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Chapter 5

Hi! I'm back with part 5! Hope you guys like it. Also... please comment! You guys' comments make me sooo happy

Anyway. I might continue this story for a while, because I really like how it's going! This might be my favorite part to write so far. (I just love torturing Louis! ) Okay, here we go:



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"My hands, your hands. Tied up like two ships. Drifting, weightless. Waves try to break it. I'd do anything to save it. Why is it so hard to save it?"

Harry smiled, thinking of how Louis had spent days writing this song. He glanced over at Louis, and was surprised to see his band mate squinting.

His mouth was slightly open, and his eyebrows were furrowed. It was an odd expression on him, but somehow Harry liked to see him so desperate.

Suddenly, Louis snapped to the side with a silent sneeze, trying to disguise it as a light cough when the others looked his way. Ridiculously enough, Harry felt somewhat proud to think that Louis let out his sneezes in front of him. This pride was replaced by concern when Louis stifled another double.

Liam was singing his part. "My heart, your heart. Sit tight like book ends. Pages, between us. Written with no end..."

Harry smiled at Louis as the chorus began. For some reason, he felt it perfectly defined them. "I'm sorry if I say, 'I need you.' But I don't care, I'm not scared of love."

Louis smiled back weakly. He stopped singing as the others continued, trying to coax another sneeze out. Finally, he stepped back from the group and stifled a sneeze into his fist. Then he turned around and stifled another. He winced when the last sneeze could not be held back. "Hut'chiew!" He snapped forward.

"...Bless you." Zayn sounded surprised.

"Thanks." Louis sniffed, embarrassed. This made the tickle in his nose worsen, and he frowned in frustration. "I'm sorry g-guyshh... heh... huh'schiew!"

"Bless you," the guys chorused.

"Lou. Are you sure you're well enough to perform in the concert?" Harry asked. "I mean, if you keep sneezing, you-"

"I'll be fine," Louis interrupted, rubbing his nose. "This is only rehearsal. I'll be better by tomorrow."

"Huh'eshoo! Huh'issshuh!" All eyes turned to Harry, who was looking up sheepishly from his elbow. "I may have caught Louis' cold."

Liam groaned. "Ugh. By tomorrow we'll all be sick."

Niall grinned. "Not me! I don't get sick."

Louis glared at him. "You seem to find this very amusing. Heht'shoo!"

Niall shrugged. "Maybe a little."

Zayn sighed. "Okay, guys. We should just practice this song once or twice, then let Louis and Harry rest. They need to be able to perform their best for tomorrow's concert."

Everyone agreed, and Louis resumed with his part. He grimaced when he heard how congested his voice sounded. "People always try to escape it. Move on to stop their heart breaking. But there's nothing I'm running from." He looked at Harry. "You make me strong."


The rehearsal had finished half an hour ago. Louis and Harry were in bed, and the rest of the band hurried to get them soup, water, pillows, and donuts (from Niall, who ate them himself when they were refused.)

Niall entered the room with a glass of water and an array of desserts. Louis brightened considerably, before turning away to sneeze. "Huh-shoo! Het-schiew!"

Niall laughed. "Where's the third one?" he asked, after a pause.

"There won't be," Louis turned red, from both annoyance and embarrassment.

"What would you know?" Louis managed to mutter, before his breath hitched. "Heh... Hut-chiew!... ugh."

This, of course, only made Niall laugh harder.

"There is nothing funny about this," Louis said, pressing a tissue to his nose.

"Yes. There is," Niall said, still chuckling. He held out the water to Louis. "I have to go offer Harry some junk food."

"Wait." As annoying as he was, Niall was company. "Uh... he doesn't want anything. And he's sleeping."

"Oh. Okay! I'll stay here." Niall opened a bag of chips and plopped down on the side of Louis' bed. "So," he said, munching. "What makes you so embarrassed to sneeze in front of people?"

Wait. Did I hear that right? "What?" Louis asked.

"I mean, why do you turn red after sneezing? And I'm glad you stopped holding them back. It looked like you were about to burst."

"Um." Louis looked away. This was way too awkward for his liking. "I don't know. It's just... I don't know."

"Okay, thank you for that enlightening reply." Niall picked up a cookie and offered one to Louis, who refused.

Louis wasn't sure how to respond, so he laughed instead.

"So what's going on with your life?" Niall bit into the cookie.

They sat and talked for a while. After an hour, Louis eyelids began to droop. "Huh-shoo! Het-schiew!..." He tried looking towards the light. "Heh... hht'chiew!"

"Bless you," Niall said tiredly. He looked at the chip bags in front of him. "I'm getting too tired to even eat junk food."

"There must really be a problem, then," Louis joked. He turned to lie on his side. Need rest... need to... sing in concert.

He was startled awake when Niall suddenly turned and sneezed wetly into his elbow. "Hh-tsch!" Once. He took a deep breath, then: "Het-kshhh!" Twice. He glanced at Louis. "Sorry, did I get you?"

"No. Bless you," Louis said absentmindedly. "Wait. Niall, are you getting sick?"

"Told you. I don't get sick." Niall yawned. "Mind if I stay here? I think I'm too tired to move."

"Too lazy, more like it," Louis replied. Niall didn't respond, and Louis realized that the blonde had fallen asleep. Oh well, Louis thought. He'd just have to tease him about the sneezing tomorrow.

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I loved writing this chapter! I just can't torture them enough. Anyway, hope you liked it! Tell me what you think. I'll try to update soon with what happens in the concert! (and how the rest of them get sick. MWAHAHA!)