You like to preach with a vodka in your mug

Chapter one

Harry trips up the stairs. That's going to leave a bruise on his shins. He's holding up the stairway and year sevens are going nuts about the commotion.

"Fuck, H, are you good?"

Harry starts crying. Louis scoops him up under his arms and drags him up the stairs after glancing at the building queue behind them. It's too much hassle to fight through them.

"Sorry," Harry wails, catching the attention of a few teachers dotted around the corridor. Louis takes him to the stairwell at the end that no one really uses and stops him. "Lou, sorry!"

"Have you been drinking?" Louis' jaw clenches and Harry sobs more. With a few deep breaths, Louis relaxes and brings a hand to Harry's face. His thumb wipes away a tear.

"No!" Harry stammers between hyperventilative breaths. He tries turning away but Louis manages to grab his arm. It's a little tighter than he intends and it makes Harry recoil further.

"You just burst into tears because you tripped over a step." Louis slips their hands together and squeezes Harry's. "I know I said I wasn't going to fight this for you but I've got to tell someone, H. This isn't healthy."

"Don't you dare!"

"H, I love you. I don't want to see you get any worse. It's ten in the morning and you've been drinking." Louis searches for some agreement in Harry's eyes; something telling him that Harry knows this is bad. "Baby, please tell someone. If you don't then I'm gonna have to."

"I'll kill myself."

"H, please don't say that."

"I'll do it."

"Harry." Louis sticks his bottom lip out with the hope Harry will take it back. The first time Harry had threatened it, Louis had sobbed for hours on Harry's doorstep because Harry wouldn't let him in. The only comfort he got was that Harry kept shouting at him to leave, meaning he couldn't have gone through with it. "Please."

The very second Louis' touch loosens, Harry bolts down the stairs and collapses into the wall when he jumps the last two steps. Louis tails him all the way out the building and to the car park.

"Go away!"

"H, you are not driving home!" Louis snaps breathlessly. Harry unlocks the car and nearly hits the car in the next bay with the door. "Harry, give me the keys. Harry!"

"Fine," Harry huffs, throwing the keys at Louis. They land about six feet away in a puddle with how badly Harry misses. "I wanna go on an adventure."

"I think you should go home."

"No. Mum's home." Harry's eyes flash with fear. It's the same fear Louis sees every time Harry's mum mentions she can't wait to have a glass of wine at the weekend, or whenever Niall talks about his birthday party when Harry got hammered and passed out on Niall's sofa, or when Louis tried comforting him when he admitted he shouldn't be drinking as much as he does. "Can't go home."

Louis sighs and rubs his face over his hands. He can be a terrible person sometimes but he does pride himself on being a good boyfriend.

"What kind of adventure?"

Harry giggles brightly and skips to the passenger seat.

"'M hungry. Let's have a picnic."

"It's raining."

"Don't care."

Louis sighs. These clothes are getting covered in mud then.

"D'you wanna get a meal deal?" Louis offers and Harry nearly starts crying again. "Okay, calm down. It's just a meal deal."