Moments || H.S

twelve ; evolve

I walk into nothing but chaos.

Chaos in the form of Harry Styles trying to do his hair.

"Haz-" I look at him in the reflection of the mirror, laughing under my breath, "you alright?" His hairbrush sits on the bathroom counter before him, a hairband hanging out of his mouth.

Harry's eyebrows are knitted together as he attempts to push back his hair for a ponytail. The hair bubbles on top and he lets out an exhausted groan, throwing his hands down. He spits the hairband out of his mouth, leaning forward with his hands on the counter. His head falls.

 "I'm fine, Avery." Harry forces out. I can see his reflection blinking away tears; my eyes soften as I move closer to him. "My hair is just fucking pissing me off."

"Harry... I feel like you aren't just upset about your hair. Come 'ere." I open my arms wide. His gaze lifts to see me in the mirror, his eyes glassy and red. He turns around slowly, moving into my hold. He brings his arms around my body and holds me tightly, his head resting on top of mine. I stroke his back as I feel his body start to tremble in my arms. What on Earth happened to him?

After a few minutes of embracing each other, I speak up, "Wanna go sit somewhere and talk?" I ask softly, looking up at him. He nods, sniffling.

We move to the couch.

"Can y-you braid my hair for me... please? It," Harry sniffles, "it always calms me down."

"Sure, H, you right to sit on the floor and lean against the couch for me?" He nods, sitting with his legs out on the floor. I sit cross-legged on the couch, beginning to separate his hair with my hands. This won't quite do.

"I just need your hairbrush, just give me a sec." I get up, quickly walking back into the bathroom. I grab his hairbrush, also checking my wrists for bands. I have one, but I grab Harry's too just in case. Entering back in the room, I see him on his phone. His eyes are still red and puffy, but the tears are no longer streaming down his face. Progress. He sits the phone beside him upon noticing me.

I take my seat once again, beginning to brush his hair. "What's up in that pretty little head of yours? Besides dandruff-"

"I don't have dandruff!" He protests halfheartedly. I can see the corners of his lips turn up in a little smile. The smile soon fades as he sighs deeply, relapsing back into thought. "I'm... stressed." He eventually says.

"About?" I press on, continuing with his hair as I speak.

"Zayn's gone. The band just feels like it's missing something. Going downhill, even. I... I know- we all know- he did it for his own good, but I can't help but feel almost angry at him for leaving in the middle of tour. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. And I know the tour ended weeks ago too, but it's all hitting me at once, I guess. I don't know what to feel anymore, Ave. It's like I'm walking aimlessly in foreign streets. I feel like I'm stuck on an island with no road home."

"It's natural to feel like this at times, Haz. I hope you know that." I begin.

"I know. I just feel like I'm going nowhere, and that is what's getting to me. And I don't just mean musically, in real life too. At the moment it feels like you're my only constant and everything else is in retrograde."

"Well sometimes you do need to feel like this in life so you can grow stronger. You boys have been through so much in these past- what, 5 years? It's natural to feel lost and like the world is crumbling around you. I think... I think you really have two choices here, H."

Harry hums softly in response to me, letting me continue. "You can either evolve or remain. If you remain, you stay in the same routine. You will be presented with the same things: same challenges, same thoughts, same storms. This will continue until you let yourself change. If you decide to evolve from the start, you will learn what it is like to become stronger. You will learn what it is like to explore what lies outside your comfort zone; what is truly hiding in your brain. You unlock pieces of you that you never even knew you had. I'm not saying you must make a decision now, but just think. Do you want to evolve or remain, Harry Styles?" I finish the simple braid, tying it up at the end with the band, "your hair is done."

Harry turns to me, sitting up on his knees. He scans my face, "I want to evolve, Ave. I want to be more than what I am now. But... how?"

"That's something that you'll have to figure out for yourself, but just know that I will be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you, Ave. Thank you so much..." he whispers, standing up to embrace me in a hug once again.