You & I (Larry Stylinson short story)

Chapter Eleven: Back

The maid looked down to her towels and then knitted her brow. "Why, he's left," She said, remembering her encounter with the distressed kitten earlier. "Went out the back, towards the gardens."

With that, Harry got even more worried. Why was his kitten not in the safety of his arms already? Why wasn't he inside by the fire, curled on his chest and nuzzling along his neck? Harry felt tears spring in his eyes again and he blinked furiously, moving past the woman after a nod and soft, 'thank you'.

Hi feet pounded the marble of his clean floors and suddenly he could see everything; every speck of dirt under his nail, every hair on each brow that passed him by; every twitch of every servant, every click of every heel and every gasp of every mouth. They all moved and watched him. Each eye was on Harry and he felt a sweat drip along his neck. Even when he finally reached the doors to his gardens behind his mansion, the cool air couldn't keep the hot flashes from stroking over his skin.

The brisk air was slowly warming from mid morning arriving but the breeze made Harry shiver lightly in only his underwear. He had to find Louis in this mass of garden and maze and his brain just couldn't wrap around the concept of seeing Louis so hurt. His mouth was growing dry at just the thought.

"Louis!" He cried out for him as his feet stumbled. "Kitty - come back! I didn't mean it!"

He felt like he was moving too slow and time was speeding by. Before he knew it, hours had gone by and his maids and butlers were watching him at the skyscraping windows, mumbling to each other and gossiping on what could have happened.

"I heard he slapped the thing," One said to another.

"No, no! He chose Nicholas over him - I'm sure of it."

"How could you possibly know?"

"I was there. They slept together; poor little thing was in the room right next to them."

There was a collection of sympathetic sighs and awe's. Louis had grown to become one of the treasured presences around the place since he arrived. The staff took such a liking to the kitten so they all looked after him in a maternal or paternal type of way so it hurt them to see him taking off in such pain - even if he still was on the property.

Speaking of the hybrid, he was moving throughout the small maze on the outskirts of Harry's extensive yard. He'd only just resided here after avoiding Harry and his plea's. He still felt confused, but now he was also tired. His eyes were still red and puffy from recent episodes of crying as he listened to Harry scream. It hurt him to hear him in such pain. Yet, he guesses that now Harry know's how he felt last night.

Louis stopped wandering through the hedges and came to the middle with a small round patch of tall green grass and flourishing flowers. Louis would have rolled in the green if not for how his chest sunk every time he heard Harry's distant cries growing louder.

His tail curled around his leg as he realized that Harry had entered the maze and was now searching again for him in there. He ran out, trying to use his beating ears to make Harry's voice smaller but it seemed as though every turn he made, he was going closer and then further and then closer again until he turned the corner and hit Harry's chest.

He was back at the flower patched middle except this time he was on Harry's warm chest.

"No," He whimpered as Harry wrapped his arms around him. "No, please, no,"

"Baby, stop it," He buried his face in Louis' neck and pressed kisses all over his skin. "Dont leave, don't ever leave." He moved his lips desperately up the boy's skin and closed his eyes, inhaling the smell of him. He was so terrified, thinking he'd lost Louis for good to this mistake of his. He promises to never even set eyes on Nick again, and he had to let Louis know that.

"I won't ever let him back here again, he won't ever even step foot on this property any longer. Not a finger will be laid upon your pretty head and not a word from him will be heard." He held Louis' face in his hands so that the kitten was staring straight into his wet, pink-green eyes.

Louis didn't exactly understand each word but the parts he did know made him whine softly. "Please." He sniffled. "No Nick anymore. I want you mine."

"I am yours. I'm so sorry." Harry nodded and then held Louis against him once more, feeling the body go lax in his arms before it shook with soft sobs.

Harry held Louis for what felt like forever until he could count each even breath that escaped the smaller being's mouth. He stroked his hair between the ears and down his spine until Louis curled himself back into Harry's body. His little body was so overcome with all the emotions of that day that he was swept to sleep in the arms of his one love.

The man stood and held Louis tight for his life between his arms, cradling his head and kissing his cheek as he whispered how he adored him in his unhearing ear.

"My sweetest angel, never fly away." He carried him into the house, every one else becoming blind to his eyes. All he saw was Louis, not the crowd of people making a path for them. "Be my princess and I'll keep you in the happiest of splendors."
In Louis' dreams, he heard Harry's voice saying this and it made images of them together in a ballroom, slow dancing and holding warm and close like Cinderella and Prince Charming had done.

"I'll put you to rest each night with sweet love," Harry whispered as he climbed marble steps. "And wake you with the sweetness of morning light." They passed the bedrooms as Harry padded down to the library. He opened the door and laid back on the chaize and switched on his fireplace, letting them warm as he drew down the furniture's blanket over them.

"Every day I will love and cherish you like no one ever has before to another." He vowed, kissing the sleeping boy's head. "My greatest treasure."

And with that, Harry fell asleep with his beloved once more in his arms.