Arlo - Larry Stylinson

Chapter 11 - His Heart would Burst with an Overdose of Love

"-Should anyone wish to speak but has no courage to do so, I'll be in the music room later on today. You're free to confide in me. I vow on privacy."

His eyes left Roxanne and returned to the rest of the crew. "Argentina." He said. A small smile crawled on his face that showed nothing but pitiless hunger. Zayn wondered why he looked that way, but then he saw that he was smiling at Harry. Harry was smirking back and Louis was clearly forcing his eyes away to everyone else but it was clear who he'd rather be watching. "There's a lot of things out there, I hear. Blackbeard told me many stories of his past and the people there. It sounded wonderful, as you should imagine, but we shall not be staying." He slammed a fist on the table when everyone started to complain. "Don't forget your places." He snarled, and the room went silent. "I'll give you a week. You shall explore the country to your liking, do as you wish. The Grand Marie shall sail at dusk on San Martin Day. I won't wait for you if you're late."

He knew that he was lying, he knew that he'd wait for everyone at least until nightfall, but they weren't to know that. Louis quite enjoyed seeing the anxious fear in their eyes, it calmed him.
He looked back at Harry who soothed his expression when they caught each other's eyes again. Harry smiled at him in the most loving way and Louis felt his heart leap out of his chest. It was strange to think that after more than a decade, he could still feel this way, if not more with every day that passed. "Leave now." He said to his crew but everyone understood that the Captain just wanted Harry for himself. After all, he always did; Harry was not shared, that was for sure.

Everyone left the room, slamming the door behind them, and Harry stood up. He was shirtless beneath his dusty-pink coat, he had been for weeks as his shirt had sunk in the wreck. He still had a Gypsy style and Louis believed that he'd never give it up, not that anyone had tried to make him. He smiled, put his copper hand out to Louis and bowed down. He'd always done that, Louis thought, always treated Louis like the finest Lady in the country. Louis took his hand, attempted at a curtsy but gave up when his wooden leg got in the way.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, taking Louis' face in his hand when he stood back up straight. The cold copper froze Louis' scorched cheek but he loved how it felt. Harry looked at him, watched his lover's eyelashes curl up and his lips part; he swam in the oceans that lived in Louis' eye, felt how they were warmer than any waters he'd ever seen. Was Louis alright? He seemed to be.

Louis looked down, pulled his lips into a line, and shook his head.

"What can I do for you?" Harry asked, moving his head to catch Louis' gaze but only seeing his lover turn away. He watched Louis move to a chair and sit down on it, letting a sigh of relief as he looked at his prosthetic leg. Louis appeared in deep thought, in a state of mourning that Harry hadn't expected to see. "I'm sorry for your loss." He said, "I didn't realise that the Captain was that close to you."

Louis looked up, gave a sympathetic smile that was clearly fake, and slouched over the table with his face in his palm. "He wasn't as bad as the world made him." He said, although he sounded far away. "He had many things he wanted to do before he died. He had many things that he should've said but never got the chance to. I wonder if he felt betrayed?"

"How so?" Harry asked, leaning his weight on the table and brushing his hand through Louis' hair in comforting movements.

"Well, he said that the Grand Marie was his own creation, that he loved her with everything. He was willing to risk his own life for this Ship and yet she passed down the power to me and left him to get killed. It's unfair, the Grand Marie betrayed him."

Harry bit the inside of his cheek and pulled his hand away from Louis' hair to undo his coat buttons. "I understand your point but maybe she had no choice. Maybe she saw you as a more worthy Leader."