The day had already been monumentally shitty. The worst of the worst days. An absolute steaming-pile-of-crap day. So, really, it was only natural to finish it with a perfect cherry on top - his call from Death-Cast.
He was alone when the unmistakabl...
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𝙻𝚘𝚞𝚒𝚜 𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟷𝚜𝚝, 𝟸:𝟶𝟺𝚊𝚖
Louis heard the vibrant chattering long before he entered the kitchen. It brought a smile to his face to hear such liveliness and laughter even under such dark circumstances. And to walk in and see three of his young employees chatting over a cup of tea, it left him feeling more relaxed than he had all day. They reminded him of how he and Harry used to behave when they were younger, before taking in Ashton. Acting a fool any and everywhere they felt like it. Not caring about who overheard or if the conversations they had even meant anything important. Life was so easy back then, so innocent. Louis almost wished to go back, but, honestly, he wouldn't trade his time with his family for anything. Not even the hard parts.
Zayn caught Louis' eye and immediately snapped his mouth shut, motioning for Michael and Calum to do the same. They stared at him a moment in confusion before turning back to see Louis watching them from the doorway. Michael flushed red.
"Sorry, sir. Were we being too loud?"
"I've told you not to call me 'sir,' Clifford," Louis chastised playfully. He took a step further into the room. "And, no, you weren't doing anything wrong. I was just looking for Ashton." He took note of the expression the trio shared before silently appointing Calum as their front man. The kid stepped forward toward Louis, bushy brow furrowed deeply.
"He left about half an hour ago. Said he was going to talk to you and Harry."
Louis inhaled deeply at this new information. He folded his arms across his chest, feeling a familiar bubble of anxiety in his gut, but forced it down and smiled at the group. "He does enjoy a good fib, doesn't he? No worries. I'll go after him in a bit." He turned to Michael, offering a sympathetic frown. "I heard you got some bad news today as well. I'm sorry about that, lad. Fucking brutal, isn't it?"
Michael's expression soured, but he covered it up with a polite smile and nod. "Yeah. I'm sorry to hear about Harry. I can't imagine how hard that is."
"Yeah." Louis hummed. "Hard day for us all, it is." He looked at each of the boys. "You lads enjoy your time today, yeah? Do what you need to do and let us know if you need anything. I know this storm is putting a damper on things, but anything that's ours here is yours. You've been good to us and we owe you more than can be repaid in a day." He smiled at them and started to move away, but paused at the last second and turned back. "Oh, and, Michael, don't worry about your family. We'll make sure they're alright."
Michael's tense expression melted a bit, into something more like gratuity. "Thank you, Louis."
"Don't mention it, mate."
Louis walked away, feeling even heavier than he had earlier. Michael was a kid, barely older than Ashton, and he would be dead soon too. He wouldn't even get to say goodbye to his poor parents. Wouldn't get to hug them one last time. It was fucking cruel. Louis wasn't a religious person and it was occasions like this that reminded him why. What kind of god - an almighty, all-knowing entity - would kill a teenager in the middle of a snow storm that kept him from his family? It was amoral and unforgivable. Louis didn't give a shit about some greater plan . All he saw was a couple of kids dying for no good reason.
