SOLITUDE

Chapter Five

"Uh... I usually have the same dream," Harry looked up into Louis' soft eyes, and Louis nodded reasurringly, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Well. It's kind of like - memories, you know?" 

"So - your past," Louis echoed in a quiet voice. "Elaborate, Harry."

Harry looked down at his lap, feeling the pink flush colour his cheeks. "Lonely,"

"So you have dreams about being lonely?" Louis whispered into the skin of Harry's neck, his fingertips gently brushing against his temple, the skin soft under his touch - and Harry nodded. "You're not, anymore. You know that, right?"

"I don't know..." Harry's voice faded out, as he re-opened his eyes, glancing at the darkness ahead of him. "Thank you. Like - I need to go soon, though."

"You know you're free to do what you wish to do," Louis whispered back, unblinking as he stared right at the boy in front of him. "But you also should know that you are free to stay as long as you need to,"

Harry could only nod.

-

"Zayn, what's up?"

Niall stretched out on the sofa, his phone pressed to his ear, his legs crossed at his ankles as he sat in front of Louis' television screen.

"Is that kid there?" Zayn asked, and Niall's eyebrows shot up.

"What, Harry?"

He glanced over at the sofa, where Louis and Harry layed, their limbs tangled together, their cheeks against each other, Louis' hand tangled in the mop of curls, and Harry's hands desperately clutching at Louis' pyjama shirt.

"Yes, you idiot, Harry, obviously." Zayn hissed into the phone.

Niall laughed nervously, picking at the hem on his shirt. "Alright then, chill,"

"Don't you tell me to chill. Is he there?"

 "Why does it matter to you?"

Zayn groaned into the phone, a scowl appearing on Niall's face.

"Why the hell would Louis pick up a random kid off the street? Don't have a problem with the lad - but who picks people off the street? That's not normal mate. Normal people don't do that-"

"Shut up, man," Niall replied, his voice surprisingly steady, taking a sip of the coffee that he was holding in his hand.

"-As much as you know, he can have some disease and you'll get infected from him, and, like, die. He's disgusting. Most kids off the streets are long-gone drug addicts. Just tell Louis that."

Niall let himself look at Harry with his curls and pale skin. Zayn didn't know what he was talking about.  But he didn't say anything, letting Zayn ramble on about his hatred towards the young boy. Mostly because he was scared of Zayn. Everyone's scared of Zayn. He's capable of doing anything.

"Look, it's interesting listening to you and all but I have to go-"

"You're there, aren't you? At Louis'?"

"Goodbye Zayn."

"I'm not done with this, you know. I care for Louis too much," He said, before hanging up. Niall sighed - not only Harry surely had enough problems of his own, but now there was Zayn too.

He was lost in thought, so that he didn't notice Harry stirring a little, his eyes fluttering open, fixing his gaze of Niall after registering the shock of having Louis wrapped around his body.

"Oh- Niall, hi," Harry mumbled, smiling a little.

"Hey there, dude," Niall grinned, leaning a little over the window frame, where he found himself five minutes prior whilst thinking about Zayn. He frowned. "There's been a car parked here since yesterday,"

Harry hummed, watching Niall as he debated whether that actually was a genuine person sitting in there, watching the window carefully.

"I swear, never seen this before," He shrugged, before pushing himself away from the window, and smiled at Harry. "Hungry?"

"A little," Harry admitted, trying to unwrap Louis' arm from around his waist.

"Well, make food then," Niall smirked, and Harry laughed a little. He liked Niall. Niall was cool, he was chill about everything. He didn't care about Harry being a random homeless kid spending nights on Niall's best mate's sofa.

"Eggs, what do you say for that?" Harry finally managed to unravel himself from Louis, tucking him in with the blanket and smiling down at him before following Niall out of the living room.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Niall replied, seating himself down on one of the few bar stools, and spinning around, sighing a little. "Hey, Harry?"

"Hmm?" Harry looked up from the stove.

"I'm glad we have you here," Niall smiled a legitimate smile, and Harry grinned. 

"I'm glad I'm here," He replied. "But I don't want to be pushy. I'll stay for some time. I'll leave soon, I don't want to take up space."

"You're not!" Niall protested. "You've made Louis somewhat happier, you know? He never smiled as much as he does now that you're here. You should have seen him for the week after the first time we saw you. He was going crazy." 

Harry smiled to himself, blushing once again. He blushed alot, Niall noticed, and then he noticed Louis stumbling into the kitchen, his eyes frantic, as if in search for something, someone- Oh, and there it goes, he's smiling again once he noticed Harry.

"Oh, thank god," 

"What, Louis got worried that his boyfriend went missing?" Niall smirked as he noticed Harry's bright red cheeks, and Louis' amused eyes.

"You kidding me? I thought he got kidnapped or something," Louis replied, walking over to Harry in three quick steps and nuzzling his nose into the boy's shoulder, and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Or you just ran off."

Harry shook his head. "Won't. Thank you for last night,"

Niall wolf-whistled, as he laughed out loud. "Get some, Tomlinson!"

"You're a sick bastard and I am ashamed to call you my friend," Louis replied, rolling his eyes, as he unwrapped himself from the younger boy, and looked out of the window. "That red car's still there?"

"Yeah, damn it. Don't know who it is. I'll go down later, maybe check if some creep is watching us," Niall said, picking up one of the toasts off the plate that Harry placed on the table.

Harry took one little glance out of the window, and his eyes froze on the car. It couldn't be, could it? 

"Harry?"

Because it's impossible for it to be the man who caused the pain for him. How would he know? How would he know where he was? How would he know about Louis' flat, the only place that offered safety to Harry?