Bad Romance (Mal x Harry)

The princess and the pirate

CHAPTER SIX

Mal ran.

Her feet carried her through the dark and damp alleys of the isle. The tears that had been streaming down her face now burnt her cheeks as the ice-cold wind hit her. She ran until her lungs constricted and until her feet were worn.
When she finally slowed to a stop, she had no idea where she was, but her mind was racing so fast, she felt she didn't seem to care.
Her mother had been so very cruel. She had uttered words so harsh Mal had felt the burn of the words as her mother had spat them at her. Useless, good for nothing, waste of space...

The thrum of Mal's thoughts saw that sobs wracked her body once more. She brought an arm over her face to muffle the whimpers that threatened to leave her throat, gagging on  every breath of air she inhaled.
She'd had to get out of the castle, the very idea of her presence made her want to be sick and the thought of her made such anxiety burn in Mal's chest, she felt she might melt.
She couldn't even share the same air as that woman without a piece of her heart breaking; it was days like these she wished that her father hadn't been so easily driven away.

She fell back against a stone wall. Her lungs still burning as she gasped for air. Useless, good for nothing, waste of space...
The words continued to repeat in Mal's mind, making her head spin. Minutes passed that very well could have been hours, as Mal cried into her hands.
She curled her legs into her body, trembling as the wind picked up. It was more exposed this far onto the isle and Mal hadn't worn nearly enough clothing.
She was clad in a distressed graphic tee and a black skirt that revealed her entire thigh. She hadn't had a coherent thought in her mind as she ran out of the door.
She would never let that monster see her cry.

Mal stood from her place on the wall and on shaky legs she started to walk.
She hadn't the faintest idea where she was, but she could sense the hostility in the air.
Stay alert, stay vigilant, Mal said to herself like she had been since birth. She didn't like the sudden feeling of being over-exposed in the wide alley but refused to back down.
Her arms wrapped tighter around her body as she entered deeper into the alley, entirely unsure if she was getting closer or further away from home.

As she turned a corner she was met with a hard surface. She stumbled and prepared herself for the fall when am arm grabbed her and steadied her on her (very bare) feet.

"Would you watch-" A smooth voice began, but quickly cut themselves off, "Well, well, well, would you look who it is. Hello, Princess."

A the sound of his voice, a slow shiver travelled up Mal's spine and she felt her muscles stiffen. Mal continued to stare at the ground, freezing where she stood and refusing to look the boy that now stood before her in the eye. Did it have to be him?
She refused to let him see her like this.

"You're not exactly on home turf, out here, are you now? You're in a very dangerous part of town, Mal. All alone," the boy teased.
"Oi Princess, I'm up here," Harry said, before sticking the cool metal of his hook under her chin and forcing her to look at him.

In a second, his entire demeanour shifted. No longer hostile and dangerous, instead a look of utter shock invaded his features.
Her glossy eyes and tear-stained cheeks had turned to face him, and when the metal of his hook made contact with her already freezing skin, a more obvious shiver took over her entire body.
Not only did he watch her lip quiver, but he saw the fresh cut marring her plump, bottom lip, split even wider as it spasmes from the cold.

"Mal?" Harry asked, a different kind of dangerous colouring his voice, "What happened?"
She didn't answer, she couldn't. When she attempted a biting or witty reply, her lip just trembled and a new wave of tears threatened to spill over.
She shook her head suddenly, trying desperately to pull away from the pirate.

He touched her arm with his hand, "Bloody hell, you're freezing. Why aren't you wearing any bloody clothes?" He exclaimed. And suddenly, in a further mind boggling turn of events, he shed his ever-present red leather and placed it on Mal's shivering frame.

Harry spoke up again, "Mal, what are you doing on this side of town on your own? Its fucking dangerous," he snapped, "What happened? Who did this?"

The ire of his words threw her off - she couldn't understand why he was so angry.

She could only shake her head, before the tears fell down her cheeks.
The anger Harry was feeling in that moment was replaced once again by bafflement. He'd never, in his 17 years, seen Mal cry; and if asked would have said she'd sooner die than let him see her like this.
So, he did the only thing he could think of - he hugged her; and Mal sobbed into his chest.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Mal froze, more than she already had, shaking her head frantically.

"No," She whimpered out. Surprising Harry, as she finally spoke.

"What do you mean, no? Of course, I'm taking you home, there is no way you're walking all that way on your own," Harry said, tugging her gently. She grounded her heels into the cobbles, which was not-so-surprisingly, quite painful with no shoes on.
Harry looked back at her slightly exasperated until he saw a terrifying thing in her eyes; fear.

"My mother," She whispered, and suddenly he understood.

"Come with me," Harry said, calmly, "Let's go to my place, no one's home."
For once in his life, he didn't use a perfect opportunity for an innuendo.

They walked in silence, neither acknowledging their intertwined fingers, for about 5 minutes, winding through the small alleys. Suddenly, he heard Mal hiss in pain. He spun around so quick to look at her, he thought he might fall over.

For the first time tonight, Mal realised she wasn't wearing shoes. She stared at the blood seeping from her foot where a piece of smashed glass had lodged itself.

"For fuck sake," he muttered under his breath. Who the fuck forgets shoes?
"C'mere," Harry ordered.

Mal hopped over to Harry and he picked her up, "It's only a bit further, don't worry."
He carried her the entire way to his ship, and bringing Mal straight to the kitchen, carefully placing her on the countertop.

Her foot was covered in blood now and it was dripping onto the planks of wood below.
Harry winced slightly when Mal whined as he pulled the shard of glass from her foot.

"Sorry, Princess," He muttered.
He quickly found supplies to clean and bandage her foot.

A gentle smile tugged at her lips, "Thank you," she said timidly, once he'd finished tending to her wound.

He just nodded silently in acknowledgement; the anger he felt threatening to bubble over the surface if he dared to speak.

She cleared her throat," You didn't have to-"

As the very notion of him even considering just leaving her in that alley fury of seven suns rise within him, he cut her off, "You can have my bed for the night - I'll leave you be." His voice was gruff, having not spoken much since the walk.

She nodded silently, and as he carried her to the bed, exhaustion took over and she was knocked out.

He stood for a moment over her, considering this entire evening and trying to discern what the sudden burning in his chest signified.