Angel On Earth
Warning: sensitive content.
“I’m going to love you. You don’t have to love me back. But I’m going to love you with my whole heart. And even if you break my heart, I will always wish the best for you. I’ll love you for me, not for you. Because love is a flower growing in my heart, and if my heart chooses to grow a blue flower for you, I will trust my heart. So I love you. Even if you don’t love me back.” (blueemeloncholia)
If there was one thing that Harry had learned about Y/n in the eight months that he had known her, well that would be the fact that she was too much of a good person. Honestly, Harry could not find a flaw in his neighbor, for god sakes, the way they met was a bit of a fairy tale to him.
He met her when he moved in, and she was riding the elevator down to the garages where he had his Range Rover full of boxes to bring up to his apartment. And those blessed lift doors opened to reveal a dopey looking girl, hair a bit of a natural tousle, sipping at some sort of pink smoothie that looked absolutely delicious for the muggy LA weather in October (wasn’t that the month when the leaves started to change and sweaters started being worn?), and she greeted him with a smile and then a gasp.
“Silly idiot! Bet you don’t even have a water on you, gimme a box, we’ll drop it off at your place and then you’re coming to mine for a lemon and strawberry smoothie. ‘Promise you’ll feel like you’re at Jamba once ya taste it.” And she grabbed the box from his arms, instructed him to grab another box from his car, and they took the elevator to his flat. Granted he was a little suspicious of her, knowing that she might have been a crazy fan that wanted to go through his drawers to get to a pair of his boxers, but soon learned that she was a genuinely kind soul.
And a beautiful friendship sprouted from there.
Harry learned lots more about Y/n as the eight months went on. She loved puppies, because of course she did, she’s practically a puppy herself. Bagels and smoothies are her favorite foods, ironic only for the fact that she was all grumpy in the mornings, and having breakfast made her stomach all queasy and unpleasant. She really liked New York City, and the Glass Animals, and listening to music made her feet twitch to the beats. Her weakness was pet names, her face melted to an emotion he couldn’t explain every time he called her one (“Baby, gimme the remote,” ensued a whine and a soft look.), absolutely loved having her back rubbed. He figured out on his own that she was a fairly lonely person, real independent, and didn’t often reach out to her family for reasons unknown to him.
But she really was lonely, and Harry figures that’s the reason she’s with her prick of a boyfriend.
His name was Kade, and even before Harry had even met him, he was already turned off to him. But eventually, Harry had met him, and god, he hated him. Hated the way that Kade treated Y/n, who Harry was convinced was an actual angel on earth. But god, this boy was a right asshole to her, treated her like the dirt he walked on, and Harry absolutely hated the frown that Y/n wore because of him. All because of fucking Kade.
And one night, god, one night he could hear Y/n crying through the walls, and he was absolutely livid at the boy who he had seen exiting her apartment not even fifteen minutes before. And he wanted to go over to Y/n’s and cuddle her while she spilled all about her life and all about that asswipe, Kade, but he knew that he would end up blowing up about her boyfriend in front of her, so he had to call Niall to be able to calm himself down.
“He’s such a prick, I wanna hurt him. She’s literally sent from heaven, and he’s over here making her cry, and God knows she doesn’t deserve it! I’m so mad, I could go on a rampage. Fucking ‘ell.” He spat, kicked the side of his couch, and then doubled over with a hiss, his toe folded weird as it hit the couch and felt horrible.
“Harry, calm down. Just because you like this lady doesn't mean you’ve got to go abuse her boyfie. Let it be, mate. Slide in after the heartbreak period.” Niall advised, and Harry didn't really like the advice.
“But Ni, she’s a lonely person, I'm guessing she’s only staying with him because he made her feel special and loved. I don't think they will break up because she doesn't want to be alone. I don't think she believes that she deserves better.” Harry huffed out a breath, paused his pace and placed a hand on his hip. “She deserves so much better.” He breathed out, his exhale shaky afterwards.
“H, mate. Are you okay?” Niall questioned softly. Harry took a few more deep breaths, left the call silent for a while in order to compose himself.
“I'm fine, just want better for her.”
“You want her in a relationship with you, that's what you mean ‘better for her.’” Niall deadpanned.
“Come over for a week, hang out with me. We can just hang out and talk over our music.” Harry changed the subject, and Niall let a little laugh out.
“Next week, text me your address. See ya.” And with that, they hung up. And maybe Harry paced a little bit more as he heard her sobs continue through the walls, bit at his lips, but he promised himself not to go over to her.
“I brought smoothies, because for some weird reason you’ve been ignoring me, and I know you love my smoothies and friends don’t ignore each other for long times.” She reasoned as soon as he opened the door.
She pushed her way through the doorway, and he noticed as she passed him by, he looked at her and missed her cute little uniqueness. Loved the way that her clothes tended to be very soft, looked very soft too, and she always smelled like lemons and sugar. And yes, it might have only been April, but it was so hot outside (thank you, California.) and so she wore shorts and a worn out t-shirt, her hair put on top of her head. And a small, small inkling of a thought crossed Harry’s mind that he wanted to push to the side immediately, that maybe he was starting to fall in love with the girl next door. And it was such a cliche itch in the back of his mind, the neighbor falls in love with neighbor, and yet he couldn’t control who his heart grappled on to.
“Wasn’t ignoring you, puppy. Just had other plans.” He explained, closed the door behind him and locked it, trailed after her as she walked to his kitchen. She shoved a smoothie into his hand, and he smiled at her. “Hi.” He greeted, pulled her into a hug. “My mate Niall is here, you’re gonna meet him.” He told her softly, the two of them still pressed together.
“Mm, you smell good. Are you trying to impress someone, that why you put on cologne?” She teased, finally pulled away from him and he took a sip of the smoothie she had given him.
“Of course, did I not tell you I’m gay? ‘m trying to sway Niall.” He joked, and then felt hands lock around his waist, a chin rest on his shoulder.
“Awe, darling. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’d love to make Narry happen.” Niall kissed Harry’s cheek closest to him, and Harry giggled along with it. Harry widened his eyes at Y/n, a bright grin lighting up his face.
“You hear that Y/n? I think it was the cologne!” Harry spouted, and Niall pushed off of Harry, ended the little banter and went out to the left of him and wrapped Y/n in a warm, quick hug. He pulled away from Y/n and smiled at her.
“I’m guessing you’re Y/n, I’m Niall. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He greeted. Y/n smiled back, and sipped at her smoothie.
“Nice to meet you too, how much did this dolt spill about me?”
“Plenty, but nothing scarring, don’t worry.” Niall winked at her and she tried to quickly hide the blush that formed. She turned and Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder, felt her form melt into him. “Although he did tell me about your little quirk with pet names, and how he likes to call you Puppy.” Y/n let out a whining noise as Niall revealed this to her, hid her face into Harry’s shirt.
“Spend the night here, we can have a sleepover. I’ll let you pick the movie.” Harry spoke into her hair. He looked up to see Niall looking at him with a faux pout. “Maybe Niall can join.” He added.
“Of course Niall can join, would be rude to not invite him.”
Niall watched them that night, on another couch they cuddled, and whispered to each other soft meanings. They were tangled in a mess of limbs that just seemed to fit together, and Harry kept petting at her hair, to which she seemed to enjoy quite a bit. To be honest, Niall couldn’t quite keep focus on the movie, well until the end because that was when the entire movie started to make sense and it was captivating. But before the last fifteen minutes of the film, Niall’s eyes would drift between the screen and the cuddled ones.
Because he could see the love blossoming between the two, even if they couldn’t see it themselves. Because Niall tended to be a shipper. And hell yes, he shipped them.
It was that night in Harry’s bed that they found themselves breathing in each other, the scents of each other and savoring it. He kept loving on her, gave her back rubs galore, and she kissed his chest in return. His feelings boiled about Kade once more silently, wished that the girl in his bed could live in his bed with him, instead of down the hall to the right, the apartment right next to his, where he could hear her crying some nights.
“I don’t understand how you don’t see that you deserve better than him.” He blurted, and she tensed. “Know you’re lonely, puppy, but you wouldn’t have to be, I got you.” He soothed with a finger skim over the skin of her neck.
“I don’t know how to love myself, I’m just a mess of a person who doesn’t even know how to let people ignore me properly. I shove myself into people’s lives and then don’t know how to get out.” She whispered, her head still not facing his.
“I can help you get out. And how many times do I have to say it, I wasn’t ignoring you.” He replied, and she turned her head to face him with eyes backed up with tears.
“He's so mean to me, Harry. So mean, and I hate it. Pretty sure he's a verbal abuser.” She let a drop slide from her eye, and he felt in on his clothes chest.
“Baby, what does he do?” He asked hesitantly, and Y/n looked to her fingers that traced patterns on his shirt.
“Calls me names, tells me I'm worthless and that's why my family doesn't talk to me anymore. Um, sometimes he kinda uses me.” He starts to feel more of her tears soak through the shirt underneath her head.
“Uses you how?” He questions, and has a inkling of the answer, just doesn't want it to be true. Doesn't want to know that his precious little neighbor, the one he swears is an angel on earth, is being used by her boyfriend for carnal acts.
“I guess he sexually abuses me.” She breathes, and Harry’s eyes well up. “But maybe it's not, because I don't really say anything against it. I mean, it's the only thing that really keeps him around, so I just let it happen.” She admits quickly, not wanting to frame fucking Kade as an abuser without telling all sides of the story. “I just don't want to be alone, Harry. I'm sick of being lonely. And I mean, I thought that if that’s what would make him stay, then that’s what I would do.”
She bursted out into sobs on his chest, suddenly becoming fully aware of how she was becoming a piece of a person, becoming a shell that Kade could use for pleasure. And Harry wanted to do the same as her, wanted to violently cry, but her emotions were more valuable in the moment, so he held her tight, soothed her with quiet words, and silently prayed that Kade would rot in hell one day.
It took another two months for Y/n to break up with Kade, a lot of long nights of tears in Harry’s bed while they talked over her relationship with Kade, and it was on the night of their tenth month friend-iversarry that Y/n finally spoke up to Harry with a firm voice, all hints of teariness about the subject gone.
“I broke up with him, I’m done.” She stated, and Harry ignored the way his heart jumped excitedly in his chest. Y/n, his unofficial girl, was free. “He’s rude, and I’m done.” She nodded to herself in agreement to her statement, a tickle of a smile hinting at her lips before it fell to an almost frown. Her head then fell from looking Harry confidently in the eye. “Just… just please don’t leave me.” Her tone shifted to one of vulnerability, and Harry jolted forward to where she was sat to take her in his arms.
“I told you, puppy. I got you.”