her out at the grocery store. She has always yearned for the kind of cool indifference that people like Harry exude even in the face of immense scrutiny.

“I’ve had practice,” he says. “You’ll learn as well.”

“Yeah? Will you teach me?”

“Happily.”

His gaze shifts down to her lips, and he leans down to kiss them, soft and slow. Meanwhile, his finger traces along her jaw and down her neck until his hand comes to rest on one of her breasts. She’s not wearing a bra, and her thin shirt hardly acts as a barrier between his large hand and her supple skin. He squeezes her lightly in his palm, keeping his kisses and touches gentle, like he’s handling an expensive piece of porcelain.

For a moment, her mind drifts off to the comments she read online. She cannot fathom how anyone could believe that this man—this gentle, patient, loving man—would ever do the things that Colin accused him of.

It turns out that her mind isn’t the only one wandering off to other places because Harry suddenly pulls away and says, “Sorry to bring this up, but I…” His jaw clenches. “I just hate that he put his filthy hands on you.”

“I know,” she whispers, reaching up to weave her fingers through his curls in a soothing gesture. She had no idea that Colin’s actions towards her at the party were still bothering Harry.

“And with the press being all over it now, I almost wish I’d just beaten the living shit out of him. I mean, everyone thinks I did anyway.”

“Yeah, but that’s not you, H.”

He just shrugs.

Y/N sits up and tugs at his briefs. “Take these off.”

His brows perk up at her demand.

“I’m tired of thinking and talking about Colin,” she says. “So, let me give us both something else to think about.”

A smirk forms on his lips as he hooks his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs and pulls them down his legs.

Before he entered her life, Y/N would never take the lead during sex. She always felt like she lacked the self-confidence required for that, but then again, none of the men she’d previously slept with were ever willing to let her take the lead anyway. They were the type of guys to feel emasculated by relinquishing control to a woman, though they would never admit this.

Harry was different. He was equally happy to lead and be led, to give and to receive. That alone made sex with him an ethereal experience.

Now, once Y/N also strips naked, they rest on the bed with their positions reversed—him on his back and her propped up next to him. Her hand cradles his jaw before she leans down to kiss him. Then she brings her hand to his semi-erect cock, wrapping it around the base and stroking softly until he grows stiffer in her palm and starts leaking precum. She strokes his balls as well, drawing more fluid from his tip that she then uses to get his dick nice and wet.

Harry is ogling her exposed breasts now in that way he does when he really wants to suck on them, so she slides up the bed, allowing him to take them into his mouth. When she gives his cock a firm tug, he moans around her nipple. The sensation causes her own wetness to pool between her legs.

He continues licking and sucking on her tits, grazing his teeth over them ever so slightly. The pleasurable feeling momentarily distracts her from her task, but then she returns her attention to his needy cock twitching in her palm. She jerks him faster, moving her hand up and down his pinkish flesh with just enough pressure to turn him into a moaning mess under her. Her nipple falls from his mouth as his lips part.

“Fuck, Y/N,” he pants. “I— Wait, stop. Stop.”

She immediately stills her movements and starts to ask what’s wrong when he flips them over so that he’s on top of her.

“As much as I was enjoying that,” he says, “I want to feel your pussy on me when I cum.”

His erection prods her thigh as he hovers over her, his legs wedged between hers. He reaches down to her cunt, feeling the wetness that has accumulated there. She can see it in his eyes, in his blown out pupils, that he really wants to put his cock in her right then, but he takes a minute to toy with her clit and heighten the anticipation for both of them. At last, he grabs his cock and starts guiding it into her sopping pussy.

He pauses once he’s inside her and brings the hand that was playing with her clit up to her mouth, pressing his damp fingers against her lips until she opens up and takes them into her mouth.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he says.

Still sucking his fingers clean, she wraps her legs around his hips.

He grins at her quick compliance. “Such a good girl.” Then he emphasizes, “My good girl. Isn’t that right?”

She nods, closing her eyes as he grinds his hips down into her.

“Mhm. All mine.”

Her pussy contracts around him. Keeping his fingers in her mouth, he retracts his hips and thrusts back into her. She whimpers and wraps her arms around him, nails digging into his back muscles as the rhythm of his thrusts increases in speed and urgency.

He pulls his fingers from his mouth to place that hand on the bed for extra leverage. With her mouth free, all she can do is moan his name and cry out from the intoxicating feeling of his cock ramming deep into her cunt with every thrust.

“Look at you,” he coos. “Taking my cock so well. My perfect girl. My dream girl.”

His voice and his cock are the centre of Y/N’s universe right now; nothing else matters. Her orgasm is just around the corner, building rapidly in her core.

“Ready to cum all over my cock, Y/N?”

“Oh yes, please, yes—” She gasps as his hips rock into hers at just the right angle to push her over the edge. Her whole body locks around him—legs around his hips and arms around his back.

Harry grunts with one final thrust before letting himself go, filling her up with his seed. His body relaxes on top of her. She eases her grip on him as well. Their breathing slowly returns to normal, the rising and falling of their chests syncing up.

It’s hard to think about anything else after that. She wants to stay like that forever, with him covering her like a weighted blanket, his length gradually softening inside her. She even starts to drift off after a few minutes until Harry lifts his head to look at her.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me yet,” he says. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

She groans as he rolls off of her. He chuckles at her reluctance and drags her out of bed with him.

***

The viral storm rages on for days, even after Harry’s team releases the statement. Contrary to Jeff’s predictions, Colin doesn’t retract any of his claims and instead doubles down on them even harder, emboldened by the blind support of his followers.

Y/N and Harry block it all out. While she found it difficult at first to look away from the trainwreck, she was eventually able to redirect her attention to her art instead. For several days, the couple remains in their happy little bubble, unbothered by the incessant buzz of the online world.

That bubble pops on one sunny Friday afternoon.

Y/N is in need of some new art supplies, and Harry is in the mood to add to his vinyl collection. They decide to make a whole day out of it, visiting the art supply store and the record store before wandering around a few other places. One shop specifically dedicated to vintage home decor catches their attention, and they end up spending over an hour in there, walking through each aisle like kids in a candy store.

Harry is usually the first one to notice when they’re being watched or followed; they often joke that he has a third eye on the back of his head. Today, however, Y/N is the first to notice the two girls who keep showing up in or around the same aisle that they’re in.

Harry’s eyeing an antique candle holder set when she leans over to him and says quietly, “I think you have a shadow… Two, actually.”

He follows her gaze to the two girls idling at the end of the aisle. When he lifts his hand to wave at them, they seem to freeze in place like a couple of deer in headlights.

He turns back to Y/N. “I’m going to go say hi.”

She nods. “Okay, I’ll wait outside. Take your time.”

It’s a beautiful day out. Not too hot, not too cold. The cusp of spring. Perfect for a light sweater, but even in her long-sleeved shirt, Y/N feels nice and snug. She stands in front of the shop, the bags containing their new purchases hanging from her arm. She tilts her head up towards the sun and closes her eyes for a minute.

“Y/N Y/L/N?”

Her eyes snap open at the sound of her name. A short, balding man dressed in all black stands before her.

“Uh, y—yes? Do I know you?” she asks, giving him a once-over.

He smiles. “No, but I know you.” Suddenly, he pulls a big professional camera out from behind his back and brings it up to his face with the lens directed at Y/N to capture her reaction as he says, “Ms. Y/L/N, how do you feel about the allegations made by Colin Rogers towards your boyfriend Harry Styles?”

She tenses.

Y/N has always hated being the centre of attention. Of course, when you’re dating a global superstar, it’s inevitable. However, over the course of their relationship, they haven’t had too many run-ins with the paparazzi; Harry has become rather skilled at avoiding the pests.

She wonders how this guy figured out their whereabouts, but considering how much time they spent inside the shop, it wouldn’t be surprising if an employee, or even the two fans Harry is currently talking to, tipped him off.

When she doesn’t respond to his question, he says, “Colin claims that Harry has a short temper and is a lot more aggressive than he lets on. Is this true, Ms. Y/L/N?”

She looks over her shoulder at the shop windows to see if Harry is on his way out. Whenever she tries to step back or turn away from the annoying pap, he finds his way right back in front of her with his camera shoved in her face. Flashbacks of how Colin cornered her by the pool at Rosie’s birthday party flicker in the back of her mind.

She continues ignoring the intrusive questions until he asks her, “Has Harry ever hit you, Ms. Y/L/N?“

The question is so jarring that it almost feels like someone knocked the air out of her lungs. “Excuse me?”

The man seems pleased to finally get a reaction out of her. With a casual shrug, he replies, “Just felt the need to ask since the new claims came out.”

Her heart pounds in her chest. “What new claims?”

“A source close to you and Harry says that she’s seen him lose his temper with you on more than one occasion and—”

Her face contorts in disgust. “God, you people will believe anything! No, he hasn’t hit me. He would never. And the fact that you would ask any woman a sensitive question like that while filming her without consent is disgusting.”

“So… Are you denying the claims, Ms. Y/L/N?”

What do you think, dumbass? she wants to say, but she refuses to give him any more content. Of course, that only makes him more persistent, and yet again, the camera is far too close to her face.

“C—can you get that out of my face please?” she says, less assertively than she would have liked, but her anxiety is rising with every passing moment and the only thing on her mind at this point is how to slow down her heartrate before she passes out.

Suddenly, a ringed hand appears from the left side of her vision and shoves the camera down and out of her face.

“Whoa, don’t touch the equipment, man!” the pap shouts angrily, clutching his precious camera to his chest.

Harry steps in front of him, towering over his short figure. “When someone asks you nicely to get the camera out of their face, you get the camera out of their face. It’s not that complicated.”

The pap takes a step back, raising his hands by his sides. “Calm down, pal. What, you gonna hit me too?”

Harry just scowls at him, then turns to Y/N with concerned eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, let’s just go.” She reaches for his arm.

Not wasting another second, they start walking towards Harry’s car parked down the street. The pap is relentless, following them all the way there.

Right as Harry presses the button to unlock the car, he says, “Harry, any comments on the new claims about you hitting your girlfriend?”

Harry freezes in his tracks and turns around. “What did you just say?”

“H, let’s just get in the car,” Y/N pleads.

“Not my words, man,” says the pap. “Just saw it in the news today. A source close to you said—”

“A source close to me.” Harry scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“You can look it up if you don’t believe me. I’m trying to help you, man. Colin Rogers is dominating the narrative. This is your chance to say your piece—”

“Right, well, here’s my piece then.” The pap raises the camera to his face again as Harry says, “Colin Rogers is a narcissistic, misogynistic, abusive pile of shit.” Leaning towards the man, he adds, “And so are you.”

And with that, he gets into the car and so does Y/N. She’s still shocked about what he said to the pap, not that it wasn’t deserved. He’s just always so stoic in these situations, and it’s the first time she has witnessed him break.

They ride silently for a while until Harry says, “People are saying I hit you? What the fuck? What the actual—”

“Okay, wait,” she says, placing a hand on his arm. “We don’t even know if he was telling the truth. He could’ve been making it up to get a reaction out of us. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

This is new to Y/N, being the calm one in a crisis. More often than not, Harry is the one talking her anxious self down from the proverbial ledge instead of the other way around.

He doesn’t speak for the rest of the ride, but she can tell his mind is spinning. Once they reach home, she heads upstairs to change and put their shopping away. When she comes back down, Harry is sitting on the couch, leaning forward on his thighs with his phone in his hands. His face is set in a deep frown.

“He was right,” he says without looking up from his phone as she approaches him. “People really are saying that.”

She sits down next to him and gently pulls his shoulder to make him rest back against the couch. He sets his phone aside and rubs his hands over his face.

“Y/N, they think I’m some kind of monster. They think they need to, like… save you from me, as if I would ever hurt you…” Finally, he looks at her. “You know I would never hurt you, right?”

Her eyes widen. “Yes. Oh my God. You don’t need to tell me that, Harry.”

He sighs and tilts his head against the back of the couch. “Out of all the things people have said about me over the years, this has got to be the worst.”

She brings her hand to his jaw, his stubble scraping against her fingers. “Baby, look at me.”

He tilts his head down again to meet her gaze.

“These people don’t know you,” she says, using his own wording. “They’re just a bunch of trolls that feed off drama. They don’t care about the truth. They don’t care about ‘saving’ me. It’s all just an act. And in a few days, they’re going to move on to some other celebrity gossip that catches their attention. Meanwhile, the people who do know you are still going to see you as the big softie you are.”

The look in his eyes is still one of utter defeat and hopelessness, which makes her worry that her words have had no impact on him.

“Do you want to talk to someone else about it? Like Jeff?” she asks.

He shakes his head. “Don’t wanna talk to anyone. Just wanna lay here with you if that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

She lies on the couch and lets him rest his head on her chest, his arm wrapped around her middle. She tries to think of some other comforting words she can say to him but then realizes that she doesn’t have to fill the silence. Sometimes, the act of just being there for someone is far more comforting than any words can be.

***

Y/N is getting worried about Harry. A week has gone by and he has hardly left the house. Between the two of them, he is by far the more outdoorsy one, but even she has been outside more times than him this past week. He hasn’t been eating much, claiming that he’s “just not very hungry.” She often wakes in the night to find him lying there, just staring up at the ceiling, and has to coax him to sleep. She doesn’t even hear him singing in the shower like he normally does.

It crushes her to see him so low. She wants to single-handedly take down every person who has made him feel this way.

The day after the incident with the pap, she made the dangerous decision to see for herself what people were saying online. Most people seemed to recognize that these new rumours about Harry hitting Y/N were completely out of character. Despite how private they are about their relationship, people know that he practically worships Y/N from the way he talks about her in his music.

The ones who believed the rumours were a small, but vocal, minority. Harry’s fans were trying their best to drown them out, like it was their full-time job, and while Y/N feels grateful for them, she wishes there was more that she could do to help.

Today, she somehow convinces Harry to go on a walk with her around the neighbourhood. Intent on not being recognized, he opts for the most indistinguishable clothing that covers him from head to toe, combined with a hat and sunglasses. He even keeps the hood of his sweater pulled up over his hat.

“It’s so warm out,” she says as they stroll down the sidewalk. “How are you not dying in that?”

He shrugs and kicks a rock in his path. “Dunno.”

Most of his responses have been like that lately. Short, indifferent. She doesn’t take it personally. After all, she behaves in a similar way when her anxiety has her in its grips. And anyway, even though he doesn’t talk much these days, he hasn’t stopped being affectionate or reminding her that he loves her.

When they return home from their walk, Harry immediately removes his hat and sweater, confirming that he was indeed too warm in that. She makes a comment about craving a cold smoothie, and he offers to make one for her as well as one for himself.

“I can make them,” she says. “It was my idea anyway.”

He shakes his head. “No, I was a dick on our walk. Need to make up for that.”

She gives him a look. “H, you don’t need to make up for anything.”

“I do though,” he insists, walking off to the kitchen before she can protest any further.

Suddenly, her phone goes off in her back pocket. She pulls it out. It’s Rosie. For a few seconds, she vacillates between picking up and ignoring it. In the end, she picks up.

“Hello?”

“He broke up with me,” says Rosie.

Surprise, surprise, thinks Y/N. “Did you call to tell me that?”

“No, I… I need to confess something.” Her voice trembles as she states, “I—I’m the one who told the press that Harry hit you.”

Y/N lets out a sigh and leans against the small table in the entryway of the house. “I already knew that, Rosie.”

“You did?”

“‘A source close to me’? Not a lot of people can say they’re close to me, so it was kind of a no-brainer.”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m going to tell everyone that it was all a story, that none of it is true.”

“It’s a bit late for that.”

“You have no idea how sorry I am. Colin got in my head and he—”

“Did he tell you to say that Harry hit me?”

“W—well, no…”

“So that was your own genius idea?”

She says nothing.

Y/N closes her eyes, trying to sound as firm as possible as she says the next few words, “Okay, Rosie, I need you to listen to me closely… I don’t ever want to see you again. I don’t ever want to hear from you again. And don’t ever come near me or Harry ever again. Do you understand?”

Rosie’s answer arrives in an ashamed whisper, “Yeah.”

She’s about to hang up, her finger hovering over the little red icon, then she lifts the phone back up to her ear. “One more thing. How did Colin get those injuries?”

“Um, he went to that bar on Jacob Street that night after you and Harry left. He got wasted and got into a fight with a guy almost twice his size.”

Y/N knows exactly which bar she’s referring to. Now that she has the information she needs, she bids her now ex-best friend a final goodbye and hangs up. Tears prick the backs of her eyes as she realizes that the longest friendship of her life has just come to a calamitous end.

She places her phone on the table and looks up at the ceiling to keep the tears in. Then a pair of arms wraps around her waist from behind. She looks over her shoulder at Harry.

“I’m sorry, my love,” he says. “I know she meant a lot to you.”

She smiles sadly, a tear escaping the corner of her eye.

“Look at us. We’re just a couple of sad people, aren’t we?”

She laughs. “No! I refuse to label us as sad people. We’re just going through a tough time and we’re going to get through this.”

“Yes, we are.” He gives her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m actually thinking of going back to therapy. It’s been a while.”

“That’s a great idea. I should probably do that too.”

Later that afternoon, Harry falls asleep while reading a book on the couch. Y/N takes this as her chance to chat with Jeff about something that’s been on her mind since her conversation with Rosie.

When Jeff picks up her call, she doesn’t even wait for him to speak before she says, “I know how we can prove that Colin’s lying.”

“Uh… Okay, elaborate.”

“I spoke to Rosie today and she told me Colin went to a bar that night where he got into a fight with someone and ended up with those injuries. I know which bar it is. If we can go there and get security camera footage from that night, we can prove that Colin was lying all along.”

“I see what you’re saying, but we can’t just walk into a bar and ask for their security footage. We’re not investigators.”

“Okay, but don’t you know someone who can do that? You’re an Azoff. You have connections, don’t you?”

“Yeah, in the entertainment industry, Y/N. Not in law enforcement.”

She releases a heavy sigh. “C’mon, Jeff, there has to be something we can do with this information… If you’re not going to help, I will go to that bar and steal that footage myself.”

“Don’t do that,” he says quickly. “Look, I’ll see what I can do, okay?”

“Thank you.”

There’s a pause before he asks, “How’s H doing?”

“Not great. He’s really torn up about what people are saying, especially the rumours about him… hurting me. Which is exactly why I need to clear his name. I know some people will still say nasty things about him—that’s never going to stop—but…” She bites her lip to keep herself from getting emotional, which seems to be happening a lot lately. “Harry has been there for me through so much. I need to do this for him.”

“He’s lucky to have you.”

She smiles. She didn’t know she needed to hear that until now. Ever since this mess began, a part of her has been blaming herself for putting Harry through this hell because Rosie and Colin never would’ve entered his life if it wasn’t for her. While she knows that it’s not her fault, sometimes her insecurities get the best of her.

“Thanks, Jeff,” she replies.

***

Not even twenty-four hours later, the bar footage is released online. It spreads like wildfire, turning all of Harry’s critics to ashes and causing irreparable damage to Colin’s credibility.

Y/N messages Jeff to commend him for retrieving the footage so fast.

Y/N: YOU’RE AMAZING I OWE YOU

Jeff: You can repay me by drawing 100 portraits of me that I can hang around my house

Y/N: On it 🫡

Even Rosie sticks to her word by announcing on her social media that everything she said was a lie, which adds another nail in Colin’s coffin.

Over the next few days, the ominous cloud that has been hanging over Harry and Y/N’s heads finally clears. Harry is back to being his bubbly, radiant self, lighting up every room he walks into. Life feels like it’s returning to normal, at last.

Tonight, they’re at dinner with Jeff and Harry’s two other managers, Tom and Tommy. It’s not a business meeting; Harry was just in the mood to treat the people who continue to support him both professionally and personally. Lately, Y/N has been feeling motivated to overcome her discomfort around eating in public, so she agreed to tag along as well. Towards the end of their meal, Jeff raises his glass and clears his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay, we need to make a toast to someone at this table,” he states. “Not you, Harry. Don’t get too excited.”

Harry’s in the middle of sipping his drink, so he just flips his friend the middle finger, which Jeff graciously returns.

“This is a toast to Y/N and her investigative skills,” Jeff continues, now looking at Y/N, who is completely caught off-guard by this gesture. “She was the one who figured out how He Who Shall Not Be Named got his injuries. And she came up with the idea of getting the security footage from that bar.”

Everyone is staring at her now, including Harry. His eyebrows are raised in surprise as he asks, “That was your idea?”

“Oh, I— It was nothing,” she says modestly. “I didn’t even do much.”

Then Jeff reveals, “She even threatened to go to the bar and steal that footage herself if I didn’t help her.” He points a finger at her. “The lady knows how to get what she wants.”

Her cheeks flush red. “Okay, that might have been a bit dramatic, but I just couldn’t let Col—” She suddenly remembers their unspoken rule of not referring to Colin by name and corrects herself, “Sorry, I couldn’t let He Who Shall Not Be Named get away with smearing Harry’s reputation, so...” She shrugs, taking a sip of her water in a futile attempt to hide the blush on her face.

Harry smiles and squeezes her knee under the table. “Thank you, lovie.”

“Maybe we need to get Y/N on the team,” says Tommy.

“Oh yeah, she’s basically my guardian angel,” says Harry, winking at her. “Might as well.”

Y/N just laughs and accepts the praise, not bothering to hide her reddened cheeks anymore. She might hate being the centre of attention, but at least this is a good kind of attention.

“To Y/N, everyone!” says Jeff, lifting his glass up in the air.

“To Y/N!”

***

Good to Me (And I’d Be So Good to You) (ao3) - AWickedMemory Draco/Harry G, 9k

Summary: Everyone returns to Hogwarts after the war, but nothing is quite the same. Harry's groupies are creepier than ever, Ron and Hermione are snogging all over the place, and the once-proud Draco is shuffling around like a kicked puppy. But that's okay: Harry's got a plan.

Piece by Piece (ao3) - TheBashfulPoet Draco/Harry E, 6k

Summary: Draco Malfoy has a secret and it is driving Harry crazy. So what else is supposed to do but don his trusty cloak and follow the pointy git through the streets of London?

He is Harry Potter after all.

Or a Sex Worker!Draco Malfoy and Protective!Harry Potter AU

Sweet Heart, Bitter Blood (ao3) - syringe Draco/Harry M, 5k

Summary: Draco's trying to help his betrothed, Harry, assassinate his Gryffindor goody-two-shoes doppelganger from another universe before he can defeat Voldemort. Things get complicated when the other universe's version of Draco gets thrown into the mix.

Terms of Endearment (ao3) - charlie_weasleys_gf Draco/Harry T, 15k

Summary: Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are assigned to protective duty for Draco and Narcissa Malfoy after the Manor is attacked. Except a mistake in the Auror office *cough* McLaggen *cough* results in Harry and Draco being forced to share a room...and a bed.

The Black Lily Community Center (ao3) - Ebibily Draco/Harry, Hermione/Ron, Luna/Ginny E, 70k

Summary: One day, almost ten years after the war is over, Harry is picking up Teddy from his wizarding primary school, and he discovers Scorpius is getting bullied. Harry can't just sit idly by.

Or, Harry runs a community center, Teddy and Scorpius become friends, and Draco has accepted the fact that his past will always haunt him.

The Savior (ao3) - TheFanWhoRan Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron, Hermione/Draco, Luna/Ron T, 27k

Summary: It was an unwritten rule that the golden trio would always come to each other's aid. No matter what happened, they would go to extreme lengths to help each other. It's time the wizarding world realized just how true that was.

This will be a series with 3 chapters, one for each of the Golden Trio member saving the other two.

Thicker Than Water (ao3) - RoamingRonin M, 7k

Summary: Harry Potter was used to not having a plan. After all, everyone had a plan until the curses started flying. Where most struggled, he thrived and reveled in the fight. Call it one of the few advantages of his troubled upbringing. After more than a decade fighting against Dark Lords and creatures alike and making the magical world a safer place, he chose to hang up his dragonhide robes. He certainly didn't anticipate waking up in a world that wasn't his. Nor was he prepared to find out he wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived and was no longer alone. It only took one look into those dazzling green eyes for him to realize that maybe he needs a good plan this time around. He survived and killed Voldemort when he was the last remaining Potter. Now? Well, Tom Riddle was a dead man. He just didn't know it yet.

Worth Everything (ao3) - sunflow_rs Draco/Harry G, 708

Summary: “Harry,” Draco spoke. His eyes flickering around them, catching people’s stares and not-so-hushed whispers. “Is this a good idea?”

Green eyes sparkling with confusion, Harry frowned. “What do you mean?”

~

Louis sprinted through the forest frantically, weaving through the masses of trees, breath leaving him in harsh pants as he casted a fearful glance behind him- they were still after him, not too close, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

No pun intended.

He wasn’t sure where he was headed- he couldn’t head home, obviously; the thought shot down by the others chasing after him, once one of his own, now it was death for him the instant he set foot back there- and he couldn’t head home, Harry had made that painfully clear when he’d told him to leave.

He let out a small sob at the thought of Harry- his alpha, his one and only.

They had met a long time ago, when Louis was still a young curious omega pup from a pack near the caves at the bottom of the mountains, and Harry an older alpha wolf from a pack that spanned the valleys a distance away.

Louis had been out exploring, eventually finding himself at the border marking the end of their pack’s territory and he’d stood there hesitantly, wanting to see more, yet also with the knowledge that it was forbidden to go beyond the borders.

And he should have turned back then and there, really, but he was just so curious, and so he did what he did. He took a step over, and another, and another, the trepidation subsiding and exhilaration building till he was once again dancing happily away, following a little bunny on its path through the forest he’d somehow found himself in.

He hadn’t known then, that the forest marked the borders of Harry’s pack’s territory, and was no man’s land- the perfect place for rogues lying in wait for unsuspecting travellers to rob their fill of riches and potential mates. Louis hadn’t even known of rogues, or the danger they posed, not until he was suddenly faced with a single one, its grey fur matted with traces of blood and caked with dirt.

“Oh, look at what we have here!” He leered with a smug smirk, teeth gleaming wickedly as he slowly advanced on Louis, the smaller pup raising his chin fiercely, whilst he tried to subtly retreat.

“Aren’t you a pretty lil pup. Delicious smelling too; perfect for a mate, I’d say.” Louis swiped his claws at the grey wolf as he got close, abruptly turning and fleeing immediately after, panic flooding his mind at the thought of being the mate of that disgusting wolf- mating was meant to be pure, made from love and respect, not taken the way he was implying.

Louis would rather die.

The rogue took none too kindly at his little act, racing after him with a fierce snarl, easily overtaking him with his long strides and cornering him against a large boulder. He shoved him roughly against the jagged surface, Louis yelping in pain and trembling with fear as the other male pinned him down and started tugging at his pants.

He’s not entirely sure what happened next, his eyes squeezed shut through the ordeal, but the next he knew, the rogue was ripped away from him with a pained grunt, and Louis himself stolen into Harry’s strong arms with a protective growl.

“Get out of here.” Harry stated with a harsh glare to the rogue where he was sprawled on the ground, watching the scene unfold with narrowed eyes as he challenged with a furious snap of his jaw.

“Make me. You’re holding onto something of mine, and I want him back.”

“Take a good look around you. Recognize where you are?” The grey wolf glanced around; face paling and eyes growing wide with fear as he realized where they’d ended up.

“This-This is-”

“That’s right. You’re on Styles’ territory, and you better get out of here right now, mate, or the others will have no qualms about dealing with a filthy rogue like you.”

He had scampered at that, tail tucked between his legs like the coward he was, and Harry turned to Louis, focusing his emerald eyes on the smaller male.

“Are you alright?” He asked in his signature rich drawl, and Louis was only able to nod dumbly, awestruck as he was with the sheer beauty of the older wolf.

“You’re bleeding. I’m sorry, but I hope you don’t mind?” Harry murmured softly, gently picking his arm up to examine the rather deep gash. Louis shook his head minutely, watching raptly as the alpha glanced up almost shyly at him, before dipping his head to lick across the wound, the skin mending together effortlessly.

“There we go. Thankfully it wasn’t too deep of a wound.”

“I- Thank you…?”

“Oops! I’m Harry. Harry Styles. And you’re very welcome.”

“I’m Louis.”

“Where are you from Louis? A young pup like you shouldn’t be wandering around on your own; it’s not safe.” Louis bowed his head shamefully at the gentle chiding, scuffing the toe of his shoe sheepishly across the ground.

“I know, I’m sorry, I just wanted to see what was beyond the borders… I’m from the mountains.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me, I’m only worried about you, that’s all. Come on, I’ll take you back.”

And Harry did, starting up a casual chat as he guided him through the surrounding forest and back to the stream that ran their borders.

“Well, this is you, I suppose. It was nice meeting you, Louis.”

“Thank you for saving me, Harry, and for walking me home, I’m really happy that I met you.” Harry smiled, dimples popping as he waved for the younger male to go on. Louis grinned, skipping across the stream to make his way back home. He paused hesitantly, turning to see Harry walking away.

“Harry!” He called, bounding back and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek as he turned, dropping back onto the balls of his feet and grinning up at the alpha’s surprised face, before springing over the stream again and calling out a happy farewell.

“Take care of yourself, Harry! Who knows when I might need your services again!” He heard Harry’s deep laughter behind him.

“You too, don’t get into any more trouble, little pup!”

He burst through the front door into the kitchen, where his mum was preparing for dinner and broke out into an excited explanation of meeting a new friend named Harry, deciding to keep his stressful ordeal to himself. He then looked to his mum in wonderment and asked innocently, if he would be able to mate with Harry one day. He didn’t understand the look that crossed his parents’ faces as they exchanged a look, Jay crouching to his level and murmuring gently to keep that thought to himself and never allow the any other of the pack members to hear that because it was forbidden to mate with a rivaling pack- most especially with a Styles.

He hadn’t understood then, but kept his mouth shut about it anyway, and yet somehow it was leaked out that Harry had walked him home. The very next day, he was fetched to the pack leader, before whom he stood nervously as he was stared down and studied intensely, and suddenly the pack alpha had smiled (rather crookedly) and asked Louis how he would like to learn and train with a “special” group of alphas- the assassins, he later learned- a “privilege” unheard of previously as omegas were considered to be weaker than their alpha counterparts, but offered to Louis because he had “potential”.

Louis naturally accepted, and started training the day after.

Louis whimpered as he drew out of his thoughts, heart aching with the knowledge that he’d caused this and inevitably lost the one person he would ever want.

His alpha.

His soulmate.

He wondered if it would have been better for them to have taken him after all.

~

Louis peered over the top of the ditch he’d hidden himself in, a canopy of thick tree roots shielding him from view. He winced as two large alphas burst through foliage, sniffing at the air to try and gauge his location- he thanked the heavens that he had the foresight to take scent blockers beforehand, a couple of pills hidden here and there on his body, along with his suppressants.

He recognized them from his training days, considerably older and more experienced alpha assassins, who he knew that he had no chance of beating; he had neither as much training, nor the experience to do so, and it would be suicidal for him to try. He couldn’t move, not for fear of alerting them with the snap of a twig or crunch of the dead leaves, both of which surrounded him in abundance.

The only chance he had of making out of this alive was to wait it out.

Louis let out an inaudible sigh, resting his head tiredly against the moss covered patch behind him. Those days seemed so long ago, as if from a different life- though he supposed they almost were. He remembered the shock and devastation ripping at the seams of his heart, blood draining from his face when he’d received details for his first (and only) assassination.

Harry Styles.

The job itself was simple- he was to form a bond with the alpha, gaining his trust (and possibly even his love, Louis thought because he know what he’d felt, unwavering still all these years on, and he hoped that maybe, maybe, the elder would return it- assuming that he still remembered him, of course), and when the opportunity came up… Well.

It was meant to be a straightforward job, only Louis had always known, much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, that he felt too deeply for the alpha- one who had saved his life, nonetheless; one who was wonderful and lovely, and who he believed, dare he say it, to be his soulmate- to ever hurt him. Omegas were gentle, submissive to start with, which was the main reason why they weren’t trained in any form of combat because they weren’t believed to be built for such, but Louis was…Well, ordinary Louis. He wasn’t entirely sure why he’d been chosen for training.

He’d been trained to override his instincts, to suppress the guilt that tore at his gut and rippled through his entire body at the thought of killing because he had an obligation to his pack, and all the more so to the pack leader who had bestowed such an honour upon him.

Louis didn’t want to do it- God knows he didn’t- but he had his orders; he had his loyalty and obligations to his pack, and he couldn’t ignore those either, but.

This was Harry- his alpha.

It was simply unthinkable.

Nevertheless, he made his way through the forest to the edge of the Styles’ pack territory, citing a rather convincing backstory of being disowned by his pack when he’d been caught by a patrolling guard and brought before Harry.

He remembered how easy it had been to fall for the elder again; all it had taken was a single look, the glint of familiarity in those sparkling emeralds, the comforting scent of spiced apples and home, the dimples deepening as he greeted simply, in that slow drawl of his.

“Hi Louis.”

“Hey Curly.”

And it was then, as they’d stood there grinning widely at each other, a call of something more thrumming beneath his skin, that Louis knew that he was screwed.

Louis spent a lot of time with Harry, their friendship growing rapidly as the alpha sought him out often, and they would take quiet strolls through the park and learning about each other, or lay side by side on the rooftop underneath glimmering stars and chatted about the future.

He learnt that Harry was an amazing photographer, and once considered it as a career choice, but then decided to study law on the side instead, caught up with ideas of how to better the lives of the pack members. He learnt that Harry loved children, and they loved him in return, for how great he was with them, and that everyone loved him- even the animals. He learnt that Harry used to work in a bakery, purely because he could and he wanted to, and could also make the best chocolate chip cookies ever known to man (or to Louis, at least), which instantly made him a good person in Louis’ opinion-much to the amusement of the curly haired male. He learnt that Harry was horrible with jokes, absolutely terrible if he was to be honest, but that he laughed at them every time anyway, because that’s what you do for the people you love.

And oh.

Oh.

Maybe he was learning something about himself too.  

The days had passed by in a blissful, yet intensely thrilling whirlwind of soft touches and shy glances; light laughter and sappy pickup lines; romantic gestures and rapidly building sexual tension- all of which had come to a head one day, when they were trudging through knee deep snow, giggling loudly as they playfully shoved at each other, and Harry had misjudged the force he’d used and ended up almost tackling Louis to the ground instead.

The smaller male had landed on his back with a pained oof, cushioning Harry’s fall as he sprawled clumsily across him, hastily propping himself up on to his elbows to peer down anxiously at his friend.

“I’m so sorry, Lou, are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine…” Louis started, eyes flicking up to meet Harry’s with a soft smile, both freezing in shock, cheeks flushed and eyes wide as they realized how close they actually were.

“Lou, I…” Louis licked his lips nervously, the air between them warming as Harry’s gaze trailed down to follow the gesture, groaning deeply at the sight of those thin lips glistening slightly. He dropped his head, catching those cherry tinted lips with his own, melting into the kiss as the younger male responded, fingers reaching up to tangle in his curls.

“Lou, I think I…” Harry murmured softly as they broke apart for air, heart heavy with the emotions he’d so desperately wanted to tell the other male; thoughts and words that he’d never before dared imagine speaking aloud balanced precariously on the tip of his tongue.

“No, don’t. Harry, please don’t say it.” Louis pleaded, eyes shining suspiciously before he turned away briefly; chin wobbling as he sniffed quietly.

“Why not? Do you not feel the same way?” He frowned, brows furrowed with confusion and hurt as he was abruptly cut off, because he was so sure that he hadn’t been mistaken- that Louis had wanted the same as he had.

“I do, H, of course I do. More than you know, but you can’t.”

“…Why can’t I tell you that I love you?” Louis let out a small sob at that, shaking his head futilely as if to erase those words from his mind.

“Because you can’t love me, Haz. I’m not- I’m not who you think I am. I’m not good- not right- You should leave me and find another.” Harry shook his head, grasping Louis’ chin firmly between his fingers, eyes blazing with fierce determination.

“I don’t want another, Louis. I only want you. The only way I’m going to leave is if you look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t love me; that you don’t want me.” Louis stayed silent at that, tears dripping into the snow from behind closed lids.

“I want to court you, Louis.” Harry murmured, lightly thumbing at the prominent vein on his smaller love’s neck, tracing it down across tanned skin to where their bond mark would lay, allowing his fingers to ghost lightly across the sensitive skin there as it tinged with goose bumps.  

Louis froze at that, heart soaring with elation that Harry wanted him- it would never fail to surprise him, no matter if the curly haired male had mentioned it before, or how often it’d been heavily implied by their friends- yet while simultaneously thumped viciously with anxiety and fear- because he couldn’t, not when he knew what courting would lead to; bonding and mating, and he couldn’t do that to Harry.

Not when he didn’t know how much longer he wouldbecouldbe around for.

He swallowed tightly, turning his head as his spirits sunk with the heavy reminder. He knew what he had to do- he’d have to reject Harry, as much as it would pain him to do so; as much as it would kill him to hurt Harry as he knew it would- he knew he would never be able to truly be with the alpha the way he longed to.

But it was better now, than later, when Harry would have to feel the effects of a broken bond, pure anguish tearing through his soul as their bond was severed.

No. It was better this way- it had to be.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, H.” Louis stuttered softly, lashes fluttering open to reveal still watery devastated blues, the rich colour enhanced by the glim of his tears.

“Why not? I love you and you love me, so why shouldn’t we? What aren’t you telling me, Lou?” Harry implored, voice low as if to assure him that he would still love him; he was only asking out of concern and not with accusation.

“I’m not- It’s not safe. I can’t tell you. You’ll hate me if I do, and as selfish as that sounds, I don’t want to lose you.” Harry shook his head adamantly, chin lifting in defiance.

“You’ll never lose me.”

“I will! You say that now, but I know… I won’t be around forever, Haz.” Louis whispered, voice trembling with effort to retain some semblance of composure, trying desperately to convince himself that it would be okay when Harry walked away from him.

No one would want an omega who they couldn’t have forever with, let alone Louis, who was far from a textbook omega.

He wasn’t worth it, and Harry would see that surely.

“Okay. But you’re here right now, aren’t you?”

“I don’t…”

“I love you, Lou, and if I can’t have you forever, so be it. I’ll take what I can.” Harry shrugged nonchalantly, eyes softening as they met with Louis’ own wide frantic orbs.

“You’re everything to me, Lou. You’re my mate.” Louis broke at that, surging upwards with a choked whimper to press their lips together in a heated kiss, sweet and salty from the tears mixed in.

Everything had fallen in place then, the same way they had so easily fallen into place with each other, because they were meant to be- needed each other more than anything else, and there was nothing to be done about that.

Louis pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, taking a shuddering breath in an attempt to hold back the tears.

He’d been betraying the most important person to him, since the very beginning. He may have had Harry’s heart, once, and God knows he cherishes every single moment that he’s had with the alpha, but he’d dug his own grave and now it was time to lay in it.

I don't know who's gonna kiss you when I'm gone, So I'm gonna love you now, like it's all I have, I know it'll kill me when it's over, I don't wanna think about it, I want you to love me now.

~

Louis received his orders again later on in the month, demanding immediate results, or that he return to explain himself- more specifically, why Harry Styles was still well and truly alive. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat at the thought of facing his pack alpha, of disappointing him, especially having been the recipient of such privilege.

Solely failing a mission might be frowned upon– his status as an assassin stripped from him, casted out among the commoners and humiliated for failing the leader- but to fall in love with the enemy was downright unacceptable. He could only imagine the punishments that would be inflicted on him, imprisonment perhaps, the disgrace he would have brought to the Tomlinson name, and- God, what if his family was cast out because of his mistake?

Louis had no choice but to obey- or so he tried to convince himself, as he laid in bed with tears streaming down his face that night. He knew he wouldn’t be able to, not with Harry breathing so serenely behind him, warm breaths puffing across his neck, face relaxed and vulnerable in sleep because he trusted Louis- he couldn’t betray that.

“If it weren’t for the connection you had with Styles, I wouldn’t  have had you trained.” He scoffed at the shock written across the younger wolf’s face, hurt swirling in his lapis eyes.

“What, you didn’t think you were special, did you? Please, you’re nothing if not for that.” Louis sucked in a sharp breath, hurt from the cruel words blooming in his chest; he’d never thought he was anything remotely special, and had wondered why he’d been chosen as the only omega to join, and later on, he’d also had his suspicions with his first mission.

It couldn’t all be a coincidence that he just so happened to be assigned to Harry after all.

And suddenly, Louis had enough- of denying his feelings, of the guilt he felt every time he remembered his mission, of the anguish he felt at having to kill his potential mate, of being betrayed and used by the pack alpha- a leader who was sworn to have the pack’s best interests at heart, and yet. He looked at the pack leader, drawing himself up as tall as he could and stating that Harry was kind and wonderful, and would make the perfect alpha one day.

And then he’d marched out to the jeer that he wasn’t being a fool, because Harry would never love him if he knew the truth. Tears burning at the back of his eyes because he knew that it was the truth- even if he had hoped that things could work out. And then he would be left all alone by his lonesome self because once he walked out, he could no longer come back to this pack.

He would never be able to see his family again.

But then he thought of Harry, beautiful Harry, and steeled himself, because this was the only way he could be left alone to have a future with the alpha.

I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple, Louis mused bitterly as he sped up, legs burning with the strain.

He’d had months of peace, almost a full year and he had relaxed, dropped his guard down and begun to believe that perhaps he really was free- until last night, when Harry had ordered him out and he’d retreated to his old chambers down in the village where the non-royal pack members lived. He’d felt perturbed the entire night, the air highly strung with a disturbingly strange but familiar tension, and he hadn’t placed it till his sharpened senses picked up on another presence- stealthy and silent, blending into the night; unnoticeable to those even just marginally less observant then Louis himself, almost as if it were-

Assassins, Louis realized with a flinch, throwing himself to the side right as the window he’d stood by splintered into a million fragments and the intruder charged at him. He rolled to the side, snatching the blade he’d hidden under his pillow for easy access and onto his knee in a crouch, on the offensive. The intruder- a reddish brown wolf- sneered at him, clearly deeming the omega an unworthy opponent.

Good. He wouldn’t be expecting anything from Louis then.

The omega waited with baited breath as the other male drew back, teeth gleaming in wicked grin, kicking off against the wall behind him to launch himself upwards and backwards in a flip as the red wolf pounced, driving his knife deep into his opponent as he slammed onto his back- a move he’d picked up from one of the Styles’ guards as he watched during their training sessions.

And then he’d bolted, flying out the broken window and taking off into the night.

He wasn’t safe here- there would be others coming after him now.

It seemed that he was merely a useless hindrance that needed to be gotten rid of if he wasn’t going to fulfill his mission.

~

Louis bolted awake at the sharp snap of a twig, heart thudding furiously. He strained his ears, picking up on the faint, careless patter of footsteps heading his way and raised into a crouch- muscles tensed, ready to run. He watched silently from his perch on a branch high off the ground as the same two alpha assassins broke into the small clearing under him; he was immensely glad that he’d always been a somewhat mischievous pup, his tree climbing expertise built from those playful days.

“Hey, Josh is calling for us to turn back; he says that Styles in these woods too- he’s planning an ambush.” Louis gasped, feeling his blood run cold at the words as he frantically scrambled to his feet, launching himself through the treetops while simultaneously trying to keep an eye on the other two- he had to get to Harry before they did.

Louis scoped the areas desperately, trying to locate his mate. He could feel their bond tugging at him, steadily growing in strength as he closed in on Harry, and- There. Louis faltered as he caught a whiff of his alpha’s tantalizing scent, his inner omega whining longingly to reunite with his mate. His thoughts stuttered briefly, knowing that Harry didn’t wish to see him again; the omega cowered faintly at the reminder and at the thought of further invoking his wrath and rejection, but needing to warn him of the danger he was in before-

He caught a flicker of movement in his peripheral, whipping his head to the side to spy a tall blonde hidden a slight distance away; bow at the ready, aimed at Harry’s turned back. There was no time to stop it- he could see the slight flex of fingers as the man prepared to release the bowstring. Heart pounding to the mantra of HarryHarryHarry monopolizing his entire being, Louis exploded into a sand coloured blur mid turn as he raced towards his mate- he could only pray that he was close enough to reach Harry in time.

Louis lunged for Harry with a loud cry of Haz; his only warning before he was tumbling straight into the larger wolf, the small thud of the arrow as it imbedded itself in his flesh shocking the air from his lungs as he gasped from the searing pain blooming across his chest.

“Lou!” He heard vaguely over the rush of blood in his ears, eyes squeezed tight as he shallowly tried to breathe through the pain, whimpering when he felt familiar warm palms scrambling desperately over his face. Louis peeked up through slit lids, a strained smile on his lips as he was met with the sight of a distraught Harry.

“Stay with me, boo.”

He’d always known that one day, it’d come to this; that he would have to choose between Harry and his family- himself, even- albeit in different circumstances, but that he’d have to choose. He’d always known too, that it wasn’t- wouldn’t even be a choice, not really; it’d be Harry, always Harry.

He’d turned from his family, walked away from his past; already had killed for Harry, would die for Harry, if it came down to it, without a single doubt in his mind, no hesitation in his step, anything if it meant that Harry would live.

“NO!” Harry roared when Louis’ eyes fell shut. He lifted his head with a murderous glare, dark fur bristling as he charged across the land in broad leaps, blood boiling with rage at the sheer audacity of the wolf who fired that shot- no one could hurt Louis and get away with it.

~

Harry dropped to his knees, scooping the fragile broken body into his arms, letting out a choked sob as the younger male’s head lolled limply with no sign of consciousness. Louis was still alive- he could feel the weak thread flowing through him, but it was fading fast.

“Lou. Lou, baby, open your eyes. Please, boo, let me see those gorgeous eyes, come on.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief as the lithe male sighed- barely a small puff of air- lids fluttering before slowly opening to reveal a sliver of pain filled orbs.

“Hey sweetheart, there you are.”

“H-Harry…”

“You’re going to be okay, I’ll make sure of that.” Harry soothingly shushed Louis, kissing him chastely on the lips before flashing him an apologetic smile, reaching forward to quickly snap the arrow close to the wound, his small lover letting out anguished whimpers as he pawed at Harry pitifully.

“I’m sorry, boo. I know it hurts, we’ll get you better now.”

“H-Hazza, I-I need to tell y-” Louis gasped through shuddering breaths, fingers digging into Harry’s chest desperately, breaking into a harsh coughing fit, a trail of crimson trickling from the corner of his lips when he finally slumped back into the comforting warmth of his lover’s embrace.

“I- I l-love you.”  Harry smiled down at his mate, cradled firmly in his arms as he got to his feet, briskly making his way back home; mind racing with thoughts of getting Louis to safety and more importantly, to the help he needed.

“I know, darling. I never doubted that for a second; I wouldn’t be alive if you didn’t love me, and I know that’s why they were after you. I was just hurt that you didn’t feel like you could trust me with that information, because I could have protected you, but I never doubted your love, and I love you too, Lou. So you can’t leave me, okay? You can’t.”

“H-Harry…” Louis rasped out, smiling softly as he reached trembling fingers up to brush lightly against his cheekbones, tilting his head ever so slightly to press a lingering kiss to the warm skin of Harry’s chest, right where his heart was beating strong.

I love you. He thought, smile never leaving his lips as he sent an apology to his lover through their bond, giving in to the numbing darkness creeping over his mind.

I’m sorry.

~

“Lou, I heard the most ridiculous thing today.” Harry called, striding through their bedroom door to where Louis was getting ready for bed.

“Hmm?”

“Well, Nick went out with some of the other lads last night, to that pub out in the village- the one that travellers like to gather at? Anyway, he told me that he overheard this alpha wolf complaining to his companion about the mission they were on, and then he’d heard him saying about an omega Tomlinson, and how he couldn’t even do his first assassination proper. So naturally, Nick runs back to tell me about how you’re that said Tomlinson. Don’t worry though; I’ve already dismissed that nonsensical notion of his. I mean, what on earth is he thinking, right?” Harry scoffed, coming up behind Louis and nuzzling contentedly into his neck in greeting.

“W-What?”

“Why do you look so nervous? It’s not like it’s true.” Harry frowned at the slight break in Louis’ voice, pulling back to look at his younger mate, heart sinking as he noted the stiff posture and wide eyed expression.

“…It’s not true, is it Lou?” He asked carefully, voice laced with trepidation as he willed the omega to reply in the negative. Louis stayed silent, head bowed shamefully.

“Oh God.”

“I can explain-” Harry ripped himself from Louis, running a hand though his frazzled curls as he paced agitatedly, throwing a hand out in exasperation as he spun to face the lithe male.

“Explain? There’s nothing to explain, Louis! You’ve been lying to me this whole time, I can’t-”

“Harry, please-” Louis tried pleadingly, reaching a hand out to the alpha, heart shattering into a million shards when he shook his head and backed away, faced morphed in disappointment and hurt.

“No. I don’t want to hear it- You need to leave. I can’t even stand to look at you right now.”

“I-Okay. I’m sorry, Harry, for what it’s worth. I never wanted to hurt you.” He murmured quietly, casting a final despairing glance over his alpha, storing the image to his memories before soundlessly removing himself from the room.

It would be all he had left of Harry now.

~

Louis stirred, brows furrowing as he slowly roused from his unconscious state. He felt… weird; painless but floaty, and he briefly wondered if he’d died after all. He tensed as the thought flickered through his mind, because he couldn’t be dead- there was still so much that he had to tell Harry. He had to let him know that he loves him; that he’d always been in love with him, ever since he’d rescued him all those years ago, and how grateful he was that he’d somehow managed to receive Harry’s love in return.

His body felt as if it was made of lead, weighing him down, as he whined pitifully. His thoughts were fuzzy, disorientated, cogs turning sluggishly as he struggled to retrieve his memories of the past events; he’d been running, that much he could remember, and there were two wolves and Harry-

Harry. I need to find Harry.

Louis jerked upright with a choked gasp, doubling over in pain as his chest erupted with flames; he coughed weakly, feeling more than hearing the soothing coos into his hair as a warm, and very very familiar palm smoothed down the ridges of his spine.

“Shh, shh. You’re okay, Lou. Take deep breaths for me, love.”

“H-arry?” He winced, peering through watering eyes to see his alpha propping himself up onto an elbow beside him. Harry shook his head disapprovingly, urging him down as he wrapped him up into a warm cuddle, tucking the blankets tighter around them both.

“Yeah, it’s me, sweetheart. Lay back down for me, darling, you’re not well yet. You shouldn’t have moved so quickly; you might tear your stitches.”

“H-Harry, I’m s-sorry- I need to tell you-”

“Shh, everything is fine, Lou. I’m not angry, it’s all fine. We’re fine.”

“I-I don’t- I love you.” Always have, always will. Louis sighed, voice faint with exhaustion as he gazed at his alpha, eyes burning with the intensity of his feelings. Harry choked out a broken Louis at that, all faux semblance of composure dismissed as he buried his face into Louis’ neck, cradling his fragile body close.

“I love you too. God, I love you, Lou. I was so scared when you- then you wouldn’t open your eyes, and I-I thought I was going to lose you. I can’t lose you, Lou.”

“Oh Haz.” The small omega sighed again, pressing firm comforting kisses to his lover’s skin, blinking back the tears in his own eyes as he listened to him cry.

“You won’t lose me, Haz. I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me, we’re okay.” Louis promised, nudging his nose to the pulse point beneath Harry’s chin, right where his bonding mark lay. Harry sniffed quietly, lifting his head to reveal red rimmed eyes as he placed a wet kiss to Louis’ own mark, suckling gently as the omega’s eyes slipping shut at the feeling of bliss washing over him.

“But what about your pack? Your family?” Louis scoffed, tangling his hand into Harry’s curls and tugging lightly to bring his gaze back up to him.

“No one will dare attack us here- that’s the only reason why I was sent, because he thought that you would trust me; he won’t dare to try anything else. And if he does… We’ll face it together. You’re all I have now, H.” The taller male lurched forward to capture his mate’s lips in a searing kiss, pushing all his emotions through their bond- feelings that words could not even begin to describe, all the endless Iloveyous and Ineedyous; the gratitude and hope and love.

“Together. I like the sound of that. I love you so much babe.”

“I love you too.”