Songbird [H.S]

TWELVE

It was just gone one in the morning when Harry finally made his way back home, trying to sneak in quietly to avoid waking up his mother who had to be up early for work in a few hours time. Trying to be silent, the boy slipped off his shoes and left them by the front door thinking he would be able to slip up the stairs and into his room without disturbing anyone. Usually, Harry was very good at sneaking home after nights out, however, as soon as he turned to walk upstairs he was met with his mother sitting anxiously on the third step up waiting for him.

Her hair was tied up messily in a bun on top of her head and she was wrapped tightly in her dressing gown, she looked like she'd been there a while and possibly hadn't gone to bed yet. She was not impressed, a disapproving frown making Harry feel guilty for not calling and letting her know he was okay. He felt guilty for making her worry when he was only down the road at Marley's house.

"I see you remembered where you live." She commented, folding her arms across her chest and raising her eyebrows expecting an explanation as to why her son was so late home.

What she wasn't expecting was for Harry to throw his arms around her for a hug, tears brimming in his eyes as he let out a small sob. She held him while he felt a ton of emotions hit him, he'd been so strong for Marley all day and now he was home everything that had been building up at the back of his mind had begun to taken its toll. It was beginning to sink in how stupid he had been. One reckless decison had left him becoming a father to a child which wasn't even his, all because he loved Marley so much he didn't want to see her struggle.

"I don't know what to do Mum. I think I made a mistake" He cried letting his mother run her fingers through his soft hair, something he found comforting ever since he was very little. As a child, Anne used to calm the boy's tantrums before they turned into massive breakdowns by letting him hug her while the feeling of his Mum playing with his hair soothed him until he was calm enough to talk about what was wrong. Even now, as a teenager, Harry let his Mum calm him down in the same way leaning into her touch as the tears spilled down his cheeks.

"What's wrong, love? Talk to me." She gently guided her son down the hallway and sat him at the kitchen table, making sure to close the door in case Niall had woken up. She knew how nosy her eldest son could be, especially when it came to Harry, so she wanted to stop him from overhearing them if she could help it.

"Marley's pregnant. She told me today and then I was an idiot and said I'd help her look after the baby and then when we told her parents I pretended to be her boyfriend. Her dad and Louis were angry but now it's just her Dad and he still hasn't spoken to her. It's been four hours." The boy blurted out, stunning his mother with the sudden information. She was silent for a few seconds and Harry wasn't sure whether it was just because he'd given her a lot to think about or because she was incredibly angry at him.

"Marley's pregnant?" Anne asked slowly, earning a nod from her son. Exhaustion was etched across his face as he tried to wipe away the fresh set of tears that replaced the ones he'd just gotten rid of. He looked so worn out and it broke Anne's heart to see him so stressed. He looked so young sitting there in front of her, reminding her that even though he acted like a grown up, he was still only a teenager. Eighteen year-old's like to think they were invincible now they were technically adults but in many ways they were still oblivious on how to navigate the difficulty of the adult world.

"She's terrified. When she told me how angry her Dad would be I agreed to be her fake boyfriend so everything would be alright. But it's not Mum and I don't know if I can do this for her."

"I don't really know what to say, H. This is a big thing you decided to do." Anne's words came out a little harsher than she intended, making her seem annoyed at her son. She was far from it so to reassure him, she took his hand in hers and stroked it gently with her thumb as she continued. "Tell me what you were thinking when you agreed. Maybe I can help better if I understand."