Recover (Larry Stylinson AU)

Introduction

Harry Styles was broken. No, he was more than broken. He'd given his heart up to others so many times, only to have it ripped apart and tossed back at him, that he didn't believe in any form of love at all anymore. Sure, love existed. But it existed in fairy tales. It existed for other people. Not for him; never for him.

First, there was his dad. Harry couldn't remember much about his father, other than a couple flashbacks. What he did remember was that he loved his dad very much. Something he also remembered was the day his father walked out on him. Harry couldn't have been more than five years old, so he always thought some day his father would return, wearing that dimple that the two of them shared. However, as soon as his seventh birthday came around, he realized that his father wouldn't be coming back.

And that was when his heart was first broken.

After that was his best friend, Matt. Harry and Matt had been best friends since before they could talk. They never left each other's side. Ever. So, when a naive ten year old Harry found Matt talking to the school's popular kids, he simply thought that he was making new friends. Until the next day, when all of a sudden everyone knew that Harry sometimes still peed his pants when he was scared. The only person that knew about that other than his Mum was Matt.

And that was the second time.

Ever since then, the kids in school hadn't stopped teasing him. Even after they forgot about the peeing incident, they still continued bullying him, finding reasons. He was a nerd, they said. He spent too much time at the library, they said. He looked gay, they said. And that's how the rumors about his sexuality started spreading. Nevermind the fact that they were right; Harry was indeed attracted to boys. But what right did they have to assume things and judge him?

And that was when he stopped trusting his fellow classmates.

And there were the teachers, turning a blind eye, because it was easier for them to pretend that nothing was happening so they wouldn't have to deal with a shy, awkward teenager who had too much emotional baggage for them to handle.

So he learned to stop trusting them as well.

And yet, Harry still had faith. He still hoped that someday, someone would come and save his arse from it all. But that all changed when he began going into the darker side of coping.

At first, reading was his way to cope with it all. He was introverted, so he didn't like talking to people, and instead he would read. He would go to the library, find a good book, and go to the corner where it was quiet so he could read about the amazing life of a vampire, or a thief, or someone equally as exciting.

But slowly, Harry turned to different books. Books about depression. Books about cutting. And even though the ending of those books was always a happy one, the idea of self harm stuck in his head, like a leech that wouldn't let go. Harry wondered if cutting really did solve all the problems like they said it did. So he tried it out.

Cutting didn't solve everything; not even close. But it made him forget. Just for a second, he forgot about his sorry excuse of a life, and focused on nothing but the thrill. He wasn't sure what the thrill was about. Control? Maybe. There was something about the way that he called all the shots. Finally, there was something he could control.

His entire life was full of other people, and sometimes it felt like they controlled what he did more than himself. But while he was cutting, only Harry got to decide how deep he let it go, only he got to decide how many times he cut. The feeling of control was amazing, and Harry couldn't get enough of it.

But when Harry's thoughts started drifting to suicide, warning bells went off in his head. And when he almost did something incredibly stupid, he decided he needed help. Fast.

~*~

Louis Tomlinson. Loud, obnoxious, annoying, playful, and very lovable. He liked to talk out his problems, and he'd gladly tell anyone who was listening all about how mad he was at so-and-so because they didn't tell him that there was a party tonight and now he only had a half hour to get ready--the horror!

So it was safe to say Louis was quite an extrovert, talking to anyone and everyone, regardless or whether they'd listen or not. And that's why problems never bothered him. He'd just go over to one his mate's houses and rant to them until he felt like he'd got it out of his chest. And then, just like that, everything would be okay.

Because he was so good at dealing with his own problems, he decided that he'd like to help others. And when he realized that he could do that as his job ... Well, he was in heaven, really, because there was nothing he wanted more.

And Louis Tomlinson's life seemed perfect. He was a very well-known shrink, had a loving family (even if his sisters were annoying), and he really couldn't ask for mates better than his. When he got a call from a shy, and slightly confused, teenager asking if they could meet up, he didn't really think anything about it. He'd treated loads of teenagers before. Treating this lad shouldn't be any different. Of course, he didn't have any idea exactly how emotionally damaged Harry was.

Harry was shy and Louis was loud and Harry liked to cook while Louis burned everything he touched and Harry had lots of emotions he didn't know what to do with and Louis seemed like he had his entire life planned out and Harry was incredibly insecure while Louis felt like he was the sexiest man ever to walk the earth and Harry was the patient while Louis was the therapist and Harry was the opposite of Louis and it really shouldn't work, but it did.

what do you think? it's a prologue so sorry if it's short! also, if there are any mistakes, please do point them out. i'll be editing the entire book once it's finished. (: x

-  amy