I'm begging mercy, mercy, please.

"I don't like this." Harry pouts. "Seriously, I don't like this at all."

"Harry, can you relax. I told you, you didn't have to come." I was hoping he'd decide to stay behind. But that was only a beautiful dream, and I'm me, and things never go my way

"Like I was going to let you come alone, cuddles."

"Oh my God, Harry, leave Conor alone, yeah? He's my doctor."

"A stupid one," Harry's lips pucker, and his tone reminds me of a child who has been told no so many times, and still doesn't get it. "He's a stupid doctor." If I start laughing, Harry's going to think I find him cute, and I do, but at this point in time, I'd rather he not have such information. "I bet his mum was his only friend, cause he's that stupid."

"Oh my God."

"What? Why are you laughing at me?" I tried not to laugh, and I failed. The same way I used to fail math class. And science. And PE. "I don't like this, and you're laughing at me."

"Harry you're being ridiculous. I'm the one getting the shot, and I'm the one who's going to get the lecture."

"Yes, but I'm the one who has to listen to another man, call you cuddles."

"Baby, baby, ba--" I would have finished the pet name, but my phone vibrated. Okay.

"No, finish it!" Harry whines. His hands are on my shoulders as he eavesdrops on my text from Ben. "What's a Cheddar, and why does Cool Ranch want to eat it?"

I look up at Harry and make a face. "Ben bought me two fishes before I went back home. They're my children, and right now, Cool Ranch is being a shit."

"You never mentioned children," Harry jokes. He wiggles his eye brows and noses my cheek. "We're bound to get married, brown eyes, and I've never met these kids."

"Married? Hazard, I don't even like you."

"Now you're being mean."

"All I'm saying is that I need to be sure about you, before you meet my kids, Harry."

"Makes sense, I suppose. I should have been given a warning about these kids, before we started, though."

"They're my children, ba--"

"Children? Cuddles how long has it been?"

"Conor," I do my best to smile, while trying to ignore the tense square of Harry's shoulders. "I was talking about my fishes, remember? I brought them in once?"

"How could I forget? You were the first patient I've ever had,who brought their fishes in to meet me. It was cute as hell, but still very-- unusual, cuddles."

"To be fair, I've never been normal, and my fishes were new and I wanted to show everyone." Also, I had to buy a new fishbowl, and it just seemed easier to take them with me so I could see which one would be best. I guess a girl walking around with a small tank is unusual. Okay.

"You are so cute," Harry beams.

Connor finally notices Harry and sighs. "Mr. Styles, how nice of you to join us...again."

"I had such a fun time before." Harry smirks, and if I wasn't already wooed by the fucker, it would've happened now. "Thought we could do it again."

"Yes, well, it's nice to see the way two friends support each other."

Harry's smirk only seems to grow into a cocky, amused, and overzealous grin. "Oh no, we're not friends."

I feel my cheeks begin to blush, and it only gets worse when I see Conor's unimpressed, and almost, betrayed look. "I'm not following." Conor says, aiming his question directly at me. Harry joins the stare down, and as I'm sitting in the hot seat, I'm contemplating how far I'd get if I just ran out.

Harry's fast, though. I don't think I'd get very far.

"Harry's not my friend-- I mean he is--" I have to think of a better way to explain, if I want the sad look on Harry's face to go away. "I-- Harry's... Of course he's my friend, I wouldn't date him if I didn't like him."
"Date?"

"Yeah," I squeak, cheeks pink, heart beating in my ears. "Harry's my--..."

"Boyfriend," Harry finishes when I get distracted by Conor's surprised features. "I'm the boyfriend, and she's my girlfriend."

Harry has the type of smile that makes everything okay. The kind that is powerful enough, that if he were to ever confess to a murder, it'd be okay, because he has that smile. With perfect, white, glistening teeth.

"Oh," Connor's cheeks speckle a deep red. He's embarrassed for reasons I'm not sure of. I'm embarrassed for reasons I don't want to admit. "Yes, okay, let's um-- let's get started." Connor won't meet my eyes, won't look directly at me, and I blame Harry and his stupid smile.

"Are you okay?" I only ask because he seems too concerned with his clip board. "Con--"

"Aren't you engaged? Or married?"

"I was, yes." Oh Harry, please be pleasant.

"And now you're with cud-- Presley?"

"She's mine, yes."

"I thought we... We talked about this, Presley. Remember, you said you wouldn't let yourself be subjected into such an unhealthy, and one sided relationship again."

"Our relationship has nothing to do with you." Harry snaps. He begins to move forward, and I don't know why. Don't know if it's meant as a form of protection for me, or if he's making the first move. "Why don't you just do what you're supposed to do, or I'll find someone better suited to take care of my girlfriend."

"Harr--"

"What you should do, is find someone better suited to be her boyfriend." Those are Fighting words. Both sides have aimed, and now I'm waiting to see who's going to get the first blow, like a helpless chihuahua.

"I'll tell you what I'm go--"

"Harry that's enough. Look, I'll come back some other time when things aren't so tense." Harry snorts, disagreeing with me. "Harry please stop." Patience is something I'm not very good with. Conflict is also not my strong suit.

"You told me you were done with him. What happened to moving on, and finally being okay? Are you giving up on that? With all the progress we made?"

"She doesn't have to explain anything to you." One of my favorite things about Harry is the quick way he's willing to protect me. Sometimes it's not at the best times, though. Sometimes it only builds and builds the situation further up.

"He left once," I swallow Connor's words with difficulty. "He'll leave again. He'll disappear, and you'll be left the same way only worse, because this time you've been warned. And I'm willing to bet that it wasn't just me whose said this to you."

When I am attacked, I'm not sensible. When I feel my buttons being pressed on, I tend to explode. When people give me their opinions and when I know there is some truth to them, I get right down frustrated, and annoyed, and I want to act my shoe size rather than my age.

"I really hope you're wrong," I murmur.

"I won't be. I wasn't when I gave you all of my advice months back, and I'm not now, giving you the truth that you can't see."

Oh fuck this.

One look at Harry and I'm done. One glimpse of his embarrassed and sad features and I'm wishing I was strong enough to kick Conor.

"I'm not going to leave," Harry croaks. "None of what you said is going to happen."

Conor snorts and shakes his head in annoyance. "It already did. Are you forgetting what already happened? You left and she became a mess. You came back, and the same happened. Now, you're going to finish the circle and it'll repeat until she winds up, face down in the bath tub dea--"

I never saw Harry twitching to hit Connor. Never even noticed his arm go up, until it was too late, and Conor was pressing down on his lip, cursing every word in the dictionary, as Harry shook his hand out with a grimace.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Harry bellows. "Take a good look at her, because I promise, you will never see her here again."

Harry grips my hand and eases me off the bed. "Fuck you." Harry says once more, before leading us out, and into the hallway. We're speed walking and I do my best to smile at all the passing people, hoping they'll see it as an apology for our hasty exist.

"That fucking prick!" Harry seethes once we're in his car. "You are never going back there. I'm going to find you a better doctor. A fucking competent one-- who will actually do his job." The car starts up, and moves into traffic. "Fuck, I should've hit him more! I should-- Presley?" My eyes flick to Harry without a word. "Are you mad at me?"

"No," my head shakes slightly, face still neutral.

"Baby, I didn't mean to start anything. He just kept talking and I lost it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I just have to realize that nothing in my life will ever turn out fully okay. It hasn't up until this point, and I'm nineteen.

Harry reaches over the stick drive and picks up my hand. "You're mad," he says in a soft voice. And no. No, I don't think I'm mad. I think Conor made me more sad than mad, if I'm honest. "Presley, you have to be honest with me, when I've upset you, that way I know what I'm apologizing for-- even though I shouldn't have to apologize for this. Fucker had it coming."

"Okay," I nod.

"Baby--"

"Okay," I repeat. I need him to stop talking about it. Before I really do end up, face down inside of my bathtub. "It's fine, let it go."

"Pres--"

"Leave it alone Harry!" He gapes at me, and I have half a mind to just jump out all together. But I'm not finished, and I know I should have taken out my frustration on Conor, but it's too late now. Oh-fucking-well. "It's fine, I'm not freaking mad, okay?!" I run an angry hand through my hair with a huff.

I'm not mad, but I'm not happy either.

Harry pulls into the nearest parking lot, and my mouth falls open. It's not very safe to give me surprises. Not unless Harry wants to loose a fucking finger. "I swear Harry, I really don't think one of your famous pep talks is going to work right now, and God help you if you decide to tell me a joke."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Harry, if you're not going to drive, then I'll see you at home."

"Baby-- Presley what are you do-- no, Presley! Come back he--" The door shuts before he can finish, and I begin walking only to be stop by Harry's front.

"Harry--"

"You liar, you are mad!"

"I wasn't until you kept bringing it up!"

"You have to talk to me, Presley," Harry sighs, he blinks and cautiously grips my belt loop with his finger.

"Are you sure you want to try that?" I say, head nodding toward his finger.

"I'm a little scared, I'm not going to lie." This should be funny, and it might have been if I wasn't so irrational. "But I'm more afraid you'll actually walk away."

And there's the stupid charm.

"Harry," I breathe, my resolve weakening, and Conor's words finally sinking in.

"What happened? Are you that cross with me you want to walk home?"

"I don't know," because I don't know. Because I'm a bit stunned at how everything turned out today, and what Conor said, and because he has a fucking point, and I hate it. I really, really, really hate it. "I'm not mad."

"You're not shitting sunshine either."

"No, I guess not." I shrug.

"This is how it started last time, Presley. You wouldn't tell me how you were feeling, and it ate at you, and then we'd get into this massive fight. I don't want to do that, again. I need you to talk to me for this to work."

"Harry, I swear I don't know what's bothering me," I drop my forehead against his t-shirt covered shoulder. "I lied, okay? I'm mad. I'm so fucking mad, and I don't know why."

"Come," he leads us back to the abandoned car, and sit on my side, having to hunch in order to fit comfortably. "You're mad, okay. Why are you mad."

"I don't know." Maybe I didn't make that clear.

"But you're mad, and I think it's my fault." I take a look at his face, and maybe it is Harry, but then again I don't think that's it. I would've hit him by now if it were him. "Is it because I hit him? Because, then I refuse to apologize. He was out of fucking line. I don't care that he was your friend, Presley. No one should ever say those things to another person. Especially not my person. So if that's it, I'm sorry, I can't say sorry."

"I don't want you to apologize."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know," how many times does a person have to repeat themselves, until they are understood?

"Presley, please tell me what's bothering you. I can't fix it or know what I did wrong until you tell me." Harry kisses the side of my head, and rubs my side. "If you're not upset about the situation, then are you made at me? Or Conor? What is it?"

"I don't know."

"Will you stop saying that?" Harry huffs.

"Stop asking me then."

"Then tell me why you're mad," Harry's voice is getting louder because he's loosing his patience, and that's when I realized I should have come alone. I really should have.

"I'm not mad!"

"You just said you were!" Right. I did just say that. "Just say it!"

"I'm not mad, Harry. Connor didn't make me mad, he made me fucking sad okay? There, Conor made me sad! Happy?" Harry stares at me for a minuet. His mouth will open as if he wants to say something, and then it'll close, like he's changed his mind. "It's stupid, that's why I didn't want to say anything."

"No," Harry finally says after what seems like hours. "No baby, it's not stupid. It's-- oh, Presley, he made me sad too." My ears perk at the new information, and my hand reaches for Harry's. He shoots me a small smile. "Prick managed to make me sad too. He's right, I've only caused you trouble, Presley."

"Har--"

"Baby, if I'm going to get better I need to be able to handle the truth. I have to realize that your problems started with me. It hurts like fuck to know, but I have to accept it." I nuzzle the side of Harry's neck in hopes it will bring comfort. "Truth is, I don't blame anyone for giving me such a hard time. S'my fault, sweetheart."

"It was both of ours, Harry." A relationship is a partnership. "I feel like everyone's just waiting for us to fail, and they say all of this shit, because they think it'll help me, but it doesn't, Harry. It just makes me sad."
Harry nods at the appropriate places. He squeezes me tight, and let's out a puff of air. "I love you,
Presley--"

"I love you."

Harry smiles happily and easy. "I'm not going to leave again. I barley made it the first time. Don't think I could survive a second time. I'm here, and I love you. I'm not here to prove anything to anyone that's not you. But I won't be selfish with you, Presley. Not again-- not anymore. If you want to leave, if you ever want out of this, I'll let you go." Harry's hold tightens despite his words. "I won't make it, baby. I know that. But I know you will, and for me, that'll be enough."

I run my hand through Harry's hair, and kiss the corner of his mouth. That's not what I want. I don't want to leave Harry because I can. If I do then everything that happened. Everything I did, will be for nothing, and everyone will have been right.

"We have a lot of people to prove wrong, Hazard. A lot of minds to change."

"Yeah?" There's a sparkle in Harry's eyes, and I love that look, I really do.

"I won't leave either, Harry. I didn't, even when you did, and I won't now that you're back."

Life is hard and I have a head ache. Harry's here and there is a possibility that Connor could be right. But, there is also a possibility that he's worng, and that's what I'm hoping for. It's what I need.

Notes

Trouble is brewing.