TW: SLIGHT MENTION OF RAPE
~Harry~
Home.
Something that he had always hated for as long as he could remember.
The word home had meant a lot of things for Harry Styles. It was one that instantly had him in fear, one that had him feeling completely alone. His classmates would always share stories of their own homes; ones filled with love, happiness and family. He couldn't understand how a place that brought him so much pain could give others so much joy.
When he was around eight his mother had told him that home wasn't always a place, it could be people... a person. Because to her, Harry and Gemma was her home, not the four walls that they feared being inside of. He never understood what she had meant, that he would never understand because how could one person bring him the love and happiness he had always longed for?
But as he looked into the bright blue eyes of Marley Jeen Beck... he finally understood.
He finally understood what it had felt like to look at someone who can manage to break his heart all while managing to make it become whole again. The person who single handedly managed to make him want to get out of bed, someone who made him realize there was more to life than what he had thought he knew.
Marley was his saving grace, she was so much more than he could have ever imagined. She had done more for him that entire summer than anyone else could have done in a lifetime. She saved him in every single way a person could be saved.
"What are you thinking about in that pretty little head of yours?" She teased, placing a small cotton swab to the side of his head.
"You," he answered honestly, it had been the same answer to almost all of his questions.
Because when it came down to it, Marley was always the answer.
She laughed lightly, shaking her head as she placed a damp rag over the cut above his brow, "You're quite the charmer, Styles."
"So I've been told," he smirked, placing his large hands onto her hips as he pulled her in between his legs.
She smiled as she ran her fingers through her hair, sending the ends of her waves to dance across his fingertips as they began to make the way up the small of her back. He traced small circular patterns with his thumb, shooting his head back as he hissed in pain when she applied too much pressure to the freshly opened wound.
"Shit," he cursed, squeezing his eyes shut as he moved back away from her.
"Oh fuck," she quiped softly, sending a small kiss to his lips before she said sweetly. "Sorry about that."
He chuckled softly, rolling his eyes before he pulled her in for another kiss, "It's okay, but only if you keep kissing me when it hurts."
"Idiot," she responded before nodding her head. "He really got you good-"
"Ouch," he said quickly, puckering his lips as he waited for hers to fall on top of his own.
"Harry I didn't even touch you," she laughed, slapping his shoulder lightly as he laughed through his puckered lips.
He pouted for a second, almost as if he had been thinking of an excuse before he simply flashed his dimpled grin and said, "But my face hurts."
She rolled her bright blue eyes at him before giving him a small peck on the lips. He grinned instantly, wrapping his arms back around her waist as she turned his head to the left, placing the rag back onto his face.
"Does it still sting?" She asked caringly, studying his battered features as he shook his head.
"No," he responded slowly. "It's more of a dull ache."
She placed the rag down onto the bathroom counter, sighing lightly as she spoke, "God, I'm so sorry Harry."
"Why on Earth are you sorry, blue?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as she let out another sigh.
"I knew I shouldn't have let you do this," she whispered, sounding frustrated with herself as she placed her hands onto her hips.
She had still been wearing the same outfit from before - a pair of light denim shorts, a grey tank top, and his red flannel that she had stolen from his closet when she thought he wasn't looking. The clothes hugged her curvy figure, one that Harry hadn't been able to take his eyes off of all night.
He slipped his hands under the flannel, his fingers running over the fabric of her top as he sat his hands on her waist. "Marley," he said quietly, waiting for her eyes to meet his gaze before he continued. "You could have held a fucking gun to my head and I still would've gone."
She placed her hands on his shoulders as she pursed her lips together slightly, "I could be real scary when I want to be."
"Oh I don't doubt it," he teased, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "But there was nothing you could have said or done to make me not go tonight Marley. If I had it my way, he would be dead by now."
Her smile dropped slightly, her eyes filled with sorrow as she asked, "What do you think they are going to do to Robin?"
"I don't know," he answered honestly, hanging his head down low as he bit the inside of his cheek. "But he is a good man, blue. Once they hear the confession I doubt Robin will be in trouble."
"The confession," she said softly, almost as if she had completely forgotten about it until that very moment. "Everyone is going to know."
Her voice was barely above a whisper and he could see her head spinning, like she was trying to play every scenario that could possibly happen from then on. She pulled away from him as she turned her back to him, nothing to be heard as he stood in silence before the sound of a slight sob filled the room.
"Hey, hey, hey," he said softly, moving around her to see that her eyes were shut and her arms were wrapped securely around her body. He placed his hands on her shoulders softly, lifting her chin with his middle finger as he looked at her lovingly.
"I don't even know why I'm fucking crying," she said, almost harshly to herself as she wiped the tears. "I should be thankful that it's all over, I mean, he's finally going to pay for what he's done-"
"Marley," he tried to cut her off, but her voice sliced through the air louder than his own.
"You know what my mother did when she walked in on him holding me down?" She laughed, pacing around the bathroom as she held the back of her neck in her hands. "She kicked me out. For three days I had to stay at Vicky's house until she coked out and didn't come back home."
She knew. Jennifer Clarie Beck knew what that man had done to her daughter, and she didn't do anything to stop it.
The woman used to be far down on the list of people that Harry absolutely despised. But as time had passed and he grew closer with Marley, she slowly made her way up that dreadful list. With each day that had come and gone, the level of anger he had for Marley's mother grew to a length he never thought was even possible. And now, she hand finally managed to make it to the top of that fucking list. Right there with Dean and his father.
"So why the fuck am I scared of what she is going to think when she finds out I'm the reason that prick is back in prison... again? No," she said as she shook her head, another dry chuckle escaping her lips as she said. "What's worse is that for some reason, a part of me hopes that once she hears, she'll come back. Even after everything she has done, I can't help but wish she would just tell me she was sorry. She doesn't have to be sorry for leaving us, for making us feel like we were nothing or fucking worthless to her, because we're better off without her. I just want her to be sorry for bringing him into our lives."
A part of him knew what she had meant, because somewhere deep inside of him he wonders if his father was ever sorry for what he had done to his family. When he found out he had died, he couldn't help but think if he had regret all the things he had put them through. That maybe if given the chance he would tell Harry he was sorry.
He wasn't sure exactly what to say because there were no words in the english language to describe what he would do to take this feeling away from her. So he did what he knew would help him, he simply wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, waiting for her to be the first to let go.
Her arms instantly found their way around his body, her head falling into the spot in between his neck and shoulder. He was immediately engulfed by the smell of strawberries, the same fruit that instantly made his heart leap because he was reminded of her. She held onto him tightly, a feeling of relief flooding through his body when he felt hers relax.
"I hate that I let her do this to me, to us," she whispered quietly, Harry knowing instantly she had meant her brothers. "Because even though I hate her with everything inside of me, I still can't help but wonder if she regrets any of it."
"I'm sorry she made you feel like you weren't enough," he whispered, his voice matching the softness of hers. "But for what it's worth, she is one of the only people in the world who think you are anything less than enough, Marley. Because you are everything and so much more, blue."
"How come you always know what to say to make me feel better," she questioned, her words softly being muffled by the fabric of his shirt.
He smiled lightly, a funny feeling erupting in his chest when he felt her begin to smile, "I think it's because when I'm with you everything just makes sense."
"Thank you," she whispered softly. "For everything."
"You don't have to thank me, love." He mumbled softly, lifting her feet off of the floor as she wrapped her legs around his waist, guiding the two down the hall.
~
The record player she had sitting on the floor of her room was humming softly as the sound of the Beatles flooded her room. The cracks of the speakers consumed the two as they sat on her windowsill, their limbs intertwined as he played with her fingers that were locked with his own.
"Harry," she asked quietly, her legs slightly swinging back and forth as he hummed in response. "Do you actually think we'll ever make it out of this shitty town? Or are we just kidding ourselves to think that there will ever be something better than this?"
He sighed for a moment, staying silent as his brain tried to find the words that he was looking for. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Marley was going to do great things. Someone with a heart as golden as her and a soul as kind was too good for this life.
But a part of him was scared. Because while she was the first one to tell him over and over again that he was better than this, it almost seemed impossible. He knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before she was gone. Gone to change another life the way she had seemingly changed his, and it scared him to death thinking of a life that she wouldn't be apart of.
"You are too good for this life, Marley Jeen." He announced, looking up at the stars as he continued. "And if anyone deserves to get out, it's you."
"Only if you come with me," she whispered, her head falling onto his shoulder as he rested his head on top of her own.
He picked his head off of hers quickly, taking her face into his hands as she giggled. He stared at her for a moment, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he asked, "You want me to come with you?"
There was something about the look in her eyes that made Harry almost crumble, no one has ever looked at him with such love before... such admiration.
"Are you kidding," she whispered, moving her body closer to his. "You're stuck with me, Styles, till the end."
He hadn't realized that he was smiling until his cheeks started to hurt, but he didn't care. Marley was one of the last good things he had in his life, and he would be damned to let anything get in the way of that.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when the sound of drums flooding through the speakers echoed through the room. Her eyes lit up immediately when the melody hit her ears, causing the smile on his face to mirror on her own as she grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the room. He recognized the tune immediately to be Something by The Beatles, a chuckle leaving his lips when he saw her feet shuffling towards the music.
He watched her as she reached the record player and turned the volume up slightly before he asked, "What are you doing, baby?"
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
She held her hand out slowly, staring up at him before he bit his lip shyly. "I, uh," he stuttered out, stretching the back of his neck before he said. "I don't know how to dance."
"It's okay," she assured softly, stepping closer to him as she took his hand in her own. "Neither do I."
He laughed loudly, leaning his head back as she slapped his shoulder playfully. "Ouch," he said quietly, puckering his lips as she rolled her eyes before did it again, softer this time.
"Take it easy tough guy," he joked as he pulled her close, placing his forehead onto hers before he said. "I've had enough of a beating tonight don't you think?"
She placed her hand on his cheek, her eyes skimming over his face before she nodded slowly, "I meant it when I said I wanted you to come with me. We're in this together Harry. It's how we started and it's how we're gonna end it."
Somewhere in her smiles she knows
That I don't need no other lover
"Even though in the beginning we couldn't be in a room for five minutes without wanting to kill each other," he said, never noticing the two starting to sway to the tune of the song.
She chuckled softly as she rolled her eyes, "You know I think they call that sexual tension."
He laughed lightly at her words, leaning down to kiss her lips as she hummed softly. He spun her around, lighting her feet off of the ground as she held onto him tightly, the sound of their laughter filling the room as the lamp in the corner of her room along with moon's glow gave the two all the light they needed.
Because even without the brightest of lights he could still see how breathtaking the girl was, Marley Jeen was simply the epitome of beauty.
They moved effortlessly together, their bodies having a mind of their own as they rocked back and forth, stepping on each other's feet every now and then. It was at that moment that Harry came to the realization that all he ever really needed in his life was her.
His home... his moon.
He would take a thousand beating if it meant not a single soul could touch a hair on her head. He would walk a thousand miles if it meant she would never step on a rock. He would take a thousand bullets for her if it meant she would never feel pain.
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
He would do it all again for her... every single damn time. Because he was simply a boy in love with the greatest soul to ever walk the face of the Earth.
~
400k
I genuinely cannot put into words how thankful I am for you guys... for how much I love every single one of you. Thank you for everything, it means the world.
A surprise little update for you guys. I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I wanted one final soft chapter full of fluff before all hell broke loose.
Also if you were expecting smut, my sincerest apologies because once I started writing this chapter... I knew there wasn't going to be any smut. I promise it will happen soon, these moments between Marley and Harry were just too pure to throw smut into the middle of it.
Thank you guys for reading, I hope you enjoyed.
Thoughts on the story so far??
~ Lizzy :)