"You got everything?" Harry asked Wednesday as he looked round the hallway for signs of anything extra to load into the car.

She nodded, looking down to the canvas tote on her shoulder and checking inside for the basics. Keys, purse, phone—all in tow.

"Let's go then," he affirmed, shooting a small smile as he opened up her front door.

It had been three days since her nanna had passed away and Wednesday was preparing to go home, like she'd promised her mum. She wasn't ecstatic about the prospect. In fact, her stomach had been in knots all morning and she'd only managed a few bites of toast for her breakfast before admitting defeat to the anxious nausea that dominated her insides.

But if there was any solace in the situation, it was Harry. He'd been with her every day since finding her on the kitchen floor, coming over in the early morning and staying until the late hours of the night, just so he could be there for her and look after her in her time of need. Though she'd assured him he didn't need to, he had quickly rebutted her rejection by stating he knew he didn't need to—but he wanted to.

Just when she'd thought he couldn't have helped her any more than he possibly already had, she'd told him she would be going back to Holmes Chapel for a while, to help her mum, and he'd instantly stated he would go with her. She'd protested, of course, but to no avail.

"Harry, you've got work commitments and I-"

"I don't have any appearances scheduled until the end of the month."

"But this time off is so you can relax and see friends. I can't ask you to come Harry, especially when it's not going to be a fun, happy time."

"I don't expect it to be. But I also know there's not a chance in hell I'm leaving you to go through this all alone."

"But-"

"Wednesday. I'm coming."

She'd known then it was no use continuing to argue with him—his stubbornness and infallible kindness made an unbeatable match.

And so, that was how they found themselves that morning, loading suitcases into Harry's blacked out car as Wednesday locked her front door, ready to go home once again.

She breathed in the crisp freshness of the air, realising it was her first time outside in almost two weeks. Though her bones ached, and her heart felt heavy in her chest, the outside brought some clarity to her mind. It was like the fogginess of being cooped up during some of her darkest days was lifted as soon as the winter chill hit her skin and she welcomed the refreshing change with a sigh.

Once Harry slammed the boot shut, he got into the driver's seat as she hopped up into the front passenger one, putting on her seatbelt and placing her bag between her legs.

His finger drifted to his phone; his tongue was caught between his lips as he looked down at the screen and scrolled through an app. Wednesday watched his actions curiously, the hum of the engine the only sound in the car, until the first beats of one of Wednesday's favourite songs drifted through the air—You're Gorgeous by Babybird. It was a song her dad used to sing to her mum, and it had always brought her immense happiness, even after his passing.

Harry looked to her to gage her reaction nervously and upon seeing her wide smile and grateful expression, he breathed out in relief, a grin spreading over his face as he turned back to the road and set off, pulling awake from the curb and down the road.

Wednesday leant her head back against the headrest, her face posed towards the window as she watched the passing street and the people on it. The words of the song filled the air, and she felt a sad nostalgia settle within her at the calmness of it all.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the chorus she loved. The one that filled her with images of her parents dancing around the kitchen and living blissfully in their own bubble.

"Because you're gorgeous, I'd do anything for you."

Her eyes opened when, over the top of the song, she heard Harry singing along to the words too, quietly enough that it didn't drown out the singer's voice but audible enough to make Wednesday turn her head towards him and watch him sing along in something close to awe. His lips moved to the words, singing absentmindedly as if he were the only one in the car.

"Because you're gorgeous, I know you'll get me through."

From his peripheral vision he must have seen her watching him sing, because as he continued to sing the second line of the chorus, he turned to look back at her with a rising grin, noticing the admiration on her face.

She didn't shy away when he looked over at her or try to avert her gaze. Instead, in her calm state, she softly smiled at him, showing her enjoyment at him singing along before slowly turning to look back out of the window.

For the first half of the journey, they sat listening to the rest of the playlist that Harry had chosen in silence; Wednesday guessed it was a 90s British rock themed one, due to the sheer amount of Oasis, Blur and The Verve that played out, but she didn't mind. In fact, she enjoyed the throwback and felt like it was a good choice for sombre mood.

But something in her demeanour must have switched when they reached the halfway mark, because Harry started to increasingly look over to her with a dash of concern in his eyes. She'd felt herself start to fidget and bite her nails as they'd drawn closer to their destination, pulling at the skin around them until a few started to bleed and sting.

"Hey," Harry said, reaching down with his free arm to pull apart her hands that had been working to furiously pick at the skin on her fingers. "It's gonna be okay."

She looked to him nervously, staring at the side of his face as he focused on the road and feeling her own heartbeat begin to raise. Then, she noticed that his hand was still on hers, his fingers curved over hers to prevent her from hurting herself further. She didn't know if it was something in that gesture, or her building nerves that threatened to peak at any moment, that caused her to open her mouth.

"I don't know if I can do it again."

Harry looked over at her this time, his hand still laying over hers and resting on her thigh. His brows were furrowed as he looked at her anxious expression, trying to determine what she was referring to.

"Don't know if you can do what?" he asked inquisitively, with a soft tone.

Wednesday swallowed, the siren in her brain starting to go off, signalling that she was getting dangerously close to letting her defences down. With her head bent slightly forward, her eyes flickered between her feet, she remained silent as she figured out what to do or say.

Harry gently squeezed her fingers so that she was knocked from her trance and looked to his reassuring face. "Whatever you want to say to me, stays between us. I promise."

She analysed his earnest gaze, biting her inner cheek as she thought over his words. She wished this wasn't so hard for her, being vulnerable. Ever since she'd been little, opening up had been something hard for her to do and as a result, she'd built up defence mechanisms to deflect attention away from her whenever conversations got a little too serious. But it was also tiring, keeping up the facade of being okay. And though every electron in her brain was screaming at her to not reveal how she felt, she ignored the warnings and nodded, taking a moment before speaking.

"I don't know if I can plan another funeral again. I hate it."

At that, Harry let out a quiet breath as his face softened. He didn't say anything but manoeuvred his hand so that he now held hers in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze; his own way of stating that he was there for her no matter what.

"It was just so awful planning it all for dad's," she continued, feeling the walls around her emotions begin to crumble under the power of opening up. "Every day, there were questions—what kind of coffin, what colour flowers, what type of headstone. Did we want a priest or a humanist? What songs were going to be played? Was there going to be a collection at the end for charity? And I had to answer all of these questions' day in day out, when all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and just go to sleep."

She could feel the lump that had formed, her voice strained as she swallowed it down.

"I'm just...I'm scared that planning nanna's funeral will bring back all the bad memories from dads. I already feel like I've hit rock bottom, I'm not sure how much more I can take."

Harry listened with a pained expression, clutching her hand even tighter.

"Any time it starts to feel like too much or you need a change of scenery, call me, and we can go somewhere else for a bit. Just me and you. Or even if you want to go somewhere alone, I'll take you and bring you back. It's a fucking shitty time Wednesday and it's going to be hard, but we're all here for you. Even in the moments you just want to be alone, we understand. I understand."

Feeling her lip quiver at his words of reassurance, Wednesday looked down to where his hand was holding hers and nodded sadly. Breathing out shakily, she turned to look out of the window again, feeling the harsh grip of anxiety in her chest.

10 minutes later, they pulled up to a petrol station for a much-needed toilet and snack break. Whilst they perused the aisles for what food they wanted, a thought struck Wednesday.

"I never said thank you by the way," she said, grabbing a packet of salt and vinegar crisps as Harry looked to her with a confused expression.

"For the teddy," she explained, realisation dawning on his face as he shifted nervously, seemingly waiting for her to say whether she liked it or not. "It was...really special and thoughtful. Even though it did make me cry for like an entire day."

He looked concerned then, his brows pulling together as regret painted his features. "I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm sorry. I...I found that video in my camera roll one day and knew how much you'd love it and thought it would be nice for you to be able to listen to it whenever you wanted. Plus, I know pandas are your favourite. I'm sorry, I didn't really think it through I guess-"

"Harry," she interjected, cutting off his rambling. "I loved it. I promise. It just took me by surprise, hearing dad's voice. That's all. But now it's my favourite teddy. I've even brought him along – he's in my suitcase."

"Really?" Harry asked, turning to the window as if he had x-ray vision and could see through the car, right into her case.

"Yes," she smiled, amused at his surprised reaction.

"That reminds me," he said quickly, looking back to her. "I've got your other present in the car. I forgot all about it, until I found it one night at home."

"Another present?" Wednesday asked, her brows drawn together.

"Don't get too excited, it's not a really big one," he shook his head, grinning. "But thank you as well, for my presents. I loved them all. Especially the painting. I've put it in my bedroom, so it can be the last thing I see before I go to sleep and the first thing when I wake up."

Wednesday felt her cheeks heat up, nodding composedly. "I'm glad you liked them all."

After buying their snacks and using the restrooms, they got back into the car and set off for the final leg of the journey. Though Wednesday's nerves were still coursing through her body like electricity, the endless number of snacks they'd purchased kept her mind occupied for the rest of the ride.

Once they'd arrived at the Green house and discovered that Anne was also there, comforting her friend, they wasted no time in discussing what had happened and the plans for the funeral. Her mum shed a few tears as they discussed what was going to happen now, to her grandfather and their home, and they took the time to recall their favourite memories of the woman who Wednesday adored so dearly.

By the time the evening had arrived, and it was dark outside, Wednesday felt drained of life, having spent the entirety of her time at home being reminded of the sad reality of why they were back, not getting a chance to let her mind escape somewhere else, even for a minute.

Once the Styles' had gone home for the night and Wednesday had watched enough Come Dine With Me for a lifetime, she quietly got up with a yawn and scratched Pongo's head, walking into the kitchen where her mum silently dried up the dishes.

"I'm going to get an early night mum, ready for the funeral planner tomorrow," she said, feeling guilt for reasons she couldn't explain.

"Okay love," her mum replied sadly, not turning to look at her daughter as she robotically dried the plates.

Wednesday felt a different kind of pain in her chest as she stared at the woman who had brought her into this world. A helpless, uneasy kind of hurt that she didn't know how to remedy. Despite all of her own grieving and struggle, she'd take double the load if it meant her mum would feel better. The cruelty of losing a husband and parent in the same year was something she couldn't quite begin to understand and if there was anyone who didn't deserve that kind of pain, it was her mum.

Hesitantly walking forward to where she stood, Wednesday reached out to link her arms through her mums, wrapping them around her middle and hugging her gently from behind. Sometimes, people just needed a hug. And right now, she knew her mum was one of them.

"Thank you," her mum said, the choke in her voice telling Wednesday that she'd done the right thing. She petted the hand around her waist maternally and they stood there like that for a minute, before she released her arms and said goodnight one last time, walking up to bed.

The next day, the weather was grey and miserable. The perfect backdrop for the events that were to occur. At around 11 in the morning, the loud chaos that was her Auntie Helen arrived, with her grandad trailing behind solemnly. Under the lashings of black eyeliner, her eyes were red and as soon as she saw her sister and niece, she pulled them into a tight hug and began to wail—usually, Wednesday would have rolled her eyes at the drama of it all, but she knew they were all going through the same pain at the minute. Some people just expressed it differently and it wasn't her place to judge.

"Hi grandad," Wednesday said sadly, bending down to plant a kiss on his cheek as he smiled to her with glossy eyes.

Despite everything, he'd still put on a dickie bow and had combed his hair down, looking as proper as ever. It nearly broke Wednesday's already fragile heart into two right there.

An hour later, the funeral planner arrived, and they all sat down to start discussing the service. Wednesday elected herself to beverage duty, taking their tea and coffee orders every hour. Truthfully, it was the most helpful she felt she could be—during the questioning and organisation, she'd remained silent, wishing to be anywhere else other than there.

Once he'd left hours later, she called Harry as she stood in the back garden, throwing the ball around half-heartedly for Pongo.

"How did it go?" he asked after she'd said hello.

"Awful, I won't lie. It felt like it went on forever. I know it sounds horrible to say, but I was glad when it was all over, and I could escape for a bit."

"That's not horrible to say. Planning funerals is one of the most draining things a person can do. I bet that everyone else is feeling the exact same way as you are right now."

"Maybe," she mumbled, picking up the ball and throwing it again for Pongo.

A few seconds of silence fell between them, until Harry's raspy voice travelled into her ear again. At the same time, the door opened up behind Wednesday and she looked back to see her mum walking up to her.

"Are you busy tonight?"

"Um, I don't know. Grandad and auntie Helen are staying for tea and then I don't know what they're doing after that. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought we could go somewhere tonight, so you could have a bit of a break from everything. But if you're staying with your family, it's completely fine."

"Sorry, I would go tonight but..." she quickly looked over at her mum, before lowering her voice. "I don't want to leave them all, especially when they've made the effort to come all the way here and-"

The phone was quickly ripped from Wednesday's hand as she turned to see her mum lifting it to her own ear.

"Harry, is that you sweetheart? Wednesday will go with you tonight, wherever you're planning on taking her. Okay? Okay."

Jane covered her palm over the speaker as she pulled the phone away from her ear, facing her daughter with a stern, but encouraging expression.

"You don't have to stick around here all night, I promise us old biddies will be fine. You go and have some fun. You need to be able to escape every now and then, Nessie."

Handing the phone back to her, Jane turned and re-entered the house before Wednesday could argue. Lifting the phone to her ear in a surprised daze, she chuckled slightly.

"Well, I guess that's me told. I'll see you tonight then."

"I'll come pick you up around 5" he said, happy at the turn of events.

Wednesday ended the call and breathed out into the cold air, a weird numbness invading her.

As she looked to the darkening sky, feeling so overwhelmed that no thoughts managed to materialise, Pongo appeared at her leg. Nudging her with his wet nose, he flopped to the floor on top of her feet and let his head loll back up to stare at her. He simply panted, his tongue flopped out to the side.

She looked down at him amusedly, bending to stroke his belly.

"You're such a good boy, aren't you?" she whispered.

In one fast movement, he licked her cheek as his wagging tail swatted out behind him.

And for the first time that day, she smiled.

/

hi guys, I hope you've all had a lovely christmas/weekend! did anyone get any harry themed presents??? I hope you enjoyed this new chapter - it's a slow one, but I think there are some really lovely moments scattered in here. also thank you for 10k reads, even typing that out seems mad?!