Louis keeps his head buried into his forearms, his shaky cries muffled into the heavy damp material of the sweater he is wearing. He can't be heard. He can't risk that.
Louis' panic doubles when he hears the footsteps grow louder. They're far too loud and realistic to be a figment of Louis' imagination. His mind often gets the better of him but it's not this good at doing so. There is someone outside, Louis' sure of it.
Louis curls himself up smaller when he hears someone try to open the house door. That's it, it's definitely not in his own mind.
The fiddling of the door handle is replaced with the sound of a fist hitting against the door, Louis clamping his hand over his mouth with the fear that a petrified sob would manage escape him. It can't be Harry, he has a key that he can let himself in with.
Louis is suddenly reminded of what Harry gave him. He looks up, looking through blurry vision but he manages to make out the iPhone that he left on the couch. Maybe he can ring the gym and speak to Harry. Even the sound of the man's voice would calm Louis.
Louis scrambles from his bum to his hands and knees instead, crawling over to the couch as quick as he can manage, afraid that whoever is outside could be looking in the window. The second he takes the phone into his hand, he can hear a key in the lock of the door.
It can't be Harry, can it? Louis didn't hear him drive into the drive way or the sound of the engine dying down when he turned the car off, but who else would have a key?
He grips the phone desperately tight in his hand, his swollen red eyes focused on the empty hall while he stays curled up on the floor, listening as the door is pushed open.
"Har? Harry, are you still in bed?" Louis hears being called out followed by a laugh. He recognizes the voice almost immediately.
Louis can't help but breath out a trembling whimper of relief, letting the phone drop from his hand when Liam comes into view, his gaze meeting Louis'.
"Lou, what are you doing on the floor? What's wrong? Where's Harry?" Liam questions instantly, rushing over to Louis and crouching on the floor next to him, his worried eyes searching Louis' face.
"He's at work," Louis cries, fresh tears now dribbling down his wet cheeks due to both relief and panic. Louis throws his arms around Liam's torso, hugging him impossibly tight. Liam's not Harry but for now, he'd do. Louis needs to be relaxed and he needs a reassuring cuddle to calm him.
Liam wraps his arms around Louis tightly, feeling Louis rest his face into the crook of his neck, the tears wetting Liam's skin.
"Why are you crying, Lou?" Liam whispers, his hand brushing slowly up and down the span of Louis' back over his spine.
"I didn't know who was outside. You scared me so much," Louis whispers back, his fingers fisting the back of Liam's shirt tightly and his eyes squeezed shut.
Liam cooed softly at Louis, pulling back from the hug to look at the hybrid instead.
"I'm sorry, Lou," Liam pulls the cuff of his shirt down over his hands and dabs softly beneath Louis' eyes, his face apologetic.
Before Louis can answer, he hears the door slam shut before footsteps pounding down the wooden hall floor.
Harry practically falls in the living room door, his eyes wide and worried before he groans with frustration.
"The door wasn't fucking locked!" Harry exclaims loudly while Louis pulls himself up from the ground, launching himself into Harry's arms.
Harry catches a short glance of Louis' face, seeing his puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Was he crying?
"Louis?" Harry asks, hugging Louis back while trying to look at the hybrid's face. "Kitten, did something happen?"
Harry pulls his gaze to Liam, narrowing his eyes questioningly. Surely Liam didn't upset Louis, did he? He's answered when Liam held his hands up in defence.
"Don't look at me like that. I was just comforting him."
"I'm his boyfriend. If he needs comfort, he has me," Harry snipes, protectiveness taking over now that Louis is pressed flush against his front.
"Well, you weren't here, were you?" Liam points out, pulling himself back up from the floor to his feet instead.
"I only came over to visit you. The door was locked when I got here and I presumed that you slept in so I used the spare key like I usually do," Liam shrugged.
Harry decides to ignore Liam's comments, focusing on hugging Louis back impossibly tight instead.
Liam watches Louis and Harry, getting the hint that he isn't wanted there easily due to Harry ignoring him. He sighs helplessly, and mutters a half-hearted goodbye, leaving Louis and Harry hugging each other reassuringly.
"Kitten?" Harry asks, Louis wiping his cheeks into Harry's t-shirt before pulling away and peering up to him.
"I'm sorry," Louis whispers, shaking his head with embarrassment. He will be eighteen in a matter of months and he can't even manage to stay at home by himself. He knows that it can't be prevented and it's the fact that he's a hybrid that makes him so dependent on Harry, but that doesn't stop Louis' cheeks from flushing.
Harry guides Louis over to sit on the couch, pulling him up onto his lap before kissing his cheek, his fingers brushing through Louis' tail.
"Don't apologize, love. I'm the one that should be sorry. I should have been there for you," Harry says softly, looking around himself before his eyes land on his phone.
"You know what, I need to buy you a phone, Lou. You're going to need one anyways, especially if I'm not with you."
Louis shakes his head in protest, nosing against Harry's chin before mumbling out a, "no."
"You don't have to do that. You need your money for yourself, not for—"
Louis is abruptly interrupted when Harry's lips are pressed to his own, Louis shutting up to kiss him back. Harry obviously isn't going to take no for an answer, but right now, all Louis wants is to be held by Harry and it's finally happening.
(Hello, you amazing people.
I think I'm going to start updating every second day now, if that's okay. Updating daily is quite difficult, especially with school and projects and shizzle.
I hope you understand! Ily
~ M x)
