1953.

Une.

Life can stop at any given moment. You have to be able to live it with no fear. "Grab life by the balls", as Harry would say. This, Louis knows. He knows he can't be the same shy, and reserved person he once was. Harry can make him feel larger than life at times, and that reflects into Louis' actions. Because of this philosophy he's lived by for the past several months, Louis finds himself lying on the cold pavement, just outside the Catholic church on the corner of Stonecrest avenue, and Oakleaf drive. The small boys blood is pooling around his body. People rally around him and all of the others. Most people are pushing, and shoving, and throwing insults and words of prejudice upon him and everyone else. Every now and then you can hear gunshots blown in the distance and then violent screams of terror. There are hundreds of people gathered to protest- more than who live in the small English town. People came from up to an hour away to participate, both sides represented, in the protest everyone has been anticipating. The date is June 16th, 1953. Harry is a sobbing, sniveling mess while holding onto Louis with whatever strength he has left, for he knows that when Louis leaves, a part of him leaves as well. Louis while looking up, takes notice of little pink, velvety looking flower petals blowing in the early summer breeze. His eyesight goes hazy for a moment before he refocuses them onto the petals. It's getting harder for him to keep his eyes open, but he doesn't close them for the reason that he knows it will be the last. A gunshot is heard in the close distance. Close enough for it to rattle inside Louis' ears for what feels like forever. Louis uses the little pink petals in the air as a way to not drift away. "Louis!" Harry calls out to the weakening boy in his arms. "Louis look at me! Look at me! Please stay with me!" Harry is shouting at Louis at this point, pleading for him to not leave. The smaller boy looks up to the larger, tattooed, one holding him. "They're almost here. They're just around the corner, doll. Can't you hear the sirens? They're coming to help you." The screaming of the rallying people get louder as Harry pleads for Louis to stay with him. Louis can hear the sirens that Harry mentioned. They're getting louder and louder as they near. Another gunshot is heard, the horrified screams follow. Harry bows his head down crying for Louis to be okay, and Louis with all of his strength left, grabs onto Harry's head forcing him to look into his eyes. For as long as Louis can remember Harry has been his rock, his safe place, his home. He's here because of him. "Harry," Louis tries to make his voice sound loud and confident, "Listen to me, okay? It'll all be alright. You can go on and do great things for this world. I know you can, Haz. I've seen it before." Harry doesn't like thinking the way that Louis is talking, "No Louis sto-" Louis interrupts him by forcefully, but as gentle as humanly possible, putting his thin lips on top of Harry's slightly chapped ones. Their mouths move together passionately as one, the warmth of it being felt all the way in their toes. The screaming around them is getting louder, but they pay no mind to it. Both boys hold each other tight and close, neither of them moving because they don't want their moment to end. "Move! Move! Move!" Harry and Louis were so involved in only each other that they didn't notice four ambulances were lined up on the streets and an army of paramedics had arrived. People with severe injuries are being carried back to the ambulances while paramedics help the less injured where they are. Harry looks down to the bleeding hole in Louis' stomach. Just under his diaphragm. Louis follows Harry's gaze to his torso. They both know what's about to occur even though they don't want it to happen. The boys hold onto each other tighter. Louis' breaths start to get shallow and it's getting harder for him to breathe. Harry can feel him struggling. "Sir, move out of the way!" a paramedic yells at Harry, but he doesn't listen, He continues to hold on to Louis. "Sir, you have to move!" The paramedic grabs Harry and roughly throws him off of Louis. There's a few medics kneeling around Louis trying to bandage him and help stabilise his breathing. All Harry could do was sit there on the pavement in the same position as when he was thrown, and just watch Louis get treated. Harry sees that Louis is having trouble keeping his eyes open during the process. "Louis! Please don't go!" Harry yells to the boy, but he can't hear him. After a few minutes of sitting there watching Louis, and trying not to get stepped on by avid protesters, the medics start to lift Louis off the ground. With this Harry gets up as well. "Where are you taking him?" Harry asks in concern, worrying that he won't be able to stay with Louis. "We must take him to the hospital!" A paramedic with blonde hair and striking blue eyes says. It's the same guy who threw him off of Louis he notices. He can see that with each passing second Louis is straying further and further away from reality. It's getting hard for Louis to hold on. Harry tries to follow the group towards the ambulances but he's abruptly stopped, once again by the same medic. "Sir, you can't come with." He says with authority. "But I have to!" Harry tries to protest, but it's no use. "There's no room for anyone but a patient and a medic in the ambulance, Sir. Now if you'd let us, we must hurry before it's too late." And with that, the medic with blonde hair and blue eyes takes Louis towards the ambulance. Louis' vision is getting hazier while he tries to stay awake. As he's being put onto the ambulance he attempts to call for Harry, but the lad with the unruly head of hair can't hear him. The unnamed blonde haired medic shuts the door and the ambulance is off, racing down the winding roads of the small town to get to the hospital. Louis' vision becomes black as he hears violent yelling and beeping from all directions, but he can't make out anything being said. Instead, he thinks about his time with Harry and what they could've been, had this not happened. Harry stands still in the same spot he was in when Louis was put into the ambulance. He watches it speed down the road in urgency and desperation to get to the hospital in time. He's left standing there wondering if he's ever going to see Louis again. He's left with a hole in his heart the size of Louis desperately needing to be filled, but he doesn't know if it will ever be filled again. He's left standing there waiting for Louis to miraculously appear in front of him with a dumb smile on his face, and he stands there in the middle of people rioting and protesting, but he's stuck and can't for the life of him find the will to move. Louis is what keeps him around nowadays. And he was taken away from him.