Bad Romance (Mal x Harry)

Can we talk?

Harry walked through the empty halls letting his anger guide him. His mind began to flashback to his darkest days and he felt his head begin to spin. He needed something. Something to ground him down, to anchor him. Someone.

Soon, Harry found himself outside her door. Sucking in a breath, he knocked.

"Coming," A muffled voice sounded through the door. He saw the handle begin to rattle and then it turned revealing the purple-haired girl.

She gasped, "Harry..." She remained quiet for a moment, just staring at his until a gasp of shock sounded from her lips, "Oh my- shit what happened to your hand?" But her voice still sounded so far away.
Mal ushered him inside and shut the door behind him, dragging him to the bed where she left him momentarily to get supplies for his hand.

They sat in silence as she fixed up his hand. When she was finished she brushed her lips against the bandaged up hand, and their eyes met once again, they were caught in a small intimate moment until her voice sounded, "All done."

Harry flexed his fingers, "Thanks," he mumured, clearing his throat and shifting so their was space between them.

"Harry-" Mal started.

"I should go," He interupted as he stood up, grabbing his things that he'd dropped when he came in.

"Harry!" Mal shouted, "Can we talk? Please?" she begged. Harry froze before he let his tense stature softened at the sight of her in that moment. She looked so small. So lost. What had this place done to the lass? On the isle Mal had passion and fire coursing through her veins. Now, she looked so worn out. Tired. Drowning in this fantasy life.

"Harry please? All I wanna do is talk," She whimpered, breaking him out of his daydream.

"Alright," he murmured, sitting back in his original position.
Hesitantly, Mal placed herself next to him on the bed, shrinking back when their legs brushed against one another. "You gon' say something or just stare at me all day?" Harry said, raising his eyebrow in amusement. 

Mal flushed, "I-" she began, her voice cracking, "Um what happened to your hand?" Mal asked, reaching out and grazing the bandages, as if it were a reflex, before retracting her hand as if she'd been scalded.

"I hit someone," he stated, bluntly. Mal heard the mild anguish in his voice, his inner turmoil at his first resort to a situation being violence. She knows he did it for the right reasons, he's just been misguided before.

"That why you're not in class?" she asked, softly.

"Thought I'd come see you instead," He quipped as Mal let her eyes fall into her lap. They sat in silence, neither wanting to bring up the elephant in the room.

"Why'd you do it Mal?" Harry said, finally breaking the heavy silence, "Cause I gotta know. Was he better than me? Did I do something wrong? Cause I really thought you'd be coming back to me and then I see you and him on the fucking news. Not even a bloody letter to explain it. So, why? Why him? Why not me?" Mal looked up from her lap and into his stormy blue eyes. Her heart ached for him as she saw the pain cracking through his hard exterior, threatening to expose his insecurities and wounds. 

"Truth?" Mal asked and Harry nodded for her to continue, "I have no idea. I guess I lost hope of ever seeing you again. They wouldn't let me send letters and then I turned my mother into a lizard and they told me so many things, and I got so wrapped up in wanting to become this whole new person. So, when Ben asked me out, I said yes. And I thought life would be perfect."

"And was it?" Harry asked, looking into her eyes again.

Mal scoffed, "Oh god, so far from it. Everyone wanted me to be someone I'm not. I had to change my clothes, my hair, my attitude because Ben wanted me to. He said 'It's not befitting of a queen to act like that. So, I did everything he asked of me but being with him was suffocating," Mal cried softly, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, "Apparently a queen isn't allowed to eat the foods she enjoys or hang out with her isle friends, in fear of upsetting the kingdom. I just got so tired of him belittling every part of me and pretending that we were fine. "

Harry reached out a hand and wiped the tears from her face,"Oh princess," Harry whispered, finally lowering his guard and letting his voice drop. He raised his hand to her cheek, letting calloused hand caress her soft skin. "What are they doing to you here? Where's me strong lass?" 

"I don't know anymore," Mal cried quietly. "Oh god, Harry I'm so sorry. I'm such a fuck up. Please don't hate me. I'm sorry but I need you," Harry let his hand fall from her face.
He knew what she wanted, it was what they both wanted. But he couldn't let his walls down again if she was just going to crush his heart again. Besides, he was too damaged, too broken for her now. He'd done things, terrible things and she didn't deserve all his baggage. She deserved better. She deserved the world. She deserved a king. 

"I don't hate you, lass. I could never hate you. All you did was break my heart, princess," Harry said before  standing and walking across the room to her door, "You deserve better now, lass."

"Harry, please don't leave me?" He froze where he stood.

"I'm sorry, lass," he forced out through gritted teeth.

"I need you, I need you so desperately."

She made him too soft. It had taken him years to build up his walls and she could just melt them with a glance. She made him want to drop everything,  give up his resentment and wrap her in his arms.

The door closed behind him with a thud, leaving Mal to herself.

Mal sat back against the head board and let the tears fall down her cheeks; it felt as if her heart had been torn from her chest.