AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END!!!
*************************
You've got to believe me, baby
It ain't our time to die
*************************
HARRY
"Bentl-"
"I would shut my mouth if I were you." Luna says, twirling the bat between her deft fingers. "Rumer.... Nice to see you here, come crawling back to the family?"
"I'm not part of your pathetic family." Rumer says, gripping his gun in hand.
"Put the gun down, or Bentley here pulls the trigger." She says, and my eyes flick back to Bentley.
Her eyes are closed now, hiding her brown irises. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her, her neck was covered up and her hair was frizzy as she stood stoically.
Her hands were shaking and her arms were stretched up lightly as if she had hugged herself and dragged her fingernails down the delicate skin.
She probably hadn't eaten, or taken her medication... but why the shaking?
"Did you know your girlfriend has a nicotine addiction?" Luna asks. "So funny.... You should have seen the way she was scratching herself when I made Oscar light a cigarette in front of her."
Fuck. Ben hadn't chewed any of that rubbery gum and I know she's probably losing her mind over it. Well, I was losing my mind over something too, and Luna was about to be in for a rude awakening.
"Speaking of Jeeves, Jarvis, Mr. Belvedere, Niles, Anders, Geoffrey.... Give me another one Ru?" I tease.
"Bertram!" He says, playing along to my sadistic game.
"How could I forget Bertram?" I say. "Where is he?"
Luna's eyes look around, just realizing now that she had no backup. It was her against Rumer and I and she had Ben under her control right now.
"What the fuck did you do? Where are they?"
"Funny story actually.... I fucking killed them. Killed your babysitters. Who's going to do the dirty work for you now?" I say.
"It's in everyone's best interest to put that fucking gun down. You've really riled me up now, Styles."
"Aw, are you sad because your big babies are dead?" I say in a mocking tone, tilting my head and narrowing my eyes just like she does when she's torturing me. "I'm sure you'll find some solace in the fact that Brucie ratted you out. After I cut my boots off of his feet."
Luna didn't like this, and she was brash in her decision making.
She picks up the bat again, and before I could even move, she smashes it against Bentley's right ankle, making her cry out in pain and hit the ground, holding her leg and dropping the gun.
"Bentley!" I scream at the same time Rumer does but Luna cocks the gun she had, stopping me in my tracks.
I couldn't help if I was dead but Ben's painful panting was sending tidal waves through me.
"I said: Put. It. Down." she says through her teeth.
"Harry?" Rumer asks, considering putting the gun down.
"Fuck- You bitch!" Bentley grits, and Luna lifts the bat again, sending me a taunting look as if she would hit Ben with it again.
Her safety was my priority here.... And so was Rumer's. We had to be careful about how we handled this. I still hadn't pointed my gun at her so maybe she thought I was disarmed.
It was a hostage situation in a way, and I had been stuck in those on my old hits. This was driven purely by killer instinct and as long as Bentley was conscious we'd be fine.
She just had to hang on.
"Put it down, Rumer." I say calmly.
"Kick it over." Luna commands, and I nod at Rumer as he kicks the pistol over right to Luna's feet.
She picks it up, holding it up and that's when I see the ring on her finger. My eyes shift to hers and he narrows her eyes at my face of confusion.
"Russell and I, nice rock, isn't it?" She asks, showing off the brilliant ring.
"Y-you're marrying Russ?" Rumer asks.
"In November, yes." She returns, picking up the bat and resting it on her shoulder. "Now, what are you two doing here... You might have killed my boys but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be a threat to you."
"You're dumber than I thought if you haven't connected the dots."
"Kill me? Is that what you think you're going to do?" She scoffs. "Get away with your little girlfriend and run off into the sunset? This isn't a fairytale, Styles."
Well that was the plan, get away with Ben and hide out for a while... and then we'd kill Luna.
Together.
We can't kill her now.... Not now that she's marrying Russell. It makes her almost untouchable. If we were to kill Luna, we'd have to kill anyone that could put targets on our back.
Victor, Russell.... Any loyalists.
Ben was injured and I wouldn't make Rumer kill his sister, and I couldn't fucking bring myself to risk anyone else's life like that. It was like I had become weak for all of Bentley's friends... They were my friends now too.
We need to get Ben and leave Luna untouched, as much as it pains me.
"Never said it was." I retort, reaching discreetly for my gun while she stares at Rumer.
I move quickly, shooting the actual gun out of her hands, making sure to leave her unscathed, watching her panic as it breaks against the ground before she freezes in place and sends me a grave glare.
"Big. Mistake." She tuts, her jaw clenched in anger and her chest rising and falling in nerves. She picks up the gun that Ben had dropped, putting it into her shaky hands. "Go on Bentley, shoot."
"Bentley, no." I tell her, and her eyes widen at the sound of my voice.
"Do it." Luna says again.
Ben's eyes are glazed over, bloodshot and empty.... She looked so fucking empty. Her breathing is erratic and I can see her ankle getting red through the slit of her denim.
"Ben, put the gun down." I echo the same words I had to use once before, at my place the first time I had to leave her.
Luna had put me in that position and I had to push her away. I was done pushing people away for Luna.
"Bentley if you don't pull that trigger, I'll kill every last one of your pals in front of you." Luna spits, and I can see some emotion flash through Bentley.
"Benny... don't do it... she's bluffing." Rumer says, and I turn my head around for a second to look at him. "Get rid of the gun..."
Luna walks around Bentley in circles, swinging the baseball bat around carefully as she does before stopping behind her at her right.
"You know.... I told Bentley yesterday that she needs to face reality. Did you know-"
Bentley moves sharply, pointing the gun at Luna and she goes to pull the trigger but she is cut off by the sound of a police siren, blue and red lights shining and it gets louder with every single passing second.
"Fuck." I say.
"You got lucky this time." Luna says, dropping the bat, scrambling to grab the gun and head to the driver's side. "I'm only leaving you with your girlfriend because she's useless without her driving leg.... And I like the chase."
Fuck, she had taken out her right leg and we were going to have to drive. She couldn't drive like this. Luna gets in the car and speeds off and the siren gets louder.
"Go get the car, Rumer. Now!" I yell, and he nods twice before running off.
I sprint towards Bentley, crouching quickly and picking her up, hearing her wince as I lift her up. "Hey, hey, hey... I have to run, can you hold your ankle for me?" I say.
"Fuck- This hurts, Harry."
"S'alright sinner, we'll take care of it." I reassure her, moving quickly and weaving through a crowd, being careful not to bump into other people as we made our way towards where Rumer and I had parked.
"Just... have to get to... fuck, where is he?" I grit.
The issue with the police wasn't the racing, it was the guns, the drugs... Fuck, we did not need to be caught right now.
"Why didn't you tell me she was doing that to you?" She says between heavy breaths.
"We'll talk about that later..." I tell her, seeing Rumer in the distance.
Rumer flashes his lights at me twice and I head towards him as he gets out of the car, tearing open the back door of the car as I go to put Bentley in.
"I can drive." She says.
"No, you can't." I say firmly, and she gives me a mean look. "Ben, your ankle is broken. You can't drive."
"I-I've only been in the backseat once since and it was when L-Luna took me, Harry- I can drive."
"That's enough! You're not driving, end of story." Rumer grits. "I'll sit in the back with you, it's a short drive, I promise."
"You have to distract me." She says, eyes wide.
"I'm putting the Stevie on, don't worry." I tell her, pressing a chaste kiss to her temple before hearing Rumer slamming the back door.
"Hurry up." Ben says.
I press play on the song and blast it, hearing Bentley bitch and complain about it to Rumer who is speaking to her quietly as I speed towards the jetstrip.
"This is literally the one I hate the most."
"I thought you hated Destiny!" I shoot back laughing.
"Yeah, well Soldier's Angel might be a close second." She bites, and I look at her through the rear view, hands gripping the metal posts of the headrests tightly, as if it were the wheel.
I missed her complaints, and the anger... I knew I'd be getting a mouthful soon because she knew about the torture now... she probably knew about some other things because with every look she took of me, I never got a look of relief.
Before I knew it we were there, and I could see Apollo, Dorian, and Zayn on the steps of one of the planes. I stomped on the brakes, handing the keys to Niall who was also there.
He'd be flying home to London tomorrow but we needed him to take care of everything that we couldn't.
Rumer stepped out of the car, picking up Bentley and carrying her out, and that's when I heard Dorian's gasp. I was still out of breath from the adrenaline and I couldn't keep my eyes on any one place.
"Benny!" Dorian says loudly.
"Watch out with her ankle." I warn, and Dorian's eyes look down to her swollen leg.
"Holy shit- Apollo!" He calls, and Apollo jogs over.
"You need a splint for that. ASAP."
"Yeah, no shit." She rolls her eyes, and Rumer hands her over to me. "Where are we going?"
I look at her, and she has her arms crossed over her chest as I walk us into the far jet, setting her down on the small seat as everyone follows me. Apollo takes off his puffy jacket, kneeling in front of her.
"I'll tell you soon."
"How bad does it hurt?" He asks, carefully removing her boot. She hisses as he shakes it a little bit.
"I don't know.. Like a six?"
"Doesn't feel too bad either... Hold this." Apollo tells me, and he asks Dorian to go get something from his bag. "Going to get you in a splint for now but Harry, she needs a boot... or a cast."
"Sounds alright. I have friends who can take care of it." I breathe out, feeling her eyes on me. Apollo gets to work, using his jacket as the cushioning for her leg and elevating it on the suitcase. "We have to go... pilot's are waiting." I note, looking at the pilot standing in the hallway.
"Alright. We'll see you soon, you have the burners?" Rumer says.
"Burners? Why do we need burners, where are you going?" Bentley asks, threatening to stand but Zayn pushes her shoulders down.
"We've got to split up Benny, safety reasons and all that. We'll see each other soon." Z tells her. "R-Man and I are heading out to New York to lay low... D and 'Pollo are going to Florida to stay with Allegra and you and Harry are going to-"
"An undisclosed location." I interrupt.
Rumer smirks, giving me a knowing look before I return my eyes to her. She looks a bit disheveled but lucky for her this flight would only last around 7 hours. She'd probably sleep through most of it anyway, and I'd be contacting some friends in the city.
They take their turns saying goodbye, their 'see you soons' and 'enjoy the rest' being a constant repetition. Even Niall drops in to call her petal, sending a shockwave of jealousy through me, but I calm down when I feel Rumer's hand on my good shoulder.
"Don't forget to take care of yourself too, alright?" He tells me.
"I've got priorities-"
"I always tell Benny that she should treat people with kindness... so now I'm going to tell you something." He inhales. "You gotta treat yourself with kindness."
"Ru-"
"You can't take care of anyone else unless you take care of yourself... What good is a dim lighthouse for?" He asks rhetorically, looking at Bentley when he speaks.
"I will..." I say, trailing off as she finally cracks a smile at one of Dorian's stupid jokes. She rubs her hands on his bleached head, pulling him in for a squeeze and and I feel myself let out a breath I didn't know I was even holding.
"Harry, another thing before I go." Rumer starts, and I nod, telling him silently to continue.
"Maybe hold off on the whole... you know." He says hesitantly. "I don't think she's ready to hear that... Give her a little more time."
I knew I couldn't tell her anytime soon. I didn't even know if she felt the same way and the idea of this being one sided almost killed me. I know that she's aware that things between us are different, but I don't think she has the capacity to even process the idea of loving someone right now.
So I wouldn't tell her... at least not yet.
I'd wait as long as I must because it's not like I'm ever leaving her side again. We were stuck together now, through trial and tribulation... through murder and excellence.
That was us though, the universe and the devil. The sinner became a saint in my eyes before I could even process how sanctifying loving her could be.
She was the forbidden fruit of the galaxies and I had taken my first bite unknowingly, never to return. I didn't need Eden if I had her. I didn't need Psalms if I had her poems. I didn't need salvation because I had become worthy of something greater than being saved... I had become worthy of her.
I knew she'd be upset once I came clean about it all... I would be too, but I'd suffer the sinner's gravest punishment as long as she was laying it on me.
I could pull the trigger no questions asked if I knew her electric current had kissed the tip of the bullet.
I would tie an anchor to my leg and jump into the deepest and darkest waters if it meant I'd be greeting the celestial sinner on the other side.
Because she is stardust, and her mouth is the edge of the universe, and I get torn across time and space in her black hole eyes. I don't want to know who I am without being hers anymore. I don't want to be found, I want to roam across the space that she brings to life. I want her, and I want her forever.
"I can wait... I will wait." I tell Rumer, and he gives me a quick pat on the shoulder before calling for everyone to go.
The pilot gives Ben and I quick instructions before going into the cockpit, and dims the lights, leaving Bentley and I alone.
"Ben-" I start, but she speaks faster.
"Why didn't you tell me Luna punished you after you lost races? Why didn't you fucking tell me you fucked her?" Great.
"I didn't want you compromising who you are for me." I say simply.
"Compro- Harry, she- fuck, she did it to me too, I'm sure you saw the video." She exhales. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry that it happened to you and I would do anything to take back what happened." I admit. "I didn't tell you because it's... it's embarrassing. For me."
"Embarrassing? Why would you be embarrassed in front of me? About anything?"
"I just was, okay?" I tell her. "Big old hitman Harry falls weak to a fucking bucket of water." I mock my own pain and I feel her hand grip my wrist.
"You aren't weak." She affirms. "You just should have told me... I would have lost every single fucking race if it meant you were okay in the end."
"I am okay-"
"You told me once that it's okay if you're not okay. So if you aren't, admit it. I'm not okay... this was... this was a hard day." She sighs.
"I- Shit. I'm not okay but I will be... I can be."
"So can I." She tells me. "I'm still mad you fucked her though."
"It was before you and I met and if it makes you feel better I didn't let her finish." I joke at the end, watching a playful smirk come up on her lips.
"Good." She nods. "Now... where are we going?"
"Tokyoto." I tell her.
"Tokyoto- holy shit. Tokyo and Kyoto?"
"We'll spend some time there... laying low... learning some Japanese if you're up for it?"
"Sugar Daddy Styles... you've done it again." She laughs, and I inhale a smile at the melodic sound of her. "Hey how do you say sugar daddy in Japanese?"
"Papakatsu." I tell her, chuckling.
"Papakatsu Styles... It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" She teases.
"I hate you." I deadpan sarcastically. "Go to sleep, you look tired."
"If you think I look like hell, just say so."
"I thought you were fond of hell." I joke.
"Not if this is what I look like in it." She retorts, grabbing the blanket from behind her. "My leg is killing me."
I reach for her bag, where I know she keeps the pain relief medication in during her periods and toss her the bottle, watching her catch it carefully as I head over to my own bag, unzipping it.
"What are you doing, there's water here." She chokes out, voice cringing at the mention of water.
I pull out a can of diet coke for her that I had gotten in the hotel room earlier, cracking it open for her and extending my arm as I lean my body over her to give her the can.
"It's warm, but-"
She interrupts me by pressing her lips to mine three times, lulling back just enough to pop the pills in her mouth and down the can of coke.
"Goodnight, Bentley fuckin' Hale."
"Missed my name coming from your mouth, devil." she says mindlessly, leaving the seat back.
"Missed you, sinner." I return, watching her drift into a careful sleep.
************************
AN:
200K ON DRAG?????????????????????
guys i genuinely don't know what to say i never thought this would happen i am actually going insane in my bedroom right now freaking out.
thank you so much for sticking with me and harry and benny and rumie and the rest of the gang (even luna!) you'll never know how much this means to me and i swear it's so surreal thinking that so many people are keeping up with the story.
in honor of this, i promise to give you the most wonderful japan hentley joy of your life!
thank you endlessly.
PS!!
don't forget that hell is the finish line (the drag poetry collection) will be updating soon!!! add it to your libraries so you can get notified when it does!!! lot's of poems coming up soon (especially in japan, wink wink) so keep your eyes open!!
see you soon.
ARABELLA.