Harry Styles Short Stories

PARTNERS IN CRIME

SUMMARY: You hate athletes and you don't plan on changing that for anyone. That is until you befriend the shy hockey player who ends up being your partner for your criminology assignment.

WORD COUNT: 20.1k

WARNING: a little bit of blood, bullying

Why on Earth did you have to get a roommate who doesn't know how to take no as an answer? You swear to all gods above, Zoe has never had to deal with rejection and not because she's always been the best but because she just refused to take it and pushed all boundaries until she got what she wanted. Tonight it's her mission to get you to turn your no into yes.

"Come on! You never go to parties, how are you gonna get your full college experience?" she sighs, flopping down to your bed next to you, where you're curled up with yet another crime book, an obsession that might be a bit too much in some people's opinion, but you like to call it a passion of yours. Your brother would beg to differ, but you don't let that ruin something you like. After all, it is what got you figure out what you want to do in life.

"Who said I want the full college experience? I am in college so therefore I'm having an experience," you retort, laying your book to your chest just in time to see Zoe roll her almond shaped eyes before she narrows them at you. Even pretending to be hurt and mad at you, she is still one of the most stunning girls you've ever met in your life.

When the two of you became roommates last year as freshmen, you were afraid she'd the type you tried to avoid at all cost in high school. The popular, everyone's favorite girl who only cares about herself. Well, the first part is kind of true, Zoe is the kind of girl who gets most people's attention walking across the campus, but she is definitely not the selfish monster you thought her to be, but a caring and lively bubble of endless energy who tried her best to bring you out of your shell through your first year. It was partially successful, you went to about two parties all year which was already more than what you were planning on, but she also introduced you to a lot of people and helped you find your own little circle. The two of you had a few classes together last year, but this year you both finally chose your majors which resulted in a schedule that didn't cross anywhere, Zoe chose International Studies while you started Criminal and Social Justice, something you've been highly excited about all summer.

Even though you were lucky enough to stay together after moving into another residence hall this year, Zoe now feels like it's her special task to get you out of the room and your own little room even more since she can't see you for most of the day usually, but you're not sure how you feel about that mission of hers.

"It's gonna be fun! We are not freshmen anymore, we'll be like the cool kids finally!" she tries again, but you're not giving in.

"Z, you are already a cool kid and I'm not trying to be one. I don't see the use of it for me."

"Okay," she huffs raising her eyebrows at you. "I didn't mean to tell you, but this is my last chance of changing your mind. There is an ulterior reason why I want to be there."

"I'm listening," you mumble, narrowing your eyes at her in suspicion.

"So, at the end of last year, remember when I went to the party with Callie and Mike?"

"Distantly, but yes."

"Well, I kinda hooked up with..." She looks away, a soft blush painting her face and now you're dying to know who got her this nervous.

"Just spit it out!"

"I hooked up with Niall Horan!"

Your eyes widen and your mouth opens before you close it, not knowing what to say. Niall Horan is the captain of Boston College's men's hockey team the Eagles, notorious womanizer and in your opinion, a straight up asshole.

Well, if you're being honest every sport obsessed jock is an asshole for you and though judging a book by its cover is not a nice thing to do, you just can't help it, not after what happened to you in high school.

Zoe knows your opinion about guys on any of the school's sport teams, probably that's why she never told you about Niall, she guessed right that you'd have quite a few issues with her little adventure. But you can't be mad at her for doing something you would never, it's her life and her choices, however you're still not sure what it has got to do with tonight.

"Okay, so that's one more reason to stay away from tonight's party," you tell her, but she sighs.

"We kinda kept in touch through the summer, which was a miracle since he went home to his family in Ireland, but we texted a lot and he even FaceTimed me two times! I was hoping tonight would bring a little more and we could... I don't know, make it official."

You can tell how nervous she is about this guy and that she wants it to end well. Zoe broke up with her longtime high school boyfriend after graduation and she hasn't really found anyone who interested her that much, but it seems like the hockey team's captain was the person she's been waiting for all along. You wish it was some nice guy from the robotics club or something. You have quite a few doubts about this Niall guy.

"But why do I need for that?" you ask the most important question. It's one thing that you're not a fan of Zoe getting together with a hockey player, but what role do you have in all of it?

"I need you to be there and not let me go crazy!" she sighs desperately. "I really like him and I really don't want to make a fool out of myself. I need you to be my rational side."

"You're a smart girl, Zoe. You don't need me to babysit you."

"But I do! Please, I'll do all your laundry for the rest of the semester, just please come with me!" She is begging as if her life depended on your attendance. It's really not your cup of tea, but when you look at your desperate friend, you realize you won't be able to say no.

So a few hours later you are walking up the stairs to some frat house, the music is blasting inside and people are lingering outside, you can only imagine how crowded it is on the other side of the door.

Zoe keeps a firm hold on your hand as she pulls you after her, finding a group of people you both know pretty soon. You all attended Sociology first semester, so you greet each other like old buddies.

Zoe fetches the two of you each a drink and while you stand in a small circle, trying to talk over the music and the noise, you notice how she isn't even paying attention, only looking around cautiously, probably searching for a particular Irish hockey player.

"Don't look so desperate," you hiss at her, which causes her to look down at her feet with a soft blush on her cheeks. For a moment you feel bad for being so harsh on her. It's not like she can choose who she likes and if it happens to be a hockey player, you can't give her a hard time for it. You can only hope she won't end up like you once did.

After finishing your first drink you offer to grab the second and Zoe agrees, saying that she needs the liquid courage for when Niall arrives. You push your way into the kitchen and mix the both of you a vodka orange, the same thing Zoe made you earlier and head back to your little bunch. Slaloming between the people on your own you don't get stopped for a few words or to take shots, you barely know anyone and it's honestly fine by you. You never really enjoyed attention that much, it brought you way too much anxiety. Zoe is the opposite, she gets noticed all the time and whenever you are with her you always get stopped, people seek her presence and you don't blame them, she is amazing. You could easily be jealous of her, but you decided to put your energy into positive things so you're more happy than mad about her success.

Handing Zoe her drink you zone out for a bit and your attention is grabbed by Zoe when her hand smacks your arm. You cautiously look around as she sucks her breath in and that's when you see the guys she's been waiting for all night walk in.

Niall is the first one, loud and vibrant, saying hi to basically everyone that gets in his way as he walks into the house. Then comes Louis, he is a senior this year and he seems a lot calmer and less all over the place than Niall, though you've heard a thing or two about him as well. Then a few more guys who are also definitely on the team, because they have the same jacket as the first two, and last in the line comes Harry Styles.

You don't know much about him, just that he is a promising defense player, as a freshman last year he was on the ice from the beginning of their very first game in the season, which is a big deal. Coach Brahms is known to make the new players work for their spot on the ice, but Harry Styles broke that habit of his. Now he is a sophomore and everyone is talking about how he is going to be the backbone of the team this season. You know all of this because your brother is a big fan, in fact, he used to play on the school's team. He has graduated two years ago but he still likes to watch their games and be up-to-date with the news. You remember him telling you about Harry last year, how satisfied he was with his game.

"I wish I could've played with him!" he sighed longingly, but you couldn't understand his enthusiasm.

From the outside Harry didn't seem too friendly. You barely saw him talk to anyone outside of his teammates, sometimes he has this pretty intimidating look on his face as if he was silently judging everyone around him and he already had a bad point at you by being a hockey player. You just know he isn't someone you should be around.

"Okay, how do I look?" Zoe pulls you back from your thoughts as she turns to face you for reassurance about her look.

"Great, but don't talk his ears off, okay?" you tell her, fixing a strand of hair before giving her a thumbs up.

"You need to come with me," she demands, gripping your wrist tight.

"You don't need me there," you shake your head in protest.

"But I do, come on!"

Zoe yanks you after her, not even caring that you said no. Typical, as always. The guys are headed into the kitchen so of course, the two of you are following. You really don't want to be here right now, but Zoe wouldn't let go of you, chaining you to herself.

Niall is opening up a can of beer for himself when he spots Zoe and his face lights up at the sight of her. You have to give it to them, it's kind of cute, but that doesn't change much about your opinion.

"Zoe! Hi!" he greets your friend happily and she finally lets go of you, just so she can return the hug he envelopes her into.

"Hey, it's good to see you! How are you?" The two of them get into a little chit-chat while you're standing near, then Zoe turns to you and pulls you closer, into their little circle. "This is my roommate, Y/N. Y/N, this is Niall."

"Hi," you smile at him shortly, not willing to hold up a conversation with him.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you. Z told me a lot about you."

Oh, so at least he remembers what they talk about. That's a somewhat good start. He still has a long way to go.

After some usual schmoozing Niall leans closer to Zoe's ear and you see her eyes lighting up before she turns to you and you already know what's about to come.

"Hey, is it okay if I have a few words with Niall outside? Or do you want me to stay with you?"

The last question is not rhetorical, you know Zoe would blow Niall off and stick to you if you asked, but you're not trying to ruin her chances even though you really don't want to be left alone at a party.

"Sure, I'll be fine," you assure her.

"Are you sure?"

"Zoe, just go, okay? I'll go back to Francesca and the others," you nod your head towards the people you stood when you first arrived.

"Alright, I'll come and find you when we are done. Text me if something happens!" she tells you, giving you a quick hug before you watch her walk away, Niall right behind her, keeping a hand on her waist casually.

Chewing on your bottom lip you sigh as you're left alone and when you look around you don't see Francesca or any other people you know either. Left alone in a party you didn't even want to attend now you have to linger around while Zoe possibly gets together a hockey player, the kind you want to avoid from the furthest possible... what a great night!

Finishing your drink you quickly refill your cup and then go on a mission to find a bathroom in this packed frat house. Making your way upstairs you easily spot the room you're looking for, two girls already waiting in line, so you just quietly join them. They sound pretty plastered, talking about some guys that invited them over to their place and you push down a grimace at how easily they are saying yes to men they literally just met. The two girls go inside together once the bathroom empties, so you wait alone now and when the stumble out a few minutes later you gladly lock yourself inside, having a breather from all the impulses waiting for you outside.

After finishing your business you sprinkle some cold water into your face, the heat in the house is rising with each arriving guest and you really hate sweating your ass off, but you don't have much of a choice. Maybe you can look around outside, someone you know might pop up so you wouldn't have to walk around alone. You grab your cup from the sink where you placed upon arriving and with a deep sigh you reach for the doorknob and open it. As you're about to step out, you straight up mash against someone, a hard chest meeting with you, your drink spilling all over your black top and for a moment you sing hallelujah for changing from that white shirt you originally wanted to wear.

"Holy shit, I'm sorry!" A deep voice with a British accent speaks up as you look down at your soaked shirt. Letting out a sigh you clench your jaw before glancing up and seeing none other than Harry Styles, staring down at your chest.

"Great, thanks," you mumble, turning back into the bathroom to dry yourself off a bit, though you know the orange juice will leave it sticky either way. You expect him to just disappear, not wanting to deal with the casualties of his actions, but Harry lingers in the bathroom door, not sure what to do or say. Glancing at him you arch an eyebrow at him questioningly. "What? Staring doesn't help the situation," you snap at him, your dislike coming off maybe a bit too harsh, but you've had enough for tonight.

"How can I help?" he asks, taking a tiny step closer, but still keeping his distance. "You want me to get you another shirt? I know some of the guys here, I could—"

"No need for that. Just go back to the party and ruin someone else's night instead of mine."

You're not this bitter. This isn't your trait, but you were dragged here against your will, Zoe left you alone and now your shirt smells like vodka orange. There's a reason why you don't like parties and it's because somehow they always end up horrendous on your part.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming..."

"Surely," you grumble, peeking at him once again. He stands tall above you, wearing a plain white shirt that has a few dots of your drink on it as well but he doesn't seem bothered. His black skinny jeans are tighter than anything you own, paired with some trainers, his chocolate curls are messily bouncing around his face. He is definitely growing them out, they've gotten a lot longer during the summer compared to the hairstyle he sported last year from what you remember seeing him on campus here and there.

You'd be lying if you said he wasn't handsome with his dreamy green eyes and pink lips, you can totally see why girls were into him, though out of the whole hockey team, you've heard the least about his dating life from people. Absolutely nothing, to be precise.

Throwing the towel to the side that you used to soak up some of the liquid from your chest you just grab your now almost fully empty cup and head out, but Harry stops you.

"Wait, I really am sorry. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

"No thanks. Save your pretty boy attitude to the ladies downstairs, I'm not interested," you simply reply and then walk away before he could stop you for a second time.

"Where have you been?!" Zoe snaps when the two of you finally run into each other a little later. You've spent some time with a girl you know from philosophy class last year and you headed outside for some fresh air when you finally found your roommate.

"Where have I been? I've been around all along. What's up with you?" you ask and the moment you see her blushing and smiling you know things went well with Niall.

"We are officially dating. We're not a couple but he specifically said that he is not gonna go out with someone else while we are figuring things out."

"Oh, that sounds good!" you say and actually mean it. At least he is not trying to get Zoe into a bigamous mess where he fucks every other women at the same time.

"Yes! I'm so happy, I feel like this can actually work." Her eyes move down to your chest and though it's not soaking wet anymore, the stain is still kind of visible. "What happened to you?"

"Just... bumped into someone and spilled my drink. No big deal."

"Alrighty," she shrugs. "Come on, let's find some friends!" she beams and linking her arm with yours she quickly pulls you after her.

Unlike you, it doesn't take Zoe long to find people she knows. The two of you are in the corner of the living room with a few girls Zoe has classes with this semester, talking about summer and what this school year has for everyone. Now that Zoe is back your anxiety eases a bit, not having to linger around alone has its perks obviously.

Moving to the kitchen to get your next and probably last drink you mentally groan when you spot Niall and his teammates, unlike Zoe who immediately brightens up seeing her man, if you can say that. On top of all that, Harry is with them as well, standing leant against the edge of the countertop, a red cup on his right hand as he mostly just observes the conversations happening around him.

"Hey there! How are you ladies enjoying the party?" Niall grins and curls an arm around Zoe's shoulders, earning her quite a few jealous glares from girls around who are probably crushing hard on the player.

"It's great!" Zoe beams and you decide to leave it at that.

Niall's eyes fall on you and then at Harry who is weirdly eyeing you before looking away which already makes you want to leave this conversation already, but then you see Niall lean closer and saying something to him to which Harry just growls and bumps his shoulder against his. The way Niall peeks at you after that lets you know that it had something to do with you and that makes your blood boiling.

Your hatred towards athletes, especially football or hockey players always gets proven to be valid. They are called players for a reason but in your opinion it has nothing to do with sports. All your life men like Niall and Harry made you miserable for absolutely no reason because they think that the world is lying in front of their feet just because they are considered good in a sport. When you were younger you gave them all the benefit of the doubt, but one asshole of a player turned it all around and rid you of all your trust in anyone who is just the slightest bit like him.

Not quite up to be talked about while you're very much present, you decide tonight must come to an end for you. Leaning closer to Zoe you try to speak so only she can hear it.

"I'm gonna head home, but stay if you want."

"What?" she gasps with sad eyes. "No, stay a little longer!"

"I'm tired. Just wanna go back to the dorm," you shrug, hoping this is going to be one of the rare occasions she takes no as an answer.

"Are you alright? Do you want me to wait for a taxi with you?" she offers and it's sweet that she is still concerned about you when she could just easily ditch you. You can't blame her for you not enjoying the party, she tried her best to contribute to you having a good time.

"No, it's alright."

"Do you need a ride?" Niall chimes in, putting together the pieces about what you two are talking about. "Harry could drive you home," he offers with a smirk, nodding towards his friend whose head immediately snaps up at the mentioning of his name, his eyes meeting your frown.

"No thanks, I'm fine," you simply turn it down. "I'll see you back at the dorm," you tell Zoe before walking away, leaving the awkward situation behind you.

From what you saw, it's been entirely clear that Harry Styles is no different from the athletes you're trying to stay away from. It's a good thing your circles don't meet too often, especially since this was the first and probably last party of the semester you attended.

🏒🏒🏒

It sounds nerdy, but you've been excited to start this new semester, all because you finally chose your major. You ended up with Criminal and Social Justice after a long and deliberate process of deciding what you'd like to study and you can proudly say that you're satisfied with your choice. What got you the most excited is your criminology class you were able to take, held by Professor Rutherford, one of the best professors at Boston College from what you've heard.

After a light Monday, when you only had two classes, nothing extravagant, you wake up buzzing on Tuesday, knowing that you can finally dive into the depths of criminology, something that always amazed and interested you.

Zoe is barely up when you leave, but she is already texting from under her fluffy blankets, the two of you agree to get something for dinner together on your way back to Roncalli residence hall, your dorm, since you both finish around the same time, and with that you're out the door. Making a small trip to the café near the dorm, you head to your class with a steaming black coffee and endless excitement about today's class.

There are still about ten minutes until nine when you arrive, but the room is almost entirely filled. Walking up next to the rows, you spot that somewhere in the middle, there are two empty seats at the end of one of the rows, so you decide to take that. Sitting into one of them and then putting your bag to the other as you dig up your notebook and pen along with your phone.

You shoot a quick text to Zoe to check if she didn't fall back asleep, but she replies right away with a mirror selfie as she is washing her teeth in one of the communal bathrooms on your floor. Then you're just aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and the rest of the minutes pass by quick.

Professor Rutherford arrives and walks up to the podium, the room right away quiets down even though he hasn't even started talking. You assume everyone else is just as excited for this class as you are. He grabs a stack of paper from his oldschool briefcase and puts his glasses on, making him look like a cute grandpa, but you know more about him than to underestimate him. Marlon Rutherford was the best criminal detective at the Boston Police for almost three decades before he started teaching, first only at the academy, but then he was somehow lured to Boston College and he has been teaching Criminology and Criminal Psychology for about ten years now. He was good at what he was doing and he is now happy to pass on everything he knows to the next generations.

Before Professor Rutherford could start, the door opens and two more students arrive, but you're not paying much attention as you're scribbling the date onto the first page of your notebook. But when a figure stops right beside you, your attention is forced away from in front of you.

Standing there a little hunched is none other than Harry Styles, looking down at you with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Can I please... take this seat?" he whispers, pointing to the seat where your bag is and as you glance around you see that there are no other seats left anywhere near, only in the middle of the row and he obviously doesn't want to crawl in there.

"Sure," you mumble, grabbing your bag and dropping it under your seat, turning back to your notebook just as the professor starts speaking.

Harry's sudden arrival pushes you out of your comfort in a second, making you very aware that he is sitting right beside you. He is not staring, not trying to talk to you, just sits there with an old, beaten up notebook and pen, listening to what the professor is saying, doing what you should do, but you're too busy with the hockey player by your side.

Forcing yourself to look forward and focus on what's important, you manage to shut his presence out for a whole... five minutes, probably. Then you see him peeking at you at for some dumb and irritating reason your cheeks heat up just by his look.

"Hey, I'm sorry for what happened at the party," he then whispers over to you, leaning just a tad bit closer and it turns you into stone when his bicep presses against your forearm for a few seconds.

"S'okay," you mumble, keeping your gaze down, but you just know he is still looking at you, while playing with his pen between his fingers. What was Professor Rutherford just saying?!

"I-it was my fault."

"Sure it was." It slips out before you could even stop yourself, but it instantly heats up your neck and ears. As you peek to the side you see a small smile on Harry's lips before you glue your eyes to the professor at the front of the room.

Harry is just about to speak up again, but then the professor claps and it makes you both jump a little, actually paying attention to what he is saying.

"And so what you can expect for the rest of the semester! We are gonna make it an extremely exciting one! We are gonna be working in pairs and every pair will have to study a famous case of a crime that'll be assigned to them. We'll learn about the most important factors in cases and you'll have to work along those lines, analyzing what went down during the investigations. The outcome will be a five thousand words long co-written essay!"

The students start rumbling, already looking for their pairs and your stomach drops to the floor, since you don't know anyone in this class, so how are you going to find a partner?

"Before any of you gets too excited, you don't get to decide who your partner is," Professor Rutherford announces and the talking just increases in the room. "Silence, please!" Slowly, the noises die down and everyone turns back to the professor who is patiently waiting. "Every second person from this side of the room..." he started, pointing at the side where you were also sitting, so that meant you would be a second person. "Look to your right!"

Your eyes instantly snap over to Harry and your lips part as you realize where this is about to head. Harry looks back at you and then down to the professor who then speaks up again with a small smile under his growing mustache.

"Please, say hello to your partner!"

Harry Styles is going to be your partner for your criminology class for the rest of the semester. Months of working is ahead of the two of you and just the thought makes your stomach jump up and down. Seemingly Harry is just as shocked and surprised as you are and what's that you see in his green irises? Nervousness? Anxiety? Whatever it is, he seems to swallow it down before he looks at you with an unsure smile.

"Well, I guess we are now partners in crime."

🏒🏒🏒

Coach Simmons blows his whistle, stopping the ongoing game the boys have been playing for the past twenty minutes. They all stop what they are doing, sliding over to the man at the edge of the ice, breathing heavily under their protective gear. Helmets are coming off as the team waits for the coach to say something. In their skates, they are all taller and definitely stronger than the man in his fifties who is standing in his sneakers on the ice, yet they still respect him as if he could beat them all up with just one hand.

"It wasn't as bad as I expected for the first time after summer, but you all need to get your shit together. Stop thinking too much about yourself and watch out for your team mates. This is a team game, alright?"

The boys all nod as Coach Simmons gives some personal feedback to some of them.

"And Styles?" Harry's head snaps up, chewing on his bottom lip as he waits for the man to continue. "Wake the fuck up, you were like a zombie."

"Sorry, coach," he mumbles back, kicking some crushed ice with his skate.

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Don't do anything stupid," Simmons dismisses the team and they all leave the ice, heading into the changing room.

"Simmons was right, what's up with you?" Niall waits for Harry who is almost the last one to leave the ice and the two of them walk back side by side.

"Nothing, I just need to get back to the groove, that's all."

"Bullshit. You said you've been dying to get back on the ice and now you seemed like you weren't even here in your head."

Harry doesn't answer, just shrugs his shoulders as they enter the changing room, getting rid of their skates right away, but Niall doesn't leave it at that.

"As your captain, I need to know what's on that pretty curly head of yours, big boy!" He teases him and though Harry smiles shortly, it disappears fast and it tells a lot to his friend. "Something happened?"

"It's just... You know that girl from the party?" he starts with a sigh after getting rid of his underclothes, now only standing in his pants. Niall starts undressing too, just like the rest of the team, but they pay no attention to their conversation.

"There were a lot of girls, Harry. You have to be more specific," Niall snorts.

"The one I accidentally bumped into and her drink spilled to her shirt," he answers, blushing even at the thought of the incident.

"Oh! Zoe's roommate, right?"

"Y-yeah."

"What about her? Wait, did you ask her out? Did you finally grow a pair and went after a girl?" Niall gasps dramatically before he starts laughing, but Harry just rolls his eyes.

"We are paired for the semester for our criminology class," he answers instead, leaving Niall's teasing unnoticed.

"That's great, right? You're gonna have to spend time together to work on stuff, yeah?"

"Apparently, but she didn't seem thrilled to be paired with me," he growls under his breath. They both have gotten rid of their clothes so now they head to the showers. In a row, there are a total of five showers, offering not much of covering once someone is inside, but they have gotten used to seeing each other the way they entered this world.

Harry still remembers when he switched teams in high school and at the new place, they had a shower similar to the one at college and he wasn't used to baring it all, his previous place offered showers with floor to ceiling curtains. It took him a good six months to get himself over the fact that he was gonna be seeing his team mates without clothes quite often. Now he doesn't even think about it as he steps under the warm water, carrying the conversation on with Niall as they stand next to each other, basically fully seeing each other's business.

"Do you want me to ask Zoe why she hates you?" Niall offers and Harry grimaces at his words.

"You think she hates me? We barely even know each other."

"Dunno, but you did spill her drink on her at a party. Maybe she took is harder than you thought."

"I literally apologized like ten times already. Even did so in class, but she didn't seem to be fazed at all," Harry muses, thinking back at his exchange of words with you from earlier.

"Okay, then maybe you did something against her before that and you just don't know about it. Girls remember the craziest stuff," Niall chuckles as if he was such an expert in women.

Harry knows that his friend is known to be a party animal and a ladies favorite and Niall obviously doesn't scare away from a little flirt, but what others don't see is that he is not that big of a player people tend to make him be. If he is serious about someone, he'll be one hundred percent faithful to that person and now he has eyes only for Zoe.

Harry doesn't realize he has zoned out, just standing under the water, thinking about the possibility that he has met you before, but he can't think of any other occasion.

"Hey," Niall catches his attention. "You like her?" he asks, and Harry notices how the playfulness is gone from his words, he has transformed into the caring friend Harry could count on anytime.

"I mean, as much as you can like someone you don't really know," he mumbles, keeping his eyes down as he feels his cheeks blushing.

Dating is a field for Harry he is not entirely comfortable with. Unlike many assume, he is not that outgoing and social like his teammates, making friends everywhere they go. Growing up he was always the shy kid, he had to be nagged to participate in activities that required talking to more than just two people. It was one of the main reasons why he started playing hockey, his mother thought it would help him open up and ease his social anxiety and though it did wonders to him, just like she expected, it couldn't change his entire personality.

He had only dated one girl in high school and even before asking her out, he needed six entire months to muster up the courage and do so. He always envied guys his age that could just easily flirt and pick up girls at parties or even just a coffee shop. Anytime he sees a girl he finds pretty, his brain goes blank and he starts stuttering, so most of the time he keeps quiet and doesn't even try. He is not a man of many words, that is for sure.

"Alright, then just... try to get on her good side. I'll talk to Zoe, ask her if she knows anything," Niall offers.

"Okay, but please be subtle. I don't need Zoe to go and tell Y/N that I've been stalking her or something."

"Subtle is my middle name, baby," Niall laughs, his cheeky side coming back in an instant.

"No, it's James," Harry rolls his eyes before shutting the water off and walking out of the shower.

🏒🏒🏒

It's another Friday and another attempt from Zoe to drag you to a party. Unfortunately, you can't say no this time, because you owe her one after you left your wallet at home on your busiest day when you didn't have time to go back to the dormitory. She was noble enough to make a detour to your room, grab it for you and bring it across campus between two of your classes. She gave it to you under one condition, though; made you promise you'd come to the next party with her.

Now you are sitting on your bed, dressed in a black dress Zoe lent it to you for the night, paired with your black Converse and a denim jacket, while your roommate is finishing up her last touches on her makeup.

"Whose party is this gonna be, again?"

"Uh, it's Tanner's birthday. He is on the Hockey team."

You take a deep breath before you could open your mouth to question her why she hasn't shared this information. Obviously, this was her plan all along, because she knew if you figured out who is hosting it, you'd have found a way to get yourself out of it. You definitely don't want to spend another evening surrounded by hockey players and other assholes. You've had enough of all that last time.

The memory of Harry running into you pops into your head, and then when you found out you two would be paired for the rest of the semester for your criminology class. It's been two weeks since that happened, Harry sat next to you silently at every class since then and when you were assigned to what case you'd have to work on, he asked for your number so you can easily agree on the time when you start working on it. You still have plenty of time, but you definitely don't want to leave it to the last minute, so very soon you'll have to spend more time with him.

It's been a pleasant surprise that he didn't try to make small talks with you, just sat there, only said hello and goodbye before and after class, but other than that he let you be completely. You figured he would try to charm his way with you, chat you up and expect you to fall to your knees for him, just how you always imagine athletes act, but it hasn't been the case at all.

The thought of seeing him out of the lecture hall brings you an unfamiliar feeling in your stomach, but you push it down quickly, ignoring it as much as you can.

Once Zoe is all done, you call a taxi, not feeling like walking thirty minutes off campus. This Tanner guy apparently lives with a bunch of other players from the team in a house near school, so you feel like it's gonna be just like another frat party again.

Arriving at the house, you're slightly relieved that it doesn't seem as wild as the one you were dragged to last time, though the music is blasting here as well, a few lingering people on the front porch and you can see more inside through the windows.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna disappear this time," Zoe swears to you, linking her arm with yours as you make your way inside.

The view is what you were expecting, a lot of people drinking, talking and dancing, through the open backdoor you can see a beerpong table out in the back, the small kitchen island is filled with all kinds of drinks, red solo cups everywhere.

Zoe spots Niall right away and she pushes her way through the people, pulling you after her until she finally reaches him in the back of the living room, greeting him with a short kiss. Despite the fact that they are not officially an item just yet, Niall doesn't seem to mind it, in fact, he circles an arm around her waist and pulls her in gladly, gifting her with a smile once she leans back. It's almost kind of cute. Almost, because you still don't trust athletes.

"Can I get you girls something to drink?" he asks, eyes switching between you and Zoe.

"That would be great, thank you!" she beams and Niall is already off to get the two of you something. When he returns, he hands you a cup and judging from the smell of it, it's probably vodka and energy drink. Not quite what you wanted, but it'll be fine to start the evening off.

For your surprise, you run into a few familiar faces, two guys you had a few classes together last semester, so you get into a conversation of your own while Zoe stays by Niall's side, but you're still only about two feet away from each other.

A second drink follows your first one, Zoe joins the conversation and then new people arrive and you find yourself enjoying being with new people and ones you already know. For some reason, you don't actually dread being here and you wonder if you'd like parties more if you just loosened up a bit.

However as good as it starts, it soon takes a bitter turn. This guy named Elijah joins your little circle out of somewhere, you're not even sure if anyone knows him, but he clearly is interested in you. He tries to strike up a conversation between the two of you, but you're not in the mood and he isn't even your type. At first you try to hint that the flirting is useless, but he doesn't seem to read the signs. Then you somehow navigate your way so you have a person between you and him, but he keeps coming after you, asking you stupid questions, trying to get to know you. Zoe is a bit busy with Niall, sitting on the couch behind you and you don't want to bother her, you can handle the situation on your own.

Excusing yourself from the group, you head upstairs to look for the bathroom, hoping he doesn't want to follow you there, but oh boy were you wrong. Because right as you reach the top of the stairs and you glance over your shoulder, you see him nearing the stairs as well, clearly with the intention of following you.

"Fuck," you mumble under your breath and you rush down the hallway, looking for a place to hide, but then you hear his voice coming from way too close for your liking and in a panicked mode you open the nearest door and step into the room, shutting the door closed before Elijah could see where you went.

You hear his footsteps outside the door and even his voice as he asks someone if they saw you, but luckily, they are oblivious to who he is looking for. Waiting a couple moments you hold your breath until you think that he is finally gone. Only then you realize that you've walked straight into someone's room, because it's definitely not a bathroom. And with your hidden sixth sense, you just know that someone else is there too.

As you slowly turn around you expect many things; a drunk guy passed out on a bed, a naked couple in the middle of pleasing each other or a group of girls who'll scream your head off for barging in. But instead of any of these, you find someone you weren't exactly expecting to: Harry Styles.

He is sitting in the middle of the bed, his back propped up against the headboard, a book in his hands, eyes widened as he stares back at you, clearly surprised at your arrival. You allow yourself a quick look around, the room is clearly occupied by a male, but there are a surprising amount of books lined up on the shelves, a pile of clothes in the far corner and a big sports bag near the door, a pair of ice-skates right next to it. You're about ninety percent sure that this is Harry's room, judging from the way he just casually reads on the bed, you wouldn't think he just chose a random place for it.

"I—uhh, sorry for... Sorry for barging in, I was just trying to... find a-a bathroom," you explain with zero confidence, as he just sits there, staring back at you. For a few long moments you think that he won't even say a thing, but then he closes the book and pushes himself up.

"I have one, if you want to use it," he tells you, nodding towards the door that's beside his desk, probably leading to a bathroom.

"That would be... That would be amazing, thank you," you nod.

"All yours," he quietly nods and you rush over to the door, get inside and close the door, running away from his curious eyes.

You don't even need to use the bathroom that badly, but since you're already here, you do your business and take a couple of seconds to pull yourself together. It's uncertain why you feel so nervous around him all of a sudden, but it's probably because you feel like you've just invaded his privacy, but he also got you curious why he is hurled up in his room in the middle of a party in his own home?!

Walking out of the bathroom you find him over at his dresser, throwing clothes into the top drawer, as if he is trying to quickly clean the place up now that you're here, even though it's not that messy, you've seen way worse.

You stop at the door as you step back into the room, your eyes moving over to the door of the room and you think about how you definitely don't want to go out, Elijah is probably still looking for you and you just can't tolerate him any longer.

"Are you really in here, reading while a party is right outside your room?" you ask, nodding towards the book he left on the bed.

"I wasn't really in the mood to party," he shrugs, closing the drawer as he watches you wander around the room as if you were invited to check it out. You're just hoping he won't ask you to leave.

"What were you reading?" you curiously eye the book that is now lying on his bed with the cover facing down. You walk over to the bed and sit on the edge, but don't reach for the book as he joins you, sitting next to you before grabbing the book. He shows you the cover and you read the title: The Big Sleep.

"It's a crime novel, right?" you ask. You've heard about it before, but you never had the chance to read it yourself.

"Yeah. My sister actually recommended it."

"How is it?"

"It's good, there's a lot going on," he smiles gently, mindlessly flipping through the pages before he puts it to his little nightstand that has a lamp and a few rings on it. "I can lend it to you when I'm done if you want," he offers and your eyebrows rise at the nice offer.

"Oh, yeah. That would be great, thank you," you nod.

Harry runs a hand through his hair and it catches your attention, gazing over his features while he is looking around in his room, clearly a bit lost about what he should do or say. He looks so different now, a lot more reserved, not like any of his friends from the team. Only now you're noticing that he is lacking the kind of confidence you see in Niall, for example. He is fidgeting with the sheets on his bed, eyes avoiding to look straight at you, this is all so new and surprising compared to the picture you had of him in your mind.

"So... You don't want to go back to the party?" he asks, clearing his throat, his eyes finally meeting yours.

"Oh, um..." You think about having to see Elijah again and even just the thought makes you grimace.

"Did something happen?"

"No, I just... Well..."

"Someone hurt you?" Harry asks, clearly worried about you, which is also quite odd.

"No, Just this guy kept coming after me and I was feeling uncomfortable, and... yeah."

Harry stares back at you, the gears turning in his head as he figures out what it's really about, and he puts the pieces together.

"Do you... Do you want to maybe start working on the case for criminology?"

In the middle of a party with drunk college kids and so much booze, Harry Styles didn't only choose to stay in his room and read, but now he is inviting you to stay in his room because you're trying to hide from an annoying guy. What a surprising turn of events.

You end up staying, though as soon as you started digging up sources, you ended up watching true crime videos on YouTube. The two of you got one of the biggest cases assigned for your project, the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and obviously, the internet is filled with theory videos and articles, documentaries about the case.

Lying comfortably on his bed with his laptop between you, it's probably the millionth video you're watching, talking about the behavior of the parents and the evidence that point at them being guilty. The party downstairs is long forgotten, you're deep in discussion about the evidence and techniques used during the investigation.

"Hey, we should also watch that documentary about the case on Netflix!" you offer, remembering you've seen it pop up on your feed.

"Oh, that's a great idea," he nods eagerly, already pulling up his own Netflix, searching up the series to add to his list. You're just about to suggest to start watching it now, when there's a knock on the door and you both sit up, remembering that you're not the only ones in the house.

Without waiting for a response, the door opens and Niall walks in, seemingly very much enjoying himself, but he stops in his tracks upon seeing the two of you sitting on the bed.

"Oh shit, I didn't know you had a guest!" he exclaims, holding his hands up, his eyes switching between you and Harry.

"Niall, this is—"

"Don't have to explain," he winks and you feel your stomach drop. The judgment is making you sick and you fight hard not to think back to it when you were targeted in high school.

"No, we were just watching videos for criminology, nothing—"

"It's all good!" Niall keeps interrupting Harry and suddenly, you can't breathe. You need to get out of this room, away from Harry before anyone else sees the two of you. What were you thinking? They are all the same, like Dax and his asshole crew in high school.

"Niall, stop!" Harry growls as you climb off the bed, both guys averting their attention to your hurried movements. "Hey, Y/N, you don't want to stay?" Harry asks softly and you shake your head.

"I need to get out of here," you mumble, avoiding to look at either of them as you rush to the door. You need to push Niall aside to get out and though you hear Harry jumping off the bed as well, you don't stop and don't look back.

The two boys are left puzzled, Harry jolts after you, but Niall stops him.

"Did I say something?" he asks, the playfulness long gone from his tone.

"I know as much as you do," Harry answers, before running after you.

The house got packed since you've disappeared upstairs and you need to push your way through the people to move ahead. Someone calls your name, the voice sounds like Harry's, but you don't stop, you need to get out. Unfortunately, you run right into someone and when the person turns around you realize that it's Elijah.

"Hey! There you are!" he cheers, clearly drunk.

"Fuck," you mumble and try to move away from him, but his arm falls around you, pulling you to his side.

"I've been looking for you!" he slurs, his breath is stinking from the alcohol. Your panic is rising with each second spent pressed up against his side.

"Yeah, I just... Can you please..."

"Come and play beerpont with us!" He tries to drag you outside and you make another attempt to get out of his hold with not much luck, he is sticking to you like glue. Right until a tall figure appears right in front of him.

"Hey man. What's going on?" Harry asks, his eyes falling on Elijah's arm around you and then he sees your miserable face.

"Just gonna bring my Y/N to play some beerpong!" Elijah tries to walk past Harry, but he doesn't let him, placing a hand to his chest.

"Yeah, I think you had enough to drink and Y/N doesn't seem like she wants to play."

Elijah looks at you through his glassy eyes and you bet he sees at least two of you. Then he turns back to Harry with a puzzled look.

"You know her?" he simply asks, his words melting into one big mess.

"Yes, I do. Why don't you just go and find Tanner?" he suggests randomly and it seems like it easily takes Elijah's attention away from you. His arm falls from around you and it's a tiny relief, but you still want to get out of here.

"Tanner! Yo!" Elijah calls out, disappearing in the crowd and you're left with Harry again. He softly grabs your hand, pulling you after him right towards the front door. He doesn't say a word, but you follow him blindly, his hold on your hand almost comforting. Then you finally get out of the house and it feels like you can breathe again.

"Are you alright?" Harry softly asks as the two of you stand at the corner of the house, only a handful of people lingering around, everyone else is squeezed together inside.

"I just want to go home," you whimper, trying your hardest to keep your shit together.

"I'll drive you home," he offers and your eyes snap up to him. At first you want to protest saying that he has drunk, but then you realize he wasn't even downstairs, spent most of the evening with you watching videos about your case. Normally you wouldn't accept the ride, but this is your fastest route home right now, so at last you nod and follow him to his jeep that's parked on the driveway.

Neither of you talk on the way back to the campus, he is the first one to break the silence just to ask which dormitory you're living in. The neighborhood is kinda dead, after all it's Friday night, most students are out somewhere in the city, or at a frat or sorority house, drinking the cheap booze. When Harry parks down in front of your building, you don't move at first, needing a moment to get yourself together and leave the car.

"I'm sorry if Niall upset you, he can be an ass sometimes, but I swear he didn't mean to hurt you."

Turning to Harry you only see bits and parts of his face in the dim lighting coming from the streetlights lining the pavement outside. He seems genuinely worried as he grips the steering wheel tight.

"It's fine," you mumble, but it doesn't sound too convincing, not even to you.

"I'll talk to him and tell him to apologize and—"

"I said it's fine. I'm sure he has more important things to do than care for what he says to others," you snap and flinging the door open you jump out of the car. "Thanks for the ride," you mumble before shutting it closed, but you hear him get out right away, jogging to catch up with you before you could enter the building.

"Hey, I know he acted like a douche, but it was just a joke, okay?" Standing in front of you he stops you from walking further ahead and you stare up at him with your arms crossed over your chest, jaw clenched.

"What's funny to one person might be hurtful to others, Harry. And I know damn well that guys like Niall think that everything is just a joke, but they are wrong. Sometimes you should think about what others might feel before dropping these so called jokes!"

You didn't intend to lash out like this, but it's been bottled up inside you for way too long. Everything that happened in high school, the way you were treated by Dax still stings, even though you tell yourself you've moved past it. Some things just way too deep to forget about them as fast as you'd like.

Harry clenches his jaw as he stares back at you, probably trying to figure out why you're making such a big deal out of it, but it's hard without knowing the background of the whole story and you're not planning on sharing with him.

"Y/N, I—"

"I'll see you in class, Harry," you breathe out and walking past him, you finally get inside the building. Glancing back one last time you see that he is still standing there, like a statue, but you don't wait to see how long he stays, you head up to your floor.

🏒🏒🏒

Harry doesn't return home right after he dropped you off. He goes for a ride, replaying every tiny bit of what you told him. It doesn't make sense, you were talking about Niall as if he was part of a group that hurt you, but you barely know him or any of the guys on the team to be honest.

He drives around the campus at least three times, passing by your building, wondering what you could be doing before he heads back to the house. It's late and he is relieved to see that the party has died down since he left, only a couple more guests left aside from his teammates. He is relieved to see Elijah gone by now, he's still mad at him for acting like that with you, his drunkenness is no excuse and Harry has a strong guess he was the one you were running away from when you stumbled into his room.

He sees Tanner and a few girls on the couch, a group of football players his teammates are friends with and then Niall and Zoe in the kitchen. When Zoe spots him walk in, she runs up to him right away.

"Hey, have you seen Y/N?"

"Yeah, I took her back to the dorm," he nods, part of him a little mad at the girl that she lost track of her friend.

"Oh thank God! She is not answering her phone and I've looked for her everywhere!"

"Well, maybe you should leave her alone at a party," Harry mumbles under his breath, the accusation taking Zoe by surprise, but then an expression of guilt flashes through her eyes. Harry didn't mean to come off too harsh, it's not at all his style, so he mumbles a quiet sorry before sighing. "She got really upset, I'm not sure why though."

"What happened?" Zoe asks as Niall walks up behind her, placing a hand to the small of her back.

"I barged into Harry's room when she was there, just joked around a bit, but she didn't seem to take it well," Niall admits, taking the blame. Harry can tell he feels guilty for whatever he did, even if he has no idea what triggered you.

Zoe lets out a tired sigh, her eyes closing and it's clear she knows more than the two guys.

"You know why she got so upset?" he asks her.

"Well, I don't know the whole story. She never told me and I didn't want to push. But... some dumb football player messed with her in high school and it made her hate all athletes."

"What? She hates all athletes because of one asshole?" Niall grimaces in confusion.

"I'm sure it's more complicated than that, but I don't know much, really."

Harry chews on his bottom lip, theories running wild in his head about what could possibly happen to make you hate athletes this much, but he knows you're the only one who knows the truth.

With one last glance at Zoe and Niall, he heads back up to his room.

Harry has never been a big fan of social media, but he has learnt that it could easily be a great source of information in some cases. Turning his laptop on he opens Facebook probably for the first time in a year. His profile is as dry as a desert, he hasn't changed his picture since his sophomore year, but he couldn't care less. Typing your name into the search bar he easily finds your profile, but it seems like you either keeps everything hidden from people that are not your friends or you use it just as often as he does. Sighing he leans back in his chair, thinking of another way to find out what really happened to you.

Though most of your information is hidden, your previous high school's name is shown on your profile, so he uses that to get somewhere. He finds the school's website and starts looking around until he stumbles upon a page where he can search up the digital versions of yearbooks from the past decade. Checking the year he thinks you graduated, he looks for you first just to be sure. When he finds your smiling photo, he takes just a few seconds to look at a version of you he didn't have the luck to meet. You didn't change much, just got a different haircut and maybe gained a few pounds, but Harry still thinks you look wonderful. Then he starts digging through the pages with special interest in the athletes.

Judging from the pictures it's easy to figure out who were the popular kids in your grade, Dax Hackney catching his attention right away with his little group of friends from the football team. It seemed like he was the star player and was most likely breaking lots of hearts through his high school years. Oddly, Harry can't imagine you falling for him, but he reminds himself not to judge a situation he didn't witness or wasn't in.

After a little more digging he eventually finds Dax's social media and it's just a few clicks from there to access all his friends' profile from school. He is now attending school in California with a football scholarship, what a surprise and luckily he didn't wipe his posts out after starting college.

Picture after picture, Harry scrolls through the pages until he finds what he was looking for. The posts are from your senior year and Harry actually needs a moment to recognize you with Dax and his friends in several photos. At parties, after football games, hanging out in someone's basement, it seemed like you were part of his circle, until right before prom pictures. He clicks through the posts of several people, but sees no trace of you with Dax or any of his friends, like you disappeared. And then he finds an old video at a girl's page that has his blood boiling.

It was taken at a party after prom clearly, judging from the outfits and all the booze. The girl took the video in selfie mode, sitting on a couch with Dax and another girl Harry saw in other posts too.

"How do you feel, winner?" the girl asked smiling ta the camera, clearly talking to Dax who smirks at the phone with an overwhelming amount of confidence.

"You mean double winner?" he chuckles.

"Oh yeah. You didn't only become prom king but also won the bet with Nick," the girl cackles and Harry can't stop himself from grimacing as the video continues playing.

"She was an easy bet," Dax chuckles before the video ends and jumps to the next one. Harry is fuming as he rewatches it, almost entirely sure that they were talking about you. That asshole must have brought you into some kind of nasty bet that ended up hurting you so badly you now hate all athletes. He truly thought shit like this only happens in movies, but apparently, it's not the case.

The thought of some asshole football player breaking your heart got Harry fuming, bringing out the side of him not many know. He is not that easy to piss off to a level where he wants to throw a punch, unlike many of his teammates. But this piece of information about you makes him want to find every fucker that hurt you to beat them up for what they did.

🏒🏒🏒

You spend the weekend catching up on some assignments and papers that are due later before fall break, but you just don't want to leave everything to the last minute. You even manage to go to the gym Sunday afternoon, squeezing in some cardio and weight lifting you've been putting off for a while now. It's refreshing and switches your mind off for a while. You're already heading to shower when Zoe texts you, asking if you want to watch a movie later with her. She's been up in your case all weekend, asking what happened at the party, but you didn't feel like talking about it, so now she is worried something might be bothering you. She is wrong, it was just a little something you'll eventually forget about, you just need to avoid the people who bring these situations on you.

You text her back that you'll be home soon and that she can choose a movie before you wash off the sweat of your workout. The rushing footsteps behind you send a shiver down your spine, making your inner alarm go off, but when you peek over your shoulder a wave of relief washes over you when you see that it's just Harry.

"Hey!" he calls after you, quickly catching up with you on the pavement, a giant sports bag thrown over his shoulder. He is wearing an all black outfit that looks quite cozy, the sweatpants and hoodie seems soft and they hang a little baggy on him, but still giving a slight glimpse of his muscular figure underneath.

"Hi," you mumble under your breath, never stopping moving ahead. "What are you doing here? Didn't see you at the gym."

"I wasn't at the gym," he smiles softly, nodding towards the building across the parking lot next to the gym that holds the school's ice rink. You didn't know they had practice this late and on Sunday. As if Harry is sensing your confusion, he explains what he was doing. "I help coach out sometimes at the kids' practice."

It still doesn't make much sense, practices aren't usually held on the weekend, it's not too convenient, but you don't question it any longer.

"Are you heading back to the dorm?" he asks and you just nod without a word. "I can give you a ride."

"No need, I like to walk."

"Y/N, your dorm is all the way across campus, it's gonna take you at least twenty minutes to get home."

"It's nice out here," you argue stubbornly.

"Y/N, please!" His hand gently grabs your upper arm to stop you from moving and you turn to face him. You see genuine worry on his face and right now you can't quite point out any reason why he could use this against you and a ride home sounds kind of nice after the workout you just pulled.

"Okay," you mumble back with a small nod.

"Great. My car is over there," he nods towards the parking lot so you need to head back. "Are you feeling better?" he asks, peeking at you carefully.

"I'm fine," you shrug, folding your arms on your chest.

"I'm really sorry about Friday and Niall too. I swear he didn't mean to upset you."

"Yeah, sure," you hum, not quite in the mood to talk about any of it, but you know he won't drop it.

"Look, I know that he can act like an ass sometimes, but he would never hurt anyone intentionally. He is a great guy, known him since high school. He was actually the first friend I made when I switched teams in high school. He just came up to me on the ice, told me he liked my skates and then invited me to hang out with him and his friends in his mom's basement later that week. I had about zero friends back then so he really saved my ass."

"You? Zero friends?" you ask surprised. It's hard to imagine him not being popular.

"Yeah," he nods with a small smile on his lips as his hands grab onto the strap of his bag to keep it from dangling by his side. "I actually used to be very shy, my mum made me start hockey to get some friends on the team when I was smaller. I mean, I'm still not a social butterfly, but I'm doing better now," he admits with a soft chuckle.

"You don't strike as someone who ever had issues with making friends."

"There is a difference between always having people around me and actually being friends with them."

That got you thinking. Because most of the times you saw Harry there were a bunch of people around him, but you haven't actually seen him talk to anyone outside of his team and a very few people. This just backs up what he just shared with you.

You finally reach his car, the jeep you sat in just a few days ago, but this time you're in a way better mood as you climb into the passenger seat.

"When do you want to keep working on our case?" he asks as he starts the car.

"Um, I'm pretty sure you're busier with practices, so you tell me when you're free.

"Actually, it would be nice if we got a head start on it before fall break. We'll have a game almost every weekend, sometimes even two and coach is gonna be squeezing in as many practices as possible soon."

You nod, not minding to work on it before the second half of the semester strikes.

"We can meet on Tuesday and Wednesday before practice and on Friday after practice?"

"Friday? That would mean you'd be late to whatever party is happening that day."

Harry chuckles softly as he heads to your dorm's building, knowing the route already.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm fine without parties."

You push out a small chuckle, remembering how he spent his last Friday evening until you barged into his room. It's just still weird that a hockey player is not eager to get drunk and party like crazy every chance given.

He pulls up to your building and suddenly you feel bummed it was such a short run-in with him. Reaching for the handle you force yourself to get out of the car.

"Thanks for the ride, Harry," you smile softly.

"No problem. See you on Tuesday in class?" he smiles back and you swear your heart pitter-patters in your chest. But it's just the cardio, right? Right?!

You bid goodbye and get inside, chewing on your bottom lip as you head up to your room. Harry Styles has been full of surprises and proven to you that he is not who you thought him to be several times. Maybe you shouldn't hold a grudge against him for what people he doesn't even know did to you. But is it worth letting your guards down?

🏒🏒🏒

As the semester carries on and you get deeper into the fall, you get into a series of habits during your weeks. You rotate between classes, doing school work in the library, hanging out with Zoe and some of your other friends and of course, working on your case with Harry. Thanks to your sessions, you see him at least four times a week along with your Tuesday class. You don't try to keep a distance from him anymore, it's not even possible with the project going on and Zoe dating Niall. You end up being around him even outside of your study sessions but you don't mind it, not at all.

You don't like to admit it, but you've grown to like him. A lot. He is great company, he gets your sense of humor unlike many others and he is great with boundaries. It might come from what he told you about being a shy kid growing up. The more time you've spent with him the more you saw how reserved he really is and probably that's why you don't feel pressure being around him. You just know he would respect your boundaries no matter what.

"Oh shit," Harry mumbles under his breath, catching your attention. The two of you have been sitting in the library doing research for your case, now he is looking at his phone. "I need to get going, practice starts in fifteen."

"Oh, I didn't even realize it was that late," you chuckle softly, closing the book you've been reading and start packing your notes together while Harry does the same. Digging into your bag you get a sense that something is missing. Your hand taps around in your bag when you realize what it is. "Oh shit," you sigh.

"What?" Harry asks.

"I... left my keys in the room. I was late this morning and forgot to grab them because Zoe was still there."

"Can you get hers?"

"I uhh... She is in class for another hour," you sigh, sinking back into the chair. "Guess I'm staying here."

"You could come to practice if you want," he offers, zipping up his backpack. "Coach doesn't mind the audience," he adds chuckling.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to intrude and—"

"Y/N, I just said it's totally fine. But if you want to stay here, that's fine," he shrugs, not pushing you any further. If you're being honest, you're getting sick of the library. Sticking around for another hour on your own doesn't sound like something you'd want to do.

"Well, if you're sure it's okay, then..."

"Of course it is. Now pack up, we gotta run."

You've never seen an ice-hockey practice and didn't think you'd ever. It feels weird when Harry leaves you on the grandstand to get changed. It's almost eerily empty until you see the coach walk in, not even batting an eye when he sees you sitting there. Soon the boys come out in their gear, gliding across the ice like it's second nature to them.

As they gather around coach at the beginning you catch Harry's gaze that finds you easily and he shoots you a smile before focusing on what he needs to. And you can't ignore how your heart skips a beat just by a look he shares with you.

Damn it.

"Now you're bringing her to practice? Shit is getting serious!" Niall jokes with Harry as they keep shooting around to warm up.

"She just left her keys at the room and Zoe is still in class," he shrugs, but he knows it's more than just that. Harry likes having you up there, stretching his time with you even longer than the usual amount.

"And coming to practice was her only choice? I doubt that," he smirks, but Harry doesn't budge. He will not out anything about you to anyone at this point, not until he feels like you trust him.

Telling you about his shyness as a kid seemed like what got you to open towards him, though he can still feel your hesitance in some cases. It's alright, he knows the struggle of getting to know new people all too well.

"Ask her out to the Halloween party," Niall suggests.

"I don't know about that, she is not a fan of... parties, I guess. Neither am I to be honest."

"Because you always keep to yourself, but you two could be lonely together this time."

"It doesn't work like that," Harry chuckles at his friend. He glances up at you again, seeing that you have a book open on your lap, but you're watching him and his team mates messing around on the ice. He could easily get used to having you around more often, it brings him a sense of tranquility.

You sit through the whole practice without even texting Zoe that you need her to get back to the room. You got way too busy watching Harry on the ice, it's almost a little embarrassing. But you have to admit it was kind of entertaining and it wasn't even a real game. It amazed you how good they all are on the ice, you could never glide the way they do, probably because the last time you skated was when you were ten.

When practice is over you realize you didn't read one single line from the book you had on your lap, hopefully no one noticed it. You see Harry glide to the edge of the rink in front of you, pushing himself up a bit over the palisade.

"I can give you a ride home if you want, just have to shower quickly."

"I'll be at your car," you smile back at him, packing up your stuff, watching him get off of the ice and disappear in the dressing room.

You let out a long sigh, taking a moment to yourself before heading out of the building to Harry's car. As you walk out and head to the parking lot you spot a group of girls at a bench near the exit and you catch their glimpses of you when they spot you. Keeping your head low you just get over to Harry's car and hope he won't take long. At last you text Zoe asking if she's back already and you're relieved to get a message from her that she just got back to the room.

Boys from the team start flowing out of the building and you don't miss how the girls say hi to all of them, seemingly knowing them well enough to be friendly to them. Now that you're thinking about it, you've seen them at parties, last time at Tanner's birthday as well.

Harry is about the fifth person to walk out, wearing his clothes from earlier, but his hair is now damp probably from the shower he just took.

"Hi Harry!" one of the girls calls out upon seeing him. It seems like he didn't notice them until now and you watch him just send a wave in their direction before walking up to the car where you are.

"Hey, ready to go?" he asks unlocking the car and opening the passenger door for you.

"Thanks," you mumble before he shuts the door closed and rounds the car to get to the other side. Through the window you see the girls intently talking about most likely you and probably who you are and why you're leaving with Harry after practice. It takes just a second for you to make wild guesses what the girls could be talking about.

Who is she?

Why is Harry spending time with her?

Are they dating?

Is she really his type?

As Harry shuts his door you snap out of your thoughts, turning to watch him ignite the car.

"Hey, do you know them?" you ask nodding towards the girls. He glances out the window, taking a look at them.

"Um, not that well. They are more like friends with Tanner and Jack," he shrugs and it's nice to know he is not friends with them, but you're still left with a weird feeling in the pit of your stomach. "Hope you weren't that bored during practice," he smiles at you as he heads to your dorm.

"It was actually kind of fun," you admit shyly.

"Really? You should come to a game then."

"You think I would like that?"

"If you enjoyed practice, you'd be fine with the game. A lot more is happening then."

"If you say so," you chuckle.

"Maybe next Saturday?" he asks in excitement, not wanting to pass on the chance to get you to one of his games.

"Um, we'll see," you smile at him, but already know that you'll most likely be there. Zoe's been already trying to drag you to a game since she's become a thing with Niall, she'll be over the moon if she finds out you finally want to go.

🏒🏒🏒

You: You know, we still haven't watched the Netflix series.

Harry: That is very true.

You: Do you still want to?

Harry: Of course! Want to binge watch it this weekend?

You: I'm in.

Harry: Sunday?

You: Perfect.

🏒🏒🏒

You spend most of the Sunday cleaning. Your laundry has piled up way too much over the past two weeks and it was time to clean out your mini fridge as well. Zoe has been out with Niall, but when she gets back in the afternoon she joins in, cleaning up her side of the room a bit though she's been keeping it quite tidy.

"Want to make a quick grocery trip with me?" she offers while you're both changing the sheets on your beds.

"Um, I can't, I have plans with Harry."

"Oh! Like a date?" she beams with excitement, but you shake your head.

"No, we are just gonna watch that Netflix docu series about the case for criminology."

"Mm, some Netflix and chill," she winks at you, but you just roll your eyes at her. "You've been spending a lot of time together."

"Yeah, we want to finish the project early before he gets caught up with games and practice."

"But it hasn't been just for the project."

"Well, I guess you're right," you nod, biting the inside of your cheeks.

"Is there... something more going on?" she keeps pushing curiously.

"Um, not really. Don't think so," you shake your head and it's the genuine truth. It hasn't been anything but friendly.

"But you want something more to happen, right?" Zoe can't hide her smile as she stands with her hands on her hips while you busy yourself with the pillows on your bed, not answering her. "Y/N!"

"What?" you huff in defeat.

"You're into him, right?" Now she is grinning, walking over to you and pulling you with her to sit on your freshly made bed. "I see it in your eyes, you can't deny it!"

"If you're so sure then why are you asking?"

"Come on, just admit it! It's totally fine that you like him, don't have to be ashamed about it."

"I'm not ashamed."

"So you do like him!"

"I guess I do," you admit with a sigh. "He is just... easy to be around. Doesn't try to talk all the time, he actually has great manners and I don't know..."

"You have a crush on him," Zoe points it out, making your heart skip a beat just by thinking about it. It's been so long since the last time you had a crush on someone that you almost forgot about the feeling.

"Let's not get into theories, alright?" you chuckle awkwardly. "We're just... friends. Don't want to get into the rest of that mess."

"Okay, okay, I gotcha. But just so you know, there's nothing wrong about liking him even if it's against your rules and all that," she tells you, giving your knee a squeeze before she stands up and drops the topic finally.

You get done way before Harry told you he would pick you up since he is assisting his coach at the kids' practice today as well. Not wanting to sit around longer, driven by a sudden idea you head across the campus to sit in on the practice a little, hoping you won't get thrown out.

Luckily as you arrive you're happy to see you're not the only one watching, several parents are sitting on the grandstand. You settle on the side, scanning over the ice that is now filled with little kids instead of guys in their twenties. They are practicing passing, lined up in two lines, passing the puck between each other while Harry is going around, helping them all out, the coach instructing them from his usual spot. You watch them curiously and the more you examine the kids the clearer it becomes to you that this is not just a regular practice for kids.

It takes some time for Harry to spot you and when he does, he waves in your way before getting back to work. You are in complete awe at how good he is with the kids, his patience never runs out and it seems like the kids adore him too. You can't wipe the silly smile off your face as you watch him for the rest of the practice.

When the ice empties out you follow the parents to the waiting area while the kids change back from their gear. They all flow out at once along with the coach and Harry. Some boys basically cling onto him, their parents trying to get them to leave already, but Harry doesn't seem to mind.

"Hey," he smiles at you when he finally frees himself from his fans.

"Hi. Sorry I came earlier, I just really didn't have anything to do," you admit with an awkward chuckle.

"It's alright." Another boy runs up to Harry, hugging him goodbye before taking his mother's hand as they walk out of the building.

"You're really good with them," you tell him seeing how he interacts with them.

"Thanks." He scratches the back of his neck, clearly not used to the praise, but you can tell it's something that's close to his heart.

"These kids... they are..." You try to find the right words, but luckily he helps you out.

"They are all in special ed. Their disabilities vary from autism through severe anxiety..." he encounters taking a look at the remaining of the kids left in the area. "We have a deaf boy as well..."

"How did you get into helping them out?"

"Coach was asked to start the group and he thought he could use the extra help. He knows me well, knows how much I struggled growing up and he thought I could connect with the kids well. He was right," he smiles shyly and it feels like your chest is on fire.

There is this tall, sporty guy you thought to be a douche and it turns out that he is a shy, smart and ridiculously nice guy who helps out kids with disabilities... You couldn't have been more wrong when you judged him just by his looks.

"Ready to go?" he asks, snapping you out of your awe and you can only hope you weren't staring at him weirdly.

"Yeah, let's go," you nod, trying to keep yourself together.

You can't miss the curious looks the two of you get when you walk into the house together, especially from Niall and you see him pull his phone out right away, most likely texting Zoe that you're there. Didn't expect less, to be honest. Harry guides you up to his room and quickly unpacks his bag before starting his laptop so you can watch the series. It gives you a little déjà vu as you both get settled on his bed with the laptop between you, just like not long ago at that party you both were trying to escape.

One episode follows the other and you both get so invested in the series, discussing theories and everything you've dug up yourself about the case. It's interesting to watch the episodes with actual background knowledge about the investigation and techniques they were using, spotting the flaws that could have been avoided.

You don't even realize how late it's getting, but not much is left from it so you decide to just finish it anyway. Harry promised he would drive you home after so you don't have to walk in the dark. However when you peek over at Harry nearing the end, you see that he has fallen asleep. His face is mushed into the pillow, lips slightly parted as he lies on his side, one arm tucked under his head. The light coming from the screen is playing on his gentle expressions.

Fuck, he look so handsome! It would be so much easier to keep yourself guarded if you weren't attracted to him this much. The amazing personality and his look is a killer combo and as you're staring at him in the dim lighting, you realize that you are so fucking gone for him...

Not wanting to wake him up, when the last episode finishes you shut his laptop down and put it aside. You think about looking for Niall to ask for a ride home, but it's ridiculously late now on a Sunday, you don't want to bother anyone. So instead, you set an alarm early enough for you to go back to your room in the morning and then just decide to spend the night. You really hope Harry won't mind it as you make yourself comfortable next to him, his bed big enough to easily fit you both. His even breathing is the soothing lullaby you fall asleep to.

🏒🏒🏒

Harry wakes before the alarm in the morning, blinking his haziness away a little confused. When did he fall asleep? He doesn't remember how the evening ended, one moment you were watching the series, and then...

His eyes fall to your sleeping figure next to him, curled up under the covers, still wearing your clothes from last night. Looking around he spots his laptop safely put aside to the nightstand, your phone lying on top of it. He lets out a long breath, just taking a moment to himself, his eyes glued to you. He adores how peaceful you look and a lot younger. A few strands of hair have fallen out of your ponytail, covering your forehead hastily and before he could stop himself, he is reaching out, gently tugging them behind your ear.

Just right then, your alarm goes off, making you move under his delicate touch and he is quick to pull his hand back before you could realize what he was doing. You stir in your sleep, blindly reaching for the phone and turning the alarm off, a heavy sigh leaving your lips. It takes a couple of moments for your eyes to open, meeting Harry's green ones.

"Hi," you sigh with a small smile on your lips and Harry's heart skips a beat. He could get used to seeing you like this every morning.

"Good morning," he hums, his voice hoarser than usually. "Sorry I fell asleep last night."

"It's alright."

"You could have woken me up."
"You seemed tired, didn't want to bother you. I hope you didn't mind that I stayed," you whisper, feeling a little shy that you just shared a bed with him.

"I would have been mad if you left alone in the middle of the night," he chuckles softly, pushing himself up into a sitting position as he checks the time on his own phone. "How about we get some breakfast on our way back to your dorm?" he suggests and your grumbling stomach agrees that it's a fantastic idea.

Twenty minutes later you're eating croissants and sipping on coffee on the terrace of a small bakery near your dormitory, having the best morning you've had in a while. When Harry drops you off at the dormitory part of you wishes you could spend the whole day with him. And then the next one... and the next one.

Yeah, you've definitely fallen for Harry.

🏒🏒🏒

Zoe is over the moon when you tell her you want to go to a game. She's been going on her own, cheering on Niall and now she'll finally have someone with her. You feel a little anxious to show up, always thinking about those girls you saw after Harry's practice that one time. They seem like the kind of girls who wouldn't miss a game, being close to the guys every given chance. But you try your best to push it into the back of your mind and focus on what's important: seeing Harry play at a game for the first time.

He's been all you could think about since your Netflix party. It's almost ridiculous how you can turn everything around in your head and make it connect to Harry. Because of the game this weekend he had to cancel on Wednesday's session because they had a double practice. And what did you do? You sat in your room, pathetically wishing you could be with him. Even thought about going to the sports center and watch the practice, but didn't want to make a fool out of yourself.

Now it's finally time and when Niall texts Zoe that they arrived, you feel just as excites as on Christmas morning when you were a kid. Niall and Harry picking you up with your best friend, this feels straight out of a teenage movie and you should be laughing at yourself for getting so worked up, but you're too excited to care about that.

"Hello, ladies!" Niall beams when the two of you walk out of the building. He walks forward to catch Zoe, kissing her so passionately you can almost feel your cheeks heating up. Then you See Harry standing next to the car, smiling at you shyly and suddenly, you want him to greet you the same way Niall greeted your roommate.

Just as you're thinking about that, for your surprise he pulls you into a hug, wrapping his arms around your frame. For a brief moment you don't even know what to do, but then you curl your arms around his torso, melting against him gladly.

"Hi," he greets you quietly when he pulls back, smiling down at you.

"Hi," you giggle, staring up at him. There's a moment of sparkle, you swear it's there, but it's gone pretty fast when Niall interrupts it.

"Alright, let's go! Don't want to be late and get a speech from Coach Simmons," he scoffs, patting Harry's shoulder as he rounds the car. Would have been nice to drag the moment a little longer, but whatever...

It's still pretty early when you get to the sports center, but hockey enthusiasts are already arriving, mostly students from the school. Two of the guys' teammates come up to the four of you upon arriving, talking about how brutal today's game will be.

"Wilson needs to pay for what he did last year," Jack sighs shaking his head.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him this time," Niall grins, kissing Zoe's forehead as he pulls her to his side.

"Wilson?" you ask in confusion, turning to Harry.

"There is this aggressive asshole on Princeton's team, he almost broke one of our guys' arm last year," he explains, your eyes going wide.

"And he is playing today too?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, we've been preparing for him," he chuckles softly, grabbing his bag from the back of the car.

Wilson... the name rings a bell, but you can't quite put your finger on it and it's a common name. But why do you have a weird feeling in your gut then?

Just when the boys are about to head inside, a bus rolls into the parking lot. Princeton's team has arrived. The doors open and the players start flowing off of it, grabbing their stuff from the trunk. Scanning over them you are about to dismiss their existence when you spot a familiar face and it hits you hard all at once.

Now the name Wilson makes sense, as you see Axel Wilson exit the bus, looking just as bulky and arrogant looking as he was in high school.

"Fuck," you mumble under your breath, taking a step back out of instinct, bumping against the side of the car.

Axel Wilson was friends with Dax back in high school. He played on the football team but he put more effort into hockey and you faintly remember him getting accepted into a school with a hockey team and now here he is, about to play against the Eagles. You can totally imagine him getting too violent on the ice, just as the guys said, he had quite a few troubles back in high school too. He also very confidently made fun of you after you found out what kind of sick games Dax was playing with you, never shied away to call you names in the hallway after you dropped their whole group.

"Y/N? Are you alright?" Harry calls out seeing your reaction. He steps closer, a hand reaching out to tap on your shoulder and feeling his touch you move closer to him as if he was your safe place.

"Y-Yeah, I just... Um, we should..." you stutter around, eyes keep returning to Axel across the parking lot. Harry follows your gaze and his jaw clenches when he realizes that you're eyeing Axel.

"Do you know him?" he asks, lowering his head and voice, not to draw any attention to you.

"I uhh... Yeah, we-we went to high school together," you admit and without realizing what you're doing, you hold onto his hand, moving even closer to him.

You see his eyes flicker back to Axel and you've never seen him this... angry? He looks like he is about to launch at him any moment, but he doesn't even know a thing about that asshole.

When you squeeze his hand it's like he snaps out of his trance looking back at you. Surprising you again, he pulls you into a tight hug, your face burying into the crook of his neck.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," he mumbles against the side of your head before letting you go. It takes a few seconds to process his words, but you can't question him, because by the time you realize what he just said, he is already on his way inside with the other boys.

"Y/N, you alright?" Zoe asks seeing your shocked expression.

"I think... Shit, Harry is gonna get into trouble and it's... my fault?!"

You have no idea how he knows about what happened or how he knew that Axel did something against you, but judging from the look in his eyes, you know he is gonna put up a fight against Axel.

🏒🏒🏒

Harry hasn't been able to get into the right mindset since he saw you looking at Axel terrified and he just knew he was one of the assholes that hurt you. He still doesn't know the whole story, but that doesn't mean he is not fuming. Whatever happened was painful enough to leave a scar in you and that's all Harry needs to know.

Not much is left until the game and he tries to calm himself with the thought of you being out there, waiting to see him get on the ice. But his thoughts keep returning to the asshole in the dressing room next to theirs.

Checking his phone he sees that he had a few missed calls from you since you parted in front of the building and he heads out with the intention of calling you back but when he is out in the hallway, he changes his mind. You must have sensed something on him and now want to talk him down of whatever he might do during the game, but he doesn't want to hear that, not now. He would rather deal with the aftermath but give Wilson what he deserves.

As if he was speaking of the devil, turning around he sees Axel and two of his teammates approaching him in the hallway, his eyes falling on Harry's figure.

"Styles! I guess you put on some muscles since last year, yeah?" Axel scoffs, his friends laughing at his comment. Harry wants to launch at him, punch him in the face but he knows if he does anything, he won't be able to play. So he just stands there, staring back at the three guys. "What? Cat got your tongue?" he continues the teasing. "Saw you outside with your little girl, did she tell you we know each other?"

The smirk on his face makes Harry's hands itch. This guy just doesn't know when to shut up and he is really testing Harry's patience, something he runs rich on, but not this time, seems like.

"Yeah, I know about that," he sneers back through his teeth.

"Nice choice, she is naïve as fuck. My buddy back in high school made her think he was into her. Ate all the shit up before she got ditched before prom."
Cackling as if he just said the joke of the century, it's pretty clear Axel thinks it's a fun story, something he can brag about, but Harry thinks otherwise. Seeing his expression, Axel is just enjoying this moment even more, faking a gasp.

"Oh, is she your girlfriend? That's your type? Pathetic and ridiculous?"

The last straw snaps in Harry and he is about to jump at Axel's throat when Niall steps between them.

"Get back to your team, Wilson," he warns the asshole as Harry is staring at him over Niall's shoulder with a murderous look. Axel scoffs, backing away from them, but he doesn't miss the chance to throw one last insult in before he leaves.

"I see you still haven't learnt to speak up. Guess it's a good match, Styles. You are both losers."

🏒🏒🏒

Sitting on the grandstand with Zoe you are basically a nervous wreck. You tried to call Harry to find out what's really going on but he didn't answer and you gave up after a while. Now you're afraid of what will go down during the game.

When the players finally appear on the ice you swear your heart skips a beat when you see Harry in his gear, his last name STYLES printed to the back of his jersey. Unlike during practice, the place is now filled so when Harry runs his gaze over the stands he doesn't find you at first, but after a few rounds, his eyes finally settle on you.

You wish you could tell him to just stay out of trouble, you wish he could hear your thoughts but there's no chance, he is down there and you're up here. You can't do else than just... watch.

Because you don't know much about ice hockey, once the game starts it's hard to keep up with everything that's happening on the ice, but Zoe helps you out a bit, even though she is not that big of an expert either. She tells you that Harry is a defense player while Niall is their center, and judging from the positions you assume that Axel is a center as well for his own team. You know nothing about tactics or gameplay, but it's clear that Axel is the most aggressive player on the ice. He gets a two minute penalty in the first period when he trips Tanner so badly he slides several feet from the momentum. Everyone hisses as one when it happens while Axel pretends like nothing happened, but the referees saw it and he gets sent out for two minutes but it seems like he just gets riled up even more because of it.

"Why are they letting him back?" you ask anxiously when you see Axel back on the ice.

"Tanner didn't get hurt too badly so it's just two minutes."

"Didn't get hurt too badly? Poor guy was sent across the ice!"

And it's just getting worse. Because you see him move a lot around Harry as if it was his purpose to hurt him and it's definitely something you expect from a guy like Axel.

Niall scores twice by the end of the second period while the other team scores once, putting your team in the lead. You're so anxious when the last break starts, your legs are bouncing wild and nothing Zoe is saying can calm you down. When the guys return to the ice, you're barely breathing.

It happens so fast. Axel is launching forward again and your eyes immediately shift to Harry and judging just by the way he is holding himself, you know he is about to do something stupid.

"Harry!" you find yourself shouting, but your voice gets swallowed in the screaming of all the other students.

They are moving towards each other until they collide, smashing against the other, both of them falling painfully. The screaming elevates and you're holding your breath as you watch Harry pushing himself up. The referee doesn't give him a penalty, it surely seemed like an accident, but something is telling you it was far from that. It's just so shocking to see Harry, your Harry being so violent. Though part of you enjoyed seeing Axel getting knocked down like that, but he doesn't seem happy about it and it sets the alarm off inside you.

There's still about ten minutes left when Axel shows just how big of an asshole he is. He and another one of his teammates from his right are attacking, though Niall and Tanner are doing a great job at keeping them away from the net, right until he decides to take matters into his hands. When the puck gets stolen from him for the third time in a row it seems like he completely loses his temper and lashes it all out on Harry.

It doesn't seem as innocent as the last collision was. It's clear that Axel lurches at him with the pure intention to hurt him, pushing him up against the board, his elbow meeting Harry's face so painfully you can almost feel it on your own face. Axel then grabs him by his shoulders and throws him down onto the edge and just when he is about to punch him in the face Harry kicks back and throws him off of himself.

If the referee didn't interfere it would have surely turned into a full blown fight, but they both end up having to leave the ice and they can't even return for the rest of the game. Harry has had his back towards you all along but when he finally turns to get off the ice you see the blood flowing from his nose and you pale at the sight of him. Axel shouts at him one last time before he gets thrown into the box for the rest of the game and you don't hear what it is, but you hear one thing from it.

Your name.

"I need to go," you jump to your feet when Harry is taken back, probably to get his nose checked out.

"What? Y/N!" Zoe calls after you, but you ignore it. All you can think about is to get to Harry and make sure he is okay.

The rest of the building is almost entirely empty, the game is still on so only a few people are lingering outside of the stands. You rush to the back, running down the unfamiliar hallways hoping to find him somewhere.

"Harry?" you call out, but no answer comes, until you hear the water running in one of the dressing rooms and you head in that direction without hesitation. "Harry, it's me, Y/N," you call out again, walking into the room.

You find him leaning against a sink by the wall, his upper body stripped from his gear, jus his underclothes sticking to his torso as he is getting a towel wet to clean his face. His head snaps up at your arrival, surprised to find you there.

"Y/N, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you. That looks... shit, let me help, sit down," you tell him and he doesn't try to protest, just sits down to the nearest bench as you take the towel from him.

Gently, you wipe the blood off, luckily his nose has stopped running so it's just a matter of time that he gets rid of this horror-like look. You cup his jaw in one hand, keeping his head in place.

"Sorry," you breathe out when he hisses when you're working on the bridge of his nose that's already starting to bruise. "Shouldn't you get it checked?"

"It's not broken," he sighs, but you give him a skeptical look. "I've broken it twice before, know what it feels like," he adds.

"Harry, what happened?" you ask softly when you're done, dropping the towel into the sink.

"He is just an asshole," he shrugs, but it's an obvious lie.

"I know you messed with him on purpose the first time, that wasn't an accident, right?" you question, referring back to the first time him and Axel collided. Harry clenches his jaw before nodding shortly. "Before the game, you said you're gonna take care of him. How did you know he did something?"

"I... please don't get mad, but I searched up a few people you went to high school with. Saw a video that made it pretty clear that Dax guy did something disgusting to you and when you saw Axel at the parking lot I just knew he was part of it."

Sitting beside him you know you have to share the whole story with him. Especially after what he just took from Axel.

"I was never the popular girl in high school and I always envied the girls everyone knew," you start and Harry listens intently. "I was surprised when Dax, the star football player approached me. It occurred to me that he might have some bad intentions, but I was so naïve and I enjoyed the sudden attention I was getting not just from him, but all the other popular kids too."

You're nervously fidgeting with your fingers in your lap until Harry reaches out and takes your hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze, like he is assuring him that everything is fine, you can trust him.

"Dax kept coming after me, flirting with me and asking me out all the time, but I didn't want to give in that easily. But he didn't give up and when prom was nearing I thought that he would ask me out if we went on a few dates beforehand. Looking back at it, it's so silly this was all I wanted, going to prom with the cool kids," you chuckle bitterly.

"Don't feel bad, we all wanted to be them at one point," Harry speaks up, his words actually bringing you a sense of relief.

"Anyway, there was this party, I finally decided to give in, so I let him take me. Kind of like a date, though it was nowhere near that. He was so convincing, I didn't suspect a thing... We had a few drinks, it was going as usual, until he brought me up into one of the bedrooms. He kissed me and... tried to take it further, but I didn't want to."

"Please tell me he didn't..."
"No," you shake your head. "I wasn't as drunk as he wanted me to be and I left him after slapping him across his face. I went home, didn't think it was the end of the world and honestly, if it was the end of the story I would be fine. But Dax went around and told everyone that we had sex and that he did it all for just a bet he made with his stupid friends. He had to get into my pants before prom or he would be paying for all the booze at their ridiculous prom after party."

Your throat closes up again, thinking back at how worthless and stupid you felt when you found out that it was all just a bet and Dax lied to everyone about what happened between the two of you.

"All of his friends were laughing at me, when just a week before that we were hanging out together. They chose me because I was kind of invisible so they thought I was a loser. I didn't think like that about myself before, but after what they did..." You let out a long breath, blinking your tears away. "Anyway, I became a joke in the football team and because Axel was friends with Dax, the hockey team was laughing at me too. I couldn't wait to graduate and start again, wasn't really planning to see any of them again, so Axel's appearance threw me off a little," you admit with a weak chuckle.

Harry's hand lets go of yours but only to wrap an arm around your shoulders, pulling you to his side as you sniffle lightly. You lay your head to his shoulder and he presses a kiss to the crown of your head. After a comfortable and much needed silence he is the first one to speak up.

"Axel saw me with you. He came up to me before the game and said some nasty stuff about you and of course insulted me as well, being the asshole that he is."

Lifting your head you look at him with widened eyes, listening to his words.

"I almost... punched him right then and there, but Niall stopped me. Thought I would channel it in the game. You're right, the first one wasn't an accident. I was just done with his shit, especially after he threw Tanner to the ground. The second time was all him and I could have avoided the penalty if I just didn't fight back, but... I swear I've never been angrier at anyone," he admits with a chuckle. "Then when we were coming off the ice he said that... well, I would rather not say his exact words, but he didn't talk about you the way you deserve. So now I wish I would have hit him a few more times before we got separated."

"He is not worth it. Though I would have loved to see him get his ass kicked," you admit chuckling, finally putting a smile on his face too.

You didn't tell anyone about what happened in high school, not even Zoe. Didn't want anyone to know how naïve and stupid you were to fall for Dax's little game. But now that you shared it with Harry you actually feel relieved. You don't feel like he is judging you, or thinking about how you could be such an idiot not to see what was happening right in front of your nose. He is just there for you, comforting you and that's all you need, that's all you've ever needed.

Suddenly, you realize how close you are sitting, basically pressed up against each other, his arm still draped around you and as you lift your gaze to meet his, you know he is feeling the sparkles, there's no doubt.

Reaching up you run a finger gently over the bridge of his nose, it's swollen and bruised, he'll have to deal with it for a little while for sure, but in a way it's a reminder to you what he did for you.

"I'm sorry you got hurt because of me," you murmur softly.

"He is a jerk, he would have done something even if you weren't in the picture."

"But still, he went straight after you now. Though you look badass now," you chuckle, making him smile.

"That's what I wanted all along," he jokes and you don't miss how he leans together, your noses almost brushing against each other. "Besides, I couldn't just let him get away with talking about you like that. After all... we are partners in crime, right?"

You breathe out a chuckle at his words, the last time he called you that you were trying everything to avoid him, now all you want is to be with him. Never in a million years did you think that you'd fall for a player after what Dax put you through, but Harry only plays on the ice, not with you.

Placing one hand onto his thigh you cup his cheek in your other as you push yourself closer to him, he nudges you playfully with his nose, making you giggle before his lips finally press against yours.

This kiss has been long due and for a second you regret keeping yourself away from him for so long, but then you completely forget about anything but him and the way his lips are melting against yours, his tongue sliding over your bottom lip, asking for permission that you give more than gladly, deepening the kiss. It doesn't even bother you that you're in a stinky dressing room, that he is still kinda sweaty from the game, you just want to drag it out for as long as possible.

However it ends when you hear the cheering outside and the rest of the team floods into the room, the game must have just ended. You lean back just as the guys appear, tired from the match, quieting down when they see you and Harry all tangled up.

For a split second you think they are gonna make fun of you, like it happened back when Dax played you, but after a heartbeat of silence they burst out in cheers, clapping and celebrating and it's pretty clear it's not about the result of the game. They are going wild because of you and Harry.

"Yes! Styles finally got the girl!"

"Harry manned up, miracle!"

"Our boy is now a man!"

They shout things like these, making your cheeks heating up but not with painful embarrassment this time. Harry groans next to you, but tightens his arms around you as you lean your forehead against his chest. Niall steps forward, patting Harry on the back with the cheesiest grin on his face, his hair all messed up from the helmet, cheeks rosy.

"Fucking hell, it was time already!" he cackles loudly. "I was starting to grow tired of watching him gawk at you any given moment."

"Way to out me, man!" Harry rolls his eyes, but you don't miss the smirk on his lips. His gaze turns back to you, squeezing you gently as you stare back at him lovingly. "Though I can't promise I'll stop eyeing her all the time," he adds lowering his voice so only you can hear him. As a reply you just pull him down and kiss him again.