AKA The five times they ran away together, and the one time they couldn't. This was supposed to be a songfic, but there's only really one mention of the lyrics here. It's still very inspired by the song, so I hope I did it justice. Also, I really didn't mean to leave this collection alone for almost a month. I'm so sorry!

Prompt: 'Paris' by The Chainsmokers

v.

He had found her sitting alone on the steps in front of the Tremaine's Curl and Dye shop, lost in thought as she fiddled with the hem of her dress. He was curious; she had never exited the shop looking so gloomy and down in the dumps, nevertheless sitting alone in front of it like she had nowhere else to go. It irked him, more than he liked.

Without hesitation, he trudged up to her, hand outstretched for her to take it. She looked up at him curiously; it would be wrong to say that they were friends, yet it would be even more wrong to say they were strangers. While they had spoken only a few times before, those few moments had built a strange connection neither had thought possible. However they had never openly sought each other out, both too busy with their own messes of lives to think of doing anything else.

So she just stared at him, never saying anything else as he looked down at her expectantly. "Run away with me," he had told her so seriously, she didn't think he was joking. She went silent for a few moments before lifting her hand up, placing it gently in his.

"Okay," she muttered in reply, letting the pirate lead her off to wherever he wished. He pulled her through the dark alleys of the Isle, swiftly turning to avoid the crowds as he ventured further and further out, until he reached the edges of the forest near the sea. She followed him obediently, allowing herself to relish in the feel of his touch as he gently tugged her along to a creek hidden behind the trees.

Evie raised a brow when the view finally came in sight, never having visited the place before. He led her near the rocks where there was a small canoe tucked away inside a small crevice. Evie followed him inside the boat, holding onto him for balance before taking a seat on the wooden plank. He took an oar, handing her one before showing her the correct way to paddle, the girl following along quickly.

When the preparations were finally done, Harry untied the string anchoring the boat to the edge of the creek before beginning to paddle away, Evie following his lead. They paddled in complete silence for a good ten minutes, before the pirate finally looked at her, ready to speak.

"Yer mum?" he had asked her, the girl nodding in reply.

"She got angry at me again for using up her makeup, lecturing me for not having the 'decency' to refill it. Then she called me ugly and that she didn't want to see my face again, so I went to find Dizzy but she's out," she explained softly, twirling a strand of blue hair with her fingers.

Harry watched her as she let out a small sigh, biting her lip hard. He reached out a gloved hand, gently caressing her face as she paused, staring at him curiously. His hand moved to the strand of hair she was twirling, twirling it with his own before letting go.

"Yer not ugly Princess," he said to her, "far from it."

Evie bit her lip, trying to hide the small smile as he pulled away, paddling once more. It was one thing to be called pretty from her friends, but it was another to be called pretty from someone like Harry. It had meant more to her than he would ever know.

iv.

His fingers travelled along the length of his hook, lightly gliding across the cool surface before it reached the sharp point at its edge. If he added a little pressure, he would prick himself and draw blood, and the temptation was growing a little stronger.

However he was stopped by a hand that had gripped the edges of his hook, Harry looking up to see a bemused blue haired princess who flashed him a knowing look as he removed his finger from the edge. He grinned a sheepish grin but she shook her head, tugging the hook harder in retaliation.

"Run away with me," she said to him, a single nod of the head giving her his answer. She pulled him by the hook, knowing he wouldn't ever let it go as she led him through the familiar passages and along the sides of the forest until they reached the creek. Instead of heading inside the boat, she tugged him across the rocks at the edge, lightly jumping across to avoid the water.

He followed her obediently, until she stopped and bent down to grab two stones at the bottom of the shallow waters. When she got up, she handed him a stone, waving it to him before swiftly skipping it across the water, his eyes watching as it skipped five times before sinking into the bottom of the water. Evie turned to him expectantly as he copied her movement, shifting himself to the side before throwing it across the water. They both watched as it sunk to the bottom of the water without a single jump, Evie unable to stop the small giggle escaping her lips as Harry eyed her in irritation.

"It was me first time Princess," he protested as Evie tried halting her giggles.

"I got it the first time," she told him smugly, the pirate rolling his eyes.

"Beginner's luck."

She poked her tongue out at him before bending down to grab two more rocks, handing him one and getting ready to throw. "Your dad?"

They watched as her rock skipped seven times before sinking, Harry letting out a small whistle in appreciation before humming. "CJ and Harriet too."

Evie turned to him with a raised brow. "What happened?"

Harry didn't turn to look at her, instead focusing all his energy on the rock as he threw it as hard as he could, watching it sink just like before. "Same old, same old. Disappointed I hadn't topped me classes like those two did, and even more so when they found out I was Uma's first mate."

She nodded in understanding, before bending down to reach for another rock. This time she grabbed one that was larger than the others, turning to give it to him without a word. He took it without question, knowing what she meant before he threw it with all his might.

iii.

He took her hand without asking, leading her down the familiar route to the creek before finding a good place on the rocks for them to sit. No paddling or skipping rocks this time, just plain sitting and enjoying each other's company as they let the troubles around them fade away.

"Run away with me," he had told her once they were settled on the dry rocks, Evie rolling her eyes at the lateness of it.

"I already have," she retorted, the pirate grinning in reply. He let out a sigh as he shifted himself to look at her more comfortably, the girl turning to stare at him with curious eyes.

"It's been a while," she remarked, Harry nodding. "It has."

Evie bit her lip as she locked gazes with him, the blue in his eyes only now becoming more present. "I've missed you," she said softly, the pirate raising a brow in surprise. He sat up more straight this time as he kept his eyes locked on hers, not daring to make a single move.

"And why would the princess be missin' a pirate like lil' auld me?"

Her eyes narrowed at his teasing, reaching out to lightly punch him in the shoulder. "You know why."

His eyes twinkled. "Aye, but I wanted to hear ye say it first."

Her nose crinkled, Harry finding it the most adorable thing he'd ever seen before she let out a small harrumph. "They won't like it you know."

The male shrugged, not bothered by the opinions of the others. He loved his friends, he really did, and he had unquestionable loyalty to them but they didn't control his life then and they wouldn't control his life now. No matter the problem Uma had with the rest of her group, her bitterness lied with Mal and not Evie, so he didn't see why she would need to be unnecessarily affected.

"I don't care," he told her, reaching out to rest a hand against her cheek. "They can hate it all they want, but they can't tell me what to do."

Evie placed a hand over his, leaning into his touch with a small smile. She didn't doubt that he didn't care, but she couldn't deny that she did. Her friendship with Mal was still a little rocky and fragile, but she didn't want to sacrifice one relationship for another. Harry was right in his thinking, but it didn't mean that it wouldn't cause problems for everyone involved.

But they had run away together, so that shouldn't matter now.

ii.

"Harry, run away with me," she pleaded, taking his hand and trying to pull him away. But he didn't budge, looking at her for a long moment before pulling her away himself. He moved so fast that she was stumbling right after him, but she did her best to catch up, refusing to slow him down.

He only let her hand go when they had finally arrived, standing on the rocks instead of merely sitting on them. Evie stared at his back worriedly, hesitant to approach him in case he would brush her off.

"Ye trashed me ship," he said coldly, withdrawn of emotion that it had Evie's heart pounding in her ears in guilt.

"I did," she admitted, staying rooted to her spot as she forced herself to keep her head high.

"And ye did it with the others," he continued, the girl lowering her head in shame. "I know," she all but whispered, flinching when she heard him turn.

"Why?"

"You know why."

The male sighed before walking toward her, the sound of grass crunching becoming deafening in her ears. She heard him pause in front of her, her eyes trained on his rugged black boots before she felt his hand reach beneath her chin, gently tilting her head up to face him. His eyes were unreadable but that made her feel all the more guilty as she bit her lip, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry," she muttered sincerely, hoping he would listen to her.

"It's not my place to forgive ye Princess. Ye weren't the one who wanted te do it," he replied softly.

"Let's not fight here," she instead said to him, eyes pleading. He knew what she meant, nodding in agreement.

"We won't."

i.

She gazed up at him with cheeky eyes, hand gripping the small object tightly as he eyed it skeptically. "Why?"

Evie shrugged. "Can't I at least take one picture of us?"

"Why take a picture when ye can have the real thing," he retorted, flashing her a cocky grin. The girl rolled her eyes before pulling him by the jacket toward her. "Pictures last longer."

He tipped his hat in agreement before she handed the camera to him, Harry raising a brow. "I'm takin' it?"

"Of course. You're taller than me," she reasoned before she grabbed his face in her hands, smiling at him. "Run away with me?"

The pirate smiled back at her, lifting the camera with one arm as he turned it to face the both of them. With the right angle, he kept his finger on the button as she leaned up to seal the kiss, Harry clicking at the right moment. When they pulled away, Evie's lips spread out into the widest grin. "Always."

He brought the camera down, turning it to see the screen for the preview of their photo. Evie hummed in approval at his photography skills, liking the way he had captured their kiss in their own little paradise.

If we go down then we go down together.

+i

His hands gripped the edges of the scroll tightly, applying so much pressure that it was bound to rip. He sucked in a breath as he read the words over and over again, until he was sure that it had been engrained in his mind for good and that he wasn't just reading it wrong.

Evie watched him worriedly, noting the whiteness in his knuckles as he gripped the scroll tightly. She already knew that by coming here, it would be bad news for the both of them. No one would walk away from here with an unbroken heart, that much was certain.

"Harry," she began softly, reaching out toward him but he flinched away, still holding the scroll tightly before turning to look up at her. He was frowning, face looking angry but she knew him well enough to note that he wasn't just angry, he was also in disbelief and shock, but if anything in pain. She had caused him pain, the last thing she had ever wanted to do, especially in their paradise.

"Yer going," he said bluntly, the girl slowly nodding. He sucked in another breath before throwing the scroll at her, Evie not bothering to catch it as she watched him.

"Harry," she tried again but he shook his head vehemently.

"Yer gonna leave me," it wasn't a question but she nodded anyway.

"I'm s—"

"Don't say it," he snapped, "Don't apologise."

"Harry—"

Harry shook his head, running a hand through his messy hair before turning to her. She was looking at him guiltily and sadly, but what could he do? She was the one who had hurt him more, yet even now he couldn't find the heart to hate her. He could never hate her, never.

"Run away with me," he pleaded to her, hands gripping her shoulders tightly. He didn't want to lose her, not now, not ever. But the reality was coming more and more real. She was leaving him, and he couldn't follow.

Evie gazed up at him, trying to reign back the tears but it was no use. Her eyes were watery as he gripped her shoulders, but all she could do was place her hands on his chest, lightly pushing him away. "I can't."

Not this time. Not anymore.