Moments || H.S

Fifty One ; Take Me To Church

(TBH, would sell my soul to hear Harry sing this)  

I sit at the piano in Harry's lounge room and play the start to random songs, bored out of mind. I've been practicing many songs these final weeks of my pregnancy, considering I've only got 2 weeks left until we meet her. It's exciting and nerve racking, but I know I'll be OK. I don't have a piano of my own, so I frequently walk over to Harry's to play his. He doesn't mind, I think he enjoys playing on his phone while I practice. 

He's beyond excited and I don't think he ever shuts up about how thrilled he is. Giving me name ideas and small gifts for her. The other day he stuffed a pillow up his shirt and walked around like that for an hour. Sometimes I think he wishes it was him that was pregnant. 

Harry comes into the lounge room and folds his arms on the top of the piano and rests his chin on top of them, smiling gently at me. 

"Ave" He says and I look up from the keys and meet his smile with my own. 

"Yes, H?" 

"Are you bored of me yet?" He asks and I shake my head with a surprised laugh. 

"Never could be, you're too interesting" I say honestly. "Bored of me?"

"Yup, sick to death of you on my piano all day" He groans and stands up straight "Waiting for you to have this baby so I can teach it how to play music and dress her up and sing to her, she's going to be an angel... I think I'll call her that" 

My smile grows. The last 13 years knowing him has been incredible, ups and downs and highs and lows but every day is new and exciting. He's the perfect god-father and she's not even met him yet. He has so much love for this baby and he doesn't even know her name, it's beautiful. 

"What are you playing?" He asks and sits next to me. 

"Bit of everything but I like Take Me To Church by Hozier" 

"That's one of my favorites" He smiles at me and starts to play it softly "At least you have some good taste in music"

"Excuse me, Harold?" I playfully punch him in the shoulder and he laughs. "Together?"

He nods his head and keeps playing, I grab his hands and pull them away from the keys "No, I'll play and you sing it?" 

He stands up and leans against the piano. "Know the words?" I ask and he rolls his eyes. 

"Of course I do"

"Just checking" I start to play and the second he starts to sing I get goosebumps. The song is so dark and his voice is beautiful, fits it perfectly. 

"My lover's got humor, she's the giggle at a funeral, knows everybody's disapproval, I should've worshiped her sooner" I listen to his voice and Matilda comes in the room, like she always does when she hears singing. "If the heavens ever did speak, she's the last true mouth piece. Every Sunday's getting more bleak, a fresh poison each week" 

"And if the heavens ever did speak, she's the last true mouthpiece" I join in quietly, but my voice can barley be heard and I like it that way if I'm being honest, since this song is so powerful and I know I can't sing it well for now "Every Sunday's getting more bleak, a fresh poison each week, we were you born sick, you heard them say it. My church offers no absolutes. She tells me "Worship in the bedroom" and only Heaven I'll be sent to is when I'm alone with you" 

I stop singing because I know the chorus is coming up and want to listen to Harry's amazing voice sing it, No piano or recording, just us in his lounge room. "I was born sick, but I love it. Command me to be well"  I close my eyes and stop playing, listening to him sing the "Amens" and then the chorus, which hits me hard. 

"Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins, and you can sharpen your knife. Offer me that deathless death, oh good God, let me give you my life"

The door opens and I see August silently come in and lean against the wall, tapping his foot and grinning. He doesn't get to Harry sing like this very often, it's always the album version but this is raw and untouched, right in front of us. He repeats the chorus and I build up the courage to sing the next part in front of them. 

"If I'm a pagan of the good times My lover's the sunlight. Keep the Goddess on my side" I watch Harry grin and August's face light up, Harry still doesn't know he's here "She demands a sacrifice To drain the whole sea, get something shiny" 

I watch August sit on the couch silently and smile proudly, I can't remember the last time I sung like this in front of him "Something meaty for the main course, That's a fine looking high horse. What you got in the stable?"

I stop singing and let Harry finish the song so Gus can hear his beautiful voice in all it's glory "We've a lot of starving faithful That looks tasty, That looks plenty, This is hungry work" 

Harry starts to sing the chorus and me and Gus's jaws hit the floor at the same time "Take me to church, I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies" I've never heard him sing like this, it's getting me emotional. I know he's extremely talented, but it's not until you listen to him only metres away from you sing at the top of his voice and echoing through the house, even the dog pricked her ears up with surprise. 

"I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife, Offer me my deathless death, Oh good God, let me give you my life" I rest my elbow on the piano and put my head in my hand, completely memorized by him right now. He's in his own world and i'm amazed, so is August, who sits there shaking his head and his eyes wide with excitement to have Harry Styles sing like this right in front of him. 

Harry repeats the chorus and then turns around when he hears Gus clapping. 

"How long have you been there?" Harry laughs and takes his jacket off, throwing it on the table. 

"Enough to hear that" August grins and looks at me "You guys are fucking amazing, seriously" 

Harry goes pink and I laugh "Thanks, Picasso" He says and I move from the piano to the couch and Harry follows.

I look at him and sigh with a smile. "You're incredible, you know that?" 

"I hear it everyday" He says, shrugging his shoulders with a small smile. 

"How about this?" I say to him "You're incredibly talented and I love you"

"I love you too" 

(Two weeks later, Harry's POV) 

I stand up and walk up my stairs, eventually plonking myself on the bed and running my hands through my hair. I've heard nothing from Avery today, which is good or bad, I haven't decided how to feel yet. I check my phone one more time and sigh. Nothing, just emails I'll read later. I sigh and put my phone on the table and leave it there while I go into the bathroom to shower. 

Ave promised she would let me know when she's having the baby, and I was going to be there. That was our plan anyway. I let the hot water run down my face and look around the bathroom. It's still crazy to me sometimes that I live somewhere this nice, and I wanted to share that with Avery, so I bought her the place only 3 houses down and across the street. She's close, right where I want her to be throughout this new chapter.  

I walk back into my room and collapse on the bed, staring lazily at the roof. My phone dings and I shoot up and grab it off the table and see I have 6 missed calls and 3 unread messages. 

Shit shit shit. 

I get dressed quickly and wrap a jacket around me, put on my shoes and race to the car, heading as fast as I can to her without speeding. 

Soon...