Walk Away h.s punk/au

Epilogue

Jaime flicked the light switch in the apartment that was nestled in the Village. It wasn't the nicest, and Nick surely could afford more, but Jaime knew Nick for far too long to complain. Entering behind him was a timid shell of what once was the Great Harry Styles. He was worn and scraggly and not amount of muscle he had could fight off the older lad.

Jaime dropped the bags on the floor, he had been nice enough to do that much, and turned to Harry. They hadn't talked much on the flight. Nothing Jaime thought was appropriate enough for the occasion. Harry just didn't feel like talking. He felt like crying.

There was a painful moment of silence before Jaime sighed, running a tattooed hand through his hair. "Alright kid, if I'm stuck with you here we might as well be friends."

Harry's neck jerked back, his green eyes flashing dangerously toward the shorter man. "Friends?" he hissed. "After what I've just gone through you want to be friends? I have nothing anymore. I'm better off dead."

In the same tone, Jaime said, "Dead? You want to be dead? Katherine Sweeny is a woman worth staying alive for. Leo Sanchez is a boy worth staying alive for. Your position in their lives may have changed but there's still the chance for you to spend time with them."

Again, silence filled the two bedroom flat. "But if you so desperately want to die, then go right over to that balcony and jump. I won't stop you or catch you." Continuing silence. "That's what I thought. Now," Jaime fished around his pockets, pulling out a basic cell phone. Nokia basic. "This has three numbers on here: mine, Nick's, and 911, I thought it was 999 but apparently America changed everything. New York's a jungle man, we gotta stick together."

But Harry heard nothing past Nick's name. Nick meant Katherine. And Katherine meant a chance.

Back in London, the little clan mourned and wept. Katherine wore nothing but black, and considered never wearing colors again. Nothing could fill the pain. His goodbye was more meaningful than a "I'm skipping town" it was a goodbye forever. Maybe that was the worst part. Forever.

Guilt clenched at Leo's tummy for not saying he loved Harry. He loved his Uncle Daddy more than anyone else; he was all he had for most of his small life. Guilt also gnawed at Nick's heart every time he saw Katherine turn away from him and cry. He caused this, but he could make her happy again. She forgot all about the prick before, this would just take time. Aaron assumed his position as comfort adviser to the young girl with a heavy heart.

Keeping up with the guilt scale, Tiffany Green was swallowed whole. She went along with the whole thing. One paycheck was all it took to wreck her reputation and friendships. The sex and time with Harry was well worth the money, but seeing Katherine fall into a whole worse than Alice, all for a nice sum of money from the Sweenys was not worth it. Holmes Chapel was a sea of black. Even Katherine's parents adorned the dark color in regret. Katherine never called or dropped by more than she had to. Maybe she knew what they did. Maybe she didn't. It didn't matter anymore.

Pain was a constant presence in any house Harry touched. Nothing could comfort any of those who grieved. The closest piece to empathy that anyone could find was from Katherine's favorite movie. As Scarlett O'Hara most famously said, "After all... tomorrow is another day."