the brave ones // h.s.

item seven

*suggested song: bad liar - selena gomez*

***

"What comes after crashing a wedding?"

Eden takes a moment to finish chewing her food as she fishes the list from her pocket and discreetly unfolds it. A pit forms in her stomach as she reads off the seventh item to herself, and then aloud to Harry.

"Sing in public," she admits in a hushed voice. The list retreats to her pocket and Eden sinks further into her chair, fully aware of what must happen next.

Harry cracks a crooked grin. "I do believe in a thing called serendipity," he remarks. "I think you're up next for karaoke."

Her palms begin to sweat nervously as the man onstage finishes his song, met only with a crowd half-clapping in support of his mediocre rendition of Blaze of Glory. From the corner of her vision, Eden can see Harry turn his head to stare at her but she merely keeps her eyes centered on the now-empty stage, unwilling to look at him.

"Go on," he encourages, reaching across the table to nudge her in the elbow. She scowls back at him.

"You pushing me won't make me want to go up there any more," she hisses as excuse after excuse floods her mind. "This looks like a tough crowd. I'm just going to wait until the next karaoke bar."

Harry rolls his eyes. "Eden, come on. Just get it over with. One more item you'll be able to cross off, yeah?"

She knows he's right, and she resents it completely. Stage fright is nothing new to Eden: it had kept her from auditioning for plays all through high school; kept her from speaking her mind at work; kept her from saying so many things she wished she had. She hates being the center of attention, but this trip is about shedding those fears and in any case, she knows Harry won't let her get away with not singing.

So with a deep breath, she shakily comes to her feet and weaves her way through the small crowd. Her feet, bogged down by imaginary weights, ascend the small stairs leading to the stage.

You'll be okay, you'll be okay.

"Woo, go Eden!" Harry shouts from across the bar, momentarily diverting the crowd's attention and causing Eden to cringe ferociously at his enthusiasm. A worker manning the karaoke machine asks her which song she wants and, after a moment of careful consideration, she whispers it to him. He nods, flashes her an encouraging smile, and sets up the song on the machine.

"Whenever you're ready, love," he smiles, handing her the microphone and scampering offstage. Eden forcefully grips the mic in her sweaty hands, her eyes finding Harry's in the crowd, as the song begins flowing through the speakers.

You'll be okay, you'll be okay, her mind chants, fingers curling around the mic as the words in her head are replaced by the words of the song.

"I was walking down the street the other day, trying to distract myself,

But then I see your face,
Oh wait, that's someone else"

Her eyes flit to Harry as she continues singing, her voice soft and timid, body unwilling to move in time to the beat. He smiles encouragingly again, barely visible through the bright stage lights illuminating her vision. But his presence is both comforting and invigorating, and soon her frozen state begins to melt as the music picks up within her.

"Tryna play it coy, tryna make it disappear,
But just like the Battle of Troy, there's nothing subtle here"

Her hips begin swaying, one hand leaving the mic to run messily through her curls. The daring feeling in her chest builds and her eyes flutter shut.

"Ooh, you're taking up a fraction of my mind
ooh, every time I watch you serpentine"

The palm of her hand slides down the smooth metal of the mic stand, her eyes opening to stay directly on Harry. His expression is now highly impressed but still tinged with amusement at her performance.

"Oh, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying,
Oh trying, I'm trying I'm trying I'm trying I'm trying,
Not to think about you,
no, no, no, no, not to think about you"

Harry playfully points to his chest and mouths the words "about me?" to Eden; a smile forms on her mouth as she continues through the end of the chorus.

"With my feelings on fire, guess I'm a bad liar"

The rest of the song continues this way, with Eden slowly growing more daring with her dancing and Harry watching her keenly from the crowd. By the time the song ends, her face is flushed with adrenaline and her chest heaving, but there's a bright grin on her face and buzzing sensation in her fingertips.

The smoky air is punctuated with the sound of enthusiastic clapping and cheering. Eden can't contain her exhilarated laughter as she bows dramatically, positively high off the thrill of singing such a sultry song in front of so many unfamiliar faces. The guy working the karaoke machine congratulates her rather eagerly as she descends the stairs and melts back into the crowd.

She bounces back over to Harry, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed with excitement. He's watching her with an amused smile and electric eyes.

"Did you like-"

Eden doesn't get to finish before she feels Harry's hands on her jaw and his mouth on hers, pulling her close to cut off her words in the most pleasant way. He kisses her softly at first but soon his mouth opens against hers, tongue barely pressing against her own. He tastes subtly of peppermints and chapstick; the smoke from the bar clings to his shirt and fills her lungs. She hums against his lips, fingers dancing up his stomach to his collar to tug him closer. His hips press into hers as he kisses her like no one else is around.

When he pulls away, Eden is briefly starstruck, blinded more by the fiery feeling of his mouth on hers than by the stage lights that were in front of her moments before. Harry rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, also appearing a bit flushed at their intense contact.

"Does that make me a bad liar, too?"

Item Seven - Sing in Public

~~

alksjglds

fuck me up sir. that's all i have to say about that gif. the eyebrows, the intensity; i am deceased

and then niall in the corner lmao

also thank you so so much for being patient while i updated. schools been very demanding lately as the semester comes to a close, but i'm just finishing easter break so i had a couple free days to write as much as possible. i have some new parts ready for y'all and everything :) how's everyone's weekend going?? celebrating easter?

what's your favorite song to sing along to atm? mine is probably gypsy by stevie nicks

xx